News

Dear Siblings, 

What a joy it was to celebrate Julia’s baptism this past Sunday! I’m also thankful that so many of you shared your reflections with me after this service about its meaning for you and your faith journey.

For me, aside from the baptism, the highlight of our service was how readily you all jumped up to join our movement prayer at the end of the Story for All Ages! Reaching your hands up high and drawing them back to your chest, as you claimed God’s love for you. Let’s keep doing that, yes?

This Sunday, we’ll sit with the story of Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal a woman. Again, we’ll ask “what do we intend?” I don’t think I believe that “rules are meant to be broken,” but rather that rules should be considered in the context of their origin and the present-moment. By asking “what do we intend,” perhaps we’ll find a way to guide ourselves and our decision-making. 

Be well, 

Thomas

Dear Siblings, 

Our hymn sing last Sunday was a wonderful time to connect with our faith through song! If you missed it, you can check it out online. In fact, you can find all of our recent services and sermons online by Monday afternoon. 

This Sunday, our first OWL class for grade 7-9 will meet. We’re excited to support five teenagers in this important aspect of their lives. And, we’re already building a list of folks who will participate in the other grades offered in the spring. It has been a long road, but OWL is taking flight!

On Sunday, we will also celebrate the Baptism of Julia Henning! Baptism is an outward and visible sign of the Grace of God. Of course, this occasion is important for Julia and her family, but it is also important for our church community. Indeed, in the church today, baptism includes commitments and covenants between the baptized and the community that they formally join.

If my math is correct, this is Central’s first baptism in several years. So, I hope to see many of you in the pews and online as witnesses to this sacramental celebration.

Part of our liturgy on Sunday will include this observation from Rachel Held Evans:

“In the ritual of baptism, our ancestors acted out the bizarre truth of the Christian identity: We are people who stand totally exposed before evil and death and declare them powerless against love.”

Yes, bizarre indeed! And yet, we practice this ritual all the same. 

Rev. Liz and Josh are both away this weekend, but they are with us in spirit and celebration! 

See you Sunday,

Thomas

The Sandwich project is seeking donations of new or used insulated water bottles to distribute to the clients at Central Outreach and Advocacy.

Our next sandwich making Sunday is August 24, so please drop off donations in the specially marked baskets in the Commons and the office area by August 22nd.

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

On Sunday, we will sing to our hearts’ content. Central has always been known to me as congregation that loves to sing. Well, if that sounds like you, please make plans to join us for the Hymn-Sing Service on Sunday, August 10. Of course, no special vocal gifts are required, only that you love to raise your voice in song to the glory of God.

When Summer Church: A Season of Exploration began, some of us wanted to explore what music and worship mean to Central, what part they play in our faith development and congregational life, and what possible creative possibilities could enrich our worship life together. As you may recall, we asked people to share favorite music and to say a bit about how it comes to be meaningful. Each contribution has a wonderful story, I have no doubt, and I would love to hear them all. These stories can teach us things about ourselves and our faith—yes, our own story—that may not be visible to us until we are asked and probe for significance.

Our questions and your contributions have led us to this service. Thank you to everyone who submitted music that is meaningful to them: hymns from the denominations we grew up with, beloved family songs, and newer lyrics and rhythms that awaken us to a “God is still speaking” church. We now have a rich collection to use for the next Hymn-Sing service, and we will invite suggestions again later.

For now—that is, after the service on Sunday—please give some thought to your favorite hymns or those that seem to come up often for you; that you draw encouragement or comfort in singing or humming. What’s that story? Where do you remember that song from as far back as you can remember? What was the setting, what was going on? Were there other people there, are they/were they special to you? What did it feel like, smell like, look like, taste like, cold or hot—as much sensory detail as you can uncover? And most important: How did it make you feel, what was your emotional state in that moment? Can you remember?

These are the elements of a story that make it come alive with meaning for us in the telling. Often, they reveal patterns that have significance now that only become visible over time. And sometimes, our stories reveal concealed riches, gifts that only become available to us when uncovered and set free.

Oh, the stories I could tell! But I must go to rest my vocal cords and prepare my lungs for Sunday. Whether you share your favorite hymn story or not, please try to “appreciate” the service on Sunday and share that with us. By appreciate it, I mean reflect on what it felt like to be part of a worship where we sing more than we speak, and what you felt was the best thing you were able to take away from being part of our big choir experience together. You can tell us what you didn’t like but try not to begin and end your reflections there. It’s an experiment that we want to learn from and your input will help.

One last thing: There are other “discovery groups” at work, some of which I could name and others that I could not. Quite on my own, I have claimed the Monday Creative gatherings as one, as it is surely an “exploration” of what is possible at Central for encouraging imagination, creativity and community, and creating space for what is possible. By the end of our season of exploration and in advance of the annual meeting, I hope we will plan for a “Discovery Expo”—think high school science fair with posters—on September 14^th where we share the explorations and discoveries with the congregation during coffee and conversation. And we must have cake. More on this come.

Gotta go now but with every hope that you will be with us for singing worship on Sunday, Streamers and Gatherers alike. We will be lifting every voice, singing, praying and praising God! It won’t be the same without you so, do come. It’ll be good.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Dear Siblings, 

Can you believe that it’s already August? I can’t, but that doesn’t change reality! And so, this Sunday we’ll join together for our 3rd Annual Blessing of the Backpacks service. I love this service for many reasons:

• It honors and celebrates the youngest among us as they start a new school year
• It highlights the teachers, coaches, custodians, and more who will pour into them in this next year
• We get a chance to acknowledge that there are adults in our midst who are starting school too… they too should be celebrated
• It’s just fun! 

