WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1^ST - ASH WEDNESDAY
7:00 a.m. – Worship and Meditation in Sanctuary
Followed by light breakfast in Entryway.
6:00 p.m. – Pancake Supper in Social Hall
7:00 p.m. – Intergenerational Worship

SUNDAY, MARCH 5^TH – FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00 a.m. – Service of Community and Sacrament, Adult Education
10:30 a.m. – Holy Communion – "Our Daily Bread" Rev. Todhunter

SUNDAY, MARCH 12^TH – SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00 a.m. – Service of Community and Sacrament, Adult Education
10:30 a.m. – Worship: "The History of the Lord’s Prayer" Rev. Dodson
(Girl Scout Sunday)
11:30 p.m. – Dedication of Stained Glass Window in Memory of Marcia Haggard
4:00 p.m. – Organ Recital in Memory of Joseph T. Watkins, Mickey Thomas Terry, Organist.

SUNDAY, MARCH 19^TH – THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00 a.m. – Service of Community and Sacrament, Adult Education
10:30 a.m. – Worship: "Abba in Heaven!" Rev. Todhunter
3:00 p.m. - Study of Job Seminar

SUNDAY, MARCH 26^TH - FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00 a.m. – Service of Community and Sacrament, Adult Education
10:30 a.m. – Worship: "Canceling our Debts and Unconditional Love " Rev. Jarvis
11:30 a.m. – Reception for 50-Year Members

SUNDAY, APRIL 2^ND – FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00 a.m. – Service of Community and Sacrament, Adult Education
10:30 a.m. – Worship: "The Lord’s Prayer in Liturgy and Community" Ms. Kemper
11:30 a.m. – "Just Desserts" Stewardship Reception

SUNDAY, APRIL 9^TH – PALM SUNDAY
9:00 a.m. – Adult Education
9:00 a.m. - Service of Community and Sacrament
10:30 a.m. - Worship
1:00 – 3:30 p.m. - Quiet Day (Lunch and Silent Meditation)

THURSDAY, APRIL 13th – SEDER MEAL
6: 30 p.m. Social Hall, Sign-up in advance requested.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14^TH - GOOD FRIDAY
Noon to 3:00 p.m. – Vigil (Sanctuary)
7:30 p.m. Service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae

SATURDAY, APRIL 15^TH
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Chancel Choir Rehearsal.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16^TH – EASTER SUNDAY
9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Identical Festive Easter Worship of Music and Word
Fellowship time in Social Hall between the Services

During the 10:30 service on March 26, there will be special recognition of those who have been members of CCC for 50 years or more. After the service, we will honor these long-time members with a reception in the social hall.

Budget Visioning - All Church Meeting - March 4 (Saturday) 9:00 - Noon
Everyone is invited to be part of the follow-up to our January 21 visioning discussion. We will explore how our emerging ideas might affect the budget, and our pledging. Come help answer questions like the following?
--What are the financial implications of growing and expanding our many missions and ministries?
--How shall we adjust our pledging with the "new" Building Fund? 
--What does all this mean for our giving of time and talent?
Come share your presence and your insights with your fellow members and friends, to help the boards of Stewardship and Trustees work out the campaign and budget.

Time and place: March 4 (Saturday) 9:00 to Noon in the Choir Room. Child Care will be provided.

BUILDING FUND DISCUSSION At the Congregational meeting on January 22^nd the following motion was moved and approved: Moved: That Christ Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) institutionalize pledging to the Building Fund as part of the annual stewardship process. Funds pledged will have 2 major purposes: (1) meet mortgage payments due to the lender and provide a minimum reserve to meet member loan repayments and unforeseen contingencies; and (2) build resources to fund the major maintenance of, and improvements to, the church’s properties.
If you have questions, suggestions, concerns or comments about this, you are invited to a discussion in the Meeting Room immediately following the 10:30 service. John Gipson, Moderator.

