Central News
December 2024 Vol. 33, No. 4
Join Us for Sunday Worship at 10:30 am!
Download a PDF Copy of the December Newsletter
A Good Word From Patrick
We are officially in Advent. So, happy New Year! The Christian liturgical year begins with the promise of God’s presence, not with the incarnation itself, nor with the resurrection. We celebrate new beginnings with the advent of hope. For a Christian people, the new year starts with faithful anticipation. We begin with trust that God is still moving, even before we see the evidence of that hope. Every year, we get to practice the difficult and essential aspects of our faith – to be, to trust, and to wait.
Of course, this season of anticipation is often the “most full” season for many of us. We fill the time with concerts, parties, decorations, travel, and all the baked goods! In a way, we really can’t wait for Christmas. As we anticipate the birth of Christ, a new graceful covenant, the promised good news of a fresh start in life, and the return of light in the darkest season of the year, we fill our time with a healthy sense of foreshadowing. Even as things get darker, light breaks in. Even as chaos seems to gain momentum, peace and order maintain a steady rhythm. Even as cold seeps into the bones, a warm fire and a steaming cup of cider hold the worst of it at bay.
This is the project of Advent. Every year, we take a full 24 days in the coldest, darkest part of the year, to remind ourselves that God brings light and warmth to our world. It is because of God’s compassionate vision for creation that we know we will never be left alone in the bleak midwinter. God is with us, and God is coming to share in life and lead us towards a more perfect and peaceful world.
With great anticipation and hope – Patrick
The Deacon’s Bench
December is a time of celebrations and gatherings – a time to reflect on the relationships we encounter daily and the value of acknowledging the importance of people in our lives.
In “Encounterism: The Neglected Joys of Being in Person,” author Andy Field stressed the importance of changing our social behaviors, adopting new patterns of relating to each other, and forgetting our differences. The social isolation of the recent pandemic taught us about the need for being together: sharing meals, going out with friends, and even conversing with strangers. As Field wrote, “Simply being together lends us the power and capacity to change.”
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third places” – meaning cafes, libraries, churches, and other places people gather informally to promote social equality. Field and Oldenburg both emphasized that places promote encounters that enliven lives and bring joy. “We can begin to change who is marked as stranger and who is neighbor via everyday interactions with the people around us.”
In “How to Know a Person,” David Brooks wrote of the “minute interactions of our daily lives” and the importance of treating one another well. “To feel valued a person needs to feel seen, respected and accepted as equal” as in the Korean concept “nunchi.”
Author Allison J. Pugh, in “The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World,” wrote that the increasing use of technology such as AI, the rising threat of depersonalization, and the fragmentation of everyday encounters all play a role in our sense of well-being. How and what should we change?
Mollie Kaye, TED talk speaker, stressed the need for simple gestures – a smile, friendly hello, eye contact, talking to strangers – to help bridge the divide. “How healing it is to be seen; to belong is the opposite of isolation. Each connection makes us stronger.”
In this holy month of December, let us resolve to remember our neighbors and the simple gestures that give a person meaning. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). – Janet Harris
Seeking a Church Home?
If you are looking for a church – or know someone who is – we would love to talk with you about it at our Inquirers’ Meeting. It’s very informal. You’ll meet with our senior minister, Patrick Faulhaber, and others like you who think Central may be the right church home. No commitment necessary. To join us, fill out a pew card during Sunday Worship or call the Church Office at 401-331-1960, and Patrick will get in touch.
Welcome New Members
Please join us in welcoming Central’s newest members: David Cann, Jim Chapin, and Li-Ling Yang!
We Need Advent Candle Lighters!
It’s tradition for Central members to light the Advent candles and read the scripture during December’s Sunday worship services. Sign up as an individual or family! Please email Susannah if you are interested!
Silver Tea Refreshments
The Social Committee is seeking contributions of tea sandwiches and homemade Christmas cookies for the Silver Tea on Sunday, Dec. 22. Please sign up in Chapel Hall during coffee hour on Sunday, Dec. 8 and 15.
