Meriden's only synagogue looks to reach more people

WHERE WE WORSHIP

MERIDEN – Meriden’s only synagogue, Temple B’Nai Abraham, is home to about 170 Jewish families and individuals and Rabbi Michael Kohn says the congregation is one of the friendliest he’s ever met.

“I wouldn’t want to be a rabbi of a synagogue I wouldn’t want to belong to,” he says, adding that the congregation reminds me of the warm one he grew up with in Philadelphia.

He came to B’Nai Abraham almost three years ago from New York.

The congregation was established in 1889 and built its first synagogue at 43 Cedar St. in Meriden for $5,000. Needing more room, in the 1950s the congregation moved to its current location at 127 E Main St.

Kohn says the congregation is trying new ways this year to get people more involved in the synagogue. They recently served a Moroccan dinner so people could learn about Jewish life in other regions and later this year they plan to possibly host Polish and Chinese dinners as well.

“It gets people involved,” he says, noting that congregation volunteers cook the meals. “It gives them an idea about other Jewish communities.”

For the next dinner, check the church calendar here.

Kohn says this year the congregation also hopes to enhance its religious education program and to organize more activities that will be accessible to the wider community. Many B’Nai Abraham members, Kohn says, are in assisted living homes. He hopes to be able to bring more services to them.

B’Nai Abraham is a conservative congregation affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Because it’s the only synagogue in the area, Kohn says they often team up with congregations in nearby towns for special programs.

Shabbat morning services are held at 9:30 a.m. and evening services are at 6:30 p.m. Services are also held Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 8 a.m.

For information call (203) 235-2581 or visit http://www.meridentemple.org/main.html.

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Danbury church to host harvest fair, reach out to community

WHERE WE WORSHIP

DANBURY — The smell of fresh apple pie and the hum of shoppers will be wafting through downtown Danbury on Saturday as First Congregational Church hosts its Harvest ‘n Holiday Fair.

The event will be on the church property, 164 Deer Field Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rev. Laura Westby said the fair will feature seasonal foods, arts and crafts, gift baskets and other items. The church thrift shop will be open and for the tirst time the festival will have an Amber Alert id booth set up.

Westby explained that the event is only one way that the church reaches out to the community. The parish was founed in 1696. Back then churches served as community meeting houses, which is an idea that the First Congregational is trying to recapture.

“We’re trying to reclaim that as part of our ministry here in Danbury. We have a huge facility, like a lot of downtown churches, and we don’t use it for ourselves so we’re making it available to different groups in the community so we can be that meeting place once again,” Westby said.

Besides allowing Alcoholics Anonymous groups and other organizations to use the building, First Congregational also hosts concerts, forums and other events. The church also serves as an overflow shelter for Danbury’s homeless population from November through April and has an active feeding ministry. Westby added that the church also has a strong global ministry, particularly in Haiti where they sponsor the Good Samaritan Hospital.

She said First Congregational is a hospitable church where all people can come, adding that the church has a large LGBT population. Each Sunday about 65 people worship at the church. Westby hopes that number will rise. Sunday services are at 10 a.m.

“We’re in a time of rebuilding and growing,” she said. “But I’m feeling very positive about things here.”

Services are fairly traditional, though the church is exploring ways to reach more families, possibly through a contemporary service in the future.

“This church is a good fit for someone who is looking for a faith community trying to live out the teachings of Jesus in the 21st Century,” Westby said. “It’s a great place for folks who didn’t quite fit in (somewhere else) and are looking for a community to just accept them where they are.”

For information visit http://www.firstchurchdanbury.org/ where you can find a link to Westby’s blog.

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Nalandabodhi Connecticut invites visitors

BLOOMFIELD – Volunteers have kept Nalandabodhi Connecticut running smoothly for more than a decade.

For years the humble Buddhist community gathered in homes, but about a year ago they moved into a Bloomfield office building on the top floor of 3 Barnard Lane.

Director Susan Busby explained that Nalandabodhi Connecticut operates under the guidance of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a leading scholar in Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Nalandabodhi is a network of meditation centers, study groups, and individual members who are committed to Tibetan Buddhism.

Members meet weekly to discuss and practice dharma, and Busby said programs are available for those interested in exploring Buddhism as well.

Weekly meditation is held Sundays at 9 a.m., and meditation instruction is provided upon request.

