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

2014 brings about another Birthday for each of us.

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. 

I'm writing this note while vacationing in the beautiful Broken Bow Lake area of southeastern Oklahoma. Yesterday, I drove the 53-mile Talimena Scenic Drive. For me, there's nothing like a drive through a hilly, forested area with magnificent vistas to get reconnected with God. 

At the moment, I'm sitting on the back porch of the isolated cabin I rented reading a book by John Philip Newell, entitled 'The Rebirthing of God.' The chapters are all about reconnecting - reconnecting with the earth, with compassion, with the Light, with the journey, with spiritual practice, with non-violence, with the unconscious, and with love. 

One of the primary features of the rebirthing of God within us is reconnecting with wisdom, allowing the truth that has been etched into our being to come forth in new ways.

In connection with our progressive approach to Christianity, I've found the following particularly helpful - especially in relationship to our ministry at College Hill. 

Bede Griffiths, a 20th century English Benedictine monk who spent most of his life in India, reflected on the fossilization of Western Christianity. Newell writes, "He believed it had become hardened, stuck both doctrinally and ritually. It was not living and unfolding like the universe, forever seeking new expression and embodiment through relationship. It had become isolated from the other great religious traditions of the world and ossified in its dogmas, paralyzed in the trappings of infallibility. One of the laws of the universe is that if something is not unfolding, it is dying. If it is not sprouting in new directions, it is decaying. Bede was aware of the rot that had developed in his religious tradition. But one of his mantras of belief was that there were 'seeds of life in the rotten apple.' We need to pay attention to those seeds if there is to be new birth."

While I wouldn't go as far as calling Christianity a rotten apple, I do believe that we need to pay attention to how the Holy Spirit is guiding the church into new, less dogmatic ways in the 21st-century. 

Now back to my previously scheduled vacation. 

Love a good, juicy steak, chicken breast, or portabella mushroom cap sizzling on the grill?  Feel an equal affinity for a delectable slice of moist, delicious cake?  Us too!  That's why we're getting the guys in the kitchen for "Dinner with the Guys," when CHPC's finest chefs of the male persuasion will cook and serve an amazing meal, including your choice of mixed grill, a mashed potato bar, and luscious salad. 

You won't want to arrive late to the 6:00pm dinner, because each table will be decorated with a beautiful, homemade cake to finish your meal in style.

Tickets for "Dinner with the Guys" are a steal at $10 per adult, with no cost for children 12 and under (who will be served from a children's menu).  If you haven't already purchased your tickets, (click to) contact Judith Nole.

The Peacemaking Offering works locally and around the world to transform cultures of violence into communities of peace. A portion of all gifts made to the Peacemaking Offering are kept by congregations for programs.

There are three ways to give: 1) Through your congregation on October 5th; 2) Text PEACE to 20222 to give $10; 3) Click here to make a donation through the Presbyterian Mission Agency website. 

With the change of seasons, it's time to get our church ready for the fall and winter months ahead. Building & Grounds Ministry Team has scheduled a Fall Work Day from 9:00 am -noon.  

There will be a full range of indoor, outdoor, large and small projects to complete to spruce up our church. If you can help any or all of that morning, please (click name) to let Jeff Ream, Gini Fox, or Mark Miller know. 

Any help would be appreciated, and small finger foods and juice will be served.

   

As presbyteries around the country begin to discuss an update to the description of marriage in the Book of Order, the 2014-15 series of regional conferences will continue to explore Marriage Matters. 

The conference will include plenary speakers, lunch, worship, and opportunities to make local connections and get equipped for participation in the conversation about Amendment 14-F, proposed to the presbyteries by the 221st General Assembly.

Executive Director Brian Ellison and National Organizer Tricia Dykers Koenig will participate in our conference. Our keynote speaker is Mark Achtemeier, Presbyterian pastor, theological, professor, and author of the recent book, The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical's Change of Heart. 

For more information, click here. 

MISSION of The Covenant Network of Presbyterians 

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a broad-based, national group of clergy and lay leaders working for a church that is simultaneously faithful, just, and whole. We seek to support the mission and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in a time of potentially divisive controversy. We intend to articulate and act on the church's historic, progressive vision and to work for a fully inclusive church.  

One of the projects planned for this year's Advent Family Night (11/30)

will be making Christmas cards with the Christ Child as the theme. This can include Mary and Joseph, but not a whole manger scene.

If you have some of these in your old Christmas cards that you keep, please share them with us. The entire card is not needed, just the photo/graphics.

Please (click name) to contact Pat Valencia.