Reaching Heights April 2019

Links to this month’s news:

Worship – Lent, Holy Week, and “Bright” Sunday
Kate’s Cognitions – A Poem of Resurrection
Upcoming Events:
–Pub(lic) Theology
–Community Meal
–Porch Talks (new)
–Common Ground
Easter Egg Hunt
Church Camp – at Camp Christian
Staff Updates
Chair Yoga – an invitation to you!
Spiritual Retreat – follow up

See the Serving Schedule Go to the church calendar

Cheering to Sadness to Wonder: Worship at HCC

Sunday 4/7 Lent 5 Cultivating Lavish Love; Letting Go of Judging Others – John 12:1-8

Palm Sunday 4/14 Cultivating Praise; Letting Go of the Fear of Loss – Luke 19:28-40 – We will gather before 10:00 by the church sign to process into the sanctuary with palms, trumpet and singing! And hot cross buns for fellowship hour!

Maundy Thursday 4/18 Dinner at 6:30 pm – bring a dish of finger food to share Service at 7:30 – as we move from Holy Communion to Gethsemane

Easter Sunday 4/21 Come celebrate the Resurrection in the beauty of a flower filled sanctuary. Tasting party during fellowship hour!

Bright Sunday 4/28 Join us for a lighter, brighter service of worship

Adult Study:

Two weeks left of Lent study – Sundays at 11:30 and Tuesdays at 1:00. Come join us! No Second Hour on Easter Sunday. Intergenerational activities on April 28th.

Kate’s Cogitations:

A Poem of Resurrection

New Life bursts forth

this time of year –

after long nights of bitter cold

40 days of preparation

huddled against the darkness

it feels like a lifetime

of sleeping, waiting, growing.

Now, everything is unleashed and rushes forth –

uncontrolled –

uncontrollable –

and we, giddy with delight,

our eyes shining,

our hearts beating,

we dance in the light,

we sing our Alleluia’s

we revel in all that is

new

possible

yet to come.

How can a spirit of resurrection imbue our life together as HCC? What good news do we have to share with the world? How will you share it?

Next Pub(lic) Theology is April 16th

Now meeting at the Craft Collective in the Van Aken District. Come bring your questions, your curiosity, and pull up a chair. This group meets at 7:00 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Hope to see you there.

Community Meal

Will take place from noon to 2:00 pm Saturday, April 20 (yes, the same day as the egg hunt). Come join us to eat and help build community around shared tables. No reservation necessary!

Porch Talks for a Beloved Community

Save these dates: Sundays May 19, June 16, and July 28 at 4:00 pm for a series of social justice talks at HCC by leaders in Northeast Ohio. Our first speaker on May 19 is Amanda D. King. She is the founder of Shooting Without Bullets, a program meant to empower youth to use art as a medium to express their thoughts on the complex issues of systematic racism, police violence and discrimination, which they experience in their lives and through the media.

Mark Your Calendars!

Common Ground returns June 30! Mark your calendars now for our third annual Common Ground Community Conversation. We hope to host people for a simple supper in the evening, and a conversation on the theme “My environment was…My environment is…My environment will be…” If you would like to help plan or host this event, please see Kate Gillooly.

Easter Egg Hunt

When:        Saturday, April 20 – 11:00 am to 12 Noon
Where:       Heights Christian Church
Who:           Children through Grade 3
Fourth graders and older are invited to help hide eggs at 10:30 a.m. and help the younger children find eggs at 11:00 a.m.

Registration is a MUST on or before Monday, April 15th.
Please register online at heightscc.org/eeh-4-20 (or notify the church office by calling 216.561.4800 or email us at keseheightscc.org).

We’re egg-cited about having you join us.
Friends and family are welcome.
Refreshments will be served.
This is a FREE event!

Can you contribute eggs and/of bake cookies? We’re inviting the neighborhood and want to have plenty of plastic eggs filled with candy for the kids to find.

