Reaching Heights August 2025
Reaching Heights August 2025
Links to this month’s news:
- Worship Themes for August
- Summer Series: Holy Disruptors
- Kate’s Cogitations
- Ministry Team Leaders, Assistant Team Leaders, & Officers 2025-26
- Finding Joy in Troubling Times
- Education Ministry
- Mission Ministry
- IGAH: A Protest History of The US at Loganberry
- 2025 Porch Talk
- Wednesdays Together with Plymouth
- Gift Cards
- Social Media
- Birthdays
See the Serving Schedule
Worship Themes for August 2025
August 3 Holy Disruptors: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Mark 8:31-36 “Faith in Action During the Rise of Naziism”
Guest Preacher: Karen Carter, Executive Director of the Shaker Youth Center and Licensed Lay Preacher, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
August 10 Holy Disruptors: Dorothy Day
Matthew 25: 31-46 “Caring for the Least of These”
August 17 Holy Disruptors: James Cone and Audra Lorde
Acts 2:22-24 “Reading Scripture from the Bottom”
August 24 Holy Disruptors: Oscar Romero
Psalm 23:1-4 “Solidarity with the Poor”
Annual Backpack + Briefcase Blessing and School Supply Drive
August 31 Holy Disruptors: Desmond Tutu
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 “Reconciliation and Forgiveness”
Worship start time 11:15.
About our Summer Worship Series:
“Holy Disruptors: How Christian Saints, Prophets and Mystics Led in Times of Difficulty” (series designed by Rev. Siri Strommen, a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota)
This series explores various faithful actions by Christians in history during difficult times. The suggested liturgy is built with relevant scripture, quotes from those highlighted, a litany and an original song.
The author reminds us that not only have difficult times happened before, but Christians have responded with unbelievable courage and faith in the midst of it.
As Rev. Otis Moss III said, “The Church must become a holy disruption, not a chaplain to the status quo.” Let us learn from these sages of ancient and recent history and be inspired to be faithful in our own time.
Kate’s Cogitations
Summer is often a good time to read a lot of books and learn about new things. I have both the HCC Book Group list for the coming year and the IGAH (Interfaith Group Against Hate) Book Discussion schedule at hand and am making my way through books I might not have known about, save for these groups. With our Holy Disruptors Summer Worship Series, I am deepening my knowledge about saints and characters from history as I prepare my sermons. While I am never without books on my “to be read” list, this summer I’m leaning into the opportunity to expand my knowledge and my world view, as well as be entertained.
I wonder what opportunities might be present to you this summer? Perhaps you want to try a new activity, learn about something new, or go somewhere you have never been before. For many of us, summer holds fewer expectations of our time and attention, and allows for more travel and leisure. May these months bring renewal and growth for us all!
2025-2026
HCC Officers
Moderator Scott Phelps
Vice Moderator Larry Watson
Secretary Bobbi Phelps
Treasurer Mike Singerman
Assistant Treasurers Neil Chase, Connee Choi
Ministry Teams
Mission Team Leader Cindy Maxey
Mission Team Assistants Nikki Crosby, Connee Choi
Education Team Leader Carolyn Troha
Education Team Assistant Jane Troha
Worship Team Leader Lynda Ackerman
Worship Team Assistants Donita Singerman, Bobbi Phelps
Fellowship Team Leader Linda Durham
Fellowship Team Assistant Anita Watson
Administration Team Leader Shirley Blackwell
Administration Team Assistant Jefferson Troha
Invested Funds Team Leader Neil Chase
Invested Funds Team Assistant Dan Clements
Chair of Elders Valencia McMillan
Dr. Kate Gillooly HCC’s Settled Pastor
General Assembly 2025
A Chance to Connect, Learn, Do Business, & Worship Dr. Kate Gillooly
July 12-15 members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination came together in Memphis, TN from all over the United States and Canada for days filled with keynotes, workshops, church business, and powerful worship.
