Happenings || Emmaus United Church of Christ

An Open and Affirming congregation.

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Happenings, March 2008

A Message from Reverend Bill

Easter is the beyond of Incarnation.

Love made flesh at Christmas becomes a Love that rises from the grave of all that would destroy it.

Easter is the feast of Love being the last Word.

To our world which needs so much blessing repair, Love says all is not lost, but found.

I invite you to experience this tangible Easter in all the sorts and conditions of your life.

May the immense joy of the rising Christ be with you always.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Bill

Worship Schedule

All services begin at 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted.

3/2 "A Theology of the In-Between, Part One," HOLY COMMUNION

3/9 "A Theology of the In-Between, Part Two"

3/16 "Tangible Road,” PALM SUNDAY

3/20 MAUNDY THURSDAY — 7:30pm; Remembering the First Last Supper

3/23 "Love is the Whole Point, " EASTER SUNDAY 8:00am & 10:30am

3/30 "Another Kind of Sight"

All sermons will be available for downloading.

Christian Education News

Easter Egg Hunt
Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be Thursday, March 20th from 10 a.m. until noon. Each child who is participating in the egg hunt should bring 10 plastic eggs with a candy or prize in them. We will meet in the church lobby. Also planned for that day are crafts and a puppet play. Please contact Wendy Cardany if you have any questions.

Children's Sunday
The children will be celebrating Earth Day with a special performance during the service on April 27. Brief practices will begin the Sunday after Easter, March 30, and will be held immediately after Sunday School, during coffee hour. A dress rehearsal will be held after church on April 20. We hope all the children will be able to participate. Please mark your calendars and try to make sure your child can attend at least two of the practices.

Celebrating Easter!
Who was Mary Magdalene? As the children prepare to celebrate Easter, they will learn about the very important relationship between Jesus and Mary of Magdalene. Mary was the friend with whom Jesus shared the mysteries of the universe and spoke to about the love of God. Mary walked with Jesus throughout his ministry and was with Him at the foot of the cross. She accompanied His lifeless body to the tomb and wrapped Him linens. After His death, Mary continued to share with others what He had taught her about the magnificence and power of God's grace.

Activities for the month include creating a life-like empty tomb scene, painting symbols of the resurrection, enjoying Angel food cake and writing haiku poems.

Many thanks to Patti Chronister, Tom Boots, JoAnn Post, Jennifer McGunnigle and Joby Warrick, who led our February workshops! Your time and commitment to the Sunday School program is invaluable.

Maryanne Warrick and Meredith Peterson

Emmaus Service and Mission Notes

Mentoring Families Who Are Recovering from Homelessness
On February 24, a number of Emmaus members and members of other churches in the McLean and Vienna area learned about opportunities to provide a little time each month to mentor families who have been in homeless shelters and are now are in subsidized housing. Community Ministry, an organization supported by Emmaus, sponsored the meeting. If you are interested in being part of a team of people at Emmaus who would jointly provide periodic mentoring for a family, then contact Laura Martin or other members of the Board of Service and Mission.

Committee to Help Others (CHO) Transportation
Emmaus will soon be providing transportation to elderly and other needy folks one week in March. If you are interested, please contact Joby Warrick.

Enabling Self Support for Hunter School in Liberia
As part of the Emmaus’s support of the Richard Hunter School in Liberia, we are planning to increase the income to the school from the farm worked by parents of students at the Hunter School. That farm needs seeds and other supplies now so crops can be planted. If you would like to learn more about the Hunter School and farm, contact Allen Jensen.

One Great Hour of Sharing Offering March 2 at Emmaus
Beginning on Sunday, March 2, Emmaus will have the opportunity to contribute through our national United Church of Christ to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS). OGHS is an interdenominational effort to provided assistance with international partners to provide sources of clean water and food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, emergency relief, and advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons.

One Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Church’s Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in more than eighty countries. Nine Christian denominations and Church World Service work together in this effort.

More than 60 percent of the UCC's offering supports international development initiatives, including annual support for approximately ten missionaries working in health care, education, and agricultural development. Gifts are also used for disaster preparedness and response, refugee and immigration advocacy and assistance and related volunteer initiatives.

Nearly one-third of the UCC's offering is shared through Church World Service to support refugee, disaster, development, and advocacy programs. On average, of every dollar given to One Great Hour of Sharing, 92 cents are used directly for mission programming.

Allen Jensen

What is Pledging?

Pledging is our commitment to God and our church to serve the needs of the our ministry.

We have 101 individuals or families that support our ministry. At the close of 2007, we had 31 Families or Individuals that did not meet their pledges. As a result, we are short $15,581.00 on 2007 Budget. The shortage was made up in our protective reserve cushion, bringing us down to only two to three months of reserve.

We are asking that everyone who has not met their 2007 pledge to please do so, even if it takes a while – please do so. In annual statements there is a note to those who were short. And we will send out a reminder to those who have not made up their shortage in the first week in March.
It is so important to make and meet your pledges. Meeting your pledges allows the church to have a meeting place, a minister, staff, a good Sunday School program, among many others. Most of all, meeting your pledges allows us to fulfill the church’s service and missions goals.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. I am the only one who knows what everyone’s pledge is and the status of those pledges. I may let the minister know that there appears to be a concern with a family or individual, but nothing about the amounts pledged.

