united parish of bowie

United Church of Christ Presbyterian
Church Picture
Carl O. Bickel, Ph.D.
Pastor

Office phone & fax (301)249-6411
Home phone (301)249-5885
MITCHELLVILLE AND MT. OAK ROADS
Church School 10:00 a.m.
Worship 11:00 a.m.		 email pastor@unitedparishbowie.org
web page http://www.unitedparishbowie.org

United In Christ
Our Mission: To Serve

Articles

NEWSLETTER

September 2002

We invite you to worship with us at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays during July and August. A nursery is provided. We are affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the United Church of Christ.


THE THIRD MOVEMENT OF CHRISTIAN FAITH

Pastor Carl Bickel's sermon The Third Movement of Christian Faith appears on the Sermon Page.


CHURCH SCHOOL

Church School classes for children, youth and adults will resume next Sunday, September 8, with a brunch at 9:45 a.m.


CHOIR

Choir practices are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Newcomers are welcome.


ADULT EDUCATION

They said "what" on TV? Your kids are listening to what?!?!?! Does it matter? The popular culture is all around us, and a lot of it is great. But how does our Christian faith play in all of this? Does God get a fair shake? For this fall, we are planning something new for Adult Education - a weekly forum to discuss God in the Popular Culture.

Are parents concerned about a new movie or television program? Did something happen in the news that week or at your office or home that shows the impact of the culture on our Christian faith and/or our families?

A series of moderators, including Fran and Marian Coombs and Herb Sheppard, will be responsible for leading the discussion 3-4 weeks each. Let's have a good time. Imagine sitting around in your own living room talking to friends and neighbors: that's the relaxed atmosphere we want.

Fran Coombs, Chair
Adult Ed. Committee


JAZZ CD

Peoples' Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. has been having Vesper services which feature jazz music. Some of the most prominent musicians in the area, many of them members of Peoples' Church, have provided this music. A CD has been made of this jazz rendition of some of the favorite songs of our Christian faith. The CD may be purchased at the United Parish for $12.


TEEN MENTOR

Would you like to be a teen mentor? As a mentor you can make a big difference in the life of a teen, create a valuable relationship, provide support, listen, help achieve goals, offer guidance, support school success, and be a role model. You could be a teen mentor if you were willing to make a commitment to a teen for a whole school year, meet weekly with a teen, attend initial mentor training, attend occasional follow-up training, and agree to a security fingerprint screening. This program is sponsored by the Bowie High School and the Community Prevention Network. For more information please contact Leni Stern, Community Coordinator, Bowie City Hall, 2614 Kenhill Dr., Bowie, MD 20715, or see Carl Bickel for an application.


TOP 10 SIGNS TO KNOW IT'S TIME TO JOIN E-MAILERS ANONYMOUS

  1. You wake up at 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom, and check your e-mail on the way back to bed.
  2. Your first-born is named dotcom.
  3. You turn off your modem and are suddenly filled with a feeling of emptiness, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
  4. You spend half of a plane trip with your laptop in your lap - and your child in the overhead compartment.
  5. You decide to stay in college for an additional year or two, just for the free Internet access.
  6. You find yourself typing "com" after every period.com.
  7. You refer to going to the bathroom as downloading.
  8. You move into a new home and decide to netscape before you landscape.
  9. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)

AND THE NO. 1 SIGN THAT YOU KNOW IT'S TIME TO JOIN E-MAILERS ANONYMOUS:

  1. Immediately after reading this list, you e-mail it to someone.


WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY -
FELLOWSHIP RESUMES

The monthly Bible study for women will meet Thursday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the church's adult room. This year we'll be examining the Sermon on the Mount. Linda Hutchinson will lead the first session giving us an introduction to this challenging Sermon from Jesus. Join us for enrichment and fellowship too. We meet the second Thurday evening of the month.


