Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

Rock Spring News Vol. 6   No. 01  Covering the month of January 2010

This Month in the Rock Spring News . . .

Prayerful Illumination
The first Sunday in January concludes the Christmas season with our celebration of the Epiphany.  Epiphany is a word that simply means “shining on,” or illuminating, something.  The Sundays in January follow the theme of illumination…   More in the Prayerful Illumination section.

Reality Check on the Rock Spring Budget
Council recently presented a 2010 budget to the Congregation, and the Congregation adopted it as our goal for the year ahead.  The Council’s and the Congregation’s most important consideration in reviewing the budget was, “What are our ministry goals and does this budget reflect them?”… More in Talents and Treasures.

New 9:30 Adult Christian Education Offerings
Green Bible Lenten Study will be a five session Adult Education offering starting the first Sunday of Lent, February 21 through March 21. We’ll be blazing a trail through the recently published “Green Bible,” looking at theology through a “green lens”…  More in the Learning and Fellowship section.

News & Notes

Janet Parker’s Recent Published Article in Sojourners

Check out Janet Parker’s recently published article in the December issue of Sojourners Magazine.  The article, “Perfect Love Casts Out Fear,” is the published version of her keynote address to the Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference in DC last March.  The focus is on the Christian response to climate change.  A display copy of the magazine is available in the Saegmuller room, or you can access the article on the Sojourners website at http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.contents&issue=soj0912.

Men’s Monthly Lunch

The monthly lunch among the guys is for Friday on January 8th at Dominion Restaurant in Chesterbook at noon, which is the prior Corkies Restaurant.  This is the place to say whatever comes to mind in the setting of enjoyable fellowship.  Contact Emory Hackman for further information.

Mark Your Calendars!

Our annual Congregational Meeting will take place after the 11:00 a.m. service on the 24th in Carpenter Hall.

The Singers are coming!  The Singers are coming!

On Saturday January 9th, Rock Spring is excited to be hosting the Catawba College Singers.  A 7:00 p.m. concert is planned as well their participation in the 11:00 a.m. worship service on January 10th.

Catawba College is a liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ in Salisbury, NC.  Pastoral Intern Mollie Landers is an alumna of Catawba College and the Catawba Singers. Directed by Paul E Oakley, a nationally renowned choral conductor and organist, the Catawba Singers are coming off of a solo concert at Carnegie Hall last year.  They have a scheduled performance at the National Cathedral on January 10 and have been invited to sing for the Pope in the Sistine Chapel this May.
We need YOU to host a singer, or two, or four or six!  Have a pull out or an extra double bed?  Then you can host two or more of the Catawba Singers for the night of January 9th.  If you are able to provide hospitality for these young people, please contact Mollie Landers.

A Book Review from the Library Staff…

What better place to discovery the wonderful, new historical novel, The Calligrapher’s Daughter, by Eugenia Kim, than in the Rock Spring Library. This book traces the early twentieth century life of the privileged daughter of an aristocratic calligrapher. Through her we see the struggle between Koreans and their Japanese conquerors, between a centuries old way of life and modernization, between old and new ideas about women in Korean society. Most important for us at Rock Spring, the role of Christianity in Korea emerges for us in the lives of the characters. Did you know, for instance, that “…Korea is the only nation in the world where Christianity first took root without the presence of priests or missionaries, but exclusively as a result of the written word –Bibles, translated into Chinese by Jesuits, that a Korean scholar-official brought home from a diplomatic trip to Beijing in 1631..” ? For me it was a page turner.  — Peggy Greenwood

Recent Library Purchases

Following is a list of recent book purchases by our library (since October.)  This may be useful to those who haven’t had opportunity to read the posted lists or to stroll by the recent book section.  In the interest of limited space, you are free to explore the titles on your own computer. Enjoy!
Blessed Unrest, by Paul Hawken; A Mighty Long Way, Carolotta LaNier; Living with Wildness, Bill Sherwonit; The Pattern in the Carpet, Margaret Drabble; Prisoner of the State, Zhao Ziyang; The Media Relations, Neil MacFarquhar;

