 | ||||
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 36, Mansfield Center, CT 06250
Phone: (860) 423-9008, Fax: (860) 423-6112
Office Hours
Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (closed Monday)
Summer Hours (July 15-August 31)
Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (closed Friday)
Where Faith Takes Action!
549 Storrs Road
(Junction of Routes 195 & 89)
Mansfield Center, Connecticut
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:15 a.m.
The Rev. Joseph Blotz, Pastor
Wendy O'Connor, Office Administrator
Erik Haeger, Organist
Sarah Kaufold, Choir Director
Dawn Hoffman, Worship Circle Coordinator
You may be new to our community and looking for a church home,
or you may have been in the area for a while and
discovered our openness and warmth as a congregation.
In any case, we welcome you and
extend an invitation to join our church family.
Open to and Affirming of All
Contemplative Communion
We gather Thursdays at 12:15 for a brief contemplative communion service. We will engage in the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (a method of reading, studying, and praying Scripture), share prayers, and be fed at Jesus’ Welcome Table… all in about 30 minutes. Take a break midweek, come, and be.
Willing to host a coffee hour? Sign up here. There are many dates available. It's a great opportunity to get to know someone while working together.
A Just Peace Church
A Green Church
The Week Ahead…
Sunday, December 8
10:15am Worship and Worship Circle followed by Coffee Hour and Chime rehearsal
Monday, December 9
9am Sewing and Service
Wednesday, December 11
1pm Book Group
Thursday, December 12
12:15 Contemplative Communion
5:30pm Governing Board
7pm Choir Rehearsal
Sunday, December 15
10:15am Worship and Worship Circle
5pm Candlelight Vespers for Advent
Looking Ahead…
Sunday, December 15 - Candlelight Vespers for Advent - We gather at 5 pm for a time of quiet, of candlelight, and contemplative music. Come, all who find Christmas a difficult time, all who find December a hectic time, all who seek to honor the birth of Jesus the Light.
December 24 - Christmas Eve Service
We celebrate the birth of Jesus in Worship at 7pm. Come for a night of candlelight, Communion, and carols as we pause to remember when love came down.
December 29 is a Worskship Sunday.
We worship God by serving others at the Covenant Soup Kitchen and with projects in the church Fellowship Hall… Let us follow Jesus out of the sanctuary and into service!
This Sunday In Worship - December 8
In Worship we continue to listen for God’s Word in the writings of the Prophet(s) Isaiah, this week in chapter 11. Our choir shares “Christus Lux Mea” as our musical offering.
We continue to receive food items for Shawn’s Cupboard and the Covenant Soup Kitchen and items for Natchaug Hospital.
Following Worship, we gather in Fellowship Hall for coffee hour.
Many will recall the iconic scene of a child leading a lion to lay down with a lamb (like the one above). Isaiah’s vision is often presented as safe and sentimental images for nursery walls and cards. But Alan Jones, in Reimagining Christianity: Reconnect Your Spirit without Disconnecting Your Mind (page 160 –162) writes, “The poet W.H. Auden pointed out that the purpose of poetry (and all art) is not to enchant but to disenchant. It delivers a dose of reality never yet noticed until the revelation of the poem, the piece of music, the painting.” How might you present Isaiah’s words in a way that unsettles and stirs the imagination?
Isaiah’s prophecy is traditionally interpreted to be speaking about the rulers of the prophet’s day. Christians returned these words and used them to describe the ministry of Jesus – the Savior and hope of God’s new promised realm as proclaimed by John the baptizer. Choosing a better way calls us to expand the vision even further – to live it – until God’s realm of peace comes in its fullness. How can you help your community see its place within Isaiah’s vision for peace?(Seasons of the Spirit)
A Prayer…
God of Hope, bless our Advent journey, strengthen our faith, secure our bonds, and enliven our imagination for a better world. Amen.
