In this Issue:
Vol. 3 No. 12
Covering 6/3/07 - 6/16/2007
June 3
Trinity Sunday
Communion
Strengthen the Church Offering
Graduate and Teacher Recognitions
Chuck Wildman, preaching
June 10
Second Sunday after Pentecost
Janet Parker, preaching
THE NEXT TWO ROCK SPRING NEWS DEADLINES ARE MONDAY JUNE 4, MONDAY JUNE 18
STAFF DOINGS
Janet Parker returns from vacation and study leave June 6...Both Janet and Hank
Fairman will represent Rock Spring at Central Atlantic Conference in Newark, DE, June 8-10, except that Janet returns early
to conduct worship services at Rock Spring on the 10th. Janet flies to Atlanta for the day of June 14 to record her
award-winning sermon, "From Apocalpyse to Genesis," for broadcasting at a later date on Day1 Christian radio, a radio station that features mainline
Christian preachers and leaders (Congratulations, Janet!)......Chuck Wildman conducts the wedding of member Amy
Baughcum in Kennebunkport, ME June 10 (He will be away
June 6-11, combining this trip with some study leave and vacation.
LECTIONARY TEXTS
Sunday June 3, 2007
Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31 Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
Sunday June 10, 2007
1 Kings 17:17-24 Psalm 30
Galatians 1:11-24 Luke 7:11-17
SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS
NEEDED
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).
TRAFFIC CHANGE ON OLD DOMINION
Beginning in mid-June Arlington Co Dept. of Environmental services will be finishing the replacement of the
culver beneath George Mason Drive, in addition to curb, gutter and sidewalk work. As a result Old Dominion Drive, between George Mason and North
Dickerson, will be closed for 10 weeks. Traffic will be routed through George Mason to Williamsburg and back to Old Dominion Drive.
GREEN ACTION:
This week, consider installing a rain barrel at your home -- or talk with your apartment manager or condominium
association about installing rain barrels. These barrels provide several benefits -- such as reducing water usage (and saving money), giving
your plants top-quality water, and decreasing storm runoff (thereby improving the quality of our streams, river and bay). There are several
rainbarrel sources and workshops in our community -- for example, visit www.fairfaxcounty.
gov/nvswcd/rainbarr
els.htm Try it! Brought to you by Rock Spring's Eco-Justice Committee
|
by Chuck Wildman
Excitement is in the air at Rock Spring. Church Council and subcommittees are hard at work with Alban
Institute consultant Ed White planning for activities that will help the congregation envision its future. Soon everyone will be included in
the fun of looking ahead and discerning what God intends. I can hardly wait to learn what will happen!
Meanwhile, we pastors have been busy developing a strong team. Ed White is giving us solid tools to deepen our relationships. Soon
the
larger staff also will benefit from his guidance. In this way, when I leave next April, strong professionals who work very well together will
be
in place to assist church leaders to move forward in their ministries.
Rock Spring always has been a solid, progressive congregation of leaders. It is no small task, then, to enable strong leaders to be even
stronger, even more directed and moving in concert! But accomplishing this will make the task of seeking a new senior pastor a joy and not a
burden. There is a tremendous future ahead for Rock Spring. Our church is sorely needed in Northern Virginia and in broader society as a
strong voice for social and environmental justice and peace.
May God guide us all on our important journeys in these exciting days.
Peace, Chuck
Congratulations to Jennifer Robinson and Gregory Pierce their marriage at Rock
Spring, April 28
with Rev.
Wildman officiating...to Rock Spring neighbor Susan Trice and John Anglim on their marriage at Rock Spring, May 19
with Rev. Wildman officiating...to
Jordan White, daughter of former Associate Pastor and his spouse, Phil White and Carol White, on her graduatation
from Riverview High School,
Sarasota, FL. Jordan will enter the College of Wooster in the fall... and to Phil White on being called as Senior Minister of
First
Congregational UCC, Ft. Myers, FL... Sara Fitzgerald, who assumes the presidency of our Central Atlantic Conference, our United
Church of Christ five
state regional body, in June... ...Jackie Brown, elected chair of the Conference Endowment Fund...Leslie Nickel,
who is slated to be elected the new
secretary of the Conference Board of Directors...to Howard Hjort, elected to the Social Action and Mission Committee of the Potomac
Association (UCC)
and Carol George, who is a new board member of Shaw Community Ministries...Congratulations also to Strawberry Festival Volunteers
whose efforts netted
over $2,000 to assist Rock Spring Senior Highs in funding their summer mission trip to Harlan County, KY...Amy McDowell and
Kathy Moreland
received the James B.Hunter III Community Hero Award, as part of the Arlington Education and Employment Program, known as REEP. They, along
with other volunteers teach
English as a Second Language, ESL, to adults in Arlington. A special Community Hero award was also given posthumously to Anna
Barber for work in establishing many community
organizations in Arlington...We keep in prayer Olive
Graffam on the death of her mother...and the following regarding health concerns- Charlie Per-Lee, Lou Per-Lee, Janet Moore, Jo
Smith.
