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CCC NewsNotes September 9, 2003 Remember Jesus, Couples Communication, German Youth to Visit CCC, AmeriCorps Opportunity with Pathways, Fall Women’s Retreat, Pot Luck Lunch Bunch, A Call for Mentors – Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, BOOK GROUP, All Church Picnic, Open and Affirming Sessions, Proposed Amendment to the CCC Open and Affirming Statement, 39th Annual Meeting, Central Atlantic Conference, UCC., Parents’ Night Out, Sisters for Sisters, 40s + Singles Group, Consider Recommitment, NewsNotes Deadlines, CCC Staff I was recently sitting with a small prayer group I belong to made up of area clergy. It includes a well-regarded retired preacher from the Washington area - a wonderful, gentle and wise soul. It was mentioned that his gravesite has already been selected in a District cemetery. When presented with an unexpected gift, he decided to arrange to have a comfortable park bench set up near his grave. And on this bench there would be a simple plaque, with just two words engraved on it: "Remember Jesus." He told us, "Nothing would give me more pleasure than to be able to say to someone, even after I’m gone, ‘Just rest a while here. Rest from your weariness and remember Jesus.’" Prayer can take place in many settings and situations, both routine and extreme – from simple mealtime graces to earnest prayers for healing in a hospital emergency room. But for Christians, wherever we are and whatever we happen to be doing, there is always the opportunity to "remember Jesus." We can just stop what we are doing for a moment and remember Jesus. Or if we are doing something which can’t be stopped, we can still halt the anxious churning of our minds, put our task on automatic pilot, and for a few seconds, just remember Jesus. One might ask, "Is that all? Is that enough? Remember what about Jesus?" Believe me, it is enough just to remember Jesus. To remember him is to bring him into your consciousness. Remembering Jesus is not so much recalling an image as it is acknowledging a presence. To remember Jesus is to be there with Jesus. Really, it is to discover that Jesus is always present with us whether we are aware of him or not. Awareness of his presence can be calming, restoring, and healing. Like taking a load off your feet in a peaceful and beautiful place. This is the simplest, yet most powerful of prayers. Try it. Blessings and love, Jim Couples Communication We are excited about doing a new Couples Communication group this fall. You did not need to attend the orientation on Sept. 7 to participate in the six sessions. We plan to hold sessions from 6:30 – 8:00 on Sunday evenings September 14, September 21, September 28, October 5, October 19 and October 26. This time coincides with the youth group activities for many of those dates. While all of these dates will not work for everyone, it is important that a couple have a commitment to attend all or nearly all of them. Please leave a message for Jim at the church (call 301-585-4640 ext. 223 or leave a note in his mailbox), or for us at home (301-365-8512) to let us know if you will be participating. You may also call if you want more information or if would like to participate but have scheduling conflicts. Blessings! Lois and Jim Todhunter The Rev. Helmut Becker of St. Peter’s Church in Halle, Germany is bringing 22 youth to the United States this fall to visit churches in Baltimore, Lancaster, New York City and Washington, D. C. They will be in Washington, D. C. from October 9-12. They would like to stay with us, housing one youth per home. If you would like to host a youth in your home, please contact Linda by email at linda@christ-ucc.org . Host families will be responsible to get them to and from a pick up point (perhaps the church) each morning and evening. All the youth speak some English, and Helmut wants them to practice their English with us. Their plans are as follows: Thursday October 9, they will visit Sojourners, then sing Compline at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, near the Senate Office Building. Friday they will tour Washington. Saturday, they would like to meet with the youth from all the churches they are visiting in D. C. for songs, prayers and a common meal. On Sunday the will attend and participate in worship at CCC. In the afternoon they will travel to BWI for their flight home. Again, if you would like to be a part of this wonderful experience, please let me know as soon as possible. You do not have to be a parent of a teenager to participate in this. Linda and the Youth Committee The Pathways Schools are alternative schools in the D.C. area providing programs to meet the individual needs of students ages 9-21 who need help overcoming emotional and behavioral disabilities in the classroom and in life. Pathways has been supported in many ways over the years by the Christ Congregational Church. Pathways has just received word that our approval as a Volunteer Maryland Service Site will in fact be funded, and so we are seeking someone interested in serving as a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator ("VMC") with the task to expand and develop Pathways’ volunteer program. This is a one-year, full-time commitment as a member of AmeriCorps, the "domestic peace corps." The VMC would work with Pathways staff to mobilize volunteers to share skills and experience, become tutors and mentors, and befriend kids with challenges. There will be time also to work directly with the youth Pathways serves. The service year offers extensive training, a $13,000 living allowance and a $4,725 post-service education award. If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, have them call Lindsay McLaughlin at The Pathways Schools Administrative Office as soon as possible. 301-649-0778. Applications must be received by September 19. The service year begins at the end of October. Join us for the Fall Women’s Retreat at the Retreat House in West Virginia September 26, 27 and 28. The topic for discussion will be Mary Magdalene. Flyers with further information and directions to the Retreat House are available along with a sign up sheet on the bulletin board outside the main office. Linda Phelps for The Women's Committee Bring a dish to share or just bring your own lunch and join us for the Pot Luck Lunch Bunch on October 5th (not Sept. 28th as previously announced). There is a sign up sheet on the Board for Church Life bulletin board. Drinks will be provided. If you have questions, contact Glenda Neal 301.622-3948 or orgbneal1958@earthlink.net. A Call for Mentors – Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition The Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition (SSIHC), of which CCC is a newly re-established member, is a non-profit organization of 21 local congregations that provides affordable housing for low-income families and individuals, particularly for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. SSIHC is presently seeking a team of 4+ volunteer mentors from CCC to provide support and encouragement for a family eligible for placement in SSIHC housing. Without a mentor/resident match, a family cannot move into an available unit, so the role of mentor is a crucial one. The goal is to help each family achieve economic self-sufficiency and overall stability. The activities undertaken by mentors can range from assistance with moving in, to providing rides to appointments, to role-modeling parenting skills, to tutoring children, to advocating for the children at school, etc. CCC’s involvement with SSIHC started a number of years ago and was for a long time facilitated by Emily Pugsley. Now Nancy Lohman, member of the BSW, has joined the SSIHC’s Board. If you would be interested in becoming part of a CCC mentor team, please contact Nancy at (301) 236-9278, or by e-mail at nancylohman@hotmail.com. The Book Group will meet on Sunday, evening, September 21, at 7:00 P.M. at the home of Sonja Fisher. The book to be read is No Ordinary Time, by Doris Kerran Goodwin, a biography of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. Please call Sonja for directions to her home, 301-216-9610. Plan to come, greet your old friends and meet new ones at the All-Church Picnic following the 10:30 A.M. worship service in the Social Hall. The picnic is sponsored by the Board for Church Life.
