Volume 22
Issue 3
March 2015
More Light • Open and Affirming • Reconciling
Lent
is for
listening
By Rev. Dr. D. Jay Losher
Lent is for listening.
A season of hushed voices and uncomfortable silences;
of hearing and overhearing ~
hearing the creak and groan of the church building;
overhearing the muffled cough, the stifled sigh ~
in worship, the silenced infant’s cry.
Outside the oblivious, uncooperative, noisy world goes on,
white noise distracting.
Lent is for listening ~ forty days of listening.
Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness
ministered by angels ~ tempted by evil itself.
After days upon days of being alone but not lonely,
after days upon days of opened-up silence,
the white noise fades,
and then, even its memories.
And Jesus heard, really heard
beyond the hunger, past the thirst
behind the silence, under the soundless,
the voice of the calm within.
Lent is for listening ~ our forty days of listening
moving us over, under, around and through
all the noisome distractions encumbering our lives,
engulfing us ~
For us to hear, really hear
behind the silence, beyond the wordless,
the calm, compelling call of God.
Lent is for listening.
Straining to hear the change of beat in the pulse of liturgy ~
changing the “we’s” to “I’s”
confessing “my” sin, not “our” sins any longer.
Absorbing the change of colors in our banners ~
the purple mood of royal mourning.
Surprised by a dark wreath of candles
wrapped in a crown of thorns ~
a candle extinguished each week closer to the cross.
Lent is for listening.
longingly, lovingly with great expectation
to hear the very voice of God in the early dawn
pronouncing victory over the ancient enemy:
“Death, where is your victory?!”
“Death, where is your sting?!”
Lent is for listening.
1
New Methodist church in Reston
By Joe Bocchiaro, UCP Board Moderator
There has been a lot
of buzz and discussion at UCP over
the plans of Floris
United Methodist
Church to open a
new church in Reston. The UCP Board Joe Bocchiaro
has spent considerable time over the last
two years discussing internally and with
our denominations how this will impact
us at UCP. We asked, why is a new
UMC church necessary, when UCP has
been the Methodist Church in Reston?
How does this affect our “Covenant”
relationships with our denominations?
How should we respond—with encouragement, blessing, or apprehension?
Now that the new church is here, and has
a name—“Restoration,” a pastor—Rev.
Tim Ward, and a worship space—Forest
Edge Elementary School, there is a lot to
consider and evaluate.
Thanks to an invitation from Rev. Joan
Bell-Haynes and our Witness Ministry
and Vitality Team that she oversees, a
discussion was held with Pastor Tim at
UCP on February 12. The meeting was
open to all at UCP and about 25 people
attended. Pastor Tim began with a great
and revealing ice-breaker session with
everyone sharing “something no one
knows about you.” Next he spent some
time explaining his faith journey, so we
could get to know him as a person and
as an evangelist for Christ. His sincerity
and earnestness won the group over and
prepared us for some open discussion.
Pastor Tim explained that his motivation
stems from the word “GO” in Christ’s
Great Commission found in Matthew
28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations.” The Restoration Church
is all about going, and so is Tim. His
various ways of reaching people who are
“unchurched” and “done (burned-out
volunteers)” were very interesting to the
group, many of whom are involved in
our Witness and Worship Ministries, and
our relatively new Vitality Team.
The new Restoration Church congregation has had a face painting booth at the
Reston Oktoberfest, a Christmas singalong at the Reston Town Center, and a
homebrew fellowship evening. Having
no physical office, Pastor Tim spends
time in various coffee shops and wherever
the activities of his young family lead
him—such as soccer fields and school
events. He models himself after other
missionaries—but working in our neighborhood, instead of in a far-off land. He
follows some basic Biblical principles
with his approach, such as not having
all the answers and trusting in the Holy
Spirit to do the work. His enthusiasm,
youthful energy, and commitment were
certainly inspiring to me, and I am sure
to others in the group.
As the Restoration Church has no physical building, there are some challenges
and liberating aspects to its ministry.
Tim is meeting people where they are,
A monthly publication of the United Christian Parish, Reston, VA, an ecumenical ministry representing the United
Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the
United Church of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Editor and Production: Joellyn Kinzer
Editorial Coordinator: Marilyn Silvey
Photos: John Moore,
Our UCP group, particularly the Vitality
Team members, eagerly listened to Tim’s
ideas for community outreach. His
simple aims—to reach as many people as
possible in our area with the Word, and
to make new Disciples of Christ—are
the foundation of his ideas. He was
impressed with our presence at the Reston Farmers Market, which he has seen
firsthand, and at Lake Anne Elementary
School. He encouraged us to put more
effort into this kind of outreach, and to
continue our conversation with Restoration Church to find new ways to collaborate.
A changing society that does not necessarily respect religious institutions and
can even be skeptical about them is creating new challenges that require new approaches, which Pastor Tim is researching
and internalizing. We at UCP must heed
this caution and advice, as we have been
doing, and continue our efforts to get out
of our comfort zone, and our building,
and GO!
Condolences
to Billie and Ed Sutter and family on the death of Ed’s
father, John Sutter. John passed away on Monday,
February 23 in Punta Gord a, Florida.
Email articles to [email protected].
2
and once they are invited and attend
the church, he finds ways to get them
engaged and involved in the new fellowship community. The model that he is
creating has even caught the attention
of the Washington Post. The Sunday
services feature contemporary music and
appeals to young families, who help with
the setting up for the service in a school
building, holding Sunday School, and
taking down the chairs afterwards.
United Christian Parish of Reston
Lenten Small Groups
Adult Issues Class
By Billie Sutter, Director of Christian Education
By Roxane Hughes
Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, a time of spiritual
reflection and practicing spiritual disciplines. Some will fast,
pray and give to special selected projects - the classic Lenten
practices. At UCP this year, you are invited to spend time
with others in a small groups setting—studying, worshipping,
fellowshipping, and missioning together. How much time a
group spends on each discipline is up to the group. The small
groups will begin around Ash Wednesday.
