March 2019
the GATEWAY
The Monthly Newsletter of the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church
Our Father, who art in heaven…
What are you doing for Lent? For many this question will stir thoughts of what to give up for Lent. Will it be chocolate? Games on your phone? Maybe you will fast from the news one day a week. We often think of Lent as a time for giving something up. Lent is also a time for learning. In the early church, the weeks leading up to Easter was a time to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus. This Lent, Pastor Eric and I are offering some new opportunities for learning. The first is in a sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer. Each week we will preach on a portion of the Lord’s Prayer as it relates to the scriptures for the season. The lines of the prayer will not be in order, but you can see the schedule here:
To go along with the sermon series, you can join in reading John Dominic Crossan’s book “The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of The Lord’s Prayer”. It’s available from Amazon in paperback and on kindle. The children will also be learning the Lord’s Prayer in Sunday School. Look for some prayer beads the children will make! Pastor Eric and I are also offering classes called “Confirmation for All”. We have a great group of 9th graders going through the confirmation process. And we are inviting anyone who wants to, to join in. We will be teaching about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Scripture and the Church. The classes take place during the Open Forum time. If you are new to CCPC or would just like to go a little deeper in your understanding and faith, look inside for a detailed schedule.
Together, we journey through Lent towards resurrection. May this Lent be a time for transforming your knowledge of the faith. God’s Blessings, Molly
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CCPC is...
Grateful for Volunteers VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: NORM STANT By Susan Price
If CCPC gave a prize for the most dedicated volunteer, Norm Stant would win hands down. Case in point: he has served on a record four pastoral nominating committees—for the Reverends Chad Chadsey, Tom Jones, Art Sundstrom and Molly Blythe Teichert. He’s also been a Chancel Choir member, a Sunday School teacher, a Deacon, and an Elder—several times. But he is probably best known as Clerk of Session, a position he has held for 24 years. The clerk takes minutes at Session meetings and produces statistical reports required by the denomination such as membership, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. He updates many records the church is required to keep, and handles Session correspondence. “I love attention to detail,” Norm explained. “I love gathering statistics and doing the reports, and I enjoy knowing what’s going on in the church. It keeps me involved.” He’s also served on numerous church committees, has chaired the Nominating Committee and led the Centennial Celebration Committee from 2004 to 2008. His love of flowers led him to the Flower Committee which he has served on for 42 years, many of them as chair. His devotion goes back decades. His parents joined CCPC in 1955, and he was confirmed in 1959. “It was the biggest confirmation class in the church’s history—80 young people,” Norm recalled. Active as a teen, he was moderator for both Hearthstones and Firesides, and sang in the Junior and Chapel choirs. His only absence from CCPC was when he attended Miami University of Ohio. After graduating with a teaching degree, he got a job as an English teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, and stayed there for 36 years until retirement. “The first year was a disaster,” he said, because he taught seniors who were only about four years younger than he was. “I wanted to be their friend.” He eventually got his teaching legs, and in addition served in other roles as well. He ran graduation and prom, was advisor to the yearbook, and was rehearsal pianist for the musical. Norm plans to retire as Clerk of Session in June 2020. This will give him and his partner Carl Alexander more time to travel. They recently completed a three-month cruise in the South Pacific, and have plans for seeing more of the world.
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The 48th season 2018- 2019
CHEVY CHASE CONCERTS “Sing to the Lord a new song” - Psalm 96
Presents
The 42nd Annual
Bach Marathon Sunday, March 24, 2019
A Washington, D.C., institution the annual Bach Marathon celebrates the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played by some of the area’s finest organists on the magnificent 3 manual, 50 rank, 2500 pipe, glass-encased Rieger tracker organ, built in 1975 and ideally suited to the music of Bach. The theme this year is the set of six chorale preludes, BWV 645-650, which came to be known as the “Schübler Chorales” after they were published in 1747-48 by Johann Georg Schübler.