“It’s a calm, peaceful sitting,” Busby explained, noting that Nalandabodhi practices analytical meditation. “It’s all about training the mind that you can have unlimited passion and wisdom.”

This, she said, is often done through visualization exercises, also known as deity practice.

Once a month on Saturdays an all-day practice event is held at the practice center (you can see the schedule here).

Busby said that Nalandabodhi Connecticut also offers various study groups and each Saturday at 4 p.m. they gather to view videos of Dharma teachings by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and other lineage masters. On Sundays members meet at 10:15 a.m. to discuss Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s text Wild Awakening.

Busby described the Connecticut group as “small and cozy.”

Currently the organization has about 22 members, though non-members often regularly attend other programs and classes.

“We’re trying to get the word out that anyone can come,” Busby said. “There are a lot of people out there who want to learn how to calm their minds down.”

On the weekend of Sept. 12 Nalandabodhi Mitra Dean, Dr. Karl Brunnholzl will be teaching at the practice center.

For information call (860) 922-7764 or visit www. http://www.nalandabodhi.org/centers/usa/connecticut.aspx.

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West Hartford synagogue to host open house

WEST HARTFORD – As the High Holy Days begin to draw near, The Emanuel Synagogue of West Hartford is springing into action hoping to find new members.

On. Aug. 11 and Aug. 15 the synagogue,160 Mohegan Dr., will host an open house event to introduce shul shoppers to its community.

Francene Turken Weingast, connections coordinator, said an open house will be held Aug. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. It will start with minyan and will be followed with an opportunity to meet the staff and tour the synagogue.

“Everything we do is low key,” Weingast said. “Comfortable and relaxed is our style.”

Children are welcome to the open house, although the event is geared toward adults.

On Aug. 15 Emanuel Synagogue will host a sports jam and Ben & Jerry’s kosher ice cream social. Guests are asked to bring sports equipment to the event, if they have any. The sports jam will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and is free to perspective members.

Rabbi David J. Small said Emanuel’s goal is to be an extended family to its members.

“We aim to be a big synagogue, but feel like a small one where everyone knows each other’s names and knows each other’s faces,” he said.

The 91-year-old synagogue currently serves 620 families.

“We’re a very diverse group. We have people of all ages; we’re a very intergenerational congregation. We have gay and lesbian members, single parents, converts and intermarried couples. They’re very welcome here,” Weingast said.

Laurie Leader, executive director of Emanuel, said she has only been a member of the synagogue for a few weeks and can vouch for its hospitality.

“The welcome to me has truly been overwhelming. Something remarkably special is happening here. I can feel the arms of the congregation around me,” she said.

Small, who has lead the synagogue for nine years, said Emanuel is focusing on five areas as it works toward becoming a stronger community:

-   Loving people and being good to each other

-   Participating in prayer

-   Being a community of learning

-   Seeking ways to repair the world through activism and volunteering

-   Being committed to Israel and the Jewish people.

Emanuel, which houses Lollipop Nursery School during the academic year, also has an active Hebrew School, which is committed to working with students who have special needs.

To learn more about The Emanuel Synagogue, visit www.emanuelsynagogue.org. Those interested in attending either of the open house events are asked to RSVP by calling (860) 236-1275.

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Danbury church preaches love, justice

DANBURY – Driving along Clapboard Ridge Road, you can’t miss Danbury Methodist Church. Its boat-like roof stands out – symbolizing praying hands lifted to God.

Organized in 1789, Danbury Methodist continues to have an active social justice ministry, said Rev. Karen Karpow. Helping others, she said, is part of a Methodist’s DNA.

“God is good to us and he expects us to be good to each other,” she said.

For 40 years the congregation has gathered in its current 7-acre location, 5 Clapboard Ridge Road in Danbury. Each Sunday about 110 people meet for the 10:30 a.m. service, though in July and August services will change to 9:30 a.m., preceded by an 8:30 a.m. Bible study.

Services are followed with a coffee hour.

Karpow, who has lead the church for the past three years, said there are plenty of ministry opportunities for members to get involved in, including disciple classes, United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women and various community organizations. Dorothy Day, for example, is a hospitality house that the church is committed to assisting. The church also works with the Shelter From Cold Program and the Appalachia Service Project, which provides housing services to low-income families living in Central Appalachia.

Karpow noted that Danbury Methodist also has an energetic 20-member youth group, which recently hosted a group of affordable housing activists from the national Bike & Build organization.

