Unique Experiences
At Central, you’ll find events and experiences that are not typical for most churches. All are free and open to the public.
The Gallery
We are privileged to be part of a vibrant art community. So every month, we exhibit the work of a local artist in our Gallery (right off the Diman Place entrance). April brings our annual juried exhibit/competition for local high school art students. You are invited to attend the Gallery Opening at the beginning of the month or simply stop by to view the exhibit. Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additional hours by appointment.
Darrell West Lecture Series
The Darrell West Lecture Series on Religion and Politics brings internationally known experts to Central to provide an open forum on the intersection between religion and politics - moderated by series sponsor Darrell M. West, senior vice president of the Brookings Institution, former Brown University professor, and Central Congregational Church member. The evening concludes with a question-and-answer forum open to the audience and a book signing. Learn more.
Previous speakers include:
- Barry C. Black - United States Senate Chaplain
- Noah Feldman - Harvard Law professor and author
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali - author, activist
- E. J. Dionne - Washington Post columnist
- Mara Liasson - NPR national political correspondent
- Juan Williams - Fox News political analyst
- Dr. Elaine Pagels - Princeton University scholar, author
Stories of Faith
The Rebecca L. Spencer Series: Stories of Faith was founded and endowed by Lorne Adrain, a longtime member of Central, to commemorate Rebecca Spencer’s 30 years of leadership as Central’s Senior Minister. The lecture series seeks to connect Rhode Islanders through shared stories of friends, family, and faith. Our inaugural storyteller was Brown University alumna Jessi Hempel, senior editor at large at LinkedIn and host of the podcast “Hello, Monday.”