The following are news and notes of interest to the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church community. Times and locations of events listed here are subject to change without notice. Please contact the church office at 301-270-5550 or office@takomaparkpc.org for more information and confirmation.
An archive of past articles is also available on this site.
Note: Links with the text "(PDF)" require the Adobe Reader to access the URL, which is available free from Adobe.
For 2010, TPPC will hold most of its committee meetings on the first Tuesday of the month rather than on different days scattered throughout the month.
This plan has come together over many session meetngs. It is intended as a way to allow more people to become involved in church work, allow committees to work more closely together, and have more time for spiritual growth, fellowship, and community building activities.
Committees will meet in one of two time slots (7 to 8:30 PM and 8 to 9:30 PM), with an overlapping time to allow for fellowship and collaboration. In addition, church members can bring their dinner as early as 6:30 PM to share time together.
A listing of which committees will regularly meet when and where in the church they will gather is given below:
| From 7 to 8:30 PM | |
| Christian Education | High School Room (downstairs) |
| Finance | Parlor |
| Deacons | Library |
| From 8 to 9:30 PM | |
| Membership/Communications | Back of Sanctuary |
| Property | High School Room (downstairs) |
| SWAC | Assembly Room |
| Worship | Sanctuary |
At their February Session meeting, the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church adpoted the Charter for Compassion, and voted to submit an overture to the General Assembly for PC USA to adopt the Charter for Compassion. At a special presbytery meeting the National Capital Presbytery voted to send TPPC's overture to the General Assembly.
On February 28, 2008 Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize and made a wish: for help creating, launching and propagating a Charter for Compassion. Since that day, thousands of people have contributed to the process so that on November 12, 2009 the Charter was unveiled to the world.
The idea behind the charter is simple: Every religious, spiritual and ethical tradition human beings have ever developed has had at its center the idea of compassion. Equally simple - and equally powerful - is the notion of compassion that the Charter seeks to foster, which is the belief that we should treat others as we ourselves desire be treated.
In a joint article in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper, Desmond Tutu and Karen Armstrong said of the launching of the Charter:
If we wish to create a viable world order, we must try to implement the golden rule globally, treating all peoples - even those who seem far removed from us - as we would wish to be treated ourselves. … Our world has become dangerously polarized and many of our policies - political, economic, financial and environmental - seem no longer sustainable. We have a choice. We can either choose the aggressive and exclusive tendencies that have developed in practically all religious and secular traditions or we can cultivate those that speak of compassion, empathy, respect and an impartial "concern for everybody."
Visit the Charter Website for history, videos and to sign on: ww.charterofcompassion.org
A YouTube video on the charter is also available.
TPPC's former youth director, Emily Welty, has sent a letter about her recent trip to Haiti. We reproduce her letter here, with her permission.
Elizabeth Doerr, a member of TPPC and a graduate student at the University of Maryland, has been approved by Session to conduct an ethnographic study on TPPC for an introduction research methods class. This study will include participant observation (both in services and various meetings related to the church) and various types of interviewing. She ensures complete anonymity and confidentiality in all that is observed or discussed. She will begin informal interviewing of interested members, visitors or attendees soon.
If you are interested in being interviewed or you would like more information, please email Elizabeth at elizabeth.doerr@gmail.com.
Looking for a way to deepen your faith and prayer? Thirsting to read the scriptures in a life-giving way?
Each week, the Human Rights Campaign offers an inspirational commentary on the Bible passages used in church for the Sunday sermon. Please join Pastor Greiner in reading these devotions each week at www.hrc.org/scripture.
Anyone interested in a Bible study together please speak with Pastor Greiner at 301-270-5550.
Webmaster : Brian C. Monsell