An ecumenical church fostering cooperation in ministry in the Reston community and beyond


News and Newsletters

                                             UCP in the News  

Fixing Houses-Fixing Lives - Reston Connection 5/3/06
Several UCP members were pictured in this article about the "Rebuilding Together" project on Sat., April 29, 2006 including Bob and Pat Gehring, Roy Oishi, and Ken Plum.  This year's project which repaired a house in Herndon, was very successful with about 20 UCP members in all volunteering and the UCP Youth providing lunch.


UCP Member Charles Wight Helps Inmates Pave the Way to a Better Life

from Reston Observer 4/28/06       Reston Connection 6/14/06
Wight, 74, is officially retired, but his days are busy, filled with volunteer work, community service and trips to the county jail.

While most people who participate in mentoring programs meet their eager students in a classroom or a library  setting, Wight meets with inmates on a weekly basis as part of the O.A.R. (opportunities, alternatives and resources) program helping to provide adults in jail with the tools they will need to function in society when they are released.

Wight began mentoring at the local jail in the early 1990s and said he was a little surprised on his first day.

"You walk into a room full of perfectly ordinary people," he said. "You kind of expect them to look like criminals."  Read more...
        
Best of Reston Honorees
for 2006 include:

John and Susan Adney who are at the heart of the musical arts community in Reston. Both have been members of the Reston Chorale for more than 20 years, giving their their time, financial donations and talent. They have commissioned original musical pieces for their church and the Chorale and an original work for Reston’s Martin Luther King Day Celebration named “A Journey to Freedom, Honor and Glory."

BJ and Marilyn Silvey who may be retired from their formal occupations, but their volunteer and community efforts in Reston remain a full-time passion. The pair has been active in activities such as the United Christian Parish Church Works Sunday program, a mentoring program for at-risk girls at Forest Edge School, as organizers of an annual girls science and math event at Dogwood Elementary, with the Reston Bicycle Club, the Reston Triathlon and the Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, and through Reston Interfaith and the Wheelchair Foundation.

UCP Members Publish Book on World War II Reston Connection 11/11/05
Ralph Lee Minker, Jr., of Reston, was just 18 years old when he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and began training to be a combat pilot. He fought in World War II, flying 37 combat missions over Nazi Germany.  During his two and a half years in the service, Minker often wrote home to his parents and sisters, and they wrote back to him several times a week. The letters — 800 in all — were saved, and they give a firsthand picture of the lives of a young serviceman and his family, as they experienced rationing, bond drives and the daily tensions of war.  Minker, a retired Methodist minister, his wife, Sandra O'Connell, and Harry Butowsky, a history professor at George Mason University, have just published a book based on those letters, entitled, "An American Family in World War II." Word Association Publishers published the illustrated volume, which took five years to complete.  




United Christian Parish of Reston receives the 2005 Global Perspectives Award at MLK Celebration (Reston Connection-1/27/05)

Also read article from Reston Connection newspaper 
about UCP's mission in Rwanda 10/13/04



Members of United Christian Parish of Reston Receive God and Service Awards
(10/13/04)
Four members of the United Christian Parish of Reston have received God and Service Awards, given for distinguished service by adults in ministry to young people through the church and the Boy Scouts. They are Robert Gehring of Reston, Christopher Gohrband of Herndon, B.J. Silvey of Reston and James Vollmer of Herndon. Gehring has worked with Boy Scouts in La Paz, Bolivia, and Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as the National Capital Area. He is currently chair of the Troop Committee of Troop 1313, sponsored by the Sunrise Valley Elementary School PTA. Gohrband, currently chair of the Troop Committee of Troop 1802, sponsored by the Lions Club, has been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader in Michigan and in Reston. Silvey has been active as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts in Reston for 27 years and is now an Assistant District Commissioner covering eight scout units in Reston. Vollmer is Scoutmaster of Troop 1580 of the Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) organization in Herndon; Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 1530, sponsored by Pender United Methodist Church; and he has served as a Unit Commissioner - the liaison between the Boy Scouts of America and individual units - for three years.

United Christian Parish Receives Honor from Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Reston Connection - 12/16/03

The United Christian Parish of Reston (UCP) has been honored by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 30 years of community and global involvement.

The supervisors presented a plaque to UCP and passed a resolution commending the church for its “service and commitment to the Reston community as well as missions in foreign lands.” The resolution noted that the church has “contributed to the quality of life in the Reston community” and has become “a national ecumenical model,” as it combines four distinct denominations: the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ.

UCP was a founder of the Reston Interfaith social services organization and the annual Works Sunday program and is involved in a mission project in Rwanda.

Accepting the plaque on behalf of the parish were the Rev. Suzanne P.M. Rudiselle, former Pastor, who recently retired and was separately recognized for her 15 years of service as Pastor; Billie P. Sutter, Director of Christian Education; Sue Stewart, Moderator of the Parish Board; and Barbara Bonner, Lay Leader.  Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins presented the motion to the board and assisted in the Dec. 8 presentation.

Article in Reston Times on 30th Anniversary of Founding of UCP.

United Christian Parish Member Ellen Graves Recognized for Community Service Reston Observer - 2/20/04

Seven Reston volunteers [including Ellen Graves, a member of United Christian Parish] were recognized for their outstanding community service at the 13th annual Best of Reston awards breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 12 hosted by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and Reston Interfaith.  Proceeds from the annual Best of Reston Awards Dinner on April 22 go toward Reston Interfaith programs such as the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, transitional housing, housing/community development, social services and the Laurel Learning Center.

Baha'is Honor Reston's African-American Citizens William and Mary Jackson
The Reston Times - 2/25/04

The Reston Baha'i Faith community gave out its 12th annual Spirit of Service Awards to African-American residents who have performed outstanding service to the Reston community.  The awards ceremony, held Feb. 20 at the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne and timed to coincide with Black History Month, was filled with celebrations of faith and the arts.  ...William and Mary Jackson, who were not able to attend the event, were honored for a number of reasons, including their work as founding members of United Christian Parish of Reston.  Bill Jackson is perhaps best known for his help in founding Reston Interfaith.  As a current Board member of Reston Interfaith Housing Corp., he helped start the Laurel Learning Center.

Newsletters
David Roe - Editor      Marilyn Orr - Production

To have hard-copy of the Church Newsletter mailed to you, 
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