THE MESSENGER
 August 2015
College Hill Presbyterian Church
 A Theologically Progressive, Inclusive, Multicultural, 
'More Light Presbyterian' Congregation (PCUSA)
  

  

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

  

 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 


 

Church email: 

[email protected]


 Pastor email:

[email protected]

  

Website:
 
www.collegehilltulsa.org  


 

  Like us on Facebook


 

Join us for coffee, juice, cookies 

 and conversation in the 

Fellowship Hall before
Church School 
and before Worship.  
  

 

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.
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List

View the church calendar on our website 

 

August 2015 Calendar

 
August Birthdays
 
 

  1 - Esteban Valencia

  1 - Laura Stanford

  2 - Pat Valencia

  2 - Elizabeth West

  6 - Meagen Burrows

  6 - Cooper Thomason

  7 - Patrick Fox

  8 - Michelle Brobston

  9 - Rachel Caldwell

10 - Kristy Wyatt

13 - Katy Walker

13 - Norman Gainey

14 - Jim Brady

15 - Judith Nole

16 - Tim Gillean

23 - Adrienne Coleman

24 - Haley Brobston

25 - Susan West

26 - Mark Bergner

26 - Celia Ketcham

26 - Dana Livingston

27 - Betty Coleman

30 - Bruce Ketcham, Jr.

 

                          

  Remember the 
Birthday Endowment Fund!

 


Photos

Charlotte Slemp's 85th Birthday
celebrated at the Luncheon Club gathering in July


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev. Freeman presents the Rev. Mary McAnally with the Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (ORCRC) Faith & Freedom Award

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the small groups from the Synod Youth Workshop (held annually at TU) came to work at the church as a service project. They painted a primer coat of paint to the Youth Rooms and hallway on the third floor, and worked outside as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Rev. Dr. Bob Ball spoke to the Adult Church School class on July 19 about his book, "BEING WITH: Maybe This Is What Life Is All About." 

 


View more photos on our Facebook page
Like us on Facebook
  
Happy Anniversary!

Our Office Administrator,
Lisa Hays, celebrates her 5-year anniversary with College Hill this month. 

Lisa says she is so grateful to work with such a wonderful group of people. 
Book Club
August 23

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

 

According to The Washington Post, The Girl on the Train "is well-written and ingeniously constructed." 
Entertainment Weekly Hotlist calls the novel "a gripping, down-the-rabbit-hole-thriller."  Sounds like a great can't-put-it-down book to close out summer reading, and then enjoy lively discussion with other book-lovers at Book Club.  Join us!

This book is available at book stores, your local library, and other book sources. 

 

Book Club will meet for lunch and discussion at Panera Bread (1624 E. 15th St., just west of Utica on the south side of 15th st.) immediately following worship service (about 12:15pm).

 

Click (name) to contact Fritha Ohlson for more information about Book Club.

 

Luncheon Club
Thursday, September 17

Luncheon Club will take a break and they will not meet in August.

The group meets the third Thursday of the month at noon in Fellowship Hall.

Join us next month for wonderful food, fellowship and fun!

 
College Hill
Recycle and Donation Center

 

The cabinets in the hallway outside of Fellowship Hall have been repurposed for use as a place to deposit recycling and donations. 

 

Recycle bins will accommodate paper, cans, plastic bags, compact fluorescent lamps, batteries, and printer cartridges. 

 

Donation bins will be provided for diapers and baby care products, dry goods and hygiene items, and school supplies.

 

Flower Chart Sign Up
  
If you would like to 
bring flowers to decorate the sanctuary for an upcoming worship service, please sign up on the Flower Chart on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. 

There are many dates for 2015 available. Your dedication will also be announced in the worship bulletin.  
  
Flowers can be purchased from any store or brought from home. Please bring them in two containers the morning of the service for which you have signed up.
2015 
Birthday Endowment Fund
 
A meaningful way to celebrate this year's Birthday 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 and allows the church 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.

  

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!
Word from the Pastor
I have really enjoyed preaching the current sermon series, "Connecting With God." The series closely follows the outline from the book, The Rebirthing of God: Christianity's Struggle for New Beginnings, by John Philip Newell, the former dean of the Iona Abbey in Scotland. It was a special experience for me to worship in that Abbey during my sabbatical.

 

The premise of the book is that God is reborn within us as we reconnect with God's creation and the ways of God. We have already explored reconnecting with the earth, with compassion, with the Light, with the journey, and with spiritual practice. This Sunday, August 2, we will be looking at connecting with God by reconnecting with nonviolence, followed by a discussion on reconnecting with love. All of this follows the basis of what is expressed in Celtic Spirituality.

 

Speaking of which, on Sunday, August 9, we will experience a Celtic Service of Worship. We have lined up a bagpiper for the service - something you will not want to miss!  I will be sharing what I have learned about all these things over the past few years, including a synopsis of how we, as progressive Christians, can find meaning for our own spiritual growth.

