Beth's Blogs

Dear Beth,

I want to donate to the Maccallum-Prugh Scholarship Fund? How do I do it?

Grateful Gertie

It’s really quite easy to do! Just write a check made out to “Rockville United Church” and mark in the memo line “Maccallum-Prugh Scholarship Fund.” For those of you who do not know about the fund, our congregation has set up a scholarship to honor our founding Pastors, Don Maccallum and Wiley Prugh. We hope to raise $10,000 so we can give an annual $500 scholarship to a graduate of the Latino Outreach Program, Chase Partnership, or other program of Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) or to an intern in the office of CMR. This scholarship can be to a college, university, or a trade school. Since this February, we have raised $3,815.00 -- thanks to our members and our friends!

Hi Beth,

We missed the BIG 40th Anniversary Party because our family was on vacation. How did it go?

Frank and Fanny of Founders’ Circle

As we used to say in the 60’s, the evening was a Love-In. A real love fest with hugs, smiles, and happy faces! (Take a look at the photo display that the Creative Crew has created in the narthex.) There were so many highlights – just to recap a few:

• Moments before guests arrived on Saturday evening, an Edible Arrangements delivery truck pulled up to RUC and delivered a “flower bouquet” of fruit, compliments of Vera, Donna, and John Rausch. I knew then that this party was going to be special!
• The weather was so spectacular that it took me about 15-20 minutes to entice our guests to move indoors for dinner!
• Dressed in a T-shirt with a design of the Periodic Tables, fellow MC Nathan Schilling called out the letters at each table inviting guests to go to the serving tables!
• Over 150 of us went through the buffet lines in less than 15 minutes – thanks to the incredible organizational skills of Tom Newpher!
• It was a potluck to remember with a delicious more-than-abundant spread of appetizers, main courses, side dishes, and desserts. Our cooks had outdone themselves!
• Our guests cheered that Steve Cooper and his family did all the clean-up of Kasey Hall! After dinner we could just pick up our programs and move to the sanctuary!
• Some of the members of the Founders’ Circle, former members, and guests traveled quite a distance to share this evening! They honored us with their presence!
• I fell in love with our former minister, Wiley Prugh! He remembered the beginnings of RUC and charged us to go forth in the future!
• During his 26 years as our minister, Kasey Kaseman reminded us his top three priorities for RUC were always worship, pastoral care, and Christian Education!
• Sylvia George’s written and directed skit, The Parade of Ministers, was a blast from the past! Dressed as our Interim Minister Suzanne Rudiselle, Pat Ameling stole the show in her pink suit, high-heeled glitzy pink shoes, and sash of butterflies!
• Duncan Newcomer, our current minister touched my soul with his beautiful prayer thanking God for our past and asking for faith and hope for our future! (Check his prayers from the week-end on our website, www.rockvilleunitedchurch.org.)
• At Sunday’s worship service Margaret Dodds, our former Associate Pastor, challenged us with her sermon on “Deep Down Questions.”
• Greg Shook, former Choir Director greeted me with his big bear hug and confided that RUC was indeed his hometown church! This is where he sorted out his life. I felt like a proud parent as he stood there in his clerical collar (He is now an ordained EUB minister.) and played his oboe.
• The music was spectacular! Besides Greg’s oboe, Carey Creed lent her gorgeous voice to the Taize chant, “Alleluia/Psalm 42.” Coleman O’Donoghue added his drums to the voices of the choir in Jim Levy’s composition of Psalm 118, ”Open the Gates.”
• And then on to the jazzfest – outdoors under the bright blue sky – jazz with Jim and Coleman and our own home-grown musicians Amy Broadbent, Ian Richter, Jonathan Zack, John Abrahams, and Jeff Pattison!
• The members of the 40th Committee gave above and beyond to make the week-end celebration special! My thanks go to them and all our guests!

Thank you God for all these blessings and the blessings that are ahead in Rockville United Church! All of us have such a responsibility to go forward with the faith, love, and energy of our founders! The best is yet to be at RUC!

Gratefully with love and cheers,

Beth

Return to current month's blog

Readers with questions should write Beth Pattison, President of RUC Church Council, at BPattison@RockvilleUnitedChurch.org, ask her directly, or leave the question in her mailbox at RUC.