Return
to CCC Home Page|
Printable version of this NewsNotes CCC NewsNotes October 4, 2005 A Just Peace and Open and Affirming Church FROM JIM: CCC’S HURRICANE RESPONSE FROM JIM: First some close-to-home news. CCC has agreed to work in partnership with the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition and Montgomery Housing Partnership to settle a family evacuated from the Gulf area to Montgomery County. MHP will provide the housing and SSIHC will help the family navigate through the governmental and social services network, as well as provide case management and long-term planning assistance. By agreeing to "adopt" a family we are agreeing to provide basic resources for a family that has lost everything. These would include furniture, clothing, non-perishable food, household and kitchen items, and possibly baby and child needs like diapers, etc. We will need to coordinate the collection and delivery of these items. And, of course, they will need our prayers and friendly welcome and hospitality. We will soon know more about our particular family and the timing of their resettlement, and keep you fully informed. This family is likely still being housed at the D.C. Armory. Many thanks to Ted Foster and Holly Brooks of our Board for Social Witness who have agreed to co-chair this committee. CCC folks have been responding generously and energetically in a variety of ways. For example the Rev. Linda Hodson is working as a Red Cross chaplain in Mississippi and Louisiana; Ingrid Jacobsen is guiding evacuees through the social services networks; Rev. Julia Jarvis is providing pastoral care at the D.C. Armory; and Jackie Walters is training volunteers with the Red Cross. These are only a few of many, many more of you. We are grateful to you all! At this time it is very important to remember that your financial giving is still critically important. I know that many of you have been extraordinarily generous. You may write a check to CCC earmarked "Hurricane Relief" and it will be forwarded to the United Church of Christ. You may also go to http://www.ucc.org to make an online contribution. As you do this, consider joining the "Hope Shall Bloom" covenant that involves a three-year commitment to give, act, and pray for restoration and healing. The money you give to the UCC provides a wide range of assistance, including emergency relief for Gulf residents, support for the dozen or so UCC churches devastated by Katrina and Rita, and the rebuilding of outstanding social service and justice ministries such as Back Bay Mission in Biloxi and the educational work of Dillard University in New Orleans. We have heard much about how the poor and people of color have suffered in disproportionate numbers. These institutions have had profound impact over the years on the lives of these very folks. The Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ is in partnership with the South East Conference, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi, to provide resources and hands-on support. There is specific interest in rebuilding Back Bay Mission. Right now the primary need is financial – for the support of the many poor clients whose lives have been devastated, for the subsistence of the staff, and for the reconstruction or replacement of damaged buildings. In due time, there will clearly be the need for volunteers to travel there for work projects as well as requests for specific gifts. For example, partnering with Habitat for Humanity is a lively and exciting possibility. Our UCC Conference Staff and our Board for Social Witness will keep us up to date. Please check regularly with the CCC website and http://www.ucc.org. Blessings, I hope you have had the opportunity to meet and get to know our new parish intern from Wesley Theological Seminary, Vicki Kemper. She is with us ten hours per week. Right now she is learning more about CCC and exploring possibilities for projects and learning among us over the next two years. She takes part in our weekly staff meetings, and already we are feeling enriched by her faith, experience, and passion for ministry. Getting acquainted with us is a top priority now. She will be visiting in the congregation, asking questions, and providing pastoral care along with the staff. Please make your own special effort to welcome her. We are very lucky to have her with us! JimLIVING OUR DIVERSITY
Celebrate 20 Years of the Open and
Affirming Movement in the United Church of Christ working to create Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Inclusive Faith Communities. Celebrate
on Saturday, October 22, 2005 from 1 - 6 PM First Congregational UCC, 945
G Street NW, DC. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Youth Columbus Day Workshop "Building A Better World: The Role of Faith and the United Nations," Monday, October 10, 2005, 10 AM - 4 PM at Little River, UCC. The cost is $10. High school students of all faith traditions are invited to join this discussion on the UN Millennium Development Goals, eight principles to help shape a better world in the near future. Come meet your new friends of numerous faith communities including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. To register, contact: Mike Goggin at mikeg@ifcmw.org 202-234-6300 or http://www.lrucc.org Senior High Retreat October 21-23, Retreat House. Open to all
9th-12th graders. Contact Mike Weber or Kathy Stedman. Looking Ahead:
Potomac Association senior high youth Lock-In November 18-19, 2005, at
Little River UCC. Theme:
http://www.whywalk? Along with food and fun, we will
explore dynamics that lead to hunger and homelessness. The lock-in
culminates in our joining the DC Walkathon, Saturday morning. Contact
Sandy Dodson for details. Looking further ahead: A Potomac Association
Middle School lock-in is scheduled for March 31-April 1, 2005. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Adult Library:
Two new videos are now in the
adult library, courtesy of the Stewards of the Earth and the Board of
