Happenings || Emmaus United Church of Christ

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Happenings, September 2007

A Message from Reverend Bill

There are congregations where summer is not a big church season. For these churches, the month of September is marked by a sense of returning, homecoming and re-opening. At Emmaus, summer has actually been a season of many visitors, high attendance, and high spirits. What is different from the other seasons is that our choir does not sing, and Sunday School becomes a two-room school house.

On September 9th, “Opening Sunday,” we mark the return of the choir to its loft, and the Sunday School to its regular configuration. Yet what exactly are we “opening,” given the full summer we have had?

I would like to suggest that we think of “opening” as an intentional receptivity of the heart, the mind and the soul to the things of God, the core of the Gospel of Jesus, and the presence of the Christ in our midst.

How might we be open to the Light and Power of God in our work places, our studies, our relationships? How might we cultivate a sense of Jesus’ insistence on Love in each of our moments? How might we change our lives as the Christ flows through us?

I invite you to ponder this idea of opening.

As you do, you will begin to notice those places where you might be blocked, stuck or closed. Simply keep pondering. Keep cultivating. Keep insisting on Love, especially in those moments and places where Love seems not to be.

As we practice this “opening”, and keep covenant with God, self and other, we stand to be amazed at the blessing and healing, we will embody for the world, as individuals and as a congregation

Peace,

Rev. Bill

Upcoming Sermons

9/2: LABOR SUNDAY: “Stretching, Not Crushing”
9/9: OPENING SUNDAY : “ A Post Modern Altar Call”, HOLY COMMUNION
9/16: “Unbridling Joy”
9/23: “Being the Parable: Part One”
9/30: “Being the Parable: Part Two”

Sermon Previews

9/2 “Stretching, Not Crushing”

Exodus 1: 8-20 / Luke 14: 1, 7-14
Using texts from Exodus and Luke, we will look at our life work, and our work lives. The stories of the Israelites being crushed by their task masters, the revolt of the nation in exile’s midwives, and Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet will help us examine power, fantasy, and racism in the light of justice and freedom.

9/3 “A Post Modern Altar Call”

Selections from Exodus 3 / Luke 5: 1-11
God calls to Moses from the burning bush; Jesus calls to the disciples from midst of a boat. Where is our text of call? In this postmodern age, we hear the demands of many calls, many ideologies. How do we respond with our heart, soul, body and mind to the call of the Other? The Other---perhaps another name for God--- is that sense of transcendence felt quite paradoxically in our most immanent sense of self.

9/16 “Unbridling Joy”

Exodus 20: 1-17 / Luke 6: 1-10
The Ten Commandments are a call to an inner and outer revolution based on the Covenant of Love. Jesus makes it clear, through his acts of healing on the Sabbath, that the bringing about of joy is the heart of the Law. We will briefly examine each commandment as a way into unbridling the deep joy that is the horizon of human existence.

9/23 and 9/30 “Being the Parable: Parts One and Two”

Luke 15: 11-32
What if you had dreamed the story of the Prodigal Son? Jung believes that a dream is a portal to the soul, as psyche speaks in images. In a very real sense, we become our dreams. I believe that there is a parallel with the parables of Jesus, which can be experienced as dream texts. In this series, we will “be” this beloved parable—entering into each figure in the triangle of the text. We will see that once again, Jesus’ insistence on love without condition breaks open the expected status quo to something radically and wonderfully different.

Thank You to the “Festival of the Future” Participants

About eight years ago, one person, Denis Thomas, spearheaded a capital investment campaign called “The Festival of the Future.” Through lots of activities culminating in a special pledge campaign in addition to the regular pledge campaign, many hundred thousands of dollars were raised over a couple of years to buy down the mortgage. That resulted in a decrease in our mortgage payment from $57K per year to $35K per year, taking a lot of pressure off of the budget. As we have a commercial loan, it must be renegotiated every five years, and the dividends of the Festival of the Future will pay off again. We now expect that with an 8% mortgage our loan payment will fall to $25K per year, with a payoff in 10 more years.

Thanks to the long-range planners of the past, and to the many of you who contributed to “The Festival of the Future” years ago.

Bob Swensson

Christian Education News

Welcome back to all of our children! This is our fourth year of our workshop Sunday School and we are looking forward to another year of fun cooking, art, and story-telling lessons. Our theme for the year is the Quest for Identity. September will focus on the story of Jacob and Esau, whose quests for identity was shaped within the realm of sibling rivalry.