On a personal level, the service is also a marker of sorts for me. This is our 3rd Blessing of the Backpacks service, which means that it is the start of my fourth year as your Associate Minister. Around this time in 2022, I had just signed my call agreement and was getting ready to load my moving van and drive down here from Boston. 

Yes, it’s hard to believe it’s August. And, even harder to believe that we’re closing three years in ministry together!

And yet! Here we are. A bunch of oddballs and outcasts doing our best to love God and love people too. So, come! Come this Sunday for the Blessing of the Backpacks, to gather around the table for Communion(with a new communion hymn), eat Pizza on the Playground after worship, and welcome our new Artist in the Commons, Charles Scogins, during our coffee hour. 

Bring your backpack, briefcase, coffee mug, lunchbox, etc with you on Sunday!

Come, not because you must but because you may. 

And keep coming! 

• August 10th: Hymn Sing Service
• August 17th: Baptism of Julia Henning

Be well, 

Rev. Thomas

“The roads less traveled” is the new art exhibit you can admire in the Commons for the next two months (August – September).

This is Charles Scogins’s collection of work both plein air and studio of people and places over his 60 years he has  been painting.

Check out his story below! 

When asked, “how did I become an artist” often I answer, that “I came out of the womb with crayons”.

That seems to be nearest the truth as my drive and passion to create has always been there. I’ve had the good fortune to pursue a life following that passion and am deeply greatful for it.

Credit for my good fortune has to go to my home room teacher in middle school who encouraged my parents to find outside art instruction for me. Without her efforts its unlikely I would have had the opportunities to study, work and grow as an artist. Her efforts led me to study with Antonio Mani an Italian-American portrait painter who taught me the importance of the fundamentals of drawing, color and composition. I apprenticed studying portraiture under his direction for 3 years and still feel his infuence in my lifes work.

I served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War and used the GI Bill to enroll in the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. I graduated with a BFA in illustration and advertising. While there I gained a certification in medical and scientific illustration from San Francisco State University. Those experiences allowed me to study under many talented artist and gain the technical facility needed to pursue a career as an illustrator, designer and art director. I worked for a variety of publishers and advertising agencies for the next 25 years until I retired. Being in my mid 40’s I returned to painting which led me to teaching as well.

The past 20 years has given me an opportunity as a painter to create portraits and commissioned works and share my passion with others as a teacher and mentor. I now try and paint or draw everyday and offer workshops on plein air, portraiture and figurative painting as well as mentor artists online. I’m always happy to share my experience and journey as an Artist.

Contact details: 

Halcyon Blue Studios
5811 22nd Ave.
Valley Alabama 36854
[email protected]

We are excited to present to you “The Monthly” for August 2025.

Check out this month‘s newsletter for:

• A Note from Rev. Liz.
• Thought Starters for “Summer of Exploration”.
• An invitation to the “Summer Sing Worship Service”.
• OWL – Our Whole Lives.
• Faith Formation Opportunities.
• Advocacy and Action Opportunities.
• The “Recipe of the Month”: ”Lime Ice Cream”.

Click here to download “The Monthly”! There are also paper copies in The Commons, in The Sanctuary and in the Church office. Be sure to add events and gatherings that you‘re interested in to your calendar.

Enjoy “The Monthly” and all the events and gatherings you are going to attend!

Because we want to give more families the opportunity to register their children for the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program, we extended  the deadline for registration to August 5th. 

The OWL program for grades 7 – 9 will be hosted at Central beginning August 16th. 

Registration and More Info here: Central-ucc.org/owl.

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

If you’ve ever heard me say, “I don’t pray nearly enough,” it’s only because it’s true. And that’s not because I don’t know prayers or how to pray. Sometimes I tell myself, “It’s all prayer.” And I do hope so. A consecutive dialogue with God is almost always going on in my head, a sort of “screen within a screen” voice doing commentary during the actual play on the field. Of course, I was thrilled to read that Luther Smith feels something like that, as he wrote in Hope is Here.

It’s an ongoing, learning practice. Pray for grace.

Our gospel reading for Sunday is Luke 11:1-13 where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Yes, the first verses there are The Lord’s Prayer that many of us know by heart in one version or another. Do you say “trespasses” or “debts”? I learned it first with debts and stumble over anything else, to this day. Coming to Central, I found “Our Common Prayer”—except that this version is most un-common to me. Maybe the stumbling is the best part; it makes me think about the praying instead of going to auto-pilot and all the way (way, way) back to my childhood.

How often do you think about these words? This is how Jesus answered when asked how to pray. I’m worried now that I didn’t teach it to my children. I think I did. I must have… Uh oh.

Have you ever heard The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus would have spoken to the disciples on that day? Have you ever heard any prayer in a language you don’t understand? When I worked as an interpreter, I was invited to withdraw at the time of prayer because he prayed in his “mother tongue;” God was addressed in language unknown to me, needing no translation. Search YouTube for “Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic” to hear any number of recordings. I am especially interested in the hour-long chant before sleeping (https://youtu.be/YzNONU6-kzo?si=WcI-BsOMPWaET9Bp). If you listen and have a story to tell, know that I will want to hear it.

Here’s poetic approach from Parker Palmer: 

https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/07/lords-prayer-father-mother.html?m=1

Join us if you can for worship on Sunday where we will continue this exploration of The Prayer Jesus Taught Us and maybe learn yet another approach to share with All Ages. Streamers or Gatherers at the church, c’mon in the house of prayer. We’ve “always wanted to be in the neighborhood with you,” as Mr. Rogers would sing, and look forward to it.

On the following Sunday, August 3, we have a Service of Word and Table (Communion) and the Blessing of the Backpacks, because it’s first Sunday and school starts the next day. When it’s this hot and summer vacation is over (even if it doesn’t feel like it), we should double down on our prayers, all our prayers, any kind of prayer. Everyone will need it.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz