RSN February 2013

The Rock Spring NewsFebruary 2013 Vol. 13 No.02

Understanding

Rock Spring CongregationalUnited Church of Christ

5010 Little Falls Rd. Arlington, VA703-538-4886

www.rockspringucc.org

T r a n s g e n d e r

Understanding transgender

Rock Spring News February 2013 2

You are invited to a panel discussion on transgender from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Carpenter Hall on March 3. This is being offered as a community

event and as testament to our abundant and generous welcome. An hour of presentation by the panelists will be followed by an hour of questions and

answers. Light lunch will be served to those who are staying on following the 11:00 o’clock service.

The panel discussion will include perspectives from the medical, psychological, societal, parental, and personal vantage points along the

gender spectrum and throughout the life cycle. Leading the panel is Dr. Edgardo Menvielle, who directs one of the world’s few

programs for gender-non-conforming youth at the Children’s National Medical Center. You can find a New York Times article on transgender children and

Dr. Menvielle by clicking here. Other panelists include Dr. Leslie Rodnan, who works with transgender adults at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington DC,

and one or more speakers who are currently being confirmed.

To help plan for lunch for those staying on from the 11:00 o’clock service, or if you have questions, please email [email protected].

reflections


I remember when the first Starbucks store arrived in Columbus, Ohio and wondered how a store could ever make it selling basically just, well… expensive coffee! That was many years ago, and I confess that it didn’t take me long to get lured in. I will gladly choose to meet someone at Starbucks for a

meeting, rather than sitting in an office, especially if we can go to the Starbucks in Chesterbrook that has a fireplace!

In 2007, Leonard Sweet wrote a book called The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion that challenged churches to learn something from Starbucks. The forty-plus million people who come to Starbucks each week, come not only for a cup of coffee, but also for a place to connect. With each cup of coffee, Starbucks also gives you access to an experience and an environment: a “third place” besides work and home to connect with others. As Sweet writes,

“Howard Schultz, the C.E.O. of Starbucks, was one of the first to comprehend the concept of the third place when ethnologist Ray Oldenburg first elaborated on it. According to Oldenburg, three places define and shape who you are: home,

work and a “third place” for community experiences. For Oldenburg the essential requirements of a third place include the following:

• It is neutral ground• It is inclusive and promotes social equality• Conversation is the central activity• It is frequented by regulars who welcome newcomers• It is typically in a unpretentious, homey place• It fosters a playful mood.

Church used to be the third place of choice, a meeting house, a sacred space where the community gathered for governing, mourning, for celebrating, for relationship building. But churches increasingly became non-relational space by propositional place (Sweet, p. 131-132).”

When Bill Spack (from Cox, Graae, and Spack, our architects) presented the initial plans for Neighborhood House to the Task Force, he talked about our Neighborhood House becoming that “third place” for our congregation and the neighborhood. As our architects listened to the reports from the congregation that raised our desire for a growing sense of community, spiritual connection, deepened relationships, and outreach, they heard a desire for a “third place.” Their plans are designed to provide just that – complete with a good cup of coffee.

Please plan to come to the congregational gathering when these plans will be presented and you can hear more about the good work the Neighborhood House Task Force has done. Details of date and time are soon to follow.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Kathy Dwyer

“Becoming That Third Place...”

-Kathy


reflections

Rev. Janet Parker

Dear Rock Spring,

How can I possibly say thanks for all that you have done to make my departure from Rock Spring special, memorable, smooth, and deeply mov-ing? I was completely bowled over by the beautiful and delicious luncheon and your testimonies to my ministry among you on January 20. What made it even more special was how hard the planners worked to make the lunch itself reflect my values and commitments. I want to thank every single one of you that worked in some way on this luncheon or any of the preparations for my farewell Sunday. You all rock! I also want to thank the congregation for your great generosity in providing me with a cash love gift, as well as the beautiful framed picture of the sanctuary that those of you attending the luncheon were able to sign. I can assure you that I will hang that proudly in

my new office! I plan to use the love gift towards a down payment on that hybrid car I am planning to purchase when I get to Oregon. I’ll try to remember to post a picture of it on Facebook. So, once again, you are helping me to live out my values. I also want to thank all of you who sent cards or emails, or gave me personal gifts, as an expression or your gratitude and love. It all means so much, and I have saved each email, card, and gift that you gave me. These will help me weather any challenging storms I encounter in my new ministry in Salem!

