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CCC NewsNotes A Just Peace & Open and Affirming Church
CCC Begins Transition Planning Following Retirement Announcement “God speaks through the congregation -- after a lot of process and paperwork,” said the Rev. Kwame Osei Reed, Potomac Association minister, at the end of a town hall meeting on July 16. Kwame and Rev. John Deckenback, UCC Central Atlantic Conference minister, reviewed the denomination’s recommended process for the transition that began with Jim’s announcement of his retirement and that will culminate when CCC calls a new senior pastor. They asserted:
In response to questions about the need for an interim and the process for getting one, John and Kwame explained that today’s interim ministers are specialists, trained to help a congregation through a necessary transition time and to prepare the way for a new pastor. Regardless of the reason for a senior pastor’s departure, a church needs time to process that departure and to prepare itself for a new senior pastor. Under no circumstances are interims candidates for the permanent position, largely because such candidacy weakens the mission of the interim ministry, which can last from 1-2 years. Through a strategic planning process, which begins at CCC in September, a congregation will establish goals for the interim minister. There are key differences between the process for hiring an interim and that for calling a senior pastor. For the interim, the Association and Conference will identify qualified candidates for review and selection by a small search committee. The search committee will present its recommendation to the Executive Council, which, after accepting the recommendation, will request the Board of Trustees to hire the minister under contract. For the new senior pastor, CCC will form a larger search committee, prepare a new profile of the Church, and conduct a national search. A handbook prepared by the United Church of Christ will guide the committee’s work, as will CCC’s strategic plan. When the committee has a candidate to recommend to the congregation, there is a process for introducing and presenting the candidate before members vote whether to call the candidate to be CCC’s senior minister. In the next year, the congregation will also work alongside Jim, helping him to end his ministry on a strong and positive note, celebrating the many successes of his ministry at CCC, and saying good-bye to him and Lois. Strategic Planning Needs You! -- From the Moderator We’re beginning a few years of transition with Jim’s announcement of his retirement. His last Sunday will be July 29, 2007. After a 12-18-month interim, likely beginning in September 2007, CCC will call a new senior minister. Before any of these events happen, however, we will embark on an inclusive, intensive strategic planning process. By December, we will have decided collectively on a clear and specific direction for the next 5-10 years. The way we conduct the strategic planning process and the thoroughness of our closure with Jim will determine the strength and vitality of our faith community as we move forward. Your active engagement and participation throughout the fall is crucial. An every-member effort will enrich us spiritually and bring each of us a deeper understanding of our congregation. Everyone has a contribution to make! On this journey, you will talk, listen, reflect, write, play, reminisce, dream, share meals and hospitality, join hands, pray, discern, argue, compromise, laugh, cry, talk, listen . . . . This journey will unite us in a new covenant of vision and purpose. Here’s why we need you:
The Strategic Planning Task Force will work with Roy to insure an inclusive, thorough process; to collect, collate and disseminate data from group discussions; to communicate with the congregation; and to prepare a final report for adoption by the membership. NEW! - 5 P.M. Sunday Worship God’s spirit is leading and we are saying yes! The Worship Committee of the Board of Deacons announces a new Sunday worship opportunity beginning September 10 in the Sanctuary. Sandy Dodson and Nae Pearson, accompanied by youth and adult leaders, will facilitate the service which will reflect familiar components of worship with changing modes of expression, including diverse musical styles, silent and spoken prayer, drama and the visual arts. This new service seeks to include any one and everyone desiring to enter into a creative arts-filled worship experience. After seeking input from youth and adults, the Worship Committee desired to provide an additional style of worship, recognizing that God speaks to us in a multitude of ways through a multitude of mediums. Early Sunday evening hour may also be helpful for those times when Sunday morning directs you other places. Communion will be celebrated the same Sundays as the 10:30 service. Come and experience what new thing Christ is doing at Christ Congregational Church!
Chancel Choir Retreat News!....New Members Invited! When: Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9 The 5:00 p.m. worship experience that begins on Sunday, September 10 in the sanctuary will be an intergenerational celebration for everyone. All are invited! As we explore the many ways to worship, to praise, and to give thanks to our creator God, we will use music, drama, dance, scripture, prayer and contemporary styles of music. If you are an instrumentalist (especially drums, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, flute, keyboard players, tambourines....you name it!) and feel called to join with others as we seek ways to create "joyful noise!".... contact Nae Pearson at 301-585-8010 or by e-mail at Holymusic@aol.com.
