Church guide

Sunday, May 5, offers Worship with our new members joining, followed by our festive New Member Luncheon. All are welcome! The Membership Committee is providing the entrees for the Luncheon and invites members to share favorite side dishes, casseroles, salads, or desserts. Be sure to leave home early enough to accommodate Providence Marathon route changes. The first comment offers further details on road closures due to the Providence Marathon and its in-town sister races, as well as where to find more information.

The Gallery Committee of Central Congregational Church has installed the pastels of Michele Poirier-Mozzone. Many have an underwater theme, while others present skyscapes. In person, at a difference, the pastels take on the appearance of still photographs. A public reception on Friday, May 17, begins at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend and meet the artist.

Clip from glorious Easter morn, rain or not...@ CCC, www.centralchurch.us

Easter morn at CCC as seen from choir loft, http://www.centralchurch.us

You are always welcome at Central! Please join us for any or all of these Holy Week Services at Central Congregational Church Maundy Thursday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Service of Tenebrae and Communion Good Friday, April 19, noon A Service of Music with Central’s Adult Choir: The Seven Last Words of Christ, by Théodore Dubois Easter Vigil, April 20 Worship Service, 7:30–8:15 p.m. Easter Day, April 21 Ecumenical Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m. at Swan Point Cemetery At Central: Festival Service of Worship at 10:30 a.m. Preludes begin at 10:10 a.m. with organ, brass, timpani, cello, and harp We gather to deepen our faith and broaden our community through celebration, service, & song Central Congregational Church An Open & Affirming Community 296 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906 401-331-1960 · www.centralchurch.us

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Join us for Palm Sunday and our parade of palms—in the good company of friends and those soon-to-be, as well as Shiloh the sweet ‘beast of burden’—as we begin Holy Week by following in the footsteps of Jesus. Our procession starts at 10:10 a.m. on Diman Place, off Angell Street. Hallelujah!

Spruce Up Central! Saturday morning, from 9 to noon — show up to help prepare our Church home for Holy Week! All ages and abilities, expert and non-expert, needed. Coffee, donuts, & good company will abound! 🌞

Did you miss Jessi Hempel's moving Story of Faith and wish you could have attended? Did you see it, so want to share it with others -- or watch it again? You can! Thanks to Lorne Adrain, who not only created the Stories of Faith lecture series in honor of our Rev. Rebecca Spencer's 30th anniversary but also created this link! Here's acclaimed journalist Jessi Hempel sharing her story -- one that is both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, and proves Rebecca's point that "Faith is inclusive and mysterious its essence." https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S-QGJFuQNOA&t=5s

Jessi Hempel shined as Central’s first storyteller in the Rebecca Spencer Lectures on Stories of Faith. She offered her sincere and inspiring account of her life lessons, summed in the photos below — principles for us all to contemplate striving for.

Responding to Rev. Rebecca Spencer’s call and assurance that “Faith is inclusive and mysterious in its essence,” acclaimed tech reporter Jessi Hempel will tell her inspiring Story of Faith this Saturday at 6 p.m. Jessi’s journey took her from an isolating childhood and has unfolded both sweet and staggering surprises. Each experience imparted lessons, such as how to offer compassion, for her parents, her siblings, all others – and herself – and how to embrace joy, even when contending with what every parent dreads most. Then there’s her wonderful sense of humor, such as when facing her father’s foibles on Instagram and her wife’s accidentally sharing them with absolutely the wrongest person! Her story will offer both laughter and tears, as well as examples to avoid and lessons to contemplate. Widely respected for her writing, Jessi sees her best gift as listening. It’s one that she uses for tackling interviews with the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley, but her mission is to do more than make a deadline: it’s removing her own biases to fully connect and ultimately bear witness. And it’s become a foundation for her “practice of faith,” one she frames as “to listen well to people – ourselves and others.” Jessi embodies great strength, grace under pressure, and the power of humor and connection. Her unique story will help each of us to ponder our own journeys of love, faith, caring, and community. At 5 p.m. for the reception and 6 p.m. for her talk, please do join us in welcoming Jessi Hempel. Having spent her career conducting deep investigations and writing features in Fortune and cover stories for BusinessWeek and TimeAsia, Jessi is appearing as Central’s Inaugural Storyteller for The Rebecca Spencer Lectures on Stories of Faith. Established by Lorne Adrain to commemorate Rebecca Spencer’s 30 years of extraordinary leadership as Central’s Senior Minister, this series seeks to build and connect community through sharing life stories, struggles and joys. Jessi is Senior Editor at Large at LinkedIn, as well as Host of the podcast Hello, Monday. For the past 16 years, she has been meeting with and writing cover stories about the world’s most important technology leaders and their companies. Jessi has been an extraordinary storyteller for a number of leading global media organizations, including Wired, Fortune, BusinessWeek, and Time Asia. In addition to her Master’s in Journalism from the University of California-Berkeley, she is a 1997 graduate of Brown, with her BA in English (Honors in Creative Writing). All are welcome to this free and public event on Saturday, March 30, 6 p.m. (5 p.m. reception)