Why do we humans choose (or not) to do the right thing? Is
morality biological or learned behavior? Join Larry Pullen and
Roxane Hughes during the month of March as they lead an
exploration of good and evil.
Join one of these groups—or create one of your own; Educator Billie Sutter can provide resources. Please let the hosts or
leaders know of your desire to join a particular group so that
all may be prepared for you to participate fully.
Several groups have chosen to use Anne Lamott’s Small Victories as a foundation for their gatherings. In this book, Lamott
writes about faith, family, and community in essays that are
both wise and irreverent. Offering a new message of hope that
celebrates the triumph of light over the darkness in our lives,
she writes of forgiveness, restoration, and transformation. How
we can turn toward love even in the most hopeless situations; how we find the joy in getting lost and our amazement
in finally being found. Profound and hilarious, honest and
unexpected, Lamott’s stories are proof that the human spirit
is irrepressible. Books can be purchased for $15 by contacting
Billie Sutter, Director of Christian Education at [email protected] or by calling the church at 703-620-3065 or in the
Foundations of Faith class.
Foundations of Faith Class will use Anne Lamott’s Small
Victories as the basis for a 6 week study during Sunday School.
See class schedule on this page. Contact - Rosemary Welch:
[email protected] or 804-399-1028.
The Fellowship group at the Lyons home (12337 Coleraine
Court, Reston) will meet every other Sunday at 5:00 pm beginning Sunday, February 22; facilitated by Tom Lyons. Contact
- Tom: [email protected] or 703-860-8672.
The Lenten group at the VanLare home (12260 Angel Wing
Court, Reston) will meet Mondays at 1:00 pm and use Lamott’s Small Victories, February 23 - March 30; facilitated by
Rev. Rosemary Welch. Contacts - Phyl: [email protected]
or 703-620-3410; Rosemary: [email protected] or
804-399-1028.
In the Other Room (ITOR) Lenten group will also use Lamott’s Small Victories on Thursdays at 7:00 pm, stating March
5, in various homes. Contact - Rob Gehring: thegehrings1@
verizon.net or 703-435-9723.
The Lenten group at the Kinzer home (2520 Pinoak Lane,
Reston) will meet Thursday mornings at 10:00 am, starting
February 26. Using “Walking the Way of the Cross with Paul,”
facilitated by Rev. Kay Rodgers. participants will examine a
number of passages in Paul’s letters in order to reflect on the
place of the cross in Christian lives today. The aim is to invite
you into Lenten reflection and practice centered on the cross
of Christ, guided by Paul’s incorporating the cross into his spirituality. Contacts - Joellyn: [email protected] or 703860-1328; Kay: [email protected] or 703-966-1221.
What is evil anyway? Why does it exist? And what makes us
good? What does it mean to be ‘good? What does our faith
say about our struggle with good and evil? Put on your thinking cap and bring your questions and observations to the Adult
Issues Class, 9:50 to 10:50 a.m. Sundays in Room 113-114.
References will include Mark Matousek’s book, Ethical Wisdom, What Makes Us Good and Randy Cohen’s The Good,
the Bad & the Difference—How to Tell Right from Wrong
in Everyday Situations. Join us—it is definitely a good idea to
be there!
By Rev. Rosemary Welch
Sundays 9:50 a.m. Room 202
Schedule for Foundations of Faith class
Reading LAMOTT’S SMALL VICTORIES:
Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace
2-22: 1st Sunday in Lent
Part 1
Companions: The Book of Welcome, Ladders,
Forgiven
3-1: 2nd Sunday in Lent
Part 2
Companions: Trail Ducks, ‘Joice to the World,
Matches
3-8: 3rd Sunday in Lent
Part 3
Families: Sustenance, Dad, Ashes, This Dog’s Life
Part 4
Families: Mom Part One, Mom Part Two, Brotherman
Part 5
Airborne: Ski Patrol, Knocking on Heaven’s Door,
Dear Old Friend, Barn Raising, Falling Better
3-15: 4th Sunday in Lent
3-22: 5th Sunday in Lent
3-28: 6th Sunday in Lent
Part 6
Ground: Voices, Ham of God, The Last Waltz,
Pirates, Market Street
3
A look at UCC proposal on
criminal justice reform
By Rob Gehring
and employment for people who have served felony sentences,
to address inadequate legal representation for the indigent, to
provide training and rehabilitation for prison inmates, and to
restore voting rights for people who have served their sentences;
the resolution:
And what does the Lord require off
you but to do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly
with your God? Micah 6:8
This is the second in a (hopefully) monthly
Rob Gehring
series that will explore our denominations’ stands on issues of justice. A January
column addressed racial justice. This month we will look at
a proposed United Church of Christ (UCC) resolution on the
issue of criminal justice reform which, as we have learned
in the February adult issues classes, is intimately related
to racial justice. We hope as you read this column you will
discover an issue that calls to you personally and inspires you
to respond.
Dismantling the New Jim Crow: The Central Atlantic Board
of Directors of the UCC recently endorsed a resolution which
calls for undoing the institutions, spawned by the War on
Drugs, that have resulted in mass incarceration. The resolution will be submitted to the UCC General Synod to be held in
Cleveland at the end of June this year.
Noting the history of racism in the United States, including
slavery, the three/fifths clause of the U.S. Constitution, and the
Jim Crow era, as well as the efforts to overcome it, such as the
Civil War and the civil rights movement of the 20th century,
the resolution highlights the following:
 the millions of African American men are currently under
control of the criminal justice system, unable to vote or to
serve on juries, but subject to legal discrimination in employment, housing, and federal assistance;
 the unequal prosecution and sentencing for drug crimes of
African Americans as compared to whites;
 the fact that with 5 percent of the world’s population, the
United States incarcerates 25 percent of the world’s prisoners;
 the Supreme Court’s exclusion of statistical data from consideration of bias in legal cases, and
 the inadequate educational opportunities for urban African
American children.