We passed Resolution GA-2514, A Commitment to the Thursdays in Black Campaign: A Global Movement For A World Without Gender-Based Violence and Resolution GA-2515, Opposing Project 2025 and Other Policies that Are Inconsistent With Our Commitment to Justice, Mercy, and Compassion for our Neighbors. We also adopted Resolution GA-2520, Calling the Church to Affirm the Sovereignty and Self-Determination of our Canadian Siblings. Some may not know that our denomination includes members and congregation in Canada as well as in the U.S.
On Monday, I attended a workshop on preaching to intergenerational congregations. Then I attended a keynote by Rev. Dr. Matt Skinner, a New Testament scholar and author of a commentary on Acts. On Tuesday morning, I attended a workshop called “Just Worship – Just World” about expansive language by Dr. Lisa Davison, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa, OK and a Keynote presentation by Rev. Dr. Esther Robles, called “Community: Behind the Scenes, Beyond the Scenes.”
The Monday afternoon business session was filled with reports from denominational agencies presented for the assembly to receive them. So Greg and I took the opportunity to walk down to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot and killed. It was extraordinarily moving to walk through the history of the civil rights movement room by room, reading the plaquards, hearing the music and speeches, walking onto the bus with “Rosa Parks,” and a bit of bridge near the Selma exhibit. The tour ends with “The King Suite” which shows the hotel room King stayed in and the one his companions used that early April of 1968.
Tuesday afternoon was full and eventful. In addition to the necessary report from the Nominating Committee and Installation of the new Moderator team, we heard three “emergency resolutions.” These are resolutions that deal directly with late-breaking situations in society. All three were adopted by the assembly.
- GA-2568 Concerning the Moral Crisis of Federal Budget Priorities in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill
- GA-2570 Emergency Resolution Responding to The United States Federal Government’s Attack on Immigrants, Migrants, And Refugees
- GA-2571 Affirmation of the World Council of Churches Call to End Apartheid, Occupation, and Impunity in Palestine and Israel and of Solidarity with Paletinian people as we struggle for an end to genocide
The Assembly closed with a powerful worship service featuring a historic dialogue among all four living General Ministers and Presidents—Rev. Terri Hord Owens, Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, Rev. Dr. Richard Hamm, and Rev. John Humbert. Together, they reflected on the church’s future and shared a collective vision for how technology can help us grow as a more connected and faithful church.
Finding Joy In Troubling Times
A RenewalWorks Invitation
The RenewalWorks Team works on providing opportunities for the spiritual growth and development of the congregation, as well as maintaining contact with those who are not able to be with us regularly. This fall we are kicking off a series of spiritual growth sessions that will be combined with HCC’s regularly scheduled hospitality hours.
The first of these events will take place on Sunday, September 7th, Kick-Off Sunday for the new program year. We will explore the theme, “Finding Joy in Troubling Times”, by viewing and discussing together photographs taken by HCC members and friends.
This is where you come in!!!! We are asking you to snap pictures throughout July whenever you find joy in your daily life or travels. Please send the picture to Kese, along with a very short (3 – 4 sentences) “artist’s statement” of where you see joy in the picture. Please submit your photos and artist statements to Kese by Monday, August 25. Kese will take it from there, producing the materials for us to view and explore at the September gathering.
Be sure to put September 7th on your calendars – plan to stay a little longer at hospitality that morning! Food, art, prayer, song, fellowship – what could be better! Let’s “Find Joy in Troubling Times” together!
Education Ministry
Missions Ministry
HCC’s Mission Team is organizing for the new program year. We will meet August 17 to lay out an agenda and tasks for the new year. If you have any ideas for works of justice and mercy you’d like to lead or participate in with the congregation, please let one of us know.
We will of course continue our work with the Interfaith Group Against Hate, a network of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian congregations working to counter forces of hate and harm.
Following a recent hate crime in which a white nationalist took a hundred books from the Beachwood Public Library and burned them on video to “cleanse” the library, IGAH acted. We held a press conference at which Dr. Kate and I spoke. We raised money through book sales to donate to the library to expand their collection on these topics and to put books into Little Free Libraries and community libraries. And we’ve organized a series of book discussions around the experiences of Black, Jewish, LGBTQ+, and Muslim communities.
