The dog days of August are upon us. For what shall we give thanks and praise?

I commend the spiritual discipline of simple gratitude. At some point every day, pause for a moment and give thanks.

These sultry summer days I give thanks for the community at Clarendon, and for all of the many voices we lift up in praise and gratitude.

I especially give thanks for you as I begin a month of study leave (for which I also give thanks). Your voices will lead "the work of the people" through a Festival of Voices on Sundays this month.

In addition to your voices leading worship, we'll also be blessed by the wisdom and insight of a series of preachers. The festival of voices begins this Sunday with our own John Green, preaching on "God Within."

August 12 we welcome back our good friend, the Rev. Jim Sirbaugh, who will preach on "The Transformed Life." Jim is the honorably retired pastor emeritus at Idylwood Presbyterian in Falls Church.

August 19 we welcome Joelle Novey, director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light. Joelle will speak on "Power & Light, Our Religious Response to Climate Change." Joelle is a founder of Tikkun Leil Shabbat, an independent Jewish community in Washington. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University where she received a BA in Social Studies, and completed the coursework for a minor in the Study of Religion.

Sunday, August 26, we take our worship to the woods of Mason Neck State Park for our annual church potluck picnic. We'll gather under the pavilion at the park at 11:00 a.m., have a brief worship, break bread together, and enjoy the beauty of the park.

Sunday, September 2, we draw this Festival of Voices to a close welcoming the Rev. Ruth Kent. Ruth will lead a creative Labor Day weekend liturgy that promises to be joyous and uplifting.

It's going to be a great month of worship at the wee kirk. I hope you'll make it to many of the services. I know that you'll add the experience to your list of thanksgivings.

Come and worship!
 
peace,

David

The staff changes approved by the congregation at the beginning of June kick-started a process that has resulted thus far in developing job descriptions for the new administrative position and the music director position. The admin position has been posted fairly widely and the search team is reviewing resumes. We anticipate hiring someone in the next four to six weeks.

The music position has also been posted, but we anticipate a longer search for that more difficult to fill position.

At its August meeting (19th) session expects to approve a position description for the newly created Christian education/spiritual formation/family ministry position. That search will continue until the position is filled.

Position descriptions and application procedures have been posted on our web site and are being advertised in various ways around the area. If you know of qualified candidates, please encourage them to apply.

Last month we had a great time discussing Christopher Moore's Lamb, The Gospel According to Bif, Christ's Childhood Pal. The fun continues next month when the reading group reconvenes on an evening to be determined.  

Our second read will be Wendel Berry's novel, Jayber Crow. An orphan and seminary dropout, Jayber was the barber, grave-digger, and church sexton in Berry's created town of Port William, Ky., through the middle years of the 20th century. His keen-eyed observation of the town and its people provide a beautiful and compelling take on community, faithfulness and love.

Early in the fall we'll read Timothy Beal's The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book. As you would guess from the title, this one is a work of nonfiction. The author, a professor at Case Western University in Cleveland, is a friend from our days in Ohio, and he's crafted a deeply personal and also deeply researched account of the history of the Bible both as sacred scripture and as hot commodity. His previous book, Roadside Religion, was named best religion book of the year by the New York Times.