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CCC NewsNotes A Just Peace and Open and Affirming Church
At the Congregational Meeting held after the service on January 22nd, it was reassuring to see that CCC is getting real about dealing with the debt resulting from phase I of the building project completed in 2002. Our Moderator John Gipson’s letter to the Congregation very succinctly sets out the challenges we face in order to generate income for both our unified budget and the Building Fund debt service elements. It is clear that the unified budget is already under pressure as we struggle to finance objectives identified at the Visioning meetings. I believe that we need to adopt a more radical approach to debt service. When the idea of fund raising, as an avenue to pay down debt, was mentioned at the Congregational Meeting there was a palpable silence. When we first took advice on our Keystones Campaign, Michael Downs advised us that many churches undertaking building projects had to raise monies outside a unified budget to deal with their debt. At the Executive Council meeting held last June I suggested the appointment of an Events Committee to raise money to address our debt. I know this cuts across the concept of a unified budget and some have said that the major fund raising effort towards our building project (the Silent Auction) raised just $8,000. That may not seem much in the context of our $1.5 million debt; however, if we held two fundraisers per year and they brought in a total of $20,000 there would be a number of benefits.
We need to be open to, and encourage, every kind of contribution towards debt service as we face the challenges ahead. I do not have expertise in organizing fund raising events but I would wholeheartedly support them. When I was in the U.K. I was Treasurer for a fund to build a new hospice in the York area. All the local villages, and many major businesses in the area, as well as individuals, found ingenious ways to support the venture, and it is to this day a continuing success story. There was much fun in the process as well as great generosity. We do not have the luxury of appealing to others to help us, but lets see if we can put some fun into "fun"draising. Peace, Neville Platt ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING OFFERING. On March 26, CCC will receive this year’s One Great Hour of Sharing offering. This ecumenical offering is administered for the UCC by Wider Church Ministries. It supports international and domestic disaster preparedness and response, as well as international programs in health, education, agricultural development, emergency relief, and refugee ministries. Thanks to OGHS, the UCC was able to immediately extend help to evacuees from, and UCC congregations in, the Gulf Region after the hurricanes late last summer. The theme of this year’s offering is water: "When was it that we saw you thirsty?" Matthew 25:37. All over the world in 2005, people were affected by too much or too little water – by hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, rain-induced landslides, or drought, or simply by a lack of clean water. When the news is so dire, we may feel that our ability to respond is dwarfed by the enormity of the crises. "Lord, we do indeed see you thirsty. Your image is everywhere. But our efforts seem like a drop in the bucket." Yet, our faith is one of hope. We do not face humanity’s need alone. First, we know that God is leading us. And as we respond through OGHS, we multiply the impact of our gifts together with people from other UCC congregations, with partner churches of other traditions, and with experienced service agents. Through OGHS we take seriously the words of Jesus to care for our neighbors and we do it in community with others. Have you taken a close look at the calendar on the CCC web site? It’s the official calendar for all events and activities that take place at CCC. The next time you are browsing through the church’s web site, click on "Current Month’s Calendar" and take a look. The events in blue are CCC events, those in black indicate activities of outside groups that use the building. Click on a specific event on the calendar to see the details – date, time, and location as well as additional information if any. Do you want to see what is scheduled for later in the year? In the upper left corner, under the CCC logo, there is a yellow box where you may select another month. Are you only interested in information for a specific group or board? In the upper right, there is a yellow box to select special interest groups. For instance, if you want to see those events that pertain to senior adults, click on Senior Adult Programming. CCC is indeed a busy place. Susan Gray maintains the calendar in the office; Dianne Abraham schedules outside group use. As more and more outside groups use the building, it is increasingly important to schedule CCC events well in advance to avoid conflicts. Give us a call to schedule your board or committee’s events and meetings and check out the calendar to see what is happening at CCC. THINK YOU HAVE IT BAD? WHAT ABOUT JOB? On Sunday, March 19, from 3-5 pm, in the Meeting Room, Dr. Jean Caswell and the Rev. Shirley Coll 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; and small group discussions on Job’s meaning for us. Reading the Book of Job before the session will be helpful, but not necessary. Come and explore the life and meaning of this extraordinary man with your CCC friends. On Saturday, March 25 from 9:30 to 12:30, the CCC Spirituality committee will be sponsoring an Introduction to Zen program in the CCC Meeting Room`. Participants will receive instruction in Zen sitting and walking meditation, and will