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CCC NewsNotes May 10, 2005
From Jim
From
Jim
WOW! I was really, really surprised. The
party celebrating my twentieth anniversary at CCC left me speechless (for
a moment at least!). Many, many thanks to everyone who planned and pulled
it off. I am discovering that there were quite a few co-conspirators, and
far too many to name. I’ll just single out prime mover and moderator
Leslie Weyn and hope my appreciation flows on from her to all the right
folks. The food, the music, the picture of me in my beach chair (with
accessories), the decorations, and the many kind and eloquent cards leave
me breathless. And the check handed me from the congregation leaves me
especially humbled and deeply grateful. Thanks everyone.
Much love and appreciation, We will celebrate the eight years of inspiration and leadership that John Touchton has brought to the music ministry at CCC on Saturday, June 4, 2005, at a reception in the Social Hall from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please join us as we take this opportunity to thank John, to let him know how much we will miss him, and to wish him great success in the next phase of his career. If you would like to make a contribution toward a gift for John, make your check payable to A Christ Congregational Church@ with A John Touchton Gift@ in the memo line and mail or bring it to the church office by June 1, 2005. Leslie Weyn, Moderator Strengthen the Church Offering - May 22 This yearly UCC special mission offering, to be collected on May 22, is dedicated to "Faithfully Building the Body of Christ." Through our gifts we will be furthering our commitment to be a multiracial, multicultural denomination, open and affirming and accessible to all. The funds will be used to strengthen and renew existing congregations, to fund leadership for new congregations, and to provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. For example, since 2000 more than 100 new and revitalizing congregations have received leadership subsidies in part through this offering. Half of the funds raised at CCC this year will go to the Central Atlantic Conference and half to Local Church Ministries at the national level. Third quarter pledge statements have recently been issued, and can be picked up in the foyer outside the office. Please check your statement to see that your payments are up-to-date. We request that you make every effort to complete your 2004-2005 pledge payments on or before June 30. Thank you. CCC Board of Trustees Vision to Reality, May 21st, 9-12 AM Members and Friends of CCC are invited to come to CCC to continue building the excitement from the budget visioning and planning days in February and March to discuss:
The Budget Visioning Committee and the Board of Trustees Calling Past CCC Choir Members As many of you know, Sunday, June 5th
is John Touchton’s last day at CCC as Director of Music. During the
course of planning for this special service, he has asked me to extend an
invitation to all present and past choir members who have sung under his
direction to participate with the choir that Sunday. This invitation is
for all ages, Kindergarten through adult. We will sing two pieces in the
worship service that involve this group of singers. If you are willing and
available to join us, please come to the choir rehearsal on Thursday
evening, June 2, at 7:45 PM and meet in the sanctuary. I hope you can join
us to make John’s send-off even more special to him." General Synod 2005 - July 1-5. The Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ will convene in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 1. General Synod is the representative body of the UCC that meets on a biennial basis. It is attended by delegates from Conferences (such as the Central Atlantic Conference of which CCC is a part), the four Covenanted Ministries (the Office of General Ministries, Local Church Ministries, Wider Church Ministries, and Justice and Witness Ministries), and a range of interest groups. It calls and elects national officers and the boards of the Covenanted Ministries, establishes and maintains national headquarters, determines the relationships of the UCC with ecumenical organizations, and encourages conversations with other denominations. The policies and programs of the national UCC are guided by the "Pronouncements" and "Resolutions" voted at each General Synod. Because every UCC congregation is self-governing, these pronouncements and resolutions speak "to" but not "for" the local church. Included in the business of General Synod 2005 will be at least one Pronouncement and 18 Resolutions submitted by Conferences, Associations and individual congregations. The proposed pronouncement addresses the preparation of pastoral leadership. The proposed resolutions cover a wide range of subjects, including:
The full texts can be read by going to www.ucc.org/synod/. Anne Weissenborn, Board for Social Witness Kitchen Drains – Following the wildly successful surprise anniversary party for Jim on April 23, all five drains in the Social Hall kitchen backed up while we were doing the party dishes. The problem got progressively worse, but I could not reach our plumber, LH Cranston. As I hung up for the 3rd time, the minister from the Norwich VT UCC, whose youth group was bunking at the Church on their way back from a Carolina mission weekend, walked into the office. As we talked, she mentioned that one of their chaperones was a plumber. In the face of that miracle, this wonderful gentleman donated a half hour of his time trying to fix and then diagnose the problem. His conclusion: time to call Roto-Rooter. We set up a Roto-Rooter appointment for 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. Cory Gray spent the morning in the Social Hall Kitchen helping to look for and then unplug clean-out drains. By the time church was over, it was clear that a snake was not going to solve the problem, so a jet truck was called in. During the reception for 50-year members, Sue Dollins generously offered to monitor the situation while I went to a lunch meeting with another CCC group. The next 2 hours turned out to be more of an adventure than any of us had planned. When Trustee chair Tom Ault responded to Sue’s call for someone to sign the Roto-Rooter contract to jet the drains, Sue and Glenda Neal (who had stayed to help clean up the kitchen from both Jim’s party AND the reception) heard the plumber’s description of what would happen in the kitchen when gallons of water were jetted at high pressure through clogged drains. After the contract was signed, Glenda and Sue sprang into action. They filled black trash bags with sand from the playground sandbox and, along with cardboard and mop heads, created a dike inside the kitchen door. When I returned to find Sue about to vacuum the relatively small amount of filthy, smelly water which had seeped into the Social Hall, the kitchen floor had more than an inch of water on which floated an almost solid coat of black, gritty, bacteria-laden, evil-smelling scum. Together, we got the Social Hall under control, and I was able to keep the water at bay after Sue left to serve a Seder meal at the Hebrew home and before Jim Walters arrived to help. Without Sue’s and Glenda’s smart thinking and quick action, the Church undoubtedly would have had to call in a professional cleaning service to insure the Social Hall was clean and disinfected. On top of the $2,000 bill for Roto-Rooter, not having to hire a cleaning service was a considerable savings. The kitchen is designed to be hosed down, and that’s what Roto-Rooter did, but they did not clean or disinfect. Jim and I were cleaning the kitchen so the youth dinner program could go forward when Mike Weber and Jim, Kristen and Christopher Brown arrived and offered to join the cleaning crew. David Gayer also came and cleaned the courtyard drains (which had backed up when we disposed of the water collected in the Social Hall). We got the kitchen clean enough to serve the Sunday evening meal and to let the day care cook in the next day. Glenda and Sue both returned Sunday evening to finish their kitchen clean-up jobs and found that Kristen Brown had completed the dishwashing and had insured the kitchen was ready for day care the following day. On Tuesday afternoon, Dave Frey, David Gayer, and Dick Meyer finished cleaning the kitchen, which involved hosing it down again and bleaching the floors. For their work on Saturday night and on Sunday, the following folks deserve CCC’s thanks for working around a major problem to clean up after two parties, for working to solve and cope with the problem, and for doing some plain hard, dirty work with tools, mops, brooms, pails, bleach, etc. Thank you to David Bell, Kristen, Jim and Christopher Brown, Sue Dollins, Dave Frey, David Gayer, Cory Gray, Scott Klein, Dick Meyer, Glenda Neal, Jim Walters, Mike Weber, Leslie Weyn, and Lynn White. What’s Next? Dick Meyer and I conclude that the back-up is a result of 50 years’ worth of stuff going down the drains. After some investigation, we are developing a drain maintenance program. How can members help CCC avoid this problem in the future? You can help by reading the signs in the Social Hall kitchen about how to use the sinks for rinsing; NOT pouring COFFEE GROUNDS down the sinks; after pouring liquids – milk, coffee, tea, etc. – down the drain, flush it well with running water; do not pour any beverages into the water fountains; be sure any dishes are scraped into trash before rinsing; TAKE ALL LEFTOVERS HOME so we don’t have to dispose of outdated soda, juice, milk, cream, soup, and other items. Implications The Board of Outreach and Engagement undertook a survey of members who joined Christ Congregational Church between May 2002 and May 2004. Twenty-seven new members completed the survey out of 51 possible respondents, and the church is acting on their suggestions in several ways. We learned that personal invitations, phone calls and letters sent powerful messages of welcome. When new members received a request to join a small group activity or to serve on a committee or board, they accepted quickly and became active and engaged. For those who wanted communion every Sunday, the early service offers the sacrament every week. The Board for Stewardship has launched an innovative and well-publicized drive this spring using ideas suggested in answers to the questionnaire. New members were favorably impressed with the warmth of the church members and accessibility of our ministers. Many complimented Christ Congregational Church on its worship services, sermons, music and the opportunities for spiritual growth and Christian education across the lifespan. Many support CCC’s commitment to Open and Affirming and Just Peace initiatives. As a result of the questionnaire, we plan to continue the use of nametags and greeters at worship services, make follow-up calls to visitors, hold monthly Conversation Meetings and reach out to the community through advertising in publications and at local events. We plan to survey new members yearly to learn what attracts visitors and new members to join us. O&E thanks everyone who participated