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Rock Spring NewsJuly 2014 | Vol. 14 No. 07

I am because you are.

“In a real sense, all life isinterrelated. All [people] are caught in an inescap-able network of mutuality,Tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indi-rectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be,and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

from Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1965 sermon at the Riverside Church

One of Rock Spring’s core values is “justice-seeking: we seek justice and peace through building relationships and through making small, deliber-ate choices.” The importance of relationship-building is expressed in the concept “UBUNTU,” pronounced oo-BOON-too, which originates in the Bantu language of southern Africa and is an African philosophy and worl-dview focused on people-to-people relationships. ”I am because you are” most simply and beautifully describes Ubuntu.

Desmond Tutu further defined the term when he said: “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being hu-man. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubun-tu- you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too fre-quently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World.”

Our deep hope for this upcoming visit is that we can get to know our visi-tors and our visitors can get to know us as we worship, play, explore, eat, talk, and listen with one another.

Continued on Page 7

R O C K S P R I N G Sundays in February

Rock Spring NewsPAGE 2

R O C K S P R I N G Sundays in July

JULY 6 Communion, Jerusalem Visitors, All Church Welcome Luncheon 9:00 a.m. Adult Discussion Video Series, “Instant Choir”10:00 a.m. Worship “Deep Rest” Psalm 62: 5-8; Matthew 11:28-3011:00 a.m. All Church Meal7:30 pm Astronomy at Rock Spring, “Galaxies and the Milky Way”

JULY 13 Rev. San Ibrahim Azar preaching, All Church Palestinian Meal9:00 a.m. Adult Discussion Video Series, “Instant Choir”10:00 a.m. Worship11:00 a.m. All Church Meal

JULY 20 9:00 a.m. Adult Discussion Video Series, “Instant Choir”10:00 a.m. WorshipGenesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 12:30 pm Prayer Circle7:30 pm Astronomy at Rock Spring, “The Big Bang and the Expanding Universe”

JULY 27 9:00 a.m. Adult Discussion Video Series, “Instant Choir”10:00 a.m. Worship Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1011; Romans 8:26-29; Matthew 13:31-33; 44-522:00 pm Handmade Ministry

Reflections

Rev. Kathy Dwyer

PAGE 3July 2014

One of my favorite professors in seminary was Kempton Hewitt. Kempton was my first New Testament professor and a member of the Jesus Seminar. He became my academic advisor and later preached at my Service of Ordination. Students (including me) were initially intimidat-ed by Kempton. During the first week of school, many students would always drop his class because the syllabus seemed too daunting. Perhaps the most important thing I learned from Kempton was the importance of having good dialogue partners. One of his daunting assign-ments included journaling each day about our reading assignments. The reading assignments included a minimum of four dialogue partners who had different theological views from our own. So, if we were studying Paul and the writ-ings attributed to him, we might read analysis of these writings from process, liberation, biblical, and historical theologians.

Hearing, and really trying to understand different perspectives is an invaluable experience. It is tempting to gravitate to writers and people with whom we know we agree, but years ago in Kempton’s classes I learned that being intentional about having dialogue partners (as laborious as it might feel) helped me raise important questions, gain new insight, and sharpen my own ideas.

We are trying to be intentional about having dia-logue partners at Rock Spring. Our visitors from Jerusalem surely have an important perspective on the Israeli-Palestine conflict; we have also sought to hear the views of Jewish peace-makers. As I write, I have attended only two of these ses-sions, but listening to these passionate speakers has helped me better understand the link of place with identity, and ask new questions about how we might engage a groundswell of support in America and Israel for peace.

On June 15, we had the first of several meetings about our campus and facility. At this meeting we shared a summary of the congregational sur-vey to which 187 people shared over 1500 com-ments. Each one is important. Over the coming months as we seek to move forward, may we be intentional about really hearing, and seeking to understand, perspectives different from our own. If we do, I am confident that our outcome will be better because of it.

Grace and peace, — Kathy


Rev. Mark Suriano

Caught not TaughtRecently I was reminded of the phrase, “Christianity is caught, not taught,” which I had first heard a num-ber of years ago when I began working with the Christian initiation of adults in the church I pastored when I was first ordained. The idea of that process was that Christian life was more about formation and re-formation than it was simply about education. To be Christian entails a kind of engagement with God by which we are wholly loved and embraced and constantly on a path of growth at the same time.