In our Caravan Camp workshop, the children will hear a soap opera parody of the story and create dioramas. The children will make lentil soup or dip in our Divinity Diner and create Jacob’s ladders out of bread. In Mary & Martha’s Bed & Breakfast, Rebekah will tell her story of her sons and the children will make friendship bracelets to understand the intertwined lives of Jacob and Esau. This theme of interwoven lives will be further explored in our Creation Station where the children will make baskets as a reminder of the story. Thanks to our wonderful September workshop leaders: Faye Codding, Patti Chronister, Bonnie Cardwell, and Anita Bruck.

In October, the children will be studying Joseph and his beautiful coat. As part of this colorful month, the children will be tie dying and we need each child to bring in a washed plain white t-shirt. Please make note of the following tie dying dates: 1st & 2nd graders on October 7, Inchworms on October 14, and 3rd-5th graders on October 28.

On a personal note, September is my last month as Emmaus’ Director of Christian Education. I want to extend a big thank you to the Christian Education Board, all the teachers and shepherds, our countless volunteers, and our absolutely wonderful children. It has been a joy and a privilege for me to serve our church community and I know the program is in great hands for the future.

Heidi Warrington

May and September Flea Markets

I again wish to thank each and every person who worked, baked, sold, etc., at our May Flea Market. We were wildly successful, beyond my wildest dreams!

The last information received from the financial accounting people at Emmaus states that we made $1296.10 at the May sale. That total is AFTER paying for our advertising (approximately $77.00). Therefore, we will be crediting the Maintenance Reserve Fund with $648.05, and the Music Fund for special musicians will also be credited with $648.05. For the Maintenance Reserve Fund, this will not even come close to one drop in the bucket, as the maintenance reserve needs are so large. To the Music Fund for special musicians, this is an enormous amount. This amount represents a return of over half of their old line item of $1000 that had to be cut to balance the budget.

I am getting very excited about our September Flea Market. If we can match the amounts we made in May, we will exceed the Music Fund’s need, and will add another small drop into the Maintenance Reserve bucket. Please help us make the September Flea Market a success. Help in any way that you can.

Thanks again to each of you for the success of our May Flea Market!

Janelle Swensson

Richard Hunter School in Liberia – An International Mission Project of Emmaus

On August 12, 2007, thirty-nine students graduated from the Richard C. Hunter High School in Monrovia, Liberia. The school has received support from the Emmaus congregation and individual members since 2003. When the school year resumes in October, nearly 2,000 students will be attending classes from Kindergarten through High School and even a vocational school. The web site for the Richard Hunter School is at www.rchunterss.org and contains more information about the school.

The Board of Service and Mission has decided once again to use the $1300 in the Emmaus Special Mission Project fund to support the Hunter School in 2007. These funds are used primarily to pay teacher salaries at the school, an average salary of $60 a month.
The parents of the children have pledged to pay approximately sixty percent of the monthly total teacher salaries for the ten-month school year. Part of the proceeds from the Emmaus Fall Fund Raiser on October 27th, will go to support of the Hunter School.

Emmaus members have provided other assistance aimed at enabling the Hunter School to become more self-sufficient. Individual members of Emmaus have provided funds for tools and seeds for an agricultural project related to the school. Nearly a quarter of the support for the Hunter School results from the net proceeds from a farm located about 35 miles from Monrovia, on which parents and staff of the Hunter School work in order to sell the produce in Monrovia. The farm produced a net return of nearly $7,400 last year from crops such as plantains, bananas, pineapples, potatoes, eddoes, beans, peanuts, yams, watermelon and cassava. But transportation to the markets over poor roads is also costly.

With support from the United Nations Development Fund, the Hunter school has also provided training for ex-combatants from the Civil War that ended in 2003. Isaac Zaza, founder and the director of the Hunter School, visited Emmaus in 2002. There is the possibility that Isaac will be visiting the Untied States in September and will be visiting Emmaus

Coincidentally, at a speech given by the Liberian Ambassador to the United Nations, Nathanael Barnes, at Syracuse University last winter, Kevin Jensen (a member of Emmaus in his youth) spoke to the Ambassador about Emmaus’s support for the Hunter school and related farm in Liberia. Based on information passed on to him by Ambassador Barnes passed the information on to the Minister of Agriculture in Liberia, Christopher Toe, who in turn contacted me and discussed the school and farm project. Mr. Toe has a Ph.D. in agricultural economics and his family still lives in Manassas, where he was affiliated with Strayer University prior to his return to his native country.