After recalling past UCC resolutions and pronouncements
calling the Church to action to help find solutions to the
resurgence of racism, the seemingly endless War on Drugs, the
problem of mass incarceration and the growth of the prisonindustrial complex, and the reality of racial and class bias in
arrests and sentencing, as well as resolutions and pronouncements calling the Church to seek justice in policing, housing,
4
“… reaffirms General Synod Resolutions and Pronouncements
calling the Church to action to focus attention on, and to help
find solutions for, eliminating racism in all its guises, ending the
War on Drugs, stopping mass incarceration and the growth of
the prison-industrial complex, ending racial and class bias in arrests and sentencing, implementing justice in policing, housing,
and employment for people who have served felony sentences,
addressing inadequate legal representation for the indigent,
providing training and rehabilitation for prison inmates, and
restoring voting rights for people who have served their sentences; and
(resolves) … that each association and congregation of the
Central Atlantic Conference be encouraged to:
1. Educate its members how, under the New Jim Crow, African
American men are being marginalized by being forced into a
caste of second class citizens who have no right to vote or to
serve on a jury and who are barred from receiving federal assistance or public housing; and
2. Take action to dismantle the institutional support and insidious effects of the New Jim Crow.
To learn where our denominations stand on this and other
justice issues, visit their websites: www.umc.org; www.ucc.org;
http://disciples.org/ ; www.pcusa.org. See pg. 5 for specific
ways you might be involved with criminal justice reform.
Further Reading:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In an Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander
Just Mercy, A Story of Justice and Redemption, Brian Stevenson
Black Lives Matter, Eliminating Racial Inequity in the
Criminal Justice System, Nagol Ghandnoosh, Published by
The Sentencing Project, Feb 2015
Congratulations
to Rob Gehring on being reappointed to
the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Advisory Board by
Supervisor Cathy Hudgins
United Christian Parish of Reston
March 20th Community Movie for Lent:
The Cross and the Lynching Tree
By Louisa Davis
The UCP Community Movie on March 20th, 7-9:30 pm, will
be Bill Moyers’ Journal 2008 interview with theologian James
Cone about his book (finally published in 2011) ”The Cross
and the Lynching Tree.” We hope this topic will help us connect Jesus’ journey to the cross and our commitment to overcome racism in our country and the church. Pastor Jay will be
on hand to facilitate the discussion and prayer afterwards.
Cone is an American theologian, currently the Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, best known for his advocacy of
Black liberation theology. He is critical of the Western tradition of abstract and universalist theologizing by examining
its Euro-centric, white social context and concerns. He then
formulates, in conversation and contrast with it, a theology
of liberation, interpreting the central kernel of the Gospels as
Jesus’ identification with the poor and oppressed, with the
resurrection the ultimate act of liberation.
To explain this provocative title, Moyers asks
Cone, “How do the cross
and the lynching tree
interpret each other?”
Cone responds: “It keeps
the lynchers from having the last word. The
lynching tree interprets
the cross. It keeps the
cross out of the hands of
those who are dominant.
Nobody who is lynching
anybody can understand
the cross. That’s why it’s
so important to place the
cross and the lynching tree together. ... And all I want to suggest is if American Christians say—they want to identify with
that cross, they have to see the cross as a lynching. Any time
your empathy, your solidarity is with the little people, you’re
with the cross.”
Where do you find the Cross in our world today? And what
are you called to do there?
What can you do?
Join or volunteer in one of the following advocacy organizations:
The Sentencing Project (www.thesentencingproject.org)
promotes reforms in sentencing policy, addresses unjust racial
disparities and practices, and advocates for alternatives to incarceration at the national level.
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants, Virginia
(www.vacure.org) advocates on incarceration issues at the State
level.
Social Action Linking Together (SALT), www.s-a-l-t.org advocates on a variety of social justice issues on the state level .
Color of Change, www.colorofchange.org, is an online community committed to strengthening the political voice of black
America.
Volunteer with :
OAR Fairfax www.oarfairfax.org seeks to rebuild lives and break
the cycle of crime by providing a variety of services for offenders and their families, including inmate classes and mentoring.
class to visit labor
resource center
By Louisa Davis
Church members are invited to join the JustFaith group for its
visit with immigrant workers and their families at the Centreville Labor Resource Center (CLRC) on Saturday, March
7th, 9:30-1:30 (from church and back). Supported by UCP,
the mission of the CLRC is to provide a safe, organized center
where residents and contractors can negotiate work arrangements with day laborer. They also provide ongoing educational
and vocational training workshops.
Begun by Wellspring United Church of Christ, the Centreville
Immigration Forum (CIF) which opened the center in 2011,
is a community volunteer group that discusses immigration
and diversity in the Centreville area, and works to build strong
community through bringing neighbors together by supporting
a variety of services for immigrants, including English instruction. Our UCP delegation will help with English tutoring,
tour the area and provide and share lunch with the workers
present. Contact: Louisa Davis, 703/860-1203, if you’d like to
attend.
5
Full speed ahead
By Rev. Kay Rodgers
The United Christian
Parish (UCP) is the
focus of the required
research project
and paper for me to
earn the Doctor of
Ministry degree from
Wesley Theological
Seminary (WTS) in Rev. Kay Rodgers
d
the track “Spirituality and Story”, aka narrative theology.
I’m moving full speed ahead in 2015 so
that both UCP and I can benefit from
the process. I need your help and cooperation.
The project is designed to answer the
question “How can UCP be church to
the changing demographic predicted for
the area around UCP in coming years,
especially in light of the introduction of
the Silver Line Metro.” Or, “How is God
calling the church to reach the community outside UCP in a changing world?”
The theological foundation of the project
and paper is God’s abundant and extravagant hospitality articulated in a plethora
of biblical stories.
I plan to interview individuals who
are charter members, new members in
the last year or so, members who joined
UCP in various decades of the church’s
existence, staff, former pastors and possibly outside sources and hear each story.