The Open & Affirming Task Force is sponsoring a three part series of meetings to discuss the subject of transgender with the intent of amending the existing Open & Affirming Statement of the church. The first of these meetings will be held on September 14 from 4:30-6:00 PM in the Conference Room. Light refreshments will be served. This introductory session will explore the concept of transgender and biblical references. On Sunday, September 21, the meeting, also 4:30-6:00 PM in the Conference Room, will be a time for people to share their stories about transgender. The third meeting in this series will take place on September 28, immediately following the 10:30 A.M. worship service in the Conference Room. A light lunch will be served. This meeting will focus on a discussion of the amendment to be proposed to the CCC O & A Statement, the process of bringing it to the congregation and what it means to have transgender as part of the O & A Statement. There is a tentative Congregational Meeting scheduled for a Sunday in October. Proposed Amendment to the CCC Open and Affirming Statement Adopted by Christ Congregational Church, May 21, 1995 Christ Congregational Church is a covenant faith community where all
people are recognized as being made in God’s image, reconciled by Christ
and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We believe that gay, lesbian,
We believe that as members of the community of faith we are called to love one another and ourselves as whole persons. We seek to relate to one another with love, trust and in ways that are mutually accountable and nurturing. Our covenant commitment challenges us to welcome all people into the life of our faith community. We recognize the diversity of families among us and the ways in which
God calls us into relationship. We support traditional and extended
families, single persons and those who are widowed and divorced. We value
all families, including gay, lesbian, We believe that God creates and celebrates diversity and declare our
openness to all who seek Christ’s love in our midst [Changes as recommended by the CCC Open and Affirming Task Force, September 14, 2003] 39th Annual Meeting, Central Atlantic Conference, UCC. Four representatives of CCC, the Rev. Jim Todhunter, Senior Minister, Dave Main, Moderator, Jackie Walters, Past Moderator, and Holly Brooks, Delegate, attended the annual meeting of the Central Atlantic Conference (CAC) held at the University of Delaware on June 13-15. The meeting included plenary sessions, worship, Bible study, speeches, workshops and roundtable discussions. Dr. Dale Bishop, retiring co-Executive for Global Ministries, cited in an opening address what he termed "the three major idolatries" of the American church, namely Nationalism, Materialism, and Secularism. He stated that we are facing a "deepening of the divide of Muslim world and the West. Even deeper is the division between the haves and the have-nots. Now it is in religious garb. . . . Nationalism keeps us apart. The God of our faith binds us together. For all are children of God, all loved and cherished by God equally. We cannot worship God and nation equally or at the same time." Later he stated," We will disagree with each other, but never argue that the church has nothing to say in the public area about public and moral issues. This is the idolatry of secularism that says life and death and human dignity are too important to be considered by the church. Secularism would deny the church an essential part of its being, the ability to engage in witness and mission." Workshops and roundtable discussions attended by the delegates addressed possibilities for peace and the challenges of peacekeeping, the education of leaders for teaching peace, the creation of new church music, Colombia and U.S. policy toward that country, and Lancaster Seminary. The delegates affirmed a resolution to support "Colombian Churches and Leaders Under Attack," which was approved a month later by General Synod. The final, approved, CAC budget for fiscal year 2004 represents a reduction of 1.6% from last year’s budget, requiring a freeze on Conference staff salaries and a increase to 65% of the portion of annual OCWM giving to be retained by the Conference. The final budget assumes that churches in the CAC will increase their OCWM giving by 14%. Officers and leaders elected for 2003-2004 include CCC’s own Gordon Forbes, who will serve as Associate Moderator of the CAC. Board for Social Witness The Parents’ Night Out program will begin the year on Sept. 19th. This is a co-operative program of child care which meets from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm on the third Friday of each month. If you have questions, contact Glenda Neal 301-622-3948 or orgbneal1958@earthlink.net. Sisters for Sisters, a group for widowed and single women, will be meeting on Sunday, September 21 immediately following the second service in the Conference Room. Please bring your own sandwich...beverages and dessert will be provided. All interested are welcome to come. This new group will be getting together on Sunday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Rick Minnick. All 40s+ singles are welcome to join. Please call him at 301-572-4056 for directions. Well, not in the Recommitment Campaign! More than $100,000 has come in gifts and pledges this summer. Ready to make yours? Contact David Bobbitt at 301-887-0054 or drbobbitt2000@yahoo.com or Elaine Wunderlich at 301-604-1758 or elaine@marlaine.com. PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for the next issue is THURSDAY, September 18, 5:00 P.M. Please submit articles via: email - mojobo@aol.com, phone - 301-236-0025, or paper copy - drop off in the News Notes box in the church office. Thank you, Joan Boyer, Editor 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; Archie Freedman, Custodian |