I am the Emmaus liaison to the Hunter school and in frequent contact with Isaac Zaza, so if you would like additional information about the school and farm feel free to contact me. I look forward to sharing with you all the good work the school does for the families in Liberia.

Allen Jensen

Corporate Governance

Have you ever read Emmaus’ bylaws? It is a fascinating document, the result of years of practical experience in our denomination. You can stop by the office and get a copy if you want to study up before the congregational meeting to vote on proposed changes to the bylaws, to be held on September 16th.   It may sound dry to you, but I am thrilled at the creative changes made to our governance this year. Some of these changes are simply a return to our bylaws, and others, such as a change to our fiscal year, are proposed in the form of amendments to our bylaws.

One healthy return is the newly reconstituted personnel committee. In accordance with our bylaws, the committee is the moderator, the last past moderator (Clyde Mathews), two deacons (Bill Bruck, who is also appointed as chair by the moderator, and Laurie Barber, who also serves as the music committee representative). Kim Engman is the senior minister’s selectee, and Julie Holec currently represents Christian Ed.   Driven by Bill Bruck, we now have position descriptions, contracts, and an appraisal process worthy of an institution of far greater size than Emmaus, but designed to be easy and practical given our small numbers and dependence on volunteers. One example of the new process is the senior minister annual evaluation, a simultaneous review of the last year’s accomplishments with suggestions for future focus. The process begins with the senior minister’s self evaluation, and proceeds through consultation by the committee with the chairs of the boards and bodies of the church. This year is a trial run, and the committee welcomes your thoughts on our progress, particularly because the future focus of the senior minister is integral to our “taking stock” of our understanding of our common aspirations for the direction of the church.

You don’t want to miss the meeting on September 16, immediately following church.   It will be short, due to our time restrictions, but very interesting. We are going to bring you a small slice of Council life—the fun and the deep thinking. Bob Swenson, chair of Stewardship and Finance, will offer you a proposed budget for 2008 that captures the essence of our Council debates about goals both large and small, from new carpets to schools in Africa. You will hear about long range financial planning from Rob Gibbs, chair of Property Management, and Service and Mission’s plans from its chair, Allen Jensen. You will also hear from Jannelle Swensson who again this year will be the heart and soul of our stewardship campaign.

Congregational meetings are essential to our church life, so please plan to attend.

Susan Rees, Moderator

Friends and Acquaintances

Studies have shown that churches find most new members among the friends and acquaintances of existing church members. If you know someone who you think would find Emmaus to be both interesting and spiritually fulfilling, please invite them to attend. You could even offer to bring them if they showed interest.

They may come to find that Emmaus can fill an important niche in their lives.

Skip Wolfe, Chair
Church Growth and Evangelism

Health and Wellness Corner

Women's Red Tent Book Group
Our next book gathering is scheduled for Friday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m., to discuss Jhumpa Lahair’s The Namesake. We will be meeting at Joan Wolfe’s home with Carmen Sanchez facilitating. An electronic message is sent out as reminders to those who have expressed interest in being part of this enlightening group. If any others would like to be part of this group or the electronic mailing, please let me know. Notices are placed in the weekly church bulletin until the date as reminders of our scheduled gatherings. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.

Blood Contributions
Thank you to the several of you that have told me you have donated blood this summer and to Tom Neal who donated in July at our collaborative partner church, Lewinsville Presbyterian in McLean. We will have another opportunity to join them in their blood drive on Sunday, October 21. Details will follow in the next newsletter. In the meantime, from notices I’ve received from the Inova Blood Donor services, the supply is very low right now. The need remains at the least 200 units a day with contributions being distributed to 15 facilities in the area. You may go to the website of www.inova.org/donateblood to check the places, dates and times to make an appointment. Please remember when you donate to provide our assigned number of 1098.

Your Health Care Tips for the Month: Back Care
Since many of you have been gardening this summer and will be preparing your garden and flower beds for fall and winter (and helping at Emmaus’s Saturday work days), here are a few tips for you to keep in mind to prevent injury, taken from Inova’s BackNet program.