Schedule 2:00 George Fergus 2:30 Jung yeon Kim 3:00 Julie Vidrick Evans 3:30 Chuyoung Suter 4:00 Clair Rozier
4:30 David Lang 5:00 Douglas Buchanan 5:30 Tyler Canonico 6:00 Victoria Shields 6:30 Adam Detzner
“Come when you can, leave when you must” 7:00 PM Catered German dinner is available for $15.00. Free-will donations are encouraged to help defray expenses of the Concert Series. Julie Vidrick Evans | Director of Music Len Ralston | Concert Committee Chair
The Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church One Chevy Chase Circle, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20015 Phone: (202) 363 – 2202
SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER TUESDAY | MARCH 5 | 5:30-7:30 pm
Mark your calendars and join the fun for a familystyle Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday (the night before Lent begins). Pancakes and all the fixings will be prepared and served (by the Connections Committee and friends) on Tuesday,March 5, 2018 between 5:30 and 7:30 pm in Chadsey Hall. A donation of $5 per adult/$3 per child to age 10 will be requested. No reservations are needed.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 6 | Noon & 5:30 pm
This year, we invite you to begin your contemplative Lenten journey with worship. Please join us at either noon or 5:30 pm for this sacred time.
REFUGEE MENTAL HEALTH DISCUSSION THURSDAY Â | MARCH 7 | 7:00 pm
Solutions in Hometown Connections welcomes anyone working with refugees or interested in learning more about the topic to a discussion on Refugee Mental Health right here at CCPC, on March 7 at 7:00pm. The presenter will be Heather Kathrens, LCSW-C, Refugee Mental Health Coordinator for Maryland Department of Health. RSVP not necessary to attend, but appreciated for planning purposes. Please email info@shconnections.org, if you plan to attend.
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A TIME OF QUIET CONTEMPLATION
T h u r s d a y s d u r i n g L e n t | 7:00 - 7 : 25 p .m Ma r c h 14, 21, 28, | April 4, 11
Evening prayer, with roots in the ancient Office of Compline, will emphasize psalms, reading and prayer. The quiet is an opportunity to suspend thoughts of the day, bask in the candlelight beauty and stillness of Johnson Chapel and leave refreshed.
MIDDLE EAST LECTURE
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 20 | 7:00 pm
Speaker: Marvin Kalb Topic: The Search for Middle East Peace Marvin Kalb’s distinguished journalism career spans more than 30 years and includes award-winning reporting for both CBS and NBC News as chief diplomatic correspondent, Moscow bureau chief, and anchor of NBC’s "Meet the Press." Kalb went on to become the founding director of Harvard University’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Kalb is the Murrow professor emeritus at Harvard and hosts The Kalb Report at the National Press Club. He is a guest scholar in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE BRUNCH
Opportunities to Serve Brunch. Thank you to the people who brought brunch in the fall/early winter and also to the many people who have signed up to bring brunch for the first time. It is MUCH appreciated! Brunch is at 10 AM and is a time when those who attend the early and late services come together in fellowship. Open dates are March 24, 31, April 14, 28, May 12, 19. Sign up is in Chadsey Hall or contact Connie Rhind Robey at c_rhind@yahoo.com. There are basic instructions on what to do and expenses can be reimbursed. You will receive a reminder in advance. Thank you!
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Meditations for Lent
CHEVY CHASE CONCERTS — A PROGRESS REPORT Written by Campbell Graeub
The 48th Season (2018-2019) of Chevy Chase Concerts – this season there are eight concerts, all admission free – is turning out to be a big success. The two most recent ones are signs of its robust health. The Apollo Orchestra Concert on January 20, made possible by the generosity of the Downing Family Foundation, attracted a packed house. The pews were overflowing, people were standing along the side walls, there were 35 people standing in the Narthex, and the count in the balcony was 105, for a total attendance nearing 400. The program included Michal Balas, a young cellist, who was co-winner of the 2018 Johansen Competition. Performers got repeated standing ovations. On February 17, Chevy Chase Concerts featured the Peter & Will Anderson Trio. The twins Peter and Will Anderson, jazz virtuosos who grew up in Bethesda, were joined by Paris-born Felix Lemerel on the guitar. The audience loved their playing, with a passion, unpredictability, and sense of discovery. The turnout again was high, easily over 200. At the start of each concert, when Concerts Chairman Len Ralston introduces the artists, he asks for a show of hands of those who had seen the concert announcement in the newspaper, on neighborhood listservs, or on the banners posted on the church fence on Connecticut Avenue. Hands go up for all three. It turns out that the concert series is well publicized in the area neighborhoods and is bringing CCPC closer to the surrounding community. It is developing a growing following and presents a special opportunity for our church members to interact with and get to know nonmembers visiting our church and warming to its cultural outreach.
