Personal witness from Joan Boyer. Since my accident in mid-December, I’ve had many a quiet moment for self-reflection.  The day-to-day busyness of my life has completely s-l-o-w-e-d down.  Initially, I felt burdened and out of control; helpless that I couldn’t walk; frustrated that I couldn’t fully care for John and myself; depressed that I may be in this state for months.  But before long, those negative feelings were replaced with peace and gratitude.  Truly the good deeds of my family and friends brought me to this point.  I’ve had an abundance of help for the past couple of months -- none of it glamorous – yet all of it very much needed and given without complaint.  Good deeds matter and are important.  And to be on the receiving end of all these good deeds has awakened my desire to perform more good deeds for others.  CCC has many good people performing good deeds at all levels, every day.  We need to continue to support our church and remain spirit-filled people of the church.  "This is the life that really matters."

SMALL GROUP SIGN-UP DAY:
Did you know that CCC currently has over twenty active small groups?  On SUNDAY, MAY 7th, the Board for Church Life will be hosting its fourth annual Small Groups Sign-Up Day.  The purpose of these small groups is simply to give both new and long-time members an opportunity to connect with others in the church that have similar interests, for fun and fellowship.  Nearly all of the current groups are open to new members at any time.  In fact, for most of them you don't even have to be a "member" - you can just attend whenever you'd like!  Anyone who would like to propose and/or start a new group is welcome to do so.  For further information, or to start a new group, please contact Priscilla Peterson at 301-942-1720 (email: priscillap@starpower.net).

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ANTI-RACISM
An Anti-Racism Resolution has been proposed for approval by the congregation at the June Annual Meeting.  This resolution is another step on our CCC Anti-Racism Journey as we seek to become a multi-cultural, multi-racial congregation.  Copies of a draft of this resolution were distributed at the Visioning Day on 4 March.  Copies will also be available at the 23 April CCC Town Hall Meeting and in the CCC Office.  Delilah Marrow and Jim Henkelman-Bahn will be available at the CCC Town Hall Meeting to talk about the resolution. They will answer questions and provide information.  You may provide any comments in the box that is available in the CCC Office.
Jim Henkelman-bahn and Deliliah Morrow

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Free to a new home.
The renovation of our beautiful building is now complete with new furniture for the main office.  The old desk, a small school classroom desk that was used for a printer stand, the mail boxes that had hung on the wall, and a metal file cabinet are available if anyone would like to have them.

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CEMETERY PLOTS FOR SALE
Location—Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, Maryland
SECTION E, LOT 536, SITES 2 and 3 (both sites to be sold as one unit);
BLOCK 14, LOT 507, SITES 1 and 2 (both sites to be sold as one unit). Selling price is negotiable. Call Bill Neal at (301) 622 3948.

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Sisters for Sisters
On Sunday, May 21, 2006, Sisters for Sisters will meet at 12:45 PM at the China Gourmet, 3739 University Blvd., Kensington, MD.  There is parking at the side and the back of the restaurant.  This is the last meeting until September. June Leonard

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DISTRICT 20 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FORUM
A State District 20 Candidates Forum will be held at Christ Congregational Church on Thursday, 27 April, at 7:30 PM in the Social Hall.  This will be a good time to find out how the candidates are thinking about the issues that are important to the members of our congregation.  This event is co-sponsored by the Greater Silver Spring Democratic Club, the Presidents’ Council of Silver Spring Associations (Prezco), and the Indian Spring Citizens Association.

Democratic Candidates for Senate and Delegates for State Assembly District 20 have been invited.  For Senate these include Senator Ida Ruben and Jamie Raskin.  For Delegates, three of which get elected, include incumbent Delegates Sheila Hixson and Gareth Murray, and candidates Tom Hucker, Aaron Klein, Lucinda Lessley, Heather Mizeur, and Diane Nixon.  All these candidates are invited to attend and provide statements.  Come to meet the candidates and bring your questions.

Some of these same sponsoring groups will also sponsor a forum in May for State District 19, and June for County Council candidates for Council District 5 and the four at large Council seats.

For more information or questions, contact Mark Woodard, 301-592-1811.

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I you weren’t able to attend the information meeting on couples communication that is not a problem. The first session will review much of the same material. Please let us know if you plan to take part. Let us know, especially, if child-care is a need. You can leave a message at the CCC office (301-585-8010) or at home (301-365-8512), or email: Jim@christ-ucc.org.

Blessings, Jim (and Lois)

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CCC "Town Hall Meeting"
12 noon, Sunday, April 23 / Social Hall
Been too busy to catch up on CCC news? Perhaps you get News Notes online, and have missed reading a few? Or maybe you are an avid reader, but there are a few topics that you haven't heard about and would like an update.

