Central News

October 2020
Vol 29 No 2

From Rebecca

Dear Friends,
I love books. Unfortunately they can be like mice; they keep multiplying. What reminded me of this is I just saw a mouse in the kitchen. (It was early and maybe I woke her up, but still….) If there is one mouse, well, you know…. Same with books. Each one is so special, who stops at one? Maybe a better analogy is books and M&Ms. Who stops at one?

I know many of you are reading books via Kindle, and I salute you. But then you don’t get to crack the spine and settle down with fresh pages and a pencil in hand. You also don’t deal with crammed bookshelves and tables piled so high, there isn’t a place for your coffee cup.

I just read that book publishers have never seen such good times, since more and more people are reading. That’s a good thing, no matter what or how you read. It takes us away from ourselves, and we inhabit another world. We can reflect, savor, argue, ponder, learn, and reach out to others.

So one of my projects is to better organize those shelves. I’ve been successful to some extent. I’ve alphabetized biographies and organized fiction, poetry, history and theology by subject, author or general theme. I told myself I would do a better job this summer. I confess. I haven’t.

I don’t mind too much. The other day I was looking for Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Lincoln bio, “Team of Rivals.” I knew where it should be: under L (for Lincoln) in the middle on the bottom shelf. It wasn’t there. So I let it go and then remembered where I’d left it. The happiness of finding it was almost worth the frustration of forgetting where it was!

Isn’t this something like life? We’re all discombobulated at times, disorganized, out of place, searching. But then there’s that wonderful feeling of success when you find just what you were looking for!

I can imagine this is what God feels like sometimes. God has placed each of us here on earth, we live our lives, and God watches as we sometimes bumble about. Maybe there  is even a divine grin as God observes our searches! Then, that moment when we see what we have been searching for – a sense of purpose maybe, love, passion – or as Frederick Buechner put it, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

There is that thrill of finding what was lost – finding and helping WHO was lost. Finding that place where you know you are meant to be….where God has called you to be. What better search could there be?

Yours in faith, on the journey, searching, finding, and being found – Rebecca

Stewardship Family Trivia Night

Central’s Stewardship Committee invites the congregation to Family Trivia Night on Sunday, October 25 at 6 pm in Chapel Hall. This Fall event – held annually to thank Central members and friends for their pledges and gifts – is especially meaningful during these unique and challenging times.

There will be some changes this year, as we socially distance and observe other safety guidelines.  However, there will still be pizza and beverages for those who attend in person.  For the first time, those who feel more comfortable playing from home will be able to play via Zoom!
Please RSVP to Jeff Baran at jeff@wakefieldliquors.com

Re-Imagining Chapel Hall

The enthusiastic and unanimous vote by Central’s congregation last January to Re-imagine Chapel Hall seems a world away, given all the events that have happened since. At that point, after more than a year of strategic planning that involved the entire congregation and all committees, a theme emerged:  Chapel Hall represents the good works and community of Central, inspired through the word of God. The energy and joy of shared purpose and care for one another that is so palpable in the many events held in Chapel Hall deserved an investment in the future of Central Congregational Church.

Undaunted by the coronavirus and following official guidelines to ensure the safety of all involved, a team of Centralites worked throughout spring and summer, among themselves and with the architectural team at Centerbrook Associates, considering a myriad of alternatives to incorporate purpose, beauty, and cost-efficiency into the final plans. A first glimpse of the results will be offered at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, Oct. 4. We know you will find the prospects exhilarating!

As in the past, a percentage of the funds raised for the Re-Imagining Chapel Hall capital campaign will go towards Central’s mission. Those details are still to be determined. But as we begin to gather again, it is a good time to think about how each of us can be a part of building Central’s future.

There are many ways to participate, specifics of which will be detailed in the weeks to come. But to help the process along, outright gifts are always a joy to receive. Now that the Angell Society has been formed to encourage planned gifts, they are also welcome. And, for anyone who is 70½ and subject to Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) regulations, remember that you may contribute up to $100,000 to a charity, and that gift will qualify as part or all of your RMD. Since the Re-Imagining Chapel Hall campaign will encompass about three years, there is time to plan how your support can benefit your individual circumstances. Please let Rebecca know if you have ideas or questions about a gift. Thank you!

– Caroline Considine for the “Re-Imagining Chapel Hall” team: Barry Bayon, Bill Claflin, CEC, Steve Eustis, Warren Jagger, Elizabeth Roberts, Rebecca Spencer, Barbara Thornton, and Tom Viall

Meet Joe McNamara

Central welcomes Joseph McNamara as our newly hired Sexton. Joe comes to Central with years of experience, handyman skills and a clear desire to work at Central. His most recent position was at Johnson and Wales where he beautified the landscape and maintained many of its buildings.

Born and raised in Massachusetts with his six sisters and one brother, Joe now resides in Providence, Rhode Island where he has been a Rhode Island resident for the last 20 years. In his spare time, Joe enjoys going fishing and spending time with his ten grandchildren!

Joe has expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the church, hopefully for many years to come. If you see Joe before or after Sunday service please say hello and welcome him to the team.

For a sneak peak of Central’s newly renovated restrooms, and a guided virtual tour from Joe please visit our YouTube channel. Just go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQIxdNM7Rg

Confirmation

Barbara and Barry Bayon, Claudia Demick, Caroline Patterson Inlow, and Larry Kellam have volunteered to create a strong Confirmation program for our ninth graders starting this fall. They will be reaching out to families and teens to begin planning a transitional Confirmation program that will ensure our rising high schoolers have a supportive plan in place for their Christian faith formation. For sophomores and juniors we are planning a service of Confirmation for you on October 11. Stay tuned for details about upcoming CCC Youth activities!