When pulling or pushing heavy objects, use your arm and leg muscles, not your back.
Use large wheeled garden carts that can support their own weight.
Use long-handled tools to extend your reach and reduce the amount of movement needed to complete a task.
Move slowly and deliberately, not rushing to complete a task.
Make use of all the gardening tools available that are appropriate for a particular task, not trying to compromise with makeshift tools.

Flu Shots this Fall
We are hoping to offer flu shots earlier this fall than the usually scheduled December, so keep alert to future notices. We are awaiting confirmation for space within the Emmaus environs and for availability of the Inova Flu Shot program staff.

Faithfully yours,

Marsha Komandt
Health and Wellness Coordinator

Bagels Group

Our summer bagels group is going to stop meeting once school starts. If you interested in meeting this fall let me know by e-mail or by phone. I am also looking for someone to coordinate since I will probably not be able to attend in the fall.

Jennifer McGunnigle

Emmaus Service and Mission Fall Fundraiser

Service and Mission Fall Fundraiser, to benefit the Neighbors in Need/Hunter School will be held on Saturday, October 20, at 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Please join us for the Chili Cook-Off Dinner and Auction, a fun evening of fellowship for the entire family.

Please consider donating your favorite chili or soup and cornbread for the cook-off contest or donate an item for the silent or live auction or a cake or pie to be auctioned for dessert. If you have any questions call Sandy Sammer or Debra Nau. Please designate whether your donation goes to NIN or Hunter. If there is no designation, the donation will be split evenly between those two charities. Through the Neighbors in Need special mission offering, the United Church of Christ feeds the hungry and advocates for the poor. The Hunter School is a private Christian school in Liberia.

Auction ideas include homemade pottery, gift certificates, piano lessons, tutoring, babysitting, home-cooked meal, cookies to be sent to loved ones, dried flower arrangements, decorative wreath, needlework, vacation home, yard work, cooking lessons, spa treatment, and tickets to concerts, sporting events, theater or opera.

Basket ideas include tea or coffee lover’s, chocolate lover’s, children’s games, pet, or gardening baskets. Most of all, be creative and have fun!

Cost of the evening is $25 for a family or $10 per person and includes entertainment for children.

Sandy Sammer and Debra Nau

An Investment Opportunity for You!

During the Festival of the Future, many of you invested yourselves in the future of Emmaus Church, and it is paying off nicely. Now there is an opportunity for you to invest in the church for yourself. A commercial loan of $160K for 10 years at 8%, with settlement costs (now, and again in 5 years) is what we are currently facing. But if you had $160K in CDs or in the bank or money market funds or bond funds, you could get a much better and safe rate of return by investing in Emmaus. If we gave you 6.25% on $160K for 10 years, you would be getting a better return on your money, with lower risk, than you could get elsewhere; and Emmaus would be able to avoid quite a bit of expenses in settlement and interest payments. It’s a win-win for everyone (except for the commercial mortgage people). So if you are interested, please see Bob Swensson. Please respond quickly, because we have to process commercial loan applications for a refinance by January 1st. We could consider shorter terms, escape clauses, or other features if that would help you. And we could do only a portion of it that way (and maybe someone else could do the rest). With a jittery stock market, this is safety with a good return, with a million dollar property behind the loan. Reward yourself; “it’s the second biggest no-brainer on earth.

Bob Swensson

Social Justice Task Force

As the Task Force develop plans to further incorporate our open and affirming commitment into the life of the church, we would like to get your thoughts on the types of other social justice issues we should pursue, including plans on how we should pursue them. One of the ideas we are exploring involves having the Task Force serve as a conduit of information and connection between those public/private organizations already active in the social justice areas and the Emmaus community. Our goal is to assure that the Emmaus community has an opportunity to be informed and to take action on emerging and existing social justice issues. We would keep the membership informed via email, mailings, public forums, the Emmaus website, Happenings, weekly church bulletins, etc. We are aware that many of you may already be members of various social justice organizations and mailing lists, so for you our effort would only serve as a reminder to take action. The primary organization we would rely on for guidance and information would be the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. The UCC Justice and Witness Ministries has a very active, visible presence on social justice issues. I have personally been struck by and pleased with the fact that the national UCC is visible and working on many issues seeking to assure that all are treated with respect and love regardless of their station in life. Other prominent social justice organizations working along the same lines that could be a source of information would be the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Virginia. We are sure there are several, if not many, others.

