Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

Jeanne Badeau Barnett

My husband and I gravitated toward Rock Spring 40 years ago when we moved from a NYC suburb to the DC area because it embraced a forwarding looking and searching view of what a church should be about with a broad awareness of the global community.  Our three children attended regularly and in a sense grew up here.

I was born and raised in the Middle East and have had broad international interests and involvement throughout my life, which led me to the United Church Board for World Ministries in the 1980s, eventually serving as president, and in the past have also been involved with the Central Atlantic Conference, chairing the Search Committee for the incumbent Conference Minister.  My career has been spotty!  Worked for a number of years with the Congressional Science Fellowship Program and later in a research project on child and adolescent female sexual abuse.

Now in my late 70s I am still looking with enthusiasm and expectation to the future and hope for a new minister who has both breadth and depth, is a leader but also a team player, a nurturer of persons and one who can help open up new paths of perception, understanding and action for us as individuals and as a church community.

Laura Broyles Hooper

I am a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Duke University currently working as a Senior Legislative Assistant for Congressman Mel Watt (D, NC) handling health care, foreign policy and education issues, among others. I am the daughter of a UCC minister and a lifelong UCC member. Since joining Rock Spring in March 2008 I have participated in the Rock Spring 20s/30s and Moveable Feast groups, the Worship Committee and the Senior Pastor Search Committee. I’m proud to be a member of an active, progressive UCC congregation and look forward to finding a Senior Pastor who can nurture and challenge us.

Joanne Kelly

I have been a member of Rock Spring since 1993, when I joined the church after moving to the DC area to attend graduate school and join my then-fiance (now husband).  I was confirmed (and baptized, at age 13) in a UCC congregational church in the Chicago area, and feel that my church roots are deep in the UCC.  I have been involved at Rock Spring as a church school teacher; a supporter and occasional substitute conductor of the children’s music program; member and Chair of the Music Board; and now as a member of the Senior Pastor Search Committee.  My children (4th and 6th grade) are growing up at Rock Spring, and my husband (a former Catholic) recently joined as a member of Rock Spring after more than 15 years of gradually becoming more and more involved through our family.  In addition to my activities at Rock Spring, I am a full-time attorney at a large company, I sing with a large symphonic choir, and serve on the boards of directors of a local nonprofit children’s chorus and a for-profit company in the midwest, as well as serving as a volunteer with the school PTA and the Girl Scouts.

Dick Metzger

Dick Metzger is a regulatory attorney who has worked in various industries and is currently unemployed.  He lives in Arlington with his wife, Cammie Nilles, and their two cats.  Dick graduated from the college and law school of the University of Chicago, and spends much of his time growing roses.

 
John Morland

My wife and I have been members of Rock Spring for more than 25 years, raising both of our sons in the church. Over the years we have served in various capacities at the church including youth program leaders, Sunday School teachers, Personnel Committee members, Deacons, and JFFAL (Just for Fun and Laughter”) members. Professionally, I recently retired as General Counsel of the National Housing Trust, but continue to work as a part-time consultant in the affordable housing finance field. Rock Spring has been a central part of the life of our family, both spiritually and socially. I hope a new Senior Minister can continue and expand upon the unique spirit of Rock Spring, which has meant so much to so many.

 
Laurie Rodgers

I have been a member of Rock Spring since 1976 when our family moved back to the Washington area from California.  Both our sons grew up in the church and were confirmed there.  My husband has been active in Christian Education, teaching both children and adults. I have served on most of the boards of the church (except Christian Education) and was on the Council for a total of 10 years, including three years as Clerk and two years as President. I retired in 2008 having spent most of my working life as a nurse, first in a hospital and then in a government health center.  Rock Spring has been the center of our lives and I look forward to finding a new Senior Pastor who will help Rock Spring fulfill its visions and support its members and friends.

John Roman

My wife Taryn and I became members at Rock Spring in the spring of 1999 and were married at Rock Spring later that year.  We have 2 children, Matteo (age 6) and Amanda (Age 4).  I have served in various capacities at Rock Spring including Chair of both the Finance and Stewardship boards.  I have also been involved in 4 pledge campaigns including the chair of one campaign.  I am also active in my local Civic Association.  I work for SAIC, a large Government contractor as a Contracts Director.  I look forward to finding a Sr. Minister who will engage the current Congregation in both thought and action and will help us focus our various energies into a unified asset in the community.

Wade R. Sharp

I have been a member of Rock Spring since late 2004, after an extended time of being ‘unchurched,’ and seeking an place where, as a gay man, I could be wholly accepted into the life and activities of a church.  I was an active member of Rock Spring’s marriage equality study committee, which guided our process of revising our ONA statement to include support of marriage equality.  I continue to serve on the ONA standing committee of the Social Action board, helping to maintain awareness and action with regard to issues affecting the LGBT community.  I work for a large management consulting firm, providing instructional design services to various government clients, and unlike many in Rock Spring’s congregation live in and commute from Washington D.C.  I have found Rock Spring to be a welcoming, supportive, and thoughtful community.  I look forward to finding a new Senior Pastor who will help us continue to bear witness to our ideals, help us explore the tough issues and questions, and grow our bonds with one another.

 Rebecca Womeldorf

My partner and I found Rock Spring UCC after other local churches intimated that a family such as ours might be more comfortable elsewhere.  Turns out they were right!  From the time of my family’s first visit, to the day our two children were baptized into the life of the UCC, and beyond, we have felt the genuine warmth and welcome of the Rock Spring congregation’s embrace.  God’s presence and his abundant blessings come alive to me in this place that acknowledges a still speaking spirit.  I am grateful that our children will grow up in this community of faith, surrounded by loving people who walk the walk, live the questions, and engage the broader community, all while giving a very real meaning to the phrase used by Pastor Chuck Wildman when we officially joined the church: “Welcome Home!”  As the Senior Pastor Search Committee works together to discern the mystery of the call, I look forward to the day Rock Spring will say “Welcome Home” to its new Senior Pastor.