Have a Minute?

By Hank Fairman

Pentecost was originally a Hebrew Festival of Weeks (or Shavuot). It is a celebration of the end of the seven-week growing season for wheat. This was one of the great pilgrim festivals, where the faithful journeyed to the Temple at Jerusalem, bringing ceremonial loaves of bread. The day is set by counting forty-nine days after Passover. Each day is remembered with a measure of wheat or barley, called an omer. These omer offerings were a way to count an individual’s spiritual growth. Pentecost remembers a waypoint of that growth, giving honor to God for empowering us to grow in our faith.

In his most famous work, ethnographer Arnold von Gennep brought to our attention the many moments in human life where we become more than we were before. Studying the symbolic moments of many cultures, von Gennep found that there were certain events, certain “waypoints” in the social role of each individual where things changed—moments of separation, transition, and reincorporation. He called these moments on life’s journey the “rite of passage.”

In our Christian history, Pentecost remembers the rite of passage for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. They knew the separation from their community, as they began to follow the Way of Christ. They knew that the authorities, both civil and religious, were not understanding of their beliefs. They new that they were at a liminal time, where yesterday and tomorrow did not feel joined in God’s time. In that kairos moment, the creative and creating Spirit of God brought the faithful through the transition, into the embodiment of the continuing of God’s Reign in our world. Pentecost became the “birthday” of the universal church of Jesus Christ.

Each year, we celebrate our own rite of passage at about this time. Confirmation, the affirmation of the promises made at Baptism, brings our youth into full adult membership within our faith community. This year, we will welcome eight new members of our family in faith. They were called out in September, separated into the Confirmation Class. They were engaged in the gray area, where faith and belief is rarified into affirmation. And now, they are incorporated, as one with the church in every time and place—full members of the Body of Christ.

As we celebrate with these, our youth, think back to your own moments of passage. Remember the fear of separation, the trial of transition, and the joy of incorporation. Remember, too, that the journey is far from over. It has but just begun! There will be more moments of truth to yet break through from God’s still-speaking word, and we will be here to listen to them together.

Congratulations, Confirmation Class of 2008! We’ll see you in Church!

Bi-Weekly Church Calendar

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

News & Notes

Thoughts & Prayers

Prayers are requested for Donna Hawley, Catherine Carlston, and Mabel Montgomery, who are all recovering from surgery...Congratulations to Beth and Bill Wiggins and big brother Graham on the birth of Elise Helen Wiggins!  Elise was born on April 23rd at 8:52 am and weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz.  Continued prayers for Alex Kincaid as he continues his recovery and for his parents Karen & Mark.

Deacons Announcements

Schedule Change

Rock Spring Members and Friends--We wanted to let you all know as soon as possible that we plan to move to one service a bit earlier than usual this year. We will have one service at 10 am beginning Memorial Day weekend (May 25), 2008. We will combine the church school so that it will continue as previously planned through June 15. We anticipate RALLY DAY (with return to two services) to occur as previously scheduled on Sunday September 7, 2008. This is planned ONLY for this year in order to help our two pastors meet our many and varied expectations because of the departure of Rev. Wildman, since the interim senior pastor now is expected to arrive mid-July. Any concerns may be directed to the deacons at deacons@rockspringucc.org .

Opening Church on Sundays:

We could use some help opening the church some Sundays (six doors). We have at least one VERY DEDICATED individual who has been (and will continue) to open the church many Sunday mornings, but we could use some additional volunteers. If you are willing to consider helping with this, please e-mail deacons@rockspringucc.org or call Shirley or Jim Meehan.

Ushering:

Ushering is a fun and fulfilling way to get to know more people in Rock Spring. We are looking for a few individuals who could either be part of a regular usher rotation (one Sunday a month for either the 9 or 11 am service, or the 10 am service in the summer) or substitute on occasion. Ushers are asked to come about 15-20 minutes before the service, to make sure that there is water at the pulpit and that the microphones are out, and then to distribute bulletins and make sure people find their way to a spot in the pew and answer newcomer questions (such as location of nursery or Sunday School classrooms). Finally, they collect the offerings and hand off to the Finance Board representative. There are no responsibilities outside the regular church service. If you have questions about the duties, please contact lead usher Doug Gordon, or meet him after the 9 am service most Sundays. If you are willing to consider helping with this, please either let Doug know or e-mail deacons@rockspringucc.org.

