Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

Covering August 23, 2009 to September 5, 2009

Have a Minute?

It’s been quiet in the office!  Unusual for Rock Spring.  But, then again, it is August after all.  Interstate 270, that parking lot of a highway during rush hours, seems almost empty as I breeze from Germantown to Arlington.  It’s August.  It’s vacation time.  Time for recreation.  When this issue of Rock Spring News hits email boxes, the webpage and print, I will be on vacation–recreation with my family.  Vacations can sometimes end up being exhausting.  But hopefully they are times of rest and recreation.

Recreation.  That’s an intriguing word.  On the one hand, it connotes images of team-sports, barbecues in the park, and playgrounds.  “Recreation centers.”  Indeed, our first week of vacation is in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley near Harrisonburg.  We spend time at Massanutten where there all kinds of recreation activities from horseback riding, to canoeing along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, to hiking the ridge of Massanutten Mountain, to swimming pools and golf courses.  Or one can enjoy a good book in the woods surrounded only by the sounds of scampering squirrels and leaves dancing together in thebreeeze.

On the other hand, recreation is re-creation.  It connotes the mystery of life as a gift.  Life is not earned, made, forged, or fabricated.  It is created.  Far beyond the noise of sports stadiums, picnic arenas, and laughing playgrounds, recreation is renewal.  Recreation is being born again.  “Come apart and rest awhile,” Jesus invites the disciples after a successful yet arduous mission journey (Mark 6:31 KJV).  Recreation.  Come apart and rest before you come apart at the seams!  Rest takes discipline.  It takes an intentional decision to let-go of making a living, in order to find life, the kind of life that is a simple gift.

Recreation re-counts the days of creation.  Creation, according to Genesis 1, doesn’t come from nothing.  All the elements are already there.  But the elements are in chaos and utter disarray.  Then God speaks.  Disorder yields to order.  Light emerges from night.  Land breaks through the sea.  The earth opens to allow vegetation to sprout.  On and on Creation goes until from the chaos life teems and humans find their home.  And what completes creation?  On the seventh day God rests from all the work of creating.  And God blesses the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3).  The final act of Creation is blessing that emerges from rest.  That is recreation!

So, whether you’re with me now on vacation, have already taken your rest, or will very soon, my prayerful wish is that your vacation is recreation, your recreation is rest, and your rest yields the divine blessing of being born again for a new day and new season that lies before us.  May your recreation be re-creation!

Peace,

Doug

News and Notes

Joys and Concerns

We keep Dick and Elva Merrell in prayer this summer for Dick’s coping with cancer and treatment. Prayers of thanks are offered for the successful emergency appendectomy that Sam Radelet underwent recently in Michigan, where he is preparing to attend college. Prayers are requested for Greg Hessler, the brother of Carrie Hessler Radelet, who has just been admitted to the Mayo Clinic for urgent treatment for adrenal failure.

A Thank You from Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

Margaret Sessa-Hawkins returned to Malawi, Africa, with a bountiful collection of school supplies. Margaret plans to help the girls of the school set-up a little business selling school supplies that will provide them with a small income to purchase necessities for their new school year.  Thank you, everyone who gave so generously!   And best wishes to Margaret as she commences a new school year.  We’re glad that she was able to be home for a visit this summer!

Office Staff Changes

We are pleased to welcome Ellen Flores as Rock Spring’s new Communications Administrative Assistant.  In this part-time position, Ellen provides 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 works under the supervision of Acting Office Manager Lisa Mikell.

We said farewell to Audrey King who 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 parents, 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.

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.

What’s Happening In Our Interim Time

Search Committee Update

The Senior Pastor Search Committee sincerely appreciates the thoughtful and comprehensive comments it has received from the Congregation.  The committee has collected and analyzed these comments and done its best to reflect the collective voice of the Congregation in the final Church Profile.  Please understand that not all comments could be incorporated and that we are somewhat restricted by the format of the profile.  Many of the comments received will be useful in future stages of this process, but are not included in the profile.

The Search Committee intends to provide a final profile to Council for their approval in the next 2 weeks.  Once approved, the final Church Profile will be made available to the congregation. At that point, the Search Committee will begin Phase 2 of the process where we seek and review candidates.

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 Slagenweit-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).

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!

Calling all Rock Springers!  Are you or a family member interested in participating in Sunday services as a Lay Reader/Liturgist?

The Deacons are looking for volunteers to participate in Sunday services for the 2009 to 2010 year.  We are looking for Lay Readers/Liturgists of all ages, from youth to senior citizens.  Maybe you’ve never been a Lay Reader/Liturgist but have always wondered how someone gets such a cool duty in church.  Well now’s your chance.  You don’t need to be an expert in the Bible, or even very familiar with it.  Each Sunday one of our pastors will pick the liturgy and readings, and as the volunteer Lay Reader/Liturgist you will help to lead the service.  With 92 Sunday services (two each Sunday during the 12 weeks of summer we only have one service) this is an opportunity for lots of Rock Springers to participate.  We are seeking volunteer Lay Readers/Liturgists for the weeks beginning Sunday November 1, 2009.  If you are interested, after either the 9am or 11am service on September 13 meet Pastor Doug Griffin and Deacon Mark Buchholz in the pulpit-side transept.  We’ll have a short introduction to being a Lay Reader/Liturgist and an opportunity to sign up.  In the meantime if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Deacon Mark Buchholz.

Social Action Board News

V.O.I.C.E. Has Spoken

On Monday, July 20, nineteen members from Rock Spring gathered with over 1100 members from Northern Virginia Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations to present our collective commitment to key social issues to Governor Tim Kaine and representatives of Senator Webb and Senator Warner.  The meeting was called by Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (V.O.I.C.E.), a year old organization that now counts forty five congregations as full members. The overflow meeting at T.C. Williams High School dramatized the human cost of:

● denying access to dental care to low income adults; and

● substantial and burdensome delays in processing citizenship and permanent residency applications by the U.S. Immigration Service.

Christian and Muslim congregation members shared personal examples of job loss due to severe dental problems and an Egyptian woman raising three children in the United States was advised by her lawyer not to return to Cairo for the funeral of a son she had not seen in a decade because he feared that she might refused re-entry (because of where she was in the immigration process).

Governor Kaine pledged to include initial funding in the next Virginia bi-ennial budget and acknowledged without V.O.I.C.E.’s advocacy expanding dental care for low income adults “was not on my radar.” The senators’ representatives both pledged to work on these issues, as well, including meetings with immigration officials.

A number of Rock Spring members and friends, representing a cross section, see V.O.I.C.E. as an opportunity to engage our congregation and our people in an interfaith organization that has earned the respect and response from leaders at the local, state and national levels.  We will be sharing our enthusiasm and seeking out congregational response as we consider exploratory membership this Fall.

V.O.I.C.E. CoreTeam:  Rose Mary Garcia, Joe Kelly, Megan Fletcher, Anne Koprince, and Hamilton Brown (others welcome)

Green Tip:

Taking a five-minute shower will conserve energy, money and water (potentially thousands of gallons per year).  To help you stick to five minutes, set a kitchen or hourglass timer in the bathroom.  You also can purchase a timer that attaches to the wall of your shower from a San Diego company, Coast Molding Inc., which is selling the shower timer for $7.99 at Shortershower.com.  Try it!  Brought to you by Rock Spring’s Eco-Justice Committee.  

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.