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CCC NewsNotes August 26, 2002 Remembering Sept. 11, New Worship Schedule In Place On Sept. 8, Will News Notes Fold? Renewal Day Oct. 5, Name Tags May Stay, Supper For Seven (or so), Future Women's Events, Women's Mid-Life Group, Sisters For Sisters Meets, Sweet Time At CCC, Older Adult News, Art Day Trip 9/30, News Notes Deadlines, CCC Staff Through Special Worship From Rev. Jim Todhunter There will be two worship opportunities on Sept. 11 that I would like to invite CCC folks to consider taking part in. From noon until 1 p.m. that day, there will be a silent commemoration of Sept. 11 held at First Congregational UCC, 945 G St., NW, Washington, DC. The service is being sponsored by the Central Atlantic Conference of the UCC, together with the Downtown Cluster of Congregations. UCC President and General Minister John Thomas will be participating, along with a choir made up of singers from many churches in our association. In our CCC sanctuary at 8 p.m. that evening, we will gather for a meditative service of remembrance and reflection. Prepared by the CCC staff and deacons, this service will include music, silence, prayer and scripture. This anniversary day will affect each of us in ways that will be profound, moving and possibly disturbing. Therefore, it is important that we be together, support one another, and open ourselves to the healing mysteries of our faith. Love, Jim New Worship Schedule In Place On Sept. 8 The CCC staff and Board of Deacons, in consultation with the Board of Christian Education, will debut a new worship and education schedule with the start of the church school year Sept. 8. Input from three worship forums and nearly 70 survey responses indicated that it would be best to implement changes this year. The new Sunday schedule is as follows: 9:30 -- 10:15 a.m. Worship service (no choir). During the first six weeks there will be different experimental formats. There will be lectionary-based scripture. 9:30 -- 10:15 a.m. Church School for all ages (children through high school, and adult education I). 10:20 -- 10:50 a.m. Chancel Choir rehearsal in the choir room. Children's choirs as needed. 10:15 -- 11:00 a.m. Social time in the Fellowship Hall. 10:15 -- 11 a.m. Adult education II. 11:00 -- 12:00 noon Worship service with choirs. Largely the same content as the earlier service. Children first grade and above will be welcome to attend. Childcare or activities for kindergarten and younger. 12:00 -- 12:30 p.m. Children's choirs (Kindergarten through eighth grade) rehearse, or at choir director's discretion. 5 p.m. During the months of the year with a fifth Sunday (September & December of 2002, and March, June & August of 2003), we plan to provide a service developed through collaboration among staff, worship committee and the youth group. These services could include elements of Taize, jazz, meditation, communion, poetry, etc. If there is a strong demand for this kind and timing of service, the schedule will be expanded. The staff plans to cover the content of these services within the 45 minutes and one-hour times that have been scheduled. To be successful, there needs to be a limit on the length of announcements, and we shall explore ways to achieve this. We intend to maintain the Sunday schedule through the whole of the church school year and then evaluate the success of the arrangements at the end of that period. In addition, there were a limited number of responses suggesting that an evening service on a Friday would be appreciated. At this stage, we'd like to have an indication that there would be regular support for such a service. The staff and deacons would be willing to consider proposals for a lay-led service if this support can be demonstrated. If you have questions regarding the schedule, please address these to either Elsa Brandt or Neville Platt, co-chairs of the Worship Committee. Please address questions regarding children's education to Kristen Brown at (301) 460-1806, or brownjk@erols.com. Neville Platt, Board of Deacons There's been a News Notes since this congregation was founded 58 years ago, but what you hold in your hands could become a collector's item as the last issue of CCC's newsletter. Moderator Jackie Walters has been searching for weeks for a new editor, but so far she has heard only regrets. Consider saying yes to keep this vital publication in production and to provide timely information to all of CCC's members and friends. Assistance with editing duties is available, and the new editor will have a say in shaping the newsletter's format. It would be a shame to lose this essential forum for our church community. Please don't let that happen. Contact Moderator Jackie Walters at jjwalters.silverspring@verizon.net, or retiring News Notes editor Susan DeFord at sjdkjk@erols.com to discuss the position.When: Sat., Oct. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. What: CCC Fall Renewal Day Who: Everyone! Anyone who wants to discover their gifts and explore opportunities to share them at CCC. Why: Seems like a good time to take a deep breath, regroup, refocus and recommit with a purpose -- to transition from being an inwardly-focused, wilderness community to a welcoming, self-caring and mission-focused community. How: Fun learning activities, workshops, group discussions, sharing meals and stories, visioning and planning. Learn how to discern your gifts, how to encourage and motivate others to share theirs and explore your vision for the gifts you'd like to develop. To get more information and/or to offer help or suggestions, contact Jackie Walters by phone (301) 565-3197, or by e-mail at jjwalters.silverspring@verizon.net, Since so many people have embraced our monthly name tag effort, the Board for