Well, come on down to the Social Hall, help yourself to a cup'a, and then gather near the stage. Starting at 12 noon sharp, you'll hear brief bulletins on several CCC matters. Tom Ault (Trustees), Jim O'Steen (Music Director search), Bill Prindle (Stewardship), and Sonja Fisher (Y-Geli program) will each take the mike to share a few words. Then the floor will be open for your questions, comments, and concerns. And, we may have time for additional updates from others.

For those attending the 9:00 service, the Town Hall Meeting will come right to you in the Meeting Room, following service.

If your board, committee or task force would like to share news, sign up for a slot at next month's Town Hall Meeting, by contacting Judy Cox, Communications Office, at JcoxDesign@aol.com or leave a note in the church office box.

Our social hall will serve as the venue for our town hall meeting.

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OFFER HELP TO SOMEONE IN NEED
A mother and a 13 year-old teen are looking for a place to live starting July 1st (or even August 1st). They are looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom house whose owner would also accept their dog. The mother who is going through a divorce would like to find some peace and quiet back in America. She is coming directly from Poland.
Please contact Julia Jarvis at juliajar@erols.com or 301.270.0514

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SOCIAL WITNESS HAPPENINGS
UCC President John H. Thomas, the IRD and the Biblical Witness Fellowship. On April 7, the Rev. John H. Thomas was profiled in the New York Times, largely due to a speech he had just given at Gettysburg College. In that speech, he discussed, inter alia, the increasing pressures being placed upon mainline Protestant denominations, including the UCC, by the Institute on Religion and Democracy ("IRD") and related organizations. Thomas calls the IRD "a sophisticated ‘inside the beltway’ organization well funded by conservative foundations and closely aligned with a neo-conservative political agenda." IRD leaders have said their target is Mainline churches that "pursue radical political agendas, . . . radical forms of feminism, environmentalism, pacifism, revolutionary socialism, sexual liberation, and so

forth." According to Rev. Thomas, the IRD and related groups "seek to disrupt, ultimately to control, and failing that to dismantle mainline denominations." Their goal is to promote their own political agenda.

The IRD’s designated related organization within the UCC is the Biblical Witness Fellowship, which publishes The Witness, "a newspaper filled with articles attacking UCC leaders." Recently, "BWF has found common cause with two other groups: the Evangelical Association of Congregational Christian and Reformed Churches and with the ‘Welcoming and Faithful Movement’." The latter states that it is an alternative to the Open and Affirming Church movement; however, Rev. Thomas points out that it has gone farther than this by seeking out it has gone farther than this by seeking out disaffected members with "the claim . . . that the leaders of the UCC ‘have declared independence from Jesus and the historic faith of the Church’ with our marriage equality vote on July 4, 2005."

Rev. Thomas notes that the UCC has employed humor to address these attacks as in its TV ads. He also sees hope in the fact that UCC congregations cannot be neatly divided into "red" and "blue." At the national level, "red and blue church leaders [mainline and evangelical] hear the hunger pangs of poor children in a common cry." "[C]ommunities that find ways to tolerate differences and live creatively with diversity may be their own form of redemption not simply for themselves, but for all of us. But in order to be this redemptive community, we will need to resist the political interests who would use us for sectarian, partisan, and ultimately deeply dividing interests."

There’s much more in this speech including good words for the IRS. It can be read in its entirety on the Social Witness Bulletin Board, or by going to http://news.ucc.org

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PLEASE CONSIDER ADDING YOUR SMILEY FACE!
If you are willing to pledge at the level of the "half-tithe" (five percent of gross income) OR increase your pledge by 1/3 for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, please place one of the "Smiley Face" stickers provided in the pew on the Stewardship poster in the church entry way. Generous giving is about feeling positive, cheerful, optimistic, and like you can’t help but - SMILE! Such positive energy up-builds each one of us in the Spirit.

Senior Adults Ministry Task Force Submits Final Report
On April 3 the Senior Adults Ministry Task Force submitted its final report to the Executive Council. After modifying two of the report’s recommendations, the Council adopted a motion accepting the report and endorsing its recommendations. The report is posted on the CCC website (www.christ-ucc.org), and printed copies may be picked up in the church office.

The Council created the Task Force last summer to take a close look at CCC’s ministry to seniors. The members have been Mable Elliott, Gale Haggard, Ken and Betty Stith, and Eleanor Waldrop, with Dave Ackerman and Ruth Prindle as co-chairs. For all of us, it’s been an intriguing journey. We’ve all come to a greater appreciation of the diversity of needs among our senior adults, the manifold demands being placed on the church’s operating budget, and the remarkable willingness of the members of CCC to step forward and offer their services when needed.

