LET THERE BE (climate-friendly) LIGHT

By Pastor Renata Eustis 

Climate change has been in the news quite a bit lately.  Some of the recent news fits in a category I would call “changing responses to climate change.”  One of the most exciting was an agreement between environmental groups and big corporations (who are producing a lot of the pollution that causes global warming) pressing for federal standards limiting these emissions.  These corporations have probably not had a change of heart but they are forward-thinking.  They “see the writing on the wall” and they want to know sooner rather than later what the restrictions are going to be.  Their primary motivation is still to maximize their profits and having more time to plan for these changes is better for business.  

There’s even been some humor in the changing responses to climate change.  State representatives in California are trying to pass a bill that requires the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs in government buildings.  The bill is entitled “How many legislators does it take to change a light bulb?”

The issue of climate change and light bulbs has even worked its way into our home.  Just before Christmas, the Social Ministries Committee, in conjunction with Gifts of

Hope, had an alternative gifts sale in the Fellowship Hall.  After hearing that these compact fluorescent light bulbs last seven years, we enthusiastically bought a pack.  In all honesty, it was probably the prospect of not having to think about a light bulb for seven years that motivated me even more than the contribution we were making to lessening the pace of global warming.  

Now we have a couple of them installed, and both Paul and I have commented that it takes some getting used to.  What’s different with the light bulbs is that they take a little while to reach their full potential in terms of wattage.  When you first turn the light on, a 100 watt bulb looks more like 40 watts but then in a short time it brightens.  Even though this happens every time, I’m still not used to it, so I’m initially annoyed and then pleasantly surprised over and over again.  “It’s a lot of drama for a light bulb,” I think to myself.  But then my mind goes to some of those truly dramatic photos of previously snow-covered mountains that are now mostly brown.  And instead of wishing I could have a full-strength light the second I flip the switch, I am thankful for the people who invented this amazing light bulb.  I’m thankful for the people in the factory who made it  and the members of the CLC Social Ministries Committee who made it possible for me to buy this light bulb in the convenience of  Coffee Hour.

Change is often uncomfortable and sometimes we resist it as determinedly as the corporations resisted laws limiting emissions.  There are moments when we see that the change is inevitable and we resign ourselves to it.  Then there are other changes that we more willingly embrace.  It may be that, like the compact fluorescent light bulbs, we embrace them for a mix of motives.  And even though we made the change willingly, it’s not comfortable or easy.  In those moments, what really helps is knowing what really matters to us.  It is so much more important to me to have a healthy earth than it is to have instantaneous light.

As we respond to the changes that mark our lives, may we receive the strength that comes from being clear about what matters most:  God’s unchanging and unlimited love for us.  

PRESIDENT’S REPORT 

By Mark Rohrbaugh

After my first month as President of the CLC Council, I am more appreciative than ever of all the "gifts" of time and talent that members make to this congregation.  Some gifts are quietly shared through "Holy Listening" and others are more actively shared, for example, by those who prepare our church building for daily use and Sunday worship.  As the Council dives into this year's activities, it is clear to me that we will accomplish much because God has given us many gifts and the desire to share them.   

We have a busy year ahead of us.  There will be change as well as the excitement and stress that naturally come along with it.  It seems quite appropriate to me that we should embark on Stephen Ministry at the same time we take the next steps in renovating our building.  Most important, the improvements we make in our facilities will give us new opportunities to minister to each other and our community.  

I hope you will be able to attend the Congregational Meeting on February 25.  It will be a time to discuss the status of our many activities.  In particular, you will hear more about the changes that will occur in the church building and the decisions that will be best made with your input.  

On February 11, we will wish Godspeed to our organist Steven Benson and give thanks for his musical gifts that he has shared with us.  We must, of course, also begin the process of recruiting a new organist and choir director.  In order to give us time to discern our needs and identify a new person, we will have two consecutive interim music directors.  Our goal will be to identify a new director by summer.

