Announcements - Central Congregational United Church of Christ

Jan 03, 2025

Artist in the Commons: Steve Siminski

Steve Siminski, Central’s art exhibit coordinator, is presenting his own paintings in the Commons from Jan 5th through March 31st, 2025.

During his early childhood, Steve was inspired by his grandmother as she periodically mailed him painting and art supplies while he attended North Carolina School for the Deaf and Fort Lauderdale Oral School. “As a manufacturer and designer of young girl dresses, she endlessly did sketches and drawings of dresses for her business. I was so fascinated by her proficient drawings and strong fashion knowledge. She was a genius in designing dresses“, Steve said.

Steve took up the Art Exhibit coordinator role at Central after Elsie Dresch, the former coordinator. Steve and Elsie met weekly for 4 years as she taught Steve how to improve his painting. “I learned so much from Elsie, and my painting skills improved tremendously. I am so grateful that I had her as my art teacher. She was an inspiration to me”.

The central theme of Steve’s paintings is landscape, flowers, bees and nature.

Steve will donate 20% of the proceeds from the sales of his paintings to the church. There will be a Coffee, Tea, and Conversation reception after the 11 am service on January 5th.

Dec 09, 2024

Rev. Thomas joins leadership program

Rev. Thomas has been selected as one of 14 UCC ministers to participate in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI). Founded in 2008 by the United Church Board of Ministerial Assistance, NGLI supports young clergy in build[ing] “vibrant congregations.”

Rev. Thomas spent a week in Memphis, TN, meeting the rest of his cohort. Here’s what Rev. Thomas said after returning from the orientation week:

It was wonderful to be back in Memphis, and even more wonderful meeting the rest of my NGLI cohort. I’m so excited for this opportunity to connect with other younger clergy who have felt and are living out a call to serve in local churches, with an eye towards the new work that God and Christ may be calling us all towards. I look forward to reconnecting my and other NGLI cohorts in Kansas City this summer during General Synod.

Learn more about NGLI.

Dec 08, 2024

We have a new website!

We’re so excited to introduce the all-new central-ucc.org! Our new site is easier to navigate, faster to load, and regularly updated with news, events, and more.

This is a major change from our past website. You’ll note that this site has far fewer pages than the old one! That’s a good thing. Going forward, you should notice that the pages that change most frequently are the home page, news, and events.

Looking for news? Check here: Central News

Events and Calendar? Find that info here: Central Calendar

Dec 02, 2024

Pardon Our Progress: Trustees Update

Enhancing Our Energy Efficiency:

You may have noticed that the Commons lights are now all in working order–on a dark day or at night, there is plenty of light in the Commons. The same is true all across the building! Following an energy audit by Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), we elected to try to enhance Central’s energy efficiency. The project involved converting the light fixtures in the building from fluorescent to LED. This was done in several stages, and the last conversions will be completed before year end. The LED bulbs that were installed also opened the door to rebated through Georgia Power. Between the Georgia Power rebate and the Green Team’s successful grant with GIPL, roughly 20% of the project cost was rebated or grant-funded.

Our Aging HVAC Units

Central has 8 HVAC units, all but two are mounted on the roof. They were installed around 2001, and recently, the thermostat controls have become unreliable. In an effort to better manage our utility expenses, while also extending the life of our HVAC system, Trustees have contracted with a company that will provide regular maintenance and repairs. This same company made us aware of a Georgia Power(GP) pilot project for wi-fi enabled thermostats. We qualify for the program! GP will pay the full cost of the thermostats and their installation. As part of this program, GP will analyze and evaluate our electric costs and energy use for a full year. Afterwards, Central will assume the minimal cost of maintaining the thermostats.

But wait, there’s more!

No More Drip:

A recurring leak in one corner of the sanctuary should be fixed, finally. You may be unaware of the leak or its source–which was up on the roof near a junction of the gutter and exterior wall. More than once, a hard rain resulted in water pouring down, along the window aisle, and puddling in front of the pulpit. Previous repairs proved to be temporary, but recently, the commercial roof and gutter company sent an investigator who identified the problem and recommended a solution. The work has been done, and we look forward to a dry sanctuary floor when it rains.

Maintaining Our Pond:

We have been unable to find a volunteer to take on pond maintenance. This summer the prolonged and intense heat made for severe algae overgrowth. Combined with a pump failure, this made the pond very unattractive. We engaged the company that did work on the pond (Pond Pros) years ago to return and provide bimonthly maintenance and an annual clean out. With Pond Pros expert guidance and recommendations, we have gained an upper hand in keeping the pond in order. Todd and Mark are adding the necessary anti-algae treatments and also keeping up with leaf debris removal.