It worked well for those folks who were going through the process of joining the church way back then. They felt that the good news had something to do with all of their lives and that they were gradually be-ing introduced to something that was significant to them personally, as well as something that would in-corporate them into the church and send them out in service to the world. Throughout their experience they caught on to Christianity and to following Jesus. There was no single moment or assent that defined it--they simply came to understand themselves as being one with and in Christ.

In later experience--within the largely Enlightenment kind of Christianity I came to know--the emphasis was on being members of a church and what people would need to “know” before joining. People came with questions—lots of them!—and the idea of being grafted on to the community and into the body of Christ became more diffuse and tended toward the cerebral. Ironically, even though we are a non-creedal denomination, the rite of passage into the church is as much focused on what a person thinks about things as anything else.

If being a Christian is about learning a way of life, and I think it is, we might do well to understand all of our work as that of being formed in that way. There is a shift happening within liberal Protestant Christianity

away from the knowledge detached from practice model toward more holistic discipleship. In our own place discussions have begun within Christian Edu-cation to see our model as more of one that engages the whole person in faith formation and less of one that only asks the educational question of “What courses should we offer?”

I am looking forward to our continued work in creat-ing a program of faith formation that is fully engag-ing, as much worship as education, as much mutual support and encouragement as service to the world, that will shape us as we follow the way of Jesus.

Blessings, — Pastor Mark

Reflections

From Council

PAGE 5July 2014

Mission and Vision…We are part of a wider church

I couldn’t stay for the whole weekend. After all, on Sunday June 15, we had an important congregational meeting about Rock Spring’s facilities (see Bob Martinage’s article). That same weekend the Annual Meeting of the UCC Central Atlantic Conference (CAC) was taking place in Newark, DE. Sara Fitzgerald reports more fully on page 18. These meetings always help to paint a much fuller picture of the UCC than we can see “from the pew.” This is important, because the activi-ties of the CAC are a major part of “Our Church’s Wider Mission,” which Rock Spring supports generously with members’ talents and financial resources. The CAC turned 50 this year, and we had a splendid review of our history from Barbara Brown Zikmund

(“BBZ”), who reminded us just what a diverse group of people and congregations we are! Our congregations reflect an impressive diversity of history, theology, styles of worship, and positions on key issues! Yet they all seem to be unified by the words that we hear weekly: “………..wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” It was good to hear that, despite challenges, four new churches joined the CAC this year.Another message resonated with me. Rev Quinn Caldwell, in his sermon, reflected on his roots in the UCC passion for engagement, service and social activism, but he stressed that we draw our energy from our shared experience of worship. Perhaps Rev Caldwell will excuse a paraphrase: just as James 2 tells us that “Faith without works is dead”, so perhaps “works without worship are dead.” There were resolutions and workshops aplenty, and Sara gives an account in her article. What was striking in many of these was the process that got the resolutions to the meeting. Even more important, when there were differences—as on the resolution on Palestine-Israel—that process helped to craft an outcome that was stronger than either of the original drafts.One last thing…..it was striking how often one heard the words “Rock Spring” in all manner of settings. What is the appropriate reaction? Pride? Perhaps not. But humility and realism show that we are a strong church with a leadership role in our region and nationally, whether it is through our generous giving, the work of church members like Sara Fitzgerald, or the pioneering approach to global mission that we are adopting with our partners in Jerusalem. And that reminds me….there will be ample opportunities for engagement with our visitors from the Church of the Redeemer (see elsewhere in this issue and separate notices) in the first half of July.Peace and blessings

Michael Bell, Council Chair [email protected]

Spiritual Growth & Learning


From CouncilTask Force 2 -- Campus-Wide Facility:Update from Council’s Goal 2 Task ForceThank you to everyone who participated in the Congregational Meeting on June 15. The meeting was well attended and we had a spirited discussion about the future of the Rock Spring campus that spanned a wide-range of views.