Bring me my Machine, Alec Russell; William Clark and the Opening of the West, Landon Jones; Dawn, Dusk, or Night, Yasmina Reza; This child will be Great, Sirleaf Johnson; True Compass, Edward Kennedy.
Sacred Places, Philemon Sturges; The Lost History of Christianity, Philip Jenkins; Enemies of the People, Kati Marton; Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that changed the World, Tom Zoellner; And Here’s the Kicker: Conversatins with 21 Top Humor Writers, Mike Sacks; Otis, Loren Long; True Blue, David Baldacci; Sea of Poppies, Amitav; A Friend of the Family, Lauren Grodstein; Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel; The Museum of Innocence, Orhan Pamuk; Nine Dragons, Michael Connelly; The Water’s Edge, karin Fossum; Risk, Colin Harrison; The Monster in the Box, Ruth Rendell.
(There are recent book donations which may not have been processed yet.)
Anita Cline

Soon-to-be UCC Church in the District Takes Courageous Sand on Marriage Equality

Last week Mayor Fenty signed DC’s Marriage Equality Bill into law.  The pastors of Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ join in grateful relief that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in the District who are in committed relationships, yet have been denied the basic rights of married couples for so long, may now have their relationships recognized by law so that “what God has joined together let no human tear asunder.”
We pray that Congress will find no impediment or excuse to intervene and overturn this new law.  We also wish to recognize a sister church that has been in the forefront of this struggle.  Covenant Baptist Church, which is  joining the Potomac Association as a local church in the United Church of Christ, has offered a courageous witness for marriage equality in the District under the leadership of the Revs. Dennis and Christine Wiley.  You can read about their witness in the recent Washington Post article, “Gay Marriage In Our Black Church”.

Mark Your Calendar for Church Birthday Party in January

Join JFFAL on Saturday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. for our church birthday party. This intergenerational social will include 12 decorated tables—each with a different theme—for each month of the year. Enjoy birthday cake and conversation with other Rock Springers who share your birth month. Please contact Laura Graves if you’d like to help with decorations and/or cake baking.

Markers & Milestones

We celebrate with Troy and Christine Grabow and their son, Kinsley, who was baptized on November 29th.

Condolences are requested for Kathy Krogh, whose father, Glen R. Miller, died peacefully during the night on December 21st.

From the Staff

Staff Vacations

Janet Parker will be in Houston for a belated Christmas vacation with her family January 1-7, and then will be using study leave to attend the Society of Christian Ethics annual meeting in San Jose, CA, January 8-10.  She will be back in the office on Monday, January 11.

Doug Griffin will be on vacation with family in Florida January 29-February 5.

A Thank You From…

Su and I return our warmest thanks and deep gratitude to the Rock Spring family for all the cards and personal expressions of support we have received in the wake of the news that my brother Dane has a grave recurrence of metastatic cancer.  It is a genuine comfort to know that we are held in prayerful affection as we endure this unsettling and so terribly sad time.  Sincerely, Doug Griffin.

Prayerful Illumination

Epiphany Season

Epiphany Times Three by Kathrin Burleson Watercolor, 2007, 8" x 10"

The first Sunday in January concludes the Christmas season with our celebration of the Epiphany.  On this day we rehearse the story from Matthew about the Magi from the East who “saw the light” and followed the star to Bethlehem.  Epiphany is a word that simply means “shining on,” or illuminating, something.  These seekers and outsiders saw something special that many of the complacent insiders did not.  And they journeyed together following their light.
The Sundays in January follow the theme of illumination.  On January 10 we remember Jesus’ own epiphany at his baptism, when the Spirit rests on him in a special way and drives him into the wilderness to prepare for his ministry.  On the second Sunday after Epiphany our Gospel lesson from John recalls the account of his disciples’ epiphany when Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding feast.  On the following Sundays after Epiphany (also called “Ordinary Time”) the Gospel lessons begin to follow Jesus through his ministry in Galilee, while the Old Testament lessons recount a variety of stories of those who “saw the light” of God.  People encountered God in the temple, hearing Torah, and in dreams, to name just a few ways.  In the New Testament we begin readings from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  Of course, Paul himself encountered his own epiphany that changed him from persecutor to apostle of the Way of Christ.
May this be a time of epiphany for us all!