SHOWING OF THE FILM:
THE GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB
Sunday June 10th
at 7:00 pm
The Church is hosting a preview of
The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, an HBO film that features the familiar and
very
disturbing pictures of torture at the prison and raises many questions:
How did torture become an accepted practice at Abu Ghraib? Did U.S.
government policies make it possible? How much damage has the aftermath
of Abu Ghraib had on America's credibility as a defender of freedom and
human
rights around the world? Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy, the youngest
daughter of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, looks beyond the
headlines to
investigate the psychological and political context in which torture
occurred. The images captured in the movie and some of the interviews
are
extremely intense. It contains numerous photos with male nudity and is
only suitable for mature audiences. The purpose for showing the film
goes beyond the horrifying scenes, and focuses on the questions of how
such actions can occur in a decent, civilized society such as ours and
what
our responsibility as ordinary citizens is to prohibit them.
Brigadier General (Ret) Stephen N. Xenakis will introduce the film and
facilitate the discussion with Reverend Janet L. Parker at the end of the viewing. For more information check out the Social Action portion of
the church web site.
GAY PRIDE WASHINGTON DC
Plan now for DC Gay Pride
activities!
We hope once again to organize a contingent to march in the Parade and take part in the festival. Save
these dates:
Annual Capital Pride Worship Service, Tuesday, June 5, 7:30 PM at Lincoln Temple UCC, 1701 11th St. NW
Pride Parade: On June 9th at 6:30 PM the parade
steps off in downtown DC at 23rd and P Streets, NW. Information about
the Parade
is
available at www.capitalpride.org. Sign up to march after the services
on May 20th, 27th and June 3 in the Saegmuller room. Contact Marti
Weston at r2mweston@mindspring.com. We need a volunteer to coordinate
the marchers on parade day. Rock Spring Church has signed up to be
an official marching organization.
Pride Festival: June 10th, on Pennsylvania Ave between 3rd and 7th Sts. NW from 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Free of charge.
First NOVA Interfaith Pride Worship Service, Tuesday, June 12th, 7 PM at Hope UCC Church at 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria,
22310.
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STRENGTHEN THE
CHURCH - AN OPPORTUNITY!
On Sunday, June 3, we will ask Rock Spring to support new and
struggling churches within the UCC with the Strengthen the Church
special
offering. As the UCC celebrates its 50th Anniversary on June 24, we
hear spirited voices speaking about God's deeds in our midst: reaching
out
to new communities, new immigrants, and new populations through new
church starts, mobilizing youth and young adult leaders, and calling
new
generations to ministry in our increasingly diverse church. Through our
gifts to Strengthen the Church, our spirited voices speak about God's
deeds
of power.
Through our gifts to Strengthen the Church, we further our commitment
to be a multiracial, multicultural church, open and affirming and
accessible to
all. We strengthen and renew existing congregations. We fund leadership
for new congregations. We provide exciting new programs for youth and
young
adults. We fund leadership development for the whole church. Your
generous gifts are used, half by our Conference and half by Local
Church
Ministries, for these purposes.
Anniversaries are cause to celebrate - what better way than to Strengthen the Church for its next 50 years!
Jane Sessa
Chair, Stewardship
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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).
When first hearing about OWL, many people ask how is the program religious? The values and assumptions on which the Our Whole Lives program is
based are central to our Christian faith. The program itself seeks to instill in participants a sense of religious community, helps them
recognize the worth of all people, and helps participants to recognize the need to take action for justice. The program also seeks to help
participants define their values and to live out those values as participants apply the values of their faith to the process of making decisions
about their relationships and sexual health. The Sexuality and Our Faith supplements incorporate scripture, prayer and worship into each OWL
session.
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 |
|