Spring forward into a vibrant Sunday morning at Central! This weekend has the Saturday to set your clocks ahead before you go to bed – and a Sunday with eight different morning activities at Central! So set yourself for what would most appeal to you before you set your clock! 9:00 a.m. – Adult Sunday School 9:15 a.m. – Confirmation Class 10:30 a.m. – Worship with Communion First Sunday of Lent 11:30 a.m. – Becoming the Caregiver 11:30 a.m. – Membership Committee 11:45 a.m. – Angellic Knitters 11:45 a.m. – Lenten Study Before Worship options, besides confirmation class for youths Adult Sunday School (Fireplace Room) Explore the conflicts of the superpowers of the Middle Ages. For over two centuries the fate of the Holy Land hung in the balance as kings, popes, caliphs, sultans, and others fought for control of that part of the world – all in the name of God. Join us as we contemplate what these battles meant not only in that time, but also in our own time. Questions? Ask Claudia. After Worship options, besides Membership Committee and Angellic Knitters Becoming the Caregiver –A Religious Ed Panel Conversation (Fireplace Room) After Worship, join the Religious Education Committee at 11:45 a.m. for its discussion panel Becoming the Caregiver. The conversation centers on the important and challenging topic of caregiving for aging parents, spouses, friends, relatives, or children. The Panel will be held in the Fireplace Room immediately after worship. The Poetry of Lent: A Lenten Companion to Mary Oliver’s Devotions (in the Deacons' Room) Join the Lenten study group for our first session, at 11:45 a.m. We will walk through Lent “with Mary Oliver at your side, illuminating ancient passages of scripture; provoking bite-sized meditations on key Lenten themes; and pointing toward everyday practices for individuals, families, and congregations.” Please see Claudia for your free copy of the devotional for this wonderful Lenten study.

Central for Sunday 2/24! A Full Day of Uplifting, Wonderful Offerings To Feed the Soul and the Body After worship with its inspirational readings, sermon, and singing, we have -our Mission Lunch with fellowship; -at 4 p.m., compelling music that shows off our organ and adult choir in all their glory; -at 5:30 p.m. Fun for All Ages with team trivia and a pizza supper. Mission Lunch Over lunch, two special guests will share their experiences as missionaries in Sri Lanka. Enjoy soup, bread, and more while listening to UCC missionaries Lindley Kinerk and Susan “Andy” Jepson discuss their work with the Tamil people. Amazing Music Be sure to return by 4 p.m. to our Sanctuary for a very special afternoon service of music. Our Adult Choir and organist Patrick Aiken will present the brainchild of French composer Jean Langlais, with one reviewer describing it as “what the organ was invented for!” Fun for Everyone! Our special day culminates in an evening of fun and fellowship FOR ALL AGES! Join the Stewardship Committee in Chapel Hall from 5:30–7:30 p.m. for an evening of team trivia, pizza, and beverages. If you missed out the first time, this is a must-do! We thought we would do this just once a year, but it was such a success, we’ve been asked to do it again. New categories will include church trivia, geography, and Rhode Island Trivia. For Team Trivia, please email an RSVP to Jeff Baran (see membership directory for his address).

