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Looking for a fun way to become more involved in the Church? Be a summer Sunday School teacher!

Hours needed? Approximately one hour each Sunday, beginning Sundays June 24 (when the church moves to one 10am service) through August 26. Ages? We offer three Sunday School classes in the summer: pre-K, K-2nd grades, and 3rd-5th grades. Job benefits? Fun crafts, lots of smiles, good snacks, learning and spiritual growth for both yourself and your students! Flexibility in scheduling? We have that, too! A sign-up poster in the Saegmuller room allows you to choose the Sundays that will work best for your summer schedule. We encourage team-teaching; please feel free to sign up with another person--the more the merrier! Questions? Talk to Pastor Hank or Kathy Michael (703-243-8239, or kater411@aol.com).

CALLING ALL GRADUATES:

Are you or someone in your family graduating this spring from high school, college, graduate school, or ? Send us word and we will include them in our June 3 Graduate Recognition services. Give us a short bio and photo, and we will publish it in an insert. It's ok to brag a bit!! Bios & Photos are due 5/25. Congratulations! For more information, please contact Pastor Hank-- hank@rockspringucc.org.

EQUAL EXCHANGE COFFEE NEWS

Equal Exchange has offered a new coffee, Organic Sisters Blend, which is on our shelves now. It honors women farmers and Lutheran women in the US who are active in equal trade. Try it out.

Our own Ben Eckman is featured now with his favorite brand, Hazelnut Crème. Why not give it a try? Ben is an expert coffee drinker, so he must know what is good!

Also, please note the new price for our Equal Exchange coffees-$8.00 a bag. Teas and Cocoa are still $5.00.

MEALS ON WHEELS

New Meals on Wheels volunteers needed.
For many years on the first and third Friday of each month, Rock Spring teams have been faithfully serving meals to our shut-in neighbors. We cover five routes, serving a total of about 50 people. Time commitment is about 2 hours. New regulars or substitutes are needed to fill out the roster. Contact: Karen Barberie, barberie@aol.com or 703/534-6771.

FILL THE RED BARREL FOR AFAC

We have done a fine job of sending food to AFAC with 414 lbs as of May 4th. Let's keep up the good work. Special needs are for cereal, peanut butter and canned meats. Cash donations directly to AFAC allow the purchase of milk, eggs & yogurt.

PROGRESSIVE DINNER WRAP-UP

Sixty people contributed to making the JFFAL Progressive Dinner a grand success. We were especially pleased to see so many new faces for the event. Special thanks to the hosts and hostesses for the evening. Social Hours: Jennifer & Mario Gamboa, Jane Sessa & Steve Hawkins, Patty Sullivan, Anne & Chuck Wildman. Dinners: Bette & Bob Clark, Gina & Jeff Dale, Carol George, Mary Hartnett, Claire McCarthy & Rebecca Womeldorf, Marie & Roy Morris, Susan Peters & Richard Lee, Betty & Erik Rasmussen.

GREEN ACTION:

Did you know that you can recycle old CDs for nothing more than the cost of postage? Visit http://www.cdrecycling forfree.com/ or details. All you have to do is mail your CDs and they take care of the rest. If you're concerned about leftover data on the CD, rub some sandpaper on it before mailing it. By participating, you will help keep CDs out of the landfill. Try it! Brought to you by Rock Spring's Eco-Justice Committee.,

CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
is May 20. You are cordially invited to the Service of Confirmation for the Class of 2007. Eight of our youth will affirm their baptismal promises, and join into the faith and fellowship of the church universal, and the congregation of Rock Spring Church. Please plan on attending, and sharing in this special time of worship and celebration.

HAVE A MINUTE?

by Chuck Wildman

As we try to live our Resurrection faith, here's some help from an interfaith brother, Mahatma Gandhi [Last Phase, Vol. II (1958), p.65]-

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man (woman) whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him (her). Will he (she) gain anything by it? Will it restore him (her) to control over his (her) own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

ANNE WILDMAN TO BE RECOGNIZED AT GENERAL SYNOD
by Sara Fitzgerald

Congratulations to Anne Wildman who will be one of three women from the Central Atlantic Conference who will be recognized at the UCC General Synod's traditional Honoring the Gifts of Lay Women luncheon in Hartford, CT, on Sunday June 24. Anne was nominated by women at Rock Spring and nominations were reviewed by a committee of former honorees. The nomination cited Anne's "wise, caring and intuitive presence." It cited her work on behalf of women's programs, at Rock Spring, in the Potomac Association and at conference annual meetings, her gifts in the area of music and leadership of other nonprofit groups, and her work as a classroom teacher and classroom advocate, including the time, early in her career, when she and Chuck lived in southern Florida. "A true servant leader," the nominaton said, "Anne quietly and expertly steps in to make sure that people are cared for, that new strategies for program growth are developed, and that the gifts of others are identified and brought forth. Anne empowered hundreds of women by teaching by example, sensing what needed to be done, what needed to be said, and who needed to be embraced." Other women from the CAC who will be recognized are Dr. Mary Ann Gregory from St. Paul's UCC in Westminster, MD, in the Catoctin Association, a chemist who has been active in many church settings since she attended the 1st General Synod in 1957 as a teenager, and Alice Rushforth, of River Edge UCC in the New Jersey Association, who was the founder of a Shawl Ministry. Congratulations to all of them!

