CCC NewsNotes - Jul 18, 2006

CCC NewsNotes
July 18, 2006
Volume No 62 Issue No 10

A Just Peace & Open and Affirming Church

Jackie Walters to be New Editor of News Notes
Esther's Gift
Muriel Killerlain - Watercolor Exhibit
CCC Quarterly Work Day
Red Cross Blood Drive
First Sunday Pot Luck
CCC at Takoma Park Folk Festival
Women's Retreat
Chrismon Workshop
Thermostat Setting Information
Social Witness News -Mainline Churches Not Being Heard & Under Attack
CCC's Involvement in CrossWalk America
Thanks from SSIHC and the Duroncelays
SENIOR NEWS
    Senior Adults: Lunch and Movie
    An Invitation to Senior Adults
    Silent Auction
News Notes Deadline
CCC Staff

Jackie Walters to be New Editor of News Notes
Takes over the reins in August
Jackie Walters will assume the editorship of News Notes with the publication of the next issue.
Many of you know Jackie from the various roles she has assumed at Christ Congregational Church. She has been a member and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. She has been the Moderator of the church and more recently, the Property Administrator. She is also a member of the choir; she has even traveled overseas with the choir. She and her husband, Jim, have been members of the church for 23 years.
Jackie will bring a unique set of skills to the editing of News Notes. I know that she will enjoy the task as much as I have.
Betsy Thomas

Esther’s Gift

Recently CCC received a surprise gift from our beloved Esther Hoover who passed away on March 12, 2006. The gift consisted of a generous check of $18,257.57, which has now been deposited into the Endowment Fund.
Almost ten years ago, Esther entered into a Gift Annuity Agreement with the United Church Foundation (the “UCF”) in which she transferred certain assets to the UCF and the UCF in turn agreed to pay her an annuity for the rest of her life. The agreement stipulated that upon her death, 100% of the remaining balance of the assets would be distributed to CCC with no strings attached.
Throughout her life, Esther was always available for so many of us in CCC, unstintingly giving her love and her time to care for this community. And she made provisions for planned giving to ensure her legacy would continue to live on with us even in death. We thank Esther’s generosity of spirit and celebrate her pioneering wisdom. May she inspire all of us!
Endowment Study Committee (Dave and Toko Ackerman, Tom Ault, Pete Hotchkiss, Dick Meyer, Mary Stone)

MURIEL KILLERLAIN—WATERCOLORIST—SHOWED HER WORK IN THE TATE GALLERY MAY-JUNE 2006
Muriel Killerlain is a 60-year member of Christ Congregational Church! She joined CCC in 1946 when she was twenty and working as a “government girl” at the U.S. Maritime Commission! After marrying, she and her husband George raised three children in Silver Spring, and throughout this time, all were very active members of CCC. Muriel moved to Leisure World in 1997 when her husband George entered a nursing home. George died in 2003 after suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for a long time.
Muriel lives out the adage that “it is never too late.” Although she started taking classes in pastels in the 1960’s from Marianna Eckert, it was only in1997 after she moved to Leisure World that she took a watercolor class from Frances Coll. She has never looked back. Her works hanging in our gallery are testimony to her love of this medium, her skill, and her vision.
For Muriel, painting not only satisfies an artistic bent, but also contains a deeply spiritual dimension. It completely absorbs her. “When I paint, everything else is outside of that.” Saying a prayer when she starts to paint, she believes her “work comes from the Spirit.” “Something takes over and I just paint,” and frequently a work turns out very differently from her original thought. Pleased with a painting, she feels “the biggest high.” Yet Muriel, a ‘down to earth’ woman, also says, “I should paint every day because when I paint, I don’t eat.”
Although Muriel has done some paintings on commission, she prefers the freedom of painting for herself. Every year she shows some of her work in an art show that is sponsored by the Chevy Chase Women’s Club. Muriel also is pleased that in a recent year one of her paintings was selected for the juried show held by the Rockville Art League .at the Rockville Civic Center
The show in the Tate Gallery is Muriel’s second at CCC--in the late 1990s she and Penny Harvison (also of CCC) shared a show. If you are interested in any of Muriel’s paintings, you may call her at 301-598-1806.

Save the Date for Important Up-coming Events

Christ Congregational Church Quarterly Workday, Saturday, August 5, 2006

The third quarterly CCC workday for 2006 will take place on Saturday, August 5 from 9:00 to 4:00 with lunch provided from 12:00 to 1:00. Please come and join other volunteers to work on many worthy projects. Planned projects include preserving the wood on the fence surrounding the AC chiller, treating the entire lawn with "weed and feed" in preparation for a fall replanting of grass, weeding and mulching plantings along the Colesville Road fence, waterproofing of the main stairwell building. Volunteers are welcome for morning, or afternoon, or both. Please note August 6 on your calendar and join in the good work and fellowship. Do sign up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board outside the church office so we will know how many for lunch.
Randy Caswell, Building and Grounds Committee

Red Cross Blood Drive August 27

A blood drive is scheduled at the church on Sunday, August 27, 8AM to 1:30PM in the Social Hall. At our last drive, June 18, we had a goal of 30 donors. While 20 people signed up, only 14 were able to donor blood. Hopefully, by planning ahead, we can reach our goal. Please make a note of the schedule. Dick Meyer 301-445-1866

FIRST SUNDAY POT LUCK
The Pot Luck will begin on September 3rd with brunch following the 10:00 AM service. We will be hosting the participants of the Cross Walk America. For additional information about the Cross Walk America, please see the other article about this group.