As the service concludes...here is the spirit of the day at CCC, a wonderful musical tribute to the man, Martin Luther King, Jr., by the choir, musicians, Music & Choir Director Patrick Aiken, and all at CCC who make this kind of concert-service possible...

Covered a lot of musical ground today! Thanks to our glorious choir, orchestral members and musical director....an enchanting Sunday morning in February, 2019....

A second short clip..hinting at the music of today's service honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., thanks to the choir and orchestral members at CCC, http//www.centralchurch.us, thanks to all!

Today we're catching up, music presented was postponed recently due to a Sunday snowstorm....but here unfolds in wonderful form--readings from "A Sermon from the Mountain," by Alice Parker, then, the Invitation, from Isaiah 2:3, followed by Blessings, from Matthew, "Blessed are they that mourn for they will e comforted,"....and more.

First of a series of images taken today, a celebration in music of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....our wonderful choir seen here prepping for its 'A Game!' These images I'm posting with a special thanks to certain distinguished choir and music Director, Maestro Patrick Aiken, seen here gathering his MoJo as the service unfolds.

To a largely rapt audience, Chaplain Black, first African American to serve as Chaplain of the Senate, retired Rear Admiral, USN, 3 undergrad degrees, 2 Doctoral degrees, 27 years of Navy service, and 16 years as Chaplain later, our distinguished guest left us with plenty to think about. Look for the audio track on our church website, soon. Did you know our Senators meet weekly to pray together? Did you know a number of Senators attend weekly bible study classes the following day? Do you know anyone else whose mother offereed him 5 cents or one snickers bar for every bible verse he memorized? Just the beginning! https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190216/us-senate-chaplain-urges-unconditional-benevolence-in-talk-in-providence-church

Clip from glorious Easter morn, rain or not...@ CCC, www.centralchurch.us

As the service concludes...here is the spirit of the day at CCC, a wonderful musical tribute to the man, Martin Luther King, Jr., by the choir, musicians, Music & Choir Director Patrick Aiken, and all at CCC who make this kind of concert-service possible...

Covered a lot of musical ground today! Thanks to our glorious choir, orchestral members and musical director....an enchanting Sunday morning in February, 2019....

A second short clip..hinting at the music of today's service honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., thanks to the choir and orchestral members at CCC, http//www.centralchurch.us, thanks to all!

Today we're catching up, music presented was postponed recently due to a Sunday snowstorm....but here unfolds in wonderful form--readings from "A Sermon from the Mountain," by Alice Parker, then, the Invitation, from Isaiah 2:3, followed by Blessings, from Matthew, "Blessed are they that mourn for they will e comforted,"....and more.

To a largely rapt audience, Chaplain Black, first African American to serve as Chaplain of the Senate, retired Rear Admiral, USN, 3 undergrad degrees, 2 Doctoral degrees, 27 years of Navy service, and 16 years as Chaplain later, our distinguished guest left us with plenty to think about. Look for the audio track on our church website, soon. Did you know our Senators meet weekly to pray together? Did you know a number of Senators attend weekly bible study classes the following day? Do you know anyone else whose mother offereed him 5 cents or one snickers bar for every bible verse he memorized? Just the beginning! https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190216/us-senate-chaplain-urges-unconditional-benevolence-in-talk-in-providence-church

Here, as part of the continuing Darrell West Lecture Series on the intersection between religion and politics, Darrell West presents our guest, Chaplain of the United States Senate, Barry C. Black, author of "From the Hood to the Hill," and other works, setting stage for a poignant, entertaining, inspiring evening as only Chaplain Black could tell.

Concluding a very moving Thanksgiving service today at Central Congregational Church, http://www.centralchurch.us

One beautiful hymn marking Thanksgiving season today at CCC, http://www.centralchurch.us