AWARDS & PUBLICATIONS
FOR JANET PARKER

Janet Parker receives National Council of Churches Environmental Sermon Award:
Janet received the award for her sermon "From Apocalypse to Genesis" which she preached at last year's Earth Day service. The NCC Eco-Justice Programs sought submissions for this award in an effort to recognize the breadth and diversity of eco-justice ministries thriving in churches today. The news of the award is featured now on the homepage of the National Council of Churches website at www.ncccusa.org. The sermon will be featured in the June edition of the Yale Divinity School's journal Reflections, focusing on theology and the ecological crisis, and is also available on the NCC website at www.nccecojustice.org/awardsermon.html and on Rock Spring's website at www.rockspringcongucc.org/html/social.html#eco. Janet will be on the Protestant radio show "Day1" with the head of the NCC's eco-justice program, Cassandra Carmichael, sometime in June--stay tuned for the date!

Janet Parker published in Insights, the Faculty Journal of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: The latest issue of Insights focuses upon the reality and challenge of economic globalization, and includes a short reflection piece by Janet Parker entitled, "Another World Is Possible: An Ecumenical Christian Reflection on Globalization." Display copies are on the table in the Saegmuller Room.

CHURCH COUNCIL HIRES A COACH

The Rock Spring Church Council is initiating a strategic planning process to help us identify key objectives and plans for the next few years. The process is beginning this spring and is expected to be complete in January 2008. We have retained Rev Ed White as a consultant to facilitate the process. Ed's credentials include Senior consultant status with the Alban Institute and General Presbyter for the National Capital Presbytery (equivalent to our conference minister). Ed has worked with dozens of churches as a consultant and is highly recommended for his work.

Anticipated products include explicit, measurable short- and intermediate-term goals and objectives (1-5 year time frame), as well as a church profile. Activities are expected to include a retreat for planning members and some "history nights," to help identify significant events in the past life of the church. We will continue to keep you informed as activities evolve.

NEWS & NOTES

Please keep these people in special prayers... Donna Cartwright....Charlie Per-Lee (and congratulations to Charlie for celebrating his 93rd birthday on April 28!)...Laura Jackson and Tim Cleary and their kids Michael and Harmon, who are recovering from a disastrous house fire--thanks be to God that no one was hurt--Condolences to Peggy Greenwood, on the death of her father, George Heston, on April 28.

STAFF DOINGS

Janet Parker will be on vacation and study leave from May 21 through June 5. Hank Fairman will be on vacation from 5/29-6/1

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GLOBAL WARMING PROGRAM:
May 20th from 7:00 -9:00PM in Carpenter Hall Featuring Lise Van Susteren, MD

On Sunday evening May 20 at 7:00 PM in Carpenter Hall, Rock Spring's Eco-Justice Committee will sponsor a program on global warming. Dr. Lise Van Susteren will present her Slide Show based on Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Lise was trained by Gore in Nashville, and presents the slide show which became the basis of his highly acclaimed documentary. Her version reflects her medical background and personal experience as well as the interests of her audience. She brings a personal passion to her presentation of dramatic slides, startling graphs and persuasive arguments to demonstrate the urgency of the planet's climate crisis. Additionally she makes a tie-in between global warming and other social justice issues such as Darfur. After the presentation, she is eager to take questions, give practical energy saving tips, and strategize ways to take political action.

OWL COMES TO ROCK SPRING
By Christina Fairman

Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith, or OWL, is a comprehensive human sexuality curriculum that was created through a joint venture of the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our Whole Lives teaches:

that sexuality is a normal and healthy part of life,
positive messages about sexuality--including abstinence,
and accurate information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

OWL is inclusive in its philosophies and strives to respect the diverse values and beliefs reflected by participants in the program. For more information, check out Justice and Peace: Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith (UCC).

Our Whole Lives: Sexuality and Our Faith is coming to Rock Spring! Over the next year, the OWL Launch Team will be the driving force behind bringing OWL to our community. The team will be responsible for sharing information about OWL with Rock Spring, formalizing selection criteria for teachers and selecting individuals to participate in teacher training, arranging a teacher training event at Rock Spring and working with other churches who have implemented the OWL program to gather best practices for running OWL at Rock Spring. Keep your eyes on the Rock Spring News for more information from the OWL Launch Team.

The Church Staff

Senior Pastor	Charles L. Wildman
Pastor for Parish Life	Janet L. Parker
Pastor for Children, Youth & Families	Henry E Fairman
Director of Music	Elizabeth Kluegel Niblock
Asst. Director of Music	Edward Roberts
Children's Music Ed. Director	Amy McDowell
Office Administrator	Ben Eckman
Administrative Assistant	Lisa Mikell
Bookkeeper	Lisa Mikell
Property Manager	Don Bauman
Nursery Supervisor	Fern Lawrence
Custodians	Willis Gardner & Vicki Morales
Bus Driver	Rico Picarriello

ROCK SPRING CONGREGATIONAL UCC
5010 LITTLE FALLS RD
ARLINGTON, VA 22207
703-538-4886
www.rockspringcongucc.org