Individual stories inform UCP’s story.
Identity is constructed in and by story
whether we know it or not. Corporate
identity, much like personal identity,
is both a personal/corporate narrative
constructed and embedded and interpreted in a larger community story. We
speak about God doing a new thing,
but what if an old thing should become
6
new? What about UCP’s story—how we
were? Were we vibrant, innovative and
welcoming in the past? Are we that now?
What about the future? How might
we listen to God speaking and working
toward that end again or for the very first
time?
In addition to individual interviews,
I will facilitate focus groups in the next
couple of months with UCP’s Ministries,
and I am working to schedule other
focus groups as well. Individuals interviewed and focus group participants will
receive an informed consent form and a
questionnaire, which will be confidential
and secure. The questionnaire will allow
comparison of the demographics of UCP
with that of the surrounding community.
The gathered data will help answer the
questions asked earlier in this article.
Other resources include UCP documents and records and a review of pertinent literature. The data will be analyzed
at the end of the summer, a complex
process that will advance conclusions
for possible future decisions and actions.
The actions need to be feasible, useful
and effective in reaching out to people
within the community surrounding
UCP. It is anticipated that some effective
actions will be in place already and others identified for future goals. Identification of achievable dreams will lead
into visioning the future for UCP with
practicality as well as attending to God’s
vision for UCP.
My excitement for this project stems
from the hunger of knowing and understanding God’s vision for the future
of UCP that I perceive among members
and clergy, discovering what made the
parish what it is today, understanding the
crossroads the parish is in currently, and
imagining the vision for UCP’S future.
United Christian Parish of Reston
One Great
Hour of Sharing
By Kathy Kelley
During Lent each year, the Missions
ministry has the pleasure of presenting to the United Christian Parish the
far-reaching work accomplished through
the nationwide collections labeled the
One Great Hour of Sharing. Part of the
joy of this is that the Parish has always
responded so very generously. Indeed in
a report by the United Church of Christ,
UCP was ranked number sixteen in a
national survey of per capita giving in
2013 among UCC churches. We have a
generous heart for those in need wherever they may be.
The One Great Hour of Sharing is a
cooperative effort by churches to support the work of Church World Service
and United Methodist Committee on
Relief. This work emphasizes disaster
relief here and around the world. It also
includes providing wells to communities
for clean water, assistance to farmers,
helping communities rebuild after floods/
hurricanes/typhoons, refugee resettlement, vocational training and advocacy
for those without the power to get the
resources they need.
We will collect your gifts March 22 and
29 in envelopes that we will include in
the bulletin on March 22. Or you can
send your gift to the church office any
time in March, labeled OGHS. You also
can follow the work of some of the funds
used by the One Great Hour of Sharing at a UCC website: Facebook.com/
onegreathourof sharingucc. You will hear
more about this during the Minute for
Mission at worship starting March 8. If
you have any questions, please contact
me at [email protected].
Prayer Requests
All Military Personnel
Walt Peterson and others serving in
the Middle East
Special Prayer
Aidan
Agnes B
Anna
Estella Bailey
Annie Banks
Elaine Bennett
Sue Bouffard
Patricia Brown
Cole Family
Erin Corwin
Bryan Cox
Danielle Cunningham
Phyllis Davis
Carmen Ellis
John Fitzgerald
Paul Scott Fitzgerald
Hildegard
Jonathan Holmes
Gwen Hunter
Derek Imai Family
Jake
Kathy
Kay Langan (Meg Moore’s mother)
Geoffrey Love
Carol Marshall
Beth McClain
You may add or remove a name by contacting
the Church Office at 703-620-3065 or email to
[email protected]
Brian Overman
Joel and Bonny Pasowicz
Edward Pelzner
The R. Family
Rachel
James Ramsey
Richard (Elizabeth Hammond’s
cousin)
Roy Family
Mary Ryan
Jack Scism
Brian Scott
Jerry Scrultheiss
Jeff Seubel
Rachel Simsaek
Mary Louise Snyczow
Donald Thomas
Kay Townes
Mitchell Volkes
Martha Wanzer
Harry & Micki Wiesner
Mary Williams
Medical/Health
Alison
Ross Bigelow
Bob Bills
Richard Braxton
Jim Burton
Michelle Burton
Annie and Bob Chambers
Charlotte Deel
Eleanor Dickey
Keith Elder (Kathleen Elder’s
brother)
Tucker Fratto
LaVerne Gill
Maxine Haller (Kim Baum’s
mother)
Steve Higgins
Eddie Johnson
Phil Johnson (Ken and Shonnie’s
son)
Conrad Kilinski (Jane Plum’s
grandson)
Rev. Fred Lowry
Jack Moore
John Nethery
Michael Pretoris (Mary Beth
Haneline nephew)
Molly
Mary Anne Oishi
Harold Peterson
Bob Rudiselle
Len Skatoff (Karen’s husband)
Cheryl Smith (Jeff Smith’s wife)
Frank Sundstrom (Judy Pew’s
nephew)
The Teague Family
Tremaine Family
Barry and Lisa Yokom (Jan
Gsellman’s cousin & his wife)
A New Prayer Experience beginning in Lent
Practicing God’s Presence
By Jerry Hebenstreit, Tom Lyons, Rosemary Welch
The Practice/Discipline of seeking God’s presence in one’s life.
“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you… “ —Psalm 63
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13
“Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” —1 Cor 12:27
“True joy is the surprising worth of knowing Christ.” —Philippians 3:3
Practicing God’s Presence is love worth finding.
Come on Thursday nights, March 12 and March 26 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. in room 115.
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UCP helps out at Hypothermia
Prevention Shelter
By Marilyn Silvey
While this winter worked at setting records for low temperatures here, UCP volunteers have worked at helping our homeless neighbors stay warm and well-fed. Each Thursday from
December 4 through March 26, two or three UCP members
and friends prepare a hot meal in our church kitchen and take
it to the county’s Hypothermia Prevention Shelter at an office
building in Reston, where two UCP volunteers serve the dinner, talk with the usually 25 clients, and lead a bingo game.