An example of the type of information we would disseminate to the membership is illustrated by the email I received recently from the Justice and Witness Ministries (ucctakeaction@ucc.org). We would urge you to sign up at the UCC site if you haven’t done so already. The Take Action email highlighted several issues where interested members could take action including 1) signing an online petition supporting the Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War; 2) participating in the Cancel Debt Fast campaign; 3) supporting the Synod Smithfield Resolution.

We would appreciate your sharing your thoughts in person or via email with any of the Task Force members: Clyde Mathews, Susan Rees, Alex Porteous, Laurie Forbes, Jayne McLaughlin, Karla Weeks, and Jessica Clements.

Thank you.

Clyde Mathews

Tough Old Birds (TOB’s)

TOB'S meet once a month (the 3rd Wednesday) in the church parlor. TOB stands for Tough Old Birds but you do not have to be old or tough; we are all different ages. We each bring a sandwich for lunch and are called on to bring a salad or a dessert once in a while. The conversation is varied and can range from the Bible to climate change. Bill has tried out his sermon titles on us lately and he says our input has helped him greatly. Please come and have lunch with the young and old birds. Contact Wanda Butler if you are interested.

Wanda Butler

SR-PS Field Trip to Little River UCC Labyrinth

Spiritual Renewal-Prayer Space will walk a Labyrinth, which is in a wooded area behind Little River United Church of Christ. Walking silently in a quiet place has been a way to focus and center your mind for as long as humans have been around. Walking a Labyrinth has been used as a sacred space for meditation and healing by many cultures over the ages. There are no barriers or dead ends in a Labyrinth, which is different from a maze. You walk at your own pace in a series of circles and U turns until you come to the center. There you can rest, or pray or contemplate, and when you are ready you retrace your steps until you are at the beginning again.

This sister church is at 8410 Little River Turnpike in Annandale. The entrance is across from the main road into the NOVA campus. The driveway is marked with a large white sign and a cross. Someone will be in the parking lot at the top of the hill to direct you to our meeting place. Try to be on time because it is getting dark earlier. The Little River UCC will be having a meeting in the church at the same time, but we will be in a quiet area outside. Wear walking shoes as the path is a bark mulch surfaced, bordered with stones. Based on previous experience, bug spray is also a wise thing to have with you,.

Thank you to Marsha Komandt for facilitating this event. All who would like to experience this are welcome. If you wish more information please call Boyd and JoAn Post.

Boyd and JoAn Post

Shepherd’s Center of Oakton and Vienna – Open House September 13

The Shepherd’s Center is an outreach program for older adults to help older adults. Its purpose is to reach as many seniors in need as possible through friendly calls and shopping, doctor visits, bookkeeping help, and some small repairs at their homes. Part of the program is a series of classes called AIL (Adventures in Learning). The classes are held in Fall, Winter, and Spring and can be as varied as Painting/Music to T'ai Chi and World Affairs.

There will be an Open House/Registration Day on September 13 from 10 to 12 am at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road, in Oakton. There is a small charge, but it can be covered by the Center if necessary. If you have questions or want more information, call or see me at church. The Shepherd’s Center web site is at www.scov.org.

Wanda Butler

October Happenings Deadline: September 16, Noon

Learn more about Happenings and how to contribute.

Calendar of Emmaus Events

Sunday, September 2 – 10:30 am Worship Service

Saturday September 8 – 8 am Flea Market and Plant, Book and Bake Sale

Sunday, September 9 – 10:30 Worship Service; 7 pm Spiritual Renewal Prayerspace Labyrinth Walk at Little River UCC

Wednesday September 12 – 7:30 pm Deacons Meeting

Thursday September 13 – 7:30 pm Christian Education Board

Friday September 14 – 7 pm Red Tent Book Club, discussing The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Sunday, September 16 – 10:30 am Worship Service; 11:45 am Congregational Meeting

Wednesday September 19 – 12:30 pm TOBs

Saturday September 22 – Emmaus Camping Trip

Sunday, September 23 – 10:30 am Worship Service

Sunday, September 30 – 10:30 am Worship Service

(Please send all calendar items to Louise Baxter by September 16 at noon.)