Lighted Tower Newsletter

The Lighted Tower

Church Phone: (203) 235-1389

Church E-mail: secretary@centerchurchmeriden.org

Church Website: www.centerchurchmeriden.org

Credo

I offer the following creed as a testimony of faith for the present in the historical context of our times.  It follows the witness of the Church in the form, but attempts to place the emphasis on our obedience as followers of Jesus Christ to the Great Commandment.

We, the Church of the one true God, believe that by the life and testimony of Jesus, the man of Nazareth, is revealed the nature of God and the destiny of humanity:

That in God’s self-experience God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, complete and sufficient unto Godself;

That by the revelation of God’s triune nature we know a mystery that first addresses the oneness of God and thereafter the ways in which the three persons relate to one another;

That, in our experience of God, God exists as the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of humanity and all the Creation;

That in the person of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, God came and lived among us, preparing and fulfilling the way of reconciliation of the world through his words and his life – birth, humanity, death, and resurrection – as the Lord of Life and the Prince of Peace;

That Jesus Christ is the Anointed, Beloved, the Elect, and the Predestined One;

That Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of power, to pray for and with us;

That, by the witness of the law and the prophets and the attestation of the Apostles and their heirs, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit through scripture and the proclamation of the Church, Jesus Christ establishes the Rule of God in the world, fulfilled and fulfilling the purposes of God for our sakes.

To this grace of God, we offer ourselves as servants, under the Headship of Christ, cleansed by the water and the fire of the Holy Spirit, fed by the Word and the Sacraments, and committed to the work of discipleship:

       That God’s compassion and justice be made known in the world;

       That the consolation of Israel be achieved, bringing liberation to the oppressed and comfort to the afflicted;

       That forgiveness abounds, mercy flourishes, and suffering abates;

       That peace may find a foothold in our chaos, joy in our sorrow, and light in our darkness;

       That the world may hallow God’s name, seek God’s kingdom, and obey God’s will.

And we affirm that we, the body of Christ, by thought, word, and deed, do seek to live faithfully the gospel way:

So that, by creation and adoption, we partake of Christ’s inheritance and participate by the power of the Holy Spirit in the new earth and the new heaven of God’s recreation;

So that, our worship and prayers, our fellowship and service, and our work and our play, all serve to enhance and empower our participation in God’s design and desire for our lives and for the world;

So that, we truly desire and earnestly work for the end of sin, brokenness, indifference, and evil-doing;

       So that righteousness bears fruit among us, that peace comes into every heart and home, and that love breaks through all the barriers that divide us from one another;

So that, for all who live and all who have died, the Advent of Christ’s return will be cause for joy and redound in all the earth and in heaven to the glory and honor of God.

All these things we believe and affirm, as our covenant with God, our profession of faith, and our commitment to the Lord’s Church.  Amen.

BOOK CLUB

ANNOUNCEMENT:

During the summer, I mentioned, in a worship service, a book by C.S. Lewis entitled The Great Divorce.  Several people asked me more about it after worship; so, I’m thinking that there may be interest in starting a monthly book group.  

The group will meet in the Federal Room, beginning on Tuesday, October 6th.  

Copies of The Great Divorce can be found on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or a local independent bookstore.  If you need assistance in purchasing the book, please contact Joan in the office by September 9th, and a copy will be available.                              Thanks, Pastor Kent

Greetings from the Diaconate

Summer services went well.  The heat only caused us to meet one Sunday in the downstairs Chapel.  First Church joined us for a couple Sundays.  We enjoyed the variety of worship music this summer. The deacons and music committee are looking for people who play instruments or like to sing. Please see Frank Covey if you have any musical skills and are willing to share them during a worship service. Do you have a favorite hymn? Let us know, we can plan to sing it one Sunday.  We are also looking for readers for the Sunday scriptures.  Look for a sign-up sheet at coffee following worship service.

The Adult Bible study led by Pastor Kent continues to meet on Thursdays at 11am in the Federal Room.  There is a zoom link for those who wish to participate from home.  Contact Pastor Kent if you would like the link. 

The Care team continues to pray for good health, recovery and comfort to the Spencer (our organ tuner) family (house fire), Brian Gaffney (surgery), Nancy Uraycee, Colleen Stack, Joan Halla, and Dan & Linda Hatch.  Is there someone who could use support from the Care team?  Please let Joan Gordan or Susan Trella know.

Thank you to Deacon Frank Covey for providing communion bread and preparing communion every month.

The September servers will be Mary Zysk and Chris Tabor.  The next Deacons meeting is Sunday September 7.

Please see a deacon if you have items to discuss.

Peace

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Sunday, September 7th is Rally Day!!! That marks the date that Sunday School kicks off for the school year! Our theme this year is Fellowship: Unity Within the Community.

Sunday School is held the first Sunday of every month at 10:00 AM and all children aged Kindergarten through 8th grade are welcome to attend!  We meet in a classroom in the Fellowship Hall area.  The first Youth Group session of the year will also be held on September 7th.  The meeting will begin immediately following Coffee Hour after the Sunday worship service.