CCC at Takoma Park Folk Festival

Once again CCC will have a table at the Takoma Park Folk Festival, Sunday, September. 10, 2006, from 11 am to 5:30 pm. This event is held at the Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road. Please sign up on the bulletin board for a one-hour slot to be at the table, listen to great music, and chat with people about CCC. We always have things for kids to do, and lots of people stop by. It's a fun event and a great way to tell people about CCC. If you have questions or want to sign up, contact Sara Watson, 301-879-7692, or at saradwatson@aol.com.

Women’s Retreat

There will be a Women's Retreat at the Retreat House the weekend of September 29 - October 1, 2006. The retreat is open to all women of the church. Watch for further details.

CHRISMON WORKSHOP

Mark your calendar for December 10, 2006 for the after church Chrismon Workshop. Don’t miss this workshop; it is the first one held since 2002. Chrismons are Christmas ornaments that are monograms of Christ, made with beads, wire and/or Styrofoam and glitter. There will be ornaments of different ability levels for all to make and take home for your Christmas trees. If you are willing to help with this workshop or just want more information, contact Glenda Neal at gbneal1958@earthlink.net or (301) 622-3948.

Thermostat settings and this summer at Christ Congregational July 2006

Most of you have noticed that the church is not as cool this year, as it was last summer. That’s because we have reset the “cool” set points at a higher temperature setting to reduce costs, as we cope with a 53% increase in electricity rates. We are also asking everyone to keep the blinds drawn on the sunny sides of the building to cut down on a given room’s sun exposure. The church is not as bright and sunny as it has been in past summers. These have been necessary changes to try to contain utility costs as much as possible in a facility of this size, complexity, and activity level.
                The new setting is 78 degrees (gulp!) and the HVAC system is designed to cool a room once it is within two degrees of the set cooling point. The system is controlled by 23 individual fan coil units, or FCU’s, throughout the building. Each FCU has its own thermostat, its own filters, and its own controls. All are connected to the chiller on the Indian Spring side of the church. The chiller has its own controls and they respond to variations in the outdoor air temperature as well as to interior temperatures. It is indeed a complex system.
                Most of the thermostats at CCC are programmed for occupied mode (those times when people are using a room) and unoccupied mode (evening hours when the room is not in use). CCC’s thermostats are complex and overriding existing programming is not simple, nor is it particularly self-evident. (I know it’s hard, particularly when one is uncomfortable, but please try and resist the temptation to fool with the thermostats!) We have had some problem thermostats this year and have replaced several already. Power surges and outings in electrical storms can cause the thermostats to loose their timing set points and they will not function properly until that piece of the programming is restored.
                Should you be in a room and notice that the temperature reading is not at 78 degrees or very close to it, or should you see a thermostat flashing without a time or temperature setting, please bring it to the attention of the church office or an evening or weekend custodian. In all probability we will need to reset the timing and perhaps reprogram the thermostat.
We are about halfway through July with another hot month, month-and-a-half to go. Hopefully the temperatures will begin to moderate by mid-September. We were very fortunate to have such a long, cool spring before the hot weather was upon us. While I wish we didn’t have to reset the cooling set-points at this higher level, the reality is we cannot afford to keep the building at a cooling point of 72/73 degrees with our now, substantially higher rates. We can make adjustments if the building is too uncomfortable for you. Let us hear from you if that is the case.
Many thanks for your patience, good humor and grace, as we weather this together!
Dianne Abraham

Social Witness News

Mainline Churches – Not Being Heard and Under Attack.
The most recent issue of UCC News contains an article by J. Bennett Guess entitled “Amplifying the Mainline,” in which he questions why mainline Protestant churches, including the UCC, are so seldom, if ever, represented on programs or in stories about religion in the national media. For example, last December, 115 mainline religious leaders were arrested as part of an effort to draw attention to federal budget cuts that would affect millions of Americans, but the major news networks did not cover the story. For two years in a row, “Meet the Press” has invited seven religious commentators to its annual “Faith in America” discussion; no mainline Protestant leader has been included. It has been noted that virtually the only times mainline churches attract press attention is when they are focused internally on a decline in membership or on divisive issues such as the ordination of women or marriage equality. Often, credit for victories on public policy issues such as environmental justice, corporate responsibility or international debt relief has gone to evangelical or Roman Catholic leaders, even though mainline Protestant leaders have worked equally hard as advocates.

Many believe that this ignoring of mainline Protestant denominations is a result of a concerted effort by “neo-con” organizations such as the Institute for Religion and Democracy (”IRD”) to discredit mainline leadership. According to the Rev. Peter Laarman, director of the Progressive Religious Partnership, IRD aims to portray mainline church leaders as “anti-Christian, anti-American fools,” thereby undermining their credibility within their own denominations or before the public.