Daily readings from the scriptures with commentary A study of the origins and customs of Lent plus daily devotions based on the Book of Isaiah
Gleanings from everyday life for the season
Forty-seven days of morning and evening prayers
Director of Music Julie Evans and the concert committee must be commended for their dedicated service in presenting outstanding music programs, including the reception which follows each event. And the next concert? Sunday, March 24, will feature the beloved, now 42nd annual Bach Marathon, five hours of organ music by J. S. Bach, played on our church’s wonderful 3-manual, 50-rank, 2,500-pipe Rieger tracker organ by ten organists from the DC area, each for one-half hour, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The theme this year will be the “Schübler Chorales”. A traditional German dinner follows the concert. Come when you wish, leave when you must.
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Poems for the days leading up to Easter
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2019 - EASTER LILY/FLOWERÂ DEDICATIONS
The CCPC Flower Committee extends an invitation to members and friends of CCPC to participate in the Annual Easter Lily/Flower Program. Your contributions make it possible to purchase Easter Lilies and flowers used to decorate the church for Easter. Plants are delivered to those in our church family who are hospitalized, recovering at home, grieving, or marking special life milestones. Anyone who wishes to contribute may do so to celebrate or honor a group or individual, or as a memorial. Please complete the form and return it by APRIL 14, 2019 to Chadsey Hall or to the Church Office along with a check. Additional forms are available at the Flower Committee Table in Chadsey Hall during coffee hours on Sundays in March.
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Homeless guests are now living in a new,women's center in Rockville and are still being seen by mental health professionals,dentists and career advisors,as well as people from Interfaith Works,who help them find jobs and appropriate housing. Many CCPC members continued to volunteer until last year, shopping,cooking, serving dinners,making lunches, helping with the sign-up, and driving to the distant center. We have appreciated everyone's generous donations and efforts they have made during the last 24 years!
Thank You It's time to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who has participated in CCPC's program to provide meals to homeless women at the Interfaith Works Women's Center during our annual week. A bit of history: The Reverend Lon Dring founded the organization now known as Interfaith Works,and our own Chad Chadsey joined him when they established their first program for the homeless in Montgomery County. Beginning in 1994, with Session approval, some 50 CCPC members signed up on a Sunday, when we announced we would have 35 homeless guests living in Chadsey Hall for a week. The old kitchen and Chadsey Hall were used round-the-clock for seven days and seven nights. Some members spent the night;others prepared breakfast and dinner; entire families (including children) fixed lunches for our guests to take with them during the day.
This year,Susan Brooks and Bobbi Brown are not able to organize our CCPC week. Feeding 35 people for a full week is quite a commitment. If small groups,families or individuals want to make meals or take food to the Center, they can contact Sabina by phone:301-7702413. The address is: Interfaith Works Women's Center, 3 Taft Court,Lower Level, Rockville, MD.
We even had a faithful van driver who took guests' sleeping paraphernalia to the next host church on Sunday morning. In 1999, Montgomery County opened a shelter on Wilkins Ave. and the homeless we had been serving no longer needed to move from one church to another every week.
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WHO COMES TO TAP AND WHY? WRITTEN BY SUSAN PRICE Behind every client of the Transition Assistance
Still others have been released from jail after
Program is a story, often one of desperation. For
several years and are trying to start life over. I
example, there was the man who was a victim of
recently had a client who had no idea what a
a robbery and assault whose wallet was stolen.
SmarTrip card was because those didn't exist
He needed a replacement birth certificate to
before he went to jail. When we gave him one, he
apply for a new ID to get a new food stamp card
held it like it was a golden ticket, even though it
—and to even enter the government building to
didn't have any funds on it!”
apply for the new card. There was the woman who had been on the section 8 housing list waiting for an apartment for the past 30 years, and when her name finally came up, needed a police clearance to move the process forward.
