Join us for our 11:00 am Worship Celebrations

All are Welcome

Sunday Jan 1 A Light for Revelation: A New Look at the New Year

Luke 2:22-40

Sunday Jan 8 Epiphany (Three Kings) Sunday This Child Luke 2:22-40

12:30 pm Meeting of the Trustees in the Library

Thursday Jan 12  Lunch Bunch 12:30 meets at The Olde Stone Mill, Tuckahoe NY

Saturday Jan 14 Serve Lunch at the Sharing Community 11:30 am – 2 pm

Sunday Jan 15 Follow Me John 1:43-51 Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday

Wednesday Jan 18 Meeting of the Church Council @ 11:05 am

~ Visit our Worship Celebrations and Upcoming Schedules page ~

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West Center's Lunch Bunch

Do you like good company and good food? Are you available on a Thursday for a few hours? We'd love for you to join us.

The Lunch Bunch started a few summers ago when our Pastor Emeritus' wife (Vanetta Ross) wanted to see her friends from West Center. After an afternoon of conversation and catching up, we all decided to meet again.  Slowly we started getting together more often and are now meeting monthly. Each month the next restaurant is chosen by the group. We repeat many of our favorites and try new places as well.

Our group varies from month to month depending who is travelling or having to work. We try to keep the costs affordable. The bill, including tip, is divided and shared amongst those in attendance.  

Our next lunch is in January  12, 2012 at The Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe, NY at 12:30 pm. If you are interested in joining us, please call the church by Wednesday the 11th.

You are invited to another Book Dicussion:

    The Shack by Wm. Paul Young   

January 2012 (exact Sunday to be announced)

12:30 in the Cleverdon Library

   Spiritual Book Club 

Our discussion this past October of The Shack left those present wanting further discussion. Some of those present had not read the book and would like a chance to read it. A date in January will be announced in the upcoming weeks. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know. Or, just show up! Newcomers are welcome.

-Joy DeBellis       joydeb2068@hotmail.com

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The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Mackenzie Allen Philips youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

First released as a self-published book in 2007, this simple fable about a man, a shack, and a godly visitor has already garnered one of the most striking word-of-mouth sales surges in recent years. (From Barnes & Noble web site)

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, participation 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

Arnold Ostlund Jr., Director of Music

Allan Ross, Pastor Emeritus

Contact us:  

westcenterucc@verizon.net

Phone: (914) 337-3829

    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!

 Advent-ure

By the time you are reading this epistle and the rest of The Courier, Advent will be half over.  Or you might say that half of Advent is yet to come.  Just in case your Church language is a bit rusty, Advent is the four weeks, including the four Sundays, before Christmas.  During this time we are actively, rather than passively waiting for our Lord to be born.  We are waiting for Jesus to come into the world once again as the Prince of Peace, our Master and our Friend.

With all the distractions of the Christmas Season, gifts to buy and wrap, cards to write and mail, trees and other decorations to put up, meals to plan and prepare and guests to host, to name a few, it can be easy to lose track of the baby Jesus, the reason for the season.

That’s why during Advent it is good to take time to read the story of Christmas in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. (The Gospels of Mark and John begin with stories of John the Baptist announcing the coming of the man Jesus.)  It is good to read the Christmas stories early, so we know where we will be arriving on the “Silent Night” of “The First Nowell” --- “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” asking “What Child Is This?” and singing, “Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come!”

So take some time to read the Bible during Advent, and to think about what gifts you will bring to the Newborn King, in response to his many gifts to us.  You don’t have to go all over town looking for gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Remember the “Little Drummer Boy,” playing his best for Jesus and giving him the gift of music.  Let’s give Jesus what we do best too, by sharing our own special gifts with our neighbors and the wider world.

And remember to check our West Center Church calendar, and join in as many Advent, Christmas and Epiphany events as you can.  The Church Season of Advent can be an Advent-ure, if you make it one.

Advent blessings!  See you in Church.                                       

Pastor John

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Our beloved church has a series of important milestones coming up in 2012.

Plans are under way for various celebrations and festivities.

We would love for our friends and members to email us

with any ideas they may have to help make 2012 a memorable year. 

Watch for Upcoming Events

September 1912 – September 2012

September 2012 will be the 100th Anniversary of the organization of Sunday School classes for children living in Cedar Knolls and Armour Villa. Their parents were members of the Reformed Church of Bronxville and were concerned that their children get a proper religious education.

June 13, 1927 – June 13, 2012

In June 2012, we will celebrate the 85th Anniversary of the official organization of West Center Church by 37 founding families in June 1927. These families chose to affiliate with the Congregational denomination (a forerunner of the United Church of Christ) because of its emphasis on self-governance.

October 1927 – October 2012

In October 2012 we will celebrate the 85th Anniversary of West Center Church being admitted into the Association of Congregational Churches.

We can celebrate the 85th Anniversary in June and/or October of 2012. The Sunday closest to June 13th in 2012 is June 10, 2012.

1952-2012

In 2012 we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the Undercroft or Leath Hall floor of our building in 1952

Palm Sunday 1962 – Palm Sunday 2012

On Palm Sunday 2012, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the dedication of our Sanctuary.

Contact the pastor:    Jmbarrett65@verizon.net

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  The Sharing Community 

West Center's next dates for volunteering to serve the noon lunch at

The Sharing Community in Yonkers as our outreach to the community are:

Saturday, November 12, 2011 and

Saturday December 10, 2011

(the second Saturday of the month)

If interested in helping, email Arlene at aholtum@yahoo.com

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Puppies Behind Bars

Some were wondering as to how Puppies Behind Bars came to the attention of West Center. A year or so ago, our former Ministerial Assistant, Celia Milton, sent us an email. Knowing the number of animal lovers in our congregatoin, she knew some might consider giving support to this program. Most recently, Puppies Behind Bars was highlighted  in the last episodes of the Oprah Show.