It takes a full team of about 35 UCP folks to keep this project
going, and new volunteers are always welcomed. This season,
newcomers include Rosemary Welch; Alexis Vaughan Kassim
and her husband, Jacob; Ruby Hamilton and her daughter,
Shola; Marsha Sigler and her husband, Ralph; Ellen Pierson,
Lari Lopp and Ken Plum.
Our chief cooks and sous-chefs for this season are Debbie
Aschenbach, Barbara Schell, Sheila Allen, Rosemary Welch,
Penny Johnson (and her daughter and son-in-law), Kathy
Kelley, Louisa Davis, Barbara Pelzner, Ruby Hamilton, Ellyn
Mukai, Jane Lynch, Susan Erdman; Yuyu Hwang; Suzanne and
Maurice Rudiselle, Kim Baum, Jann Tiller, Jane and Ken Plum,
Barbara Bonner and our chief dessert maker, Grace Borders.
Menus have included roast turkey (on Dec. 25), Mexican
lasagna, meat loaf, Chinese food, and a great variety of chicken
dishes.
Evening volunteers for these 17 weeks are Jan and Larry Gsellman, our first-Thursday regulars since the shelter was opened
nine seasons ago; Sue Beffel; Bill Jackson; Marty Jenkins; Alexis
and Jacob Kassim; Debbie Aschenbach; Marsha and Ralph Si-
gler; Claudia Stallings; Paula Steinmann; JoAnne Norton; Jack
Moore; Kathy Zora; Ellen Pierson; Millie Lyons; Lari Lopp;
Jack Moore; Yuyu Hwang; Louisa Davis; Barbara Pelzner; Cyndie and Mark Lipari.
The UCP team also includes a lot of anonymous folks who
drop terrific prizes for the bingo games into the “SOS Box” at
the welcome desk in the narthex. Prize manager Cyndie Lipari
packages an assortment of great things each week, including
some creatively-crafted mittens made by Lois McMahon, and
even some new men’s shoes. One client who won a pair of
shoes gave them to the only man present who wore that size.
One change this year is that members of four Girl Scout troops
are involved making desserts for our Thursday night dinners.
Cyndie Lipari put out the word to area Girl Scouts that this
service project was available and the girls - from five-year-olds
to teens - have made desserts, usually brownies and other cookies, and brought them to the church.
Another change is the “United Christian Parish” sign made by
Marty Jenkins that our volunteers take and post each week at
the shelter, telling our location, Sunday service times, and the
numbers of the local buses that pass our church. Some of our
homeless neighbors have visited UCP in the past and we hope
that more will come in the future.
All of our evening volunteers report the appreciation they
receive from the clients, including raves for the food and
enjoyment of the bingo prizes. Bill Jackson’s report was typical:
“They were very grateful, they thanked us and they applauded
at the end of the evening.”
Sermons from Our Worship Services
Are Now Being Recorded!
A number of Dr. Losher’s recent sermons can be found on WordPress.
There you can find both audio recordings of sermons
and manuscripts including the presentation slides.
Look for them at:
https://drdjaylosher.wordpress.com/
8
United Christian Parish of Reston
Help needed for April fund
raisers for STOP HUNGER NOW
By Steve Lambakis
Support for the 4th Annual Stop Hunger Now event, which
is planned for Sunday May 3, starts with a Chili Cook-off on
Saturday, March 28 (See details below.) and with UCP’s not-tobe-missed Silent Auction and Bake Sale, Sundays, April 19 and
April 26!
But we need your support to pull this off. Plan to take part in
all three events. Cook your best chili for March 28 and let me
know ([email protected]) if you’d like to volunteer your
time to help out on the Silent Action and Bake Sale events in
April. Be a part of UCP history.
The events will raise
se money critical for Stop Hunger Now,
when we will spend
nd a part of Sunday afternoon in spiritlifting fellowship listening
istening to upbeat, inspirational
music as together we bag 30,000 meal packages.
Plan on joining others
thers in our community as we
try to put UCP over
ver 100,000 packages prepared
and distributed over
ver a four year span!
Chili Cook-off to Support STOP HUNGER NOW
By Debbie Aschenbach
Going out to all the Cowgirls, Cowboys and the little buckaroos, UCP is sponsoring a Chili Cook-Off, on Saturday, March 28
from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) . Bring your award winning chili to the cook-off and it will be
judged by your peers. The winners will receive a gift, and a ribbon and the satisfaction that they are the best chili makers east
of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
There will be a free will offering, all funds will go to support
“Stop Hunger Now”. “Stop Hunger Now” is one of UCP’s
hands-on mission which supports the hungry people of the
world. Our “Stop Hunger Now” program will be held on
May 3rd.
If you want to bring your award winning, chili but not be
judged, that is fine, otherwise, please bring a salad, or dessert. Look for the people dressed in their red aprons, or Chef
Pierre or Chef Juliet to sign up or obtain any further needed
information.
You all come, ya’ hear!
9
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible Adventure
rd
4th - 6th Grade
9:30 am – 3:00 pm
3 years* - 3 grade
9:30 am -12:30 pm
July 13 - 17, 2015
Registration Form
United Christian Parish of Reston
Return form and registration fee to:
UCP; 11508 North Shore Drive; Reston, VA 20190
Registration Fee: $10 per family
Make checks out to UCP and write “VBS” in the memo field
Check if financial aid is needed to cover registration fee
*3 years by January 1, 2015 and able to toilet themselves
Child’s full name: __________________________________ Name called: ______________ Gender: M
F
(circle one)
Birth date: _____________ Grade or Preschool level completed: ________ Entering Kndg Fall, 2015? ______
Parent/Guardian name(s): ___________________________________________________________________
Home address: ____________________________________________________________________________
street
city
zip
Phone numbers: ___________________________________________________________________________
Circle 1st to call in emergency:
home
mother: cell or work
father: cell or work
Emergency contact: ________________________________________________________________________
name
relationship
phone
Emergency contact: ________________________________________________________________________
name
relationship
phone
Parent’s Email address: _______________________________________Cell phone: ____________________
Church affiliation: __________________________________________________________________________
Food or other allergies, medical/behavior considerations, or other information we need
to know about your child:
Medical permission to treat:
In case of injury or illness requiring immediate emergency medical attention, I authorize any of the adult leaders
supervising my child to seek medical care for my child. I authorize any doctor, hospital, or medical care institution or
practioner to provide necessary medical care or hospitalization to my minor child, upon request of one of the
accompanying adult leaders.
