News

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

I can’t help it. This piece still has me stunned and rooted to the floor. So, I must share it. It’s from the UCC Daily Devotionals this past week. If you don’t get them, you’re missing a treat. www.ucc.org/daily-devotional/

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. Rev. Thomas will be away, and we’ve been left in charge! On our best behavior, of course. We will have our fourth Lenten Lunch following worship—where does the time go?—and we’re uncovering Central’s “imaginal discs” (see below). One Great Hour of Sharing is this Sunday. That’s in our DNA, too. Please make your plans to give as generously as you can.

See you on Sunday and be seen streaming. We’ll be looking forward to it. Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Imaginal

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NRSV)

Come Easter, much will be made of butterflies. The inching, munching caterpillar transforming into the bright, soaring butterfly is just too good a resurrection metaphor for some of us to pass on.

Something you may not know: once the caterpillar hangs itself up, a grand drama plays out. If the caterpillar itself can’t imagine the butterfly it will become, its cells sure can. As soon as the chrysalis closes, tiny structures called imaginal discs (that’s really what they’re called!) form in its body. Inside these discs are the genome of the butterfly, largely separate from the genome of the caterpillar. As such, the caterpillar’s body sees them as invaders. Its immune system attacks and kills them. But the genetic image of the butterfly will not be denied. The imaginal discs keep coming.

Eventually, the caterpillar’s immune system becomes overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. By then, the struggle has basically liquefied the caterpillar’s body. The imaginal discs then use the caterpillar soup to build a butterfly.

Maintaining homeostasis is often the way to go. It’s usually the best way to survive. Fighting unto liquefication can seem preferable to changing. But what if the thing you’re fighting is the seed of a great transformation?

What if the thing you’re attacking so hard is the image of what you were always meant to become?

Prayer

I may not be able to imagine my future, but I know you already have. When the image of you that you’ve implanted inside me makes itself known, help me to not fight too hard. Amen.

Quinn G. Caldwell is Chaplain of the Protestant Cooperative Ministry at Cornell University. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas.

On April 12, Lena’s Place will host “Bob & The Beatles!“–a beloved tradition at the Coffeehouse. Come, bring your friends to listen to your Dylan and Beatles favorites–we all know the words!

Proceeds for this concert have traditionally gone to The Lena Werking Fund, which provides grants to area nonprofits, helping to fulfill the dream of its initial benefactor and Coffeehouse namesake, Lena Werking.

You won’t want to miss this show! Doors open at 6:30 pm. The concert starts at 7:00 pm.

Contact Evelyn Brewer for more information: [email protected] .

Founded in 1984,  Lena’s Place Coffeehouse, is Atlanta’s longest running month music coffeehouse and showcase. Lena’s Place is a monthly opportunity to experience an eclectic mix of acoustic artists in a coffeehouse atmosphere. Lena’s is staffed by volunteers who love (and often play) music and who take pride in a professional presentation. Join us every Second Saturday at Central, in the Sanctuary. Doors open at 7pm! A suggested donation to support our rotating nonprofit gift designees is $10 at the door. For more information, you can check our calendar or visit Lena’s Place on Facebook.

At the end of 2024, the National Ministries of the United Church of Christ awarded a Neighbors-in-Need grant of $2500 to Central UCC to support the bagged lunch project for the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center (OAC). The award recognizes the embodiment of faith in the service of community. Once a month, Maureen O’Brien and her team provide bagged lunches for Central OAC clients experiencing homelessness. Congratulations to Maureen and all who have contributed to this justice-building project!

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.

Rev. Thomas was selected as one of 14 young ministers in the UCC to participate in the 15th cohort of the UCC Pension Board’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative. NGLI works to identify ministers who demonstrate promise for transformational leadership in the local church, and then equip them to do just that!

At long last, we have a new website. We hope that you’ll share this link with friends and family, and we hope that you’ll use it too.

“Can you hear me now?” asked Rev. Liz in celebrating the completion of our new AV system’s installation and training for our volunteer “Stream Team.” This project has been on Rev. Thomas’ “vision board” since his first few months at Central. And it has now come to fruition.

It’s been a busy year for the Trustees. From boosting our energy efficiency, addressing our HVAC system, and sprucing up some well-loved spaces, our team has been hard at work!

Dear Ones,

We continue to hear from many of you about your anxieties for the end of our election season. As a “swing state,” we have been blanketed by advertisements and commercials, inundated by phone calls and text messages, and visited by the major candidates more times than some of us would like to count.

Our state’s flurry of political activity has made clear that our country and culture are very divided right now. These divisions may be felt in our neighborhoods, rec leagues, jobs, schools, churches, and even our families. People from all parts of the political spectrum view this particular election as life or death.

It is okay for your heart to feel heavy. For your mind to be exhausted. And for you to feel the weight of your anxieties in this election. It is okay to be overwhelmed.