Volunteer Christmas Dinner
Central cordially invites you to the annual Volunteer Christmas Party. This year’s celebration will be a dinner party – a thank-you for all your hard work throughout the year. Please RSVP to the Church Office (info@centralchurch.us) by Dec. 4. Friday, Dec. 13, 6:30 pm, in Chapel Hall
Christmas Eve Worship
This reflective, early evening service will take you through the wonders of the Jesus’ birth – accompanied by joyous Christmas carols. Tuesday, Dec. 24, 5 pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
This service, with music provided by the Central Congregational Church Choir, is peaceful and contemplative as candlelight grows and glows throughout the sanctuary. Tuesday, Dec. 24, 10:45 pm
Christmas Day Worship
Central is one of few churches in Rhode Island to offer a service on Christmas morning. Ours is an intimate celebration of Christ’s birth. There’s no sermon, just a wonderful Christmas story and holy communion. Join us Wednesday, Dec. 25, 10:30 am
Save the Date
Please join us for Confirmation, as our young people take an important step in their journey of faith. Sunday, Jan. 12, 10:30 am.
Festival Service of Thanksgiving
Central’s Festival Service of Thanksgiving is always a joyous and music-filled service of Worship. Never more than this year, on Nov. 24. The Flower Committee decorated the Communion Table with pumpkins, winter squash, gourds, and dried corn contributed by Central members and friends. The spiritual power of our choirs and historic pipe organ – an irreplaceable Aeolian-Skinner with 3,456 pipes – were joined by a brass and timpani “orchestra.”
Senior minister Patrick Faulhaber’s sermon, “Divine Calling,” gave fresh meaning and relevance to the scripture reading: The Vision of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8). And then the offertory anthem by David McK. Williams – with brass and timpani accompaniment by our organist / choirmaster Patrick Aiken – interpreted the reading musically … and thrillingly.
The service ended with the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” when the congregation stood and faced the choir, as it has since the early years of the church.
From Claudia
As we move closer to the shortest day of the year, also known as the winter solstice, on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 4:20 am, daylight will be six hours and five minutes shorter than it was for the summer solstice in June. We are already experiencing increasing darkness. As I write this, the shadows outside are lengthening earlier and earlier.
It could be worse. Yesterday I heard that Utqiagvik, Alaska, the northernmost point of the United States (and one of the northernmost cities or towns in the world) has entered into the polar night. This city will experience darkness for 67 days – which means it will be sunless for most of the winter. Just think: 67 days of darkness!
As we enter our own season of not-quite-so-extreme darkness, I think of something written by Christine Valters Paintner in her new book, “A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness.” She wrote that this season of winter “is a call to step out into the night, to embrace the winter, to listen closely to the wild silence shimmering through the darkness and see what new things we hear when we release our need to have everything figured out, including God.”
During Advent we contemplate the mystery of the birth of God’s Son. The color for this season is purple, symbolizing penitence. We all need contemplative times in our lives. These times help us gain perspective in the liminal places where we may find ourselves. We all need perspective when we find ourselves on those thresholds of life.
Paintner writes that “Winter invites holding this paradox – of the clarity that comes with seeing what is most important in your life and the unknowing – that goes with engaging deeply with mystery.” It is here that we find life in all its depth.
As we enter this season together, may we gain insights into our lives as Advent leads us into Christmas when the Light of Christ re-enters this world in all its need, its sorrows, and yes, its joy. Advent and Christmas blessings, dear friends – Claudia
Carol Service
There isn’t a better way to start Christmas week than at Central’s inspiring and music-filled Carol Service, an East Side tradition and true highlight of the Christmas season.
Come hear the story of the birth of Christ unfold in scripture and song – beginning with the creation in the Garden of Eden and prophecies foretelling Jesus’ birth and concluding with the mystery of the Incarnation – using the model made famous at King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Carols and anthems both familiar and new – performed by the Central Congregational Church Choir and Children’s Choir accompanied by organ, harp, and cello – echo each scripture lesson. The service concludes with a stunning, candlelit tableau as the choirs and congregation sing “Silent Night” – followed by the peaceful “Sleep of the Infant Jesus” postlude by Henri Brüsser – a quiet time to meditate on the great gift we’ve been given and the love of God made flesh to dwell among us.
After the service, all are invited to stay for refreshments at Central’s elegant Silver Tea, hosted by the Social Committee, in our festively decorated Chapel Hall. It’s a glorious way to share the season’s glad tidings of comfort and great joy!
Please save the date and invite everyone to join us on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 4 pm!
Christmas At Central,
Christmas At Central, our fabulous holiday bazaar, is a week away: Sunday, Dec. 8, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. We need your help to make it the success we know it can be!
Many items are needed: Baked goods, Books, Gift baskets, Soups and breads for the Lunch Room, Gently used attic treasures
Many hands are needed: Help set up on Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:30 to 11:30 am; Work during the event: in the Lunch Room, Sweet Shoppe, Grandma’s Attic, or Ye Olde Book Cellar; Help clean up – starting at 1 pm.
Many words are needed: Tell your family, friends, and neighbors about our annual one-stop-shopping mecca. Posters and hand-outs are available in the Church Office. Or, contact Ellen Miller for an email version.
Many smiles are needed: Help us welcome all of Rhode Island to our wonderful community of faith!
Adult Sunday School
This month, Adult Sunday School will start to explore “From Jesus to Christ,” learning the story of the first Christians as their new movement dramatically changed the Roman Empire in 300 years. Questions? Ask Claudia. Sundays, Dec. 1, 15, and 22, 9 am, in the Fireplace Room. No class on Dec. 8 and 29.
Food for Thought Book Group
Our Christmas gathering will have a different plot twist as we come together for our annual book swap. Please bring a gently used, gift-wrapped book to swap over dessert. Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 pm, in the Fireplace Room. Coming up Jan. 9: “The Bookbinder,” by Pip Williams
Central Men’s Group
Open to all ages, Central Men’s Group is a monthly breakfast gathering – held on the third Thursday of each month – for fellowship and spirited conversation on topics ranging from current events and ethics to trends and shared experiences. If you have questions, contact John Trevor. Thursday, Dec. 12, 7:30 am, in the Fireplace Room
The Angel Giving Tree
Help create a Merry Christmas for children in DCYF care. The Angel Tree returned to the coatroom on Nov. 24. If you haven’t already, choose a tag or tags from the tree. Each bears a child’s name, age, gender, and suggested gift. Select a thoughtful, age-appropriate item. Wrap your gift, write the contents on back of the original tag, and attach it. Please deliver the gifts back to the Angel Tree by Saturday, Dec. 14.
Christmas Cookie Swap
Don’t miss Central’s annual Cookie Swap. It’s a short, fun, music-filled evening – plus you get to take home a platter full of delectable treats – like Grandma used to make. Your family and friends will be thrilled! Bring six dozen of your favorite cookies (no bar cookies, please), and a platter or container for transport home! Questions? Contact Claudia. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6 pm, in the Fireplace Room
Women Gather
Plans are in the works for this month’s gathering. Stay tuned for updates. Sunday, Dec. 15, time to be determined.
Not Just Supper
This month’s meeting – possibly dinner and a Christmas movie! – has not yet been finalized. Watch for email updates. Sunday, Dec. 15, time to be determined.
Fourth Thursday Book Club
The Fourth Thursday Book Club will not meet in December. Coming up next year: Jan. 23 – “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann. Feb. 27 – “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom” by Ilyon Woo.
Poetry Corner: My Gym Coach Was Named Socrates
When I cut my foot
on a locker door he was
so kind about it.
by Jon Wolston
REignited
Dear Friends, for many of you, the main time you see the children on Sundays is on the steps of the sanctuary during Worship. Then we disappear up to Church School. So I want to give you a window into the kids’ routine each week once they get upstairs.