 

Along these lines, you may want to consider joining the church's Celtic Spirituality Small Group (see Mark Miller). Also, our Adult Church School class is currently exploring issues of spiritual formation, including an historic perspective of spirituality in our own Presbyterian tradition. The focus on developing and expanding our spiritual lives will continue throughout August.

 

In his book, Reformed Spirituality, Dr. Howard Rice (a former seminary professor of mine) defined spirituality as: the process of intentional cultivation of a sense of God's presence.

 

Let us remember that a healthy journey of faith involves a balance of inward reflection and outward engagement. And as Celtic spirituality teaches, there is a very short distance between the material and the spiritual, thus allowing us to recognize a Sacred Presence in and through all things.

 

Blessings,

Rev. Todd 



 

  

News & Events

Celtic Service of Worship
Sunday, August 9

Celtic service of worship, complete with bagpiper - Bill Tetrick, director of The City of Tulsa Pipes & Drums. He is the former Pipe Major for the 7th U.S. Cavalry Pipes and Drums.


 


Potluck "Meal Mix Up" Luncheon
Sunday, August 9

Fellowship Ministry Team will host a Potluck "Meal Mix Up" Luncheon after our Celtic service of worship, as a final sign-up opportunity for our Dinners for 7or 8 (DF7O8) group. Please bring a dish to share and don't miss the opportunity to sign up for our next round of Dinners!

For more information, (click name to) contact Clay Finck-Ward. 

 


Monday, August 3
6:30 pm
Do you enjoy playing cards, dominoes or board games? Then join us the first Monday of every month, beginning August 3rd in Fellowship Hall. 

We'll begin with dinner provided by the Fellowship Ministry Team (donations appreciated to offset the cost) with games to follow. Please (click name to) 
RSVP to Clay Finck-Ward or the church office so we'll know how much food to provide. 

If you require childcare, please let Marilyn Hill or the church know. We'll have lots of games, but if you have a favorite game, feel free to bring it! We look forward to a fun night of fellowship!

 

 Celtic Spirituality Group

Tuesday, August 4 at 6:30 pm

 

The group will gather in Fellowship Hall to discuss how we can use the ancient festival of Lughnasa in our own spiritual journey. This is will be the beginning of our third year of our Celtic journey together.  

 

We will spend some time reflecting on the cycles of life that are present throughout all of creation.  As we consider the cycles of our own lives, we'll reflect on what we might want to leave behind and what we want to meet in the days to come.  

 

(Click name) to contact Mark Miller for more information.


Volunteer Opportunities
5th Sunday Special Offering
August 30

For our 5th Sunday Offering, we will be collecting cash donations for school supplies for the Kendall-Whittier Elementary children.

For more information, please (click name to) contact our Outreach & Mission Ministry Team Moderator, Tally Ferguson.
 
 KWI 1st Sunday Food Collection
Sunday, August 2

Our 1st Sunday Food Collection goes to the Kendall Whittier, Inc. Emergency Food Pantry.

Please see the article  
above for information about  
specific needs for their
Summer Food Drive.
  
Translator Needed
College Hill Hispanic Fellowship

Our group is in need of a Spanish-speaking liaison who is willing to help with our Hispanic Fellowship Group this next year. 

If some of our new members would be interested, that would be great! We need someone who can translate and be liaison for the group.

If you are interested, please (click name to) contact Pat Valencia.

Music Ministry

CHANCEL CHOIR

The Chancel Choir of College Hill Presbyterian Church will begin fall rehearsals Wednesday, August 12 at 6:45 p.m.

 

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 upcoming fall season! Click here to contact Kim.

 

BELLISSIMO HANDBELL ENSEMBLE

BELLissimo Handbell Ensemble of College Hill Presbyterian Church will begin fall rehearsals Wednesday, August 12 at 5:30 p.m. If you are interested in playing in this fun ensemble, (permanent member or substitute) please contact the Director of Music for more information.

 

SUMMER MUSIC MUSICIANS

A big "thank you" to all of our summer vocalists and instrumentalists that sang/played for the Sunday morning worship services in June, July and August. We are fortunate to have these talented musicians - and we thank them for their gifts of music!

  

Choir

 

Something for the Spirit
          

Celtic spirituality has a strong emphasis on the journey of faith being a pilgrimage, which is called peregrination. Here's a blog I think will be helpful in that regard.   ~Rev. Todd

 

 

Pilgrimage: The Journey Home

 

If entered into mindfully and with a whole heart, each encounter on the road has the potential to transform. The pilgrim returns home not with all the answers, but with better questions.

 

...We sometimes think of the journey as a linear path to travel, when in reality we travel more in circles and spirals. We don't arrive at the summit and proclaim ourselves done and complete. We arrive back at the desires that set us on the path in the first place, but perhaps with deeper wisdom or more doubts this time around.

 

Pilgrimage leads us home again, but that home is deep within each of us. We will cycle through our lives over and over, meeting old themes and habits again, being invited to release, to walk forward in trust, to embrace mystery many times.

You may feel like this journey is coming close to an end, when in reality it is just beginning. Now you carry the wisdom gleaned into the next cycle and season of your life.

 

          

 Read the entire blog..

 

 

 

     College Hill 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