The meeting opened with unanimous approval of Rock Spring’s mission statement. We then provided a summary of the all-church survey results on campus-wide facility consider-ations conducted in May. There was an impressive response from 187 respondents who—in true Rock Spring form—provided over 1,500 comments! Special thanks to Charles Spen-cer and Lucy Carlson who spent hours organizing and analyzing all of the data. The meeting presentation and a detailed survey report are both available on the members-only portion of the Rock Spring UCC website.

Here are a few high points. Survey respondents assessed that while the Saegmuller room, sanctuary, outdoor space, and Carpenter Hall generally function well, Neighborhood House, the pipe organ, narthex, and church offices do not function well. Neighborhood House was identi-fied the most frequently (78% of respondents) as a space requiring attention. Roughly half of respondents judged Neighborhood House to be the number one priority and felt that a signifi-cant renovation was needed. Those participating in the survey also highlighted bathrooms, church accessibility, and audio-visual support as important issues to be addressed.

The second part of the meeting focused on the Task Force’s request to seek outside profes-sional assistance to complete the “discovery” process and develop cost-informed options for addressing campus improvement priorities identified by the Congregation. We are currently considering 2-3 firms that might assist us with this complex endeavor. The lowest estimate is in the $15,000-22,000 range, while the highest is in the $45,000-50,000 range. The Congregation approved a motion to request that the Endowment provide funds for such support not to exceed $50,000. The Task Force will make its recommendation to Council in late June or early July on the firm we intend to retain.

The next step on our journey will be a series of meetings in July and August with core users of Rock Spring facilities and other stakeholders to gather more detailed information on their perceived needs and priorities. We will also continue to distill insights from the all-church survey. The Task Force plans on presenting a summary of our discovery process findings to the Congregation in early September. Those findings will provide the foundation for the development of cost-informed options, which we intend to present to the Congrega-tion in October.

Enjoy the summer!!

Bob Martinage, ChairGoal #2 Task Force

From Council

PAGE 7July 2014

Peace happens one relationship at a time, one encounter at a time, one new glimpse of understanding at time.

From a Nats game or a visit to the zoo, to small group dinners and all-church luncheons, there are many ways for you to engage with our guests from Jerusalem while they are here. Please see page15 for the general itinerary for while they are here. There are several events that need pre-registration. To sign up, go to http://www.rockspringucc.org/news/help-us-welcome-our-visitors-from-jerusalem

UBUNTU–Continued From Front Cover



Sacred Circles, June UpdateNine Rock Spring women have formed a new Sacred Circle. They are meeting Thursday during the day. Several women have found places in other circles. Please reconnect with Peggy Greenwood at [email protected] or [email protected] and remind her of your desire to be part of one.Recently a Circle decided to talk about living in the present. As usual each member was encouraged to bring her thoughts and experience to share. One member just happened to open the spring copy of Lumunos, Faith and Light for the Journey which had arrived in her mail. Included there was this wonderful Emily Dickinson poem which fit the topic beautifully:

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.These words they singOf hopeOf joyThese words leave me toPlayWithin my mindWithin my heartWithin my newest daySparkling brightWashing cares awayMy newest dayBorn afreshBorn afresh…TodayGiving meOnce againThe chance to SeekAnd prayGiving meThe chanceTo thankThe One who gives this dayBehold!My newness…Startling meThough mirrors are away…As in my mindOnce againLife’s magic has its wayHas its wayComforts meWalks hand in hand with ageWalking towards that Promised Land…Where newness winds the day! ` -Emily DickinsonMore information about Lumunos may be found at www.lumunos.org


PAGE 9July 2014

Rock Spring Summer Astronomy Get-TogethersDon’t miss Ed Roberts’ summer series about how the universe works and how we know it. These informal gatherings will all be held in the Saegmuller room at 7:30 p.m. on two more summer Sunday evenings.

July 6 at 7:30 - Galaxies and the Milky WayTypes of galaxies. How galaxies form. Super-massive black holes. Dark matter. Galactic collisions. Stunning pictures (except for the dark matter--it’s invisible!).

July 20 at 7:30 – “Life, the Universe, and [Not Quite] Everything”The big bang. The Cosmic Microwave Background. The size and shape of the universe. Amazing video showing the threads of galaxy clusters that make up the universe. Dark energy. The accelerating universe.