As we work through all these changes, it will be important to recall God's admonition through the Psalmist's words to "be still and know that I am God".  In the context of Psalm 46, which also was the inspiration for Luther's "mighty fortress," "Be still" does not mean to relax and take a coffee break, although there will be times for that kind of stillness.  Instead, this is a spiritual stillness that allows us to "know" that God is Lord of all.  

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Council President.  I look forward to working with you, Pastor Renata, our vicars, church staff, and the other members of Council and its committees. 

VISIONING UPDATE 

By Phil Hecht 

The New Year ushered in a flurry of activity by the Visioning Committee.  During January, we met with the architect and civil engineer to discuss the status of the construction drawings, and we met with the architect and an interior designer to review proposed finishes for the Parish Hall.

In early February, the Ambassadors and Visioning Committee will meet with the architect and interior designer to discuss important design and aesthetic issues and to plan the construction phase of the renovation.  I hope that our meeting will result in a consensus report to the Council, followed by the Council’s recommendation to the Congregation at our annual Congregation Meeting on February 25.

We need your help to achieve our goal of an accessible and inviting renovated sanctuary and Parish Hall in a reasonable time period and at an economical cost.  The Visioning Committee needs at least seven active and committed members for the near- and long-term future.  Our tasks fall into three broad categories – design review and approval, fundraising oversight, and construction management – which are explained more fully below.  The tasks will not require the same amount of work or occur in the same time period, but each one is important to the success of the project.  Please prayerfully consider whether you are willing to serve on the Committee and let me know which tasks interests you.

VISIONING GOALS AND TASKS 

1. Design Review and Approval

--Serve as sounding board and consensus-builder for major design and aesthetic decisions.

--Communicate and meet regularly with MTFA and civil and structural engineers.

--Answer questions and facilitate entry onto CLC property when necessary.

--Review major design elements and recommend decisions.

--Review proposed finishes and other aesthetic elements and recommend decisions.

2. Fundraising Oversight

--Monitor amounts pledged and received by Alive in Christ campaign.

--Review periodic reports on Alive in Christ campaign amounts.

--Communicate with CLC members regarding the status of their pledges.

--Encourage first-time gifts and increases in pledged amounts.

--Oversee the sale of 1516 Hamilton Street, NW.

3. Construction Management

--Ensure that construction phase starts and proceeds according to schedule and within budget.

--Interview and recommend successful candidate for construction manager.

--Ensure that congregational activities continue during construction.

--Recommend decisions on construction issues as they arise.

Finances Positive at

the Half-Year Mark 

By David Blakemore 

As we ended the first half of our fiscal year on December 31, CLC finances were healthy.  Thanks in part to the usual surge of giving in December, we are slightly ahead of our income target for the year.  And the mild winter to date has helped keep utility costs, and expenses as a whole, under control.   Giving for the first year of the Alive in Christ campaign, which coincided with calendar year 2006, totaled $226,000.  

Crisis and Opportunity 

By Vicar Jeanne Befano 

None of us knows what our future will bring. We wake up in the morning and step out into it, one foot at a time. What helps me live into the unknown, in part, is my own history. I’ve lived through the ups and downs of yesterday and the day before and the day before that. I trust I will do the same today.

Some of my history includes joyful times. Planning projects with Lou, especially related to renovations on our home or landscape are on that list. You would have gotten a chuckle out of the time when the builder of our house at the lake caught us shopping at Home Depot on the evening of our wedding anniversary! There have also been moments of great joy, moments that stand out and, while they are happening, you know that they are not only memory-makers, they are moments of transformation. The time our daughter Karen and her husband announced the news that they were pregnant was one of those. Life as I knew it has been changed forever. 

My history includes sorrow as well. It grieves me that the world is becoming a more fearful place. I am moved by some of the conversations that I have with the confirmation students. My own life as a 12-year-old was so much simpler and less scary. There have also been moments of great sorrow in my life. These are also memory-makers. They have the power to jar us into a different reality, and are life-changing. The death of our 20-year-old daughter Dawn was one of those. Life indeed has been forever changed. 

