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CCC NewsNotes July 15, 2001
CCC Building Progresses With Some Surprises The
biggest unknowns in our project always have been what we would find
underground and behind the walls and ceilings. We are finding surprises
aplenty. None of these will derail the project or break the budget, but
they are significant and interesting. First, excavation for the foundation
of the entrance addition uncovered
two underground springs, as well as general seepage. Our architects and
engineers are adjusting the building plans as necessary to deal with the
ground water. Too bad we can't bottle it! Second,
we encountered large veins of rocks both in the parking lot and in the
courtyard. It is amazing how our test borings seemed to just miss the
rock! Rock removal increased our costs $28,000 so far, with only a small
amount of additional excavation ahead for the elevator pit and storm water
management. With a construction contingency of $254,000, costs for rock
removal and control of ground water are well within our budget. Happily,
most of the unknowns are now revealed. Other
interesting discoveries include an attractive cement block pattern in the
old Living Room; we learned that our founding pastor John McClelland had
urged the Trustees to spend more for this to have natural attractive walls
in what was then the children’s chapel. We also discovered a second
cement foundation slab with waterproofing in the tower room basement. As this update goes to
press, workers are installing a steel support beam on the second floor
just inside the new entry. When the beam is in place, remaining demolition
of the area will be completed. Contractors have begun to install
foundation footings for the entry, and they will begin laying the block
foundation in a few weeks. Project manager Svec reported that the project
is on or ahead of schedule and proceeding toward a fully enclosed
structure (roof, windows, etc.) by mid-November. We
have reached the halfway point of our three-year campaign, and it is a
very gratifying record that you all have compiled! In recent months our
total has increased by nearly $180,000, with 19 increased pledges and six
new pledges. Over $2.2 million has now been committed through 261 pledges.
There are 331 members and 52 friends of CCC represented as contributors in
this effort. (The loan program has covered another $575,000 of our
financing needs.) We
are indeed blessed as our home at 9525 Colesville Rd. is rebuilt into the
21st century. Drive or walk by and see our Keystones banner, as well as
the obvious physical changes in front, in back and inside. The door to
giving is always open. As the Spirit may move you, be part of our building
into the future. Bob
Brown for the Keystones Follow-up Committee The
Board for Church Life invites you to a pool party on Saturday, Aug. 25
from noon to 3 p.m. The party will be at Stonegate Community Pool, 220
Stonegate Dr., off New Hampshire Avenue about 7 miles north of the church.
The facility has a regular pool, baby pool, sandy playground, volleyball
court and ping pong tables. The board will supply pool passes, pizza and
plenty of beverages! This will be a great chance to reconnect with folks
at the end of the summer. For directions to the pool and other
information, please RSVP to Sara Watson at (301) 879-7692 or sarawatson@aol.com. In
June 2000, the U.S.Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA),
had the right as a private organization to exclude membership based on
sexual orientation. The BSA national policy excludes gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered persons from membership and leadership
positions. CCC
is the charter organization for Cub Scout Pack 275, and this relationship
has given CCC, the community and innumerable Cub Scouts the benefits of
scouting for over 53 years. However, after the Supreme Court ruling, the
church’s Open & Affirming Task Force requested that CCC assess its
relationship with Pack 275 and determine Pack 275’s position regarding
the national BSA policy. A
committee chaired by Jim Henkelman-Bahn and comprised of CCC members and
Pack 275 leadership was formed to address the church’s concerns. The
committee reached consensus on these points: It is the desire and hope of
the participants that scouting will be continued at CCC; It is the hope
that the existence of Pack 275 will not be jeopardized; There is broad
support for CCC’s O&A policy; There is disagreement with the BSA
policy at the national level with respect to gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender persons. Further,
the committee recommended that a letter be sent to the BSA, which is
reprinted below. The committee also urged that CCC initiate dialogue with
other area churches which are involved with scouting in the hope that this
will lead to an organized protest by the collective churches. The
Executive Council approved these recommendations. Holly
Brooks, CCC Communications Officer To:
Mr. Roy L. Williams, Chief Scout Executive, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln.,
Irving, Texas Dear
Mr. Williams, As
the sponsoring organization for Cub Scout Pack 275 in Silver Spring, MD,
we have enjoyed a friendly and productive relationship with scouting for
53 years. But now we feel we must declare our opposition to the current
Boy Scouts of America policy barring from participation in scouting all
people of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender orientation, both as
scouts and as leaders. As
a Christian congregation, we are fully committed to the ideals of
scouting. We have, over the years, seen the lives of youth enriched, and
leaders and parents ennobled by our mutual commitment to the nurture of
our young people. Our unhappiness is not with Pack 275, the boys and
leaders, our regional "Olde Mille" Scout District, the National
Capital Area Council, or with the larger scouting movement as a whole.
However, we are called by our understanding of the imperatives of our
faith in Jesus Christ to object to this specific policy of exclusion. CCC
voted in 1995 to declare itself as an Open and Affirming Congregation of
the UCC. This policy states that as Christians, we are people who welcome
and affirm all regardless of sexual orientation. This Open and Affirming
policy goes to the very heart of our understanding of the Christian Gospel
as inclusive and nondiscriminatory. We are committed to oppose any policy
which, intentionally or unintentionally, serves to exclude, isolate,
belittle or demean any individual or any group. We are concerned that the
national BSA policy contributes to a widespread attitude of insensitivity,
discrimination, and even hatred of those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender. Each
year when we recharter, we agree that CCC and Pack 275 understand, accept,
and affirm the fundamental values of the BSA. Yet there is clear
incompatibility between CCC’s Open and Affirming policy and BSA’s
stand on the sexual orientation of youth members and adult leaders. Our
deepest desire, as a devoted sponsoring organization, is to see that the
Boy Scouts of America national policy on sexual orientation be changed. Now,
Mr. Williams, as you complete your first year as Chief Scout Executive, we
urge this change respectfully, but urgently. We do not wish to bring pain
or hardship to Pack 275, its boys, leaders or parents. We value much that
is commendable in scouting, and it would grieve us profoundly if our long
relationship to scouting were to end. Nevertheless, we take our
responsibility as a charter organization with utmost seriousness.