Though all TAP’s clients are very low income, there is tremendous diversity among them. There are people who have survived recent house fires in which their belongings were destroyed; single moms who have escaped abusive relationships;
TAP guides clients through the process of
workers who've lost jobs due to caring for an ill
applying for identification documents and pays
relative or because of an on-the-job injury;
the fees. In some cases, TAP also helps with bus
people with disabilities or recovering from
fare for clients with confirmed job offers who are
addictions; and homeless veterans.
unable to afford the commuting costs until their first paycheck arrives. “We have many clients who live and sleep on the streets of DC and have lost their documents because they don't have any place to leave them,” says Rebecca Kahlenberg, TAP’s part-time social services worker. “Others are moving from place to place—couch surfing. They need IDs before they can secure housing and
No two TAP days are the same. But, says Kahlenberg, “the underlying theme each day is the kindness of the volunteers and the gratitude of the clients. Many of them have never been to this part of the city, even though they are lifelong DC residents, yet they come by bus and may spend two hours or more to get to CCPC in order to receive our unique services.”
employment.
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Chevy Chase Concerts Presents.. 42ND ANNUAL BACH MARATHON March 24 | 2:00 - 7:00 pm
This beloved Washington tradition presents ten organists in half-hour programs on our wonderful 3-manual, 50-rank, 2,500-pipe Rieger tracker organ. The theme this year will be the “Schübler Chorales.” Come when you can; leave when you must. The concert is followed by a traditional German dinner. Admission-free, donations gratefully accepted. A reception to meet the artists and to greet one another takes place following each concert.
ERIC OWENS
April 28 | 4:00 pm
We are excited to present world-renowned bassbaritone Eric Owens, international star of the Metropolitan Opera and other houses. You will experience an artist with exceptional ability and desire to communicate through song. We are honored to present him in a recital accompanied by Mark Markham. Admission-free, donations gratefully accepted. A reception to meet the artists and to greet one another takes place following each concert.
CCPC CHANCEL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA June 2 | 4:00 pm
Join us as the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir presents an afternoon of music for choir, organ and instruments. Admission-free, donations gratefully accepted. A reception to meet the artists and to greet one another takes place following each concert.
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ALL ARE WELCOME!
CCPC101 & CONFIRMATIONFOR-ALL This is CCPC 101 for all ages! Ever wanted to brush up on your dogmatics? Need a refresher in the faith? Looking to push the boundaries of your doubts and questions in a safe space? Join our Confirmands and those interested in joining the church as new members in an Open Forum we're calling Confirmation-for-All. Pastor Eric and Pastor Molly will guide us through the core tenets of our tradition through large-group teaching while creating space for smallgroup discussions. People of all ages are encouraged to come.
SUNDAYS | 10:15 AM-11:05 AM | GENEVA HALL March 10 - Theology: The Love of God (Taught by Pastor Molly) March 17 - Christology: The Grace of Christ (Pastor Eric) March 31 - Hermeneutics: Understanding the Scriptures (Pastor Molly) April 14 - Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit (Pastor Eric) May 12 - Ecclesiology: The Church, the Body of Christ (Pastor Eric)
MARCH WORSHIP SCHEDULE March 3 | ACT Sunday Services at 9:15 & 11:15 am Preaching: The Rev. Molly Blythe Teichert Music: First Service Singers, Chancel Choir, Carol Choir March 5 Ash Wednesday Services at noon & 5:30 pm March 10 | Lent 1 Services at 9:15 & 11:15 am Preaching: The Rev. Eric Peltz Music: Revelations Guitar Group, Chancel Choir
facebook.com/ChevyChasePC/
The Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church One Chevy Chase Circle, NW Washington, DC 20015 office@chevychasepc.org 202-363-2202
March 17 | Lent 2 Services at 9:15 & 11:15 am Preaching: The Rev. Molly Blythe Teichert Music: Junior and Carol Choirs, Chancel Choir March 24 | Lent 3 Services at 9:15 & 11:15 am Preaching: The Rev. Molly Blythe Teichert Music: First Service Singers, Chancel Choir March 31 | Lent 4 Services at 9:15 & 11:15 am Preaching:The Rev. Eric Peltz Music: Handbell Choir, Chancel Choir
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