Installation Service for Janet Parker:

The Potomac Association of the Central Atlantic Conference and Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ invite you to celebrate the installation of the Reverend Dr. Janet L. Parker as the Pastor for Parish Life at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Sunday, the First of June, 2008.

An Installation Council will be held at 2:00 pm during which Janet will be interviewed by delegates of the Potomac Association and her terms of call will be reviewed and approved. 
The Service of Installation will follow at 3:00 pm with a reception afterwards in the Saegmuller Room.  

Why are we doing this now?  You may well wonder why Rock Spring and the Potomac Association is holding a service of installation for Janet after she has served at Rock Spring for almost three years.  The reason is that the service of installation does not take place until a person has received a formal call to a pastoral position.  Up until March 9, when the Congregation voted to turn the position of Pastor for Parish Life into a called position and to call Janet to that position, Janet was serving in a contract position which had to be renewed each year.  Now that the call has been issued and accepted, it's time to install Janet as a called pastor at Rock Spring, which also means that she becomes a minister in full standing in the United Church of Christ and can transfer her ministerial membership over from the Presbyterian Church (USA).  This is a time for celebrating an ongoing ministry and marking a passage from contract to called status as a pastor at Rock Spring.

Guest Preacher Doug Norell comes to Rock Spring

On May 25, we will have the opportunity to welcome Doug Norell back to Rock Spring as our guest preacher.  Doug was a member of Rock Spring some years ago, as some of you may remember.  He is now a member at Emmaus UCC, closer to his home in Vienna.  Doug is now director of legislative affairs for Catholic Relief Services. He is completing his work on a doctor of divinity degree at Hartford Seminary, and his special interest is finding commonalities across faiths.  His sermon title for May 25 is "Anchoring Faith in a Multi-Faith Maelstrom."

AAH Picnic

All are welcome to a picnic hosted by the Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH) on Saturday June 14th at Bon Air Park, 850 N Lexington St. Arlington VA from 1:00 - 5:00 PM. AAH is a non-profit organization born out of Bethel UCC, supporting a primary school and two clinics in rural Uganda. You can learn more about AAH at arlingtonacademyofhope.org and at this picnic. This event is for fun and information. The only donations accepted will be side dishes and desserts to share! For more information you can speak to Richard Lee or Susan Peters. Please RSVP to rjleeva@gmail.com or (703)521-0163.

AFAC Grow-a-Row Garden

The digging, leveling, and building of our gardens for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) are all done! On May 4, we successfully finished our rain-delayed planting. A very big thank you to the Confirmation Class, the Gamboa family, Carolyn Rapp, Jay Fellows, and Pastor Hank for engineering the gardens. A second big thank you for all who came to move the dirt and plant the seeds!

Now, we need your help to tend it over the summer months. There is a large calendar for watering and weeding in the Saegmuller Room to sign up for a day, a week, a month… whatever time you can give to help grow our rows. Basically, we need to ensure that the beds get watered every two-three days (either by nature’s help, or by our hoses). Please share a moment of your time to help this little garden grow food for AFAC!
-The Eco-Justice Committee

Communicating With The Office

Hello Rock Spring Members & Friends,

We know that communication is such an essential piece of success here at Rock Spring. Clear communication makes everything smoother which is why we wanted to let you know the two best ways to communicate with us. You can reach us by phone at 703-538-4886 or by email Lisa@rockspringucc.org or Ben@rockspringucc.org. If you have an announcement for the bulletin or Rock Spring News it is best to send an email to publish@rockspringucc.org. Notes on our desks can easily be lost or misplaced leading to confusion. Also, many of the notes we receive are unsigned which makes it challenging to follow up on a request. Please use the email addresses or telephone so we can best serve you and your needs.

Thank You and God Bless

The Office Staff

Sunday School News & Notes

As we come into our period of Interim Ministry, the Board of Christian Education will be taking a few steps to help people feel more at home. Every week at the 11 AM service (and at the 10 AM throughout the summer) one member of the CE Board will circulate to each of the classrooms, after the children's moment, to assist any families in finding the appropriate classroom for their child/ren, and ensure that each classroom has at least two teachers/adults in each classroom. The host will be wearing a nametag with CE host written on it.
Please note the Deacons announcement in this newsletter about the change to a single service beginning May 25. Our regular classes will continue until June 15. The rest of the summer will be divided into two sessions (June 22-July 20 and July 27-August 24) with 3 Sunday School classes (preK-K, 1st-2nd grade, and 3rd-5th grade.) If you are interested in teaching the Summer session, please contact Taryn Roman or email christianed@rockspringucc.org.
On Sunday, June 8, we will honor all of our teachers with a special moment in worship. If you have shared your gifts with our children, youth, and adults this year, please mark your calendar!

