CPC LENDS A HAND IN VIRGINIA

ASP Team

In September, CPC sent 10 volunteers to Jonesville, Virginia to work with the Appalachia Service Project. They’re an organization that serves people in need by making major repairs on their homes.

We hammered. We measured. We painted. Working with the homeowners, we made a better place for the families to live. Our team discovered that when we help those in need, God moves in us. And when we change the lives of others, they have a way of changing us.

Our team was Linda Handyside, Mim Jones, Bess and Jonathan Stober, Carol Taylor, Claudia Mihovik, James Tollerson, Christopher Tabit, Debra Brady, and Joan Zeller. We traveled to the coal mining community of St. Charles about 30 minutes outside of Pennington Gap, VA. We worked on 2 different homes for an elderly couple and their elderly sister. At one home a floor was removed and new floor joists were placed and subfloor replaced. The other home we placed new laminate flooring and vinyl tiles, molding and painted.

During our time working, we found out that ASP is more than a building program — it’s a relationship ministry. We spent a lot of time interacting with the Appalachian family that we helped and found that our cpc group grew closer together as a family too.

Each evening we had an opportunity to join with the 2 other groups working at ASP for our evening meal and devotionals. It was great making new friends and getting to know each other better.

Plus, we got to enjoy some breathtaking scenery. We hope that this ASP trip can become an annual event.

EVENING SONG- music and meditation

Candle LightThe last Sunday night of each month, CPC members, friends, and community members gather at 6 o’clock for a time of contemplative prayer that we call “Evening Song.” This 35-minute service incorporates scripture readings, musical meditations, and time for silent reflection. Those present are also invited to participate in open and responsorial prayer and simple, repeated congregation songs as they feel led. The music consists of traditional contemplative hymns as well as responses used in the Iona Community on the western shores of Scotland (http://www.iona.org.uk/) and the Taizé Community of Southern France (http://www.taize.fr/en).

Inspired by Taizé styles of worship, the musical accompaniment consists mostly of quieter acoustic instruments (such as strings and woodwinds) that support the singing of those assembled. Also similar to the practices at the Taizé Community, the service takes place within a darkened sanctuary, illuminated by a host of white candles at the front. All are invited to attend.