in the survey! Thank You – for Choosing CCC News Notes Online There has been a good initial response to helping save CCC some money as well as a few trees by getting their News Notes on line rather than in the mail. If you have not yet looked at the online version of CCC News Notes, please take a few minutes to do so and see if you would be willing to receive your News Notes online. One advantage to doing this is that you will be able to read the information, without relying on your friendly postman to deliver it on time. The link to the most recent version is at: CCC Current NewsNotes - 05/10/05 That also gives you access to all previous News Notes. There is also a News Notes link at: http://christ-ucc.org/ComingEvents/NewlyPosted.htm. You can even use the SEARCH from the front page of our web and find something you remember seeing years ago. If you choose to read the News Notes on the web:
To Sign up: Send an email to christ-ucc-newsnotes-owner@yahoogroups.com . Posted on the first floor bulletin board along with pictures of new CCC members has been a news article from the front page of the latest issue of United Church News. Below the article and its picture is a question to the viewer about two of the individuals in the picture. Have you identified either of these persons as members of CCC? Look closely at the young woman leaning forward on the right, and at that guy in the dark horn rims on the right. Add a few years and you have . . . . . Answer - Dave and Toko Ackerman!! More seriously, do read the article about the recent reunion at Chicago Theological Seminary of ten of the twelve students who, back in April, 1965 answered Jesse Jackson’s challenge to travel with him to Selma, Alabama immediately after the infamous confrontation between Sheriff Jim Clark and his forces and civil rights marchers on "Bloody Sunday." And then ask Dave and Toko to tell you their story.
Welcome Weekend Retreat at the CCC Retreat House - Ever wondered what the CCC Retreat House is and where it is located? Come and discover CCC’s best kept secret just for a day, overnight, or for the weekend beginning Saturday, May 28th through noon on Monday, May 30th. The Retreat House is located in Yellow Spring, West Virginia; an approximately 2 ½ hour drive from the Silver Spring area. The Welcome Weekend will provide opportunities for CCC members and guest of all ages to participate in hiking, crafts, field games, playing in the creek, tubing in the river or just relaxing on the front porch. The Outreach and Engagement Board extends a special invitation to CCC’s newer members and regular visitors, to attend all or part of the weekend. The CCC Retreat House is a pre-Civil War farmhouse on 54 acres along the Cacapon River. The house and grounds are the site for CCC’s week-long children and youth camps, and the site for fall and spring retreats for groups within the church. The cost for the Welcome Retreat is $5 per night per adult and $2 per night per child, and day visitors are free. Sleeping accommodations are three large bedrooms with bunk beds, a cabin, or bring your own tent. Meals are assigned and prepared by those attending, except for Saturday and Sunday lunches which are provided by the Outreach and Engagement Board. For more information and to sign up, see the bulletin board outside the church office, or contact Outreach and Engagement Board member Trish Esposito at 301-593-1858, trishespo@yahoo.com. Safe Church
Workshop - May 22 CCC has been working to establish a Safe Church policy, setting boundaries for our adult leaders to ensure the safety of our children and youth. On May 22 there will be a workshop for all adult leaders and advisors who will be taking part in summer camps at the Retreat House, the Y-GELI programs, and other events with children and youth that take place away from the church this summer. We also encourage all church school teachers and advisors to participate. Other members of the congregation who are interested in Safe Church are also welcome. Lunch will be provided. Please sign up on the bulletin board outside the church office. The workshop will be offered again in the fall for those teachers and advisors who cannot attend on the 22nd. Shaw Community Ministry - An Update. For the past dozen years, at least, CCC and its members have supported Shaw Community Ministry in a variety of ways. Recently, several persons who have benefited from services provided by the Ministry talked with a group of visitors from Pilgrim UCC about the role that SCM has played in their community and their individual lives. Carsia, a high school junior, and her mother, Tessie Todd-el, shared how important the ministry is to the residents of Lincoln/Westmoreland Apartments, while Mrs. Arthea Reynolds, a mother of two sons, offered a moving testimony about how, after her divorce, SCM helped her keep it together. Her older son, Daniel, who is now in college, was able to purchase textbooks that his mother could not afford thanks to help from the Ministry. Shantice Holley, who has just been accepted by three different colleges, spoke about how both the Youth Development Program and the After School Program at SCM have helped her to succeed. Many thanks to all at CCC for supporting SCM. And watch for this year’s appeal for camperships! Rebuilding Together/ Christmas in April This year marked the ninth anniversary of another successful Rebuilding Together/Christmas in April volunteer effort sponsored by CCC with the help of volunteers from the First Baptist Church in Silver Spring. The purpose of Rebuilding Together is to help those homeowners who cannot