hear about how Zen practice can support a way of life that embodies God’s compassionate action for our world. In Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit: The Place of Zen in Christian Life, Robert E. Kennedy, a Catholic priest, writes how he has personally "experienced that the practice of Zen, under a teacher, can be integrated into Christian life; it can deepen Christian prayer and root our faith not just in our head but in our whole person." It is therefore not surprising that many Christians practice Zen and find that it enriches their Christian faith.Catholic sister Rose Mary Dougherty, long-time Zen practitioner and now a dharma holder in the lineage of the White Plum Sangha will lead the Introduction to Zen program. Rose Mary is also Senior Fellow for Spiritual Guidance at the Shalem Institute, and the facilitator of a recently formed spiritual direction group at CCC. Registration is required, and the suggested donation is $20. To register for the March 25 session, please call David Novello at (301) 585-5212 or send him an email at dnovello@mindspring.com. Thank you thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank APPRECIATION AND THANKS. I want to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to Jim and the staff and the congregation for their support, love, cards, calls and prayers while I was recovering from spinal surgery. Nancy CoxMarch 26th Recognition of 50-year members After we enjoy the flowers on Sunday they are used to brighten the day of those that are sick, and shut-in. There are still many open dates on the memorial calendar located in the hall just outside the sanctuary. Please think about contributing flowers on one of the open days. The Sanctuary Committee also is in need of new members. Join us on Sunday, March 19 at the coffee hour after the 10:30 a.m. service for a flower arranging demonstration, including oriental arrangements. The Sanctuary Committee welcomes new members with new and innovative ideas. See you on March 19! Linda A. Phelps The Board for Church Life is looking for someone to take charge of Beach weekend. This is held at the Christian Church Conference Center in Bethany, Delaware. If you would like details about what would be required, contact Kathy McConnell at 301-589-0151 or KLMcconnell@mindspring.com. If you are willing to take on this activity, contact Stevan Fisher 301 216-9610.Music Music Music Big Band's Annual Cotillion MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON Mickey Thomas Terry, Organ at 4:00 PM in the Sanctuary. Dr. Terry is a critically acclaimed concert organist who has performed throughout the United States and the Bahamas. He has been broadcast on Public Radio International’s Pipedreams, the official radio program of the American Guild of Organists. He is also featured on the Albany Records Label playing works by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker and on the Minnesota Public Radio Compact Disc Pipedreams Premiers, Volume 2.Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man" - Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Sidwell Friends School (Music Director: John Touchton). Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $3 for students. To make a reservation email boxoffice@sidwell.edu or call 202-537-8141 ext. 2. Reservations are accepted until 4:00 pm Wednesday, March 15. Same day tickets will also be available at the door based on availability. www.sidwell.edu Welcome Weekend Retreat at the CCC Retreat House – Memorial Day Weekend 2006 Ever wonder what the CCC Retreat House is and where it is located? Come and discover CCC’s best-kept secret just for a day, for overnight, or for the weekend beginning Saturday, May 27th through 4:00 pm on Monday, May 29th, 2006. The Retreat House is located in Yellow Spring, West Virginia; about a 2-½ hour drive from the Silver Spring area. The Welcome Weekend will provide opportunities for CCC members and guests 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 situated on 54 acres along the Cacapon River. The house and grounds are the site for CCC’s weeklong children and youth camps, and the site for fall and spring retreats for groups within the church. Sleeping accommodations consist of three large bedrooms with bunk beds in the main house, a cabin, or you may bring your own tent. Meals are assigned to and prepared by those attending the retreat. Outreach and Engagement Board will provide Saturday, Sunday, and Monday lunches. The reduced Retreat House user rates for this special weekend are: $ 8 per adult for indoor lodging per night, $4 per child, or $15 per tent. For more information and to sign up, see the bulletin board outside the church office, or contact Outreach and Engagement Board members Trish Esposito at 301-593-1858, trishespo@yahoo.com, David Fouse at 301-587-8257, david.fouse@ahpha.org or Anne Nicotera at 301-589-5848, Anne.Nicotera@verizon.net.Help CCC "Rebuild" in Our Community Each spring, volunteers from CCC, partnering with First Baptist Church, take on a weekend home repair project for Rebuilding Together, formerly known as Christmas in April. This year our Project Day is Saturday, April 29 and we are making an extra effort to find new CCC volunteers. Rebuilding Together assigns us a low-income family, typically elderly and disabled, who are having trouble maintaining their home. The homeowners are referred through congregations, schools, community agencies and service groups or by self-referral. We focus on repairs and modifications that increase the clients' health, safety, and independence, such as installing handrails and grab bars, replacing porches and stairs, correcting electrical hazards, repairing ongoing plumbing problems, hauling accumulated