Join us for our 11:00 am Worship Celebrations

All are Welcome

Sunday  January 17     Water into Wine   John 2:1-11

  12:30 pm       Trustees Meeting in the Library   All welcome.

Saturday January 23   Casting Your Nets Meeting at the First Congregational Church,   

8:30 am-3 pm     Wantagh, LI, NY   All are welcome.

Sunday  January 24     Eternal Water   Luke 4:14-21

  12:30 pm       Creative Arts Committee Meeting in the Library    All are welcome.

Sunday January 31      Spirit and Truth   Luke 4:21-30

    Noon           Luncheon of hamburgers and cabbage, cooked by Tom Riggs

Coming in February...

Raj Bhimani Piano Concert in the Sanctuary

Sunday February 21  at  2 pm      

Sunday February 7   Casting Our Nets   Luke 5:1-11      Communion

Saturday February 13       Serve Lunch at the Sharing Community, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

           Email aholtum@yahoo.com for information or to sign up to help.

Sunday February 14           Dazzling   Luke 9:28-36

Wednesday  February 17   Ash Wednesday Worship Service at 11:05 am   Lunch following

Sunday February 21           These Forty Days   Luke 4:1-13

    2 pm           Raj Bhimani Piano Concert in the Sanctuary 

Sunday February 28           Blessed Is He    Luke 13:31-35

  12:30 pm     Lenten Bible Study with the Pastor

~ Visit our Worship Celebrations and Upcoming Schedules page ~

West Center Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ

firmly believes that gender, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, and race

do not limit access to leadership positions, membership, particpation in the life and

work of the Church, and eligibility to receive Church sacraments and services.

Stop by Often

Find out about the happenings at West Center.

If you live nearby, join us at 11 am on Sunday mornings for an hour of worship.

For those of you farther away, if you're ever in the area, we hope that you will come by and visit us. We would love to meet you in person.

Finding a church home is not always easy. We believe you may find West Center a Church that welcomes persons who are both formed in their faith or are still finding and forming their faith in God. It is a good place to explore and experience the depth of God’s Spirit and the wideness of God’s love in Christ Jesus.

Find out about our activities and programs at West Center which may interest you.

Remember that you that you are a very important part of our church family. Your greatest gift is your presence at worship or participation in a study group, program or concert.

We challenge you to respond to God’s love in Jesus Christ by developing your unique gifts and by sharing them.

We encourage you to deepen your faith and witness by joining West Center Church as a full or associate member.

If you would like any more information, or would like us to include you in our prayers, send us an E-mail at Westcenterucc@verizon.net.

May God richly bless you.
West Center Staff:

John M. Barrett, Senior Minister

Celia Milton, UCC Ordination Candidate

Christina-Jean Alexis, UCC Ordination Candidate

Arnold Ostlund Jr., Director of Music

Allan Ross, Pastor Emeritus

Note our new email address:

westcenterucc@verizon.net

No matter who you are,

Or where you are on Life's Journey,

You are welcome here!

Center for Spiritual Growth and Renewal

At West Center Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, we believe that “God is still speaking, and we are still listening.”  Our worship and community life is Bible-based and open to God’s continuing revelation through our hearts and minds and spirits. Our worship celebrations and sermons are based on the readings of the day from the Common Lectionary.  The musical selections are carefully coordinated with these readings, church holidays and the theme of the day.

We are a friendly, welcoming and diverse congregation. We seek God’s guidance in our corporate life and welcome fellow pilgrims of good will, wherever they may be on their personal spiritual journey.  We invite you to join us for worship and to join us in your spiritual quest as part of our community.  See you in Church!

Dazzling Days

When I was preparing my sermon titles through Easter, I discovered something interesting. The Gospel reading for February 14th, which is the Sunday preceding Ash Wednesday, and the Gospel reading for April 4th, which is Easter Day, each have a rather unusual word in common. The word is “dazzling.”  The Gospel reading for February 14th is the story of the Transfiguration. When Jesus goes up a mountain to pray with his disciples Peter, James and John, “The appearance of Jesus’ face changed and his clothes became dazzling white.” Suddenly Moses and Elijah appear and start talking to Jesus.  (Luke 9:29-30))

The Gospel reading for Easter Day, April 4th, is of course the story of the Resurrection of Jesus. When the women come to the tomb to anoint his body for burial, they find that the stone has been rolled away, and they do not find his body. “Suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.”  (Luke 24:1-4)

So both the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, and the end of Lent are marked by something that is so unexpected that it takes your breath away, something so bright that you might have to shade your eyes, something so unusual that you never forget it.

And it is my hope that our Lenten days, from February 14 through April 4, or perhaps the beginning and ending of Lent, be marked also by something that dazzles us, that takes our breath away, with its brightness and wonder.  The people in the Bible were not expecting to be dazzled, but they were expecting something because they were actively doing something.

So during Lent, may we live in expectation, being both introspective and extroverted, so that when we least expect it, whether we are climbing a mountain of difficulty or going into a cave of the unknown, we too might be dazzled. We can start by attending worship, a Bible study, a Lunch Bunch, a Lunch/Discussion, or we might even serve lunch at the Sharing Community in Yonkers.  We never know where God will dazzle us!  

Pastor John

Contact the pastor:    Jmbarrett65@verizon.net

Kids, Glorious Kids!

 We hope that you will make every effort for your child(ren) to be with us this fall. Our caring and creative Church School teachers are planning a program to stimulate and enrich each child’s spiritual growth, socialization and self-esteem.  The instructional component is based on “Seasons of the Spirit,” a lectionary-based, inter-denominational curriculum, with the United Church of Christ as one of the curriculum partners.  Our teachers add their own ideas, including crafts, to each session.  The crafts relate to the Biblical stories of the life of Jesus and his role as teacher and healer in our own lives.  Look for email updates if your email address is in the church directory.  If you have children, or know someone who does, tell them about West Center Church, and invite them to come with their children to visit on a Sunday and get acquainted. 

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