Thank you all for your contributions of money, time, and talents to the church.

Chuck Irons, Financial Secretary

Concerts at Emmaus

Our next concert at Emmaus is scheduled for Palm Sunday, March 16 at 7:00 pm. Winchester Musica Viva will present a program of Lenten music. Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, Winchester Musica Viva is a chamber choir enjoying its 27th season. Their program will include works from Haydn's The Creation, settings of Psalms for Lent and Holy Week, and a vocal piece by Bobby McFerrin.

The concert is free and open to the public. There will be an offering taken during the concert with proceeds going to Service and Mission projects supported by Emmaus. Child care will be available. Following the concert, a dessert and coffee reception will be held in the parlor. Please plan on joining us for this opportunity for fellowship and outreach!

Laurie Barber

Health and Wellness Corner

Women's Red Tent Book Group
Plan to join the Women’s Red Tent Book Group on Sunday, March 9, after church for a potluck brunch at Ruthie Moe’s. Nancy Johnson will facilitate discussion on People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Let me if you would like to join us or be added to the e-mail list. We had two new folks at our enlightening book discussion in January and warmly welcome others to join us.

March is National Nutrition Month
Following is an excerpt from Inova’s Congregational Health Partnership’s March 2008 “For Your Health” article, “Weight a Minute! Nutrition News You Need to Know.” March is National Nutrition Month, a time to reflect on our eating habits and an opportunity for a health check. Did you know that 60% of us are overweight? If we adopt a healthier attitude toward food, eating and self, we can see big differences in our health: for example, an increased life span; a reduction in the risk of cancer and hypertension; lower cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels; and a reduction in the risk of heart disease and diabetes. How can you tell if you are overweight? Your physician can calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI), or you can calculate it yourself online. One Web site that has a BMI calculator is www.sparkpeople.com.

Some strategies for effective weight management include:

Work it out: exercise regularly with a for at least 30 minutes most days.
Step up: since weight changes daily, step on the scale weekly and look at overall weekly weight and trends.
Keep a food diary: be more aware of what you eat and drink by writing it down.
Be on the clock: eat smaller portions every 3-5 hours to help control overeating. Skipping meals results in overeating later.
Cut it out: reducing fat and high sugar foods will leave room for fresh fruits, vegetables and low fat foods.
Snack smart: use snacks as a way to fill in the gaps in your diet. For example, if your need more calcium, snack on low-fat yogurt or cheese.

Further benefits of a healthy weight are reducing your stress and anxiety level, improving your mood, increasing your energy level, and improving your self-image and confidence. So what’s holding you back? Go online for further resources to help you in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle: www.eatright.org and www.mypyramid.gov.

Blessings to all for a nutritious, healthy month.
Marsha Komandt
Health and Wellness Coordinator

Adult Education Classes

Bill Kirby is offering two Emmaus Adult Classes before worship services. The first one is scheduled for March 9 and is titled, “Israel and the Palestinians: Behind the Headlines.” The second one is scheduled for April 13, and is titled “The Middle East: Behind the Headlines.”

Both classes will be in the Emmaus Parlor at 9:00 a.m. Child Care will be provided. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Janelle Swensson

Board of Deacons

You may have read in the worship service bulletins recently that Reverend Bill’s sermons are now available as podcasts on the church website. Every Sunday, the deacons record the service on an MP3 player not much larger than the face of your watch. Christian transfers the files onto the church computer and works some electronic magic, and Jessica Clements then posts Reverend Bill’s sermon on the Internet. If you haven’t already taken the opportunity to hear Reverend Bill through your computer speakers or your MP3 player, you may want to give it a try.

We are hoping these podcasts will serve the current membership and our wider community. If you want to relive a feeling or thought you had while listening to Reverend Bill the first time, you can. If you missed the service because you were sick, half way around the world, or at college, you can still get that week’s message.

At the same time, Reverend Bill’s Internet broadcasts will advertise what we are about to those looking for a church in which they will feel welcome and at peace. Recent studies have shown that the Internet has become an important tool, if not the primary tool, for church shoppers in the US. Reverend Bill’s weekly messages of love and hope were powerful draws for us to join the Emmaus family, and we are sure they will shine just as brightly in the ether of the Web as they do in the sanctuary.

Stuart Wallace

April Happenings Deadline: Sunday, March 16, Noon

Learn more about Happenings and how to contribute.

Calendar of Emmaus Events

Sunday, March 2 – 10:30 am Worship Service
Sunday, March 9 – 9 am Adult Education Class on “Palestine and Israel: Beyond the Headlines;” 10:30 am Worship Service; Red Tent Group Potluck Lunch
Sunday, March 16– 10:30 am Palm Sunday Worship Service;
7 pm Winchester Musica Viva Concert
Thursday, March 20 –10 am Easter Egg Hunt; 7:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service
Sunday, March 23 –8 amEaster Worship Service; 10:30 am Easter Worship Service
Sunday, March 30 - 10:30 am Worship Service

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