The IRD has recently targeted the UCC for surveillance. In response, the Rev. John Thomas, UCC President and General Minister, during an interview with the New York Times, called for mainline churches to defend themselves, stating: “We need to differentiate between loving critics and critics who are looking to divide and destroy.” The Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, has commended John Thomas for his willingness to speak out: “I am very proud of what John Thomas has done. It would be more helpful if more of our mainline leaders would do the same. There really is a need for other leaders to stand up and point out these conspiratorial organizations, like the IRD, that are intentionally corroding the integrity of faithful people and faithful churches.” (Rev. Edgar’s new book, Middle Church: Reclaiming the Moral Values Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right, will be published in late September by Simon and Shuster.)

The article in UCC News ends with “Media Lessons for Savvy Mainliners.” See the copy of the entire article on the main bulletin board in the CCC lobby, read the June-July issue of UCC News in the kiosk in the lobby, or go to www.ucc.org/ucnews.

Labor Day Weekend: CCC’s Involvement in CrossWalk America

As noted in the May 9 issue of News Notes, a group of progressive Christians began CrossWalk America on Easter Sunday. One of the sponsoring organizations is the UCC. The walkers plan to end their walk in the DC area on Labor Day Weekend. CCC’s Board for Social Witness has agreed to organize CCC’s hosting of the eight walkers for the weekend. We need people to provide accommodations on Saturday and Sunday night (September 2 & 3), along with breakfast and dinner for one or more of the walkers. If you are interested in more information about hosting a CrossWalk America participant, please contact Holly Brooks at 301-933-0285 or holb41@yahoo.com.

The walkers will join us for 10 a.m. service on Sunday morning and the Board for Church Life will host a potluck brunch for the walkers after the service so we can get to know them better. After brunch we are invited to join the CrossWalk America participants on the last leg of their journey starting at Meridian Hill Park at 2 p.m. The final destination is Foundry United Methodist Church at 1500 16th Street (about a mile). If you can join the walk, please plan also to join us for a 4 p.m. service at Foundry UMC.

Thanks from SSIHC and the Duroncelays

At their annual meeting on May 18, 2006, SSIHC presented Christ Congregational Church with a plaque that states, “With Thanks from the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition for your blessed response to families from the Katrina disaster.” Accepting the plaque on behalf of the many, many CCC members who provided assistance to the Duroncelays were Holly Brooks, co-chair of the Board for Social Witness, Ted Foster, member of the BSW and CCC representative to SSIHC, and Paul Holmes, CCC member and 2nd Vice President of SSIHC.
We were also able to visit with the Duroncelays and find out how they are doing. Greg is awaiting news about a new job. Kian is preparing to enter school to become a nurse. Michael, Greg’s younger brother, is studying for his final exams, after which he plans to move to Houston to live with his mother and grandmother. Greg and Kian plan to stay in the area and once again expressed their thanks for all that CCC has done for them.

Senior News

Senior Adults: Lunch and movie!

Let’s beat the heat by gathering at church on Wednesday, July 26th at 12:00 noon. Bring your own lunch – iced tea and cookies will be provided. After eating together, we will carpool to downtown Silver Spring for a movie matinee. Please sign up on the bulletin board in the foyer or call Mable Elliott at 301-622-3174. (Because we will not know the movie or the precise showing time until July 24t,h it is important that we have your phone number so we can call you with the name of the movie we’ll be seeing. If it is a movie you have already seen or don’t wish to see, you can opt not to go when we phone you with the details.) Questions? Call Sarah Anders 301-424-3339.

An Invitation to Senior Adults

Summer is often a too quiet time for many of us. Would you like to stop by for coffee and a chat on a lazy summer's morning? I'm hosting a coffee for the seniors of the church. Gather in the Conference Room on Thursday, August 17th from 10:00 to noon. Please R.S.V.P. 301-942-8883 (Terry Strand's home number.) See you there.

SILENT AUCTION – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2006

The Seniors of CCC are planning a Silent Auction with bidding that will end during a final evening event on Saturday, November 11th. The focus of the effort is to raise monies for the building fund to be used either to pay down debt or as a reserve for roof repairs that Trustees have indicated will be necessary in the next few years. We are asking all members of CCC to consider how they can support this venture by providing services or items to be included in the auction. A busy team of helpers will approach individuals to find creative ways to help in the project. Please be generous with your time and resources to make this a very successful event.

We will be keeping you advised as plans progress to make this a very special fun event. If you have questions or suggestions to help, please contact either Neville & Audrey Platt (301) 879 9772 (nevaudpl@aol.com) or Sarah Anders (301) 424 3339 (sarahanders@atlantech.net).

News Notes Deadline

Deadline for the next News Notes is Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at 5:00 PM.
Send copy to Jackie Walters at jjwalters.SilverSpring@verizon.net, phone (301) 565-3197, or place copy in News Notes box in the church office.

CCC Staff

The Rev. James A. Todhunter, Senior Minister; The Rev. Sandra K. Dodson, Associate Minister; Nae Pearson, Director of Music