At Center Church we can describe hospitality
with two words; they are food and fellowship. The goal
of the Hospitality Committee is to create opportunities for people to
enjoy each other's company as they prepare, serve and eat food together.These
opportunities may be times for informal refreshments after worship or
time to sit down together to share a meal. There is great variety in
our meals; such as, a pot-luck luncheon after worship on Sunday, or a
soup festival in the fall on a Friday evening at our parish house, or
meeting together at an area restaurant to enjoy a meal with an international
flavor.
The Hospitality Committee is made up of volunteers, and we
currently have eight members. Of course, we all enjoy preparing food and
eating! But, more importantly, I think we enjoy seeing people enjoying
themselves and getting to know one another. Moreover, this is a way to
express our thanks for God's many blessings.
We hope you will come and join us. You will be most
welcome.
When we first arrived at Center Church in
1999, we were intrigued to learn about a program called International
Dining, which we soon discovered had a marvelous Biblical heritage.
What would happen is that about once a month, some number of members,
family and guests would select a local area restaurant to visit on
a Friday night. Each time,
we chose a restaurant from a different "foreign" culture. The
meal was open to all including and especially encompassing those from
the group whose personal finances might make a restaurant meal out of
the question. What makes the program so special and yes so radical,
is that there is no charge - only an opportunity, at a later date,
for those who can pay for their meal to do so. Also, those who wish
to make an extra contribution may add to certain church funds available
for purposes such as this.
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Gays and lesbians have been members of Center Church for many years; but, in 1992 several of our members decided it was time to take the next step. After all, it had been nine years earlier that the national United Church of Christ called on local congregations to “address and eliminate institutionalized homophobia in the church.”
Center Church spent two years learning more about homosexuality and homophobia through forums, workshops, and newsletter articles. In October of 1994, the congregation voted by a overwhelming majority to become an Open and Affirming church.
The result was an official statement that Center Church would include members of the GLBT community in the life of the church in every way. But, what to do next?
Almost immediately, we began advertising our worship services and other events in Metroline, the local gay newspaper. For many years, we hosted and helped to coordinate a special worship service the morning of the Hartford Gay Pride Parade. In 1997 we began a monthly movie event that we called “Now Showing!” presenting comedies, dramas, and musicals with themes related to GLBT issues.
Members of the GLBT community now represent about ten percent of the membership and staff of Center Church, participating in every aspect of church operation and governance. We continue to proudly support events and organizations including the Gay Pride Festival and the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Our GLBT members regularly join together for informal social events. In 2005, Center Church signed on as a supporter of a national United Church of Christ resolution calling for equal marriage rights for all.
". . . after being closeted for a lifetime .
. . I started looking for a church that was gay-friendly and yet
not gay-focused. I found
it at Center Church." ~ Bill
"It's an incredibly supportive group of people
and I'm not sure that there's such a mix of people anywhere else
in one place. We honor each other's
differences and grow our worship around those difference and grow our
worship around those differences to include them." ~ Bea
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