trash and debris, repairing roof leaks, installing locks on doors and windows, weather-stripping, patching and painting walls and yard work. There are literally thousands of older homeowners in our neighborhoods and across Montgomery County who are struggling with sharply higher repair costs. With a boost from our efforts they can continue living independently in the homes they have grown to love. We welcome volunteers of all skills and interests to join us. This is a great project for those who love a Saturday of painting and fixing up your own home place, or for those who want to learn some tricks of the trade. Please sign up on the main church bulletin board, or contact John Enagonio for more info, at 301-649-6492, enagonio@yahoo.com. An Invitation: To parents and grandparents. Plan a visit to Teen Court at the Judicial Center, 50 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland, on March 8 or 22, April 26, May 3 or 17 or 24. Court is in session from 5:15pm to 7:15pm. The proceedings are open to the public. Teen Court is a program that offers teenage offenders a chance to learn from their mistakes without the high cost of a criminal record. Goals of Teen Court are to encourage a respondent to take responsibility for his/her actions, to make them aware that there are consequences to those actions, and to expose them to a realistic experience in an actual court of law. Teen Court is a real justice program run by teens for teens, and is offered as a positive experience to divert a first time teen offender away from a pattern of criminal behavior. Juveniles aged 12 through 17 who have been arrested appear before a jury of their peers. The respondent must admit involvement (guilt) since this a disposition (sentencing) hearing only. Cases heard in Teen Court involve crimes such as shoplifting, vandalism, taking a weapon to school, reckless endangerment, possession of alcohol, possession of marijuana, to name a few. About 1900 cases have been heard since March 1997. In Teen court, volunteer teens perform the roles of bailiff, clerk and jury. The "Peer Jury System" is used. An adult Judge presides. After careful consideration of the facts, the teen jury deliberates and decides upon a constructive disposition. The respondent then has 60 days to complete the disposition and have the original charge dismissed. For more information, call the Teen Court Coordinator, Georgine DeBord at (240) 777-7344 or Christ Congregational Church member, or Bill Neal at (301) 622-3948. The UCC’s Continuing Response to Katrina and Rita. Recently, the national UCC released a summary of the many ways more than $4 million in contributions for Katrina and Rita victims is being spent. The following are some of these projects: $285,500 to Church World Service ("CWS") for immediate assistance including blankets and health kits, for a relocation program for displaced families across the country, and for long-term recovery organizations; $209,800 to the UCC South Central Conference for emergency needs and long-term recovery coordination; $110,000 to the Community of Faith Church of Houston to meet resettlement costs for 78 evacuated families; $15,000 to the UCC Southeast Conference for an evacuee feeding program in Atlanta; $27,400 to Back Bay Mission for emergency relief and long-term recovery costs; $40,000 to UCC-related Dillard University in New Orleans to help restore operations; $53,800 to Good Shepherd UCC, Metairie, LA, to permit this damaged church to serve evacuees and to host long-term mission trip teams; $100,000 to UCC National Disaster Ministries and CWS for local responses to hurricane-related environmental hazards; $500,000 for partnerships with local organizations for advocacy on environmental issues, affordable housing, re-entry assistance and job re-training; $90,000 to nine UCC congregations in the New Orleans Association; and $1 million for an ecumenical home reconstruction program. In addition, the UCC Central Atlantic Conference, of which CCC is a part, is assisting Back Bay Mission and at least two congregations in New Orleans. UCC President and General Minister, the Rev. John H. Thomas has stated: "We have been reminded by Hurricane Katrina that Christian compassion is not an occasional activity, but a spiritual discipline that seeks each day to bear the burdens of others."Take hold of the life that really is life . . . Be
generous. Dear CCC members and friends: This is second News Notes insert from your Board of Stewardship for this year’s campaign. In this issue, we’ll cover some Stewardship basics, hold up a few Generosity Gems, and hear a personal reflection on Stewardship. Stewardship is the giving of time, talent, and treasure needed to sustain our church and help it flourish. Every spring, we ask members and friends to pledge their support for the next church year, which begins July 1. What we pledge financially determines what we can spend—almost all of our revenue is from pledges, with a little building rental and interest income helping out. Here are some fascinating facts about giving at CCC:
Generosity Gems: Our Stewardship Stories. These are the stories that shine through the inspired and inspiring things that happen in and around our church community. We invite you to send us your stories—leave them in the Stewardship box in the church office, or email them to Bill Prindle at prindles2004@msn.com.
Personal Witness
Deadline for the next News Notes
is Wednesday, March 22, 2006, at 5:00 PM. The Rev. James A. Todhunter, Senior Minister; The Rev. Sandra K. Dodson, Associate Minister; The Rev. Julia Jarvis, Director of Programming for Older Adults; Markus Williams, Interim Director of Music |
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