Communications Director Mark Baxter is a newer member of the church and has been involved in the new member classes.

“At this church the door is open to anyone,” he said.

Karpow agreed and said no one will be turned away from Danbury Methodist.

“What we provide here is a place for people to practice being a Christian, practice loving each other so when you’re called upon you know how to do it,” she said. “That’s what we’re doing here.”

For information on the church, call (203) 743-1503 or visit its website here.

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Historic Ridgefield church going strong

RIDGEFIELD – One of the 10 oldest churches in Connecticut, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church continues to be a staple in the Ridgefield community.

Founded in 1725, the suburban church has become a home for many young families. The Rev. Mark Delcuze said unlike many churches today, St. Stephen’s tends to have more baptisms than funerals – a sign of the church’s fresh energy.

An active nursery school keeps the campus buzzing during the week and on Sunday mornings 250 people visit the church for worship. Services are at 8 and 10 a.m.

“The music is pretty traditional,” Delcuze said. “I’m proud of the music program here.”

And with a bright, open sanctuary, it’s a perfect place for musicians to reveal their abilities. The sanctuary though, is not the original. The first sanctuary was burned down by the British in the Battle of Ridgefield in 1777.

Sitting on 6 acres, at 351 Main St., St. Stephen’s works hard to reach out to the Ridgefield and Danbury communities. Parishioners are active in Habitat for Humanity, Amos House Inc., Arc and has a strong relationship with its sister church in Mozambique.

Delcuze, who is president of the Ridgefield Clergy Association and the interfaith officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, has lead the church for five years. He said the church is known for its annual Nutmeg Festival which brings in 3,000 people each fall and raises about $40,000. Every penny raised goes to charity.  Throughout the year people donate their used goods to be sold at the festival.

He said the parish is made of people across the spectrum, including conservative heterosexual couples to gay couples with children.

“We’re not particularly republican or democrat,” he said.

Visitors are always welcome. Guests are given a loaf of bread and newcomers are invited to a bi-annual newcomers brunch where Delcuze tells them about the church and various ministry opportunities.

“There’s a vitality to St. Stephen’s. There’s a very strong heartbeat here,” he said.

The church will host a barbecue on Memorial Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information visit the St. Stephen’s website here.

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Watertown church staying afloat

WATERTOWN – Christ Church Watertown is still alive.

There have been times, though; that Rev. Stanley Kemmerer wasn’t sure the church was going to make it.

About three years ago, after an extensive battle regarding homosexuality, the church was torn apart when most of the congregation left to form New Hope Anglican Church.

Though Christ Church, an Episcopal parish, can no longer afford its historic church building, the congregation continues to meet each week at Walker Hall, 50 Deforest St. in Watertown.

Kemmerer, who co-pastors the church with Rev. Mary Gates, said between 20 and 30 people attend service each week, adding that the church has a centering prayer group, a tutoring program and offers confirmation classes.

The church’s original building, located on The Green, is for sale and may be purchased by Taft School. Kemmerer said there are 49 bodies resting in the church cemetery, which will have to be exhumed when the sale is complete.

Christ Church also hopes to be able to rent space in the original church building after the sale is finalized.

“We left as owners, we hope to return as guests,” Kemmerer said.

Kemmerer and Gates came to Christ Church last year and Kemmerer said the church is a good fit for him.

“I love the people and I think it’s important for the process if we’re able to carry this type of ministry on,” he said.

The church is currently operating on donated money, which could run out as early as this summer.

Kemmerer, though, is at peace about the church’s financial position.

“There have been so many times I wondered if we’d be here tomorrow, and we have been,” he said.

He said the congregation has an energy that’s kept the church alive.

“There are very good people here, very dedicated people here,” Kemmerer said. “This is a different kind of church. We can do this.”

The church, which is open and affirming, meets every Sunday at 10 a.m.

For information visit the church website here.

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Shelton church has long history

SHELTON – For more than 300 years community members have been worshipping with Huntington Congregational Church.

Even before the Victorian-style structure was built in the 1800s, the church was active in the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

Today about 100 people gather in the historic church at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday for worship service.

“We have a very good mix of people, which is one of the things I like about this church,” said Rev. Lucille Fritz, pastor of the Huntington UCC.

She said the congregation is made of young families with children, retired members and middle-aged couples. The church has an active senior high group, which will participate in its first mission project this summer, and has a bustling Sunday School program.