For the last page of the Spiritual Growth and Learning Section:

ROCK SPRING SUMMER ASTRONOMY GET-TOGETHERS

Our organist, Ed Roberts, has a background in computers and science, and is currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in astronomy. Ed will be giving three lecture/discussions this summer open to any and all who are interested in learning more about how the universe works and how we know it. These informal gatherings will all be held in the Saegmuller room at 7:30 p.m. on three summer Sunday evenings.

THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

June 22 at 7:30 - Stars and the Sun, or "I never met a photon I didn't like" Why do stars shine? What different kinds of stars are out there? The birth/life/death of stars. The future of the Sun. Extreme stars: supernovae, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes.

INSIDE THE SUN READY TO BLOW?

July 6 at 7:30 - Galaxies and the Milky Way Types of galaxies. How galaxies form. Super-massive black holes. Dark matter. Galactic collisions. Stunning pictures (except for the dark matter--it's invisible!).

OUR NEIGHBOR ANDROMEDA GALAXIES IN COLLISION

July 20 at 7:30 – “Life, the Universe, and [Not Quite] Everything”

Preview of the Youth Mission TripOn Sunday, June 29, nine youth from Rock Spring will depart for Almost Heaven in West Virginia where they will spend a week helping build a home with other Potomac Association youth for Habitat for Humanity. The youth will be making this year’s trip include: Nora Boles, Justin Divecha, Carolina Martyn, Wade Miller, Elena Parcell, Jack Parcell, Dakota Wenberg, Taryn Wenberg, Josh WittenChaperones: John Overholt, Robin Overholt

If you would like to send a note of encouragement or support to them while they are away, please write in c/o Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity43 E Main St White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986

Children, Youth & Families


From the Director of Children’s Ministries

By the time you read this, I will have “retreated” to my happy place, a tiny cottage on a tiny lake in Maine. The cottage has been in my family for more than 80 years, and I am extreme-ly blessed to now own a share of it. What I especially love is the opportunity for my children to experience the kind of un-scheduled, laid back, “go outside and play and don’t come back ‘til you’re hungry” summer time that I took for granted.

While in Maine, we sometimes visit other churches, which is always a rich experience. However, the closest UCC church is about 30 minutes away and, I’ll be frank, is just not Rock Spring. Mine are usually the only children present, and even I bring the average age down considerably. So more often we can be found on the dock on Sunday mornings, just being present in the world.

In fact, all month long we find ourselves noticing more about the rich creation that surrounds us. Whether we are hiking in Acadia National Park, taking a brisk dip in the ocean, following loons quietly in our kayaks, or just lying on the dock watching

the clouds drift by, we are far more keenly aware of God’s presence around us than we often are back home in the hus-tle-bustle of our daily lives. Our conversations are focused on more important things than daily logistics. We talk about fears and feelings, hopes and dreams, in a way that is natural, spontaneous, and deeply connected to our faith.

Part of my time on the dock will be spent delving into this stack of books that I brought back from two rich and inspiring Christian Education conferences I attended this spring. I am particularly excited to explore Seamless Faith, following a work-shop I took with the author. The book’s goal is to “train parents to bring faith home in a way that is inspiring, easy, and doesn’t make them feel like crap.” Now that’s something I can get behind! My hope is that I can find ways to make what happens naturally in Maine also happen naturally at home. My plan is to share my learnings – and this fabulous book – with you all in the fall. Stay tuned!

Summer blessings,

— Ashley

Ashley Martinage


Middle School Youth of Rock SpringMiddle School YoRS ended our year much as we began it: with food and fun. We feasted on appetizers, played silly games with bubbles and water balloons, and feasted again on ice cream sundaes. We took a few serious minutes to say farewell to our eighth graders who will join SH YoRS in the fall. And then it was right back to foolish fun, playing glowstick tag in a darkened Carpenter Hall. While we won’t meet again for a while, mark your calendars for a mid-summer fun outing after church on Sunday, August 3. More details to come!Middle School YoRS meets most Sunday evenings through-out the school year. We are a fellowship group, engaging in fun, service, and learning. Students in Grades 6-8 are welcome to join. Look for information about our Fall program launch. Want more information? Contact Ashley Martinage or Mark Suriano.