Therefore we urge you and the national leadership of the BSA to reverse
this policy in regard to sexual orientation, thereby bringing the scouting
movement into fuller harmony with the basic values of the Christian Church
as we understand them and by which we are determined to live. Rev.
James A. Todhunter, senior minister and Mr. Rick Brush, moderator Iowa Youths See Capital, Courtesy
of CCC Families Twenty-four
hours after they left their homes in Wakon, Iowa, 11 youths and one adult
from Zion Church arrived in Washington D.C., despite a flight cancellation
and two plane delays. Last
year, about nine teens from the CCC youth group traveled to Iowa and
stayed with families from the Zion Youth group, while the city kids were
introduced to life on the farm. Returning the favor this year, Iowa youths
were invited to Silver Spring to get a taste of city life. The
groups first met at the CCC retreat house in West Virginia, and spent the
weekend going on hikes, playing games and building large campfires and
strong friendships. The following three days were filled with trips to
Washington, D.C., where the gang toured the Capitol, Arlington Cemetery,
the Air & Space Museum, the American History Museum, the National
Cathedral, and various monuments. On
the last day, the youths visited places where CCC helps with mission work,
including the headquarters for the ASSISST program, Progress Place, and a
child care center. The
kids were able to compare the vast similarities and differences between
life in a small farming county, where there is only one traffic light, to
the fast-paced lifestyle of teen attending schools with over 3,000
students. Most
importantly, the trip served as a bonding experience for the youths from
both Iowa and DC, and they formed friendships that hopefully will last
through adulthood. Special
thanks go to the host families who warmly welcomed the visitors into their
homes, the boards that provided the group with meals, and Pastor Linda
Carder and Pastor Eick for organizing such a magnificent trip! Jennie
Breads and Claire Arnold As
you know, this August I am beginning an 18-month intensive program offered
by the Shalem Institute: CLERGY SPIRITUAL LIFE AND LEADERSHIP -- GOING
DEEPER. This is a project designed to explore the role of clergy as
"Contemplative Leaders" in the new millennium. An expectation of
the program is that I form an At-Home Spiritual Support Group to
work closely with me for the duration of the program. It is described this
way: "These persons, prayerfully selected from the congregation,
would gather as intercessors, listeners, envisioners, and informally as
co-discerners of the Spirit’s life in the congregation and be a leaven
with other groups in the congregation." I am looking for folks who
are spiritually mature and searching, as well as devoted to CCC and its
mission. The time commitment would involve an initial meeting for 4-6
hours, and then monthly two-hour meetings. I imagine this to be a group of
8-10 people invited by me. I would like to have this group in place by
mid-September. I
would like the selection process to be prayerful and discerning. To do
this, I welcome input from the congregation. Please consider filling out
this questionaire and returning it to me or the Church Office. Thanks! Rev.
Jim Todhunter ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONNAIRE Among
your fellow parishioners: To
whom would you turn for help in going deeper in your spiritual life? Whom
would you want to pray for you? Who especially contributes to the
spiritual life of CCC? Who do you think lets their spiritual heart carry
over into all aspects of their life? Who contributes to the life of our
church by authentically challenging our assumptions about spiritual life? Feel
free to nominate yourself. Here
are my nominations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The
Ruth Richardson Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that the 2001
scholarship is awarded to Leslie Wilson. Leslie attends the University of
Maryland at College Park and will be completing her bachelor’s degree in
humanities in May 2002. She plans to get her masters in education and
wants to teach computers in the Montgomery County schools. We will be
awarding her the scholarship on Sun., July 29 at the 4 p.m. service.
Congratulations, Leslie! Aldene
Ault, Ruth Richardson Scholarship Committee Summer
is busy for everyone, but the work CCC does at Shepherd’s Table is
needed year round. Because so many students are away for the summer, your
help especially is needed on Aug. 8. If you are able to volunteer, please
sign up on the bulletin board in the narthex, or contact Gregg Brown or
Stephanie Peterson at (301) 589-1080 (please call before 8 p.m. so their
baby can sleep). Holly
Brooks, CCC Communications Officer Rather
than having a face-to-face calendar meeting to sign up for the use of the
Retreat House this fall, please e-mail your requests to me at b_w_j@yahoo.com.
Please include: Group
name (if there is one) Alternative
dates (in case another group requests the same dates) A
contact name, number and e-mail If
no one in your group has e-mail, please call me at (301) 593-7053 with the
above information. I will make up a new calendar at the very beginning of
August to place in the Retreat House Book in the church office at 9610
Colesville Rd. If you have any questions, please contact me at the above
e-mail/phone number. Barry
Johnson, chair, Retreat House Committee News
Notes Deadlines PLEASE
NOTE: News Notes will appear once in August. The deadline for the Aug. 15
issue will be Thursday, Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. News Notes editor -- Susan DeFord
(301) 649-3093, or
sjdkjk@erols.com CCC
Staff The
Rev. Jim Todhunter,
senior minister; the Rev. Linda Carder, assoc. minister; John
Touchton, director of music; the Rev. Dale Ostrander, director
of programming for older adults; Toby Ratcliffe, church school
coordinator; Richard Meyer, property administrator; Ruth
Avery, office administrator. |