Church Camps at Camp Christian

Ribbit Camp:     Grades: 2, 3, 4 – For parents who want a shorter camp experience for their children. July 3-6
Otter Camp:     Grades: 3, 4, 5 – June 16-22
Chi Rho Camps: Grades: 6, 7, 8 – June 9-15 – July 14-20 – July 21-27 “
This summer, we will have the amazing opportunity to share our blessed Camp Christian with two age groups meeting on the same week. Chi-Rho Camp Damascus and CYF Conference Week #3 are scheduled from July 21-27, 2019. Each program will function independently so that age groups and traditions will be respected. In addition, this week of concurrent camping will enable many new possibilities. For example, some families and churches will be able to send different age groups to Camp at the same time. The Directors of these Camps have been working together to make this a wonderful week of mentoring, sharing, and continuing the programs that make Camp Christian so successful. Plan now to join us!”
CYF Conference:    Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12 – June 23-29 – July 7-13 – July 21-27

Early Bird Rates:
$230 Ribbit Camp
$425 for Otter, Chi Rho Camps and CYF Conference ($305 with scholarship) MUST be in the church office by Monday, April 29th

The Children’s Education Committee is making scholarships available for all HCC families in the amount of $120. Registration Forms are available in the church office or you may go online at www.ccinoh.com. All registration forms should be returned to the church. The church staff will mail all registration forms. If additional financial assistance is needed for camp fees, a scholarship application is also available. Please fill it out and submit it to the regional office.

Celebrate with Us!

The Personnel Committee is delighted to invite the congregation to celebrate new opportunities, roles and individuals in our midst! The Board of Trustees has taken three significant actions at the February and March meetings which positively impact our life together.

The Reverend Michele Moreland has successfully completed her time with us as Assistant Minister. We have rejoiced in her ordination as a Minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is currently planning and implementing a faith-based program for addressing the issue of problem gambling under a grant from the National Benevolent Association. We are pleased to support her in this work through the end of June. She will serve as Minister of Special Projects during this time. Be sure to ask her about this important initiative!

Kate Gillooly has been working with our congregation as Director of Congregational Development and Community Involvement for the past three years. During this period we have seen many new programs emerge that have deeply enriched our life together and our role in relating to our community. A small sampling of these include the Common Ground sessions, ongoing Bible study groups, the Community Meal, the Get Away and RenewalWorks. A number of these initiatives are in the early stages of development, so Kate and the Board of Trustees have agreed to a one-year extension of her contract. We look forward to Kate’s leadership as she helps us move forward with these plans and activities.

Our congregation has been blessed with the services of Bryce Mathis as our Facilities Coordinator. Bryce is busy keeping our building clean and in good repair, as well as addressing the needs of our own groups and our tenants. At his request, we are adding a part-time custodian, Mr. Bernard Marshall (who prefers to be called Marshall) to our staff. Bryce will become our Facilities Manager, focusing on larger scale building repairs and space utilization and rentals, while Marshall assists in building cleaning and set-up. How fortunate we are to have him join our team! Be sure to introduce yourself and greet him warmly when you see him!

What a joy it is to announce all this good news! Join us in reaching out to Minister Michele, Kate, Bryce and Marshall as we celebrate their work with us in forwarding God’s mission in this time and in this place!

Settlers

Settlers would like to invite everyone in the congregation to join us for a relaxing and invigorating evening of Easy Flow Chair Yoga. Janet Kennedy is a Yoga instructor who will guide us through an hour long session of Yoga and stretching. Janet teaches in Solon, and has a wide age range of students, some of which are in their 90’s. Her instruction is suitable for all ages and abilities, and it is all done with the support of a chair.

Please dress in comfortable clothes and join us for a fun evening. Refreshments and beverages are included.

Here are the details: Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019 Time: 7:00 PM Location: HCC Campbell Room Cost: $5.00 per person RSVP: to the Church Office by April 24

Reminder

HCC is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and You-Tube! If you see something you like, share it on your page! This will increase our reach and may draw in our next visitor!

Active Prayer Retreat

Many thanks to the RenewalWorks team for planning a wonderful Saturday retreat on March 30. It was a great opportunity for spiritual rest and renewal. Here are a few pictures: