Reaching Heights March 2021
Reaching Heights March 2021
Links to this month’s news:
NOTICE: Congregational Meeting March 7
WORSHIP AND STUDY
Worship – for Lent
Lenten Theme – Again & Again
Adult Studies – First Hour on Sunday
Ways to Pray – Tuesday mornings
FROM THE STAFF
Along the Path – from Pastor Roger
Kate’s Cogitations
OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS
Education Ministry Team – Help Needed
Fellowship Event – March 22
Meditative Arts Return! – Wednesdays
Outreach Committee – Week of Compassion
Music Ministry News
Prayer List Requests – Power of Prayer
See the Serving Schedule
Special Congregational Meeting Called by Board of Trustees
The HCC Board of Trustees has called a special congregational meeting to determine our congregation’s path forward. Due to the pandemic, a meeting will be held via Zoom as follows:
Date: March 7, 2021
Time: 12:15 p.m. (following worship)
Place: Zoom hosted by the Rev. Roger Osgood
at 4488 Groveland Rd., University Heights, OH 44118
The Zoom link will be the link used to access worship each week, including the phone-in option, and is available on the HCC website (www.heightscc.org/worship).
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and vote on a motion which all participating church members will receive soon in a mailing. The motion addresses the decision to sell the church building and nest in a rental location for the immediate future. Please read the information provided in the Frequently Asked Questions material, as well as the motion itself. If you have comments or questions which need to be addressed prior to the meeting, please contact Scott Phelps (216-308-9711), Lynda Ackerman (216-921-1531), Neil Chase (216-410-0718) or Larry Watson (216-509-5892).
Please watch closely for this mailing.! Read its contents carefully and prayerfully, and plan to attend the meeting to discuss and vote on these important matters! Ballots have been included in the mailing for participating members who cannot attend a Zoom meeting.
Again & Again – March Worship
Mar. 7 – Lent 3 – Again & Again, We Are Shown the Way – John 2:13-22 – Rev. Kristine Eggert preaching
Mar. 14 – Lent 4 – Again & Again, God Loves First – John 3:14-21 – Pastor Roger preaching
Mar. 21 – Lent 5 – Again & Again, We Are Reformed – John 12:20-33 – Pastor Roger preaching
Mar. 28 – Palm Sunday – Again & Again, We Draw on Courage – John 12:12-16 – Pastor Roger preaching
April 1 – Maundy Thursday – Worship at 7:30 pm
2021 Lenten Theme – Again and Again
In Lent, we’re reminded that, again and again, suffering and brokenness find us. We doubt again, we lament again, we mess up again. Again and again, the story of Jesus on the cross repeats—every time lives are taken unjustly, every time the powerful choose corruption and violence, every time individuals forget how to love. With exacerbation we exclaim, “Again?! How long, O God?” And yet, in the midst of the motion blur chaos of our lives, God offers a sacred refrain: “I choose you, I love you, I will lead you to repair.” Again and again, God
breaks the cycle and offers us a new way forward
Adult Study – First Hour in Lent: Jesus Sees Women
The Sunday morning 1st hour study continues at 9:30 am Sundays with a 6 week study for Lent entitled Jesus Sees Women. You can join via the morning worship Zoom link.
Led by Dr. Kate, Pastor Roger, and Carolyn Troha.
Throughout his life and ministry, raised and living in a culture where women were largely viewed as unimportant and unnoticeable, Jesus surprised—and often offended—in his interactions with women. He talked to, befriended, ate and celebrated with, and healed women. Jesus was essentially and revolutionarily different than others in his society in the way he saw women. Understanding this is a significant part of the good news.
March 7 The woman who claimed her place (Mark 7:24–30)
March 14 The woman who had five husbands (John 4:1–42)
March 21 The woman who saw Jesus and anointed him (Mark 14:3–9)
March 28 The woman who was set free on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–17)
Ways to Pray
Tuesday mornings 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. on Zoom (link below)
Led by Kate Gillooly
There are so many ways to pray. Join us for an experiential Lenten study of different methods of communicating and communing with God. We will use our eyes, ears, hands, and hearts to try some new ways of being with God.
March 2 In our own words
March 9 Body Prayer
March 16 Taize and Chant
March 23 Praying in Color
March 30 Lectio Divina
From your computer: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87351465381?pwd=STVYQWVvUjR1MnMrcFhWbnFXTGc2dz09
From your smart phone: +13017158592,,87351465381#,,,,*418726#
From any phone: +1 301 715 8592
Meeting ID: 873 5146 5381
Passcode: 418726
Along the Path:
About three weeks ago I was participating in an online Pastor’s Conference hosted by Brite Divinity School in Texas. One of the sessions I attended was a conversation co-led by a Disciples colleague here in NE Ohio. During the session I was moved to share a little bit about our congregation’s journey over the last year and that we were in the midst of contemplating the sale of our building.
Afterwards he reached out to me to touch base and see if there was anything their congregation could do to be helpful. I was touched by his concern and his offer of help and let him know that if I thought of something I would be in touch.
Today, he reached out again to check in and asked how I and our congregation were doing. I shared that our board was calling a congregational meeting and that we would be voting on the decision to sell the building and “nest” in another location, but that we were doing okay.