Musical Notes

O when the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
O Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in!

On November 1, Central will celebrate All Saints Day during Sunday Worship with our traditional procession of Saints posters accompanied by “When the Saints Go Marching In!”  Of course, this year’s celebration will be a bit different.  The posters will be virtual, and we won’t be singing out loud as a congregation.  But we still will have the music!

If you play an instrument and would like to participate in our “All Saints Band,” please contact Patrick Aiken, so he can brief you on all of the safety protocols and procedures. We will meet early on November 1 to rehearse and be ready to go!

Annual Meeting

Central’s annual meeting – postponed from June – will be held Sunday, Oct. 4, after Worship. To meet our quorum, we need at least 60 members to attend in person. Masks and social distancing required. However, you can also participate online. We will vote on the Nominating Committee report, the 2020/21 budget – and introduce preliminary plans for our Chapel Hall renovation.

Scripture Readers Needed

Scripture readers make an important contribution to our Sunday Worship service. Please consider volunteering your voice and time – though a great deal of time is never necessary – as your gift to the congregation. Contact Judi Jamieson at 401-421-0782 or jjamiesn@providence.edu.

Memorial Flowers

If you’d like to donate the flowers that grace our Communion Table on Sundays, contact the Church Office. A donation of $40 is requested.

Welcome, the Rev. Judy

We welcome the Rev. Judy Martowska as our new Youth Minister and Church School Director. A note about her extensive experience and an enthusiasm for youth and children’s ministries will be coming soon. Watch for updated schedules and calendar for youth groups, church school events and activities.

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, October 21, 7 pm
Faith Exploration
Tuesday, October 27, 7 pm
New Member Sunday
November 1

From Claudia

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once wrote, “All around us, to right and left, in front and behind, above and below we have only to go a little beyond the frontier of sensible appearances in order to see the divine welling up and showing through…. By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us and molds us…. We imagine it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact we live steeped in it.”

During 2020, we have lived and been steeped in so much that it can be hard to imagine the divine welling up and showing through all that has happened in such a short time. And yet, there are moments in all of our lives when it does. Some are those large moments when we might expect to see the divine, while others are smaller ones when it would be easy to miss the divine light showing through. All are part of what it means to be people of faith. As Christians we know that God is always present with us, and sometimes we need to contemplate how God might have shown through in our lives.

As I write this, I am contemplating this past weekend when divinity shone through the events of a family wedding. Not too many months ago the conversations about this event revolved around whether to hold the wedding or not under the current circumstances. Deep, deep thought went into the planning. The invitation list was pared down, and the wedding was streamed online for those unable to travel. The bulletins were “contactless,” and the reception was socially distanced. I will tell you that on that cold, cold September night on the water that all the windows at the venue were wide open, and it took me a day or two to finally warm up again! But it was worth it.

God’s blessing shone on the bride, our beautiful “almost daughter,” and her handsome groom. You could see it in their faces and in the faces of everyone there celebrating with them – perhaps in a deeper way than they might have, as we all realized that this was real life, the life we are to lead with one another and with God.

There are blessings to be had, dear friends, even in circumstances like this virus that looms large and saps us of our energy. Even in the midst of worse and worse news from around the world. There are blessings that continue, albeit in different ways than before. Those blessings are indeed “all around us, to right and left, in front and behind, above and below.” May we see our lives with the eyes of God whose blessings remain with us in abundance.

Love to you…and many blessings, – Claudia

Kids and Teens

Programming for our Church School,   Confirmation, and CCC Youth groups are works in progress. However, they are scheduled to begin in October.

Tracy Baran, Susannah Hopkins, and Pamela O’Hara are working with      associate minister Claudia Demick, planning creative ways to offer a meaningful Church School program in the midst of COVID-19. Likewise, Barbara and Barry Bayon, Caroline Patterson Inlow, and Larry Kellam have joined forces with  Claudia to develop a strong Confirmation program.

Stay tuned for news about these vital    activities for Central’s children and youth. In the meantime, please contact the Church Office if you have a ninth grader who will participate in Confirmation this coming year. And, be sure to attend Worship on October 11 at 10:30 am, when our 2019 and 2020 confirmands will participate in a Service of Confirmation!

During this time of social distancing, many Central committees and groups are meeting via Zoom or GoToMeeting. To be notified about any of the following virtual meetings, contact Claudia.

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 October, 7 pm

Food for Thought Book Group
Join us for a lively discussion of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Nickel Boys,” by Colson Whitehead. Based on a true story, it tells of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. Thursday, Oct. 8, 7 pm

Caring and Sharing 
Join women of all ages who come together in supportive fellowship and activities. This month, we’ll connect virtually and share where we are in our lives. Thursday, Oct. 15, 7 pm

Adult Sunday School
We will welcome Sean Amato who worked with the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services  in Egypt until COVID-19 forced him to return to Rhode Island.  He will discuss the theology of various Coptic Christian groups. Sunday, Oct. 18, 6 pm

Rebecca’s Book Group
We’ll discuss “The Night Watchman,” by National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich. It is based on the extraordinary life of Louise’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. Thursday, Oct. 29, 12:30 pm

Lecture Postponed
The lecture featuring Brown University professor Prerna Singh, originally scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 pm, has been postponed until sometime in 2021. Singh – Mahatma Gandhi Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Brown University’s Watson Institute and author of “How Solidarity Works for Welfare: Subnationalism and Social Development in India” – will speak about India’s current religious and political climate.

October Events

Central’s virtual Worship services are broadcast on YouTube. All other meetings are held via Zoom or GoToMeeting unless otherwise indicated.

* If you are unable to attend Worship in person, you can attend virtually via YouTube after 5 pm

The church office will be closed Monday, Oct. 12 for Columbus Day