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CCC NewsNotes May 6, 2002 Workers Race The Clock To Finish Renovation, Don't Forget To RSVP, Budget Hearing May 16, Welcome Home Sunday Is The Day Of CCC's Return, God Offers Possibility, CCC Kitchen Needs, Successful Rebuilding, Worship Service Forums, Intercultural Story Sharing Starts In Takoma In May, Jesus Seminar Workshop, Looking For Quilts, Reiki Treatments For CCC, CCC Keystones Benefit Concert, News Notes Deadlines, CCC Staff Workers Race The Clock To Finish Renovation As this issue of News Notes goes to press, Tom Ault, Jackie Walters and Dick Meyer are working tirelessly, overseeing that the contractors finish the details of the CCC building renovation and that the necessary inspections are complete. Here is what we know as of Thursday, May 2. We have passed the health department and elevator inspections, and we are waiting for the fire marshal's inspection to be completed. Once we have all the inspections completed, we can apply for the use and occupancy permit. Henry L. Lewis Contractors and subcontractors are racing against the clock to finish details and meet the final walk-through deadline of May 15. We cannot do our major move back into the building until the contractors' work has been completed, and we've obtained the use and occupancy permit. What does this mean for our plans for Welcome Sunday, May 19? (See related article) Tom, Jackie and Dick are confident that we will have the use and occupancy permit by May 19, but not much before that. For that date, we will focus on having the essentials in place for the sanctuary, choir room, reception area and classrooms for the small children. Other rooms, areas and walls will be barren. In the weeks to follow, there will be opportunities for us all to help move furniture and supplies back into the building. As the Israelites crossed the River Jordan and entered the Promised Land with only a few possessions, they rejoiced that their time in the wilderness had come to an end. With God, all things are possible. Let us gather and worship on May 19 and rejoice that our time in the wilderness has ended and we are home! Trish Esposito and Terry Strand, co-chairs, CCC Steering Committee It is not too late to RSVP for the luncheon on Sun., June 9. We will start the day with a 10 a.m. service of recovenanting and celebration, which will mark our return to our church building. We will publicly renew our covenantal relationship with God and one another. Older children (first grade and above) and youth will participate in the service, and younger children will attend church school. Immediately following worship, there will be a time of recognition and appreciation in the sanctuary to express our gratitude to the many people who have made our building renovation possible. There will be special activities for all children during this time. We will end this exciting and historic day with a luncheon in our renovated fellowship hall, now accessible by elevator. The luncheon menu will include sandwiches, fruit, chips, drinks and a special celebration cake. The food will be served at tables, family style. Everyone is invited to the luncheon -- children, youth and spouses/significant others. Please RSVP to Doris Raber by May 28 if you do or do not plan to attend. Doris may be reached at (301) 598-8040 or doris.raber@prodigy.net. If you plan to attend, please specifiy how many adults and children will be participating. See you there! Trish Esposito and Terry Strand, co-chairs, CCC Steering Committee There will be an open hearing on the draft operating budget for fiscal year 2002-2003 at 7:30 p.m. on Thurs., May 16 in Room 204 at Marvin Memorial. This is a critical year for our budget, and the Board of Trustees looks forward to presenting its initial recommendations at this meeting and to receiving the comments and suggestions of all who are interested. Debate in past hearings has sometimes been vigorous and illuminating, and an interesting evening is promised to all. Dave Ackerman, chair, CCC Board of Trustees Welcome
Home Sunday Is The Day Of CCC's Return To celebrate the return to our building, on Sun., May 19, the congregation will have a special processional symbolizing the wanderers' return to the Promised Land. Everyone will gather outside the new entrance of the building at 9:45 a.m. and process into the sanctuary for a special worship service. A small portion of the new parking area will be roped off and serve as our gathering area. For those who need one, there will be folding chairs available outside during the gathering time. After the procession, nursery through kindergarten children will be escorted to their classrooms. Older children (first grade and above) and youth will initially be part of the worship service with their families and then adjourn to take part in their own special church school activities. Following the service, there will be a reception and fellowship time in our renovated fellowship hall. Guides will be stationed around the church building to help us explore the nooks and crannies of our renovated and expanded building. We're going home! Trish Esposito and Terry Strand, co-chairs, CCC Steering Committee From Pastor Linda Carter There is a song called, "I Am A Possibility!" Youth often love this song. It is so affirming, and looks to the future. And it encourages them to be all they can be. Joyce Rupp, in some of her books and certainly in the way she does spiritual direction, encourages people to find and be faithful to their "true selves," meaning the wonderful person that God created us to be. That for her is one important aspect of spiritual development. It seems to me that can also be true for faith communities. As the Hebrew people moved into the new land, they began to look forward to a new life as God's people. As the early Christians met, and had no idea what lay before them, they experienced the presence and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. Then things got very exciting. Life was not easy or without peril. But the growth of the early church still amazes people. This small band was filled with faith, energy and hope. That these two scriptures are the ones we will be using on Pentecost and the day we move back into the building is very touching to me. I love the idea of moving from the wilderness to new possibilities. And I fully expect to be swept up and inflamed by the movement of the Spirit that day. This is a time in our life when we as a faith community are a possibility