As I said on several occasions, words cannot express my deep gratitude and joy at having served Rock Spring as your Pastor for Parish Life for over seven years. Somehow, you managed to challenge me, help me to grow as a pastor, and be patient with me all at the same time. I truly can’t imagine a more wonderful congregation to have served as I came out of academia and took up my true vocation once more of being a pastor. I believe that the Holy Spirit led me to you, and that that same Holy Spirit is now leading me on to a new place to serve. And with that same conviction, I believe that the Holy Spirit will continue to bless Rock Spring with the pastoral leadership you need and deserve. I have been extremely heartened to experience Mark Suriano’s first weeks with you, and am grateful for how easy he made it for me to hand off many of my areas of ministry to him. And of course, I know that Rock Spring is in the very capable and Spirit-filled hands of Kathy Dwyer, and the rest of our remarkable ministry and support team. I will miss you all profoundly, but I will carry the spirit of Rock Spring and my memories of you all with me always. In that way, this is truly not goodbye, but farewell.

May God be with you until we meet again.

-Janet

“Thank You!”

reflections


These are days filled with new beginnings. In each of the Sanctuary windows shines a light that reminds us that the Christmas story, if it means anything at all, has to be born and live in the imperfect but graced hearts and minds of those who hear it. Even more than that, it has to live in the world—a world that shines with the light of God but also lives under the shadow of hatred, consumerism, environmental destruction, and war. As an “Epiphany People” this is a sacred time of new beginnings when we can uncover the light of God that exists in all things, and set ourselves to seeking it wherever we are.

It is a time of new beginnings for Rock Spring as well. Many transitions have marked the life of the congregation lately, and I amgrateful to be one of them! While the “transitional” in my title was intended to indicate the possibility of continuing with you at the end of my contract, it is also an apt description of how I see my ministry with you. In this time of transitions—new beginnings, if you will—I am humbled to serve as someone who can help you move into the future and the hope that God has in store for you.

Thank you for your welcome, I feel as if I have known you for much lon-ger than a mere few weeks! As we work together over the coming months, seeking to uncover that future that God has for us, I hope we get to know each other better and that our time together will be filled with shining. I look forward to our ministry together!

-Mark

“We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent,and God is shining through it all the time”-Thomas Merton

Mark SurianoTransitional Associate Pastor


spiritUal growth & learning“Wisdom is a Lady”: 17th Annual Women’s Retreat

Come join the women of Rock Spring for a special retreat in Carpenter Hall on Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., led by Dr. Carolyn Jurkowitz.

In our Judeo-Christian tradition, Wisdom is often represented as a woman and God’s collaborator in the work of creation.

“When there were no depths, I was brought forth . . .when God had not yet made earth and fields,or the world’s first bits of soil . . .I was beside the Creator as a master worker . . . .” [Prov 8]

Our retreat will focus on the interplay of wisdom and creativity, wisdom as both gift and action. Carolyn will lead us through a variety of activities and

interactions, in large and small group settings, to explore this dynamic.

An experienced retreat leader, Carolyn serves as executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio. She is a longtime educator, hospital chaplain, and

spiritual director. She has a passion for diversity – for the insights that people of different traditions, interests, and experiences offer one another and the

creativity we can unleash in oneanother. Many of you will remember Carolyn from Rev. Kathy Dwyer’s installation service in March 2011,

where she delivered the sermon.

Registration begins in February. Check the church website for an easy way to register online. Or you can pick up a registration form in the Saegmuller Room

beginning February 3. Your registration fee of $20 includes lunch and can be paid at the door the day of the retreat. Questions? Contact Judy McDowell, Sara

Fitzgerald, Susan Peters, or Eileen Jinks.

