Reaching Heights August 2026

Reaching Heights August 2026

Links to this month’s news:

WORSHIP AND STUDY

• Worship Themes for August

FROM THE STAFF

• Kate’s Cogitations

FROM THE BOARD 

• Porch Talk 2026
• Education Ministry
• Mission Ministry

OTHER NEWS

• Thriving Church Book Discussion
• Wednesdays Together with Plymouth
• Gift Cards
  
• Social Media
• Birthdays

See the Serving Schedule

Worship Themes August 2026

August 2              Pulpit Swap
Guest Preacher Rev. Matt Wooster, Senior Minister, Plymouth  UCC
Matthew 14:13-21                         “Loaves and Fishes”

August 9              Dr. Kate preaches  both Plymouth UCC at 10 am
and HCC at 11:15
1 Kings 19:9-16               Sustenance in the Silence

August 16           Worship Outdoors on the Front Lawn
with Backpack + School Supply  Blessing   *Please bring basic school supplies and/or backpacks to donate to local schools. Also bring your own backpack, briefcase, or tote bag to be blessed during worship. Bag tags will  be available for anyone to take. We’ll enjoy light refreshments afterward.
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8               A House of Prayer for All Peoples

August 23           Isaiah 51:1-6
Pursuing Righteousness in Times of Disorientation

August 30           Jeremiah 15:15-21
The Challenges and Joys of Being God’s Prophet

Kate’s Cogitations

As you have heard, our Annual Porch Talk for a Beloved Community is coming up on August 15^th. This year we invited Margaret Wong, renowned immigration attorney, to be our speaker. Any day’s news headlines will indicate that the need for a continued call for justice is still a pressing issue. And given the actions of ICE and Border Patrol over the past several months, conversations around how we treat our newcomer neighbors are much needed. I am looking forward to being educated and inspired by Ms. Wong’s work and her legacy of striving for justice. 

Again, this year, we are partnering with East View UCC and Plymouth Church for this event. This collaboration is an important witness to what’s possible when we work together. I am proud of our congregation’s consistent commitment to social justice and anti-racism, and pleased that Porch Talks remain one of many ways we continue the work of building a better world.

We began Porch Talks for a Beloved Community in 2019 as a way of carrying forward the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking from our porch in 1965. That event, now 61 years ago, was a watershed moment for our congregation. There were mixed feelings about inviting a controversial black man to our predominantly white and affluent church and neighborhood. Some families left the congregation because of the event.

It would have been easy to decide it was too “political” or too “divisive” or too dangerous to honor the invitation. But brave souls devoted to social justice and anti-racism won out. Since then, it would be easy to “rest on our laurels” and claim we have done what we could for our community and world. We could have decided not to take such big risks anymore. But HCC continues to strive for justice – as a congregation and as individual members. We put our name on documents calling for peace and justice. We use our financial resources to support people and organizations doing important work. We partner with others to further the impact of our actions. And most importantly, we make our voices heard and we show up.

I hope you will join me on August 15^th on the lawn of our previous church building, to be hear the continued call for justice and be inspired to act.

in peace,
Kate

General Assembly 2026 Report

This year Dr. Kate, Cindy Maxey, Scott Phelps and Carolyn Troha represented Heights Christian Church at this year’s General Assembly. The theme of our first ever online General Assembly was Beyond: Love Surpassing based on the scripture Ephesians 3:14-21. Despite a few technology issues, God’s love surrounded the gathering and helped the attendees experience meaningful worship, study and complete the necessary business. The online chat helped us feel connected to all those who were with us near and far.

Worship was meaningful with prayer, spoken word, incredible music and powerful preaching. The talent and faithfulness of all who helped lead worship was on full display during the two main worship sessions on Friday evening and Saturday evening. Friday evening Rev. Dr. Jonathan Hall, Senior Minister, First Christian Church of North Hollywood preached a powerful message encouraging the church to keep swimming to the shore, even if we cannot see it, knowing that God’s love surpasses and will see us there. Saturday evening concluded with a worship with communion and preaching by Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President. She encouraged us Disciples to go outside and serve (She reminded me of many of Dr. Kate’s sermons!). There was also an abbreviated worship time Saturday morning to start our business session. Videos of these sermons can be found for free on youtube at the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8TPfZyBVYg & https://youtu.be/Xk-IBguoNfo

There were two resolutions to vote on at the assembly. The first was GA-2691: Report of the General Assembly Committee – Time and Place. This resolution addresses the location of the next in person general assembly which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, on July 8-11, 2028. It was adopted. The second was GA-2696: Report of the General Nominating Committee, which reported the new members of the General Nominating Committee, the board members for Disciples Home Missions and the Board members for the division of overseas ministries. It was also adopted.

Most of our remaining time was spent on education. The Topic for Education, Discussion, and Prayer (TEDP) for this assembly was economic justice. On Friday evening Rev. Dr. Lizette Acosta, Director of Lifelong Learning, Brite Divinity School, oriented us to GA with a thoughtful presentation that helped us be ready for covenantal dialogue. On Saturday Rev. Sandhya Jha, Author, began our TEDP session with a presentation on the history of economic justice advocacy in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. Our denomination has a long history of working towards economic justice albeit not a perfect one with much hope for future advocacy. Next Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President of Sojourners, presented on modern issues of economic injustice ranging from rising healthcare costs to the gutting of social safety net programs like SNAP. After his presentation, we broke into discussion groups to talk about the top 3 issues of economic justice your congregation or community is facing, what does surpassing love look like in your congregation or context and what action can you take.

