Reaching Heights June 2026
Reaching Heights June 2026
Links to this month’s news:
- Worship Themes for June
- Kate’s Cogitations
- Worship Notes
- General Assembly info
- Education Ministry
- Mission Ministry
- Juneteenth Celebration
- Community Event by St. Joseph
- Wednesdays Together with Plymouth
- Book Group and Meditative Arts Group
- Gift Cards
- Social Media
- Birthdays
See the Serving Schedule
Worship Themes June 2026
Summer Series: Curriculum of Love: Deepening Our Love for God, Our Neighbor, and Ourselves (adapted from material by Pastor Siri Strommen)
In all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus says some version of the following: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus teaches us that this sums up the law and prophets.
Additionally, in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples that they shall be known by their love. His final commandment was for them to love one another as he had loved them. And what example did he show them? From acts of mercy, to humble servanthood, to deep forgiveness, to courageous strength, Jesus modeled a way of being human that has eluded many of us still to this day. While the command and invitation is simple, it isn’t easy. It is an invitation to a different way of living. It requires transformation.
June 7 Who Is God? Dismantling the God of Wrath 1 John 4:7-12
Annual Meeting of the Congregation will take place in the Chapel after worship
June 14 Worship Time Change to 11:15 am What Is Love? Dismantling Conditional Love 1 Corinthians 13
Intergenerational Event after worship – bring a bag lunch and participate in a Fruit of the Spirit scavenger hunt at the Cleveland Museum of Art
June 21 Connecting with God Philippians 4:4-7
June 28 Trust and Surrender Psalm 121
Kate’s Cogitations
June brings the Annual Meeting of the Congregation and a switch to summer mode. [On June 14 we’ll switch our worship start time to 11:15 a.m.} I always look forward to Annual Meetings because I love it when we take a moment to reflect on the past year and ready ourselves for new adventures in the coming one. While most people don’t look forward to meetings, our Annual Meeting provides a window into our goals and priorities. One of the most clear ways we do that is through our annual Peace Award. For many, many years now, HCC has awarded this honor to a senior student of Shaker High School who has demonstrated leadership and initiative in peace-making activities during their high school experience. We offer an honorarium and look forward to hearing from that individual about their work and their plans for the future. I always tell the award winner that their presence among us give the congregation hope for the future. HCC has been invested in peace-making a very long time. No matter what happens in the world around us, we know it is our responsibility to continue that work. And it brings us joy to know that members of upcoming generations share that call. May each of us be inspired to continue the good work of peace-making in our community and in our world.
in peace,
Kate
FROM THE BOARD:
Worship Notes
On Sunday April 26 the congregations of Plymouth and Heights Christian gathered together in the Plymouth sanctuary for a special joint worship service. The service was presided over by Rev. Dillon Shipman and Dr. Kate. Dr. Calvin Taylor presented “Sermons in Songs: Holy Scriptures with the Sounds of Music.” Each scripture passage was complimented with Dr. Taylor playing piano selections. The service concluded with communion being shared by all. Thirty four people from Heights attended this special service in person or on line.
The following Sunday back in the Chapel, Dr. Kate preached on “Living Stones”, noting that Jesus was the cornerstone of our faith. On May 10, the congregation participated in the baby dedication of Elliott Troha. Elliott was all smiles as Dr. Kate walked him down the aisle and presented him to the congregation. The congregation pledged to love and support Carolyn, Jefferson and Elliott. A reception followed in the parlor.
Sunday May 17 was Ascension Sunday, marking when Jesus returned to his Father in heaven. The service began with Carolyn leading the congregation in Peace Like a River, complete with full motions. Dr. Kate preached on “Bearing Witness”, the role of the Disciples after Jesus to tell his story, and the role we play to do that today. Milestone moments were shared at the end of the service.
Each Sunday Zoom and Facebook Live provide a way for many to join in the services along with those present in the Chapel. There have been two or three visitors each Sunday as well. Over the past four Sundays we have averaged thirty seven in worship.
General Assembly 2026 Congregational Delegate
Information Session
There will be a Congregational Delegate Informational Session on June 9, 2026, at 8pm ET. Join us to learn more about the role of delegates at General Assembly. Participants will gain a better understanding of delegate responsibilities, the importance of representation in the life of the church, and what to expect as part of the General Assembly process. Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the informational session.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Kt31KPu9TqCt-jMoLI8ZiQ#/registration
Education
Intergenerational Scavenger Hunt
Help us hunt some fruit! Fruit of the Spirit that is! Join the education team on an intergenerational scavenger hunt Sunday, June 14 at the Cleveland Museum of Art after worship. Pack a bagged lunch to eat in the parlor at church. Then everyone can head down the hill to the museum together for the scavenger hunt. We will look for ways the fruit of the Spirit are depicted in art and will share together some of our findings. Hope you can join! If you have any questions please reach out to Carolyn Troha (cetroha@gmail.com).
Intergenerational Space
The Education Team is excited to invite worshipers to enjoy our new intergenerational space. Located at the rear of the Chapel on the pulpit side, you will find activities for all ages. Currently there is a jigsaw puzzle set up, as well as drawers with adult and children’s coloring pages, word searches and paper to draw. There are also art supplies and clipboards on the cart for people to use. Stop by before or during worship to find some activities to work on, just remember to return any unused supplies at the end of worship. Feel free to hang your art on the whiteboard so all can enjoy!
Mission Ministry
Anne Hill of Americans Making Immigrants Safe (AMIS) joined us on May 17 to talk about the work of their local organization providing immigrants with practical and legal help. They are seeking funds and volunteers to help with this. You can find a flyer with a QR code on the narthex table which will lead to more information, an opportunity to subscribe to their newsletter, and a link to make a one-time or recurring contribution. Or here’s the url: https://amisohio.org Heights Church has contributed to their work through our 3500/ 3500 funds.
Join a fun and interesting group of folks from IGAH at our Saturday, June 6 coffee at the Nervous Dog in Beachwood at 2 pm.
Hold the date: Sunday, July 19 at 2 pm IGAH will hold a family-friendly picnic at Denison Park in Cleveland Heights. All are welcome. Please bring a snack to share.
IGAH is beginning work on an initiative to counter youth extremism. At two sessions in late April and early May, we learned about the online recruitment methods and algorithms that prey on lonely and disaffected teens (of all races and ethnic groups, girls as well as boys) to draw them into hate and violence. We are looking for leverage points to address this. If this is of interest to you, please speak to Cindy or Dr. Kate about how to get involved.
As always, your egg cartons are welcome! To this point, we have collected 12,648 cartons and redistributed them to egg farmers at the Shaker Square Farmers Market. This keeps them out of the landfill and becomes an opportunity for Connee and friends to develop relationships with farmers, spreading love and care.
Cindy Maxey, Ministry Team Leader
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
The Book Group will meet on Wednesday, June 3 for lunch at Alfredo’s, located in the Holiday Inn, 780 Beta Drive, Mayfield. Contact Nancy Carpenter if interested.
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!
June
2 – Annette Sutherland 3 – Grace Loudenstein 6 – Mike Droszcz
17 – Sally Donald 27 – Donita Singerman
29 – Kate Gillooly 29 – Carolyn Troha
July
5 – Greg Gillooly 6 – Carson Crosby
13 – Christopher Crosby, Sr. 20 – Alicia Benson
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!