As we approach our 51st anniversary as a church, it is easy to recall the wonderful days of celebration last year. The Homecoming Weekend was one of the finer events in our church life, a real affirmation of God's faithfulness over the years and of so many lives shared in and through the church. As you may have realized by now, we will not be putting together a similar kind of event this year. For one reason, it is just too much, too all-consuming of the focus and energy of our church to do each year. Another reason is that we don't usually associate the number 51 with special recognition. We like to acknowledge segments of 10 or 25 or 40 years, but 51 does not seem to have the same kind of traditional feel to it.
Still, we've been through a whole year since our 50th homecoming. And what has happened in this year? Well, besides a great deal of ministry and service and sharing, for which I give thanks, we've also had a number of people become active and become members in our church. One thing in particular that stands out is the present prospect of three new babies in our congregation. This time last year, the anticipated babies and their prospective parents were not around. So their participation in our congregational life has been one of the pleasing gifts of this year. Week by week, we are reminded by their presence among us of the joyful journey of motherhood.
Nevertheless, the place of women in our church extends beyond the gift and recognition of motherhood. Women give leadership on our church council, sing in the choir, read scripture in worship, serve as ushers, coordinate meal planning, practice ministry and participate in most everything else in which the church is involved. Women have been ordained to the ministry from out of our congregation and gone on to serve in churches as teachers and pastors. It seems that the open possibilities for women in every area of our life have been such an unquestioned practice that it is mostly just taken for granted these days, at least in our own church. And yet, the full gifts of women are not always recognized in a number of religious groups here and around the world. Women are told that they are a subordinate gender, made only for certain tasks, considered unclean because of their reproductive processes, and not as fully reflective of the image of God (the father) as men are.
These kinds of oppressive attitudes toward women and the maternal were prevalent in the days of Jesus as well. We know from the research of historians that women were often considered as little more than property under the male head of the household or extended family. In this context, Jesus had some startling things to say about women and the maternal in his teaching. His interaction with women also offered a profound and challenging example for those who would follow him.
In the month of March, we will be focusing in worship on the lectionary passages which address women and maternal images in the life and teaching of Jesus. The theme for this month is: "Women and Motherhood in the Ministry of Jesus." Here's the schedule: Mar. 4 - "Like a Mother Hen" (Luke 13:31-35); Mar. 11 - "She Stood Up Straight" (Luke 13:10-17); Mar. 18 - "The Parable of the Diligent Woman" (Luke 15:1-10); Mar. 25 - "Mary Anoints Jesus" (John 12:1-18).
It is fitting that this series will start on the 51st anniversary of our church, for a significant part of our heritage is the recognition and affirmation of all the gifts which women bring to our church and community. Let's continue the best of this creative tradition by looking back to our origin in the way of Jesus and by looking forward to our possibilities beyond 51 years.
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Our Church Family
 Ron Coleman, remains in critical health in a nursing home.
Lisa Haire, continues to remain at home recovering from recent pneumonia.
Selvin's father, Selvaraj Jacob, is receiving treatment for cancer in India.
Bill Mader, is dealing with shingles and other health issues.
Carroll Matthews, continues his regimen of chemotherapy treatment.
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Kip and Twinbrook Baptist Family,
We want to express our sincere appreciation for your loving support for us and for our family and for our mom, Gladys Edwards, while she was hospitalized, and for helping us to plan and carry out a fitting funeral for her.
We equally appreciate the wonderful luncheon that you prepared. We all especially enjoyed having the opportunity to spend time with church members, family and friends after the service.
Thanks again for the many years of love you've shown mom (Gladys) and our family.
-The Edwards and Schnell families
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Address change:
Selvin and Sharon Selvaraj
5333 Randolph Road
Apt. 3
Rockville, MD 20852
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Upcoming Events/Dates
MARCH 6-10 - PASTOR OUT OF TOWN
The pastor will be attending the 2007 Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging in Chicago from Tuesday, Mar. 6 until Saturday, Mar. 10. He will be attending those sessions dealing especially with aging and spirituality. During his absence, should a pastoral crisis occur, Lois and John Harris will be available, and you may either contact the church office or Lois and John directly.
MARCH 14, 21, 28 - HOME LENTEN SERIES
This year we will be having an abbreviated Lenten series in which we meet on three Wed. evenings in different homes. The theme for our series is: "Praying with the Celtic Saints," from the book by that name. Each week you will be given 3 different devotional sections on 3 different Celtic Christians. The material will offer a brief introduction to each person and associated reflections, scriptures and prayers. We will come together on Wed. evenings to share and experience the rich insights of the Celtic Christian heritage. You may pick up material for the first meeting on Sunday, Mar. 4, or by calling the office during the week afterward. We will start each Wed. at 7:30 p.m. Directions will be provided each week on the Sunday before, or you may call the church office. The meeting dates and homes are the following:
Mar. 14 Kay Fenton
Mar. 21 Lois Harris
Mar. 28 Carol Linder
MARCH 15 - M&Ms
The M&Ms group will be eating at Olney Grill on Thurs., Mar. 15. Hilda Cashwell is the contact person for this month.