Senior High YoRS Senior Hi YoRS ended the program year June 8 with our annual luncheon to send off our seniors in fashion. This year we went to the Oriental Gourmet Restaurant.While our school-year program has ended, nine of our youth will attend the Central Atlantic Conference Mission Trip in West Virginia in late June. Along with youth from other area UCC churches, they will help build structures to support the Habitat for Humanity program in West Virginia. SH YoRS will also be hosting the Palestinian youth from the Church of the Redeemer in early July, cooking a meal with them for the SEEC day workers in Shirlington, and attend-ing other activities with our guests.

Fun, service, and learning.

Annual lunch at Oriental Gourmet.

PAGE 11July 2014



Congratulations to our new ConfirmandsOn Sunday, June 8, we confirmed and welcomed into membership those pictured from left: Caity Enroth, Elizabeth Woolford, Celia Martyn, Joshua Witten, Emily Hanson, and Emily Barton. Together this class planned and led an inspiring worship service on this Pentecost Sunday. You can view this service (and all worship services at Rock Spring) on our web site: rock-springucc.org/sermons

2014 Confirmation Class

Learning to say “hi friend” in the Children’s Moment The Holy Spirit calls us to forgive, heal, and unite!

Social Action and Mission

PAGE 13July 2014

Open and Affirming Committee2014 Capital Pride ParadeRock Springers and friends participated in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 7. We stepped off near the Du Pont Circle and marched 1.5 miles to the finish line, near the Logan Circle. The parade route was lined with tens of thousands of onlookers. The festive mood was very much evident this year, per-haps reflecting the string of recent legislative victories: 15 consecutive lower court cases declaring the state

ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional since the landmark Supreme Court ruling last summer, with Wiscon-sin being the most recent. In the past our pastors found it challenging to participate in the parade because the Central erAtlantic Conference annual meetings always coincided with the parade weekend, but this year the annual meetings were moved, enabling both pastors to march for the first time. We had a large convertible to enable those who could not walk the entire distance to join us. The convertible was generously loaned by Carrie Hessler-Radelet, who was with us in spirit in Botswana.Even as we were celebrating the presence of the LGBT community in our midst and their growing acceptance in our society, we were mindful of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. It is illegal to be LGBT in 76 countries. Punishments range from fines to short and lifelong prison sentences, hard labor, forced psychiatric treatment, banishment, whippings, and death, including that by public stoning – the death penalty is on the books in 10 countries. As horrifying as these prospects may seem, equally difficult to bear is harsh rejection by family, friends, and community. Rock Spring will continue to promote LGBT rights and acceptance here in the DC area and beyond, as we are able.

Rock Spring’s 2014 Capitol Pride marching group

Rock Springers Call for Improvementsto U.S. Food Aid ProgramsLast month, Rock Springers of all ages let their voices be heard on behalf of hungry people in the U.S. and abroad. In conjunction with Bread for the World’s National Gathering and Lobby Day, our congregation sent nearly 100 letters to Members of Congress, including Senators Warner and Kaine and Representatives Moran and Wolf. And our children and youth wrote inspiring personal messages to Congress and the President, sharing their concerns about poor children in other countries.A group of Rock Spring members also joined other Virginia-based church representatives and engaged individuals in meetings with congressional staff. We discussed the inefficiencies in the U.S. food aid programs and solutions that could make these programs more impactful for hungry and poor people. The meetings were productive and positive. For more information about Bread for the World’s ongoing work, please visit www.bread.org or contact Rock Spring member Andrea Maresca ([email protected]).



Hi! My names is Georgette Sahhar. I am almost 18 years old. I have finished high school and I have one older brother and one younger sister. I like to swim, listen to music and do shopping.

My name is Rina. I am 18 years old. I have just finished my senior year and am currently getting ready to go to university. My hobbies are reading, listening to music, and spending time on the internet with my friends and family.

Hi! I am Sally and I am 18 years old. I just finished my senior year. I am thinking of studying theology but I am not sure yet. I love listening to music and meeting up with friends and family. I love to go to the beach. Reading is one of my hobbies too, but I don’t read a lot. I am very excited to come to the USA. I have been twice before, but I have never been to Washington DC. I can’t wait to meet all of you and make new friends.

