Excerpts from CCC NewsNotes May 5, 2001
Member Loan Update; May 24 Budget Hearing; from the Nominating Committee; Jim Todhunter to participate in Sprituality Program for Clergy; future Budget concerns; Potluck Supper June 17th; Relay for Life
Member Loans for CCC Begin Accumulating
We have had a great start to the Member Loan program! In the first few days, 27 people have committed to loans totaling $285,000. In addition, Keystones pledges have increased in the last week by $141,595. This represents more than half of our goal to raise $600,000-$700,000 in member loans for our building financing.
Both of our potential lending partners require member commitments of $650,000 or more in the next 30 days. Without member loans or increased pledges to reach this amount, the lenders will not make financing available. The signing of a financing Commitment Letter by the church's Board of Trustees is imminent, so the clock is running. We need to continue to quickly generate loan commitments and pledges.
The church is accepting loans in multiples of $5,000 for periods of two, five and seven years, with interest rates of 6%, 6 1/2%, and 7% respectively. These are excellent rates when compared to current CD rates. Ideally, we need loans for the longer periods of five and seven years to see us settled back into our newly reconstructed church before servicing our borrowing. If you have questions regarding the program or need a copy of a loan commitment letter, give me a call at (301) 879-9772, or send e-mail to nevaudpl@aol.com.
Please mail commitment letters to 213 Kimblewick Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20904; or leave them in the church office at 9601 Colvesville Rd. It would be helpful if you would include your taxpayer identification number (Social Security no.) on commitment letters as I shall need this when I prepare the loan document. (For those who have already sent in commitment letters, I will not be requesting funding until the loan target has been reached.)
Neville Platt
Along with devoting numerous days and hours to renovation-related matters, the Board of Trustees is putting together a budget for CCC for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2001. The budget will be based in part on requests from our boards, committees and staff, as well as anticipated fixed costs. It also should reflect the priorities of the congregation and further our life and mission as a Christian community.
An open forum on the draft budget will be held on Thurs., May 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 204 at Marvin Memorial United Methodist Church. With the help of your comments and suggestions, the trustees then will prepare a final budget for review at the church's annual meeting on Sun., June 10. We invite your input.
Dave Ackerman, chair, Board of Trustees
This is an extraordinary year in the life of CCC. Personally, I am finding it a test of my commitment to our community. It's hard to stay connected when we are out of our building, meeting at odd times and so on. But I have come to see that this is a good test -- it forces us to choose, to define more clearly who we are and who we want to be.
The nominations process is one part of this test. The traditional stewardship formula asks us to give our time, talent and treasure. While the treasure part is essential, commitments of time and talent are equally important. CCC needs people to step up and serve. A few examples include meeting our new financial challenges through the Board for Stewardship; reading Scripture, serving communion and delivering flowers for the Board of Deacons; planning mission and service projects like Christmas in April for the Board for Social Witness; serving coffee and other activities with the Board for Church Life.
We are making the nominations process more flexible, so that people can take on specific tasks without having to attend weeknight meetings. We will be circulating signup sheets after church for these kinds of jobs over the next few weeks. Members of the Nominating Committee may also be calling you to ask you to serve. We hope you will prayerfully consider taking on a task or two that works for you.
Please feel free to contact me or another Nominating Committee member if you want to volunteer, or have questions.
In Christ, Bill Prindle for the Nominating Committee (Aldene Ault, Rick Brush, Shirley Coll, Bud Dennie, Carolyn Hoskinson, Beth Hotchkiss, Cynthia Page, Ruth Prindle, Jim Stedman)
From Jim Todhunter
I have been accepted in a new program offered by the Shalem Institute entitled: Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership: Going Deeper. Let me share portions of Shalem's printed materials introducing this program:
"This new 17-month program offers a dedicated time for nurturing one's own soul and for deepening one's contemplative orientation as a congregational spiritual leader. A contemplative attitude encourages openness to God's grace in the changing situations of real life and empowers, where called for, both personal and collective risk-taking. It provides a spiritual foundation for authentic vision and action.
"This program is for clergy who serve on the staffs of local churches or whose ministry involves the local church and who:
Desire a deeper grounding of their personal spiritual lives;
Seek honest spiritual community as well as a network of mutual support and practical learning with other contemplative clergy;
Value collaborations with laity in nurturing the spiritual heart and vision of the congregation, including a vision of the church as one of the most life-giving forces in our culture for the new century ahead;
Are eager to learn within a broad ecumenical Christian framework."
Program components include: local support group of laity, ecumenical peer groups, required and optional readings, fellowship of other contemplatively-minded clergy, visiting innovative, risk-taking churches, opportunities for rest, renewal and silent guided retreats, and a final integration paper. I will participate in two eight-day retreats (August of this year, and August of 2002). Otherwise, I will pursue the program "on site" here at CCC.
