Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

Covering August 9, 2009 to August 22, 2009

This just in from the Associated Press:

Utah boy goes for spin to avoid church: 7-year-old leads officers on a chase; dad told to keep keys safe

PLAIN CITY, Utah Wed., July 29, 2009 – Police in Utah say a 7-year-old boy led officers on a car chase in an effort to avoid going to church.

Dispatchers received reports of a child driving recklessly on Sunday morning. Weber County Sheriff’s Capt. Klint Anderson says one witness said the boy drove through a stop sign.

Anderson says two deputies caught up with the boy and tried unsuccessfully to stop the Dodge Intrepid in an area about 45 miles north of Salt Lake City. The car reached 40 mph before the boy stopped in a driveway and ran inside a home.

Anderson says when the boy’s father later confronted him, the boy said he didn’t want to go to church. The boy is too young to prosecute and no citations were issued, although police did urge the father to make his car keys more inaccessible to children.

Now, I know it’s late in the summer, and there’re many things that can distract us from our spiritual life, but let’s not get to such extremes.

Right now, I am enjoying a brief Study Leave before starting my summer vacation.  Folks always ask me, “What do you do on a Study Leave?”  It is a strange duck, though a time-honored moment in ministry.  It is a time for planning, reading, mental aerobics, and scheduling.  Each year, I spend my summer Study Leave reading the Sunday School curriculum for the coming year.  This year, it came to a tangible moment, when the Pre-Kindergarten CD-Rom contained the Senior High lesson plans.  Yes, always good to preview!

Once the reading is done, the planning starts in earnest.  Here’s a teaser for the new offerings for adults beginning this fall.  Two year-long gatherings will start right when we get back.  “Into the Spirit,” a journey in faith and practice will begin in October.  Also, a new offering from the folks at Living the Questions called “First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God” will kick off with every-other-week sessions in September.

Over the course of the year, we’ll also be offering several “short group” offering, lasting 4-6 weeks in a row.  We’re working on matching the topics to the feedback we’ve received over the last year.  We’re working on a special gathering for parents with young children (childcare provided, of course!).  There’re plans being made for a “OWL 101: Our Whole Lives for the Rest of Us,” so we can better understand the program.  There’s talk of “Faith and Finance,” bridging two important parts of our walk with God.  And more to come!  Please, if you have an idea or a need, send a note to the Board of Christian Education.

Yes, planning is good.  We are an active congregation with a lot going on.  But rest and Sabbath time are good, too.  Time for travel, time with friends, time with family–just relaxing with a lemonade and a good book-these are good plans, too.  Before summer becomes autumn, I hope you too are able to find moments to re-energize yourself.  And when we all gather back in September, we can share in the joy of coming home to our family in faith.  We’ll have fun this program year.  Plan on it!

Pastor Hank will return from Study Leave and Vacation on August 17.

News and Notes

Joys and Concerns

We keep Dick and Elva Merrell in prayer this summer for Dick’s coping with cancer and treatment.

Doug Griffin reports that his brother, Dane, received very happy news.  The biopsies returned “negative” results, meaning that he is cancer-free.  He will go back to routine checks periodically.  The family thanks you for your prayerful expressions of concern.

Please hold Stephanie Arnold and her family in prayer.  Her uncle, David Briggs, died suddenly on July 29.  Mr. Briggs was the brother of Stephanie’s mother. We extend our deepest sympathy to Stephanie and her family.

In Memoriam

We grieve the death of Jim Mayer on Friday, July 31, after a courageous bout with cancer.  He was surrounded by family as he drew his last breath.  Please keep Marjie and their three children and their families in your prayers.  A memorial service to celebrate his life will be conducted on Saturday, August 15, at 11 a.m. in the church with reception to follow in the Saegmuller Room.

One of Jim’s labors of love was being very involved in the planning of the Energerium (energy focused nature center) at Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington. Accordingly, the family requests that in lieu of flowers donations may be made to a special fund in Jim’s name.  This fund will be used to develop the next phase of the energy education efforts at Potomac Overlook. Please, make checks payable to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Foundation, at 5400 Ox Road, Fairfax Station VA  22039, and note on the memo line of the check that it is for the “Jim Mayer Fund.”

Lou Per-Lee Memorial Service:  We continue to keep the Per-Lee family in our prayers for the recent loss of Lou Per-Lee, a member of Rock Spring since 1953.  Lou’s memorial service will be held at Rock Spring on Wednesday, August 19 at 3:00 PM.  All are invited.

We were saddened by the sudden death of Rev. Don Britton at home, July 23.  A memorial service to celebrate his life will be at the church on Saturday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m.

We hold Myra and their children Bruce and Barrie and their families in our fondest, loving prayers of support and sympathy.

Office Staff Changes

We are pleased to welcome Ellen Flores as Rock Spring’s new Communications Administrative Assistant.  In this part-time position, Ellen will be providing administrative support focused on internal and external communications, including producing the Rock Spring News and weekly bulletin, updating the church web site (including podcasts of our services), answering phones and providing general clerical support to the church staff.  Ellen is a graduate of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, where she majored in Communications with a minor in Management Information Systems.  She will work under the supervision of Acting Office Manager Lisa Mikell.

After Ellen’s arrival the week of August 10th, we will say farewell to Audrey King who has served as our temporary Administrative Assistant.  Audrey has been a delightful presence in our office, and we wish her Godspeed.

Meals on Wheels Volunteers

Seeking substitute volunteers for Meals on Wheels.  On the first and third Fridays of each month, Rock Springers deliver meals to people in need in the Arlington community.  While we are truly blessed with a wonderful group of “regulars,” there is always a need for back-up volunteers who can fill in (sometimes at the last minute) when someone is on vacation, becomes ill, etc.  This is a great opportunity for stay-at-home moms, those between jobs, retirees and anyone else who seeks a fun and rewarding way to give back to their community.  Time commitment is usually no more than 1 – 1 1/2 hours.  For more information contact: Karen Barberie.

Used Van Needed

Rev. Carolyn Richar, Associate Minister of Bethel UCC wants to purchase a used van for The Church of God Clinic in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador.

They want to buy a van to drive down to El Salvador to equip a mobile clinic in the outlying areas where there is no health care available at all.  If you can help please call Rev. Richar at 703-392-6707.

This is a project of our Board of Stewardship.

AFAC Bagging Opportunity

Rock Spring has actively supported AFAC since its inception.  One of the vital tasks has been our bimonthly bagging team.   This is the job of loading a set of canned food into paper bags for distribution.  With the recent retirement of stalwarts Don and Sharon Hall, new team members are needed.  Rock Spring’s bagging time is 6:30 Friday night, the third Friday of even months (six times a year).  The next bagging will be Friday, August 21 (October 16 & December 18).  Please contact John, Robin or Warren Overholt if interested in helping with bagging either this month or in the future.

Donate School Supplies for Malawi

Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, a child of Rock Spring, is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi in Africa.  She is teaching at the Lura Community Day Secondary School. The school and the children have many needs, including school supplies.  Margaret is on home leave this August and would like to carry back school supplies when she returns to Lura.   If you have old school supplies lying around, the Lura school could use them.  Margaret is particularly interested in collecting pens, pencils, schoolbags, notebooks and calculators for the Lura school  A yellow bin (that looks remarkably like an Arlington recycling bin) with a list of needed school supplies will be in the Saegmuller room until mid-August for anyone who wishes to donate.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Margaret at mas3qt@gmail.com If you would like to follow Margaret’s life and experiences in Malawi, she has a blog at: Margaretinmalawi.blogspot.com

Mini Mission Trip

Join John & Robin Overholt for a return visit to Almost Heaven Habitat For Humanity Workcamp, site of this summer’s Youth Mission trip.

We plan to work there Monday,  August 31, Tuesday, September 1 & Wednesday, September 2.  We think we will be doing final finish work on the 6 houses in progress when we were there in June.  It is possible that we would work at a new site that will just be getting started.

Cost: $15 registration fee plus $30 per day materials fee.  We are responsible for our own food.

Contact John, Robin or Hank for more information.  Email is the best way to reach us.

Teachers Needed

The Board of Christian Education is seeking teachers for the 2009-2010 school year. Please let us know if you are interested in teaching by emailing christianed@rockspringucc.org.

Parish House Update

The big news is the House itself is ready!  A fresh coat of love has washed over the place.  A heartfelt thank you to Carol George, Bob Clark, Dave Divecha, Christina Fairman, and Judy Johnson for helping to get the house ready.  We hit a couple of snags with emergency and delayed maintenance, but it has all come together!

We’ll have an “official” Welcome Home day for our interns later in the year, but wanted to greet Mike Slagenwiet-Coffman and his husband Tobey, who moved into the House on August 1.  Mollie Landers will join them later in the month, and Doreen Mannion will be commuting from her home in Laurel.  The Parish House Oversight Team and our Interns share in an Orientation Day at Wesley Theological Seminary on August 29.  The Interns will begin in their official capacity after this orientation.