Rock Spring Women at the annual retreat in March 2012


worship throUgh MUsic

Rock Spring Recital Series 2013Wonderful artists with our own wonderful Steinway piano, in our stellar acoustics!

Sundays at 4:00 p.m. *Suggested donation of $10.00 per person

We hope to see many of you at these wonderful concerts!

February 10 IBIS Chamber Music Society

March 10Phillippe Chao, viola

Music Notes

We had a triumphant first concert in our Rock Spring Recital Series on January 13. Elisabeth Adkins and Edward Newman brought us a riveting concert featuring Beethoven and Strauss. We had over 120 in the audience, and all were treated to a first-class performance.

Please join us for our next two concerts:February 10 at 4:00 p.m. to welcome back IBIS Chamber music Ensemble

March 10 at 4:00 p.m. with the talented violist Philippe Chao with some friends

*Note for parents of young childrenThe IBIS Ensemble is generously bringing a Children’s music Concert on Saturday, February 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Rock Spring. This is a free concert, with a suggested donation of a non- perishable item for the AFAC red barrel. Come early, this concert should be quite popular!

*MORE INFO ON PAGE 14*


children, YoUth & faMilies

Confirmation Class Visits Mosque

Five confirmation class students from Rock Spring Congregational Church attended an education session on Islam at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center on January 13, 2013. They were

accompanied by Kyle Wyman and Rev. Janet Parker, Social Justice minister for the church.

One of our volunteer heads of the Family Care Committee, Elyaa Hammad shared what is like to be a Muslim woman wearing the traditional headscarf in America today. We were also blessed to have one of our young Muslims, Laith, answer questions about what it’s like growing up as a young Muslim in Northern Virginia. Laith attends a public High School in Fairfax county.

When he was asked about difficulties with other youth he commented that he tries to share with people that they should seek the truth from their religion as he does from his religion and, “that is

a way that we can build community”.

Ali Sadiqi, who is an attorney, a convert, and also a member of the Rock Spring Dar Al-Hijrah Friendship Committee answered many of the questions as well.

The group attended the prayer in the main hall and was well received by the congregation. They received a lecture on the five pillars of Islam from Imam Johari and were

given a pamphlet “An Illustrated Guide to Islam.”


children, YoUth & faMiliesYouth of Rock Spring (YoRS)

MH YoRSFun, teamwork, and service were the names of the game for Middle High YoRS in January. We worked together in some fun teambuilding activities – including a blindfolded walk across the Rock Spring cam-pus that somehow broke out into the Macarena – and let our lights shine in the Sanctuary for Epiphany; made squares for a quilt that will provide comfort to an orphan in South Africa; enjoyed a couple of highly competitive games of Laser Tag; and helped supervise the elementary kids during the Rock Spring Annual Meeting.

Many of us will kick off February at the annual Family Life Retreat. A YoRS Scavenger Hunt is in the works, along with snow tubing, lots of good eating, and general goofing off. On February 10, we will lais-sez les bon temps roulez as we celebrate Mardi Gras and prepare for Lent. During the rest of February and throughout Lent, we will tackle some more serious subjects, including homelessness, culminating with a special project on Palm Sunday. Each week, we will also check in with each other, play some games, and just have fun.

Lent is a great time to try something new, so if you are in 6th-8th grade and haven’t been to Middle High YoRS in a while (or ever!), come give us a try! If you have questions or want more information, contact Ashley Martinage ([email protected] or phone/text 703.447.0873) or Rev. Mark Suriano.

SH YoRS In January, Senior High YoRS once again proved themselves to be cooks extraordinaire. Under Shirley Ruhe’s able guidance, we cooked tamales to feed the day workers at SEEC and managed to have enough left for our own meal. We also showed off our cooking skills in preparing a baked potato meal for the entire church at the annual meeting. We rounded out the month making fleece scarves for the residents of Shelter House and consuming mounds of pizza at the same time. We took a break from service projects one evening for rousing games of laser tag at Ultrazone.

