THE MESSENGER
January 2016
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 


 

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 

 

January 2016 Calendar


New Member Welcome

Claudia Brierre
 


 
January Birthdays
 
 

  1 - Paulino Allande

  2 - Joey Hager

  4 - Megan Featherston

  6 - Damion Williams

  7 - Louis Coleman

  8 - Julia Allande

11 - Camellia McKenzie

13 - Terry Gamel

14 - Jennifer Campbell

15 - Parker Brobston

19 - Fritha Watts Ohlson

20 - Jeff Dickason

25 - Ethan Buchner

27 - David Moser

27 - Tanya Patterson

30 - Dena Schone

31 - Nancy Foote

 

                          

Remember the 
Birthday Endowment Fund!

 

Photos
Christmas Celebrations

 

 




The Children of the Church performed the play 
"He Is the Star!" 
written by Trinna Burrows (including 3 songs!) 
during the Christmas Eve Worship Service

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

Advent Family Night










View more photos on our Facebook page
Like us on Facebook
  
2015 Transitions
New Members
Claudia Brierre
Conner Fields
Emily Gamel
 Donovan Hamilton
Eric Hamshar
Gary Hayes
Victor Moguel
Alicia Odum
Carol Wimmer
Baptisms

Adelyn Lenae Bostine
 
In Memoriam

Chuck Kriner
June 7, 1937 - October 17, 2015

Music Ministry
    

CHANCEL CHOIR
 
The Chancel Choir of College Hill Presbyterian Church will begin spring rehearsals Wednesday, January 13 at 6:45 p.m.  Come join in the second story choral room (next to the church office) for singing, fellowship and fun!

If you are a singer and would like to sing with the Chancel Choir, we are welcoming new members for the upcoming season. 


BELLISSIMO 
HANDBELL ENSEMBLE
 
BELLissimo Handbell Ensemble of College Hill Presbyterian Church will begin spring rehearsals Wednesday, January 13 at 5:30 p.m.  If you are interested in playing in this fun ensemble (permanent member or substitute), please contact Director of Music for more information.
 
 
Click here to contact Kim Childs if you are interested in any of our music ministry opportunities.

 
To listen to past choir performances, 

 
DR. KIM J. CHILDS, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
MIKE GIBSON, ORGANIST

2016 Birthday Endowment Fund
 

2016 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 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 am always on the lookout for inspiring articles, books, music, etc. Many suggestions come from you, from Facebook friends, and in my own research while preparing sermons.

One website that I find to be a wealth of wonderful information is patheos.com. It has several different "Channels," for a variety of faith traditions. There is even one for Progressive Christianity. I have often used this site when searching for something to put in our eNewsletter article, "Something For The Spirit."

After searching on the site for "New Year" I found a blog (that's computer talk for article) that I wanted to share here. It deals with spirituality, especially as it applies to perceiving life as being on a spiritual journey. That, of course, was a major focus for me last year during my sabbatical to Ireland and Iona, Scotland. I find it very encouraging that so many in our congregation are also more deeply focused on spirituality issues - ways and practices of connecting with the Sacred Presence in our midst.

Here are the bullet points of the blog: Follow the Star: Spiritual Practices for the New Year, by Christine Valters Paintner, January 05, 2015.

As you cross this threshold into the New Year, what star beckons you in the night? How might you own your journey more deeply in the coming year?

1)  Follow the star to where it leads.
2)  Embark on the journey, however long or                difficult.
3)  Open yourself to wonder along the way.
4)  Bow down at the holy encounters in messy            places.
5) Carry your treasures and give them away              freely.
6)  Listen to the wisdom of dreams.
7)  Go home by another way.

For a full discussion of each of these points, you can read the entire article by clicking here.

I'm excited to see what this new year brings to the life and ministry of College Hill.


 
Blessings,

Rev. Todd Freeman

News & Events
Annual Session Retreat
Saturday, January 9, 2016

 

The Annual Session Retreat will be held from
9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Rev. Freeman's home. This is a very important gathering for the Session in order to reflect upon where we have been as a congregation during this past year and envision where we hope to journey in the year ahead. 

Ministry Team assignments for 2016 will also be discerned and chosen. Please keep the church Ruling Elders and staff in your prayers.

 Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Sunday, January 10
  

Communion

Ordination and Installation of Elders

 

Annual Congregational Meeting 
& Potluck Luncheon
Sunday, January 24

Please plan to attend the Annual Congregational Meeting and Potluck
 Luncheon immediately following worship. The Ministry Teams will present their Annual Reports at this time.

