Parkway UCC welcomes their new administrative assistant, Julie Wilson.  Julie will have office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 - Noon and Fridays from 1 - 4. Announcements, calendar items and concerns are emailed on Tuesdays.  If you have something you would like included, please email the office by Monday p.m.  If you have an announcement for the Sunday bulletin, email it by Thursday p.m.

Mark your calendar: 

Sunday, August 3 - Potluck at Miller Park Shelter #2, 5:00 p.m.
Join us for food, fellowship and music!
Bring food to share and a lawn chair. Beverages, plates, cups and utensils will be provided.
The Community Band will play at 6:30 at the amphitheater.

Sunday, August 24  - Transition Team Special Event

CONCERNS

• Gene’s Aunt Frances passed away and services will be held July 10 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Gene will attend Council meeting and then be out of the office for the remainder of the week. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Pastoral Support  While Gene is on vacation later this month, please note that congregation members in need of pastoral support can contact Cranford Johnson (July 21-27 at 723-1109) and Dick Horn (July 28-August 4 at 391-3244 or 766-0679).  Issues that may require pastoral support include bereavement, hospitalization, major life transitions, etc.

Two Adult Sunday School Classes Continue to Meet During the Summer:

   > Bible Study Class will meet in the couch room at 9:45 a.m.  The curriculum is the lectionary-based "Seasons of the Spirit".  Everyone is welcome.

   > Spiritual Literature Class meets in the Irving Street house at 10:00 a.m.  They have just begun the book "Living Your Unlived Life" by Robert A. Johnson, which was recommended by Pastor Derryberry as we begin our transition process. All adults are welcome.

The Parkway United Church of Christ Transition Team Covenant

The Transition Team is thankful for the opportunity to serve God and the Parkway congregation. We ask for the Parkway congregation’s patience and prayerful support in this endeavor.

We pledge to:

§   Seek to discover God’s will and purpose for the future of Parkway.

§   Provide opportunities for the congregation to participate in this process.

§   Engage in a thorough, introspective self study that focuses on the five developmental tasks:

     o        Clarifying the Congregation’s Identity

     o        Coming to Terms with our History

     o        Examining Denominational and External Relationships

     o        Addressing Leadership and Decision-Making Concerns

     o        Committing to New Minister Leadership and the Future

§   Listen with sensitivity to various congregational perspectives and attempt to fairly represent them in our work.

§   Communicate regularly with the congregation about the transition progress.

§   Promote and encourage activities that strengthen our time together as a church family.

§   Remain dedicated to our obligation to assess the health of the congregation and its readiness to begin the search process.

The Parkway United Church of Christ Transition Team:

Tim Binkley, Henrietta Fulton, Dan Holt, Anne Hopkins, Bill Huesman, Cranford Johnson, Margaret Morris, Tom Radulovic, Peggy Taylor, Gene Derryberry (Coach)

 

Parkway United Church of Christ is ONA…what does that mean?

National affiliation:

For more than 30 years the national setting of the UCC has been on a clear course of welcome and inclusion, calling for serious study of human sexuality, supporting the civil rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) persons, and in 1985 adopting the Open and Affirming (ONA) resolution.

For many lay and clergy members, the United Church of Christ is both a joy and a refuge. Our denomination is a place to celebrate the wide diversity of the body of Christ. It is a haven for many who have come from less welcoming places. Scores of people have been transformed by the ONA witnessed of the UCC. It is a witness that is changing the world, saving lives and helping to build God's community of welcome, justice and peace.

The LGBT pages of the UCC web site are dedicated to those who wish to learn more and want to help the Open and Affirming movement go forward.   www.ucc.org/lgbt/

The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns provided significant leadership in the ONA movement, developing resources and urging congregations to become ONA.  Since 1985, more than 730 UCC congregations have engaged in ONA study programs and voted to be ONA congregations and many of them are among the most vital and vibrant congregations in the UCC. Conferences, Associations, seminaries, and UCC-related colleges and universities are among the various other settings and related institutions of the UCC which have declared themselves to be Open and Affirming.

What has made all the difference in this movement is the churches and other settings which have not only declared themselves Open and Affirming, but have faithfully lived into the values of a church with an extravagant welcome. For information regarding the UCC Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Concerns, or to subscribe to the monthly newsletter, go to www.ucccoalition.org.

Regional affiliation: We are members of the Southern Conference, networking with other ONA churches in North Carolina and Virginia.

Local affiliation:  We participate with other welcoming churches in Winston Salem in a local coalition sponsored by PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.) This is a new group that promises to foster education and support for faith communities.   www.pflagwinstonsalem.org