Central News

March 2021

From Rebecca

Dear Friends, we are entering the season of Lent, a time of thoughtful contemplation of our lives and the journeys we are all on. Given the complexities of this past year’s pandemic consequences, political upheaval, and racial divisions, it is good to take a moment and ponder where we are and where we want to be … as individuals, as this Central community, as a country, and as world citizens. We people of faith in particular have much to offer as we contemplate the mysterious ways of God’s working among us, within us and through us. The poem “Celestial Advice” by Ida Fasel speaks to the importance of this contemplation.

When you have an urge
to acknowledge an encounter
with an angel, hold off.
Remember for some people
the universe is a desk drawer
crammed with facts. “Whatever I
cannot understand must be untrue.”
Seek out someone you’ve overheard
saying simply,
“We can understand nothing.”
Better still,
be still.

In the stillness of these gray winter days, may we be sure to listen and to wonder as we wander! May we take the time to be still and savor how God’s love (that love that loves us just the way we are and that loves us too much to leave us this way!), offers us challenge and inspiration, strength and courage to make a difference in the life of every person we meet. Stranger or neighbor, beloved friend or political opposite, or both, let us be still. We will then know that in that stillness, miracles of connection and understanding will happen. These may be small miracles, almost ready to be not-noticed miracles, but still, miracles that transform us and them, you and me, all God’s children.

A good Lent to each of you.  In God’s love

– Rebecca

Why Come Back to Church?

I went to church today. I thought I’d tell you about my experience, in case you are wondering, as I have been for months: Is it really safe to go back?

Well, all I can say is – it certainly feels safe.

I was met at the door by a familiar face behind a doubled mask that takes my forehead temperature. I picked up my little plastic “communion capsule” off a silver tray and proceeded to my usual section to sit. Every other row is roped off and there’s a Purell bottle in each row. Settled into my pew I was fairly alone. Beth sat two rows ahead; Torin was two back; Charlie across the divider, back one; Kazeem two behind; Peter forward of that. You get the picture. Room. Beneath that beautiful cavernous domed spaced there is light and air, more so now than ever as the doors remain open in the both the east and west transepts. Yes, I felt safe.

I won’t say much about the service itself, as you can watch it Sunday nights after 5 pm), a good sermon and it’s all a bit abbreviated. But a couple things kind of surprised me: How good it felt to be there and how much I actually missed this. That space. Those familiar faces, masked but vital, were good to see again. Even more so, I realized how much I missed the music. Patrick and the choir section leaders, masked and in the loft, filled that space with their stirring strands of soulful joy. Live, not streamed. I’d forgotten how much that meant to me too.

I’m really hopeful that we coming out of this now. We will have bumps and dips, no doubt, but I think that directionally we are headed back to church normal.

I offer this up as just one person’s experience. You do what feels right to you, take your time, stay in your zone, but know that your church awaits you. It is ready now, or next week, or whenever you are ready.

Enjoy the light air and beauty of this day and stay well.

– Bill

The Deacon’s Bench

Lenten Meditations

Lent is an opportunity for self-reflection and prayer, a chance to draw closer to God. This is the goal of our Lenten Meditations, held every Wednesday in the weeks leading up to Palm Sunday from 5:30 to 6 pm. Each week, a member of Central will share his or her journey of faith. Lucy Hanna kicked off this year’s series of Meditations on Feb. 24. Coming up:

• 3 Lynn Seacord (Zoom)
• 10 The Rev. Judy Martowska (Zoom)
• 17 Eric Bennett (Wilson Chapel)
• 24 Jerilyn Brown (Wilson Chapel)

These brief, meditative services let us contemplate our own spiritual paths, share in another’s journey, and find connections in common ideas, concerns, questions, and experiences. Perhaps most importantly, we come to know one another in thoughtful and faith-filled ways.

Mission Speakers

The Mission and Action Committee is once again sponsoring Central’s Lenten Mission Speaker series – minus the usual soup- and-bread supper – every Wednesday during Lent.

Each week features a representative from one of Central’s mission partners. The presentations begin at 6 pm, following the Lenten Meditations, and last no longer than one hour. Each speaker will discuss the agency’s work, as well as the challenges it has faced during the pandemic. Mary Hassan of Loves & Fishes Rhode Island was the first speaker on Feb. 24. The next Lenten Mission Speakers are:

• 3 Amos House (Zoom)
• 10 TBD (Zoom)
• 17 Rhode Island Community Food Bank (Chapel Hall)
• 24 TBD (Chapel Hall)

Seeking a Church Home?