February will be a month of fun and fellowship. Many of us will start off the month with the Family Life Retreat. The next week February 8-10, we will have a weekend of skiing/snowboarding/hot tubing and games at Wisp Resort in Western Maryland, staying at the Bells’ home at Deep Creek Lake. Those going on the mission trip this sum-mer should note that February 24 is Potomac Youth Rally Day for the mission trip. More details about that will follow.

If you have questions or want more information, contact Kathy Morland ([email protected] or call/text 703.593.2650) or Rev. Mark Suriano.


Children’s Ministry Teaching Staff I am really excited about our teaching staff that is now in place for the rest of the year, so I want to share all that with you. We are indeed richly blessed.

9:00 a.m. :Preschool through first grade:Judy Johnson and Betsey Wildhack will share one position, Bob Stewart will assist and Daena Keuegel, Beth Wiggins and Aimee Ossman will substitute.

Second through fifth grade:Courtney Klamar, Stuart Scott and Heather Barbour are team teaching and Sarah Gilmour will substitute.

11:00 a.m.Preschool: Andy and Mary Schwarz and Mary Black team teach, and Donna Cartwright is the substitute.

Kindergarten and first grade:Dick Metzger and Carol George are team teaching and Taryn Roman is the substitute.

Second and third grade:Peter Moll is teaching, Claire McCarthy is assisting and Ann Divecha is the substi-tute.

Fourth and fifth grade:Iris Gibson, John Parcell and Owen Rod-gers are team teaching and Denise Cal-vert is the substitute.

As I have visited the classrooms, I am touched by the love, nurture and caring our children are receiving from these teachers.

-Linda


What Happens After the Children Leave the Sanctuary? On Epiphany Sunday during worship, the children participated in the drama of the three kings. After they left the service some learned that in some places that day is celebrated by having a three king’s party and the partygoers wear crowns. So the children made crowns and had a party. Then they made star wands and each child was a star leading the kings. Older children went on a scavenger hunt using scriptures as their clues.

On the next Sunday we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus; in some classes a doll was baptized, and the children got to put their hands in the water. In other classes doves were made and pictures of the children’s own Baptisms were shared and posted.



Our Curricula

The younger classes at both hours are using a curriculum entitled Godly Play. Godly Play is about understanding how each of the stories of God’s people connects with the child’s own experience and relationship with God. Godly Play respects the innate spirituality of children and encourages curiosity and imagination in experiencing the mystery of God.

The older children at 9:00 a.m. are using a curriculum entitled Jesus and the Kingdom Equals. It is a natural follow- up to the Old Testament curriculum that Janice and I taught last fall. It’s focus in on the life of Jesus who changed history through his insistence – in the face of tremendous societal pressures – on the equality of all people. He advocated a Realm of God, a domain of justice and love that did not endear him to the authorities. Like the fall class, this one is very experiential.

The Kindergarteners through fifth graders at 11:00 a.m. are using Seasons of the Spirit. It is a lectionary-based curriculum and was created after parents and ministers began to feel a need for the whole congregation to focus on the same scripture on any one Sunday so that it could be discussed at home. These same folks also wanted their children to have a more worship-focused experience in Sunday School. The curriculum is full of creative and exciting ways to experience the scripture of the day.

task force corner


5th Sundays Rock Spring closed its Centennial Year with our final 5th Sundays project of 2012, called There’s No Place Like Home. More than 75 Rock Springers gathered after worship to learn more about the challenges of homelessness in our area, and about two organizations that are helping.

Our own Pastoral Intern Laura Martin, who is also the Director of the Shelter House family shelter, talked about ways her organization works to get people transitioned quickly into permanent housing and then provides ongoing support. Susan Olson shared information about A-SPAN (the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network), an organization that was founded with the help of Rock Springers. Then we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, assembling kitchen and cleaning kits for families moving into new homes, and street assistance kits for A-SPAN to distribute. We also made beautiful and heartwarming cards of encouragement to include in the kits.

Thank you to everyone who participated in any of our five 5th Sundays events last year. These intergenerational days of service are a wonderful way for us to put our faith into action and make a meaningful difference in the world. If you would like to help plan events for 2013, please contact Rev. Mark Suriano.


