Vision Community Church welcomes new pastor
WARWICK — Vision Community Church will welcome The Rev. Carolyn (Cari) Keith as their pastor with a service and celebration brunch at the former Pine Island Elementary School on Sunday, March 2. The service begins at 10 a.m., with an informal brunch immediately following. The community is warmly invited.
For the last 10 years, Keith was senior pastor of Allwood Community Church in Clifton, N.J. While there, she instituted community interfaith dinners and Thanksgiving worship, monthly community Labyrinth walks, the installation of a meditation garden and Peace Pole, and the church was listed on the national list of open and affirming churches.
Before becoming an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church of America, Keith spent two decades as a psychiatric nurse. She is currently working towards her doctorate of the Ministry at Hartford Seminary, and is a certified spiritual director in private practice.
She has been married to John Keith for 42 years. They have three grown children: Jessica, a psychologist currently working as a PTSD and sexual trauma specialist caring for military veterans; Amy, a humanitarian aid worker currently stationed in Lebanon working with Syrian refugees, and Brad, the director of Natural Resources investments for Harvard University.
“I am looking forward to working with a group of Christians who are willing to explore the world of spirituality in all its marvelous dimensions; who are excited, challenged, and unafraid of defining their faith, wrestling with their faith, and living their faith," said Keith. "My own spirit feels watered in your presence and I believe that Vision is a community that will encourage my own growing as much as it is a community where I can encourage and nurture the growth of others.”
Vision Community Church runs the Hope Chest thrift shop and has given away over $90,000 worth of clothing to anyone in need through the Clothing Closet. Both ministries are open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and accept donations of clothing and home goods, as well as volunteers. Vision also hosts a Community Kitchen dinner once a month.
Keith will be leading a Bible study on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., taking a fresh look at “The Week that Changed the World.” Vision will also begin a new season of “The Theology of Filmology,” looking at intriguing mainstream films through a lens of faith. All are welcome.
For more information, visit VisibleChurch.org or Vision Community Church on Facebook, call 845-675-5009 or email connect@visiblechurch.org or VisionClothingCloset@gmail.com