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CCC NewsNotes February 8, 2005 Social Witness Happenings, Upcoming Opportunities for Women – , Power Equity Group Workshop Spirituality Day, New Photography Display, Shepherd’s Table, Church School During the 9:00 Am Service, Retreat House Committee, Annual Dance Has New Twist!! OWL Only for 5th and 6th Graders, Simplicity Circle, Parish Notes, Colesville Meals on Wheels, NewsNotes Deadline, CCC Staff Anne Weissenborn, Board for Social Witness Equality Maryland Lobby Day 2005, Feb. 14. , 3:00-8:00 pm. The present session of the Maryland Legislature presents both opportunities and dangers for LGBT equality in Maryland. Bills introduced include the Medical Decision Making Act and Hate Crime Penalties Act which would enhance equality, and others that would write discrimination into the Maryland Constitution. Equality Maryland is the largest LGBT civil rights organization in Maryland. On Mon., Feb. 14, EM will hold its annual Lobby Day in Annapolis; events will include a briefing, rally and meetings with legislators on GLBT equality issues. Earlier, on Feb. 8 at 7:30 pm, EM and PFLAG of MD will meet to prepare for Lobby Day at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD. Everyone is invited to both events. Go to www.equalitymaryland.org/2005_lobby_day.htm for more information. SpongeBob Squarepants Visits UCC in Cleveland. On Jan. 24, the UCC extended its "extravagant welcome" to SpongeBob Squarepants, the cartoon character whose participation in a national "We Are Family" children’s video was termed "insidious" by James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. This accusation was based upon SpongeBob’s allegedly having held hands with a starfish. The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President of the UCC, welcomed SpongeBob, explaining that the UCC would also "warmly receive , , , any who have experienced the Christian message as a harsh word of judgment rather than Jesus’ offering of grace." "While Dobson’s silly accusation makes headlines, it’s also one more concrete example of how religion is misused over and over to promote intolerance over inclusion. This is why we believe it is so important that the UCC speak the Gospel in an accent not often heard in our culture, because far too many experience the cross only as judgment, never as embrace." For pictures of SpongeBob at UCC headquarters, see the Board for Social Witness bulletin board or go to http://ucc.org/news/r012505.htm. Ecumenical Letter to President Bush re. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. On January 21, the national edition of the New York Times carried a full-page ad signed by 57 Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant leaders that called upon President Bush to "lead a political process that will end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President of the UCC was one of the signers. Calling the conflict "a threat to the people of the United States," the open letter stated the belief "that the promise of peace in Jerusalem is the best defense against terrorism." "[W]e encourage you to maintain the faith, the courage and the resolve to work with other world leaders toward negotiations that guarantee two viable states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side and sharing Jerusalem as their capital." Upcoming Opportunities for Women – At CCC’s Fall Women’s Retreat, several women expressed interest in being informed about local programs of interest to women where they could simply go and "be" with other women, not "plan and do" at CCC! In that spirit, Washington National Cathedral is hosting two programs this winter and spring. Sacred Circles: A Celebration of Women’s Spirituality 2005 is the seventh such gathering for women. Plenary sessions, spiritual practice and hands-on workshops offer diverse ways to develop compassion for participating women, others and the wider world. The program is Friday, Feb. 18 (7-9:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Feb. 19 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.). On April 13 at 7:30 p.m., best-selling author Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees) will lecture on the image of the Black Madonna as a muse for inspiration, freedom and authority. For information, call 202-537-2221 or email programs@cathedral.org or visit http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/register. The Power Equity Group in Theory and Practice: An In-Depth Diversity Learning Experience, President’s Weekend, February 19-21, 2005. Registration forms are available in the entrance hall to the church. See Delilah Marrow or Jim Henkelman-Bahn for more information. Remember that each person pays based on your circumstances and in light of the stated value of the workshop; money should not be a barrier to your participation. Spirituality
Day KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Nat
Reid The Search for Silence in a Busy World The following three workshops are offered twice during
the day. SPIRITUALITY AND ART: Billie
P. Abraham OPENING TO GOD BY BEING QUIET WITH SCRIPTURE: Elaine
Tiller, M.Div. Ginny McDonagh Do not miss the riveting work of two photographers currently on display in the Marion Tate Art Gallery. CCC member Richard Jaeggi’s photos were taken in Nepal in the early 1980’s when he was a Peace Corps volunteer. Stationed in Hoyngla, a remote mountain village in eastern Nepal, Richard helped build a water system for the area. Excerpts from Richard’s descriptive diary are included in his statement at the entrance of the exhibit. Guest artist Celia Escudero-Espadas was born in Seville, Spain and has studied fine art photography in Madrid as well as in Maryland. Her interest in documenting people’s daily lives has taken her to Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Europe and Central America. Committed to social issues, Celia has written about and photographed people with AIDS, minorities within the U.S. and indigenous peoples. Her images have been published widely, and she has received several grants from the Prince George’s Arts Council as well as an award from The Washington Post. By eliciting viewer solidarity with her subjects, Celia seeks to foster social justice and develop understanding between different cultures. Two new ways to help Shepherd’s Table:
Church School During the 9:00 Am Service With the Lenten season we will begin to offer a multi-aged class for 4 to 8 year olds using the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum. This is the same exciting, experiential, lectionary-based curriculum used during the 10:30 service. This new program will replace the School of the Arts for the remainder of the church school year. Though School of the Arts offered a rich and inspired curriculum, to be truly successful, it required more children than were attending at the 9:00 service. The nursery will be expanded to include infants through three year olds. We welcome older children and youth to the worship service. Thinking of Spring? Well we are. The Retreat House Committee and those who would like to join the Retreat House Committee will be meeting on February 13th at 7:00pm at the church to discuss the calendar for 2005 and the list of work to be accomplished during the work Retreat now scheduled for the weekend of the 1st of April. Please contact Jeanne Bohnet at jcbohnet.1@juno.com or call 410-530-6194 if you can’t make it to the meeting but would still like to participate. On February 12th from 8 – 11 p.m., our Social Hall will ring, and dancers will swing (and sway) to Big Band sounds, provided by CCC’s own Big Band Tradition. New this year: Half masques will add mystique to the affair. This idea emanated from members of the choir who visited Venice last summer. Masques will be available at the door until the supply runs out. Wearing a masque is optional. Admission will be by donation to the church’s building fund. Refreshments will be provided by the Church Life Committee. Come to listen, or to dance. Join the fun! OWL Only for 5th and
6th Graders on The "Our Whole Lives" (OWL) program will supplant the regular Sunday evening program for fifth and sixth graders during February and March. The regular first-Sunday evening meetings for fifth and sixth graders will resume on April 3 and continue on May 1 and June 5, with the possibility of special activities during the summer if families are interested. The Simplicity Circle will next meet on Monday, February 14 at 7:30 in Room 208. We will view Oil on Ice, a film on the debate over drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, followed by discussion. "This one-hour film pulls you in with stunning footage of one of the most remote places left in America, the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Once you’ve marveled at the wildflowers, the peaks, and the valley with wolves, grizzlies, musk oxen, and tens of thousands of caribou, you get to meet the remarkable Gwich’in people, who have lived on these lands for centuries. To the Gwich’in, the refuge is ‘the place where life begins.’ It is also at the center of a pitched battle over the U.S. energy policy – dramatized in the film with footage of Congress, environmentalists (including energy expert Amory Lovins and Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope), the Exxon Valdez disaster, and gas-guzzling cars. You have likely heard about the controversy, but may not have experienced the splendor of the place. Here’s your chance." Sierra Magazine, October 2004. Even if you have not previously attended a meeting of the Simplicty Circle, we invite you to join us to view this fascinating and timely documentary. I would like to thank the entire congregation for their thoughts and prayers while I was in Iraq. While there were difficult times, it meant so much to know that people back home were thinking of me and praying for the safety of me and my men. While I did return a little sooner than expected, I know that everyone’s prayers kept me safe. I especially would like to thank all the members of the church who have volunteered to give me rides to and from Walter Reed. Despite some last minute changes and the usual MD/DC traffic, everyone is always on time and with a smile on their face. They have made my recovery that much easier. I have a long road ahead, but with the support of the church I know it will be a successful one. Thank you again and God Bless. Peter Lohman" Colesville Meals on Wheels, serving the needs of the homebound in Woodmoor, Four Corners, Burnt Mills, White Oak, Colesville, Calverton and surrounding areas, is in serious need of replacement volunteers to continue this work. We deliver meals 5 days a week, 10:30 – 12:30. We do not deliver when schools are closed due to snow or on major holidays. Your commitment can be only 2 hour a week. For more information, please call Sarah Day at 301-384-5735. PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for the next issue is THURSDAY February 17, 5:00 P.M. Please submit articles via: home email - mojobo@comcast.net, phone - 301-236-0025, or work jboyer@apwuhp.com or or paper copy - drop off in the News Notes box in the church office. Please note the e-mail change from mojobo@aol.com to mojobo@comcast.net. Thank you, Joan Boyer, Editor The Rev. Jim Todhunter, Senior Minister; The Rev. Sandra Kay Dodson, Associate Minister; The Rev. Julia Jarvis, Director of Programming for Older Adults; John Touchton, Director of Music; Jackie Walters, Property Administrator |