In your packet of offering envelopes, you have yellow envelopes marked Deacon’s Fund, which have been inserted just before the first Sunday of each month. Traditionally, that yellow envelope is used to contribute to the Deacon’s Fund on Communion Sundays, which are generally scheduled for the first Sunday of each month.

What is the Deacon’s Fund?
This collection is managed by the Board of Deacons in a separate banking account from all other money collected by the church.

How is this money used?
This fund has several functions.

1. Ministries United Silver Spring Takoma Park (MUSST) is given $200 per month. This program serves as a crises intervention, for individuals who need assistance with utility cut-off prevention, eviction notices and temporary prescription drug coverage until other assistance can be arranged. Individuals, using this program, can access funds one time per year. Congregations, of many faiths, located in zip codes 20901, 20910 and 20912 support this program. MUSST began its operations through Montgomery County Community Ministries and was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1998. CCC has supported MUSST from its beginning.
2. The ministers access the Deacon’s Fund to provide grants for members and friends of CCC, who need assistance in times of personal crises or emergency assistance.

What is an appropriate donation?
A donation of any amount will be gratefully accepted. Recently, there have been a number of grants issued, causing the funds to be very low. Please consider helping out on a monthly basis, to ensure that funds will be available as needed.

On Sunday, March 19, from 3-5 pm, two expert members of CCC will present a seminar on Job, the Old Testament figure who encountered much suffering in his life. The seminar, called "The Biblical Job In History and Today: Images and Discussion," will include slides of artworks that represent Job and his life, family and friends. They will be followed by small group discussions on questions such as: was Job an early feminist; is Job like everyone or is he a near-saint; have you had Job-like periods in your life and how did you handle them; did your concept of God change during those periods; and does God play a part in the suffering of the world around us. The seminar is organized by Dr. Jean Caswell, a former professor of art history at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Shirley Coll, an ordained UCC minister. Reading the book of Job before the session is helpful, but not necessary. Come and explore the life and meaning of this extraordinary man with your CCC friends.

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Calling all Girl Scouts
Girl Scouting in the USA celebrates its 94th Birthday on Sunday, March 12 th.  So pull out your current uniform, vest and pins. Or, dig through your drawers and step back into the past and don your vest and pins from Girl Scouting in the USA or Girl Guiding around the world. On Sunday March 12th at the 10:30 service, we will recognize current and past Girl Scouts of all ages. For more information contact Trish Esposito, 301-593-1858, trishespo@yahoo.com

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What the Older Adults are up to?
A lot!  Today over 50 CCC Seniors enjoyed a wonderful Valentine Luncheon. Neville and Audrey Platt provided a delicious chili and corn bread meal with a green salad and other goodies to boot.  Ruth Kaupert and Mable Elliott beautifully filled the room with greens and roses and their own beauty.  Ruth Haigh cleaned and stirred and cut and laughed the whole day!  Gale Haggard helped set up the tables and retiree Wayne Gray even helped.  Many shared wonderful poetry and songs about love and even Dale Ostrander, who gave us all a big surprise when he showed, shared a poem about a couple living with one brain.  We remembered our beloved ones who were no longer with us in body and we recalled the love that lives in us and how we can share that love with the world.

Next big event is April 4th.  Pulled barbecue pork and barbershop quartet will be featured.  

Dear CCC Family,

Much of our time in life is learning how to say good-bye and hello.  Neither is very easy.  For the past several months I have been looking at a job as Spiritual Director of the Interfaith Families Project IFFP of the Greater DC area.  If you recall, this is a job I had for 5 years several years ago.    On March 1, I will rejoin the IFFP as their Spiritual Director and Community Leader.  I will work 20 hours a week and my office is within walking distance of my home.

I know and love this community deeply.  It will be a wonderful experience for me to lead worship (IFFP calls it "Gatherings"), to deepen relationships, to continue to learn more about Judaism and to be the pastor of a large community.  I remember after I preached a sermon at CCC, Tina Lincoln came up to me and said, "You need to be a senior pastor now."  I heeded her words spoken several years ago.