CALLED TO CARE TRAINING SET FOR SEPTEMBER 23rd If you have never served as a CCC Care-Giver, I invite you to consider becoming one at this pivotal moment in CCC’s history. Over the years at CCC, especially at times of important transition in our congregation, CCC Care-Givers (and the Stephen Ministers before them) have played a vitally important role in the pastoral care of the CCC family. On Saturday, September 23rd, “Called To Care” training will be offered in the Conference Room. The training is designed to benefit both new Care-Givers and returning ones. Former Care-Givers and Stephen Ministers are invited to “re-up”! The program will include such topics as listening skills, sharing one’s faith, categories of care-giving, and an orientation to the practical logistics of the program. Coffee, etc. in the morning, as well as a light lunch will be provided. Your commitment that day is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm. If you plan to take part in the training on September 23rd, please be in touch directly with Susan Gray in the office, or speak to Bud Dennie or me directly. Blessings – Jim Youth Ministry is the response of a faith community to the needs of young people. It involves the entire congregation in encouraging kids to identify and share their unique gifts with one another, the church and the world. Dynamic Youth Ministry fosters empowerment, participation and spiritual growth. While it is often identified with programs -- Sunday youth nights, retreats, camp, service projects and Y-GELI are worthy programs in which youth ministry can happen, Youth Ministry pervades every aspect of church life when a faith community is fully committed. Ministry for and with youth happens when we gather for worship. It happens through our church budget priorities. It happens when our relationship circles include youth. We do youth ministry when we respond to the needs and gifts of kids. Youth Ministry involves everyone, from infants to nonagenarians! Y-GELI (Youth Global Experiential Learning Initiative), a collaborative endeavor among 3 UCC churches, has been part of our youth program since 2003. Our Y-GELI leadership team has decided that it is time to withdraw from that collaboration so we can enable all CCC youth to discover the benefits of personally engaging with the national and global world in a faith context. We give thanks for the impact this program has had in the lives of adults and young people at CCC and the values it embodied, and we look forward to building upon several ingredients of the Y-GELI model! We will celebrate Y-GELI and hear from this summer’s participants at the 10 AM service August 27. Letting go of Y-GELI is part of a natural ebb and flow of programs, participants, circumstances and need. As more families come to CCC, we need to develop a variety of options open to all youth. Such as … learning more about homelessness in DC through a Potomac Association Youth in Mission Day November 4; re-engaging with local initiatives that advocate for justice; traveling to NYC for a Nightwatch at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine; joining Outward Bound this summer for a wilderness expedition in urban Baltimore; helping build a Habitat for Humanity house or working alongside other UCC partners in areas of need; attending the youth component of the UCC General Synod in Connecticut; traveling abroad to serve and learn. We do not want for opportunity! Now we need volunteers from throughout the congregation to help plan and accompany youth in our diverse adventuring. All youth and adults of all ages are invited to a youth ministry program brainstorming meeting following the 10:30 service, September 17. Let’s decide together what we would like to do in Youth Ministry at CCC. Blood Drive Sunday, August 27 – 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Social Hall. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE for an appointment or sign up on the bulletin board in the lobby. Can’t donate? Volunteer! Call Dick Meyer (301-445-1866) if you can give an hour as a receptionist or canteen host/hostess. ~~ a cooperative program for families with children conceived and started in 1989 by Glenda Neal, a specialist in early childhood education and former pre-school director. The program has run continuously since then on the third Friday of every month. Glenda and Cory Gray oversee an evening of outdoor (weather permitting) and indoor play, games, snacks, and movies. In 2005-06, an average of 18 children from 16 families, representing CCC members and neighborhood homes, participated in the program, which runs from 6:30- 10 p.m. Parents contribute movies and healthy