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CCC NewsNotes November 20, 2001 Finding Promise & Hope In Advent's Preparations, CCC Advent Schedule, Christmas Fund Offering, CCC's Mitten Collection, Shaw Community Xmas, Shalem Group Formed, UCC Expert Gives Talk On New Worship Trends, Silent Auction A Success, Weather Helps Progress On CCC Building, Shepherd's Table Needs Donations of Supplies, United Way Agencies, Committee Still Recruiting, Together In The Spirit, Church Historian Needed, CCC's Winter Weekend Celebrates 20 Years In Pa., Christmas Memorial Gifts, Savage Mill Trip Dec. 4, News Notes Deadlines, CCC Staff Finding
Promise & Hope In Advent's Preparations From these themes, Sunday Scriptures are chosen which provide a rich source of Advent inspiration. From Isaiah we receive memorable Advent pictures: the young shoot growing from the stump of Jesse's family tree (from this we get the Jesse Tree named after David's father; it celebrates the faith and lives of Jesus' ancestors). Others are the promise of a son who is "God with us," God crying "Comfort, comfort my people," and the Words of Good News later read by Jesus in the temple. The Gospel readings for Advent feature three major moments in Jesus' life: Jesus preaching about last days, the work of John the Baptist, and Jesus coming as God's light. The colors for Advent are blue, which signifies hope, and purple, which calls to mind John the Baptist's call to repentance. During this time we often hear Jesus referred to as Emmanuel. This is a Hebrew word which means "God is with us." Advent is a wonderful time to celebrate our faith at home. With Advent wreaths and candles, Advent calendars, making of Jesse Trees and prayers and meditations readily available, spiritual time at home is easy, fun and very meaningful. May your Advent this year help you make room for Christmas to come in your heart. Pastor Linda Carder CCC Advent Schedule Sun., Dec. 2: Advent Wreath Workshop. Following the worship service, the Board for Church Life will provide a soup and bread supper, and everyone is asked to bring Christmas cookies to share. All supplies for making the wreaths will be provided, with the exception of greens, so please bring some from your yard and some to share with those who do not have greens. Please sign up for this event so enough wreath-making materials will be provided. This year we will make care packages for our college students at this time. There will be activities for children, and the Advent Family Activity Materials will be given out at this time. If you cannot be there, you may pick yours up the following Sunday. Sat. Dec. 8: Midwinter's Night's Dream. This is a Christmas choral concert and catered dinner with Marvin Memorial UMC and will feature both choirs singing from the Oxford Book of Carols. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to sing favorite Christmas Carols. Two seatings are available -- 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children 12 years and under. Tickets are on sale every Sunday before and after worship services. You can also leave a message for John Touchton at (301) 585-8010, ext. 224. We still need a few more people to donate dessert for this event. If interested, please contact Bob Brown at (301) 770-6275. Sun., Dec. 16: Advent/Christmas Family Worship. There will be special music at this 4 p.m. service. Children first grade and above will stay in the worship service. There will be no sermon, and all of the ministers will take part in the service. Sun., Dec. 23: Festive Church School. This will be held during the regular 4 p.m. worship. Mon., Dec. 24: Christmas Eve. We will have two services. The Family Service will be at 4:30 p.m. (please note new time). All the children who are present will be involved. This will be a story- telling and carol-singing service. At 11 p.m. there will be a service of lessons and carols. This will be a joint service with Marvin Memorial Church and feature both choirs. Sun., Dec. 30: Alternate Church School will be held during the 4 p.m. worship. Christmas Fund
Offering Nancy Lohman, Board for Social Witness Once again, we will collect mittens, gloves, hats and coats for the children of Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring. The clothing should be in very good used condition or new. This year, we will place the items in large decorated boxes, which you will find in the narthex of MMUMC starting Dec. 2--Dec. 16. Any questions? Call Kristen Brown at (301) 460-1806. Shaw Community Xmas Anne Weissenborn Shalem Group Formed One of the requirements for my 18-month Clergy Leadership Program sponsored by the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation is an "At Home Support Group" made up of members of the congregation. I wanted to share the fact that I have selected the members of this group, and we have had the first of a series of monthly meetings. In response to my request last summer, I received nearly 40 nominations of folks who would be appropriate and interested in being in this group. I was amazed at this outpouring. Since I could only choose eight, I know some people were disappointed, and for that I am sorry. The members