Since I don’t have a crystal ball, I didn’t know what would be in store for me during my internship year here. I just put one foot in front of the other, like I’ve always done, and watch as life comes my way. When I arrived for Vacation Bible School in mid-August, I had no idea that my Dad would be diagnosed two weeks later with Stage IV andeno carcinoma. He accompanied my Mom one day to the dermatologist’s office. The doctor happened to look at him and wonder about a swelling on the side of his  

neck. The oncologist tells us that this kind of 

cancer is always fatal because it was found in several sites throughout his body.  

As the health care agent for both my Mom and Dad, I’ve accompanied Dad to his oncology appointments and made the arrangements with Hospice to get involved. He is seeking palliative, rather than curative, care. It looks as though part of that care will involve radiation treatments, which will start next week. The tumor on his neck has grown to the point of pressing on his airway, making breathing and speaking difficult and causing him discomfort. 

This is a difficult time for me. I know that I am in the midst of memory-making time that is life changing for me. As I’ve done in the past, I continue into the future, one foot at a time. My walk now includes accompanying my Dad, this time birthing him into new life. It also includes journeying through this with my Mom. I don’t know what to expect, but I do know that I will I live into this unknown, drawing from my own history of joys and sorrows, in trust that this too will teach me much and transform my life in ways that I do not yet know.  

I’m wondering how much longer my parents will be able to live independently. At ages 87 and 85, they have done very well in their Columbia, Md., apartment. I think those days are numbered. I also wonder how it will affect my seminary training. While I expect to finish my internship year here, and hope that happens, I’m beginning to realize that it might not. If I do finish, I am not sure if I will be able to begin my last year of academic work in the fall and graduate with my class. The future remains ever a mystery in which I cannot see right now. Yet one thing that I can see clearly is that I need to be there for my parents. Any interruptions that might

occur to my plans as a result of this health  

crisis are nothing compared to the gift and the response-ability of journeying with them through this sacred time. 

The Chinese use the same character for the word “crisis” as they do for the word “opportunity.” Psychologists tell us that deeply implanted within us is a fight or flight mechanism. When the saber tooth tiger creeps out, we can either fight to the death or run like the dickens. The crucified Christ, however, shows us another way. Instead of fighting or fleeing, he shows a way through. It’s as though God were telling us through the cross to, “stay with the crisis; don’t fight it or flee from it, but hang out there and let it teach you who you are and who God is. You will get through it. It will feel like death -- actually it will be a death of sorts -- but it will always lead to resurrection.”

No words that I could put on this page could describe where my faith fits into this walk. As a Christian, I know it is all about the cross. My faith is very simple, really. I know a God who knows even my worst sufferings because Jesus hung on the cross. It’s all about the cross.

This is what makes me a Christian. The incarnation of God who was willing to wear human skin to show me not only how to live, but how to die, so that resurrection can happen. My faith is grounded so deeply in the Christ who companions me on my pilgrim journey to the kingdom that nothing else matters except this graced, loving embrace. It is big enough to hold any crisis, and gently enough to leave me with peace that is beyond any understanding. I can ask for nothing more. I could wish each of you nothing less. 

Lenten Services 

Ash Wednesday, February 21, noon & 7:30 PM 

Service of Confession, Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion, in Wenchel Chapel 

Wednesday Lenten Services, noon 

We will focus each week on one of the readings from the Easter Vigil.  

February 28, Creation, Genesis 1:1-2:4a

March 7, The Flood, from Genesis 7, 8 & 9

March 14, Testing of Abraham, Genesis 22:1-18

March 21, Deliverance at the Red Sea, Exodus 14: 10-31, 15: 20-21

March 28, Valley of the Dry Bones, Ezekiel 37: 1-14

The Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras Pancake Supper is On!

February 20, 5:30-8:00 PM 

It may not be the grand feast that Cal Noll and the Concordian Club used to fix, but it will be delicious and fun!! Grace will be offered by our own trio with David Blakemore on bongos, Mark Rohrbaugh on piano, and Charlie White on sax. 

Performances will end with "When the Saints Go Marching In" (we are counting on Cal and the rest of the saints to join us in spirit). There will be entertainment, favorite poems, and hymns.  All gifts and talents welcome.  