Community & Society

Celebrating Solidarity in This Spiritual Season

On Sunday, December 13, seven Rock Springers, including Rev. Janet Parker, joined hundreds of Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Jewish members of congregations across Northern Virginia to gather with our Muslim neighbors at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center.  We came together to witness to our common values and our faith in one loving God, and to show our solidarity with the Dar Al-Hijrah community.  The event was organized by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement).  Since the Fort Hood shootings, the Muslim community in general and the Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque specifically have been under increasing scrutiny and provocative attack from some quarters.  Only 25 percent of the mosque’s members recently attended Friday prayer services, out of fear of physical reprisal.    Sunday’s prayer service and the building of personal relationships was a dramatic witness to the bonds that exist among the 45 congregations associated with V.O.I.C.E.  The open invitation to join in Sunday prayer, to learn more about the American Islamic community and to discuss shared concerns went out from clergy representing VOICE members and from Imam Johari and Imam Shaker.  In welcoming many of us who had never worshipped in a mosque before, Imam Johari struck the theme for the evening in saying that we all worship a God who requires love of neighbor and solidarity among people of faith for what is good and just when confronted with violence.After the evening prayer service, we gathered in groups of two or three Muslim and non-Muslim worshippers to connect on a personal level and to ask questions about our respective faith traditions.  For so many of us, this evening is the beginning of new and profound relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Muslim community and the mosque, so that they may worship in peace and security.

Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE)

Are you looking for ways to change our community for the better?  Are you looking to be part of something bigger than what you see in your everyday life?  Do you want to be part of a way to give others a voice?  Rock Spring is exploring a new way to give its friends and members that opportunity through VOICE – Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement.
VOICE is a regional interfaith organization committed to getting results for people in need.  It is a Northern Virginia affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) founded by Saul Alinsky.   Alinsky’s methods of community organizing, built around the development of relationships through one on one meetings, are the same ones a young Barack Obama learned and used to great effect helping people in Chicago.
In 2009, VOICE focused its efforts on expanding access to free dental care for poor adults, on ensuring that affordable housing remains available and kept in good condition, and on getting assistance for legal immigrants trying to navigate our increasingly complex immigration system.   VOICE achieved significant success in each area by committing itself to a set of achievable goals and using both private meetings and public forums to ask political leaders to support those goals and be held accountable.
For the last year, a small group of Rock Springers have been active with VOICE, learning its methods and getting to know its volunteers from other participating congregations.  We also attended three major “action” meetings – moving events where we stood in witness and support of people who told their stories to public officials.  We heard how lack of dental care can lead to a spiral of other health and employment problems.  We heard how our byzantine immigration system kept families apart and others forever a step away from U.S. citizenship.  Above all we stood with these people and told our political leaders that they need to take action.

VOICE offers a means for each of us to get involved and drive our regional political leadership to take action on common issues of social justice – delivering real solutions to members of our community in need.
In November, the Social Action and Stewardship Boards voted to support Rock Spring’s participation as exploratory members with a $2000 donation to VOICE.  Over the next few months, our VOICE core team will be reaching out to members of the congregation to conduct “one on one” meetings.  This bit of the Alinsky model be part of our larger discussion with the congregation about whether to join VOICE as full members.  To learn more about VOICE please contact any member of our core team – Rose Mary Garcia, Joe Kelly, Megan Fletcher or Hamilton Brown.

AFAC News

Virtual Food Drive

Support AFAC (Arlington Food Assistance Center) a new convenient and easy way using their new Virtual Food Drive feature.  Check it out at www.afac.org – Virtual Food Drive.  Non-perishable food donations are still welcomed in the Red barrels.

Learning and Fellowship

Christian Education News and Notes

Happy New Year, and Happy Epiphany!