I feel in my heart that the content and the timing of this program is just right for me. I will do my best to keep you informed as all this unfolds. For now, let me say that this seems to be the journey I need to be about.
Love, Jim
(The following is excerpted from a talk given by Dave Ackerman, chair of the Board of Trustees, at the April 29 congregational meeting. Ackerman discussed the church's operating budget.)
The immediate costs of the renovation are being borne outside of the operating budget. But you will have noted that we are borrowing a lot of money, possibly more than $2 million. We will have to pay that back, and that is where the coming impact on the operating budget occurs.
Over the course of the next fiscal year -- July 2001 to June 2002 -- we need to increase the operating budget by $40,000 or so from its present level to pay for our relocation to Marvin Memorial and our move back into CCC after renovation. That, along with other expected increases, means we need to increase pledges to the operating budget by at least 10 %.
In the following fiscal year (July 2002 to June 2003), we will begin to pay debt service costs on all our loans out of the operating budget after the three-year Keystones Campaign concludes in February, 2003. For that fiscal year, our operating budget will need to be $50,000-$63,000 higher than it is now, requiring an increase in pledges 15-20 % above what we have pledged in the current budget year.
For the fiscal year beginning in July 2003 and every year thereafter, we will have to pay the full amount of debt service costs out of the operating budget.
Beginning two years from now, we will need to increase the operating budget by $150,000 -- $190,000 just to pay the debt service costs. Along with other anticipated increases in the budget, that means an increase in our pledges of 40 -- 50 % from what they are in the current budget year.
We face some substantial challenges both in the short run and in the long run. In the short run, and almost immediately, we need to come up with an additional $500,000 -- $700,000 in member loans and pledge commitments so that the renovation can proceed. (See Neville Platt's article on the front page of this News Notes issue.) In the long run, we need to increase the operating budget by nearly $200,000 annually to pay for the debt service costs.
Dave Ackerman
Come join our church family for a potluck supper on Sun., June 17 following worship at Marvin Memorial. Bring your favorite dish and a relaxed frame of mind to Marvin's downstairs social hall. This will be a time to enjoy each other's company and meet several young visitors and their sponsors from Zion UCC Church in Waukon, Iowa, who hosted CCC youth last summer. We suggest you bring servings for six to eight people. Those whose names begin with "A" through "F" should bring salads or vegetable dishes, "G" through "M" should bring main dishes and "N" through "Z" should bring dessert. The Board for Church Life will furnish bread and drinks. No serious issues to decide, no heavy discussion, just a time for catching up and enjoying our church family. Watch for the sign-up sheet on the CCC Bulletin Board.
Summer is right around the corner and now is the time to reserve your places for the CCC Beach Weekend, July 20-22, at Bethany Beach, Delaware. Each Sunday for the next several weeks, below the CCC bulletin board at Marvin Memorial (on your right if you come in through the main entrance), there will be a Beach Weekend display with informative brochures and a sign-up sheet. We ran out of space last year, so sign up today for a wonderful weekend of fun for families and singles, young and old.
Jim Stedman, (301) 589-2250, Church Life Board
My son Richie and I are once again preparing to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life -- our sixth consecutive year! This event, which unfolds at sites across the country, raises millions of dollars toward prevention, education, treatment and the hope of a cure for all forms of this devastating disease. The heart and soul of the relay are the luminaria dedicated to loved ones lighting the track throughout the night. We ask for your prayers as we walk to honor the courage and strength of family and friends who have battled cancer. If you also wish to make a donation, a check to the American Cancer Society can be mailed to me. Many thanks for your support and love.
Robin Steinwand (10102 Devere Ct., Silver Spring MD 20903)
Mark your calendars now and plan to attend the Spring Luncheon on Thurs., May 31 from noon to 3 p.m. in Marvin Memorial United Methodist Church's social hall. This promises to be a time of good food and fellowship along with a fascinating speaker and special music. More about this soon!
Rev. Dale Ostrander
The Interfaith Housing Coalition, Inc. presents "Treasure or Trash?," an antiques appraisal and fundraiser, on June 6 from 7 p.m. -- 10 p.m. at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church, 9601 Cedar Lane in Bethesda. Bring your treasures for a verbal appraisal by Kensington Row antique dealers.
Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door. This provides one verbal appraisal; $5 per each additional item. Tickets are tax deductible. Mail checks to IHC/Treasure or Trash, 7611 Clarendon Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814.
News Notes Deadlines
The deadline for the May 20 issue will be Thursday, May 17 at 5 p.m. News Notes editor -- Susan DeFord (301) 649-3093,
for sjdkjk@erols.com