Permission to photograph:
I give permission to photograph my child and to use his/her image this week at VBS/VBA, in the church newsletter, on
the church website, church social media platforms, etc.
__________________________________________
Parent/guardian signature
__________________________
date
Continue on p. 4
10
United Christian Parish of Reston
Camp Discovery, Vacation Bible School, July 13-17
By Billie Sutter, Director of Christian Education
9:1-19).
Plan now for your children and their
friends to come to VBS/VBA at UCP,
July 13-17 this summer. In Camp
Discovery the children will learn that
Jesus works in and through us. They’ll
discover five “tree-mendous” Bible
accounts where God works in people
to give them faith, courage, and wisdom to help their family, friends, and
neighbors.
Vacation Bible School will welcome
children three years (by January
1, 2015 and able to toilet themselves) through current Third
Grade, from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Vacation Bible Adventure, for children who are currently in Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grade,
will be in session 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. These children will eat
lunch and participate in local mission projects, as well as assist
in planning and leading UCP worship on Sunday, July 19.
Through singing and signing, playing
Billie Sutter, DCE
games, hearing Bible stories, making
crafts, exploring God’s world, and eating together, the children
will encounter God’s love. The Bible stories this year include:
David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17: 1-51), Deborah and Barak
(Judges 4:1016), friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), Jesus
and Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), and Ananias and Saul (Acts
Registration opens March 1; the fee is $10 per family. You
will find a registration form in this edition of Parish Life and
on the UCP Connection Wall. Let Director Shelly Johnson
know of your availability to help with this UCP program that
reaches into the community to help children strengthen their
faith. You can reach Shelly at 757-375-8698 or [email protected].
Troop 1970 — Get your mulch
here! and other news in 2015
By Steve Webb
Boy Scout Troop 1970, sponsored by
UCP for 45 years, is having their 21st
annual spring mulch sale. They are accepting orders until March 10 and will
deliver during the weekend of March
20-22. The minimum order is 20 bags,
and free curbside delivery will be made in
the Reston/Herndon/Oak Hill/Oakton/
Vienna area. The troop plans to deliver
more than 7,000 bags of mulch.
The mulch is double shredded, aged
oak-bark, and the price is the same as last
year: $5.50/bag for 20-34 bags, $5/bag
for 35 bags or more, and $4.50 a bag for
100 bags or more. Tax deductible donation receipts are provided.
Orders with checks payable to BSA Troop
1970 may be sent to Troop 1970 Mulch
Sale (% Rao), 1406 North Point Glen
Ct., Herndon, VA 20179. Or orders may
be placed and paid online via PayPal at
http://troop1970.org/mulch. No split or
shared orders, please. For more information, call Larry Corey at 703-689-9903.
(Sales form is on pg. 12.)
The mulch drive is the troop’s main
fundraising activity. It helps finance
campouts, summer camp, and other
troop activities. Troop 1970 also does
many service projects, including over 80
Scout-hours of work at the United Christian Parish during spring and fall cleanup
days and collecting over 800 pounds of
food for the annual area Thanksgiving
food drive. The troop
also provides logistical
support to the Reston
Marathon, Reston
Sprint Team, and Reston Triathlon events.
most active and successful troops in the
National Capital Area Council. We now
have about 35 active member Scouts,
and almost as many registered leaders. In
the last year, five Scouts have earned the
Eagle rank—Austin LaRock, Greg Blaniped, Lars Kolankiewicz, Declan Galvin,
and William Howard. Two Scouts that
already had Eagle completed additional
merit badges to get Eagle Palms—Justin Weeks and Noah Wallace (his ninth
Palm). Let’s continue giving our Troop
the support it deserves.
The Troop has flourished and by many
measures is one of the
Scout Leader Jeff Smith (right) led the troops in the
worship services on Boy Scout Sunday
11
BOY SCOUT TROOP 1970
Serving the Community for 46 Years
2015 SPRING MULCH SALE – Our 21st Annual
• Premium double shredded & aged oak-bark mulch
–3 cubic ft bags (about 50 lbs covers 3-ft x 3-ft area 4-inches deep)
• Free curbside delivery in Reston/Herndon/Oak Hill/Oakton/Vienna area
• Mulch delivered during weekend March 20-22
• Tax deductible donation (Receipt & quid pro quo disclosure provided)
• Price list
– Minimum order is 20 bags
– 20 - 34 bags
$5.50 / bag
– 35 bags or more:
$5 / bag
– 100 bags or more
$4.50 / bag
• For information call:
Larry Corey
703-689-9903
• Pay Online via PayPal at:
http://troop1970.org/mulch
• Or Make checks payable to: BSA Troop 1970
• Mail order form with payment to:
Troop 1970 Mulch Sale (c/o Rao)
1406 NorthPoint Glen Ct
Herndon VA 20170
Volume Prices:
20 Bags - $110
30 Bags - $165
35 Bags - $175
50 Bags - $250
75 Bags - $375
100 Bags - $450
• Please place orders before March, 10th 2015
Although we strive to serve all customers we are limited in the amount of mulch we can
handle. Once our limit is reached we will stop accepting orders.
