Have a Minute?

by Janet L. Parker

Sunday, July 27, was a dark day for our nation. On this day, a disturbed man motivated by hatred of “gays” and the “liberal movement” walked into a Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN and opened fire with a shotgun during a children’s play. Two adults were killed and six were wounded. The psychic wounds to the others, especially the children, can hardly be estimated. News of the event and the signs that this could be a hate crime sent chills down my spine. We may never know exactly why Jim Adkisson, the perpetrator, committed this violent act. What we do know however, is that a violent attack against any religious community is an attack against every religious community—and an attack against any church that welcomes all people without discrimination is an attack against every such church. Rock Spring Congregational UCC is such a church. Could we be at risk? Such are the thoughts that have been running through my mind and perhaps yours.

Some have called this heinous crime an act of domestic terrorism. It is doubtful that this is terrorism in the strict sense of the word, because terrorists act on behalf of a political movement, and this man apparently acted alone. But it is beyond doubt that his actions were terrorizing. In this context, we would do well to remember the ancient promise of Scripture, delivered to us by the author of 1 John, who wrote, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” People of faith who are committed to love of God and neighbor can never allow the hateful actions of the few to dissuade us from our gospel mandate of sharing God’s radically inclusive welcome with all people, particularly those whom our society has marginalized.

As the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Rev. Bill Sinkford, said after this tragedy, “None of us can allow our pain and anger to keep us from living our faith, from welcoming all people, from standing on the side of love. We will not let that happen. We will continue our commitment to welcoming all people.” Amen. I have no doubt that Rock Spring will continue to offer our wide welcome to all people, and to embody the progressive values that are part of our great legacy in this community. In the meantime, let us offer our prayers and solidarity to Unitarian Universalists affected by this tragedy and renew our determination to stand on the side of love.

Our Interim Time

by Doug Griffin

What’s Happening in our Interim Time?

Bring back those hazy, lazy days of summer? Not this summer! During the “lazy” days of summer we’ve been greasing the gears and lining up at the gate. The interim period between the leaving of one pastor and the call of another is exciting, but it does require careful planning and intentional efforts. The first major task of the Interim period is for the congregation to develop a comprehensive congregational Profile that the search committee will use in its search for a new senior pastor. The Profile calls for lots of demographic and church data. It also challenges a church to engage in candid and comprehensive conversations about the church’s life, values, and priorities. And, it calls for the church to prioritize the professional, spiritual, and denominational assets that a potential pastor might bring to the church.

The first several weeks of our Interim Senior Pastor time have been devoted to orienting Doug to the life and programs of the church, working with staff to build cohesion--and to address the staff vacancy. But it’s also been a time to focus on developing the ground-work for the process that will inform and lead to the composition of Rock Spring’s Profile. For example, the Pastoral Team has been getting oriented to the interim process and developing a cohesive vision of leadership for facilitating the process within the on-going programs and ministries of Rock Spring Church. Also, we have been taking stock of the recently completed Strategic Planning in order to identify what information gathered for the Strategic Plan can be transferred directly to the Profile, what information needs massaging with some additional congregational input, and what information we have not yet collected. And, the Pastoral Team has begun to consider with Boards and Committees what actions might be pending that require attention as part of the interim period, either before we can prepare the Profile or before the arrival of the new Senior Pastor.

So, a lot has been happening underneath the surface of the church’s life right now. But the hope is that as the program year commences a small coordinating team will be in place to work with Doug in executing a process that will culminate in the composition of a church Profile. Ultimately, we want a Profile that accurately reflects the current dynamics and identities of the church and that has solicited input from the broad range of Rock Spring’s membership. Then, once the Profile has been completed and the congregation had the opportunity to review and offer feedback about it, a search committee can begin the process of implementing a comprehensive search for the next Senior Pastor.

Bi-Weekly Church Calendar

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

News & Notes

Joys & Concerns

Prayers are requested for Rock Spring custodian, Vicki Morales, for recovery from surgery….Prayers also for John (Wally) Kirkbride, who is recovering at home from a stroke and from surgery, and for his wife Mary (Louise) who is his primary caregiver.

Please pray also for Dane Griffin, brother of Doug Griffin, who is beginning his first round of chemotherapy for kidney cancer.

We extend our condolences and prayers to Pat and Anita Marx, whose mother and long-time Rock Springer, Olivia, died peacefully and unexpectedly in her sleep on July 29. Condolences and prayers also for Lisa Mikell, Rock Spring’s Administrative Assistant, on the recent loss of her grandfather. Special prayers are requested for the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN, for the tragic loss of life and the injuries caused by the recent shooting at the church. Please keep this community of faith in your prayers as they seek to heal from this violent act of hatred in their midst.

