News from the Pastoral Nominating Committee (PNC)

You can help the PNC as it moves forward with the search for a new Pastor. Watch for the following:

CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY--it will be distributed by email, US mail and through copies on the table in the Commons area--use what works best for you but please respond! It will be available March 16, 2008 and the deadline for response is April 6, 2008.

FOCUS GROUPS--WILL BE HELD AT THE 10 AM HOUR IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL ON MARCH 23--come talk with us.

COMMUNICATING WITH THE PNC--have something on your mind? Send the PNC an email at ProvidencePNC@YahooGroups.com


The selection of a new Pastor is perhaps the most important decision a church can make. The PNC wants your help!

Mission Hall Update

On Sunday, Feb. 3 Anna Jullien presented the following report about planning for the Mission Hall:

Report from the Mission Hall Task Force

As Mission Hall began taking shape over the summer and fall, many of us began to think concretely about how it will be put to use. We know that Logos, which continues to be a vibrant intergenerational program, will use the space to its fullest every week, and various committees of the church have envisioned uses of Mission Hall to expand and strengthen their own programs.

But from the beginning, part of the plan has been to use Mission Hall as its name suggests – in the local mission field, as part of our ministry to this community beyond our own membership. So a task force was formed in October to revisit the question of how to do this – what kinds of new programs to start, what community groups to involve, which segment of the population we might serve.

We began with the two ideas that were in discussion three years ago when the capital campaign began: a day center for elderly folks who need assistance, and an after-school center for middle school youth. Our research indicates that there is not a great enough immediate need for either of these programs in this location. Fairfax County has increased services for both of these groups in the past three years, and we have concluded that neither of these would be viable at this time.

We are therefore looking at a wide range of ideas – currently 16 to 20 programs of various types (and we’re open to additional ideas). Some of the most exciting are:
o SPARC – daytime program for young adults with cognitive and physical limitations
o Volunteer legal and/or financial literacy assistance program
o Computer skills training for the unemployed
o Hosting supervised visitation sessions for families under court supervision
o Shepherd Center – social and educational program run by and for active senior citizens
o Providing a new, accessible, large space with multimedia capability to other community organizations like Special Olympics, the ARC, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, the Red Cross.
These are ways we can use our space to serve the community and put our faith into action. Most of them would provide opportunities for you to volunteer your time and talents.

Crucial to the success of any new program is a hero – someone who is passionate about that mission, has a vision for the program, and can draw others into participation. We’re looking for heroes now, and we know you’re out there. Ask yourself:
o What are you passionate about?
o What human need hits home for you?
o How do you envision Providence at work in the world?

The members of the task force are Kathy Hermann, Mary Lee DiSpirito, Hank Schlenker, Bruce McCall, Todd Withington and Anna Jullien. When you’ve realized that God is calling you to be a hero, give one of us a call and start sharing your vision.

Construction Update

Construction Update – 10/17/07

Kitchen: Despite the prior report that the kitchen may be available to the end of October or beyond, the kitchen will be vacated effective Monday, October 22. To make this possible, the following will be accomplished between now and then:

1. LOGOS supplies and other kitchen items will be removed and most kitchenware will be placed in storage. Bertha McClintock will coordinate the packing/storage. If you will be using the downstairs kitchen, please tour the downstairs kitchen in advance for available supplies, as they will be limited.
2. The following appliances will be moved to the downstairs kitchen: both refrigerators, microwave oven, white stove. The coffee maker has already been moved.
3. The base cabinet next to the white stove will be moved to the downstairs kitchen.
4. The locked communion cabinet will be moved to the back corner of Fellowship Hall.
5. The move of appliances and cabinets will be accomplished by the contractor.
6. The move will affect shelter meals. Linda O’Meara will coordinate any new arrangements, etc.
7. The Korean church is being notified.
Bathrooms: The renovation of the bathrooms in the administration wing has begun and therefore they are closed. New bathrooms will be constructed in the vacated kitchen area. This will require the construction of a temporary corridor from the gathering area to the parlor, effectively dividing the current hallway into two corridors, providing access to the staff offices, the choir room, and the parlor. There will be no need to vacate the staff offices; however there may be a brief need to have access to the offices when new HVAC registers are installed.

The bathrooms at the entrance to Williamson Hall and lower Williamson Hall are newly renovated and are available.

Construction Update: October 6

Construction Update – October 6, 2007
This week Chamberlain Construction expects the two remaining walls of the Mission Hall basement to be completed. Next week, drains and other plumbing should be installed in the floor of the basement --- followed the next week by the floor slab. Then work can begin on the steel framing. Next week they also expect to begin grading the front hill where Richard Mudd’s house used to be. We may also have some trees removed, at the direction of the County Arborist, next around the picnic area and children’s play area as well as in the area near the intersection of the frontage road and Elizabeth Lane. Chamberlain will inform Dick Ernst about the schedule to remove trees in the children’s play area.

