Have a Minute?

By Janet Parker

A People of Prophetic Witness

“We affirm that God calls us to be peacemakers in a world of brokenness, conflict and war, and that God calls us to seek and work constantly toward a Just Peace—God’s shalom. We understand Just Peace to be the presence and interrelation of friendship, justice and common security from violence.” Preamble to the Resolution Affirming Rock Spring to be a Just Peace Church

 

You may have noticed a new banner standing boldly on Rock Spring’s front lawn next to the church sign. It proclaims, “Torture is a Moral Issue.” The Church is displaying this banner in support of the nationwide Campaign to Ban Torture during the month of June. This project is spearheaded by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), an interfaith organization to which we belong as a congregation. Over 300 congregations and religious organizations across the country are displaying banners like ours, including 28 in the metro DC area.

Why are religious organizations getting involved in this “political” issue? The banner says it clearly: this is, at its very heart, a moral issue. NRCAT’s Statement of Conscience, “Torture is a Moral Issue,” explains what is at stake: “Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved -- policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable….Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation.”

When Rock Spring’s Church Council voted to join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and subsequently, to display this banner during the month of June, it did so out of fidelity to our prior congregational commitment to be a Just Peace Church. Through our participation in the nationwide Campaign to Ban Torture, Rock Spring is keeping faith with our Just Peace commitment and with the whole cloud of witnesses who have gone before us who have embraced the cost of discipleship as a badge of honor. I leave you with a few paragraphs from the Declaration section of our Just Peace Statement.

“In response to God’s covenant, we, the members of Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ…commit ourselves to the goal of being a community which is:

A community of loyalty to God and to the whole human community over any nation or rival idolatry.

A community without enemies, willing to risk and be vulnerable, willing to take surprising initiatives to transform situations of enmity.

A community of repentance, confessing its own guilt and involvement in structural injustice and violence, ready to acknowledge its entanglement in evil, seeking to turn toward new life.”

May we continue to live into our commitment to be a Just Peace Church, not resting on past achievements, but continuing to meet the challenges of our own day and time with courage and faithfulness.

Welcome Doug Griffin!

Rock Spring welcomes the arrival of the Rev. Doug Griffin, our interim senior pastor, who will officially start work on Monday, July 7. Come meet Doug and hear him preach on Sunday, July 13 and remain for the special reception following the worship service. Other opportunities will be forthcoming to get to know Doug, so stay tuned for more details.

Bi-Weekly Church Calendar

Please click here to view the current Rock Spring bi-weekly calendar.

News & Notes

Thoughts & Prayers

Congratulations to our sponsored Iraqi family who has just been granted asylum! This is a tremendous achievement for them and a huge relief for all involved! In addition, Salam has just started a new job, so things are really taking off for the family. Many, many thanks to all of you who have been involved in helping this family get on their feet in the U.S. Congratulations also to Anne Moredock and Jeff Koprince who are getting married at Rock Spring on July 12, with Janet Parker officiating the service. Prayers are requested for Doug Griffin’s brother, Dane Griffin, who has kidney cancer and underwent surgery on June 14….For recovery from illness for Mary Schwarzwalder…And for the health and well-being of Lou Per-Lee, Emily Haseltine, Janet Moore, Elizabeth Hunter, and others among us struggling with overall health concerns. Prayers for the community of Swanson Middle School, as they mourn the death of one of their students. The youth and their family were known to members of Rock Spring, and we extend our prayers in this time of sadness. Susan and Wayne Limberg thank the Rock Spring family for their prayers, support and expressions of sympathy on the death of Susan's mother, Anita David.

In Memoriam

Condolences and prayers are requested for the family of Martha Shinn, and all those at Rock Spring who will greatly miss Martha. Martha was a beloved, long-term member of our church who contributed greatly to our choir and music program over the years. A memorial service will be held for Martha on Sunday, July 20 at 2:00 PM. Talk to Elizabeth if you are interested in singing in the choir for the service.

Save the Date for the Annual Church Picnic: September 14, 2008

Place: Lacey Woods Park (George Mason Drive and Washington Blvd. Arlington)
Time: 4PM until dark (We have the place reserved from 3PM so we can set up)
What:  Hot dogs, Chips, Drinks. Bring a salad or dessert to share if you can 
What:  Games, eating, singing, socializing, to start the year off right! 
Questions: Contact Donna Cartwright  

Sunday June 29, Film Showing After Worship

For the Bible Tells Me So is a powerful new documentary that follows five contemporary American families as they deal with the knowledge that a beloved daughter or son is gay and struggle with how to reconcile this with their Christian faith. This film was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and won an Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Seattle Film Festival. Families interviewed include the family of Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson and former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt. Gather in Carpenter Hall after worship for lunch and the film. The film will end by 1:30 p.m. An optional audience discussion will follow.