Hi! My name is Sama Azar. I am 13 years old and I go to the Schmidt Girls College. I am the youngest between 2 sisters, with no brothers. I have many hobbies including singing, playing the piano, and playing sports such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball. See you soon!

Greetings to the unknown friends to be from the US! MY name is Giovanni Facouseh, and NO! I am not Italian nor have any relationship to Italy what so ever, and Facouseh is a kind of vegetable that looks like cucumber which doesn’t grow in the US and you can’t google it unless its written in Arabic ( don’t worry, I’ll send you a picture to see it). I’m 19, although if you see me you’d think that I am 21+. I graduated high school last year from a French private school (but I don’t really know French, I just know some basic words along with English and Hebrew which I speak fluently ) and continued in the Hebrew University of Jerusa-lem a year of language. I am starting this year in the Art and Design department in the Video art section. I work as a professional photographer as I continue of my love of pictures and videos and stuff, which I’m going to study in university for 4 years which I mentioned. P.S: don’t ask about what camera I have or what is my equipment, I don’t have any kind of them! They are so much expensive to get over here! I Also coming with these youth are Pastor Sani Ibrahim Azar and his wife, Nahla, Pastor Azar will preach on Sunday, July 13.

Rina

Sama

Georgette

Sally

Giovanni

Meet Our Visitors: In their own words


PAGE 15July 2014

Itinerary The following is a general itinerary for our Jerusalem visitors. Events that are open to the entire congregation are in blue. Events that are open to the congregation, but need prior registration are in red. Youth only events are in green.

JULY 4 (Friday) 1:35 pm Flight AF 028 scheduled to arrive at Dulles from Paris CDG; Immigration and Customs; Meet at Arrivals 3:00 pm Arrive at host homes, unpack, and rest 6:30 pm Dinner and evening with host familiesJULY 5 (Saturday)**** Morning free 12:00 pm Pot-luck lunch for guests and host families at Rock Spring 3:00 pm Leave for Nationals’ Park for Cubs game at 4:05 pmJULY 6 (Sunday) 9:00 am “Instant choir” for singers10:00 am Sunday service; introduce guests; Sunday School11:30 am All-church luncheon and social event **** Evening free; dinner with host familiesJULY 7 (Monday) 8:00 am Guests tour Washington 6:00 pm YORS event: supper and cooking a meal for day-laborers at SEECJULY 8 (Tuesday)**** Morning free11:00 am Meet at Rock Spring to serve meal at SEEC with YORS**** Afternoon free 6:30 pm Small Group DinnersJULY 9 (Wednesday) 9:00 am Depart for Shenandoah Valley 6:30 pm Small Group DinnersJULY 10 (Thursday) 8:00 am Depart Rock Spring for Visit: National Zoo6:30 pm Small Group DinnersJULY 11 (Friday) 8:30 am Depart RS for Service day 9:00 am Work at AFAC (Arlington Food Assistance Center)11:30 am Lunch with SEEC (Shirlington Employment and Education Center) 1:00 pm Work at ASPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network); visit Shelter House JULY 12 (Saturday) 9:00 am Prepare Palestinian Meal for July 13 1:00 pm Depart Rock Spring for Great Falls 6:00 pm YORS Lock-in overnight and pizza party at Rock SpringJULY 13 (Sunday) 9:00 am Instant choir10:00 am Sunday service; Rev. Azar to preach 11:30 am PALESTINIAN DAY: All-Church lunch: music, dancing, stories and presentations **** Evening free; dinner with host familiesJULY 14 (Monday)8:00-5:00 Gettysburg Battlefield Park and Outlet Shopping Malls 6:30 pm Dinner: Host families, YORS, and guests at Sara Fitzgerald’sJULY 15 (Tuesday) 6:00 pm Depart Arlington for Dulles Airport 9:25 pm Flight AF 027 scheduled for departure to Paris CDG



Celebrating at SEECShirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC) honored Rock Spring and Congressman Jim Moran June 7 with the Emily DeCicco Humanitarian Award for their support and outreach efforts to assist immi-grants. The award recipients received handcrafted ceramic plates created by an artisan in Mexico espe-cially for this event.