The report reaffirms the importance of CCC’s ministry to seniors and reaffirms as well the church’s previously expressed aspiration to restore the position of Director of Senior Programming to half time if at all possible. In light of Rev. Jarvis’ resignation, it suggests hiring a person from within the congregation on a temporary basis for the rest of this fiscal year and filling the position on a more permanent basis once the results of this year’s stewardship campaign are known. The report recommends that the Called to Care program develop ways to reach out to seniors whose ability to participate actively in church life is diminished and who may be experiencing isolation and loneliness (something that is already taking shape under the leadership of Claudia Tornbloom – hooray!). The report expresses appreciation for Kris Glasco’s offer to lead life review groups and urges the new Director to explore this possibility further. Finally, the report recognizes that the church’s ability to continue and expand its ministry to seniors depends heavily on all of us cultivating a robust spirit and habit of giving in our stewardship campaigns.

CCC’s ministry to seniors began as an experiment in 1999. We have been blessed to have had two resourceful and creative ministers, the Rev. Dale Ostrander and the Rev. Julia Jarvis, serve as our Director for Senior Programming. Working with the Senior Adults Committee, they have created a remarkable variety of programs – life review groups, educational seminars, recreational outings, Qi Gong classes, quarterly luncheons, fellowship gatherings at Riderwood and Leisure World, outreach to Springvale Terrace, etc. All of these programs have been means of helping our seniors know the love of God, of affirming them as persons of significance, and of building community. As the report states, CCC’s experiment has proven to be "astoundingly successful." And more can be done. A new Director will undoubtedly bring new energy and new ideas to this ministry, particularly, the task force hopes, in the area of intergenerational programming.

As always in this church, it has been a privilege to be part of this task force, and we thank all those who worked with us and gave us input and feedback along the way. We hope our work proves useful.

Dave Ackerman and Ruth Prindle, Task Force Co-Chairs

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Your Gift of Time for CCC
The Nominating Committee is once again getting ready to put together a roster of Board members to recommend to the congregation at the Annual Meeting on June 11 for the church year that begins July 1.

Much of the ministry of CCC, as well as the opportunity to work in close fellowship with other members, is accomplished through the seven Boards listed below. Board members are elected at the Annual Meeting in June each year for staggered three-year terms, with a term limit of two terms on any Board. If you are currently not on a Board, or are going off a Board after completing your term(s), please consider a gift of your time to CCC by serving on a Board this coming church year.

Christian Education: Develops and implements educational programs for all ages, from preschool to adults. Will need 7 more persons to fill the 21-member Board.

Church Life: Coordinates and sponsors events other than worship that are open to all members and friends of CCC to nurture the community. Will need 3 more persons to fill the 12-member Board.

Deacons: Reviews and advises on worship services, develops opportunities for spiritual explorations, and assists ministers in pastoral care. Will need 4 more persons to fill the 21-member Board.

Outreach and Engagement: Seeks to expand CCC membership by welcoming visitors and inviting them into church life. Will need 3 more persons to fill the 12-member Board.

Social Witness: Initiates and coordinates action on social justice issues, allocates financial support for various mission activities, and identifies service opportunities for the congregation. Will need 1 more persons to fill the 16-member Board.

Stewardship: Educates the congregation on giving to the total mission of the church and creates and implements the annual stewardship effort. Will need 4 more persons to fill the 15-member Board.

Trustees: Manages the church’s financial and legal affairs and is responsible for developing the annual budget, maintaining and improving the church’s property, and employing all staff other than ministers called by the congregation. No openings for the 9-member Board.

Please let us know where in this community you find yourself called to serve. Please fill out the form below and return to the CCC Office, Attention Nominating Committee, or speak with any of us listed below. Thank you for your consideration.

Nominating Committee: Toko Ackerman (Chair), Merlene Bagley, Shirley Coll, Bud Dennie, Karen Lee, David Main, Cynthia Page, Priscilla Peterson, Ruth Prindle, Mary Stone, and Jane Weber

I am interested in serving on the following Board. Please contact me to discuss further:

___ Board of Christian Education
___ Board for Church Life
___ Board of Deacons
___ Board for Outreach and Engagement
___ Board for Social Witness
___ Board of Stewardship
___ Board of Trustees
___ I am interesting in serving somewhere. Please contact me to explore possibilities.
___ I want to know more about each Board’s work. Please contact me to discuss.

 Name                                                              Phone/e-mail