Nominees for Search and Call Committee:

Don Blanchon joined the Church in February 2000 and served as moderator, vice moderator and treasurer plus Co-Chair for the Gift of Tomorrow Campaign. He lives with his wife Sarah Ducich and daughters Ella and Josie in Woodley Park. He is a native of Foxboro, MA, and grew up attending Bethany Congregational Church.

Kris Davis (co-chair) joined the church in 2000 and has served the church as moderator, deacon, financial secretary and chair of the strategic planning committee. She also volunteers with the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing and enjoys writing, biking, eating her husband Mike’s cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Mary Jane Glass has been a member of Cleveland Park Church since 1992, when her family moved to Washington after having lived overseas for 13 years. Her four daughters grew up in this church. She has served the church as deacon, trustee, and Sunday school and confirmation class teacher, as well as a member of various committees. Two continuing interests are the fabric of the building and the care of the grounds.

Bruce Grimes has been a member of the church since 2005.  He served for two years as Chair of the Member Care Committee and is currently serving a second year as deacon and first year as lead deacon.  He also participates in many other church activities.  Bruce is on the Legislative Affairs Staff of the Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs. His interests include travel, history, and reading.  He is recently married.

John Osborne (co-chair) is married to Caroline Osborne and has 3 children—Meryn, 17; Cole, 10; and Lila, 6. He was a practicing lawyer for 15 years until 2001 and now owns a private investment firm based in Washington, DC. John and Caroline joined CPC in 1998 and were married in the Church in 1999. Both Cole and Lila were baptized at CPC. Since joining, John has been active in all areas of church life as deacon, trustee, finance committee and stewardship committee member, volunteer Sunday School teacher, co-chair with Mike Davis on the Open and Affirming Initiative, and volunteer labor shovelling snow!!

Le Rowell has attended Cleveland Park Church all her life. She became a member in 1947 when she was confirmed (that classifies her for the grandmother slot on the Search Committee). Her roles in the church include Sunday School teacher, young adult group president, choir member, moderator, and numerous committees.  The church has been a major anchor in Le’s life not just while growing up in Cleveland Park, but also when living overseas as a Foreign Service spouse and then returning home and building another portable career in the world of quilts and culture.

Jennifer Singleterry has been a member of CPCC for just over a year. She regularly attends the Vespers service and Common Ground, and is the new Vespers representative on the Cabinet. Jennifer works for the American Lung Association in policy and advocacy. Her father was an American Baptist pastor, so she experienced search and call processes throughout her childhood. She is excited to experience one from the opposite perspective.

Lori Sonderegger joined the church in December 2007 and is our current vice-moderator. She also serves the church as a deacon and member of the strategic planning committee and is a member of Common Ground.  She also served on the interim pastor search committee.

The first meeting of the Settled Pastor Search and Call Committee will take place on Tuesday, May 11, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the church library.  Interim Pastor Doug Clark will serve as conference liaison to the search committee, staffing and guiding the committee through its initial tasks.  Once the committee begins receiving professional profiles from interested candidates, Doug will recuse himself from the committee’s deliberations and decisions.

Proposed Mission and Vision Statement:

Mission:

To help in growing love of God and love of neighbor in the world.

Vision:

We see our church as a place of refuge and spiritual nourishment. Through quality worship services, learned preaching, and sacred music, we experience God’s presence and seek the inspiration to carry God’s blessing into the world.

Ours is a reflective congregation that challenges us to discern God’s word for us in the present day. Our theology is liberal and our worship experience is informal and personal, without emphasis on pomp and circumstance.

We participate together, through Christian Education for children and adults, in increasing our knowledge of God and in helping one another in our spiritual growth.

Our small but growing congregation is a church family, and we share God’s love by caring for one another. We offer hospitality and fellowship that is warm, inviting, and welcoming to all. We embrace the children in our congregation and welcome their participation in worship and the life of the congregation.

As a faith community, we believe we are called to serve our neighbors, near and far, in small ways and large; to reach out and share the blessings of our community with others we can serve, spiritually or physically.

We value our diversity and we covenant to share God’s love with everyone, across generations, and embracing any race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability or political affiliation. We offer a place for believers and seekers alike to ponder, question, and celebrate our faith. We embrace our UCC affirmation: “No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”