We return to our regular Sunday School programs on January 3, with Children’s Fellowship Hour  at the 9:00 a.m. hour and classes for Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten-1st Grades, 2nd-3rd Grades, and 4th-5th Grades at the 11:00 hour.
Our Sunday School uses the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum.  For more information on the scope and sequence, the foundations, and the specifics of the curriculum, please visit www.spiritseasons.com.
During Lent (beginning mid-February), there will be a “test” of new curriculum and methods for Sunday School.  Keep an eye on the RSN for more information.
As always, our youngest ones are welcomed by our professional Child Care staff in the Infant and Toddler Nurseries, beginning at 9:00 a.m.  When you drop off your child with our excellent caregivers, you will receive a small vibrate-only “Parent Pager.” Parents, if you are needed by our carevgivers, we’ll “buzz” you to come down tto the Nursery. We hope that the pagers will allow our families with younger children the freedom to share deeper in the life of the congregation.

2010 SH YoRS Summer Mission Experience

Details for this year’s Summer Mission Experience are in the works.  We’ll be returning to Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity-Franklin, WV… and we’ll be bringing friends!  The Youth of Rock Spring will be joined by the youth of United Christian Parish-Reston, VA; Little River UCC-Annandale, VA; and Christ Congregational UCC-Silver Spring, MD for a joint work trip!  We’ve been talking about doing something “bigger” than us for a couple of years, and this is the beginning of that journey.
The organizational meeting for the trip will take place on January 31, 1:00-3:00 p.m.  All Senior High youth are invited to take part.  Please note: there is a limited number of bed spaces reserved per church.  We’ll need to commit our numbers at the 1/31 meeting.  More information will be sent directly to the SH YoRS + families.

Youth of Rock Spring (YoRS)

January brings us into the Winter fun! Check out the Weekly Update Email for the most current information.  If you would like to receive this missive, send an email to YoRS@RockSpringUCC.org
Middle High YoRS meets at 4:30-6:30 p.m., and Senior High YoRS at 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Sunday.  Come share in the fun and fellowship with the Youth of Rock Spring!
MH-YoRS Dates:
1/3/2010      No YoRS-Quarterly Parents Meeting, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Carpenter Hall
1/10/2010    Regular Meeting
1/17/2010     No YoRS- Martin Luther King, Jr.   Holiday Weekend
1/24/2010    Regular Meeting
1/31/2010     Regular Meeting
2/5-7/2010   Family Life Retreat!!

SH-YoRS Dates:
1/3/2010       No YoRS—Quarterly Parents Meeting,  6:30-8:30 p.m. in Carpenter Hall
1/10/2010     Regular Meeting
1/17/2010      Tentative-SH YoRS Ski Weekend  (weather permitting, details coming!)
1/24/2010     Regular Meeting
1/31/2010      Regular Meeting
2/5-7/2010    Family Life Retreat!!

Adult Education and Spirituality Programs

Each year, the Board of Christian Education takes on the task of evaluating the depth and breadth of our educational and fellowship ministries.  Partnering with the Board of Deacons, we seek to provide new ways to deepen our life together in faith, spiritual and personal growth.

9:30 New Adult CE Offerings

We are pleased to begin a new time to join together in study and fellowship.  These offerings will take place on Sunday mornings, 9:30-10:45.  The leadership will vary with partnerships between the Pastoral Team, the Parish House Pastoral Interns, interested Volunteer Leaders, and guest speakers.
These programs will begin in January and continue through the June.  Child care will be provided through out Nurseries and Children’s Music and Fellowship Hour.
1/10-31 Our Whole Lives (OWL) for the Rest of Us
Four sessions for adults introducing the depth of the “Our Whole Lives / Sexuality and our Faith” program.  These sessions will be lead by our OWL Team and Leaders, to share the program with the adult members, friends, and community of Rock Spring.

02/21 – 03/21 Green Bible Lenten Study
We’ll be blazing a trail through the recently published “Green Bible,” looking at theology through a “green lens,” Led by Pastoral Intern, Mollie Landers and sponsored by the Eco-Justice Committee.