of the group are Shirley Coll, Holly Brooks, Marcia Haggard, Maria Montgomery, Gordon Forbes, Jim Henkelman-Bahn, Bill Prindle and Bob Brown. The purpose of this group is prayer and spiritual practice. It is to help me focus on my ministry as spiritual leadership. Our meeting style will evolve over time, I am sure. We are getting started by seeing our time together as including opportunities for prayer for me and the congregation, the sharing of personal spiritual journeys, and support for the personal spiritual issues relating to my daily practice and leadership. I can't tell you how excited I am to be in this program. I am deeply appreciative of this group of people, all who expressed interest, and for the support CCC has shown in regard to my participation in the program. If there are any questions in regard to the Shalem Program and this group, please feel free to contact me. Blessings! Jim UCC
Expert Gives Talk On New Worship Trends Worship should be God-centered, reminding the people of what God has done, is doing, and promises for the future. Liturgy (work of the people) involves everyone in planning and participation. The audience is God, not the congregation; the actors are the congregation, not the ministers; the prompters are the ministers, not God. Churches adopting Contemporary and meditative-oriented Taize styles of services show the greatest increase in attendance. Schroer described these services as lay-driven and embracing all kinds of music and drama. If a church has two services, the same sermon of not more than 15 minutes is preached at each hour-long service. Baptisms and Eucharist are held on different Sundays. Combining elements of both services in a common worship can foster community, as does scheduling social time convenient to worshippers at both services. Christian educators and theologians urge churches to expand Christian education programs to adult members. Scheduling adult classes concurrently with children's classes reaps several benefits, among them including children beyond first grade in the worship experience. In addition to church school, children should participate in worship. Schroer made these points: Children need authentic worship experiences to help them develop a lifelong commitment to the church. (Christians are made, not born -- Tertullian.) Children and adults influence and enhance each other's worship experience. We saw this recently when the children returned for communion. Children and young adults energize the liturgy while creating ownership of their worship experience. Children, like adults, rise to expectations, so as they become familiar with the liturgy and what's expected of them, they are engaged participators. Schroer also talked about first impressions for visitors. A church needs a comprehensive welcoming attitude to visitors, with clear directions for nursery and other special needs. The group discussed special worship bulletins for children, the role of inclusive language, passing the peace, permanent name tags, crying room and seating of late arrivals. As we look forward to moving back into our renovated building, the Board of Deacons wants to engage the entire congregation in a discussion of how to renew, revitalize and enhance the worship experience at CCC. To this end, and in conjunction with the staff, the board will be arranging workshop forums to seek suggestions and ideas from all church members. Together, we will join in this forward-planning, decision-making process. Neville Platt, Board of Deacons Silent Auction A
Success Bob Brown & Trish Esposito, co-chairs, Keystones Follow-Up Committee Weather
Helps Progress On CCC Building Masonry walls reach to the second story, and floor joists for the first and second levels are in. The new outside exit stairway is nearing completion, and the metal stairway framing should be in by December. In early December, workers will begin roofing the additions. Stone and brick for the exterior are stockpiled on site. Masons bricked the interior wall of the entry and have begun the exterior work in the courtyard. Among the huge slabs of stone covered in black plastic is the lintel stone with CCC's name. The sprinkler system is installed in the sanctuary. The elevator is on site and will be moved into place soon. All heavy mechanical equipment, including the air-conditioning chiller, is installed in the mechanical room. In the education wing, new rooms are taking shape. Plumbing pipe for the kitchen and basement restrooms in in place, the kitchen is roughed in, and its equipment -- counters, exhaust hood, sinks, etc. -- has been ordered. Installation should begin early in January. In the courtyard, 15 truckloads of rock were excavated and removed along the south side at a cost of $27,000. Builders have completed housing for the sump pumps and their backup generator. Multicolored coils of conduit for lighting, emergency systems and computer and telephone connections snake throughout the building above the ceiling rafters. Following continuous pressure from the Building Design Committee, PEPCO engineers finally released plans for the position of the transformer pad on the Indian Spring side and for buried conduit. Installation of these critical pieces is essential before Washington Gas crews can lay gas lines. Building & Grounds and Building Design committees will meet before Christmas to begin planning participation by boards, committees and staff in decisions regarding the final finishing, decorating, furnishing and landscaping of the building prior to moving back in. Jackie Walters, co-chair, Building Design Committee Shepherd's