Eco-Justice Summer Film Series

Plan to come to one, two or all three of our film offerings this summer, and learn more about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and about how religious people from different faith traditions are getting organized to care for the earth in new and exciting ways. All films will be shown in Carpenter Hall and light snacks will be provided.

When Heaven Meets Earth: Faith and the Environment in the Chesapeake Bay
Thursday, July 17: 7:15-9:00 PM. Come and learn about how Chesapeake Bay watermen from Tangiers Island and farmers in Southeast Pennsylvania made the connections between their faith and the need to become better stewards of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This fascinating story has both tragic and hopeful elements and provides a better understanding of what is happening to the Bay. It shows how relating environmental issues to people’s faith makes a huge difference in motivating people to care for the Bay.

Renewal: Stories from America’s Religious-Environmental Movement, Part I
Tuesday, July 29: 7:15-9:00 PM. This unique film covers eight stories of different religious communities across the country who are getting involved in faith-based environmental education and activism. Stories range from evangelical Christian opposition to mountaintop removal mining, to Protestant churches (like Rock Spring) learning to “go green,” to a black church fighting environmental contamination in small town Mississippi, to a program linking an urban Muslim community with rural Christian farmers who provide them with halal meat, and a Jewish children’s camp that teaches environmental stewardship, among other inspiring vignettes. This film will be shown in two parts to allow time for discussion afterwards, but as the stories are self-contained you don’t need to attend both showings to enjoy the film.

Renewal: Stories from America’s Religious-Environmental Movement, Part II
Sunday, August 3: 11:30-1:00. Light lunch provided.

Rock In The Woods

Dear Rock Springers, Come "Rock in the Woods!" Join Rock Springers for a camping weekend! At Cunningham Falls State Park, Thurmont, MD. (About a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive from Arlington, 18 miles north of Frederick MD.) Fri (6:00 pm), Sat, Sun (noon) July 25, 26, and 27th. $60 – Checks can be made out to Rock Spring UCC and please write "Rock in the Woods" in the description line. Registration is first-come, first-served. Register with Mary Black or John Heins. More information in the Saegmuller Room & RS enews. For more information go to the Rock Spring web site by clicking here.

Tangible Gifts "Wish List"

Throughout the years, the church has received many tangible gifts. People wishing to make a donation often ask what the church needs. The Tangible Gifts Committee creates a “wish list” with input from the congregation and approval from Council. The current list is outdated and the committee is reviewing the entire list.

If you have suggestions for additions to the “wish list”, please contact the Tangible Gifts Committee. A copy of the last Council-approved list will be in the Saegmuller Room. The Tangible Gifts Committee members are: Donna Moss (Chair), Sharon Hall, Catherine Gahres, George LePlante, Marie Morris, and Janet Parker.

Archives Committee

Thanks to the work of many members before us, this church has an Archives of materials that chronicle its 96-year history. The Archives Committee is now renewing its efforts to collect and organize these materials. If you have been an active member, please check your attic and closets and lend/give us your Board records, reports and pictures.  If your pictures are not fully identified, we are ready to invest time getting other members to name names and dates. This is the moment when historians stand ready to prepare our next Rock Spring History and we are gathering and filing material for them to use. We appreciate all help lent to this endeavor.  
Don Hall, Flo Otstot, Marjie Mayer, Maury Flagg, Sara Fitzgerald, Sharon Hall

Shaw Community Ministry Opportunities

Volunteer Needed

Rock Spring has historically had two representatives on the Board of the Shaw Community Ministry of the Potomac Association. We have a vacancy after Carol George stepped down recently. The other position is being filled by Susan Johnson. Located in Northwest Washington, D.C., the historic Shaw community has a rich legacy dating back to the American Civil War. During the 1968 riots, the Shaw community was greatly damaged. In response to the devastation, two local UCC churches (Lincoln Congregational Temple and Westmoreland Congregational Church) collaborated to erect affordable housing for the residents in the area.

Since 1991, the Shaw Community Ministry has been devoted to further enhancing the lives of children, youth and adults in the Shaw area. Over the years Rock Spring has helped SCM send children to summer camp, provide college scholarships to deserving youth, supply Thanksgiving food baskets, and provide Christmas presents to families under Secret Santa. If you are interested in becoming Rock Spring's representative to Shaw, please talk to Susan Johnson or anyone on the Social Action Board or email socialaction@rockspringucc.org. For more information on SCM, visit their website at www.shawministry.org.