Over 50 guests including 15 from Rock Spring gath-ered to celebrate this honor. Others attending includ-ed community leaders with elected officials State Senator Barbara Favola, Congressional candidate Mark Levine and School Board candidate Barbara Kanninen as well as Andres Tobar, Executive Director of SEEC, Leni Gonzalez, Chair of the Board and Scott McCaffrey from the Sun Gazette. Over $6,500 was raised at this event to support the efforts of SEEC.

Rev. Dwyer commented, upon accepting this award, that she had used the SEEC workers at least 10 times and every time they surpassed her expectations. In addition to hiring these day laborers to do yard work, painting and other odd jobs, Rock Spring supports this program by preparing and delivering lunch twice monthly for 40-60 workers. The YoRS group has been cooking Hispanic meals bimonthly for over two years as part of their social action involvement in the total church effort. In addition, Sacred Circles, book clubs, Fifth Sunday efforts and neighborhood groups have widened this commitment.

The Rock Spring SEEC efforts are coordinated by Ann Rudd and Shirley Ruhe.

News & Notes

PAGE 17July 2014

Congratulations to our newest members! Mary Helen Harris and Stephanie Arnold PangMary Helen was drawn to Rock Spring because of our meaningful worship and creative approaches to social justice. She is married to Bob Harris, an ordained Presbyterian minister who also frequently attends Rock Spring. She is a retired social worker, most recently from being a geriatric social work case manager. Mary Helen loves travel, spending time with grandchildren, and ethnic foods.

Stephanie began attending Rock Spring nearly ten years ago and was immediately drawn to the sense of com-munity found at Rock Spring in the 20/30’s group and Moveable Feast; this, paired with our commitment to outreach and social justice issues make Rock Spring feel like her spiritual home. When asked why she is joining now, she says, “Because it’s time!” Stephanie enjoys hiking and camping with friends, cooking, baking, read-ing and knitting. Of Stephanie, her husband Matthew says, “knitting and God calm her.” Professionally, Steph-anie is the Director of Policy and Communications for the National Coalition of STD Directives.

Hall for a rousing reception, with delicious food and wonderful conversation. It was truly a day to remember.

Audio-Visual MinistryVolunteers Needed Every Sunday we capture the 11:00 a.m. service (the 10:00 a.m. service in summer) in both audio and visual formats. The .mp3 audio and the captured video are edited and put up on the Rock Spring website. For many people all over the world (U.S.A., Japan, China, the Netherlands, South Africa) and for Rock Spring members who are not able to physically attend our services, these means of worshiping with our faith community are truly an outreach ministry for Rock Spring.

At present we have need of an additional one or two people who would be willing to learn how to capture and edit our worship services and, occasionally, our concerts. The tasks involved are not difficult, but they will require a couple of hours of training, a computer and, importantly, a commitment of one Sunday morn-ing every month to sit in the balcony, set up and run the camera and sound, and edit the audio and video.If you are interested in becoming involved in this ministry, please contact Dale Dwyer at [email protected] or 419-340-1956.

News & Notes


the national UCC Board and a retired corporate secre-tary and associate general counsel of the Johnson & Johnson Company. Workshops and roundtable sessions focused on a variety of topics. Peter Makari, the UCC’s area executive for the Middle East and Europe, led a review of the status of conflicts in the Middle East. I led two sessions reviewing new approaches to church governance, drawing on our experiences at Rock Spring and from the experiences of other churches who have worked to update the way they do church business. As a member of the meeting planning committee, I was also part of a team that researched the conference’s 50-year history. Some of this research supported a banquet address by the Rev. Barbara Brown Zikmund, the UCC’s pre-eminent historian, who led the Rock Spring women’s retreat during our own centennial year. Zikmund charted the way in which the CAC was created after the merger of two Protestant denominations in 1957, resulting in one of the most diverse conferences within the UCC. A recurring theme was that while this diversity has created challenges over the past 50 years, it is also one of the strengths of our conference. In the course of my research, I was reminded of the strong role Rock Spring and its members had played in the conference, particularly in its early years. Former Senior Pastor Sidney Lovett, as an early chair of the Nominating Committee, recruited Rock Springer Jim Davis to serve as the conference’s treasurer. Jim served for seven years as treasurer, then four more years as conference secretary, finally retiring when he turned 80. Sid Lovett later served as the CAC’s second conference minister. Hugh Appling was recruited to serve as acting conference minister when two members of the confer-ence ministry team were hospitalized with major medi-cal crises—the first time a lay person had served in that role. Hugh and the Rev. George Booth later served as co-interim ministers before Rev. John Deckenback was called in the early 1990s. John is now the longest serving conference minister in the UCC. Resolutions and other materials related to the annual meeting can be reviewed under the “Annual Meeting” menu at the conference’s website, www.cacucc.org. --Sara Fitzgerald

The Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ celebrated its 50th annual meeting, June 13-15, held once again at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. This year’s theme was “Celebrating the Past, Envisioning the Future.” Rev. Kathy Dwyer, Michael Bell, Howard Hjort and I served as Rock Spring’s delegates to the meeting. During the business portion of the meeting, delegates approved three resolutions that are expected to be submitted for consideration by the next General Synod, scheduled for June 26-30, 2015 in Cleveland. • Delegates voted unanimously to call on the Washing-ton franchise of the National Football League to change that team’s “racially demeaning” name and to urge UCC congregations and members to boycott games and team-related merchandise until the name is changed. Before the vote, Ray Harbritter, a leader of the Oneida Nation that has supported the boycott, addressed the delegates to explain his tribe’s position. Team officials had been offered the opportunity to address the meet-ing, but declined. • The conference voted in support of a compromise resolution that calls on UCC-related entities to divest from their holdings in companies that are found to profit from their holdings in Israeli-occupied Palestine and to boycott products identified as being produced in “illegal” Israeli settlements. At the same time, the resolution calls for continued dialogue among the Abrahamic faiths to promote a peaceful settlement of the conflict in that region. • Delegates also voted to support a resolution calling for the dismantling what has been described as “the new Jim Crow,” including policies that lead to higher incarceration rates for drug-related crimes for minorities and laws that make it more challenging for them to reenter society after they have served their prison terms. The resolution was shepherded by Rev. Kwame Osei Reid, associate conference minister for our own Potomac Association, and Frank Bolden, a member of

Central AtlanticConferenceAnnual MeetingMarks 50th Anniversary

News & Notes

News & NotesRock Spring members and friends, I am sending warm thanks to you for your generous support through the Wildman Fund. Learning and worshipping with all of you has been its own gift, and the check helps pay for a summer class. I look for-ward to more time together.

With gratitude and shalom,

Laura Martin

Milestones and MarkersOur sympathy is extended to Cathy Hale on the death of her mom and Diana Johnson on the death of her father.

Our sympathy extends to long time member Chris Swenson on the loss of her husband, Karl. Karl Eklund Swenson, passed away on May 16, 2014. Karl and his wife, Chris, have been members of Rock Spring since the early 1950’s. A memorial service was held near their current home in Lake Ridge, Virginia.

Cards can be sent to Chris at the following address:

12210 Cathedral DriveLake Ridge, Virginia 22192

Rock Spring Riders Up for some bike rides this summer? The Rock Spring Riders will be riding one Saturday a month starting each time at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Starbucks in the Lyon Village Shopping Center. The ride dates are May 31, June 14, July 12, and August 9. The rides are approxi-mately 18 miles and take approximately two hours. Call John Morland (703-731-0608) or Don Manning (703-407-5085) if you have questions.

PAGE 19July 2014

The Congregation, The MinistersKathryn N. Dwyer, Senior Pastor [email protected]

Mark J. Suriano, Associate Pastor [email protected]

Ashley Martinage, Director of Children’s Ministries [email protected]

Elizabeth Kluegel Niblock, Director of Music [email protected]

Edward Roberts, Assistant Director of Music and Organist [email protected]

Administrative Staff: Angel M. Washington, Office Administrator [email protected]

Sarah Lengyel Steel, Bookkeeper and Operations Consultant [email protected]

Childcare Staff: Fern Lawrence, Cecilia Welch, Judy Carrillo, & Blanca Cespedes

Custodial Staff Willis Gardner & Vicky Morales

5010 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA 22207(703) 538-4886www.RockSpringUCC.org

Rock Spring Congregational5010 Little Falls RoadArlington, VA 22207

rock spring news · i think it is, we might do well to understand all of our work as that of being...

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