MARCH 18 - CELTIC WORSHIP SERVICE
With St. Patrick's Day occuring on the day before, we are planning a special Celtic-style worship service on Sunday, Mar. 18. Music and other special additions will highlight our worship together as we share in the rich Celtic Christian tradition that has been fruitful in the lives of contemporary believers. Join us for something a little different and creative as we continue to seek out new ways to understand God in our lives.
APRIL 13 - JOHN LANEY AND THE ALLIANCE OF BAPTISTS
The Annual Convocation of the Alliance of Baptists will be meeting this year at Calvary Baptist Church in downtown D.C. This will give us an opporunity to spend an evening with John Laney and his wife Joan, who will be attending this year! On Friday, Apr. 13, we will meet in the church parking lot around 4:00 pm in order to travel together to meet John and Joan for dinner and attend the evening worship service of the convention. A van will be available for all those who would like to go but who do not want to drive their own car. We will meet up with John and Joan for dinner and conversation at a local D.C. restaurant before moving to Calvary B.C. for the worship service around 7:00 pm. The featured speaker for the evening is Dr. Harvey Cox, popular and long-time professor of religion at Harvard. For more than 15 years, Dr. Cox taught a university-wide class at Harvard on "Jesus and the Moral Life." The class was so popular that it was moved to a theater where hundreds of eager students could attend. He has recently published a book about his experiences and insights from teaching this class called "When Jesus Came to Harvard: Making Moral Choices Today." If you are interested in going, and want to reserve a place in the van, please let the pastor or call the church office. We hope to take a good group of those who want to see John again and who are interested in attending the service. You may also be interested to know that the convocation will be holding sessions and other worship services on Saturday as well, and several people have already expressed interest in attending these. We will be getting more info. to you about the convocation in general and our meeting with John in particular in the coming days.
MAY 16 - HABITAT FUNDRAISING DINNER (WITH JADE PROVIDING THE FOOD)
We are in for a real treat this spring when our annual fundraising dinner for the Habitat mission trip to Garrett County will take place. We are pleased to announce that Jade Chang will be providing the food for this evening. Many of you who have tasted Jade's food over the years know that this means it will be an especially delicious and satisfying meal. So save this date, and a financial donation, and we will be giving you more details as the time of the event draws closer.
MAY 19 - CMR GALA
The Gala to raise money for Community Ministries of Rockville will take place at the Bethesda Marriott on Sat. evening, May 19. Two years ago, our church had a larger proportion of membership attend than any other present. We hope to have good representation again this year for this fun and worthwhile event. This is one of the main income sources for CMR, thus enabling it to coordinate many ministries in our city. We hope that you will consider attending this year. Ticket prices are $95 each, and if you want an invitation to purchase tickets sent to you, please let Rabecca Gondwe or Gladys Donoghue know. Also, as part of our support for CMR and the event, we will be providing several items to be used in an auction that evening. Chuck and Carol Lee will be donating one of their highly valued photography prints. And we are also putting together a gift basket. If you would like to contibute to this basket, please let Rabecca Gondwe or Gladys Donoghue know.
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Recent Library Additions
From Mary Honigsberg-"The Hidden Jesus" by Donald Spoto, the celebrated biographer. This book serves both as biography and a source of meditation.
From Judy Matthews-two by Corrie Ten Boom, "Tramp for the Lord" (where she describes her travels around the world giving witness to God's work in her life during her internment and after her release); and "In My Father's House" (an intimate account of her life before the war in Haarlem, Holland. She wrote these after her release from Nazi Concentration camps, where she was tortured for harboring Jews.
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Birthdays
MARCH
7 Theresa McClellan
10 Phyllis Crouse
12 Lisa Haire
13 Judy Matthews
16 Lois Harris
18 Gaye Hoots
19 Daniela Makembe
Blanche Rickman
25 Evelyn Smith
27 Wally Wilson
28 Abel Debilogo
29 Zoey E. Tiller
Abigail A. Tiller
Sonia Cartagena
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APRIL
3 Matt Shaver
10 Daniel Freese
11 John Harris
14 Zachariah Leeds
18 Eileen Mader
20 Carroll William
22 Cheryl Shores
29 Tamala Gondwe
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Anniversaries
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MARCH
14 Amy and Gregg Freese
19 Mary and Saul Honigsberg
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APRIL
21 Sherry and Barry Rosenberg
22 Virginia (Lee) and Tim Oskin
24 Reinaldo and Laly Cabaņas
25 Kate and Nathan Welty/Tiller
27 Cheryl and Rodney Hawksford
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