Tuesday, August 12 and 6:30 PM, Christ Episcopal Church here in Shaker Heights will host the first book in the series. I’m excited because it’s such a positive story of resilience and joy even while under attack. And bonus!: The author will be with us for the discussion. Join us for a discussion, with Nico Lang, of American Teenager: how trans kids are surviving hate and finding joy in a turbulent era. Sign up here to attend: https://fpccle.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/07/IGAH-Book-Discussions-2.pdf. Copies of the book in print are available through Clevnet libraries and as an ebook through Hoopla (which you can get for free from your library). And you can purchase this excellent title wherever fine books are sold.
In early September, we’ll discuss Democracy in Black: how race still enslaves the American soul by Eddie Glaude at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland (Thursday, September 4 at 7 PM) and Islam: a short history by Karen Armstrong at Chagrin Valley Islamic Center in Solon (Monday, September 8 at 7 PM). You can register for these discussions at the link above and find the books in the same places.
There are more books and more discussions to come including one here at HCC in October. I’ll share more details in the September Reaching Heights.
Cindy Maxey, Team Leader
Connee Choi and Nikki Crosby, Assistant Team Leaders
Nonviolence is a love centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, cultural, and societal transformation.
♦ The King Center
Dear IGAH friends–
You might be interested in this book talk at Loganberry next month from visiting CUNY professor Dr Gloria Browne-Marshall on her new book, A PROTEST HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. It’s free and open to all. Dr. Browne-Marshall’s talk will be galvanizing for us all! Click below for the event info link: https://www.loganberrybooks.com/gloria-j-browne-marshall-protest-history-united-states
ANNUAL PORCH TALK: Sat. August 23 @ 5 pm
Rev. Dr. Velda Love will speak, a combined choir from all 3 sponsoring congregations will sing, as well as the Greater Cleveland Choral Chapter Youth and Young Adult Choir. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and join the call for justice!
Wednesdays Together . . . Will Resume in September
Plymouth Church, UCC and Heights Christian Church are both blessed to call our building at 2860 Coventry Road home. This coming year, both congregations are looking forward to growing friendships between our members, as well as discerning what ministry opportunities and events we can embark on together! One way we will seek to expand our relationship is through sharing “Wednesdays Together.” On each Wednesday of each month, we will share in fellowship and formation with one another. We look forward to seeing many folks from HCC and Plymouth at each gathering!
Gift Cards
Remember gift cards are available on Sunday mornings and in the office every weekday during normal office hours.
We have a supply of Arby’s ($10), Walmart ($25) and Target ($25) cards, in addition to Amazon ($100 & $25),
Wendy’s ($25) and Burger King ($10) cards. We brought in a few Meijer’s cards ($100 & $25) to see if there is a demand.
Giant Eagle $25 cards are back in stock, as are Subway ($10) and Starbucks ($10). We will order Heinen’s $25 cards shortly.
Support Heights Christian Church while you shop. Make your life less stressful. Gift cards are easy. (Cash or check only, please)
Social Media outreach
HCC is on Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In, and You-Tube ! Our Sunday morning worship services are live-streamed on Zoom and FacebookLive. Several recordings of special worship services have been uploaded to our channel on 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!
August
2 – Lyubov Nikolenko 8 – Kellie Brown 11 – Tim Damon
11 – Alice McDonald 12 – Rosalind Powell 12 – Scott Phelps
16 – Terri Mehring 17 – Levi Horn 24 – Larry Watson 29 – Billy Dunn
September
6 – Ed Hill 12 – Martha Cubberley 12 – Sandy Jones
22 – Henry Mullen 23 – Mike Singerman
23 – Kimberly Taylor 26 – Alex Nikolenko
We are glad to share the birthdays we have on record each month and encourage members to reach out with greetings. We apologize if someone’s name has been omitted – please call Kese in the church office to share your birthday if we don’t have it in our list. We want to celebrate you!