THE MESSENGER
March 2014
College Hill Presbyterian Church 
A Theologically Progressive, Inclusive, Multicultural,
'More Light Presbyterian' Congregation (PCUSA)
 

CH 2-2013  

712 S. Columbia Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
918-592-5800

email:

[email protected]

 

website:

 

Like us on Facebook

 

 Church office hours: 

 

 Mon - Th, 9 am - 3 pm
Closed on Fridays

 

  

   9:30 a.m. Church School-all ages
 11:00 a.m. Worship in English
 11:00 a.m. Worship in Spanish 

  

  

Join us for coffee, juice, cookies 

 and conversation in the 

Fellowship Hall before
Church School 
and before Worship.  
  

 

Quick Links
Mission Statement 
Build an inclusive
community of faith.
  
Receive and openly
share the love of God.
  
Reach out with a
compassionate voice 
for peace and justice.
Join Our Mailing List
  
to view our photosLike us on Facebook
 
  

 

Daylight Savings Time begins
Sunday, March 9th.
Be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night!
Member Spotlight
  Tally Ferguson

 

  

 Tally and family

____________________________________________
 
 

This month, we're spotlighting Tally Ferguson. Tally was recently ordained as an Elder and serves as the Moderator of the Outreach and Ministry Team. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about himself.

How long have you been a member of College Hill? 10 1/2 months, not that I'm counting. I joined with a small army last Easter. I attended the church for a couple of years prior to that.

Tell us a bit about yourself (family, hobbies, work); One beautiful, supportive, diligent and open minded kindred spirit and best friend, who is happily my wife. Beautiful and precocious straight-A daughter at Holland Hall. Good looking, spunky and charitable Straight-A son in fifth grade. As a rule, we like hiking, biking, reading and making fun of me and my fellow Republicans.

What is your hope for our congregation in the future? To remain inclusive, open to, but discerning of all ideas. We should continue to focus on how we further the Kingdom of God, and exam our faith to accommodate a diverse set of thinking and practices. Diversity builds strength. It made this country great and can do the same for a faith community.

New Member Welcome

 

Amy Williamson 

  
Birthday Fund
 

The new year brings about another Birthday for each of us during 2014.

 

A meaningful way to celebrate this occasion is to donate an amount equal to your new age to the Endowment Fund.

 

This donation is also a wonderful way to honor others such as children, grandchildren and friends.

 

Keeping College Hill's Endowment Fund strong will allow us to have funds available for special projects.

 

Birthday Fund envelopes are available on the Narthex table, under the Birthday balloon. Checks can be made payable to College Hill and marked "Birthday Fund" on the memo portion of the check. 

March Birthdays

  1 - Lilly Ann Patterson

  6 - Charlene Bandurski

  7 - Alix Featherston

  7 - Trisha Thompson

  8 - Judy Pacenza-Bloss

11 - Mark Buchner

11 - Barry Hensley

18 - Carolyn Elder

18 - Donna Wood

19 - Brad Brummel

21 - Allison Campbell

21 - Sam West

23 - Sarah Ketcham

26 - Clay Finck-Ward

31 - Lois Erickson

 

 

 

Remember the

Birthday Endowment Fund!

The College Hill Sustainability Initiative

 

The College Hill Sustainability Team will meet on March 9th after worship in Fellowshp Hall. We will be brainstorming ways to help our congregation and facility use less and do more. All are welcome to participate.

 

REDUCE what you use, REUSE what you can and RECYCLE when you're done.

 

Please click here to contact Mark Miller for more information.
  
Book Study Small Group
The Book Study Small Group will meet at 6:30 pm the home of Sue Haskins on Tuesday, March 4th to discuss A Scandalous Jesus, by Joe Bessler.
  
Contact Gary Watts or
John Gammie (by clicking on their names) if you would like to be added or removed from our email list about meetings, etc.  
Book Club
 The Remains of the Day

 by Kazuo Ishiguro

 

Japanese-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro was honored with the Tulsa Library Trust's 2013 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award in early December, which made me realize that our book club had not yet selected one of his acclaimed books for reading and discussion. 