We can always use more help with set-up serving and clean-up.  So please let Paige or Scott Sullivan at (301) 933-4274 or Marty Jewett at (202) 882-7490 know if you would like to participate so that you can be put in the printed program.  Join us February 20, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall.

This is a new graphic in the Messenger and in our bulletin! It is the Stephen Ministry logo, which consists of a cross and a circle, together with a broken person and a whole person. The broken person stands behind the cross, symbolizing the brokenness in our lives as a result of our sin. The whole person stands in front of the cross because it is through the cross of Christ that we are again made whole. The circle symbolizes both the wholeness we receive through Christ and God’s unending love for us. As a Stephen Ministry Congregation, each of us is called to be instruments of God’s healing love for each other and all of creation. For more details about our newly forming Stephen Ministry, contact Pastor Renata, Carla Howery or Vicar Jeanne.

CHRISTIAN CAREGIVING – FOCUS OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING 

By Carla B. Howery

The Congregation’s annual meeting is slated for Sunday, February 25, immediately after church, with lunch provided.  Agenda items include an update of the Alive in Christ project. But the main focus of the meeting will center on Stephen Ministry, a way of Christian caregiving that is personal and compassionate, as well as systematic.

Christ Lutheran has a deep commitment to caring for one another.  Informal networks jump into action to help people in time of need. Stephen Ministry will enable us to build on this long history and extend care to those in need both in the congregation and beyond.

How can you become involved in some way in Stephen Ministry? 

• As a Stephen Minister yourself,

• As a care receiver,

• As someone in the congregation who is sensitive to the needs of others,

• As someone who will pray for all of those in the categories above, for the road is never without twists and turns, setbacks, as well as progress.

Pastor Renata, Vicar Jeanne, and I returned from the Leadership Training Conference excited about beginning Stephen Ministry at CLC.  So please come to the Congregational Meeting on February 25 to learn more about Stephen Ministry, to ask questions and to share your ideas.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE 

Please consider your willingness and availability to serve the congregation in these various capacities: 

• Help with “children’s time” (child care and instruction during the sermon) one time or several times.  Contact Linda Ott or sign up on bulletin board outside church office.

• Join the Congregational Life Committee, with its many foci:  helping with congregational events and food; outreach to ill or shut in members; creating opportunities for the congregation to socialize with one another.  Contact Mark Rohrbaugh.  

• Join the Social Ministries Committee, which has many worthy issues for us to explore and support.  Contact Jill Eckart.

• Join the Buildings Committee, which oversees our properties, leases, and grounds.  Contact Mark Rohrbaugh.

• Be a backup for yard work and lawn care when Desta is away or the vegetation takes over.  Contact Scott Pitner.

• Offer to host Circle the Wagons in March or May 2007.  Contact Carla Howery.

• Help assemble the MESSENGER or assist periodically in the church office.  Contact Pastor Renata.

• Help bring some order to the two kitchens.  Contact Beth Mills.

WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS: VALENTINE WOODS AND TIM BREITBARTH

After over a year of attending Christ Lutheran Church, we are so happy to now be “real members.” We have enjoyed getting to know some of you already and look forward to meeting and deepening relationships with others in the coming years. We will start by better introducing ourselves. The first thing you should know about us is that our names are notoriously difficult for many to pronounce. Valentine is actually pronounced ValenTEEN, rather than like the holiday, and Tim’s last name (Breitbarth) is pronounced BRIGHTbarth. Over the years we have both learned to respond to just about anything, but we get especially excited when people say our names correctly!  

Tim was born and raised in the Iron Range of Minnesota, 100 miles from Canada. He’s the son of a Lutheran pastor and a math teacher, and the middle child of 3 boys. He attended college and graduate school in St. Paul at Concordia University and the University of Minnesota respectively, and now works in the Economic Analysis Office of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Valentine is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and is lucky enough to have four wonderful parents. She’s an only child, youngest child, oldest child, or middle child, depending on how you look at it. Valentine went to Elon University for her BA and is now working part-time on a master of public health degree at the George Washington University. Full-time she works at Bread for the City in the Development Department, but is looking forward to moving into something more health policy oriented in the not-so-distant future.