snacks and, when needed, take their turn helping for an evening. The goal of Parents’ Night Out is to support families who could benefit from adult-only time without feeling as if they are leaving their children behind one more time. Commenting on her 17-year volunteer commitment to PNO, Glenda said she is “constantly learning from the kids” because their imaginations and personalities shape their play and their time together. Senior Adults Sponsor All-Church Auction Benefiting Building Fund For a good cause, would you (a) make a donation, (b) enjoy live (& lively) music, (c) have fun with your friends, (d) spend some money, (e) all of the above? If the answer is (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e), CCC’s Silent Auction on Saturday, Nov. 11 is for you. Sponsored by CCC’s Senior Adults, the Auction will benefit the Building Fund. CCC’s own Big Band will play for the event in the Social Hall. Auction items will be as varied as the imaginations, interests, and talents of the donors. Including – and not limited to – works of art, crafts, services (carpentry, knife-sharpening, electrical work, cooking, baking, babysitting, etc.), an hour of service or instruction (computers, scrapbooking, calligraphy, etc.), vacation weeks, gift certificates, themed baskets, furnishings & decorative arts, theatre tickets, gift certificates, food & wine, etc., etc. Can’t imagine what you’d donate? Consider asking your favorite local restaurant or business establishment to donate a gift certificate, product or service. Why would a local business want to donate to CCC? We’ve been in the Silver Spring neighborhood for more than 60 years. When the time came to stay & renovate or sell and move, we stayed in Silver Spring and renovated. Our staff and our members are active in the community, we patronize local establishments, and we support neighborhood, civic organizations, local non-profits, and businesses with our building, our time, and our money. Contributing businesses will be featured in the auction brochure and on the publicity for their donated items. Asking is free, and you might get a “yes”! As an added bonus, donors may claim a fair market value tax write-off for some donations (consult IRS Pub. 526: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf.) To make a donation, to volunteer (all ages welcome! – auctions are fun!) or for more information, contact Sarah Anders, Mable Elliott, Audrey & Neville Platt, or Jeanne Young. tAnd save the date (Nov. 11) and invite your friends and neighbors!
CCC Workday, Saturday, August 5 – Volunteers weeded and mulched gardens around the church, rerouted a downspout,, coated the chiller fence with preservative, checked lamps and ballasts in the parking lot lights, replaced light bulbs in the Sanctuary, cleaned and patched Conference Room chairs, and cleaned the nursery. Audrey & Neville Platt provided lunch for volunteers Toko and Dave Ackerman, Jean and Randy Caswell, Ben Gallup, Cory Gray, Helen Hanes, Dick Meyer, Ruth and Bill rindle, and Sonia Subaran. Thanks to all who turned out and worked so hard! Building & Grounds Sun. 3 – First Sunday Potluck – Brunch following 10 a.m. service. CCC is hosting Cross Walk America participants – extra food and enthusiastic participation needed! Bring dishes to Social Hall kitchen before worship. Sign up on Church Life Bulletin Board outside 1st floor kitchenette. Contact Glenda Neal (301-622-3948 or gbneal1958@earthlink.net) 5: Tues., 10:30 a.m. – Senior Adults Committee – ALL Seniors Welcome! Agenda: Silent Auction Fri 8 -- Twilight Dance CCC's Big Band will play at Schweinhaut Senior Center,1000 Forest Glen Road, 6:30 to 8:30 PM - Hit tunes of the 30's and 40's! A modest entrance fee gets you in. Fri. & Sat. 8 & 9 – Choir Retreat (see article under Notes) Sun. 10 – FALL SCHEDULE RESUMES: Adult Ed (2 classes, 9 a.m.); Worship – 9 & 10:30 & 5 p.m.; EveningYouth Groups + HISTORICAL REFLECTION EVENING Wed., 13, noon – CCCers at Leisure World lunch. Fri. 15 – Parents’ Night Out – 6:30 – 10 p.m. –Sign up on Church Life bulletin board outside first floor kitchenette. Contact Glenda Neal (301-622-3948 or gbneal1958@earthlink.net) Sun. 17 – Sisters for Sisters in the Conference Room at noon. Please bring your sandwich. Hostesses: Ruth Haigh and June Leonard. For all single women. Wed., 20 – 11:30 a.m. – Senior Adults – Brown Bag Lunch & Movie Sun. 24 – Bethesda Chamber Singers – 3:30 p.m. – Free concert of sacred, a cappella music, including Shaker songs, spirituals and pieces by Tallis, Morley, Bach, Billings & others. Proceeds of a free-will offering will be donated to CCC.
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