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Gracias! Lots of Notes of Thanks that We Should Share
| Thanks to Chuck Abbott for hosting last Sunday's coffee time.
Paula Greene is on for August 6, and Mike Bagwell and Clark Chesser are on tap for August 14. We look forward to their hospitality.
Thanks also to Cheryl Lederle for feeding the MAD camp kids, and to Suzanne Matula, James Fisher and Ron Bookbinder for loaning air mattresses to the camp kids.
Coffee hour hosts are listed on the church calendar on our web site. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board outside of the church office.
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A-SPAN Sign Up
| The Arlington Street Peoples Assistance Network has a couple of dates open for their evening meal distribution: Friday, September 30, and Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving Day). CPC has committed to serving on those days. Can you join the crew that will gather at church on those dates at 5:45 p.m. and distribute food at two sites? Please let me know if you can help out.
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Summer Schedule
| AFAC update: one summer schedule change for August -- the post-bagging dinner on Monday, August 15, will be pot-luck. Bring something to share.
David will be serving as pastor-in-residence at Camp Hanover August 8-20.
The CPC e-news will appear twice monthly through August. If you have dates, updates, news, milestones, or other information to share with the community, please send it along but be aware that the publication schedule will slow down for summer.
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Milestones
| Birthday Bash!
Ron Bookbinder celebrates another year on August 13. Dar Davis' birthday is August 31.
We celebrate with you!
Barbara Allen asks continued prayers for her mother, Mildred, who is struggling through recovery from recent surgery.
We hold Toni Bissessar, her daughter Emily, and the rest of the family in the light as the grieve the death of Emily's mother-in-law.
In this space we celebrate moments and milestones in the lives of members of the community. So, if you have a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, a promotion, a retirement, or other milestone to celebrate send me a note and we'll shout it out right here.
Likewise, if you have a prayer concern that you'd like lifted up in the prayer lives of the the community, let me know and we'll list that here, as well.
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Mark Your
Calendars! | |
Coming soon to the wee kirk:
An Evening with Matt Black, Saturday, August 6, 7:00 p.m.
AFAC grocery bagging, Monday, August 15, 7:00 p.m.
Church picnic, Sunday, August 28, 10:45 a.m.
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Music and worship and picnics ... oh my
Progressive ... Inclusive ... Diverse |
August.2011
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Greetings!
 The lazy hazy days of summer are upon us, but life at Clarendon continues to be fresh and vibrant. Last week we were joined in worship by 13 teenagers who sang and acted and shared some great worship with us. This week, we'll be joined by Matthew Black, who has led music for the young adult volunteers in mission national gatherings of the Presbyterian Church for several years and brings his music to CPC Saturday night (7:00) and again Sunday morning. The following week, the Rev. John Green, one of CPC's gifted parish associates, will lead worship. Then, after one more-or-less average Sunday morning of my leadership, we'll take this entire show on the road for a worship in the woods and church pot-luck picnic at Mason Neck State Park on the final Sunday of the month. August is going to be a hot time at the wee kirk! grace and peace, David PS: Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 18. Something big is coming your way. |
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An Evening with Matthew Black
 Saturday, August 6, singer-songwriter Matthew Black will bring his gifts to CPC for an evening of music that starts at 7:00. Matt's music has captured the attention of some remarkably talented performers.
David LaMotte says of Matt's music: "Matt Black writes about things that matter, and among the things that matter is being silly from time to time. His wit doesn't conflict with the substance in his songs, though. It balances perfectly."
Matt lives in an intentional community in Chicago and from that home base he also serves on the national staff of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
(It would be really great if you'd go to the Facebook event link and RSVP so we know how much food to put out that evening. PLEASE. If you're not on FB, please send me an e-mail. If you're not on e-mail ... how are you reading this?) |
Come to the Unchurch! And Bring a Friend.
Sunday, September 18, at 6:00 p.m. CPC kicks off an intergenerational experiment in community formation, education and spiritual development for all.
The Unchurch opens its doors that evening with an art show and a conversation with artist Rusty Lynn. Rusty is a long-time friend of More Light Presbyterians, and is retired from a career as a pastoral counselor with the Center for Pastoral Counseling. In his retirement, Rusty has returned to his for love: visual arts, painting and sculpture.
Long practiced in the art of centering prayer, Rusty will share with us some of his insights and experience in and through the spiritual practice of creativity. A show of his work will be hanging in Wilson Hall.
Sunday, September 25, singer-songwriter and peacemaker Blair Pettyjohn will come to the Unchurch and to share his music and his thoughts about the nonviolent way of Jesus.
October 2, Cindy Bolbach, current moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will drop by to share from her experience as moderator.
Future visitors to the unchurch include DC poet Rose Berger (a longtime staff writer for Sojourners), and the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the denomination's Washington Office). Rose will be joined by poet Joseph Ross for a joint reading. J. Herbert will talk with us about the spiritual practice of public witness.
Unchurch will feed your body and your soul.
The evening will begin with a community meal at 6:00, followed by about 45 minutes of program time, and a brief prayerful closing time of worship in the style of the Taize community in France -- lots of candles, simple songs, the evening psalm and community prayers. There will be childcare available for the youngest members of the community during the program time, and there will be programs for the elementary-middle school children as well.
Unchurch is for everyone, but it's especially for folks for whom the traditional Sunday morning worship time (even as nontraditionally as we do it at CPC) does not work. All of which means, it's a great time to invite friends who might otherwise shy away from church. Unchurch will be an open space to build community, share ideas and experiences, learn from each other and from artists, poets, activists, musicians, theologians and leaders in the larger church. If you have an idea for a leader, or if you've a topic you'd like to lead, please let me or Marit Simenson know.
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Plot Against Hunger Is Now in the Ground!
 Thanks to the hard work of Gillian Burgess, James Fisher, Sam Foulke, Don Hodgen, and Yvonne Thelwell (who coordinate the akido group) Clarendon has an AFAC Plot Against Hunger.
(Thanks also to Martin and Hannah, whose parents did not get them to the plot on time, for weeding around other parts of the grounds Sunday evening.)
The good people of Sam's Farm donated quite a few mature seedlings that are now in the ground on the Jackson Street side of church.
The kids (and teachers) of the Clarendon Child Care Center have volunteered to water the garden during the week, making our Plot Against Hunger and true community project.
As with every garden, this one will need lots of work to keep down weeds and, later on, to harvest! The fresh food from our "farm" will go to AFAC to feed our neighbors in need.
If you'd like to get involved in the plot, contact Gillian.
Meanwhile, if you've got extra produce from your own garden and would like to share with the church community, please feel free to bring it in on Sundays. We have a gleaning table in the sanctuary. |
New Form of Government Takes Effect in PC(USA)
This summer the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) entered a new era as the new form of government approved by last summer's General Assembly (and ratified by a majority of presbyteries in voting since the assembly) to effect. The effective date, July 10, coincided with the 501st anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. If anyone knew where his body was buried the grave could be checked for signs of rolling over or not. NFOG includes the new ordination standard (the now ratified amendment 10-A) which makes the way clear for ordaining gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons to church office. The new form of government also changes the titles of two of those offices: elders are now ruling elders and ministers of word and sacrament are now teaching elders. It remains to be seen what practical changes will result for Clarendon, but at the very least you can anticipate voting on a few clerical changes to our congregational by-laws at the October congregational meeting as we move to align those by-laws with the new numbering system in the revised denominational constitution. |
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