Reaching Heights May 2018
Reaching Heights
May 2018
Links to this month’s news:
Worship – Radical Faith, Pentecost
Second Hour – Adult Study
Along the Path – Thoughts from Pastor Roger
Newcomer’s Gatherings
Kate’s Cogitations – On Failures and Experiments
RenewalWorks Update
Service Opportunities – Lomond School, Church Work Day
Worship Ministry News
Education Ministry News
Graduate information Needed
Annual Meeting – June 3
Common Ground gathering
Worship Highlights for May
We continue our theme of radical faith up to Pentecost
May 6 – Radical Peace – John 14:22-27
May 13 – Radical Justice – Jeremiah 22:1-5 – Mother’s Day
May 20 – Pentecost Sunday – Family Service
You are invited to wear red to match the red geraniums that will fill the chancel as we celebrate the birth of the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Geraniums can be ordered by filling out the bulletin insert, by calling the church office at 216.561.4800 or emailing to kese.hcc@sbcglobal.net.
May 27 – Hope – Romans 8:12-17, 22-25
Second Hour
We’ll complete our adult study for this program year with a sermon talk back on May 6. Thanks to everyone who has participated and led our studies. If you’d be interested in a weekday study over the summer please contact Pastor Roger.
Along the Path
In December 1967, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. announced a plan to bring together poor people from across the country for a new march on Washington. This march was to demand better jobs, better homes, better education—better lives than the ones they were living.
A few months later, Dr. King was assassinated and while the Poor People’s Campaign went forward, his death and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy served to limit its impact.
Turn the clock forward 50 years and a new leader, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, a Disciples of Christ pastor, along with others, is putting together a new Poor People’s Campaign. One of its purposes is to highlight the fact that 50 years after the original campaign, poor people in this the richest country in the world are no better off and, in some ways, worse off.
This is a moral dilemma that needs to be faced and addressed, and a series of actions will take place in Washington DC and in state capitals across the country beginning on the Monday after Mother’s Day. These acts of civil disobedience are designed to change the moral conversation in this country and bring attention back to the needs of the poor and marginalized.
A couple weeks ago I attended a clergy training in Columbus and I’m still working on trying to set up a training here at HCC. I will be driving to Columbus to participate in actions as often as I can get away and I hope that some of you will decide to join me in that effort.
You can find out more about the national campaign at poorpeoplescampaign.org. The state campaign is principally on Facebook at OhioPPC. And I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Just give me a call.
Peace, Pastor Roger
Newcomers Gatherings
We are holding a series of get togethers for folks “new” to HCC. It will be an opportunity to get to know some HCC folks a little better, learn about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and our congregation, and even share a little bit about your spiritual journey. These will take place on the evening of Sunday May 6th, Monday May 14th, and Sunday May 20th from 6:00-7:30 with a light supper provided. Activities for children and youth will also be available. Please call the church office or reply to this email if you are interested in attending.
Kate’s Cogitations
Over the past several weeks and months, we have tried some new things. Some of these new endeavors have gone well. Some have been “failures.” Missional Church thinkers encourage us to see these “failures” as experiments – no matter what the outcome, we learn something.
In addition to adding to our knowledge about our context and what works and what may not be the best fit, experiments do something else: they keep up limber and open to new possibility. If we had a steady diet of things not going the way we planned, it might be too discouraging to continue to take the risk. We might hunker down with only what’s most familiar and “safe.” But if some of our experiments “work” and some only teach us, perhaps we can find the courage to continue to take risks and try new things.
When we don’t get many people to an event, we can ask whether we did a good job with publicity, or timing. Perhaps people had too many other things to do. Maybe they were just not interested in what we were offering. But I believe we can also learn about ourselves through those “failures.” What were we really expecting? What does the “failure” say to us about ourselves? What makes us willing to risk “failure” again? Where is God in the failures and the successes?
Through these experiments, failures, and successes, we can discern God’s Spirit moving. We can sense the Spirit in our own lives, in our congregation, and in the neighborhood – already at work, difficult to control or predict, but nonetheless, a gift from God. Come, Holy Spirit!
RenewalWorks to make recommendations to further spiritual growth
Our RenewalWorks Workshop Team has concluded its four workshop sessions. We have written a report of the process, its findings and our recommendations. The Board of Trustees will receive the report at its May 8 meeting, the Elders will consider their role at their May 20 meeting, and the entire congregation will be updated at our Annual Meeting June 3.
