Churches To Sponsor Forums

Four Events Will Focus On Hunger And Poverty

March 9, 2006
By FRANCES GRANDY TAYLOR, Courant Staff Writer

Hunger and poverty will be addressed during a series of four forums at Hartford churches.

The Center City Churches Lenten series, "The Fast that God Chooses: Addressing Hunger and Poverty in Hartford," will begin Monday evening and continue on the three following Mondays. Center City Churches is a coalition of 12 congregations in Hartford and 20 others in the region.

The series "is an opportunity for coalition building among member congregations of Center City Churches, communities of faith and other activist organizations that share commitment to social justice," said the Rev George Chien, senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Hartford. The series is co-sponsored by the Christian Activities Council and the Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice.

Programs will be held at various member churches. Each event will include a simple meal of soup and bread served at 6 p.m., followed by the presentation. Each is open to the public and a donation of $7 is requested. Call the host church to reserve a space for the meal.

March 13: The Rev. Cornell Lewis, associate pastor of the North End Church of Christ, will open the series with a talk, "On the Front Lines in the North End," at First Presbyterian Church, 136 Capitol Ave, Hartford. Call 860-246-2224 for information and reservations.

March 20: "Between the City and the Suburbs": The Rev. Edwin Ayala of the Christian Activities Council will speak at First Church of Christ (Center Church), 60 Gold St., Hartford. Call 860-249-5631.

March 27: "Finding Common Ground in Struggle": Margarita Morales of the Central Area Health Education Center will speak at Central Baptist Church, 457 Main St., Hartford. Call 860-522-9275.

April 3: "Changing Lives and Renewing Possibility in the City": Thomas Bright of the Center City Churches MANNA program will speak at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 155 Wyllys St., Hartford. Call 860-525-4289, Ext. 10.