Social Witness: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From the (Acting) Property Administrator: Severe Weather Advisory: If severe weather affects the DC Metro Area, check on the status of CCC by – Listening to WTOP (1500 AM, 107.7 FM) – CCC will notify WTOP when events at the Church, including Sunday Services, are canceled Looking at the calendar at www.christ-ucc.org - If CCC has power and staff are in the office, we will update the web calendar to indicate whether events are affected by the weather. Calling the Church office – In the event of a power outage, the Church phones are inoperable – which means we can’t update the Event line. If the main phone number doesn’t work, try calling the fax line (301)-585-3868). We can make and receive calls on that line if we’re here to plug in an old phone. There is NO capacity on the fax line to leave messages. Listening to the Event line (301-585-4640, ext 333) – To the extent staff is able, we will update the Event line. CCC loses power frequently. Just because your home or business has power, doesn’t mean the Church does! Typically, we discourage use of the building when there is no power because (a) we have no generator to provide light, and (b) there is a safety and liability issue in having people in the building when there is no power. So, if you have a question about whether your event can go on when severe weather (thunderstorms, hurricanes, snow, high winds, etc.) affects the area, check out the above options. OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE AND BE SERVED An Invitation to Serve on the Retreat House Committee One of CCC’s treasures is its Retreat House in Yellow Spring, West Virginia. The pre-civil war house is booked solidly through the spring and fall with retreats for our youth, men and women of the church, and is home to our summer camp program each year. Like any home, the Retreat House requires regular maintenance and upkeep. The members of the Retreat House committee work together to maintain the house and grounds with two work retreats each year – a spring opening retreat and a fall closing retreat. The committee is looking for new members. All that is required is a love of the house and a willingness to work. Join us for our next committee meeting on Wednesday, October 26 at 7:30 in Room 107. We will be reorganizing the committee and looking at the direction we want to take the retreat house in the years ahead. The house is in need of major structural repair to the brick, mortar and foundations. We will also be assessing how those repairs will be made. The closing work retreat is scheduled for November 11 – 13. Join us on October 26 and become a part of the committee. **************************************************************************** Easter Seals is looking for older adult volunteers to work with their Family Friends Program. This program links a volunteer with a child who has a disability. The volunteer is not alone with the child. The family friend provides 1-1 play and teaching time with the child while his/her family focuses on other things. Times and locations are flexible. Training is provided. If you would like to volunteer as a Family Friend or to help with other aspects of the program, contact Sherry Salomon, Family Friends Coordinator, at 301.931.8925 ext. 118, or ssalomon@eseal.org. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Looking for a Few Good Eaters! We've had a few responses to the notice about Supper for 7 but need a few more! So if you're thinking about it, jump on in! Supper for Seven (or so) is an opportunity for you to join a small group that takes turns having a meal in each other’s homes (or other location). It’s a great way to get to know others at CCC. You’ll be grouped with 6-8 other people -- singles and couples. One person needs to offer to contact the others in the group and host the first meal, and then the group decides its own schedule. If it’s hard for you to host in your home, you can arrange another location or buddy up with another member of the group. Name: __________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ Telephone: ________________________________________ PRINT Email: ______________________________________________________ (Please give email if you use it, makes communication much easier) Are you willing to be the first host? Yes No (someone needs to!) Do you want to be in a group that includes children at the dinner? Yes No If yes, ages of your children: __________________________ Please return by October 9th to Sara Watson, saradwatson@aol.com or put in the Church Life mailbox in the church office. Questions, call Sara at 301-879-7692. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR During the first week of August CCC held another very successful Vacation Bible School for three through eight year olds. To ensure that next summer’s VBS is equally successful the CE Board is now recruiting a director for the 2006 Vacation Bible School. The director is responsible for overseeing the program; developing the curriculum, which is selected with the help of Sandy and the CE Board; and recruiting volunteer teachers and helpers. If you would like to help minister to our children by giving of your time and talents in this way, please call Susan Gray in the church office at 301-585-8010. ADDITIONAL OFFICE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The day-to-day work of CCC is carried out with the supportive help of volunteers. We currently have three volunteers who come in one morning or afternoon each week to assist with answering the phone, helping with the printing of the bulletin and doing projects that come up during the week. One volunteer comes in each Friday to help assemble the bulletins and another team of volunteers prepares News Notes for mailing. We are currently looking for two additional volunteers – one more person to help one afternoon each week in the office, and someone to assist with the printing and folding of News Notes every two to three weeks. (News Notes is run off on our high-speed duplicator and we have a folding machine.) If you would like to give a few hours of your time to CCC each week or every couple of weeks, please call the church office at 301-585-8010. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK Thanks to a great crew that represented CCC at the Takoma Park Folk Festival, giving out over 400 temporary tattoos and helping dozens of kids make mosaics while we talked to their families. Many people had heard of CCC and appreciated the opportunity to learn more about us. Thanks to Trish Esposito, Jean Caswell, David Fouse, Ruth Erk, Cynthia Page, Ann Marshall, David Main, Shirley Coll and husband John Day, and Laura Murray for volunteering at the booth. Sara Watson * * * * Thanks for recycling printer cartridges. Since the printer cartridge recycling box was placed in the main lobby last spring, recycled cartridges have earned CCC almost $200 for the building fund. We’ll soon be sending in another full box. Jackie Walters. MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE Avenues for Volunteer Service, Part 1 September 23 Message from CAC The Rev. Dr. John R. Deckenback, Conference Minister, Central Atlantic Conference, United Church of Christ, sent the following information via an e-mail message on September 23, 2005. The message contains an up-date on efforts to set up avenues for volunteer service for long-term recovery and hospitality opportunities now available in the midst of hurricane recovery. Volunteer Service: Thank you to all those who have made contact with the Florida Conference Disaster Recovery Team to assist in the rehabilitation of 43,000 homes still needing repair after the 2004 hurricane season. Your work here lives out the commitment to service in long-term recovery. For FLORIDA volunteer groups, please contact Candy Shoop, who serves as a UCC Volunteer Ministries "Partners in Service" volunteer with the Florida Disaster Recovery Team. Her e-mail address is casucc250@yahoo.com. Similar programs are being set up in the areas affected by these 2005 hurricanes and will be needing your volunteer service for many years to come. The magnitude of this season's hurricanes has made the process of moving from relief to recovery stages of disaster response difficult and slow. We currently are working with New Orleans churches and Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi to set up opportunities for work groups. These opportunities will be available and we will get information to you as soon as possible. Donations of Material Goods: We have a corrected phone number to share for the Louisiana Office of the Adventist Community Service, which opens multi-agency warehouses in areas affected by disaster. The up-dated number for Coordinator, Stan Buckmaster, is 337-373-2164. Other numbers are Ray Elsberry in Mississippi 334-467-5174 and Linda Walker in Texas 832-928-4937. With Hurricane Rita upon us, some of these offices currently have been evacuated. To donate goods, remember to call PRIOR to collecting and sending materials ----------------------------------------------------------------------- God is like…ALLSTATE…. You’re in good hands with Him. Meeting of the Church Women United—Eastern Montgomery Unit Church Women United—Eastern Montgomery Unit will hold their World Community Day at Christ Congregational Church on Friday, November 4, 2005. Come join us for coffee at 9:30 AM, followed by an interesting program. Church Women United—Eastern Montgomery Unit is an organization of women from fifty (50) churches located in Montgomery County. They will hold five general meetings this year. In addition to these meetings, members of the group make and fill toiletry kits for the "Kids at Camp" program and Crossways Community, a residential program for single, homeless mothers with young children that is located in Wheaton. Church Women United also gives an Eastern Montgomery County Student Award to a student at Montgomery College. And, in an on-going project, members dress 13-inch dolls and collect stuffed animals and toys for missions and the Johenning/Greentree Shelter in Gaithersburg, Maryland. For more information, contact Louise Petzold at (301) 946-4945 or Peggy Zaren (301) 585-9785. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please help the financial secretaries track your contributions to the church by using your personal offering envelopes. Call the church office at 301 585-8010 if you cannot get to the church to pick them up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WANTED: We need two hundred families with computer access to sign up for News Notes by email. This will save the church about $600 dollar per year in postage costs. Sign up here to read CCC NewsNotes On line ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ God is like…SCOTCH
TAPE…. You can’t see Him, Upcoming Events sponsored by the Board for Church Life:
============================================================== First Sunday Pot Luck The First Sunday Pot Luck is an informal gathering of church members to reconnect with old friends and to make new friends over a Pot Luck-style lunch. This group will meets on the first Sunday of each month in the Social Hall after the second church service. Please plan to attend one or all of them, and remember to bring your favorite food dish along with you. Your food can be stored in the Social Hall kitchen until the luncheon begins. If you have any questions, please contact Glenda Neal at (301) 622-3948 or gbneal1958@eartthlink.net. We hope you plan to attend! ===================================================== Friday, October 21st, is the next Parent’s Night Out. This is a co-op childcare program with meets on the third Friday of each month from 6:30 - 10:00 PM. Children of all ages come together to play in a friendly, family-like atmosphere. If you plan to participate, please sign up on the Church Life bulletin board, located near the kitchenette on the first floor. If you have any questions, please contact Glenda Neal (301) 622-3948 or gbneal1958@eartthlink.net. ======================================================= Attention all ghouls and goblins! The annual Halloween Party, sponsored by the Board for Church Life, will be held on Saturday October 29th in the