Overall, our denomination’s first online general assembly was a wonderful success filled with many moments of challenge, inspiration and surpassing love.

Respectfully Submitted,

Carolyn Troha

FROM THE BOARD: 

Invitation to Participate
The upcoming church year is rapidly approaching and the Education Ministry Team, consisting of Jane Troha, Carolyn Troha and John Weber, invite you to participate with us in the events, activities and classes which will occur in the year ahead! We are so grateful for the loyal individuals who present Intergenerational Moments, support workshops, activities and gatherings and who teach or attend study opportunities.

It is our goal to involve even more congregants in these activities and studies. Please take a few moments to prayerfully consider how we might help you in your spiritual journey and how you might help us in presenting helpful, interesting and timely offerings for all ages in our congregation. If you’ve read a book that you think would be good for study or discussion, let us know. If you’d like to try presenting an IG moment (you don’t have to commit to being in the rotation, just to trying one on for size!) contact one of us. If there is a Bible study topic or a current events topic that you’ve always wanted to explore, tell us about it. If there is an activity you would like to see offered for our church family, we want to hear about that, too!

Stay tuned for announcements of upcoming studies and events. It is our hope that the 2026 – 2027 program year will be filled with opportunities that will engage you and enrich your Christian formation!

Mission Ministry

Note: The Mission Team will meet in August (the date to be determined) to discuss and finalize our agenda of service through faith for this coming church year. Often activities events are listed in the weekly updates and Sunday bulletins.

The Wall of Love – We will continue our collection of items for our friends at Lomond School. Several years ago, we adopted this giving when presented to us by Lynda Ackerman as part of our Visioning work in 2021. Our collection of socks, scarves, gloves will begin in October and continue through March. More specifics to come in upcoming newsletter.

The Little Free Pantry is located at the north end of parking lot at Plymouth Church. There is always a need from community members for assistance of food. At anytime you may put non-perishables in the cabinet. Just pick up a can or two or maybe a box of noodles as you leave for worship on Sunday to contribute to this cause.

And don’t forget Connee’s ongoing collection of egg cartoons to give to farmers at the North Union Farmer’s Market and keep out of landfills. Check with Connee to learn how many have been collected so far.

Community + Engagement Committee of IGAH  (Interfaith Group Against Hate)invites everyone to meet monthly at the Nervous Dog cafe for discussions relative to peace and justice issues. It is a way to get to know each other better and share thoughts of what we might do to support the community at large in times like these. Come join us on the first Saturday of each month at 2pm -3pm La Place mall in Beachwood. Cindy Maxey will provide more info as needed to our congregation.

The next book group discussion of the IGAH Community group TBD.

IGAH monthly meetings are on the last Tuesday of each month from 6:30 – 8:00. Details of where will be announced during worship and written in weekly bulletins.

Dates to remember of events before the summer ends. There is food, music and a chance to meet and greet neighbors.

August 4 – National Night Out at Van Aken District, 5-8 pm
August 5 – Back-to-School BBQ, 6-8 pm @Onaway/Woodbury Field
August 8 – Moreland’s Festival on Shaker Square, 1-4 pm
August 13 – Live Music at Van Aken District, 5:30-8:30 pm
August 29 – Chagrin-Lee Festival, 12-6 pm

Voting!!!!!DO YOU HAVE A PLAN? It’s not too early to think about voting in the November election.

Call the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to verify that you are a registered voter and/or to request a vote by mail application @216-443-3200

Are you interested in volunteering to register voters?

And don’t forget to sign up here for our next voter registration training session, which will be held on Saturday, August 29th from 10-1130am in the Boulevard Room at Shaker Main Library (bring a friend!).  Voter registration forms have changed so there is new information to cover!

Andrena attended a Grant Funding Opportunities on 7/20/26 by Shontel Brown’s staff. Several community groups were invited including faith-based organizations. Local organizations and government representatives were panelists. How the information maybe useful for what we do, will be explored.

The Blue Envelope – It will be explained later.

Regional Book Study continues in August  

Our Regional Minister, Rev. Allen Harris, will continue to convene a monthly discussion of the book Thriving Church: What We Can Learn from Thriving Congregations by Rev. Dr. Erin Cash and Rev. Dr. Kory Wilcoxson. Members of Disciples congregations all around the region of Ohio gather monthly  on Zoom for a stimulating conversation about a chapter in the book. on August 27 at 7 pm we’ll discuss how Thriving Churches are Generous. You’re invited to join one or all the monthly discussions. Contact Allen Harris for the link.

Wednesday’s Together

Plymouth Church, UCC and Heights Christian Church are both blessed to call our building at 2860 Coventry Road home . Every Wednesday of the program year, we will share in fellowship and formation with one another and we seek to deepen our relationships. We look forward to seeing many folks from HCC and Plymouth at each gathering!

Book Group

Will resume in September

Meditative Arts Group

Will resume in September

Lunch Club

Will resume in September

Mid-Week Meditations

Will resume in September

Gift Cards

Remember gift cards are available on Sunday mornings and in the office every weekday during normal office hours.   Support Height Christian Church while you shop.  (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 Merhing     17 – Levi Horn     24 – Larry Watson
29 – Billy Dunn

September
6 – Ed Hill     12 – Martha Cubberley     12 – Sandy Jones
15 – Roger Careaga     17 – Donna Mattox     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 on our list. We want to celebrate you!