So we have awhile before I go and I will never completely go.  My membership at CCC is still intact.  I will continue and finish my two Life Review groups by June and plan on leaving soon after that.  

My "good-bye" to you as Director of Senior Adult Programming is very sad.  I have fallen in love with the rare and wondrous breed of elders at CCC.  We've had an incredibly good time-sharing our lives, our pain and our need for God.  I have been deeply touched by your love and support for me and will forever carry all of you with me.  

I will not say "good-bye" to the congregation because I will still be in the pews every once in awhile when I'm not working or resting. We will continue to connect.  There is a great song I learned recently called, "No Coming, No Going".  It goes:  No coming, no going, no after, no before.  I hold you close to me; I release you to be so free.  Because I am in you and you are in me.  Because I am in you and you are in me.  We are inextricably linked.  Our paths will find each other.

With great love and affection,

Julia

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Last July the Executive Council created a Senior Adult Ministry Task Force to take a look at what CCC has done, is doing, and could do regarding a ministry to seniors. Three events spurred the creation of the task force – Rev. Dale Ostrander’s success in creating a ministry to seniors while serving as a half-time interim from 1999-2004; the cutback in the hours of Dale’s successor, Rev. Julia Jarvis; and the report of the Budget Visioning Task Force in the spring of 2005, which called for the restoration of the position to half time.

The members of the task force are Mable Elliot, Gale Haggard, Ken and Betty Stith, and Eleanor Waldrop, with Dave Ackerman and Ruth Prindle as co-chairs. We have spent the past several months gathering data, looking at our programs, examining options, and cogitating what might be done; and we have now put our tentative findings and recommendations into a draft report. This month we find that our work has been given added urgency by the unwelcome, but not surprising, announcement that Rev. Jarvis is resigning her position with us, effective in June.

The task force’s draft report makes a number of findings regarding the growing number of senior adults in our congregation, the wide variation in seniors’ capabilities and needs, the damage done not only to CCC’s services to seniors but also to the viability of the position by the cutback in hours, the growing impact of property expenditures on CCC’s budget, etc. Its central recommendations are that the church needs to own its services to seniors as a special ministry and make the restoration of that position to half time a high priority. The report finds that outside funding to accomplish this is not likely to materialize and that, consequently, what is ultimately required is a higher level of stewardship from all of us.

The task force’s report remains a work in progress, and we want and invite your input. The draft report is on the church’s web site and can also be obtained by calling Ruth Prindle (301 649 4698). There will be a further opportunity to provide feedback on Saturday, March 4, at the follow-up session to this year’s Visioning Day. We believe CCC’s ministry to seniors is critically important, and we welcome your thoughts. Dave Ackerman and Ruth Prindle

As part of our third quarter curriculum on Challenges and Barriers, my colleagues and I at Francis Scott Key Middle School are organizing a field trip for our Sixth Grade students to interview seniors about challenges they have faced during their lives. I would like to bring a group to Christ Congregational Church on Wednesday, March 15 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. to interview volunteer seniors from the church. If you would be willing to come talk to my students, please contact Leslie Wilson at (301) 625-5407.

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The omens were good:  a warm sunny Saturday blossomed in January, and almost 30 volunteer good workers came to participate in the projects.  Most of the projects are listed below.

Three groups cleaned and organized the main kitchen off the Social Hall and the smaller kitchens on the first and second floors. 

The broken sofa in room 207, which had been replaced by a good sofa donated by the Platts, was carried out to the shed and cut up for disposal in the dumpster. A new latch was mounted on the dumpster door.   

One group cannibalized broken chairs in the Meeting Room to obtain a slightly smaller number of chairs in very good condition.  A trial run on fixing damaged wooden armrests by surface smoothing and coating with a clear satin polyurethane finish seems very successful. The group cleaned the vinyl seats and backs on all the chairs.