Global Mission Tasforce

This update focuses on context and information as we begin to explore a relation-ship with the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. In it are excerpts from the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, that has pages for each of the congregations, to give a flavor of the life and work of the church.

About our Global Mission partner: Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem “The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is known for its warmth and hospitality as it welcomes visitors and pilgrims to the Holy Land from around the world.... [It] has established a strong presence in both Congregational and Educational Ministries. With support for men, women, and children of all faiths, ethnicities, and economic foundations, the ELCJHL is a living, breathing testimony to the …. “God’s Work. Our Hands” philosophy.

“Though Palestinian Christians have been here since the first Pentecost, the roots of the ELCJHL are in the mid-19th century…..Today, we have five congregations in Jerusalem, Ramallah and the Bethlehem area and one in Amman, Jordan…. We also operate four schools and four education programs…. serving the broader educational needs of the Palestinian people. They reach many different age and interest groups, addressing questions and concerns of Palestinian families and em-powering them for work in their communities.

“While millions of tourists come and go from the Holy Land each year, life for Chris-tians both in Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is not what it may seem if you are visiting for only a few days….“We invite you make time to listen and grow in your understanding of the complex life in Palestine under Israeli occupation in order that you might return to your home country and share what you have learned. The Holy Land cannot heal nor again prosper as long as the world outside believes only what is displayed on TV.”

Peace and blessings

Michael BellGlobal Mission

task force corner


rock spring review

2 Free ConCerts From

IBIS (A Chamber Music Society)and

Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ

KIDS’ SHOW: Saturday, February 9, 10:30 amCONCERT: Sunday, February 10, 4 pm

This concert is free- a donation of $10 is suggested if you are able

IBIS celebrates England: Music of Bax, Vaughan Williams, a rarely heard string quartet of Frederick Delius, and our original arrangement of Delius’ Walk To

Paradise Garden. And some classic rock ‘n roll as well!

www.ibischambermusic.org/703.755.0960

IBIS thanks the Delius Trust (UK) for their support of this program.IBIS is supported in part by the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington

Economic Development, Arlington Commission for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts

special lenten offerings


Join intern Laura Martin, in her class offering “Corridors of Prayer” beginning on Tuesdays, February 19th-March 26th

7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Join us in walking through corridors of prayer! Over six weeks, this class will explore ancient and fresh ways of prayer, from prayer-journaling to Jewish prayer traditions to art-making and beyond. Each week’s session will be grounded in a line from the Lord’s Prayer, and that line will be carried into the week’s prayer practices. The class will engage in personal and group prayer exercises as a way of experiencing the fullness of what it means to pray. This is time to nourish your own natural prayer practice as you dialogue with God. The sessions are outlined below, and you are welcome whether you can only come once or you choose to be there every week.

Session One: Opening to Prayer: “Hallowed Be Thy Name”

(Introduction, Discussion, Breath Prayer)

Session Two: Praying with Our Feet: “Thy Kingdom Come”

(Jewish Prayer, Social Justice)

Session Three: Prayer as Daily Bread: “Give Us This Day” (Praying Continually, Prayer of Examen)

Session Four: Reconciliation as Prayer: “Forgive Us Our Trespasses”

(Art-Making as Healing Prayer)

Session Five: Pathways to Prayer: “Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

(Discernment and Prayer)

Session Six: Deeper Roots: “For Thine is the Kingdom,

The Power, and the Glory Forever” (The Lord’s Prayer Living in Us)

If you would like to attend these sessions, please RSVP to Laura Martin or Kathy Dwyer via email at [email protected]

Rock Spring Congregational5010 Little Falls RoadArlington, VA 22207

Join Us In These Lenten Offerings:

“Would you become a pilgrim on the road of Love?The first condition is that you make yourself humble as dust and ashes.”

Ash Wednesday Worship Service February 13

7:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.

Rock Spring Sanctuary

Rev. Mark Suriano will be leading a class on Wednesday evening during Lent from 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Watch your bulletin and TW@RS for details.

RSN February 2013

Documents

starbucks store

homey place

place of choice

propositional place

panel discussion

cup of coffee

transgender children

transgender adults