of faith and mission as we are further led by God. -- Linda Have you toured the renovated facility at 9525 Colesville Road? You must see the new kitchen off the social hall, as well as two coffee prep areas, one near the sanctuary and one adjacent to the upstairs conference room. It is exciting to supply these areas with more versatile coffee makers and equipment. But we also need the basics -- straw baskets, coffee carafes, and neutral-colored kitchen linens, especially towels. If you have such surplus items, please contact one of us. Thank you! Sue Dollins, Janice Dennie, Glenda Neal & Marilyn Meyer This year marked the sixth anniversary of another successful Rebuilding Together/Christmas in April volunteer effort by CCC with the help of volunteers from the First Baptist Church in Silver Spring. Nearly 60 volunteers of all ages worked on April 20 & 27 on a house in the Wheaton/Silver Spring area, one of 61 houses being repaired by volunteers in Montomery County, and many hundreds of houses nationwide by Rebuilding Together on these same days. This year, among many tasks, we scraped and painted the interior; installed accessible handles, rails and banisters; replaced the kitchen floor; replaced the side door; replaced railings on the outside wheelchair ramp; and make plumbing and electrical repairs. The elderly, housebound homeowner was delighted with the job we performed. Thanks and appreciation to all who contributed to the planning, the work and meals. See you next April when we will be assigned another home with new challenges and grateful homeowners! The Board of Deacons will hold a series of forums to gather as much input as possible from our members in developing services that will be attractive and appealing to new and older members alike. We want to keep the process moving, so we're scheduling forum dates during what we know is a very busy and joyful time in our church life. The forum dates are: Sun., May 26 after worship in the Conference Room. Wed., June 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. Sun., June 23 after worship in the Conference Room. We are making a determined commitment to have a plan in place for the fall of this year. Everyone's input is vital, and we shall be looking at value voting on some of the issues that we face together. Please try to attend at least one of these sessions. Elsa Brandt & Neville Platt, co-chairs, Worship Committee Intercultural Story Sharing Starts In Takoma In May Stories from around the world...Share stories of what it is like to live in a new world...Stories of how we are changing and how we are staying the same. Our community is rich because it is bursting with stories! We and our families have come here from every direction in the world. We are creating a new kind of society that includes everyone. What better way to keep enriching our community, and ourselves, than by sharing our stories with each other? Earlier this year, CCC participated as a sponsor in IMPACT Silver Spring's Diversity Conference. One of the conference's exciting outcomes is the organization of a series of intercultural story sharing sessions. Every Wednesday evening, starting May 1, these intercultural story sharing sessions will be held from 7-8 p.m. at Sligo Church at the corner of Flower and Carroll Avenues in Takoma Park. Free baby-sitting. Refreshments will be served. No RSVP needed. Bring a friend from a culture you want to know more about! For more information, call (301) 270-6777, ext. 127. Holly Brooks, CCC communications officer On Sat., April 27, our congregation, in cooperation with Westmoreland Congregational Church, held a Jesus Seminar workshop at Westmoreland Church in Bethesda. There were about 80 persons in attendance, seated at tables in the fellowship hall. Steve Patterson is a professor of New Testament at our UCC Eden Seminary in St. Louis. He used his Power Point software and portable PC projector to present three informative and provocative presentations -- two in the morning and one in the afternoon. Attending were many persons from CCC, a respectable representation from Westmoreland and many from the larger Washington community. Two people traveled all the way from New York to attend. His morning lectures were on the wisdom of Jesus, in which he discussed many of the sayings and parables that are generally attributed to Jesus, and the acts of Jesus, in which he discussed the things Jesus did. His source was the canonical books of the New Testament, as well as many additional ancient texts from the period now available. In the afternoon, he discussed the God of Jesus, which is the title of a recent book he authored. He fielded many questions from the audience and was finished at 3 p.m. It was a stimulating and enlightening experience for all. Marv Wunderlich Does anyone have large baby or child-appealing quilts to donate to our new nursery? We're looking for quilts to put down on top of the carpet during playtime. If so, please contact Kristen Brown at (301) 460-1806 or brownjk@erols.com. Several people are aware that I have offered to give Reiki treatments to members of the church and donate one-third of the fee to the Keystones building fund. But what is Reiki? It is a method of healing founded in Japan hundreds of years ago and is similar to acupuncture without the needles or other forms of energy work. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what keeps us alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words: "Rei," which means "God's wisdom or higher power," and "Ki," which is "life force energy." So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy." A treatment feels like a wonderful radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit, creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well being. Three happy recipients have been our two ministers, Jim and Linda, and Sue Dollins. Call (301) 439-2674 for an appointment. Gretchen Wiederrecht Wellborn-Touchton piano duo: William Wellborn and CCC Music Director John Touchton will perform a two-piano, four-hand concert on Fri., May 31 at 7:30 p.m. at CCC's renovated facilities, 9525 Colesville Rd. The concert will feature the works of Chopin, Saint-Saens, Schubert and Liszt. There is no charge for the concert but donations will be accepted at the door. All donations to this evening's event will go to the Keystone Campaign Fund. PLEASE NOTE: Because of CCC'S MOVING SCHEDULE, the deadline for the next issue will be THURS., MAY 23 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. |