If you’re looking for a church – or know someone who is – we’d love to talk with you about it at our Inquirers’ Meeting. It’s very informal. You’ll meet with our senior minister, Rebecca Spencer, 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 phone the office at 401-331-1960, and Rebecca will get in touch.

Inquirers’ Meeting
Wednesday, April 21, 7 pm

Faith Exploration
Tuesday, April 27, 7 pm

New Member Sunday: May 2

You’re Safe at Central!

Central’s Regathering Task Force is on hand every Sunday during Worship to ensure we follow state safety guidelines. We are contact tracing, checking temperatures, and asking worshippers to double-mask (extra masks are available). In addition, we are keeping some doors open to improve ventilation. So please dress warmly!

Virtual Worship

If you are not able to attend Sunday worship in person, please remember that online services are also available every Sunday after 5 pm on YouTube. For the link, go to the church website (www.centralchurch.us) and click on “Online Worship.”

Spring Church Clean-Up

Come one, come all – young and not so young – to help clean the church building and grounds in preparation for Holy Week. We need help cleaning, dusting, washing windows, raking and weeding. There will be coffee, doughnuts and good company! Please call Ed Bishop or the Church office with questions. Saturday, Apr. 4, 9 am to 12 noon – or whenever you can stop by.

Pick Up Your Church Directory!

The 2021/22 church directory is ready. Pick up your copy in the Church Office the next time you are at Central.

From Claudia

As I write this article snow is on its way, even though a hyacinth is popping through the ground under its bed of leaves next to my porch steps. That plant knows something that we would never guess from the cold, inclement weather. That plant knows that spring is on its way.

The days are getting longer, too. It isn’t pitch black outside when I get up now. The light is dim, but the sky brightens faster these days. Every day dawn comes earlier while dusk is later. Spring is on its way.

The irony is that it is Ash Wednesday today and while the daylight is getting longer we are entering a dark, darker, darkest time in our liturgical calendar. Our focus will move from the hope and promise of Jesus’ baptism through his ministry and into the darker days before the extreme darkness of his crucifixion on Good Friday.

By the time you read this we will be a week into our Lenten journey. For it is indeed a journey which we travel together. It is so good to be accompanied on it. What a blessing that God gives us one another. We travel the road through the darkness, feeling our way and supporting each other as we go. And, God is in the midst of it all. For God never forsakes us or leaves us to do this on our own.

Tonight we will remember who we are and Whose we are. We will carry that with us throughout the forty days. What a blessing that is—made all the better knowing that we are together on this journey. We have a time of blessed discovery before us.

Jan Richardson asks, “Did you not know what the Holy One can do with dust?”  We are about to find out once again. Richardson says we are marked “…for claiming what God can do within the dust, within the dirt, within the stuff of which the world is made and the stars that blaze in our bones and the galaxies that spiral inside the smudge we bear.”

Yes. We do bear smudges and we are dusty people, but we are also flesh and bone and intellect and hope and promise. Do we know what God can do? From our past through our present and into our future we do because we know the One who walks with us.

Thanks be to God

– Claudia

Join a Committee!

Are you looking for an activity to break up the monotony of winter, to springboard you into summer, or to simply provide an alternative to the disruption of COVID-19? Look no further than Central Congregational Church’s many committees.  From Flowers to Technology, from Mission and Action to Care of the Interior, from Calling to Gallery, from Membership to Religious Education, and more. Joining a committee, you’ll not only meet old friends and make new ones; you will make vital decisions, be creative, and genuinely make a difference. The new term starts in June. Let us help you find the right fit. Contact Nominating Committee chair Barry Bayon (bay30@verizon.net / 401-294-9467).

Still Time to Pledge

March is here! It is wonderful to enjoy the longer days – and maybe soon some crocuses will be blooming. Thank you to everyone who gathered for Sip and ‘Ship, sharing fellowship as we examined the future of the church and our roles as Central members supporting a vibrant community. Thanks, too, to everyone who submitted a pledge on Dedication Sunday.

But, if you haven’t yet made your pledge for the 2021/22 fiscal year, there’s still time. You can mail or drop off your pledge card at the Church Office. Or, you can pledge electronically using the secure form on Central’s website (www.centralchurch.us). Simply click on “Give” and select the “Why Pledge” option.

Please reflect on the importance of Central in your life. It’s been a tough year. Central has given us all so much, it is more important than ever to pledge and invest in our church’s present and future.

