Category: News and Events

We invite you to join our church family to celebrate the season through prayer, worship, music, fellowship, and scripture.

Advent Meditations weekdays through December 24 at 9:00am; Communion on Wednesdays. Chapel open for quiet meditation from 6:30-9:00am weekdays

Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24

4:00pm Family Worship Service
With Nativity Pageant, procession of lights, and all children’s choirs singing

6:00 and 7:00pm Worship Services
Hear Antonio Abate singing “O Holy Night” and join Nancy Upton in “Gesu Bambino”

6:30pm Caroling on God’s Acre

11:00pm Contemplative Candlelight Service
Prelude begins at 10:45pm
With string quartet, led by Mariusz Skula, playing a contemplative prelude of Christmas carols before the service; Singing anthems of the season will be Nancy Upton, Anne Maguire, Antonio Abate, and Dimitrie Lazich. Homily by The Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner. Communion offered.

Please plan extra time for parking on Christmas Eve as limited parking is available at the Church. Parking is available at the municipal lots on Park Street (entrances on Park Street and Main Street) and Locust Avenue. 

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be presented by our Church on Sunday, December 13 at 5 p.m. in our historic Meeting House. The candlelight service tells the story of Jesus’ birth and offers a time of tranquility and reflection.

The original service order was created by E. W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for use in the wooden shed that served as his cathedral at Truro on Christmas Eve, 1880. Soon after, other churches adapted the service for their own use. In the adaptation that has endured as a modern Christmas tradition, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first held at King’s College in Cambridge, England on Christmas Eve in 1918. This service, first broadcast by radio in 1928, reaches millions of listeners worldwide.

In New Canaan, the soloist for “Once in Royal David’s City,” the traditional opening hymn, will be fourth-grader Anne Nichols. Lessons and Carols includes Scripture readings by church members of all ages, familiar carols sung by the choir and congregation, and anthems sung by the church’s adult Chancel Choir and youth Joyful Noise choir.

Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Jo Deen Blaine Davis, comments, “For many people, this beautiful service is a musical highlight of their holiday season.” The community is warmly invited to attend this free event. Childcare is provided. For more information, please call (203)966-2651 ext. 4.

On Sunday, November 22, our Church will be packed to the gills with turkeys, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, desserts, and the hands required to get them to local families and shelters in need of a Thanksgiving Day meal. Beginning at 2:00pm, church families and the church’s four youth groups will decorate and fill food boxes, and organize and deliver 215 turkeys with trimmings, to 10 shelters and partner organizations.

Church staff, volunteers, and the church school children and youth have been working for weeks to make “Turkey Day” come together. “Our church school students raise the money to buy the non-perishables, and a group of dads shop for the large quantity goods for the shelters. Everyone pitches in,” comments Church School Director, Kelly McGinn.

Third and fourth graders assemble hot chocolate mix in jars they decorate, fifth and sixth graders create cookie mix in a jar to add to the boxes, middle-schoolers organize and prepare the assembled food for delivery, and the high schoolers, together with their parents, will deliver the meals to the drop-off sites on Sunday evening.

According to Youth Minister, Caroline Ainsworth, “This is a formative event for our kids, in terms of the realities of life and of what can be done to help.”

Marianna Kilbride, Director of Mission and Outreach adds, “And in the way community comes together, Alex Stewart and Walter Stewart’s Market partner with us on the project. Their generosity allows us to do much more that we could alone, for which we are very grateful. Close to one thousand individuals will be served on Thanksgiving. ”

In addition to organizing this shared activity, the church will have a special Thanksgiving service for families on Sunday, November 22 at 9:30am. The Thanksgiving service offers families the opportunity to lead parts of liturgy, enjoy a sermon attuned to all ages. All are welcome.

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!