Table Needs Donations of Supplies Specific items that Shepherd's Table needs are coffee, creamer, sugar, artificial sweetener, and bulk-sized packages of rice. (Any nonperishable food donations are welcome.) Deliveries can be made to Shepherd's Table, 8210A Colonial Lane, Silver Spring (between Georgia Avenue and the Metro tracks), on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on weekends from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Don't forget CCC volunteers for dinner service on the second Wednesday of each month. Sign-up sheets are in the narthex of MMUMC. Ted Foster, Board for Social Witness United Way Agencies 8052 Capital Area Community Food Bank; 8076 Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April); 8117 House of Ruth; 8218 Crossway Community; 8230 Community Ministries of Montgomery County; 8246 ASSISST (Services for Senior Citizens); 8260 For Love of Children; 8261 Ministries United Silver Spring Takoma Park; 8281 N Street Village/Luther Place Memorial Church; 8387 Columbia Road Health Services; 8814 Casa de Maryland; 8964 Shepherd's Table; 9160 Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition. Committee Still
Recruiting Since the majority of our members are of the grandmother gender and have served for many, many years, we are now ready to retire from the R&S committee. We need many more to fill our places. Our duties are to serve the church members who are in need of assistance. Through the staff, News Notes, church event line and church office, we hear of someone in a family who is ill, hospitalized or needs a ride to an appointment. On your chosen month of service, you will send a card, make a phone call to the family, ask if you can provide a meal or drive someone to an appointment. If there is a reception for a memorial service, all of the committee is to serve or provide cookies. The ones on duty for that month can call on anyone from the committee. Generally, two people serve for the chosen month to be on duty. With a partner, you can always work out something that is agreeable to the two of you. So you see, we need a large group. The ladies mentioned above are making time and are anxious to serve. The rewards are great as you get closer to a family in need. Please call and tell us that you too are anxious to serve, or just want more information. Jean Beach (301) 587-5926 & Esther Hoover (301) 309-0818, co-chairs for Referral & Service Committee Together In The
Spirit Early callers have reported good experiences as we become better acquainted with one another. We look forward to this spirit staying with us as we return to our newly renovated church. At the close of the visits, suggestions for keeping Together In The Spirit will be compiled and shared with the congregation. If you have any questions, call Bud Dennie (301) 460-4379; Ruth Erk (301) 572-2156; or John Potts (301) 879-7894. Esther Richards has carried the position of church historian since the beginning of CCC. She is anxious to turn over this job to a younger person. Please contact her if you can assume this position. She will be happy to tell you what this involves. Her phone number is (301) 598-7207. Be sure to call! CCC's
Winter Weekend Celebrates 20 Years In Pa. Christmas Memorial
Gifts Members who have received support from the Deacons Fund know what a blessing this can be in times of crisis and illness and often write to the deacons thanking all who have given. Also this Christmas, the deacons will write letters to members confined to home, hospital or nursing home and follow these letters with personal visits and an offer of home communion. In order to have names listed in the bulletin, the form below must be received in the church office by Mon., Dec. 10. --------------------------------------------------------------- Christmas Memorial Gifts Amount Enclosed _____________________ In Celebration Of ______________________ In Memory Of _________________________ Given By ____________________________ Make checks payable to CCC and note "Christmas Memorial." Place your check (or cash), with this form by Mon., Dec. 10 in either the offering plate at worship, the Church Office folder in the information transfer box in the narthex at MMUMC, or mail to the church office at 9525 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20901. Please call Ruth Avery in the church office if you have questions at (301) 585-8010. Savage Mill Trip
Dec. 4 PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for the Dec. 1 issue is THURSDAY, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. News Notes editor -- Susan DeFord (301) 649-3093, or sjdkjk@erols.com 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; Richard Meyer, property administrator; Ruth Avery, office administrator. |