Exploring the themes of finding God in and through Creation, being connected to Creation, how Creation Care is justice, how Creation is harmed by human sin, and how the all Creation is part of God’s redemption.
Join this time of discovering God’s Creation in new ways, using the Green Bible, essays, and the arts

Into the Spirit! Returns.  Save These Dates!

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. Sessions:
Into the Spirit explores traditions of Christian spiritual practice and how they might apply in our congregational setting and in our personal lives.  Led by Dick Metzger and Barbara Kinney.  All meetings are to take place in the Peace Room.

Sunday, February 7:    Into the Spirit
Sunday, March 7:         Into the Spirit
Sunday, May 2:             Into the Spirit
Sunday, June 6:            Into the Spirit

Living the Questions Returns to Rock Spring!

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. Sessions:
The First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God program is a series produced by Living the Questions organization and featuring Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan on video and with written material by Crossan.  The program begins by setting Jesus in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context, and works toward addressing Crossan’s four vital questions:  What is the character of your God?, What is the content of your faith?, What is the purpose of your worship?, What is the function of you community?  Led by Dwight Rodgers who can be contacted via e-mail for further information.
Sunday, January 10:
    First Light 7
Sunday, January 24:
    First Light 8:  Substitutionary Atonement
Sunday, January 31:
     Alternative date for Substitutionary Atonement
Sunday, February 14:
   First Light 9:  Demonstrations in Jerusalem
Sunday, February 28:
   First Light 10:  The Crowd and the Crucifixion
Sunday, March 14:
        First Light 11:  Resurrection as Resistance

Sunday, March 28:
        First Light 12

Sunday, April 4th:
          No Classes, Easter

Eco Justice Committee News

Eco-Justice Meeting

Eco-Justice Committee will meet January 13, 7:30 p.m. in the Peace Room.  All are welcome.  We will be getting ready for our celebration lunch and our Lenten Carbon Challenge and need lots of input.

Green bible Lenten Study

Learn about this upcoming Adult Ed. offering in the Christian Education News and Notes.

Free Lunch!

Yes, there really is a free lunch. Come on January 31 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Carpenter Hall and enjoy a delicious vegetarian lunch hosted by the Eco-Justice Committee in celebration of four years of Earth Day Services, Fall Harvest festivals, Lenten offerings, the AFAC garden, and other initiatives of the committee.  Volunteers who participated in any of the Eco-Justice Committee’s projects will be thanked for their service.  Watch our silent slide show as you enjoy the vegetarian fare and good fellowship.  Mark your calendars now for January 31, and no, that’s NOT Super Bowl Sunday.

Caring For Each Other

Children of Aging Parents Support Time

A growing number of Rock Springers are wrestling with how best to help their aging parents, particularly those with health issues, whether they live in Northern Virginia or farther away. The Caring Ministry is sponsoring an informal gathering at 7:30 p.m. on  Tuesday January 19 in the Saegmuller Room to provide an opportunity to share experiences and resources with each other. Persons who have dealt with these issues in the past are also encouraged to attend and share their lessons learned. The session will be facilitated by Sara Fitzgerald. If you are interested in this discussion, but will be unable to attend that night, please contact Sara.

Next Caring Ministry Training Session

The next training opportunity for caring ministry visitation volunteers will be held on Saturday, January 30th, from 9:30 to noon.  Rev. Diana Gomez de Molina, Chaplain at NIH, will speak to us and lead a discussion on caring for people in the last stages of life.  We also will provide an opportunity for volunteers to talk about their experiences of visiting Rock Springers who have since passed away.

Talents & Treasures

Reality Check on the Rock Spring Budget

Council recently presented a 2010 budget to the Congregation, and the Congregation adopted it as our goal for the year ahead.  The Council’s and the Congregation’s most important consideration in reviewing the budget was, “What are our ministry goals and does this budget reflect them?”
The 2010 goals budget comprises $958,618 in total expenses. Most line items were “flat-lined” (no increases), but the overall budget calls for a 5.4% increase (it is a 3.17% increase in operating budget). There are two main reasons for the increase: pastoral search expenses and the 2% increase in benevolences to 21.69%; without those, the increase would be only 1.73% overall or a 1.18% increase in operating budget.