Through the results of the Spiritual Life Inventory we all took, and information from congregations with high spiritual vitality, the RenewalWorks organization and our own team were able to suggest many ways we can increase spiritual nurture of our members and become an even more vibrant congregation. Examples include beginning every meeting and activity with devotions, and finding new ways to embed scripture in all we do together.
A huge thank you to the RenewalWorks Workshop Team for their dedication, hard work, and great ideas for HCC’s benefit:
Val McMillan, Scott Phelps, Donita Singerman, Jane Troha, Lynda Ackerman, Rosalind Powell, Bernadette LaGuardia, Michele Moreland, Roger Osgood, Kate Gillooly.
Lomond Neighborhood Clean-Up Day, May 12, 10 am – noon
Join us to walk a block or two, clear away winter’s litter and enjoy your neighbors. We’ll meet up at Lomond School to grab trash bags and gloves. Then we’ll spread out over the neighborhood to clean away the winter litter. Afterwards, stay for snacks and drinks. Plus, take home free goodies to keep Lomond beautiful — like lawn bags, car litter bags and seeds.
Church Work Day, May 19, 9:00 am – noon
The Property Committee has scheduled a work day to get the grounds and the community garden cleaned up for the spring and summer. With Mike Faust out on sick leave there will be more projects than usual. Please try to make an extra effort to come out and help. For those who can’t garden, there are always inside projects as well. Thanks!
From your Worship Ministry Team
Maundy Thursday Dinner Worship – We offer a “big” thank you to Bobbi Phelps and Joan Fronck for all their work in making the dinner a success. Working with them was a great joy and we all were thankful for the good outcome of the evening.
Everyone who participated readily involved themselves in the preparation, administration and cleanup. Dinner was delicious. We had Nancy Carpenter’s recipe for the main casseroles. Cindy Maxey made a vegetarian casserole and Rosalind Powell made a “non-everything” casserole.
Many of us really enjoyed the guided discussion during the dinner. The questions invited us to pay attention to as well as ponder more deeply things in the Bible we had not questioned nor given much thought to before. A few people said the evening was “very nice” however they preferred a more traditional service in the sanctuary.
Easter Flowers – we only received a few comments, all positive, about using tulips and not lilies. The people with allergies expressed their appreciation for the change. There were some members who were able to attend the Easter Service for the first time in years because of this change.
The Worship serving schedule for May through August, 2018 has been published but there is need for more greeters. Volunteers please contact Rosalind Powell.
Cindy and I continue to meet with Pastor Roger, Minister Moreland, Kate Gillooly and Qin Ying Tan for worship planning.
Thank you to all who assist the Worship Team in carrying out our expressions of ministry.
Rosalind Powell, Worship Team Leader
Cindy Maxey, Assistant Worship Team Leader
Education Ministry Team
The following folks are signed up for Camp Christian:
CYF (Senior High) – Week One – June 10-16 – Billy Dunn, Avery Dunn
Chi Rho (Middle School) – Camp Corinth – July 8-14 – Tommy Dunn, Claire Dunn, Madison Durham
Please keep these youth in your prayers and wish them a Happy Camp when you see them!
Attention Graduates!
If you are graduating from high school or college, please take a moment to let the church office know your name, major, and future plans. Please call the office or email us at kese.hcc@sbcglobal.net.
June 3 Annual Meeting
After church we’ll share a potluck meal, hear this year’s Peace Award winner, and celebrate the past, present, and future of our church. As we did last year everyone is asked to bring a main dish, salad or side dish according to the following schedule: A-D: dessert, E-O: salad or side dish, P-Z: main dish.
Ministry Team Leaders – It’s also time to prepare annual reports. It would be helpful for you to send your report to the office via email. A word document is okay, or you can include your report in the body of the email. Please email them to kese.hcc@sbcglobal.net. ALL reports are DUE Friday, May 18.
Save the Date for Common Ground!
On June 24 HCC will host a dinner, open to the community, for all who wish to build community and strengthen neighborly bonds. Thanks to assistance from the Cleveland Foundation, we are able to offer a catered dinner at no cost to the church or guests. Join us for food, fellowship and conversation about what makes this community special! Let Kate Gillooly know if you would like to help host that evening here in the Campbell Room.