Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

This active group of women of all ages offers spiritual growth, mission, service and fellowship.

Women’s Fellowship (WF) represents all women who are members and friends of Rock Spring Church. This group engages in activities and projects that offer opportunities for spiritual growth, community service, fellowship and fun. If you are interested in participating in any of the Women’s Fellowship programs noted below, please send an e-mail to wf@rockspringucc.org.

Upcoming Activities

• November 7:    Fall Fest, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
• November 18:  Annual Meeting, 7:00 pm, dessert, speaker
• December 16:  Advent Coffee, 10:30 a.m.
• April 16 – 17:   Women’s Spirituality Retreat

Fall Fest Saturday, November 7, 2009  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Trinkets and Treasures, Beads, Tasty Tidbits (Bake Sale), Silent Auction and Lunch from 11:30 a.m. until food runs out!

We need your Silent Auction donations!

The Silent Auction’s success depends on the contribution of auction items such as:

• Time at a vacation home;

• Sporting or cultural tickets;

• Services such as handyman, accounting, snow shoveling, babysitting or other;

• Services you would like someone to provide to you (e.g. sidewalk shoveling, house cleaning, grocery shopping, a ride, putting up/taking down your Christmas tree (please indicate how much you will donate and the length of service);

• Art – prints, paintings, photos;

• More valuable new or used items (too good for Treasures);

• Theme baskets;

• Homemade dinners or eatables (at your home or delivered) (past favorites are theme dinners, desserts, cinnamon buns, wine tasting);

• Handcrafted items;

• Collectables or antiques;

• Donations from local businesses.

• Gift certificates to local businesses, restaurants, entertainment

Please make a tax-deductible donation and then come and donate your dollars to the Church by taking advantage of the generosity of the gifts of others!! Remember your donations and your purchases benefit the Church!!

Please make a tax-deductible donation and then come and donate your dollars to the Church by taking advantage of the generosity of the gifts of others!! Remember your donations and your purchases benefit the Church!!

Items can be dropped off at  Carpenter Hall on Friday November 6 between 9-5, or on Saturday November 7^th before 9:30am. Or, arrange for special pickup by calling Peggy Greenwood.  Donation receipts will be provided following the auction.

Please try to get your form/call in by Sunday October 31st so that we can advertise the upcoming opportunities to the congregation! We will, however, accept donation forms through November 12^th. Forms and questions maybe directed to  Peggy Greenwood or Bettie Clark or Donna Cartwright.  The forms maybe left in the Silent Auction box in the Saegmuller Room.

Where do my Silent Auction and Fall Fest monies go?

Proceeds from the annual fall bazaar fund:

• Special Church Projects:  In the recent past: new tables; painting Carpenter Hall, new furniture for the Adult Ed Room, state of the art video equipment, freezer for the kitchen; new commercial refrigeration unit for the kitchen.

• Benevolences: Homeless Women’s Dinner Program; AFAC; TACTS; Hoffman Homes; Saw Ministry; Lancaster Seminary; and more.

THINK OF THE BAZAAR AS A FUN WAY TO BENEFIT OTHERS AND ROCK SPRING AS WELL

Click on the link below to download the form:

RSC_auction donation form_sep09

Women’s Fellowship Retreat: April 16 – 17, 2010

An overnight gathering of fellowship and spiritual enrichment!

Save the date for our annual women’s spirituality retreat. The 2010 gathering will be held once again at Shepherd’s Spring Retreat Center , a Church of the Brethren facility near the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in the countryside around Sharpsburg , MD. Click here for more information on the retreat center. http://www.shepherdsspring.org/

This year’s retreat will be led by Rev. Laura Swett, pastor of Fairfax Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and an experienced retreat leader. The retreat was enjoyed by close to 40 Rock Spring women who gathered there last spring.

More information will be posted here in the future, including fees, registration form and further specifics on the program for that weekend, but mark your calendars now so that you can save the date.