If, like me, you have ever wondered how Rock Spring’s finances stack up against other churches’, or if our annual budget is reasonable, and by what standards, then you might be interested in the points below. Bear in mind that there are not very many comprehensive sources of data about U.S. churches’ finances and churchgoers’ giving patterns (and those that exist certainly pre-date the past year’s financial crises). Also, note that churches vary widely so averages may not be representative and comparisons would never be perfect (data include mega-churches, small non- or inter-denominational stand-alones, strongly centralized denominations, weaker or less structured denominations, etc.).  All that said, the data about Rock Spring point to our financial health and generosity — for which the Giving Campaign team says, of course, “Thank you!”

What are relevant benchmarks for us to consider?

• Twenty years ago, the cost of “doing church” used to be roughly the cost of a movie, now it’s more like a professional sports ticket. By 1997, the per-head per-week cost of offering a church service had increased (in ’97 dollars) from “$4 per head to over $20 per head per week” and in the past decade it has gone up from there. At Rock Spring in 2009, our weekly per capitacost is roughly ~$50/head, using current attendance figures from the new Church Profile.
• 3-5% of annual income is cited as the maximum achievable giving level. In 1998, the U.S. average percent of income given away (to church and non-church charities combined) among Christians was 2.9%; among regular churchgoers, 6.2%. If you assume half of that is given to church, you get the 3% of income benchmark.

How does Rock Spring stack up financially against the averages or the recommendations in the literature on church finances?

“The median church”:

• Receives 89% of annual income through donations and offerings (RS: 74%)
• Owes an amount equal to 41% of total assets (RS: 0%. We are blessed to have no debt of this kind, which is a significant expense for the average church.)

“A healthy church”:

• Spends 55% of budget on personnel (with a range noted between 38% – 60%) (RS spends 58%)
• Keeps “personnel and facilities” costs between approximately 70%-75% (RS: 73%)
• Spends 15% on benevolences (RS’s budget is far above this, at 22% of operating budget)
• Spends 20-30% on building projects and/or debt retirement (RS’s budget allocates less than 2% to “capital improvements” and we have no current building projects, and no mortgage or other debt)

So, are we financially sound relative to other churches? It would appear so!

And is our budget at all reasonable and attainable? Yes, it is, especially if you look at it from our potential (by projecting estimates of Rock Springers’ average income using U.S. Census figures).  In 2007, the median family income in Virginia was $70,000 (the median household income for Virginia was approximately $60,000).  In the Rock Spring 22207 ZIP code, the median household income was $131,653.  If you assume the average RS household income is ~$100K (splitting the difference between the VA median and the 22207 median), and you assume the RS “population” is 300 households or families, then our church’s “total population income” would be $30 million, and 3-5% of that would be $900K – $1.5 million. If our population’s average household income were lower, say ~$85,000, 3-5% would be $765K to $1.275 million. So a budget of $958,618 (with pledge income of $662,868) seems to be well in range, for a church of our size and our congregation’s estimated income.

Numbers (perhaps especially statistics!) can always be debated, used selectively, etc., and it’s not my intention to spark a big debate on the details of the numbers with this analysis. Rather, I hoped to provide some interesting background from outside sources, for Rock Springers to contemplate as you consider the 2010 budget. I hope that this information has helped put our budget in context. Voting the budget is one of the primary agenda items for our January annual Congregational Meeting, and we all have an interest in fully understanding our situation and our potential. So, if you would like to discuss or learn more about the 2010 Budget, please don’t hesitate to contact Carolyn Hart, chair of Finance, or Gail Howell, President of Council.

Link to Power Point Slides:

2010 Draft Budget PPT for RSNews 091218

The information in this article was covered in more detail in a presentation for Council. Some of the information comes from the 2008 book, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money, by Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson, and from a few online publications about church management.

Image taken from: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GE8i4NLtL._SL500_.jpg

For a printable version of this edition of the Rock Spring News, click on the link below.

NOTICE:  Print edition contains color images and text.

RSN January 2010