Please order early, we sell out every year
12
United Christian Parish of Reston
Welcome to our new members
Elvis Gbolonyo
Aminata Kabia
11649 North Shore Dr. Apt. 1-B, Reston, VA 20190
571-275-9220
•
[email protected]
11649 North Shore Dr., Apt. 1-BReston, VA 20190
571-332-7821
•
[email protected]
In Accra, Ghana, where he was born
and was once an elementary school
teacher, Elvis won the State Department
lottery to come to the United States, and
he came in 2007.
In Freetown, Sierra Leone, where
she was born and where she lived
throughout the war, Aminata, also
known as Amy, won the State
Department lottery to come to the
United States and she came in 1998
with one of her three children, a
daughter.
Since then he graduated from the
Sanford Brown College in McLean, with
a BA in business administration, while
working at a variety of jobs. Most
Elvis
El
i Gb
Gbolonyo
l
recently he was the general manager
at Titlemax of Virginia, which handles
motor vehicle title loans, but he was just laid off. (NOTE:
Anyone knowing of job opportunities in finance or accounting,
please contact him!)
The oldest son in a family of seven children, and the only one
to travel abroad, Elvis grew up Presbyterian and later joined an
Assembly of God church. He and his fiancé, Aminata Kabia,
and her best friend who lives in the same apartment building,
all visited UCP about three years ago and have been attending since. Elvis asks for prayers for his mother, who is suffering
after a stroke.
In spite of his current problems, Elvis is optimistic about his
life.
“There are numerous opportunities to become who you want
to be, if you are not lazy. I believe God chose me to come
here to be a blessing to Him.”
Billie pins the new member flower on Elvis.
Since then she became a nursing assistant, and she now works in the assisted living unit of the Ashby Ponds
retirement community in Ashburn,
and she also does private duty.
Aminata Kabia
Aminata’s father was Christian and her mother was Muslim,
and as a child she went back and forth between the two
religions. But the faith of her mother, who died last year, won
out.
“I first went to the Methodist church with my dad and was
confirmed there, but I was very close to my mom, so I became
Muslim with her. But that was too harsh for me so I changed
and went back to Christianity. My mother did not mind, she
was happy as long as I went to a house of God someplace.”
Aminata credits the UCP booth at the Reston Farm Market for
discovering UCP, although she had seen our building.
Pastor Joan welcomes Aminata, another of
God’s beloved.
13
Welcome to The United Christian Parish of Reston
An ecumenical church uniting in ministry four denominations: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church
Ministerial Team
Interim Co-Pastor: ---------------------The Rev. Dr. D. Jay Losher
Co-Pastor: ------------------------------- The Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes
Director of Christian Education: -------------------Billie P. Sutter
Parish Associate: --------------------------- The Rev. Lloyd Kinzer
Pastors Emeriti: ----------------------- The Rev. Suzanne Rudiselle
The Rev. J. Robert Regan, Jr.
Administration: --------------- Rhonda Savage; Jennifer Marshak
Preschool Director: ---------------------------------------- Jane Plum
Music Director:- ---------------------------------------Kevin Fletcher
Organists/Pianists:- -------------Yvonne Kauffman, Claudia Libero
Choir Directors: ------------------- Seraphim Choir - Kevin Fletcher;
Genesis Choir - Yvonne Kauffman; Handbells - David Tiller; Total
Praise Dance - Beth Hetzler; UCPraise! Band - Joe Bocchiaro
Child Care: ------------------------------Sonali Silva, Nora Vivanco
Sexton: -------------------------------------------- Alfred Norwood, Jr.
Parish Board Lay Ministers
Moderator: --------------------------------------------- Joe Bocchiaro
Lay Leader: ------------------------------------------------John Moore
Denominational Liaison: ------Kathy Schauer-Schmidt (UCC);
Donna Harris (CCDoC); Mitch Chambliss (PCUSA); and Penny
Johnson (UMC)
Ministries: -------------------------- Christian Education: Connie
Walbert, chair, Sue Stewart, vice chair (vc); Congregational Life:
Jim McConnell , chair, Debbie Aschenbach, vc; Missions: Kathy
Kelley, chair, Bob Haley, vc; Stewardship/Finance: TBD, chair,
Phil Hunter, vc; Witness, Kim Baum, chair, Kristy Pullen, vc;
Worship, Lois McMahon, chair, Tom Lyon, vc;
Trustees Council Chair: ----------------------------Olin Baughman
Human & Admin. Resources Council Chair: ----- Steve Webb
Parish Board Clerk: --------------------------------- Nancy Vollmer
Treasurer ------------------------------------------------ Gerry Havran
Addresses and Phone
11508 North Shore Dr., Reston, VA 20190
[email protected] 703.620.3065
www.ucpreston.org
Sunday Worship Schedule
8:30 a.m. --------------------- Worship (1st Sunday Communion)
Nursery Care available for Newborn to 23 mos. & Child Care
available for 2s & 3s during entire service.
Children welcome in worship
9:50 a.m.
Sunday School for All Ages
2s-3s, 4s/K, Grades 1– 6, Jr. High, Sr. High,
Adult Classes: Foundations of Faith, ETC., and Issues
Nursery Care available for Newborn to 23 months.
11 a.m. ------ Worship & Weekly Communion “Godly Play” for
4s-Grade 1 is after the Passing of the Peace
Nursery and Child Care same as 8:30 a.m.
6 p.m. ------------------------------------ Youth Group with Supper
7:30 p.m. -------------------------------- Lay-Led Informal Worship
Genesis choir braves the snowy weather, two
receive their hymnals for attendance and then all
gathered for Miss Billie’s story.