We met in Chicago when two of our best friends got married. It was the weekend Valentine moved to DC, and we hit it off so well that Tim was not far behind. Now we’re looking forward to getting married in October, and Valentine will trade in her easy to pronounce last name (Woods) for Tim’s difficult one. For now, we’re just having fun building a life together in DC and are excited that Christ Lutheran Church is a part of it!

(See our photo on page 10.) 

New members Tim and Valentine 

We are Well-Supplied 

By Carla B. Howery, Outgoing chair, Congregational Life 

Perhaps you have seen calls [in previous Messengers] for Costco shoppers!  We have enough volunteers and now they have a shopping list.  That list should help all members of the church who assist with coffee hour and other church functions.

With the help of Karen Christian, we have a generic shopping list of all the paper goods and beverages, etc., that we typically use.  We will post a shopping list in each kitchen.  When you use the last of an item, or see an item running low, MARK IT on the shopping list, and the monthly shopper will replenish our stock.

I want to thank Beth Mills for cleaning and organizing our shelves.  And, our shoppers deserve a tip of the hat:  Lori Beaston, Bob Sylwester, Sambe Duale, David Downes, Carla Howery, Beth Mills, Jeanne Befano, and Marty Jewett.  

The Ear of Christ

From Phil Hecht: “CLC’s Director of Music Steve Benson has resigned from those positions.  Steve's last Sunday will be February 11, 2007.  During his more than two years with us, Steve has enriched our worship through his special gifts as an organist, pianist and choir director.  As a member of the choir, I especially have appreciated Steve's dedication to teaching us many types of music and his encouragement when we needed it most.

“We will have special coffee hour on Sunday, February 11, to celebrate Steve's time with us and to wish him well in his future endeavors.  Please mark that date, and please take an opportunity to tell Steve in your own words how much he has meant to the Congregation.”

A committee has been appointed to find a successor to Steve. 

From Sharon Kelly: “Over Thanksgiving, I traveled with a group of 12 Americans to Tosagua, Ecuador, to construct houses through a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The mission was quite a spiritual experience, and I had a fabulous time! We constructed two houses made of brick and mortar during our week-and-a-half visit and made two families very happy! It amazed me how the Tosaguans had very little to give but were willing to give us whatever few things they did possess. They also showered us with so much love and friendship, and it was extremely difficult to leave at the end of the mission!

“Many thanks to Christ Church, and especially the Endowment Committee, for making it possible for me to participate in this mission. I hope to be able to travel with Habitat again, both internationally and nationally!”

Alice Meyer is delighted to announce that Carolina Oster is taking over the CLC web page. Look for it at www.christlutheran-dc.org. Carolina is now an official member of the CLC Communications Committee!

Know someone who needs a new place to live?  Keri Schultz is looking for a new roommate to share a two bedroom apartment near Walter Reed Hospital.  Give her a call at 202-422-8005.

From Jana Shepperd: “After more than a year of intense job search and networking in the foreign policy/nonprofit circles of Washington, DC, I have unexpectedly been offered a full-time position as a consultant with Winbourne & Costas, Inc., Management Consultants. They hired me to work as a project coordinator with a new nonprofit organization "Center for Governance and Innovation" (CGI) that the company helped to establish. CGI aims to facilitate public-private partnerships and exchange of know-how and technology between the US and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to help strengthen their governance and foster innovation. Thus, it seems, that I finally have an opportunity to use my skills and experience from my work as a Slovak civil servant here in the USA for the benefit of the Euro-Atlantic partnership.”

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (e.g., It is sunny out today).

