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CCC NewsNotes April 8, 2002 Worship Service Changes Proposed For Fall, ISO Hearty Volunteers For Moving Commitment, Church Tour Impressive, Christmas In April Is Rebuilding Together, Guiding Our Children II, Retreat This Weekend, Caring For Our Children, April 21 Budget Talk, Open and Affirming Book Club Meets In May, Be Part Of CCC Guild, Patterson Talk April 27, Sisters For Sisters, A note about News Notes, News, News Notes Deadlines, CCC Staff Worship Service Changes Proposed For Fall Over the last few months, we have been discussing with the staff the possibility of revising the timing and format of our worship services once we become re-established in our renovated premises. When we move back into our renovated building in May, we plan at first to provide one Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. However, we are considering some significant changes to worship that could occur in the fall. We want our services to address the many needs of the congregation, to be inclusive for all generations, and also to ensure that everyone has a meaningful worship experience. At the same time, we want to have services and programs that reach out to the unchurched in our community. In our discussions, we have tried to satisfy all these needs without causing undue strain on our members and on staff. The staff has developed the following proposal, which has been discussed with the Worship Committee, the Board of Deacons, and the Christian Education Board at their March meetings. The Board of Deacons enthusiastically supports this proposal, and we want to share it with all members and obtain your feedback on these ideas. Starting in the fall, we propose a 9:30 a.m. worship service, featuring the same hymns and sermon as the later service, but no regular choir. During this time, there would be adult education and church school. From 10:30 -- 11:30 a.m., there would be a Community Life Hour, with time for choir practices, a paid breakfast (catered if possible), meetings, special activities for children and small group meetings such as lay-led meditation and book club. At 11:30 a.m., there would be a second worship service, designed as worship for all ages, with choirs and the same sermon as earlier. Both of the worship services would be limited to one hour in length. It may be possible to incorporate communion into the early service, in addition to monthly communion at the main service. Originally, the proposal was for services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., but the later times have been suggested to accommodate families who need to get young children ready for the first part of the program, and who travel long distances to our church. Rather than designate any service as contemporary, we'll try to incorporate elements of this form of worship into our services from time to time. Taize or meditative services would be scheduled at appropriate times in the church calendar, probably on two or three occasions each year. As can be seen from the proposed schedule, there are three activities offered in the first hour starting at 9:30 a.m. The Community Life Hour would cater to as many developing needs as the congregation wishes. We hope that all members and families will find some time within these proposals to meet their individual needs. We shall be arranging several forums to provide opportunities for members to share their views and any concerns that they may have. Please try to be involved in this process. Elsa Brandt & Neville Platt, co-chairs, Worship Committee ISO Hearty Volunteers For Moving Commitment The move back to our building is nearing fast and help is needed! Here's the upcoming dates: Tues., April 30 -- Final inspection. Sat. - Sun., May 4 - 5 -- Furniture move. Sat. - Sun., May 11 - 12 -- Furniture move. Heavy movers are needed for the two weekends above, but one or two sorters, arrangers and cleaners would be helpful. Sign-up sheets (desperately seeking signatures) are available on the CCC bulletin board in the Marvin Memorial narthex -- please check! You can call Dick Meyer at (301) 585-8010, or Randy Caswell at (301) 585-0529. Later in May, the schedule is as follows: Sat., May 18 -- Weekend furniture move. Sun., May 19 -- First service in the sanctuary of our renovated building. Tues., May 21 -- Office move. Lots of help will be needed. Sat. May 25 - Mon., May 27 (Memorial Day Weekend) -- Furniture move. Teams needing additional members are Furnishings & Classrooms (Kristen Brown), Woodworking (Bruce Strand), and Landscaping & Plantings (Mary Pence). Please contact the individual leaders. Randy Caswell, Building and Grounds Committee About 50 CCC members and friends toured the construction site at 9525 Colesville Rd. on Easter Sunday morning. They had many questions about construction materials, use of space, safety features and completion dates for tour guides Dick Meyer, Cory Gray, Larry Hanes, Tom Ault and Jim and Jackie Walters. Visitors' comments indicated the building has changed enough to be impressive, inviting and inspiring. It's also remained familiar enough to be reassuring that we're going home, they said. At the progress meeting on April 3, project manager Fred Svec said the second floor will be completed by April 17. Svec also expects that will be the completion date for the kitchen, parking lot and sanctuary painting. Landscaping should begin the week of April 8. CCC members have another opportunity to tour the building on Stewardship Sunday, April 14. Guided tours will be offered from 1:30 p.m. -- 3:30 p.m. Dress for church, but wear comfortable shoes. Again, children 12 and over who are accompanied by an adult are welcome. Jackie Walters, co-chair, Building Design Committee Christmas In April Is Rebuilding Together On April 20 and 27, many CCC members, friends and other volunteers will have a chance to celebrate an early Christmas. On this day, we will have volunteers do repairs and yard work on a home at 3402 Harrell St., in Wheaton for a needy person. Many people are needed to make this a success. We need painters, yard workers, and others to accomplish these tasks. The hours of your labor of love and fellowship are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch will be served to all volunteers from noon to 1 p.m. You have to be at least 14 years old to participate. Any youth ages 14 to 18 will need their parents/guardian to sign a waiver in order for them to participate. Sign-up sheets are on the Marvin Memorial bulletin board. Please contact Gregg Brown, Bud Dennie orTed Foster for additional information. Rebuilding Together/Christmas In April Committee A second session of "Guiding Our Children" will be held Sun., April 28 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. The focus of this meeting will be age-appropriate books for children regarding the topic of sexuality. I'll also be sharing a movie called "That's A Family." These two topics were chosen by the group as a good "second step" for our discussions. Anyone is welcome to join our group. You do not need to have attended the first session -- just come. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. Terry Strand, Open & Affirming Task Force The spring Women's Retreat at the Retreat House will be held April 12 -- 14 on the theme, "Women of Faith." We'll explore our individual journeys, have time for reflection, enjoy each other's company and celebrate spring. Terry Strand and Deborah O'Leary are contact people for this weekend. At CCC we pride ourselves on our commitment to youth and children, and it's evident in so much of what we do. Just think of the activities during Holy Week and the dynamic youth programs we have. There are many people involved in many aspects of nurturing and caring for the children of CCC. However, there is one area where additional help is needed. When there are meetings or other adult events, the church wants to provide child care so that all parents can participate. The Child Care Committee coordinates a small group of dedicated individuals who provide safe and fun activities for infants and children during these times. Right now, the problem is that there are too few people involved in providing child care for church meetings and events. The volunteers we currently have are overworked, and as we have more events that require child care, it's becoming more and more difficult to find enough people to help. The Executive Council is asking all members, boards and committees to identify additional volunteers to assist in performing this vital function. There are many ways to assist in both active and support functions. In the immediate future, we need volunteers for Stewardship Sunday, April 14, and meetings before and after church on April 21. Please contact Terry Strand (301) 942-8883 if you can help with these events or are willing to be on call for future needs. Holly Brooks, CCC communications officer On Sun., April 21, there will be an open meeting to talk about CCC's budget for the coming year. This is an opportunity to share whatever hopes, ideas, and recommendations you have about how we allocate our financial resources. The discussion will help the trustees prepare a draft budget for 2002-2003. Come and join in what should be a spirited discussion. The meeting will be in the library at Marvin Memorial and will begin a few minutes after the end of worship. Dave Ackerman, chair, Board of Trustees Open and Affirming News On Feb. 9, over 40 people gathered at Plymouth Congregational Church to discuss open and affirming issues. Inspired by the Rev. Bill Johnson's keynote speech, "Affirming and Then Open," the participants talked about their individual church's policies and practices. We shared our personal journeys, how belonging to an open and affirming church has affected us. A panel, led by CCC member Jim Henkelman-Bahn, talked about the process churches use to become open and affirming. Jim shared his experiences from CCC and First Church. Meg Villarreal shared her experiences about Little River's open and affirming process which just concluded in October, and Robert Washington talked about the initial conversations Plymouth church is having about open and affirming issues. After the panel, the group broke up into action groups to discuss various aspects of living as an open and affirming church. Education and UCC resources were among the topics. After the closing worship service, all the participants agreed we had been fed not only by the communion we had shared, but also by the work we had done that day. Other related Open and Affirming issues include the second in our "Guiding Our Children" series, which will be held Sun., April 28. (See article in this News Notes.) The Open & Affirming Task Force is continuing its work. We welcome new members. Our next meeting will Thurs., April 18 from 6:30 p.m. -- 8:30 p.m. At that meeting, we will consider future projects. If you have any questions, please contact Terry Strand or Ann Marshall. Terry Strand, Open & Affirming Task Force The next selection of the Book Club is "Angle of Repose," by Wallace Stegner. Anyone interested in discussing this book is invited to the home of Eleanor Waldrop on Sun., May 5, following the worship service. Bring a sandwich, beverage and dessert will be provided. See or call Eleanor for directions. (301) 434-2245. As we are about to move into our new space, the Board for Outreach and Engagement would like to invite you to a special event to be held on Sunday afternoon, April 21 from 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Marvin Memorial. The purpose of this event is to identify, educate, and inspire a good-sized group of the faithful who will form a Welcoming Guild. We define a Welcoming Guild as those who will, in the course of the regular attendance in worship and other activities, be on the watch for new visitors, and welcome them. Attendance at this event does not commit you to more committee meetings, but we do hope that this event will strengthen your commitment to a vision of outreach that will help fulfill the future dreams we all share for our church. If you have questions, or need further information, please contact Shirley Coll, Aldene Ault or Nancy Mills. Or just come! Shirley Coll, Board for Outreach & Engagement Steve Patterson, author of "The God of Jesus," a member of the Jesus Seminars and a teacher at Eden Theological Seminary will speak and hold discussions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., April 27 at Westmoreland Congregational UCC. This event is jointly sponsored by CCC and Westmoreland Congregational UCC. The cost of the day's event is $20, which includes lunch. Please pick up a blue flyer, which has more information about the day and how to register. Sisters For Sisters, a support group for widows and single women, has made reservations for lunch on Fri., April 19 at 12:30 p.m. at The Magic of New Orleans Restaurant, 13701 Georgia Ave. (Aspen Hill area). Newcomers are welcome to join us. June Leonard A note about News Notes: There has been concern because postal delivery of some News Notes issues has been slow. There are delays in the postal system with delivery of mail to the District of Columbia and 207 zip codes in Prince George's County. We ask for your patience. There are always a few extra copies of News Notes available on the table in the narthex on Sundays. PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for the APRIL 22 issue will be THURS., APRIL 18 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. |