On Sundays, worship is followed with a coffee hour, which Frtiz hopes is a way for visitors to get to know the parish.

The women’s fellowship, she noted, is always working on a special project to raise money for various community organizations.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on here,” she said, adding that Eagle Scouts have been working on various projects on the church property.

This summer the church will host Vacation Bible School in the evenings, which will have a space alien theme this year.

For adults, Fritz said the church hosts regular book study groups. The group, made of about a dozen women from the church, just finished studying The Shack together.

Frtiz said she encourages people to check out Huntington UCC if they are seeking a church to get involved with.

“I think we’re a family-oriented church and are very accepting of folks,” she said.

She described worship as “fun and light.”

“Our worship is traditional, but not formal,” said Fritz, who sings in the church choir.

Huntington UCC is located at 19 Church St. in Shelton. For information visit http://www.huntingtonucc.org or call (203) 929-1223.

Where we Worship is a feature on Creedible that profiles churches, synagogues and mosques throughout Connecticut. To be featured, send an e-mail to tsimmons@creedible.com.

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With 6 choirs, this church has something for everyone

TORRINGTON – If you think music is an important part of the worship experience, First United Methodist Church of Torrington might be worth visiting. The church has six choirs as well as a teen praise band that gives worship a contemporary flair.

There’s a choir for just about anyone – young tykes to experienced singers. The Rev. Barbara B. Schaffer said traditional hymns as well as more modern music are included in the worship, noting it’s important to balance them both.

The church used to meet in what is now the Town Hall parking lot, but when the steeple began caving in the roof, the congregation of First United decided to build a new facility.That was about 50 years ago.

The church, now at 21 Fern Drive in Torrington, has plenty of space for its growing congregation.

Schaffer said many young families are finding their way to the church.

“We’ve been doing a lot of baptisms lately,” she said.

But even with the new crowd in the pews, the congregation is still a solid mix of both young and old.

“We have a lot of families who have been here five, six, seven generations,” Schaffer said. “And we have a lot of newcomers as well.”

Worship is at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays and includes a children’s sermon. The service is followed with a coffee hour and then a 10:45 a.m. Sunday school for all ages.

Schaffer said First United is very involved in mission work and takes part in Angel Tree, Heifer International, Operation Overflow and supports missions in Biloxi, Miss. and overseas. Locally, the church is involved with the Torrington Area of Churches and other organizations.

The pastor has lead the church for three years and described the congregation as good, kind people.

“They’re very caring,” she said. “The Methodist Church in general believes very much in social justice, that’s very important to us.”

For information on First United call (860) 489-8084 or visit www.fumctorr.org.

To have your place of worship featured on Creedible, call (203) 278-4214 or e-mail Tracy Simmons at tsimmons@creedible.com.

Litchfield church proud of its historic roots

LITCHFIELD – In 1810, almost a century after The First Congregational Church of Litchfield first gathered, one of Connecticut’s most influential, and controversial, spiritual leaders took the reigns of the congregation.

Lyman Beecher, father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, was known for his powerful stance against slavery and is remembered as a Calvinist and revivalist. He was the church’s fourth pastor.

Today, the historic church is lead by David F. Rockness, a Presbyterian minister.

The meetinghouse is located at 21 Torrington Road in Litchfield, at its original location.

Rockness, who has been at the church for about three years, said the core of the congregation lives in Litchfield, but said some members travel from nearby towns such as Northfield and Morris to worship with the congregation. On average, he said, between 125 and 200 people attend Sunday service, which is at 10:30 a.m.

First Congregational offers several ministries, Rockness said, including a mom’s group, a young dad’s group, a women’s tea, bible studies and a men’s breakfast group.

A new program the church has started to offer is a Sunday evening contemporary worship service.

“It’s less liturgical, and more of a musical expression of worship,” he said about the monthly service.

The church, which has always been active in the Litchfield community, has recently started to get involved in global ministries. Over the summer a group from the congregation traveled to Uganda to work with a group of 30 children, which the church supports.

Rockness described the congregation as hospitable and always willing to help those in crisis.

“They’re really caring,” he said, noting that the church is intergenerational and “Christ centered.”

He added that the congregation is also a good mix politically and economically.

First Congregational plans to celebrate an ecumenical Thanksgiving service with United Methodist Church of Litchfield later this month.

For information on First Congregational call (860) 567-8705 or visit www. fcclitchfield.org.

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