The Upper and Lower Williamson Hall bathrooms are nearing completion. When those bathrooms are finished, demolition will begin on the bathrooms in the Administration Wing. This work, anticipated next week, will start with the demolition of the west wall of the kitchen. You may have noticed that the large refrigerator has been moved out from the wall. A temporary wall has been erected behind the refrigerator to provide access for the workers, separate from the kitchen, so we can keep the kitchen functional. In the next few days, an electrician will install a temporary 220 volt line in the downstairs kitchen so we can move the coffee maker and a stove (later) down there. Demolition of the main kitchen probably will begin in about two months.

Within the next few days, a subcontractor will remove bat guano from the attic. Other overhead work in the church includes plumbing and preparation for the new HVAC system. Three new HVAC units will be installed on the roof within the next two weeks. They won’t be hooked up for some time however. In the meantime we still have the old system working. We will probably not have heat in the Fellowship Hall about the first of November, so if needed, we will rent small heaters. We will have air and heat in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall through Oct. 19, the night of the organ concert.

About the middle of November, work should begin installing air ducts in the Administration Wing. Chamberlain will run a plastic curtain down the Administration hallway, with a narrow passage for the workers on the left side and a larger passage for access to the offices and the choir room on the right side. The first room to be worked on will be the Parlor, taking perhaps 2-3 days.

John, Carol and Daniel Miller completed the sidewalk to the new door in the Fellowship Hall. (Thank you, Millers!) Chamberlain’s project superintendent is doing everything he can to get us lights in the back parking lot.
In summary, there should be no significant disruption in church activities for the next several weeks. The construction company is very good at letting us know when something comes up.

Listening Sessions with Roger

Roger Shoup is conducting "listening sessions" with members so he can better serve Providence. If you are interested, please contact Roger directly and make an appointment. This is a wonderful opportunity to express your vision and concerns with our interim pastor.

Summer's over--things are getting busy

For Providence, as with you, activities pick up after Labor Day--Items to note:

SANCTUARY and ORGAN: we are back in the Sanctuary and enjoying our spectacular new organ. Two events to watch for: On Sunday Oct. 14 at the 11:15 am Service there will be an Organ Dedication Service with 50 minutes of music. (The 8:45 am Service will be a regular service.) Also, the Inaugural Organ Recital will be held Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 pm with Frederick Swann, National President of the American Guild of Organists playing. Recital will be free but tickets required.

CONSTRUCTION: much progress has been made both inside and out--the foundation for the Mission Hall has been dug. There is a new entrance to the Fellowship Hall. A new concrete walkway to that entrance will be poured shortly. In the meantime, when entering from the upper parking lot and using the plywood walkway please be careful. Inside, the ceiling has been removed in the Narthex area outside the Fellowship Hall and the bathrooms on the ramp to Williamson Hall are closed.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN: the Fall campaign will kick off shortly. We urge you to give prayerful consideration for your support of the Providence and it many ministries.

SUNDAY SCHOOL: classes began today. We hope you will join us.

"Where Life and Faith Connect"

Construction Update: July 22

UPDATE PRESENTED TO CONGREGATION ON JULY 22

How many of you have ever added a room to your house or remodeled a kitchen or bathroom? And continued living in the house at the same time? Then you know the excitement and elation that can result—as well as the disruption and inconvenience. You also know that any major construction project takes time—usually more than you anticipated—and requires patience, flexibility and a sense of humor.

Well, Providence is well into our remodeling project and we are experiencing both the excitement and the temporary inconveniences that occur before the project is complete. Witness that we temporarily are holding services here in the Fellowship Hall rather than the Sanctuary.

On behalf of the Session I wanted to do two things this morning: give you a quick preview of WHAT to expect in the next several weeks and let you know HOW to stay up to date.

First, WHAT IS HAPPENING? In the next few days and weeks, this is what you will see:

• Serious construction will begin—a fence will go up and we will no longer have access to the first two rows in the upper parking lot;
• The handicapped parking spaces will move to third row of the upper lot;
• At the same time, the current back entrance will be blocked and new entrance doors will go in at the front of this room [Fellowship Hall]--right over there on the Williamson Hall side; and
• Additional parking spaces will be added to the upper parking lot—to do that some trees will be removed and the area near the playground and back entrance re-graded.

Second, here is HOW to stay informed. Watch for the following:

• Periodic updates like this during the Service with volunteers available afterwards to answer questions;
• Reports in the Good News;
• Emails and status reports sent to the congregation;
• A message board in the Commons with pictures and more detailed information; and
• We have implemented a new feature on the Church Website called “Staying Connected” that we urge you to check out.

I would like to invite you all to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony immediately following the 10 am Service on August 5. Of course, as good Presbyterians we will have food and celebration at this important stage in the life of our Church.

Finally, and, perhaps most importantly, I am certain that the Holy Spirit will guide and aid us as we face the challenges of the coming months.

Thank you.