  

To rectify that, we will be reading his most well-known and honored work, which won the Man Booker Prize in 1989 and was adapted into an award-winning film in 1993. The novel's narrator is Stevens, a perfect English butler during and after the Second World War, dealing with the changing world and its affect on his identity-defining profession. The New York Times called it "an intricate and dazzling novel" and Newsweek deemed it "brilliant and quietly devastating."  During his public appearance here in Tulsa, Ishiguro revealed that he had an unconventional start in literature listening to and writing songs rather than reading and writing stories; fittingly, The New York Review of Books described The Remains of the Day as "a virtuoso performance."
  

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is available at the Southroads Barnes and Noble book store (41st & Yale). 

  

Book Club will meet for lunch and discussion after worship on Sunday, March 9th, at Panera Bread 1624 E. 15th St. (just west of Utica on the south side of 15th St.) immediately following worship service.

  

If you are interested in learning more about Book Club, click here to contact Fritha Ohlson.

 

 

Something
for the Spirit

 

"Ham on Nye" Creationism Debate Doesn't Reflect Reality

by Christian Platt  Feb. 5, 2014

 

Whenever I hear about someone else making a case for New Earth Creationism in the name of Christianity, I'm embarrassed, once again, to associate myself with them. And people wonder why many of us prefer to identify as "Jesus followers" or "Spiritual but not Religious" rather than be lumped in with the Ken Hams of the world.

The thing is, a healthy number of us who consider ourselves to be Christian embrace science. We think critically. We accept the likelihood that much we think we understand about the world, the universe and about our faith can (and should) change as we learn new things. We understand that faith is more about questions than answers, and that the prime mover in our faith practice is to be more like Jesus in our own daily walk, rather than focusing so much on making others more like us.

  

To read the entire blog, click here:

 

 

 

Penny FundPenny
Thank you for your donations to the Penny Fund! You are always welcome to donate your pennies (or any loose change), in the red container on the Narthex table.  This money goes toward funding many College Hill events/needs!
1st Sunday
Food Collection
1st Sunday Food Collection 
Our first Sunday food collection goes to the Kendall Whittier, Inc. Emergency Food Pantry. We will be collecting canned meats and/or entrees, which are desperately needed at this time, as well as other food items. Cash donations are also always welcome.  
We strive to provide a quality eNewsletter publication to our readers each month. Please note that inconsistencies you may have noticed with text/paragraph spacing, wrap-around, margins, etc., are due to glitches within the computer program used to create this publication, and may vary depending on your email program. Thank you for your understanding.  
~Rev. Freeman
  
Word from the Pastor

"I invite you, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God."

  

      These traditional words, taken from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, are part of the liturgy we use at our Ash Wednesday Service of the Imposition of Ashes, which we will hold on Wednesday, March 5, at 6:15 p.m. The evening will begin, however, with our traditional

"monastic soup supper" at 5:45 p.m. 

      We hope this will be a very meaningful way for all of us, individually and as a community of faith, to begin the season of Lent. This 40-day period of time, leading up to the celebration of Easter, is set aside as an intentional opportunity for us to reflect upon our journey of faith, our life in the church, and our work in the world.

      Renowned author on spirituality, Henri Nouwen, considers Lent to be a time of returning, like in the parable when the prodigal son returns home to his welcoming and forgiving father. Nouwen writes, "My life drifts away from God. I have to return. Returning is a life-long struggle that is renewed each Lent."

      Lent isn't just a time of self-denial (the emphasis with which many of us grew up) but rather a time to do whatever works best for you in order to return to the ways of God, and a sense of God's presence in your life. It is my prayer that you will experience more fully God's love, grace, and acceptance.

      May your, and our, Lenten season be one of living life more fully, loving in abundance, and being who God created us to be!

 

Blessings,

 

Rev. Todd Freeman 

 

Todd

    

  

Listen to sermons from 2014 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harold E. Hill Lecture Series presents

Krista Tippett - Host of Public Radio's

On Being

  
 April 7th at 7:00pm
Great Hall at Allen Chapman Activity Center at the University of Tulsa
  
Click here to view the brochure
  
  
 Ash Wednesday

March 5th

 
Come prepare your hearts and minds for Lent! Please plan to attend our Ash Wednesday serviceWe will have Monastic Soup Dinner and contemplative readings at 5:45 p.m., followed by worship at 6:15 p.m.
  