SAVE THE DATE

Spring Church Clean-Up

Saturday, April 4  •  9 am to 12 noon

Drop by any time that morning to help us get ready for Holy Week

Spiritual Companionship Group

Where is God in your life? Discover how the ancient tradition of spiritual companionship with others will help you listen for God in day-to-day living, encounter your own inner wisdom, and find new possibilities in both your spiritual and secular lives. Tuesday, Mar. 2, 6 to 7 pm

Rebecca’s Book Group

We’ll discuss “The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties that Helped Create Modern China,” by Jonathan Kaufman – the story of the Sassoon and Kadoorie families, originally from Baghdad, who saved thousands of Jewish refugees in World War II. Postponed from Feb. 25 to Thursday, Mar. 4, 12:30 pm. Contact Rebecca for your Zoom invitation.

Adult Sunday School

The Sermon on the Mount – also known as The Beatitudes – in Matthew 5-7 is Jesus’ beginner’s guide to the kingdom of heaven. Join Claudia and explore the most popular sermon ever delivered. Sundays, Mar. 7, 14, and 21, 6 to 7 pm

Women’s Retreat Group

The women of Central are invited to gather in solidarity to pray and check in every Saturday – until we no longer need to meet like this! Saturdays throughout March, 7 to 8 pm

Food For Thought Book Group

Join Claudia for a lively discussion of “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek,” by Kim Michele Richardson. This New York Times bestseller is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere – even back home. Thursday, Mar. 11, 7 to 8:30 pm

Coming up on Apr. 8: “Stamped,” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Caring & Sharing

Join women of all ages as we come together virtually in supportive fellowship to share where we are in our lives. Thursday, Mar. 18, 7 to 8:30 pm

Church School News

Today, I looked out the window and saw daffodils beginning their ascent toward the sky. It seems every day there are more signs of hope and new life coming into view. In a way this is work of Lent: We see our misgivings and wrongdoings, work to change for the better, and more fully follow Jesus’ way. Then we start to look at our surroundings and the people around us, and we see signs of encouragement and of hope that, yes, God’s kingdom will come to be on earth. Our hearts are made ready for the wonderful message of Easter.

These signs of new life and hope can be seen in the church school as we are finally able to be together in person. When I told this news to the children in a Zoom class, their spontaneous cheers, claps, and excitement were contagious. It is great that our children are making connections with each other that will last beyond this church school year.

The church school is taking measures to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus: separating into small groups, wearing double masks, social distancing, having good ventilation, keeping individual bags of pencils, crayons, markers, etc. Siblings are in the same group, which means that our groups are not completely divided by age. As a result, teachers are able to be creative.  This arrangement also allows for more whole church school projects. Recently the children made cards to send to people letting them know that we’re thinking of them. The children, working as “smile spreaders,” also created little notes and pictures to leave for people to discover and hopefully smile.

This spring we will be working together to let others know about One Egg Haiti. This program strives to give each Haitian child in need one egg every day. This one egg makes quite a difference in the well-being of the child, providing much needed protein and helping to prevent malnutrition. More details about this wonderful program to come!

Not everyone, however, is ready to come back in person. To keep all families connected to Central, I am sending out weekly emails with information about the week’s church school lesson as well as some ideas to do at home.

Peace and blessings

– Judy

Lent at Central

Confirmation

The confirmation class continues to meet every other week. Our confirmands are very committed to the program and have almost perfect attendance! We have also had some great conversations while dealing with very difficult and serious issues such as prayer, death, evil, and suffering. It is wonderful to see CCC Youth thoughtfully engaging in issues of faith. Sundays, Mar. 7 and 21, 11:30 am

NEOS and WORD

It has been quite a challenge to get Central teenagers together virtually. But our CCC Youth fellowships, NEOS (for middle schoolers) and WORD (for ninth to twelfth graders), are up and running and moving forward. We have played virtual games and experienced virtual escape rooms. In March, we are looking towards Easter – getting ready for the Easter Sunrise Service, our Easter Breakfast fundraiser (if possible), and the children’s Easter Egg Hunt. WORD will also be discussing plans for its annual mission trip.

NEOS: Sunday, Mar. 14, 2 pm; Sunday, Mar. 28, 11:30 am

WORD: Sunday, Mar. 14, 4 pm; Sunday, Mar. 28, 3 pm;

Parents’ Zoom

Learn what your children are doing in Central’s youth groups and confirmation classes – while sharing faith and ideas with other parents. Thursday, Mar. 18, 6:30 pm

Sock Drive

Please remember to donate new pairs of warm socks, for adults or children, in unopened packaging, for our Buy Nothing Day Sock Drive. Just place them in the box in Central’s Diman Place entry hall. You can also donate to Buy Nothing Day on its GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/bnd-rhode-island-coat-drive/donate. The socks will be collected and distributed through local shelters on Monday, Mar. 15.

MARCH EVENTS