make necessary home repairs due to illness or incapacity and/or lack of resources. Nearly 50 volunteers of all ages on April 23 and April 30 worked on a house in the Rockville area, one of many houses being repaired by volunteers in Montgomery County, and many hundreds of houses nationwide, on these same days. This year, among many tasks, we scraped and painted a bathroom, cleaned the yard; trimmed and planted bushes in the yard, installed accessible bathroom handles; replaced the kitchen floor; replaced the bathroom floor; built a deck; and made electrical repairs. The elderly homeowner was delighted with the job we performed. Thanks to all who contributed to the planning, building a deck, laying floors, worked on repairs, cleaned and painted, trimmed bushes, and provided breakfast and lunch to the workers. Your hard work was greatly appreciated. See you next April when we will be assigned another home with new challenges and grateful homeowners and celebrate our tenth year. The fifth and sixth graders will be going bowling together on Sunday evening June 5. All 5th and 6th graders are invited and are encouraged to bring a friend. Permission and health forms are required for participation, and each child should bring $7 to cover the cost of bowling plus whatever they might wish to spend for snacks. Children will eat at 5:45 PM and have worship with the other youth before bowling. They will return to the church between 8:00 and 8:15. Call Jim Conklin at 301-587-6210 for further information. Remember to sign up for the Parent Night Out Program, which meets the third Friday of every month from 6:30 - 10:00 PM. The sign up sheet is located on the Church Life bulletin board near the kitchenette on the first floor. Children of all ages come together to play in a family-like atmosphere. June 17th will be our last time for this year. If you have questions, contact Glenda Neal (301) 622-3948 or gbneal1958@eartthlink.net. June 5th will be your last chance to enjoy a First Sunday Pot Luck with us. Just bring a dish to share and join us after the second service for food and fellowship. Hope to see you there. For more information, contact Glenda gbneal1958@eartthlink.net or (301) 622-3948. This year’s Beach Weekend is set for Friday, August 19 through Sunday, August 21 at the Christian Church Conference Center in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Come join us for fun in the surf and sand before the summer comes to an end. The Center is about a block from the beach in the main part of town and has a community playground within steps of the facility. It’s a great time for fun, community, and fellowship! Registration forms with complete details will be available soon. Watch for announcements. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Kathie McConnelll at 301-589-0151 or by email at KLMcconnell@mindspring.com Recently our family was privileged to host a dinner to hear the wartime experiences of three beloved members of CCC who were in World War II -- Bill Carnahan, Ken Stith and Frank Caflisch. Bill tape recorded the conversation for the Veterans History Project. If you’d like to borrow the cassette tape to hear their moving reminiscences, please contact me. Sara Watson, saradwatson@aol.com, 301-879-7692. CCC keeps in touch with those in our CCC community and relatives of CCC members who are serving in the military, particularly those who are stationed overseas. Help us keep our list of service people up to date. Please call the church office with changes of address or new names and addresses that can be added. CCC’s outreach to service men and women is a part of our Called to Care program. Summer Worship Schedule begins June 12 The Worship Committee wishes to remind the congregation that beginning Sunday, June 12, there will be only one worship service. This will be held at 10:00 a.m. and we look forward to seeing you at that time. Mary and Bill Carnahan will be moving the week of May 15. Since many members frequently send their expenses to Mary at home, please be advised to either leave them in the treasurer’s box or mail them after May 15 to: 3154 Gracefield Road, Apt 121-HG, Silver Spring, MD 20904. Their new phone number is 301-890-1854. E-mail remains the same (wec.tech@juno.com) but may not be functioning during the move. Stewardship
Pledge for fiscal year 2005-2006, Below is a pledge card for our coming fiscal year. If you have not yet completed a pledge card for the new church year, you can use the card below to send your pledge for CCC to the church. Cards are also available in the pew racks in the sanctuary, and on a table outside the church office. Please complete the pledge card and mail it as soon as possible to:
If you prefer, you may leave it in the church office in the box of the Stewardship Board. Help us to make this pledging season the best ever. Thank you. – Board of Stewardship 
I/we joyfully pledge to give CCC an annual total of $__________ beginning July 1, 2005. I/we will make my donations as follows: _____weekly, _____monthly, _____quarterly, or _____ yearly. I understand that I can change this commitment at any time by notifying the Financial Secretary. Name(s): ________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ * I would like to talk with someone about opportunities to serve within the church. * I would like to talk with someone about including the church in my will.PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for
the next
issue is THURSDAY May 19, 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.
Thank you. 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 |
