AM

Back To Top

SPECIAL OFFERING – STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH - JUNE 4. On Sunday, June 4, CCC will receive the Strengthen the Church Offering, one of four national offerings of the UCC. The theme this year is "Come from the four winds, O breath…," taken from Ezekiel 37-9 which tells of the valley of dry bones seen by the prophet and his call for God breathe upon those bones "that they may live." This yearly offering is used to strengthen and renew existing congregations across the country, provide leadership for new church starts, support new programs for youth and young adults, and develop leadership for the whole church. CCC’s offering will be divided evenly between the Central Atlantic Conference and the UCC’s national Local Church Ministries. At CCC, special offerings are overseen by the Board for Social Witness. The Board hopes you can be generous. Look for the Strengthen the Church poster in the lobby and for additional materials in upcoming Sunday bulletins.

Back To Top

Faithful America (NCC) Calls for Direct Talks with Iran Faithful America is the progressive, inclusive, interfaith electronic advocacy ministry of the National Council of Churches of which the UCC is a member. Recently, Faithful America posted a request for messages to members of Congress calling for direct conversations between the US and Iran over the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. "The United States has refused to rule out the use of force in containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but insists that diplomacy is the way to address the issue. There is only one problem: Iran and the United States do not speak to each other…. Truth begins with understanding, and understanding begins by listening…. It is not an act of weakness. It is the very way by which we discover pathways to peace." Three members of the US Senate have called for direct talks, and Faithful America wants other Senators to be urged to join them. To become part of the Faithful America project by contacting your Senators, go to www.faithfulamerica.org.

Back To Top

Letter from Church Leaders to Bush, Abbas and Olmert. On May 2, twenty leaders of churches that are members of Churches for Middle East Peace ("CMEP"), including the Rev. John H. Thomas, President and General Minister of the UCC, sent a joint letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister-elect Ehud Olmert of Israel, and President George W. Bush. This letter called for intervention in the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinian people as a result of the cut-off of aid to the Palestinian Authority; urged a commitment to an end to violence; commended Israeli plans for additional withdrawals from occupied land and dismantlement of some settlements; and commended President Bush for emphasizing a two-state solution and opposing a unilateral predetermination of a final solution. The letter also asked for assurance from Israel that the barrier wall is only temporary, and for a negotiated settlement regarding the status of Jerusalem. CMEP is urging individuals to reinforce this letter by sending it to their members of Congress and to President Bush. It is available at www.cmep.org/Alerts/2006Mar17.htm.

Back To Top

C-6 grew out of discussions at the January 21 All-Church Visioning Day, as one way to implementing the recommendation of the Older Adults Task Force to provide an expanded and more focused outreach ministry to senior adults at CCC. The goal of C-6 is to establish a communication network that engages the CCC community in partnerships to help to meet our senior’s needs. A vital part of that network involves calling upon the great wealth of resources within the CCC senior adult population itself.

C-6 is an extension of Called to Care Committee. The C-6 concept is to establish partnerships among CCC members to maintain a caring connection, understand changing needs of senior adult members, and identify resources to meet those needs. The model for how C-6 will operate is this: A group of CCC volunteers, including seniors who are able as well as other CCC members, will participate in a half day training session in the fall to become C-6 Partners. A C-6 Partner’s commitment would be (1) to stay in regular contact with the assigned senior adult, by phone or in person, either weekly or on a mutually agreeable schedule, (2) to maintain awareness of the senior’s current needs, and (3) to serve as a liaison to ensure that those needs are communicated to others in CCC who are in a position to assist in meeting the needs. The C-6 partner may choose to personally participate in providing the needed assistance, although that is not a requirement to be a C-6 Partner.

After C-6 volunteers meet in September for a one-half day training session, each CCC senior adult will be contacted and invited to enter into a relationship with a C-6 Partner and to fill out a survey that will identify the senior’s current goals and needs. The C-6 Partner will stay in touch with the assigned senior on a mutually agreeable schedule, maintain awareness of the seniors’ personal circumstances as they change over time and, as appropriate and desired by the senior adult, assist in calling on CCC or community resources to help meet the senior’s needs. Many CCC seniors may choose not only to be a recipient of this caring connection from a C-6 Partner, but also to serve as a C-6 Partner to another senior. Resources that a C-6 Partner might call upon to assist in meeting a senior’s needs include the pastoral staff, the Board of Deacons, the Referral and Service Committee, the Called to Care committee, Montgomery County Senior Connection, and other specialized services as needed.

Watch for opportunities to sign up to be a C-6 Partner!

PROPOSED REVISION OF THE CCC COVENANT

The Worship Committee and the Board of Deacons have approved a revision and update of our present CCC Covenant.

They request that all members of the congregation review the present Covenant and the proposed revision.

This will be on the agenda for action at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on June 11, 2006

PEACE EXPLORERS - CCC's Vacation Bible School will take place this summer for 3 - 11 year olds August 7-11.  We had a taste of MJ and Jerry's Peace camp earlier this year.  VBS will be an entire week of Peace Camp activities.  Come join the fun!  Pick up a brochure/registration form on the bulletin board in the lobby.

Back To Top

VICKIE ADAMSON TO DISCUSS HER NOVEL, THE COLOR OF LOVE: A ROMANCE IN BLACK AND WHITE. On Sunday, June 25, at 7:00 PM, CCC’s own Vickie Adamson will discuss her newly published novel, The Color of Love, with the CCC Book Group and anyone else who would like to join in. The event will be held in the CCC Meeting Room. Vickie, a member of our congregation since 2002, is head of the English Department at Montgomery Blair High School. She grew up in South Central Los Angeles and is a graduate of UCLA, both of which settings are featured in her story of a young African-American woman’s struggles to understand and fit into her family and her expanding universe during turbulent times.

Vickie will be discussing the process of writing her novel and its relationship to her personal story, among other topics. The book is available online through Borders and Barnes and Noble; however, it will not be necessary to have read it before the discussion in order to enjoy the evening. Please come and invite your friends!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Save the date! VBS will take place this summer for 3-11 year olds August 7-11. We had a taste of MJ and Jerry’s Peace Camp earlier this year. VBS will be an entire week of Peace Camp activities. Come join the fun! To make it happen we need adult volunteers!! Call Sandy Dodson or Anne Weissenborn.

CCC Senior Adults

 You are invited to tour the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum
in Chantilly, Virginia

 Wednesday, June 14^th

Please meet at CCC at 9:00 a.m.

Departure time is 9:15 a.m.  We plan to return to the church at 2:30 p.m.

We will be traveling by bus.  Our two-hour, docent-led tour begins at 10:15.  There are wheelchairs available at the museum for those who prefer not to stand for the tour.  When the tour ends at 12:15, we will go to the museum cafeteria for lunch.  The cost for the trip is $15.00 per person.  (Cost of lunch not included.)  Please make checks payable to “CCC" and place in box marked “Senior Adult Trip" in the church office.  You may sign up on the bulletin board in the foyer or RSVP to Mable Elliott at 301.622.3174. 

Mark your calendars now and join us on June 14^th

Back To Top