Bring a covered dish to share and join us for this very important meeting of the congregation.


Friday, January 22 at 6:00 pm 

Do you enjoy playing cards, dominoes or board games? Then join us each month in Fellowship Hall.
 
Please bring a snack to share, so we can munch while we play. If you require childcare or would like more information about the event, please (click name to) contact Marilyn Hill or the church office.  
 
We'll have lots of games, but if you have a favorite game, feel free to bring it! 
 
Previous Game Night's have been well-attended and enjoyed by all!
 
We look forward to a 
fun night of fellowship!

               The Celtic Circle
Tuesday, February 2 at 6:30 pm

The Celtic Circle meets quarterly to discuss Celtic spirituality and customs and how they continue to have meaning in today's world.  

The next gathering will be held at the home of Mark and Gay Miller

At that time will be celebrating the feast day of Imbolc, also known as Saint Brigid's day. 

Click (name) to contact Mark if you have any questions concerning this celebration. 

Day Center for the Homeless Meal
Saturday, January 23

Our Hispanic Fellowship will be preparing and serving dinner at Tulsa's Day Center for the Homeless. 

Sign up on Caroline's Clipboard before or after worship to contribute food or funds. 

 

Luncheon Club
Passing the Torch

Beginning this month, Luncheon Club will be headed up by Gretchen Hannefield and Gay Miller.

Many thanks to Charlotte Bronston, Charlotte Slemp and Pat Fox for their tireless efforts in keeping the group going strong all these years. Charlotte Bronston started the group back in 1990!

Luncheon Club meets at noon on the third Thursday of each month. Join us for wonderful food, fellowship and fun!

This month's luncheon will be held at First Watch Restaurant at 68th & Memorial.
 

Alternative Christmas Results 

College Hill members found the perfect gift for their friends and family who had everything.  

Roughly 10% of our congregation made a contribution to one of four local, national or global causes by purchasing Alternative Christmas cards.  

In this way, we raised nearly $600 
for the following four causes:  

Name
Amount Raised
Website
Kids Against Hunger

$136

Marion Medical Mission

$136
Medical Benevolence Foundation

$ 88
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
 
$228
Total:
$588


(Click to) check out the listed websites for more information about these causes, which College Hill members selected in October's Mission Fair.



Thank You to Our 
Day Center Secret Santas!


A heartfelt THANKS to 

Gay & Mark Miller 
Johnna & Mark Thurston
Dana Livingston & Norman Gainey
Michelle, PJ, Parker & Haley Brobston
Caroline & Rusty Johnson
Charlotte Slemp 
Todd Redding 
Gordon Edwards 

Thank you brightening the holidays for 
9 clients of the 
Day Center for the Homeless!

 

DF7O8 Update 

Just a quick note to give a big thank you to everyone that hosted a fall dinner. We heard from several guests and hosts indicating that a wonderful time was had by all. 

As the holidays are behind us, we need to start planning for our winter dinners.  If you volunteered to host a winter Dinner For 7-8, you have already received your list of guests. If you need a new copy of this list please request that from Clay Finck-Ward. Winter dinners for 7-8 will be held sometime in January, February, or March. 

If you are a guest wondering whose home will be hosting, there is a master list posted in Fellowship Hall. 

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to (click name to) contact Clay

Something for the Spirit


Pilgrimage of Resurrection:

 Seeing the World Anew

 
We walk by a thousand ordinary revelations every day in our busyness and preoccupation. What would it be like to move through our day, watching for what shimmers and then savoring them?
...Moments are holy doorways where we are lifted out of time and we encounter the sacred in the most ordinary of acts. Moments invite us to pause and linger because there is a different sense of time experienced. Moments are those openings we experience, where time suddenly loses its linear march and seems to wrap us in an experience of the eternal.
We are called to open ourselves to these moments of eternity, or better yet, to allow the moment to find us. We only need to make ourselves available to them, to receive them as the gifts that they are, rather than seek them out as something we are entitled to have.
To read the entire blog
        
College Hill
Recycle and Donation Center

 

We are re-purposing the old cabinets in the hallway outside of Fellowship Hall for use as a place to deposit recycling and donations. Temporary signs should be up by the time you read this with permanent signs to follow shortly.

 

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
  
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 open dates 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.
    
         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