Upcoming Events
   
  April 25-26, 2014
  
College Hill returns to Dwight Mission
for an All-Church Retreat! 
  
For many years in the 80's and 90's, College Hill members went to Dwight Mission for weekend retreats in the fall and spring. We are reviving this tradition in 2014 with a retreat beginning Friday evening, April 25 and ending after a campfire/cookout on Saturday, April 26. 
Children 18 and under are free!
 
Click here to view the registration form and more information.
 
Deadline for registration is Sunday, April 13th
 
 
Celtic Spirituality Small Group
Tuesday, March 18th at 6:30 pm

 

The group will meet at the home of Mark and Gay MillerClick here to contact Mark to learn more.

 

Congregational Care Ministry Team

Congregational Care Event April 6th!

 

You filled out the Congregational Care Survey, and wonder what's next?

 

Please join us immediately following Worship for:

                

Heart and Hand-shaped cookies, a silly skit or two, and a fast-paced, round-robin discussion with Rev. Todd and CC Coordinators to assist your experience in caring for one another within our family of faith.  You will receive guidelines, helpful materials, and your official "College Hill Cares" pin!

 

All are welcome! Please come learn more about Congregational Care.

 

You haven't had a chance to fill out a survey yet? Surveys are available on the table in the narthex at the back of the church and can be turned in to an usher or to the church office. Or you can click here to download a copy of the survey.

 

 

Gini Fox is usually in the back of the church, so look for her. Questions? Click here to email Gini. 

 

 Because of You
  
We had a wonderful time at the Old Fashion Sweetheart Banquet that was held February 15th. Good food and music was enjoyed by all. I want to thank everyone that helped with the food and set-up and everything in between. We have a great bunch of people on the Fellowship Ministry Team and we could not ask for more when they answer the call for help. Thanks again, Pat Valencia
 
  
 
 
College Hill Choir
 

    

 

CHANCEL CHOIR

The Chancel Choir of College Hill Presbyterian Church rehearses Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. Come join in the second story choral room next to the office for singing, fellowship and lots of laughter!

If you are a singer wanting to use your talents, please see Director of Music, Kim Childs 

We would love to welcome new members this year! You can contact him using the link below.

BELLISSIMO HANDBELL ENSEMBLE

 

BELLisimo (our two-octave handbell ensemble) continues to rehearse Sundays at 5:45 p.m. This fun group will perform occasionally during Sunday worship. We may be "growing" our ensemble to a larger group - if you are interested in playing handbells, please contact Kim Childs (see above). 

 

 

If you are interested in obtaining more information about our Chancel Choir or Bell Choir, please see the links below. 

 

Contact Kim Childs to learn more about joining the choir. 

 

Read more about our choir and hear past performances. 

 

 

    

Kendall Whittier 
News
KWI GROW Garden
5th Sunday Offering
  

The 5th Sunday Offering, March 30th, will be designated to the KWI GROW Garden. Growing to Reach Out and Welcome is a project of KWI. It is located at 2512 E. 5th Place. The mission of the garden is to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. Children at KW Elementary visit the garden and participate in the planting, nurturing, harvesting and consuming its produce. The garden's master gardener educates neighbors on the how to, where to and when to plant the seeds. Please donate funds so that we can buy the right seeds, plants, and tools at the right time, but if you don't have money to spare you can also send tools and gloves our way.  

 

Photos from the
KWI Masquerade
Fundraising Gala
The event was held February 25th and was a huge success! Proceeds will benefit Kendall Whittier Inc (KWI), Kendall Whittier Main Street and the Circle Cinema Foundation, Inc.
  
   
Rev. Todd and Charlotte Bronston - dressed to the nines, enjoying the event
 
 
No caption needed
Tulsa Day Center
for the Homeless

    

After assisting over 52 individuals/families in January by providing housing kits and other needs, the shelves are nearly empty for the items that go into these boxes.

 

Click here to see how you can help.

 

Day Center Meal - Saturday, March 22: Spaghetti and meatballs will be the featured fare at the Day Center. Sign up after worship to bring dessert or donate cash on Caroline's Clipboard.