Social Hall from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Come and join us for a night of games, crafts, tricks, and treats. This event is for ALL ages. If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Marian Dirda at (301) 589-6412 or m_dirda@yahoo.com, or Lauren Jones at (301) 587-3007. We hope to see you there! ======================================================== Each year it is the responsibility of the Board for Social Witness to distribute the Social Witness Discretionary Funds portion of the CCC Unified Budget. This year’s budget allocated at total of $16,500 for this purpose. At its monthly meetings, the Board votes to approve allocations of portions of the total. In September, the Board voted to send $1,500 to each of the following organizations: Shaw Community Ministry. This ministry was founded in 1991 by the Potomac Association to serve low-income youth and needy families in the Shaw community of Washington, DC. Housed in donated space at Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing, the ministry has established and administered a variety of programs over the years, including at present a youth development and after-school program for older elementary students and early teens; a science and technology center, activities for senior citizens, support for summer camp experiences, college scholarships, and back-to-school and holiday-related events. In 2005 the ministry also completed a very successful pre-employment program for unemployed young adults that it hopes to repeat in the near future. The executive director serves in a ministerial capacity for many local residents, and SCM office space is used by a number of other non-profits for meetings, health screenings and training sessions. CCC has supported SCM from the beginning, and a CCC member serves on the board of directors. The Senior Connection. CCC and its members have supported The Senior Connection (formerly ASSISST) since its birth in 1989 with both financial contributions and volunteer services. The organization’s mission is to provide support for older adults in lower Montgomery County who wish to live in their own homes and communities as long as possible. This support takes the forms of transportation to medical appointments, assistance with paperwork, friendly visits, grocery shopping, computer mentoring, and telephone reassurance, among other services. Volunteers recruited, trained and organized by Senior Connection staff provide all such assistance, given completely without charge. The executive director of the organization is a member of CCC, and several CCC members have served on its board of directors. * * * * * * * * God is like…DIAL
SOAP…. Aren’t
you glad you have Him? Annual Fall Women's Retreat "FOOD FOR
THE SOUL" October 7-9, 2005 Men’s Fall Retreat takes place Friday, October 28, through Sunday, October 30, 2005 at the CCC Retreat House in WV. The retreat is open to all men in the church. Sigh up on the bulletin board in the lobby. The theme: How Was Your Week? Fall Silent Retreat at Dayspring Retreat Center—October 19-23, 2005. The theme is Knowing Jesus. The fee is $280. This five-day retreat will explore the "monastic rhythm’ of prayer, community worship, solitude and service as interwoven dimensions of knowing Jesus. Ann Dean, spiritual director and teacher at the Servant Leadership School, a member of the Dayspring Retreat mission group and Staff of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. For more information call 301-428-9348 or http://www.serve.com/dayspringretreat Some of you may remember Nat Reid, Director of Dayspring as a leader at our Spirituality Day earlier this year. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONVERSATION MEETING If you are interested in learning more about Christ Congregational Church and the United Church of Christ, or if you are considering joining our community of faith, you are invited to meet with members of the Board of Outreach and Engagement, Sunday, October 9, 2005, at 9:50 AM in Room 206. New members will be received on Sunday, October 23, 2005. If you are interested in joining CCC, please contact Trish Esposito at 301-593-1858. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PEER SUPPORT GROUP On October 9, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm (in the meditation room, 2nd floor), the first meeting of a new peer support group for adults with siblings with mental or physical disabilities will be held. We will share experiences, feelings and coping strategies. Questions, contact Sara Watson, 301-879-7692, saradwatson@aol.com. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< Fundraising Luncheon for Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY) On Nov. 1, Jim Wallis, author of the best-selling, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It will speak at a fundraising luncheon in Baltimore, for Advocates for Children and Youth. ACY is Maryland's only statewide organization that advocates in Annapolis for support for a wide variety of children's programs. For example, it was one of the main organizations responsible for winning significant increases in state education funding under the Thornton plan, and its main objective this year is to get the state to fix the juvenile justice and child abuse and neglect system. There is ticket information on the bulletin board, or you can contact me for more information (I'm on the board of ACY). Thanks. Sara Watson ################################################################# Please note the following corrections to the new CCC Directory: The phone number for Betsy Thomas, our News Notes editor, is 301-384-8104 and the correct phone number for Oscar Reed is 301-593-2778. ############################################################### PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for
the next
issue is THURSDAY
October 13, 5:00 p.m. Betsy Thomas, Editor The Rev. Jim Todhunter, Senior Minister; The Rev. Sandra Kay Dodson, Associate Minister; The Rev. Julia Jarvis, Director of Programming for Older Adults; Markus C. Williams, Interim Music Director |
