News

The Green Team is seeking volunteers to help with these events: 

1) Set-up and clean-up for the GIPL clean energy workshop at Central following service on Sunday, May 17;

and 

2) Get-Out-The-Vote virtual phone-banks with GIPL and Fair Count on 5/12, 5/18, or 5/19. 

For more information about either opportunity, please contact Mary White at [email protected].  

Central will welcome Hannah Shultz, M.Div., Program Director at Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), as our guest preacher for worship. 

She will also offer a workshop after worship, beginning at 12:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, on Advancing Clean Energy in Georgia. The workshop will describe practical and affordable actions we can take, as individuals and as a congregation, to mitigate climate change, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and save money, including current options for energy efficiency and solar energy. Bring your questions and ideas! 

The Green Team will host Coffee Hour after worship and provide lunch for workshop participants. 

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Last week, a friend asked, “What’s the first thing you will do when you are no longer at Central?” Oh. Well. “Um, I will take piano lessons,” was my reply. This morning, however, it became clear piano lessons will more likely be the second, third or even fourth thing I do when I am no longer at Central.

The very first thing I will do is miss you. I will miss the people I work with every day. Miss gathering for worship and fellowship, even zoomies. Miss the conversations by (endless) email and the shared interest and purpose of this congregation. Miss the children. Miss the belonging to this living body of followers of Jesus. Sigh.

And, oh, yes, I will grieve. I must grieve.

Of course, I am anticipating the grief in the same way I anticipate other and all anxieties. Getting ready for it? Perhaps. But mostly not looking forward to it or, more precisely, practicing what I know so well how to do.

Don’t you think the Disciples might have been in a similar emotional soup in our Gospel reading for Sunday is John 14:1-14? Jesus is preparing them for the time when he is no longer present with them in the body. (Not comparing my own, humble self to Jesus, to be sure.) Their “congregation” would be without him and he without them. There had to be some grief there. That’s probably why I have so often preached funerals from this passage, a moment when sadness and fear of what is not known are ambient. That’s also why the resurrection accounts so often include, “Fear not.”

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places…” (14:2) There is an invitation here that has not occurred to me before:

In that future place where there is so much mystery, there are oh, so many possibilities. Just use your imaginations and all that we’ve practiced together.

Ok, I will try my best. You mean, like improv?

On Sunday—can this be May already?—we will come together for a Service of Word and Table, as is our custom on first Sundays. Streamers, be prepared with your bread and cup in whatever form that takes chez vous. (Milk and s’mores has been suggested by a young friend.) Those of us who can get to the face-to-face will gather around the table of welcome and belonging with grape juice and gluten free bread. We will all be doing what Jesus did. Practicing. Again.

Here’s hoping to see or be seen in your company, one more time.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

This past Sunday, in the called Congregational Meeting, we said “YES!” to being a part of a “radically collaborative” ministry and called Rev. Thomas to serve as Co-Senior Minister beginning July 1st. 

Our Pastoral Search Team is wrapping up the last round of edits for our church profile, and we’ll begin the search for the other Co-Senior Minister soon!

Because this group didn’t reach the minimum number of participants, the hosts decided to cancel the class for now. We’ll keep you posted if the class is going to be rescheduled. 

Dear Siblings, 

I spent much of the past week in Philadelphia with the UCC’s Next Generation Leadership Initiative, as part of our Congregational Vitality trek. We visited three unique congregations. One is a multiracial Reconstructionist synagogue, Kol Tezdek, in West Philly, operating out of a commercial space in a mixed-use residential building. We also visited Old First UCC, a historic Congregationalist church in the Old City, which has adapted a significant portion of its property to support a new housing-first initiative. On Sunday, we worshipped with Salt & Light, a nearly 1000 member UCC/PCUSA church merger that has two campuses, a thriving ministry for children and teens, and is celebrating exponential growth in membership.

All three of these faith communities turn the current narrative about organized religion upside down. People are seeking these places out, in large part because they see these communities putting their hearts, minds, mouths, and money where they know their faith calls them to be— with each other in the struggle for a world made new. 

Aside from those campus visits, it was a wonderful time spent with the other folks in my cohort + the two other cohorts on this trip! A lot of idea cross-pollination happens on coffee runs, at lunch, or in between learning sessions. 

Our own congregation was the recipient of similar cross-pollination last week with Rev. Andrew Warner of the Wisconsin Conference. We’ll sit with the same text from last week, Acts 2:42-47. We’ll focus less on stewardship and more on our common lot and life together, as we discern our journey in ministry. 

Please be sure to stay after worship this Sunday for our Called Congregational Meeting. 

See you Sunday, 

Thomas

We have two more weeks to enjoy “My Life’s Journey”, Theresa Firster’s beautiful art exhibit presented in the Commons.

Check it out and choose the paintings that you like the most! For these last two weeks the artist is offering a 15% discount on all her paintings left in the show. 

We will welcome Rev. Andrew B. Warner as our preacher for 11:00 am worship on Sunday, April 19, 2026. He will also offer a presentation after worship on generosity and giving for all who are able to attend. I trust that includes your own dear self.

Our own Bill Harrison has led Central’s efforts to establish a planned giving program and invited sister UCC congregations in the area and the Southeast Conference to join and learn along with us. At a stage in life where we begin to think of such things, Bill was moved to consider Central Church in his estate planning and, specifically, a legacy gift—the gift that keeps on giving long after we have departed this life. Why? This is giving that comes from the same depth of love and commitment we have to our family. That kind of love.

The late Channing and Carol Jeschke left that kind of gift to Central last year. That kind of love.

On Sunday, Rev. Andrew has chosen the lectionary readings for the following week, April 26, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, because these texts seemed more suited to his theme: a spirituality of generosity. His focus passages are Acts 2:42-47 and Psalm 23. 

More about Rev. Andrew: He serves as President of the Wisconsin Foundation UCC, a philanthropic arm of the Wisconsin Conference UCC and is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE). For many years, he served as a Generosity Outreach Coordinator for the national church, as well as 22 years as a local church pastor. He leads the fundraising efforts of the Wisconsin Conference, supports the planned giving and effective philanthropy in many congregations. The has organized the Wisconsin Foundation based on a community foundation model for the endowments of the conference and congregations. 

My favorite part of his bio is this: Andrew lives with his husband and two children outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He loves to cook and entertain, a practice he calls his “gastro-evangelism.” I’m in.

I am looking forward to worship on Sunday and to seeing you there. Or maybe you are seeing us from where you are. Either way, it will be good to gather once again and to welcome our guest preacher. Don’t forget to make plans to stay after for the session with Rev. Andrew Warner. There’s lots going on at Central. Set you GPS.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Great news! Central’s Endowment Funds make funds available for charitable giving again!

If you volunteer with or know of any nonprofit organization that may be interested, please let them know to get ready. We particularly welcome and appreciate your interest in those groups with whom you have connections.

They may submit their application online, starting Monday April 20 through Friday, May 22. They should look for the application form on our website: https://central-ucc.org/grants/.  

For more information, contact Jasmine Chang ([email protected]) or Mary Ellen Myers ([email protected]).