We begin by “getting ready.” We sing, we light some (artificial) tea light candles, we set intentions for the morning by placing stones in a sand bowl, and finally we drape a cloth that corresponds with the church season over our table. For the last several months, that tablecloth has been green. For those of you who are familiar with liturgical seasons, this will be no surprise as green is the color of Ordinary Time, the time in between holy seasons like Advent and Lent. In church school we have a fancier name for Ordinary Time; we call it the Great Green Growing Season to highlight the time we spend growing and learning about God’s big story. This month as our Great Green Growing Season comes to an end, we will shift to a new color for a new church season: purple for Advent! Purple, the color used in ancient times to signify abundance and royalty, will remind us that we have an opportunity each year to offer our very best to God – and that God is offering God’s best to us in the mystery of Emmanuel (God-with-us). As we step into this season, we will invite the kids to think and feel their way into the mystery of Christmas.
Likewise, our Advent programs will focus on telling the story and serving our neighbors. Whether through the Angel Tree, Mission Trip Fundraiser, or Christmas Pageant, we will ask ourselves, “Am I making room for God? Am I making room for the mystery of this season amidst the carols and tinsel? Am I making room for holy moments amidst the lists and parties? Am I making room for my neighbors amidst a season so focused on family?”
As a tangible way to invite us all to make room for God, we once again will have Advent Candlelighting during Worship. Similar to our church-school tradition of “getting ready,” this is a moment when one of our Central families lights the Advent candle, inviting us into the mystery of Christmas. With that lighting, we have the opportunity to reignite the light of Emmanuel in our lives. And so may we, with each candle, reignite our love of God and the call of Christ to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is similar: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Merry Christmas! – Susannah
Cherub Choir
The Cherub Choir – open to children in preschool through second grade – will sing on Christmas Pageant Sunday. Rehearsals are Sundays, Dec. 1, 8 and 15, 10 am, in the Education Wing Gathering Room.
Children’s Choir
Central’s Children’s Choir – for children in grades three through eight – rehearses on Mondays, 5 pm, in the Choir Room. This month, however, there is no rehearsal on Dec. 30. Questions? Contact Patrick Aiken.
CCC Youth Wreath Fundraiser
Please support CCC Youth’s summer mission trip fundraiser! Donate pinecones of any size or type. Just drop them off in the box labeled “Cones for Youth Group.” Help make wreaths. All ages are welcome. (Children should be accompanied by an adult, please.) Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 am to 1 pm, in the Makepeace Room. Order wreaths online or in Chapel Hall. Help make the magic happen! If you have questions, contact Susannah.
Church School Christmas Pageant
Calling all shepherds and angels! The Church School Christmas Pageant is upon us, and we are hoping every Central child and teen will participate in this holiday tradition, telling of Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem and Jesus’ humble birth in the manger – celebrated by choirs of angels, shepherds, and Magi. Contact Susannah if your child or teen would like a specific speaking role, such as Mary, Joseph, Magi, shepherd, angel, innkeeper, or narrator. Rehearsals: Sundays during Church School. Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, Dec.14, 11 am. Pageant: Sunday, Dec. 15, during Worship
Christmas Pageant Art!
This year, we would like the order of service on Christmas Pageant Sunday – Dec. 15 – to feature artwork from at least one of Central’s children or youth. If you are interested, please contact Susannah.
Cookies and a Movie
The holidays are extremely busy for most everyone. But no one more so than parents! With so much going on, parents are often craving some child-free “alone time” to deal with the multitude of Christmas preparations they face every year: shopping, baking, decorating, cleaning, houseguests, and more.
This year, Central can help. We’re hosting a Cookie-Decorating and Christmas-Movie-Watching Party. Not for parents … for the kids! Just drop them off. Friends are welcome, too. We’ll have a merry old time while parents deal with some of those last-minute holiday arrangements! Sunday, Dec. 15, 4 to 6 pm, in Chapel Hall
Summer Youth Mission Trip
All sixth graders and older are invited to register now for the Mission Trip. It is scheduled for July 5 to 13 – tentatively in West Virginia. Just contact Susannah!
Friday Film Fare
In The Holdovers (2023), a decidedly unpopular instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school is forced to stay on campus during Christmas break 1970 to babysit a handful of students who have nowhere to go for the holidays. Eventually, the handful becomes one troubled young man (Dominic Sessa). Along with the school’s cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who is mourning the loss of her son, the three spend two very snowy weeks as a makeshift family through comic misadventures, self-discovery – and joy. Director Alexander Payne has crafted a fine skein of wry humor and warm emotion for any holiday season. Join host Jim Silverthorn on Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 pm, in the Fireplace Room. [133 minutes; color; Rated R]
December Events
| 1 | Adult Sunday School | 9 am |
| Confirmation Class | 9:15 am | |
| Stewardship Committee | 9:15 am | |
| Cherub Choir Rehearsal | 10 am | |
| First Sunday of Advent | 10:30 am | |
| Church School | 10:30 am | |
| Religious Education Committee | 12 noon | |
| 2 | Children’s Choir Rehearsal | 5 pm |
| 3 | Endowment Board Committee | 6 pm |
| Prudential Committee | 7 pm | |
| 4 | Amos House Volunteers | 6:30 am |
| Gallery Committee | 9:30 am | |
| 5 | Board of Deacons | 5:45 pm |
| Choir Rehearsal | 7:30 pm | |
| 7 | Christmas at Central Set-Up | 8:30 am |
| CCC Youth: Wreath Making | 11 am | |
| 8 | Confirmation Class | 9:15 am |
| Cherub Choir Rehearsal | 10 am | |
| Second Sunday of Advent | 10:30 am | |
| Church School | 10:30 am | |
| Christmas at Central | 11:30 am | |
| 9 | Children’s Choir Rehearsal | 5 pm |
| 11 | Amos House Volunteers | 6:30 am |
| Mission & Action Committee | 6 pm | |
| 12 | Central Men’s Group | 7:30 am |
| Food for Thought Book Group | 7 pm | |
| Choir Rehearsal | 7:30 pm | |
| 13 | Volunteer Christmas Party | 6:30 pm |
| 14 | Christmas Pageant Dress Rehearsal | 11 am |
| 15 | Adult Sunday School | 9 am |
| Christmas Pageant Rehearsal | 9:15 am | |
| Cherub Choir Rehearsal | 10 am | |
| Third Sunday of Advent: Christmas Pageant | 10:30 am | |
| Church School | 10:30 am | |
| Not Just Supper | TBD | |
| Women Gather | TBD | |
| Cookie and a Movie Party | 4 pm | |
| 16 | Children’s Choir Rehearsal | 5 pm |
| Technology Committee | 7 pm | |
| 17 | Plant & Properties Committee | 5:45 pm |
| Christmas Cookie Swap | 6 pm | |
| 18 | Amos House Volunteers | 6:30 am |
| 19 | Choir Rehearsal | 7:30 pm |
| 20 | Newsletter Deadline | 3:30 pm |
| Friday Film Fare | 7:30 pm | |
| 21 | Carol Service Dress Rehearsal | 9 am |
| 22 | Adult Sunday School | 9 am |
| Fourth Sunday of Advent | 10:30 am | |
| Church School | 10:30 am | |
| Carol Service / Silver Tea | 4 pm | |
| 23 | Children’s Choir Rehearsal | 5 pm |
| 24 | Christmas Eve Worship | 5 pm |
| Candlelight Service | 11 pm | |
| 25 | Christmas Day Worship | 10:30 am |
| 29 | Worship | 10:30 am |
| Church School | 10:30 am | |
| Membership Committee | 12 noon |
The Church Office will be closed December 24 and 25 for Christmas.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!