For more information on all of Rock Spring’s educational ministries, please visit:
www.rockspringucc.org/html/education.

3rd Grade Bible Presentation

Each year, our congregation celebrates the growth of our younger friends as they journey in their life in faith. At the end of Third Grade, the Board of Deacons presents our children with a personal copy of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. This is the same version that we use in our pews, and is read in Sunday worship. This gift of Holy Scripture is one of the moments when the church marks the journey of our children towards the affirmation of their Baptismal promises-Confirmation.

The presentation of the Bibles will take place on Sunday, May 18 at 11:00, as part of the Confirmation Sunday service. Parents of Third Graders, you should have received an email confirming your child’s grade and name. If you have not received this email, please contact Pastor Hank as soon as possible at hank@rockspringucc.org.

Confirmation Class

This year’s class will conclude with a special dinner on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 5:00. The Confirmands will share their Affirmations of Faith at a special service following the meal in the sanctuary. The Service of Confirmation will take place on Sunday, May 18, with the Confirmands leading both worship services, with the Order for Confirmation at 11:00. Please come and celebrate with the Confirmation class as they share their faith with us in worship and celebration.

As we come to the end of this year’s program, a note of thanks for the families of our Confirmation Class, and for the Confirmands! This year has been a good and fun time of learning and sharing in God’s love!

Parents of the Youth of Rock Spring

We have had a tremendous year of fun and fellowship in our YoRS programs. As we come to the end of this school year, let us gather for a time of reflection and planning. The 2008-2009 program year will be upon us quickly, and there is a lot already in motion!

Parents, please join for a “Tapas Pot-Luck” on Sunday, June 8, 6:30-8:30 in Carpenter Hall. Please bring an appetizer or sweet to share. We will look towards the fall calendar, and discuss our leadership and chaperone needs for the coming year. Members and Friends of Rock Spring, you too are invited to come and learn more about the YoRS groups! There is room for all who feel called to walk with our youth! Please RSVP to yors@rockspringucc.org.

Middle High YoRS

April showers bring May flowers, and (sadly) the end of another MH-YoRS season. Below is our schedule of meetings until Summer kicks in. Please note the special End-Of-Year Retreat at the Morland’s Cabin! We’ll be leaving Saturday morning, May 30, and returning Sunday morning, June 1—just in time for Rev. Parker’s Service of Installation! Lots of cool things going on in April and May. Don’t miss the fun!

Middle High YoRS Dates:

Senior High Youth of Rock Spring (YoRS)

Though the school year comes to a close, our SH-YoRS year is running at full speed towards the Mission Experience. Thanks to all who have already helped with the Cake-‘N-Bake sale, supporting our travel needs! The last day for orders is May 4. Please read on for the specifics on the fund raiser and Mission Experience.

Please note that our June Lunch Meeting (normally on 6/1) will be rescheduled, so we can share in Rev. Parker’s Installation Service.

Summer Mission Experience 2008 and this Year’s Fund Raiser

We’re all set to go, and our registrations are in! Now, we need your help with some of the expenses for the trip. We are excited to offer to you:
Thank you all for supporting The First-Ever “Bake a Cake for your Mom” Mother’s Day Cake-and-Bake Sale! At today’s count, we managed to raise $1,300 of our $2,000 goal. We knew we could cont on your support!

The Details on the Mission Experience:
Who: High School Youth, who have completed 9th grade
When: June 29-July 5 (as agreed)
How much: $450, with food/lodging/transportation included
**Please note: the cost per person will go down, based on our fund raising.  In the case of financial need, please contact Pastor Hank personally (and confidentially).

Participants and Parents, please remember--the balance of fees ($400) were due on 4/27. If you forgot, please drop off your check as soon as possible!

For more information on our Middle High and Senior High Youth Ministries, please email yors@rockspringucc.org.

Church Staff