Send a Child from Shaw to Camp!

Bring the joys of summer camps to inner city children. Shaw Community Ministry helps support two kinds of summer camps: Camp Friendship, a day camp located in Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments, a low-income apartment established by Westmoreland Church and Lincoln Temple in 1970; and Camp Letts, a two week overnight experience on the Chesapeake Bay. Any contributions are most welcome, but $75 would help support a child at the day camp and up to $300 would help meet the $1,025 cost for Camp Letts. Make checks payable to Shaw Community Ministry. Either put in the collection plate or give to Susan Johnson or Carol George. For more information, contact Susan or Carol, or visit the SCM web site at shawministry.org.

The Our Whole Lives Program Needs Your Help!

By Christina Fairman

The OWL Launch Team is currently looking for people interested in leading the Our Whole Lives / Sexuality and Our Faith (OWL) program with our seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders. We need two male/female leader pairs for our program launch in 2008.

We are looking for people who are skilled in, comfortable with, and have experience in working with youth in grades seven through nine. Our leaders should be people of faith, who are comfortable with helping young people to draw connections between the teachings of their faith and their own sexuality. The OWL program provides a comprehensive curriculum, including curriculum designed to introduce the teachings of our faith to the OWL classroom sessions.

You do not have to be an expert in human anatomy or the topic of human sexuality to be an OWL leader. The OWL Launch Team asks that potential leaders have a basic understanding of human sexuality and anatomy and a willingness to further develop their knowledge in areas with which they are not fully comfortable or familiar.

The OWL Launch Team at Rock Spring, in partnership with Westmoreland Congregational UCC is hosting training for leaders at Rock Spring UCC September 12-14, 2008. Leaders must successfully complete this weekend-long training to teach OWL. The trainers for this event are a UCC minister and a Unitarian Universalist minister who must sign off on each person at the end of the training event; in effect, approving them to teach. This means that no one will teach an OWL class who is not fully prepared and capable of doing so. There are no worries that you will not be ready or able to teach your class when the time comes!

You can find more information about the OWL program, the requirements for OWL Leaders, the time commitment, and the process for applying for a leadership position at Rock Spring at http://www.rockspringucc.org/html/owl2/owl_teaching.html.

If you would like to request more information and an application packet, email the OWL Launch Team at owl@rockspringucc.org. If you have questions, you can email the OWL Launch Team or talk to a team member (Gina Dale, Ann Divecha, Ann Parcell, John Roman or Christina Fairman).

Please prayerfully consider becoming an OWL Leader at Rock Spring.

Sunday School News & Notes

As we come into our period of Interim Ministry, the Board of Christian Education will be taking a few steps to help people feel more at home. Every week at the 11 AM service (and at the 10 AM throughout the summer) one member of the CE Board will circulate to each of the classrooms, after the children's moment, to assist any families in finding the appropriate classroom for their child(ren), and ensure that each classroom has at least two teachers/adults in each classroom. The host will be wearing a nametag with CE host written on it.

Please note that for 2008, the Deacons made the decision to move the switch to a single service at 10:00 am from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our regular classes will continue until June 15. The rest of the summer will be divided into two sessions (June 22-July 20 and July 27-August 24) with 3 Sunday School classes (PreK-K, 1st-2nd grade, and 3rd-5th grade.) If you are interested in teaching the Summer session, please contact Taryn Roman or email christianed@rockspringucc.org.

On Sunday, June 8, we will honor all of our teachers with a special moment in worship. If you have shared your gifts with our children, youth, and adults this year, please mark your calendar!

For more information on all of Rock Spring’s educational ministries, please visit: www.rockspringucc.org/html/education.

Children & Youth Information Update

At the end of each program year, the Sunday School reviews its roster to make sure that we know everyone’s name, grade, and birthday. Parents, please look for an email in early June, asking you to verify your children’s information. The Board of Christian Education thanks you in advance for helping us keep good records!

Summer Mission Experience 2008 and this Year’s Fund Raiser

Thank you all for supporting The First-Ever “Bake a Cake for your Mom” Mother’s Day Cake-and-Bake Sale! Thus far we have raised $1,300 of our $2,000 goal. We knew we could count on your support!
We will share in a commissioning service for our intrepid journeyers in worship on Sunday, June 29. Come and bid our youth Godspeed as they go to serve the needs of the Pittsburgh Project.

The Details on the Mission Experience:
Who: High School Youth, who have completed 9th grade
When: June 29-July 5

For more information on our Middle High and Senior High Youth Ministries, please email yors@rockspringucc.org.

Church Staff