He replied back that he was “in awe” of us and letting me know that one member of his congregation who “I really trust to pray is also naming you and your congregation. She said she found your picture online, printed it, cut it out, so she knows to lift you to the heart of God each morning. Peace to you and to your community.”
That message touched my heart.
We often talk about how God is accompanying us on our journey, even in the challenging times, but this message is a wonderful reminder that our brothers and sisters in Christ are with us as well, praying for us and willing to help. May we find strength, hope, and peace in that knowledge. – Pastor Roger
Kate’s Cogitations
“Faithful Response”
One of my many mantras is that even when we can’t change or control what happens to us, we do have a choice about how we respond. Often our first reaction is passive, perhaps a bit of self-pity (“How can this happen to me?”). This reaction is certainly understandable when we are disappointed, suffer loss, or feel overwhelmed by circumstances outside our control. But it is difficult to thrive if we stay there, waiting for the next terrible thing to happen to us.
What if, instead, we concentrate on what we do have control over? We can choose to respond in faith – acknowledging the loss or fear AND naming the many ways God continues to be present and loving. One of the roles of the church is to continually tell (and be) the ongoing story of God and God’s people – how over the centuries God has continued to love and guide the people of God, even while people behaved badly and terrible things happened. Again and again, God calls use into relationship. Again and again God shows us a way forward.
As we face disappointment, loss, anxiety, and grief, we can choose to respond in faith. We can remind ourselves and others of God’s grace. We can remember other times that we faced with courage and compassion. We can interrupt the self-pity and anxiety long enough to realize we do have some control – we can respond in faith. Thanks be to God for a faith like that!
Intergenerational Moment Volunteers Wanted
The education team is looking for people who are willing to read a picture book during the intergenerational moment. Suggestions for the book are provided, all we ask is a willingness to read on sunday morning and possibly a trip to the library. If you are interested please contact Carolyn Troha, cetroha@gmail.com or Kate at kate@heightscc.org. Thanks in advance!
RenewalWorks Activity for March.
SHOW AND SHARE
Monday, March 22 at 7:30 pm
All are welcome to share hobbies, projects, books, etc., during this time of quarantining at home. Everyone is invited, even if you don’t wish to participate in sharing. It will be fun to see what others are creating and reading.
Mark your calendar now for 7:30, March 22!
Here’s the Zoom link:
From your computer: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85711667104?pwd=NmF5dk1nRlRaMkFZdzQvTVZKMllJdz09
From your smart phone: +19294362866,,85711667104#,,,,*153684#
From any phone: +1 929 436 2866
Meeting ID: 857 1166 7104
Passcode: 153684
Meditative Arts for Lent…
Lent is an especially appropriate time to add the blessing of some quiet, meditative time to your weekly schedule! Come and join Donita Singerman and the ReNewal Works Team to engage in fellowship and meditative art on Zoom every Wednesday, beginning Feb. 24th for five weeks from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Donita will provide Zentangle projects for us, (images and Zoom link available from the HCC website) but everyone is invited to color, doodle, draw, paint, knit, sew – whatever fits your interest and provides soothing quiet for you. We will gather with fellowship, then mute and listen to our own music provided on whatever device each of us prefers – radio, tape player, Pandora, etc. After we work for a time, we will unmute and then regather to share what we have created.
So break out your pens, crayons, colored pencils, knitting needles and join us! It should be a lovely respite each Wednesday! Hope to see you then!
“Nobody hungry, nobody thirsty, shade from the sun, shelter from the wind, for the Compassionate One guides them, takes them to the best springs.” — Isaiah 49:10
Week of Compassion Special Offering
This Special Offering is still being accepted. Add Week of Compassion to the memo line on your check or make an online donation via Givelify here and select “Week of Compassion” from the list.
News from the HCC Music Ministry
Our Director of Music Ministries, Qin Ying Tan, is taking a temporary leave of absence. We are grateful that her husband, Dr. Irwin Shung, is seamlessly stepping in to maintain HCC’s excellent music tradition. Thank you Irwin!
And, as announced last month, the HCC chancel choir is once again meeting…virtually of course. You are invited to join us on Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7:30PM to continually sing and praise God.
For more information, please contact Dr. Shung at musichcc@sbcglobal.net.
Prayer List Requests
Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. (Philippians 4:6)
Even in the ongoing pandemic (maybe especially in these times), individual and corporate prayer continue!
Our Hearts Together in Prayer group meets each Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. to share prayer concerns and updates, and to spend time in prayer together via Zoom. (contact Kate or Val for the link if you’d like to join). We begin and end with a set of prayers that change each month and are read by the facilitator, and the time in the middle offers opportunity for everyone to share their own petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings. All are welcome and encouraged to join us as you are able; praying together is powerful and lifts the spirits. If you have a prayer request, you can use the online prayer request form (https://www.heightschristianchurch.org/prayer-request/) or send an email to Pastor Roger.
These requests will be lifted up on Wednesday evenings and forwarded on to the Elders, and our Prayer Ministry Team.
Social Media outreach
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!