The large white board in storage in room 109 was mounted on the south wall of the Choir Room.  Four sconces given to the church were mounted on the east wall of the Conference Room (take a look).  Two very nice pictures, also given to the church, were mounted in the Children's Library (room 107).

Two volunteers painted the paraments cabinet in the Sanctuary/Deacons workroom.  Other workers power brushed, primed, and painted the radiator mounting strips in the two lower-floor restrooms. 

Peeling paint in the new stairwell was scraped, brushed, and vacuumed off the stairs.  A mystery remains as to where the moisture is coming from.  Outside, soil was brought from the 9601 property and placed outside the new stairwell to prevent water seepage into the building.  Crevices next to the building were cleaned out and filled with hydraulic cement.  Some garden areas were cleaned up outside the building, and plants were pruned inside.  A number of outside projects remains for warmer weather.  

Sue Bratten provided us with a tasty lunch in the Conference Room.  Our thanks to all the very helpful volunteers! 

  CCC Building & Grounds Committee

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The work retreats have provided opportunities for our family to spend weekends working together. Ken and our sons and sons-in-law have hammered, plumbed, painted, dug ditches, poured concrete, and had a great time doing it. The work retreats not only keep the house in good repair but are also lots of fun. The good food is a bonus. Working with your hands in the company of others produces a kind of fellowship hard to find in our urban life.

When our extended family became so large it was hard for us to crowd into one home for Thanksgiving dinner we asked the Retreat House committee to let us use the house and in return we would close it up for the winter. After 20 years, spending Thanksgiving at the Retreat House has become a meaningful family tradition. There is room for all of us, parents, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren; the house shelters us all. It is such a wonderful feeling to go to sleep with the people you love most safely under one roof.

Last fall our grandson and his fiancée decided, they wanted to be married at the Retreat House. It seemed like an impossible task but with help from both of their families, they had a beautiful wedding. For me it was a deeply moving experience to see them exchanging their vows in the chapel their grandfather and uncles had helped build and at a place that has been so important in my spiritual life. One more lovely memory of the Retreat House.

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OPENING WORK RETREATS

There will be two retreats: Friday, March 31 – Sunday, April 2 and Friday, April 7 – Sunday, April 9 to prepare the Retreat House for the 2006 season. We welcome workers of all skills and interests – from painting and plumbing to cooking and cleaning! The following tasks are to be done:

Join us for one or both weekends. Choose one task or more on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

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The Board also agreed to the congregation’s donations to the Christmas Fund as follows: $3365 to Veterans of the Cross which provides assistance to retired UCC clergy; $1680 to the Capital Area Food Bank which supplies food to many organizations in the Washington area that assist poor and/or homeless residents; and $1,680 to Back Bay Mission, the UCC-founded and supported mission to the poor of the Biloxi, MS area that was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Board has already received a thank you note from Back Bay Mission expressing deep appreciation for CCC’s donation and describing their efforts to rebuild.

McDonald’s Being Called Upon to Follow Lead of Taco Bell. In March, 2005, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers ("CIW") and Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell and other fast-food chains, entered into an unprecedented agreement whereby Taco Bell agreed to pay a penny more per pound for the tomatoes it buys from Florida growers. This increase, if applied across the industry, would result in nearly doubling the tomato pickers’ wages. The agreement also provides for a code of conduct for US agricultural suppliers, with worker participation in monitoring and enforcement. McDonald’s, however, has refused to work with the CIW regarding tomato pickers wages and living conditions. Rather, McDonalds and a group of their tomato suppliers recently announced a "new initiative" that does not address an increase in wages and that provides for practices that are already routine or required by law, such as transporting workers to the fields.

The UCC’s Justice and Peace Action Network ("JPANet") is urging members and friends to send messages to the CEO of McDonald’s, Jim Skinner, with a copy to Bob Langert, Senior Director of Social Responsibility, asking that they negotiate with CIW. To send an electronic message, go to www.ucctakeaction.org. For CIW’s analysis of McDonald’s "new initiative", go to www.ciw-online.org.