The Parish House internships will be a little different than those we have had in the past.  First, there will be more than one Intern.  Second, these placements are designed for students who are continuing their theological education.  They are serving in a part-time capacity at 10-15 hours per week.  Those who have served as Interns at Rock Spring in the past had completed their training, and chose to take a year of practical full-time training.  This is an important distinction, and honoring this boundary is a mutual covenant.  As Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Speaking of good neighbors, a sentence on etiquette: It has been eighteen months since folks lived in the parsonage.  Now, it is again a home.  Please remember this when you consider parking in the driveway, doing volunteer yard-work without talking to the residents, or picnicking on the lawn (okay, we’ve not seen anyone do that, but you get the idea).

What’s your favorite part of worship? What would you like to see different? and other Questions or Considerations about the services.  Come and be heard!

The Worship Committee has been listening for your thoughts on our Sunday services and would like to share, to hear more about your thoughts and feelings about our Worship Service:  what do you like about our Worship service? What aspects would you like to see changed?  What can we do to make it a more meaningful experience?  The first listening session, on July 26, produced a rich and insightful discussion about our two service format and what is important to you about worship.  The Worship Committee would like to thank everybody who attended, submitted email comments or talked to committee members directly.  The second session will be on Sunday, August 16, in Carpenter Hall at 11:30 (after the 10:00 service).  This session will be more focused on what people like/dislike about our worship service, and brainstorming creative ideas.  The committee plans to use an open discussion format to better understand what Rock Springers find important about Worship.  Coffee will be available.

Also, keep an eye out for a Worship Survey, appearing in your Sunday bulletin soon!

If you want to be heard, plan to attend one of these listening sessions, or email Jason Henderson.

Answering the Call: Come share your ideas about volunteering at Rock Spring!

At the 2009 Rock Spring Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee requested that the Church Council consider whether the current volunteer structure of the church remains compatible with the volunteer resources available, and if not, to recommend any changes that might encourage a greater harmony between the two. A sub-committee was formed to research the issue and a report was presented to Council in June. (The full report is available on the website under Church Council). Since then, the Boards and Council have reviewed the report and made recommendations on ways to move forward. A summary of those recommendations are available on the website under Church Council.

Now it’s time to listen to the Congregation to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please join sub-committee members Donna Moss and Sara Fitzgerald at an all-church listening session. There are two sessions to choose from: Sunday, August 23 or Sunday, September 6, both immediately after the 10:00 service. Grab a cup of coffee and come to Carpenter Hall. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please read the summary report!

Social Action Board News

World Peace Sunday to be observed on August 9 at Rock Spring

A special worship service is being planned by members of the congregation to bring attention to the fervent human desire for world peace.  August 9 was chosen because of its proximity to Hiroshima Day of Remembrance on August 6; and in fact, August 9 is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.  Due to the inspired leadership of one of our newer members, Takako Dickinson, this unique worship service will incorporate an abbreviated demonstration of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

The tea offering that will be done by Ms. Soyu Miyahara, Takako’s teacher, is a form of prayer for world peace.  Nobody drinks the tea she makes on this day, but it will be symbolically shared with the congregation and the larger church family.  By incorporating the tea ceremony into worship, we will be honoring in an appropriate way the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the spirit of peacefulness which infuses the tea ceremony.  A brief introduction at the beginning of the service will explain what you will witness and make the connections between this beautiful Japanese ritual and core values of the Christian faith relating to peace.  Please come and participate in this day of prayer for peace.

Hearts and Hammers – October 3

Reserve Saturday, October 3 to join the Rock Spring Hearts and Hammers team.  Members of all ages and skill levels are invited to join in making improvements that will enable an Arlington homeowner to more safely, affordably and comfortably remain in their residence. In past years, we have installed banisters, grab bars, non-slip stair treads and lighting fixtures; painted interior and exterior walls; repaired decks; and completed landscaping.  We work with Hearts and Hammers (formerly Christmas in April, but now year ’round) to identify worthy projects that match with our skills and number of participants.

Please let us know if you are interested (including family member 14 and older) and identify special skills with dry wall, electrical fixtures, plumbing, etc.  We generally have a morning team and an afternoon team so no need to commit for an entire Saturday.  We will develop a detailed schedule of when, where and what once we select a site.  Contact Hamilton Brown with commitment or questions.