Church Life is exploring ways to introduce permanent name tags this fall. They are a terrific way to help both longtime and new members get to know each other better. Since this is a big step, it would be very helpful to have input from members of the congregation who have some experience with this. If you have belonged to a church that has used name tags and have advice on what works well to encourage people to use them, please pass it along to me, Sara Watson at SARADWATSON@aol.com, , or (301) 879-7692. Thanks for your help. Sara Watson, Board for Church Life Supper for Seven (or so) is an opportunity to further build our community within CCC. Whether you are a longtime member or new attendee of CCC, the Board for Church Life hopes you will consider participating in order to forge new friendships and get to know people on a deeper level. How it works: Interested persons ask to be placed in a group that will have a series of meals together, rotating responsibility among each of the members. Meals can be at each member's home, or at another mutually agreed-upon location (park, restaurant, etc.). One member/couple is asked to serve as the kick-off host for the first group meal. After that, it's up to the group to decide when and where. A common arrangement is to to aim for one meal each month (usually dinner, but it can be brunch or lunch, too). The host can provide all the food for a particular meal, or each member can bring something -- it's up to the group. If you have a small or communal dining area, other options are possible -- you can arrange a picnic outside, co-host with another member, or identify a restaurant (perhaps for lunch instead of dinner if cost is a concern). If you'd like to participate, or have questions, contact Sara Watson at SARADWATSON@aol.com, or at (301) 879-7692. Groups will be notified by early October. Please indicate whether you'd like to be in a group that includes children, and whether you'd be willing to be the kick-off host for the first meal. Sara D. Watson, Board for Church Life The newly formed Women's Committee has been meeting since early this year as a coordinating group for women's ministry at CCC. Its focus is a ministry of wholeness of body, mind and spirit. Here are a few of the upcoming activities women of the church won't want to miss: Sisters for Sisters meeting on Sun., Sept. 15 after church. Fall retreat at West Virginia retreat house, weekend of Sept. 28-29. One-day "life journey" workshop, led by facilitators Jackie Bahn-Henkelman and Alexsandra Stewart on Sat., Oct. 26. One-day spring retreat, "Taking Care of Ourselves," Sat., Feb. 8, 2003. In addition, the committee is contacting Rock Spring Congregational UCC in Arlington, VA. Rock Spring, similar in size to CCC, has successful programs that have involved church women of all ages. If you have any suggestions for women's activities, or would like to get involved with the committee, contact co-chairs Ann Marshall (301) 565-3175, or at maind@ix.netcom.com, or Gretchen Wiederrecht (301) 439-2674, robwied@erols.com A new small group is being formed to offer support, nurture and
companionship to one another as we explore our physical, emotional and
spiritual journeys of mid-life. We will be using the book, "Dear
Heart Come Home," by Joyce Rupp as a point of departure to facilitate
our discussions. An
Organizational Meeting (originally scheduled for September 8) has been postponed. Please watch for further
information on when this group will begin (sometime later this fall.)
At our rescheduled
organizational meeting we will decide when we
will schedule meetings, whether we will try to meet on Sunday mornings or
whether an evening would be better, and how frequently we will meet. For
more information call Susan Gray at (301) 593-5454. Sisters for Sisters will resume our monthly gatherings on Sept. 15 following the church service. Bring a sandwich and join us in the Conference Room on the second floor. Single and widowed women of all ages are welcome. Come to CCC's community open house on Sat., Aug. 31 from 1 p.m. -- 4 p.m., rain or shine, in the CCC parking lot. We will welcome the community with live music, dancing, moon bounce, crafts and an ice cream cone for everyone. Tours of our newly renovated building will be offered. We hope that you will help to spread the word with friends and neighbors. If you would like to participate in some way, please contact Nancy Mills at (301) 260-8544. A new Life Review Group is being planned for sometime this fall. If you are interested in participating in this rewarding small group experience in which we explore and share our life stories, contact Dale Ostrander. Fourteen CCC'ers gathered for good food and a good time together on Aug. 1 in the Cascade Room at Leisure World. Virginia Miller and Paul Robbins, new residents at Bedford Court, joined their CCC neighbors living at Leisure World. Our thanks to Adelle Lampos for making the calls and arrangements. Plan now to travel with us to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC for the fascinating exhibition, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years - Selections From the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum," on Mon., Sept. 30. We will lunch at the Corcoran's Cafe des Artistes. A bus will leave the CCC parking lot at 9:15 a.m. and return by 3:15 p.m. Cost for bus, lunch and admission will be $40. RSVP by calling Mable Elliott at (301) 622-3174, or Dale Ostrander at CCC. PLEASE NOTE: The SUMMER SCHEDULE for News Notes has not yet been determined, so please e-mail articles and submissions to cccoffice@christ-ucc.org, or drop off a paper copy for the News Notes mailbox at church. 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.
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