14
United Christian Parish of Reston
1
S
Worship Schedule p. 14
Music Team, 12:30 p.m., Rm 119
Laborers of Harvest, 2 p.m.,
Rm 107
Youth Ski Trip, 3 p.m. Rm 107
Concert Series 4:30 p.m.,
Sanctuary
JustFaith, 5:30 p.m., Rm 115
Youth Group, 6 p.m., Rm 107
March 2015
2
M
GSA Troop 3500, Youth Ministry, 7
p.m., Rm 115
3:30 p.m., Rm
Congregational
204
BSA 1970, 7 p.m., Life, 7:30, Rm
Rm 107, Rm 115 116
UCPraise!, 7:30
CE, 7:30 p.m.,
p.m., Sanctuary
Rm 117
Missions, 7:30
p.m., Rms
113-114
Worship, 7:30
p.m., Rm 116
8Worship Schedule p. 14 9
Congregational Pot Luck ,
12:30 p.m., Rm 107
Leader Dev, 12:30 p.m., Rm 117
Music Team, 12:30 p.m., Rm 119
Handbells Rehearsal, 4 p.m.,
Sanctuary
JustFaith, 5:30 p.m., Rm 115
Youth Group, 6 p.m., Rm 107
10
BSA 1970, 7 p.m., UCPraise!, 7:30
Rm 107, Rm 115 p.m., Sanctuary
Stewardship/
Witness, 7:30
Finance, 7:30
p.m., Rm 117
p.m., Rm 117
15 Worship Schedule p. 14 16
JMT, 12:30 p.m., Rm 117
Music Team, 12:30 p.m., Rm 119
Handbells Rehearsal, 4 p.m.,
Sanctuary
JustFaith, 5:30 p.m., Rm 115
Youth Group, 6 p.m., Rm 107
3
T
17
BSA 1970, 7 p.m., PMC, 7:30 p.m.,
Rm 117
Rm 107, Rm 115
HARC, 7:30 p.m., UCPraise!, 7:30
p.m., Sanctuary
Rm 117
Deadline for
Summitting
Newseltter articles
22 Worship Schedule p. 14 23
Music Team, 12:30 p.m., Rm 119
Handbells Rehearsal, 4 p.m.,
Sanctuary
JustFaith, 5:30 p.m., Rm 115
Youth Group, 6 p.m., Rm 107
BSA 1970, 7 p.m., WITS Book,
7 p.m., Rm 116
Rm 107
Board, 7:30 p.m., UCPraise!, 7:30
p.m., Sanctuary
Rms 113-115
29 Worship Schedule p. 14 30
PALM SUNDAY
Music Team, 12:30 p.m., Rm
119
Handbells Rehearsal, 4 p.m.,
Sanctuary
JustFaith, 5:30 p.m., Rm 115
Youth Group, 6 p.m., Rm 107
24
4
W
Study Prayer & Fellowship
11:30 a.m., Rm 116
Homework Club 3 p.m., Rms 114, 118
Confirmation Class 4:15 p.m., Rms 116, 117
Genesis Choir 4:45 p.m., Rm 119
Total Praise, 6 p.m., Rm 205, Sanctuary
PAC, 7 p.m., Rm 117
Seraphim Choir, 7:30 p.m., Rm 119,
Sanctuary
T
5Hypothermia Shelter 6
F
7
S
Cooking 2:30 p.m.,
Kitchen,
Hypothermia Shelter
Dinner, 5:30 p.m., away
GSA 492, 6 p.m., Rm. 204
Embracing the Prophets,
7 p.m., Rm. 117
In the Other Rm, 7 p.m.,
Away
Tech, 7:30 p.m., Rm 115
12 Hypothermia 13
14
Homework Club 3 p.m., Rms 114, 118
Confirmation Class 4:15 p.m., Rms 116,
117
Genesis Choir 4:45 p.m., Rm 119
Total Praise, 6 p.m., Rm 205, Sanctuary
Needle or Not, 7 p.m., Rm 116
Seraphim Choir, 7:30 p.m., Rm 119,
Sanctuary
Shelter Cooking 2:30
p.m., Kitchen,
Hypothermia Shelter
Dinner, 5:30 p.m., away
In the Other Rm, 7 p.m.,
Away
UCP Theology on Tap,
7 p.m., away
18
19
21
11
Study Prayer & Fellowship
11:30 a.m., Rm 116
Homework Club 3 p.m., Rms 114, 118
Daisy Troop 5696 , 3:30 p.m., Rms 207-208
Confirmation Class 4:15 p.m., Rm 116
Genesis Choir 4:45 p.m., Rm 119
GSA Troop 492, 5:30 p.m., Rm 204
Total Praise 6 p.m., Sanctuary, Rm 205
Seraphim Choir, 7:30 p.m., Rm 119,
Sanctuary
20
Hypothermia Shelter
Cooking 2:30 p.m.,
PACO dc
Kitchen,
Concert,
Trustee, 5 p.m., Library
7 p.m.,
Hypothermia Shelter
Dinner, 5:30 p.m., away Sanctuary
UCP Movie
GSA 492, 6 p.m., Rm.
Night,
204
In the Other Rm, 7 p.m., 7 p.m., Rms.
Away
113-114
25
26
Homework Club 3 p.m., Rms 114, 118
Confirmation Class 4:15 p.m., Rm 116
Genesis Choir 4:45 p.m., Rm 119
Total Praise 6 p.m., Sanctuary, Rm 205
Needle or Not, 7 p.m., Rm 116
Seraphim Choir, 7:30 p.m., Rm 119,
Sanctuary
Hypothermia Shelter
Cooking 2:30 p.m.,
No more
Kitchen,
edits or
Hypothermia Shelter
Dinner, 5:30 p.m., away additions.
Final
Community Forum, 7
p.m., Rms. 113-114
Newsletter
Embracing the Prophets,
sent to
7 p.m., Rm. 117
office for
In the Other Rm, 7 p.m.,
distribution
Away
27
Men’s Group
Breakfast, 8 a.m.,
Rm 107
28
31
BSA 1970, 7 p.m., UCPraise!, 7:30
p.m., Sanctuary
Rm 107
15
United Christian Parish of Reston
11508 North Shore Drive
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 620-3065
www.ucpreston.org
16