Pivot Ministries is a rehabilitation center in Bridgeport for men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Pembroke House is a newly acquired property of Pivot Ministries which is slated for housing, and employment reintegration services. The church has designated $ 35,000.00 from the 250th fund towards those renovations and committed volunteers are helping to do the building.

On Saturday, November 14, 2015, we will continue our effort. All are welcome to participate in this meaningful and always fun project. Meet in the church circle at 9:00am to carpool and return early afternoon. Lunch served.

Sign-up on Sunday in Smith Hall with Marianna Kilbride or marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com.

Jody Blaine Davis, Organist, in Recital

Friday, November 6 at 7:00PM
Reception following in Smith Hall
Free and Open to the Public, Childcare provided

Our own Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Jody Blaine Davis, will perform repertoire by Sousa, Mendelssohn, Böhm, and Widor in this one hour organ recital.  This recital will include something for everyone!  Childcare provided upon request by November 3, please contact (203)966-2651, x4 or music@godsacredev.wpengine.com.

Tune In…to Music

Wednesday, November 4, 11:00am – Noon
Meeting House

Hear Jody Blaine Davis in a casual and informative conversation about her organ recital program on Friday evening, November 6.  Jody will talk about the composers whose works she will perform and then you will hear excerpts from the repertoire on her recital.  Join us for lunch following Jody’s talk.  All are complimentary to friends of music.

Wear your best construction costume; sloppies, sturdy shoes, work gloves and goggles, to help with the Pembroke House rehab and employment center renovation. Meet Saturday, October 31 at 9:00am in the church circle to carpool. Lunch served, home by 2:00pm .

Signups/info: Marianna Kilbride at marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com.

Celebrated as one of our traditional Spiritual Milestones, each year children in 4th Grade are invited to experience their first communion.  All children 4th grade and older who have not been a part of this event or who would like a refresher are welcome to attend as well.  Please join us on October 25 from 11:00 – 12:00pm OR on October 26 from 4:00-5:30pm in Room 7.

The Fourth Graders will have their first communion at the November 1 Service of Worship at 9:30am.  Please join us for cake following church to celebrate this wonderful event.

Contact Kelly McGinn at churchschool@godsacredev.wpengine.com with questions.

Through the initiative of the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team, The Congregational Church of New Canaan has teamed with the New Canaan Coalition for Youth and Families to sponsor a 2-part seminar to help us nurture and protect our youth.

The tragic deaths of young people reported in the local press over the last year have brought home the fact that substance abuse is not only a problem of “other people in other cities”. Members of the PMLT realized that not only did they know families who had been struck by the tragedy of substance abuse, but probably everyone in church knows of somebody.

We invite all parents of middle and high school students to come to these very informative sessions. The information is shown below. Our children are too important to stand back and look the other way.

You and your pet are invited to join us for Blessing of the Animals on the front steps of our beloved church on Sunday, October 4 at 1:00pm.

Your pet will receive a special Blessing Certification and a photograph to commemorate this occasion.

All are welcome, so come enjoy lemonade and cookies with our furry, scaly, feathered, or slimy friends!

Pivot Ministries is a rehabilitation center in Bridgeport for men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Pembroke House is a newly acquired property of Pivot Ministries which is slated for housing, and employment reintegration services. The church has designated $ 35,000.00 from the 250th fund towards those renovations and committed volunteers are helping to do the building.

On Saturday September 26, 2016 we will kick off our program year effort. All are welcome to participate in this meaningful and always fun project. Meet in the church circle at 9:00am to carpool and return early afternoon. Lunch served.

Sign-up in Smith Hall with Marianna Kilbride or marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com .

This Sunday, September 13, will mark our re-entry from summer to the beginning of our program year and our return to the 8:00, 9:30, and 11:15am worship schedule. Church School will also begin at 9:30am.

Please plan to attend the All-Church “Kick-Off” Brunch – there will plenty of food and fellowship on hand for all to enjoy. The brunch will take place immediately following the 9:30am service of worship in the Front Circle. The menu will include scrambled eggs, egg sandwiches, bacon, sausage, fruit, baked goods, and beverages. Please note that we are asking congregants to contribute fruit or baked goods (to serve 10); these can be dropped off in Smith Hall before the 9:30am service.

• Those with last names A-L please bring fruit to serve 10
• Last names M-Z please bring baked goods to serve 10

We hope that you will join us!

Please join us in worship at 8:00 or 10:00am on Sunday, September 6 for Chapin’s first Sunday with us. Then, Sunday, September 13 is Kickoff Sunday! We move to our school year worship calendar with services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:15am. Church School will be at 9:30am, and an All-Church Brunch will be held in the Front Circle at 10:30am – stay tuned for further details!

On Sunday, April 19, our members unanimously voted to call The Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner as the church’s 19th Senior Minister. Rev. Dr. Garner will begin his pastorate as Senior Minister in September.

Chapin preached a sermon, “Leader of Leaders” at the 9:30 a.m. service of worship that morning, during which he discussed his excitement to see where God will lead our Church. “I have come to the firm belief that we are indeed well matched, and that we’ve not only been called together, but I actually think that somehow, wondrously, the Holy Spirit has been preparing us for each other. And I firmly believe that our future ministry together is filled – absolutely filled – with boundless opportunities,” he said.

Immediately after the service a Special Meeting of the Congregation was convened, and members voted to affirm the nomination of Rev. Dr. Garner and call him as the next Senior Minister of The Congregational Church of New Canaan.

Chapin will come to us from United Church of Christ Norwell in Norwell, Massachusetts, where he has been Senior Minister for 14 years. A graduate of Gettysburg College (B.A., Religious Expression, 1992), Boston University School of Theology (M.Div. cum laude, Theology and Drama, 1997), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min, Preaching, 2006); Rev. Dr. Garner has 18 years of ministerial experience.  He is the author of several publications, including his most recent works, Scattering Seeds: Cultivating Church Vitality, 2011; and As The Spirit Moves, 2013.

Chapin understands relationships to be the foundation for effective pastoring, and his preaching and teaching excellence builds on this same foundation. Garner is a compelling preacher – he treats preaching as both a science and an art. His background and interest in drama help him bring Scripture alive in a compelling way.

Chapin and his wife, Tammie, have been married for 23 years and are the parents of Sam, 15, and Emma, 14. The Garners are looking forward to moving to New Canaan and becoming a part of the community here.

The call is the culmination of nearly two years of work by the members of the Senior Minister Search Committee: Eileen Thomas, chair; Barb Clayton, vice-chair; Joellen Ford, Margery Gardner, Tony Kiniry, Harry Rein, Mark Tedford, and Tom Woodard; all active members of The Congregational Church of New Canaan.

In describing the choice of Rev. Dr. Garner, search committee chair Eileen Thomas said, “Chapin has a wisdom and humility about him that stems from his unwavering trust in God’s will for his life and his leadership. He has the faith and the courage to listen for and act on God’s call.  He ends every conversation by asking what concerns he can hold in prayer for you.”

Committee member Harry Rein added, “As we got to know Chapin and his family, we came to believe that he will be a spiritual leader, a pastor and a peer – and we believe the whole family will be very comfortable making New Canaan its home.”