Youth Group is offered to children in the 6th through 12th grade. Our Youth Group focuses on fun, fellowship, and community service. 

If you have any questions and would like information regarding our youth programs, please reach out to Caitlin DePalma at (203-376-8588 / cait-drew@att.com) or Amanda Rochette (203-600-8907 or mandyjayne75@gmail.com).

PARISH NURSES

It has been a busy summer.  Our Center Church congregation has been so kind and generous.  We have supported Birthright in Meriden, as a primary local community service emphasis.  Birthright sees over 150 families.  They provide ongoing care for families that have a baby or a child up to 3 years of age.  They asked for our help and to date we have given over 12 bags of infant/toddler clothing, 10 boxes of diapers, 56 cans of Similac, 1,728 baby wipes, 9 quilts, 15 tubes of Desitin, 12 baby bottles, 6 backpacks, 40 home-made bags, 18 sippy cups, 1 baby tub, 11 food items, 3 sunscreens (baby), 1 neck pillow, 1 baby carrier, 1 pack of outlet plugs, 6 wash cloths, 3 boxes nail clippers, 6 boxes of pads, and an assortment of toys.

Thank You!!!  We will have a dedication from Reverend Kent on during the Sunday worship service on September 14.      Showing God’s love through you!

COME TO DINNER - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025

All members and friends of Center Church are invited to come together for an evening of fun and fellowship at

 6:00 on Thursday evening, September 11th.

The birthdays that we are celebrating this month of August are Sue Trella, Betsy Tyrell and Steve Gorman and for our dining location this month Sue has selected Westbrook Lobster  restaurant at 300 Church Street in Yalesville.  It’s right on the corner toy Routes 68 & 150.  You can check out the menu at https://www.manhattansouthington.com.

 If you are planning to come, or if you would like to join us for the first time, please contact Ardene Courchesne at 203-631-7307 or ardene.courchesne@yahoo.com, as she is making the reservations.  This group, informally referred to as the “Tri-C”, meets once a month on the second Thursday of each month.

All adults in our Center Church community are most welcome!

ACCESSIBILITY SUNDAY

Save the date: October 19th.  The Accessibility Committee and Pastor Kent will present a program during the worship service on our congregation’s efforts to make worship and all services of Center Church accessible to all.  

See you there!

PASTORAL SEARCH

The Pastoral Search Committee will be reconvening during the Fall, initially to update the church profile, which is the document wherein the church provides to prospective candidates the general overview of the congregation, its mission in the community, activity. history, budget, and other things that we feel would be important for a new pastor to know about us before coming to serve our covenant community.

More to follow.

MUSIC NOTES

During the month of September, our organist will be Dr. Carolina Flores, a Meriden resident who is also the Associate Professor of Choral Music and Director of Choral Activities for the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford.

Currently, she is the Artistic Chorale director of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale (MSOC). She has also been the assistant director and accompanist for the New Haven Chorale in CT, and the artistic director of the Pioneer Valley Cappella Choir in Northampton, MA. She has led choirs on tours of Austria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and Spain (Carolina’s home country).

As a pianist, Dr. Flores has been a prize-winner in several international and national piano competitions. In New York she performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Cami Hall, Rockefeller Center, and has performed as concerto soloist with the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Sixten Ehrling. Before becoming a choral conductor, she taught piano and chamber music, in Spain, NY, and CT.

Dr. Flores obtained degrees in music education and piano pedagogy at the Superior Conservatory of Music in Zaragoza and the Royal Superior Conservatory of Music in Madrid, respectively. In addition, she earned BM and MM degrees in piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, and a DMA in choral conducting at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, CT.

Come each Sunday to our worship service and enjoy Carolina’s presentation of the message of Music.

NOAH

This Summer, Pam traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania; an area where she lived for many years.  This time it was on to go see a production by the Sight & Sound theater group.  Every year they produce plays that are of Bible stories and which always include live animals, as true as possible to the biblical accounts of the story. Sight & Sound has been around for nearly 50 years and is sometimes referred to as Christian Broadway. 

Their 1995 production was the story of Noah – complete with an extensive menagerie of animals on stage.  2025 is the 30th anniversary of that fabled event and they have been celebrating this year by putting on that original play.

This year, in addition to the opportunity to see the play live onstage, as Pam did in July, it will also be available live-streamed into movie theaters from September 18th through 23rd.  Pam would like everyone to know that you can look up the movie houses and times and preview the movie trailer at https://www.noahevent.com. 

It will also be available via Pay-for-view.

STATISTICIAN FOOTNOTE

Just a curious observation of the worship attendance trend.  For the first eight months of 2025, that being January to August, the total worship attendance has been 986; which averages out to 28 per week.  By comparison to last year, the total attendance for the same period was 921, which averages out weekly to 26½.  So, the good news is that we appear to be is a slightly upward trend this year.  I am still trying to figure out who that half-person is that has been coming to worship this year and will let you know when I find him or her.