For information of last year’s Women’s Spirituality Retreat, please click on the following link: WF Retreat 2009

Women’s Spirituality

Sacred Circles. There are over 75 women at Rock Spring who meet regularly in small groups throughout the year. These “circles” represent women of all ages and in all stages of life. Each group creates its own “mission” and activities – some delve deeply into issues of spirituality, others focus on community service, while others simply enjoy the fellowship and support of their Sacred Circle “sisters.” New Circles can be formed at any time, and some existing Circles are in need of new members.

Women’s Retreat. Each spring the women of Rock Spring spend a day or two away from their normal routines to explore issues of spirituality. The retreat is organized by the Women’s Spirituality committee and is lead by outside pastors and facilitators who always offer new and important perspectives.

Women’s Sunday. Each year, the women of Rock Spring develop and lead the worship service for our annual celebration of UCC Women’s Sunday. We have been blessed to witness an amazing process as together we weave Scripture, prayers and music in new ways.

“Calling all Cooks!”

Women’s Fellowship keeps an e-mail/phone list of members of the church who love to bake and cook, and who are willing to share their talents. The large and diverse members of the “Calling all Cooks” list support many important church events, including:

Memorial Services. Women’s Fellowship provides cookies and refreshments for memorial service receptions held at the Church – a small but important role in helping celebrate the lives of our members.

Fall Bazaar. Women’s Fellowship raises money through the Fall Bazaar in order to support many local benevolences. Our cooks prepare a delicious lunch as well as stock the baked goods table.

Annual Meeting. Women’s Fellowship has traditionally prepared lunch for this important event where the goals and budget of the church are finalized for the upcoming year.

Community Service

Benevolences. Women’s Fellowship makes donations each year to over 20 organizations, including:

• Arlington Food Assistance Center
• Shaw Community Ministries
• Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network
• Arlington/Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless
• Arlington Free Clinic
• Doorways for Women and Children
• Hoffman Homes for Youth
• Lancaster Seminary
• Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry
• Whitman Walker Clinic for AIDS patients

The money to support these donations comes from the annual pledges made by the women of Rock Spring to Women’s Fellowship and from the proceeds of the Fall Bazaar.

Community Projects. Each year Women’s Fellowship selects projects in which to participate that serve the local community.

Social Events

Ladies Lunch Out. Women’s Fellowship coordinates Ladies Lunch Out periodically through the year at various local restaurants. This is an important social event for many of our senior ladies, and it is a wonderful inter-generational opportunity to hear stories and learn from this amazing group of women.

Beading. A dedicated group of women meet regularly to make paper beads from unused Rock Spring Church Bulletins to create beautiful necklaces. Typically this group meets the 2nd Wednesday each month during the day and the 3rd Monday during the evening in the Counting Room on the 2nd Floor of the Hunter Building, and is always looking for new members. The items are sold at the Women’s Fellowship Fall Bazaar.

Fall Bazaar. Women’s Fellowship organizes this very popular Rock Spring event, which includes a delicious lunch, a “treasure” room/yard sale, crafts and baked goods tables, and a silent auction. The Bazaar is held the 1st Saturday in November.

Other Social Events. Women’s Fellowship will be organizing several new social activities in 2008. If you have suggestions or are interested in helping plan an event, please contact WF@rockspringucc.org

Supporting the Church

Special Projects: Money raised through the WF pledge campaign and our fundraising events is used to support local benevolences as well as to fund special projects at the church. Women’s Fellowship has funded the furnishings, carpeting and small kitchen in the Saegmuller room, the appliances in the Carpenter Hall kitchen, a DVD/projector/audio visual system, the choir robes, and much, much more.

Rohrer Memorial Library. Women’s Fellowship funds and operates the church’s wonderful library through a small and dedicated group of women. This library, which was founded in 1915, was the first public lending library in Arlington County. Volunteers are needed to staff the Sunday desk, help with book selection, and to work the fourth Wednesday of the month.