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

2006 Gifts of Hope 

By Alice Meyer 

It was a terrific year for Gifts of Hope at CLC!  In 2006, our members gave $1,694 for Gifts of Hope, $875 of that went to Transitional Housing Corporation. (In 2005 the total was $1,326.) Here's a listing of the items chosen by our members:

-- Medical supplies, N Street Village – 1

-- Bus tokens or farecards, N Street Village  – 6

-- Transportation to a medical appointment, Fellowship Square – 1

-- Food for a needy family or senior, CFLS – 1

-- Physician co-pay for a medical appoint-ment, Fellowship Square – 1

-- Undergarments for homeless women, N Street Village – 3

-- Nutritious snack after medication, LSS – 3

-- Women’s wellness program, THC – 1

-- Books, books, books, Southeast Ministry – 4

--Supplies for GED student, Southeast Ministry – 2

-- Pastoral ministry with youth, Lutheran Church in El Salvador – 3

-- Outing for a foster child, LSS – 2

-- Accounting system for seminary, Lutheran Churches in Namibia – 1

-- Transportation for GED student, CFLS – 2

-- Educational game or toy – 6

-- Reading Club Books, THC – 3

-- Summer enrichment for a child, Good Shepherd Housing – 1

-- Eyeglasses and optical services for the elderly, Nat’l Lutheran Home – 2

-- R & R for a volunteer, Lutheran Volunteer Corps – 4

CLC’s congregational gift for Transitional Housing Corporation 

-- A week of utilities for a Partner Arms family – 7

-- A season’s worth of garden seeds, plants, and supplies for a family participating in the Partner Arms Garden Club – 14

Gifts of Hope are available all year online at www.lutherplace.org/giftsofhope/online.html.  

Greetings from Green Door 

Green Door prepares women and men with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses to work and live in the community. For information, visit us at www.greendoor.org.

We accept gently used and new items. Please contact Aaron.Braverman@greendoor.org

or 202-462-4092 x336 before dropping off a donation. Aaron coordinates inkind donations.

1. "Leftover" Metro cards (even with just a few cents left on them) for members without income to get to their doctors, new jobs, or school. Send to Development Office, Green Door, 1623 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009.

2. NEW Underwear! men's and women's underwear (socks, briefs, bras, panties) in all sizes for our emergency clothing closet. Deodorant and tooth brushes are also needed.

3. XL, XXL, or XXXL Winter jackets (not full-length coats) for many in our programs. PLEASE launder before donating - no buttons missing, troublesome zippers, rips, tears, etc. Also scarves, hats, and gloves.

4. Digital Camera for the Clubhouse, our employment training and education site. Our old camera will no longer load photos. We would like a camera to document members at work and school, Clubhouse parties and cookouts, and special events for the members' monthly newsletter and for

our albums.  

5. Men's winter, work-appropriate clothing - pants (all sizes), sweaters (XL and larger), and shirts (XL and larger) - for our clothing closet. Gently worn and laundered, please.

6. Women's winter, work-appropriate clothing - pants (size 14 and larger only), sweaters and blouses (large sizes), and skirts - for our clothing closet. Gently worn and laundered, please.

CIRCLE THE WAGONS   -- March 18th

3:00 at the home of Joanne Noll 

This Circle is also a Shower!  In honor of Ann Marie Breheny and Scott Pitner’s new baby, due to arrive in early February.   How wonderful to meet this newest CLC member!  Contact Joanne Noll or Carla Howery for details about the shower.

All CLC women are invited to come for an afternoon of relaxing fellowship away from the slings and arrows of daily life!  No need to bring anything but yourself.  Looking ahead:   We need a volunteer host for the May 6th Circle.  Please let Carla Howery know if you can offer your home.

THEOLOGICAL BOOK CLUB: READING AND SHARING TOGETHER 

By Carla B. Howery 

The Theological Book Club welcomes anyone to come on a one-time or continuing basis, to share thoughts about books that aid our faith journey, 

We are meeting on a bimonthly basis, and we rotate who selects the book to read and kicks off the discussion.  We will meet promptly at 12:15, now in the Wenchel Chapel.

The next book selection is BEYOND BELIEF by Elaine Pagels.  Susy Cheston will lead the discussion.   The date is Sunday, February 18 at 12:15. 

The April meeting will be on April 22.  Please propose books!