BY GRACE

COMMUNITY SCHOOL PRODUCES MORE THAN ARTS

The general benefits of a sound arts education have been well researched and documented. It has been proven that arts education is vital to both young and old. However, there are few arts programs that target intergenerational collaboration and outreach to the community. One such program, the Mitchellville Community School of the Arts (MCSA), has been approved by the Parish Board to begin this fall at the United Parish of Bowie.

One may ask, what's in it for our church? The church will receive recognition because of its leadership in the community. The church will be a place to come for quality arts instruction and dynamic collaborative performances/exhibitions. This program indirectly will create a whole new mission and outreach to the underserved. By providing arts education to our community, the church will be providing a service desperately needed in our society. Finally, the existing church programs will be nourished.

From a small, cluttered off-site office, Executive Director Cheryl Nkeba operates the Mitchellville Community School of the Arts, an organization dedicated to making quality arts education accessible to every citizen. Mitchellville is an unlikely place to find such a broad and ambitious arts education program for children and adults. They are thriving in the big cities, Nkeba said. She has first-hand knowledge as a former music panel member of the Maryland State Arts Council and a graduate of the Arts Management in Community Institutions program (sponsored by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts).

The Mitchellville Community School of the Arts offers visual arts, creative writing, and music. It offers private lessons on woodwinds, brass, guitar, piano, strings, painting, and drawing and group lessons on piano, small ensembles, handbells and creative writing. In addition, the MCSA is co-sponsoring a Community Ensemble with the Lake Arbor Foundation.

The courses start with preschoolers and continue through senior citizens. Research has shown that if children discover something that they are good at, everything else improves. It gives them focus and they find something they enjoy doing. Also, arts therapists and experts on aging tout arts programs' success as proof that seniors are ideally suited to absorb new knowledge and skills. Motivated and freed from daily pressures, they can learn to play music as well as or better than their grandchildren ? who often must be coerced into practicing.

MCSA will initially be housed at three locations. The Saturday program will be at The United Parish of Bowie; the Tuesday & Thursday program (tentatively) at Village Baptist Church and the Community Ensemble will rehearse at the Lake Arbor Golf Course in the Arbor Room.

The Lake Arbor Foundation and The Mitchellville Community School of the Arts will co-sponsor The Community Ensemble. This group is open to any resident of Lake Arbor and the surrounding area. The Community Ensemble will foster an intergenerational exchange and the joy of playing together. We will play movie themes, popular tunes, and standard repertoire. The only requirements are that one must love to play, bring an instrument and folding stand.

Playing introductions (friendly auditions) will be held at the Arbor Room on Saturday, September 21, 2002 from 8:30 a.m. through 10:00 a.m. Please bring a three-minuet selection to perform. At least one year of playing experience is recommended.

The Community Ensemble will rehearse on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. through 10:15 a.m. following the public school schedule. Saturday, September 28, 2002 is the first rehearsal. Ensemble participation is free; however, there is an annual $35.00 registration fee. Limited registration fee waivers are available. For more information on any programs and an application, call 301-266-4980 or contact info@mitchellvillecsa.org.

The Mitchellville Community School of the Arts' web page is at

http://www.mitchellvillecsa.org.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Community Service Committee would like to distribute school supplies to some needy elementary students this fall. If you could bring in extra ruled paper, composition books, rulers, glue (in sticks or bottles), pencils (especially pencils!), crayons, or erasers, the committee will forward them along in packets.


Thank you.


YOUTH RETREAT

There will be a free retreate for all youth from first grade through high school on Saturday, October 12th, and Sunday the 13th, at the nearby 4-H Center. The retreat will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and end on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. when we will return to the church for the worship service. We will have many team-building activities including games, sports, music, and discussions. Please make this a priority in your planning for that weekend. Our youth are encouraged to bring friends, especially those who are in need of a church to attend. We will be staying in a cabin that sleeps up to 20 males on one side and 20 females on the other side. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex.

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