The group styles itself “Jazz Central”. It includes seniors Giovani Barnes, Shane Laurent, Malachi and Malik Maillard, and Central High alumni/UVI student George Maillard. Started by Mario Thomas at Woodson Jr. High, continuing their studies with Stan Joines at Central, these musicians are also currently playing all over the island with YGT, Adjoa, Marsven David, Elvis Pedro, and more.

The director of Jazz Central, S J  has been teaching band at Central High School since 1991 and is well known in the community. He has carried Central students to competitions in Orlando twice, Atlanta twice, the D.C. area twice, Michigan, and Puerto Rico several times. Alumni can be found performing all over the world, and of course in most all of our local bands.

Wednesday

       3:00 pm – Contemplative Circles

       6:15 pm – Yoga for the People

Friday

       9:00 am – Yoga for the People

       10:15 am – Contemplative Circles

Sunday

        8:30 am – Choir Practice

        9:30 am – Worship

        5:30 pm – Jazz Vespers

Yoga for the People

If you’re looking for new ways to pray, clear your mind, and heal your body, then don’t forget that SCRC hosts yoga twice a week. You can join other members of the community and congregation on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 pm and Friday mornings at 9:00 am. The practice is led by Claudia Collins and is free for everyone (but we are taking donations).

Basil Pennington wrote, “Life is rich, very rich, with communication.  Let us listen together. Let us share what we hear.  Let us walk together in the way, more sure for our being together and hearing together.”  That’s what Contemplative Circles are about.  Listening for God as we listen to one another.  We’ll use writing, silence, and conversation to dig deeper into a selected Scripture from the previous Sunday.  You can join the circle on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm or Fridays at 10:15 am.

Spirit. Wind. Breath. Both biblical languages use a single word for these three invisible movements.  The Holy Spirit is like a wind from God that breathes new life into our bodies. Focusing on our breathing, learning how to breathe deeply, can restore our bodies and souls.  Ray Bratcher will be leading Sacred Breath classes at SCRC on Saturday afternoons from 4-5:30 pm on March 2nd, 16th, and 30th.

Monday

        5:00 pm – Consistory Meeting

Wednesday

       12:00 pm – Contemplative Circles

       6:15 pm – Yoga for the People

Friday

       9:00 am – Yoga for the People

       10:15 am – Contemplative Circles

Sunday

        8:30 am – Choir Practice

        9:30 am – Worship

Basil Pennington wrote, “Life is rich, very rich, with communication.  Let us listen together. Let us share what we hear.  Let us walk together in the way, more sure for our being together and hearing together.”  That’s what Contemplative Circles are about.  Listening for God as we listen to one another.  We’ll use writing, silence, and conversation to dig deeper into a selected Scripture from the previous Sunday.  You can join the circle on Wednesdays at 12:00 pm or Fridays at 10:15 am.

At the last Jazz Vespers I realized that jazz music illustrates the valuable role of Black History Month. As you may know, all the instruments in a jazz band play together during a song, but often there are moments when all of the instruments except one dial back. In those moments, one of the instruments gets to solo. Their voice gets to shine. Their interpretation gets full voice. I think that’s what Black History Month is for me.

Of course, we should be listening to Black American voices all year long because they, like all the rest, contribute to the music that is the United States. However, during the month of February the other voices dial back and the Black American voice gets to shine. Their unique voice gets full attention. I hope you’ll join me in that this month.

An acquaintance and colleague of mine shared something recently that adds another layer to this for me. She’s a bi-racial woman who would be seen as Black by most people. She was writing about the divide that we experience in America and said that what hurts her most about her White family is not the disagreement over issues, but their basic lack of knowledge when it comes to history. They just don’t know the dates, facts, and figures about how Black people were treated. They didn’t seem to care to know. It is a pain she carries with her.

I don’t want the Black members of the congregation to carry the same pain with them. So let’s dial back on our favorite news channels, put down our newspapers or novels of choice, and save our favorite podcasts or blogs for another day. Find a Black American author, poet, or social commentator and give full attention to their voice. Let’s show that we care enough to know. Here’s one way to go about that:

There are 40,320 minutes in Black History Month. I’m inviting you to take 120 of those and watch this video and write down some answers these three questions:

What is important to Mr. Tisby?

What does Mr. Tisby what you to understand?

What do you feel compelled to do as a next step?

Next I’m inviting you to spend another 60 minutes or so sharing your answers with me. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee, glass of beer, or cup of fresh-squeezed juice as an incentive. Thank you for doing this.