*The pastors encourage you to send in any announcements you would like to appear in this section, including prayer concerns, or joys such as special birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, births or other events. Send them to Janet Parker for publication in this section of the Rock Spring News.

Staff Notes

Hank Fairman is on vacation and study leave from July 28-August 18. Janet Parker will be on vacation and study leave from August 10-September 1. Doug Griffin will be on (a previously scheduled) vacation from August 15-August 22. The pulpit will be filled on August 17 by Rock Spring member Barbara Kinney.

Congratulations and Godspeed to Ben Eckman as he begins his new job as a high school teacher in the Fairfax County Public School system. Ben’s last day was August 7. We give thanks for his three years of service to Rock Spring as our Church Office Administrator and wish him the very best in his new career in education!

Congratulations also to former Rock Spring intern Kristi Foster, who is beginning a new position as Campus Chaplain at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. The office has her new contact information.

SAVE THE DATE FOR "A MOVEABLE FEAST"!

Many Rock Spring members have expressed interest in gathering in smaller groups to get to know each other better in informal settings—such as potlucks or dinners out. "A Moveable Feast" involves ROTATING SMALL GROUPS who meet monthly over the course of a program year (October-May). All those interested are asked to join us in Carpenter Hall Saturday September 27 from 5-7 pm to learn more about plans for randomly assigned small groups, share some fellowship and enjoy appetizers provided by the Board of Deacons. Child care will be provided. Please mark the date and more information will be coming.

WF Fall Bazaar Reminder

The Women's Fellowship reminds all Rock Springers who knit, sew, paint, or make crafts to begin creating items for the craft table at the Annual Fall Bazaar. The bazaar will be Saturday, November 1, so put your imaginations and fingers to work in your "spare" time this summer.

ROCK SPRING MEN: PLEASE HELP THE OWL PROGRAM

By Christina Fairman

The Our Whole Lives / Sexuality and Our Faith program at Rock Spring still needs a male leader for our Grades 7-9 OWL classes. Please read the following information about the program. If it sounds like something you are interested in, please contact owl@rockspringucc.org. We would be happy to talk to you about the OWL program and answer any questions you may have. It is the hope of the OWL Launch Team that leaders will teach more than one course. Please keep this in mind as you consider a leader position.

The Grades 7-9 level of OWL has one parent orientation session and twenty-seven class sessions. Please note that whether these sessions are conducted weekly/bi-weekly throughout the year or are conducted as several retreats throughout the year will be up to the leaders, participants and participants’ families. In addition, leaders must set aside time for planning before each session and for de-briefing after each session. Prior to leading an OWL course, leaders must complete leader training, where they will learn how to teach the course. Training provides an opportunity to see the activities modeled by trainers, practice leading activities in a safe environment, and network with other leaders to share best practices. Training also helps teachers explore their own feelings and values regarding sexuality.

Training and curriculum is provided at no cost to the potential leader. OWL Grades 7-9 and 10-12 training will be hosted by Rock Spring Congregational UCC and Westmoreland Congregational UCC. Training will take place September 12-14, 2008 at Rock Spring. We hope to see you there!

Social Action Board News:

“Torture: A Moral, Legal, and Political Disaster for America”
Sunday, September 21, 7:00-9:00 PM, Carpenter Hall

The Board of Social Action will host an open forum to discuss the moral, legal, political, and military implications of our current practices and policies relating to torture. The Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, Professor of Government Tony Arend of Georgetown University, and U.S. Representative Jim Moran are scheduled to address moral, legal, and political aspects of torture, respectively. Rock Springer Steven Xenakis, Army Brigadier General and psychiatrist who has done much work in this area, will provide the context and moderate the meeting. The event will be advertised area-wide to other churches and faith communities, seminaries, human rights groups, and organizations working on this topic. We hope to raise awareness and maintain enough continued interest to bring about a legislative change.

Mission Fair Fall 2008

The Board of Stewardship is sponsoring a Mission Fair, on September 28 in Carpenter Hall from 10:00 to 1:00 pm. Representatives from local non-profits that Rock Spring supports through its Benevolences will be available to tell you about the services their agencies provide and opportunities to volunteer with their groups. Coffee and pastries will be served.

Help is needed for signs, letters to organizations, and setting up on Saturday before the event. If you can help us email Bill Wooten or Ann Rudd.

Church Staff