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A CALL TO TESTIFY IN ANNAPOLIS WITH CHRISTIANS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE ("MCJP"). On Thurs., Feb. 23, representatives of MCJP, will appear before the Economic Matters Committee, House of Delegates, in support of HB 55 which would increase the minimum wage for workers earning tips. On Tues., Feb. 28, representatives will testify before a joint hearing of the Appropriations and Health and Government Operations committees, H of D, in support of HB 89 which would restore $7 million each year to the Maryland Medical Assistance Program for health care services to legal immigrant children and pregnant women. Oral testimony involves three-minute presentations as parts of three-person panels. MCJP is a newly organized grass-roots organization that "works to persuade governmental officials in Annapolis and Washington to initiate and support legislation, budgets and policies bringing justice and peace to our state, our nation and our world." Anyone who would like to be part of the MCJP presence at these hearings, or who would like to testify, may call Mark Woodard, (301) 593-0299, or Anne Weissenborn, (301) 681-6042, for information about procedures and transportation.

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TAKE HOLD OF REAL LIFE.

Take hold of the life that really is life . . . Be generous. (I Timothy 6:18–19)

Greetings to all CCC members and friends from your Board of Stewardship! This is the first of several News Notes inserts you’ll be seeing between now and Consecration Sunday on April 30. Our stewardship campaign focus this year is on communication—sharing stories and information to help us make spirit-based and informed stewardship commitments. When you see the theme at the top of this page—which you will several times in the next two months—you’ll know it’s your Stewardship board calling.

In the passage from 1 Timothy above, St. Paul urges those blessed with material abundance to find wealth through good deeds and generosity, thus building up the heart’s riches through a spirit-filled life, the "life that really is life". Our board spent time studying this scripture. As is often the case, our reflection produced many different meanings and insights. We invite you to do the same, and see what you find.

• March 4—the follow-up to Jan.21’s visioning discussions; we will focus on prioritizing the many ideas generated on Jan. 21, and will hold some fascinating exercises to discover how these might fit into our financial future.
• April 2—Please join us for Just Desserts, a special event after the 10:30 service, where our board celebrates CCC’s many forms of generosity with a rich assortment of treats for the palate and the spirit.
• April 30—Consecration Sunday, when we will consecrate our pledges for the 2006-2007 church year through a ritual during worship, and then celebrate with a reception following the service.

• Helping Katrina’s evacuees—CCC supports the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition with a $500/year contribution. Ted Foster also serves on the Coalition board. The Coalition put us in touch with the DeRoncelay family, forced out of their flooded New Orleans home, and during the fall Social Witness led a many-faceted process of helping them get settled in their apartment and their new life. Our community donated myriad items to help furnish the apartment, as well as lots of time.
• Rebuilding Together—In addition to the $2000 CCC contributes to the former Christmas in April, dozens of CCC-ers of all ages show up each spring to help rebuild a neighbor’s home. Partnering with First Baptist Church, we build steps and decks, repaint walls, fix up bathrooms and kitchens, repair roofs—and in the process help build a more generous community.
• Shepherd’s Table—One Wednesday a month, CCC volunteers serve dinner at the Progress Place homeless service center in downtown Silver Spring. CCC also provides $1000/year in financial support. CCC youth support the program through volunteering, and through the Souper Bowl fundraising effort each winter.

Personal Witness
One of our favorite traditions at CCC is called Witnessing Stewards. Individuals volunteer to share their stories of faith and commitment, giving us a variety of perspectives from which to reflect on our giving for the next year. We invite you to share your reflections on stewardship with us—look for bulletin inserts and other invitations to add your thoughts to our rich "stew" of blessings. You can also leave them in the Stewardship mailbox, or send them to Bill Prindle via email at the address above. We ask that you send your stewardship reflections to us by April 1.

In the spirit of generosity, The Board of Stewardship