Hillview United Methodist Church The Connector JULY 2015 Hillview Farm 2015 Vacation Bible School July 27-31, 9 a.m. to noon July 5: Worship at 10 a.m. Registration forms are due by July 7 (only limited followed by spots will be available after that date). Pick up forms on the Finger Food bulletin board in the Hansen Wing. Brunch Volunteers are still needed! We need help with the kids during VBS week and sewing before VBS week, prepping t-shirts, etc. There July 7: Lydia Circle trip to the Outdoor IS something you can do! Prayer Labyrinth See list of supplies on page 6. Please bring them to the church office or the bin in the Gathering Area. For more information, please contact Heidi Holmes at (619)952-9935 or [email protected]. July 14: Lady Veterans Luncheon July 27-31: Vacation Bible School SPRC News SPRC has been actively working to define staffing plans for growth since Jeff and Maggie left Hillview. We have been studying what other churches did to drive growth, notably Meridian Methodist. We believe that children and youth involvement are vital to the future of Hillview. We are planning to take two essentially fulltime salaries and reshape the salary spend into one fulltime salary, spread across three part time jobs. We are working closely with the Finance Committee to ensure affordability, so keep your pledges current and growing to help Hillview grow! SPRC recently presented this to Church Council and received a very positive response. While we have more work to do to finalize our hiring plans, SPRC would like to share news about the three roles we are developing. This article covers the staffing plan, and we will share this plan during church service on July 12th. We are working with various staff and Church Council members to finalize the content of job descriptions and the expectations for hours worked per week. We hope to have that complete within the next month. These job descriptions will include goals tied to growth. 1. Director of Children’s Ministry working with Sunday School, Fellowship, Worship and preparing for an active and growing children's group - 20 hours a week. 2. Praise Band Leader supporting the choir, worship service and offering another opportunity for youth to plug into Hillview music ministries - 10 hours a week. 3. Director of Discipleship Ministries measuring, educating and encouraging Hillview members of all ages to plug into the many ministries within the church and around the community - 10 hours a week SPRC looks forward to your feedback as we work together to help Hillview grow. Regards, Charlie Pegan SPRC Chair July Stewardship Challenges Choose to do one or all! *Attend church camp or make it possible for someone else to attend. *Volunteer to help in the church office to cover vacations. *Review your giving; bring your pledge current if you have fallen behind. THE CONNECTOR Page 2 Offerings ~ The theme of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference this year was “Restoring the Sacred Circle.” There were very inspiring Native American speakers, musicians, and worship leaders who led us through three days of repentance, education and celebration. We made a commitment as a conference to work toward healing the deep wounds our culture has created and the church has contributed to with our Native American brothers and sisters. I was deeply moved, and yet skeptical. How many of us will go out of our way to proactively reach out to the Native American population and work toward justice? How long will it take to change cultural attitudes? The week after our conference, nine people were murdered at a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina, by a young racist man. We have seen reports of racial profiling by police, of black people protesting violent treatment at the hands of some police officers. We have seen and heard neighbors, family members and strangers speak out in opposition, stating that the police aren’t racist, that these people who have been treated with violence were at fault for doing something wrong in the first place, even though their crimes would not have warranted the death penalty if they had gone to trial. We don’t want to confront the racism we know is rampant in our culture. It is hard to admit that our country still has such deep wounds. At our conference we voted to divest in companies supporting Israel’s activities against Palestinians. We stood up for the oppressed, but without acknowledging that, according to the Washington Times, 2014 was the worst year for anti-Semitic violence since 2009. Most of those incidents took place in Europe and the United States. There was no talk at Conference about the violence in the world associated with ISIS or Boko Haram, and the ethnic cleansing taking place in parts of the world today. Perhaps we don’t know enough about what is happening to even begin to join in a discussion. I am convinced that this theme of healing the wounds created by the injustices of the past will continue to be a valid theme for generations to come. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.” There isn’t anything new in oppression. It was expressed at Church Council a few months ago that the LGBT community is the last community to be fully included in the Church. I disagree. People of faith have never been immune to prejudice and oppression. Once the LGBT community is fully included, we will discover that another group has been oppressed. All of this sounds so negative! It is discouraging to realize that human nature has not changed all that much from some of the stories of oppression in the Bible from 3,000 years ago. But then, perhaps that is one reason the Bible still rings true to us today. We can still relate to the feelings and situations of our ancestors. But just as they spoke up against oppression, and just as Jesus witnessed to us how to stand up against tyranny, there is still a need for us today to not remain silent. When we joined the church, it was asked of us: “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?” We each answered boldly, “I do.” Let’s now live out our faith as if we really meant what we said! Grace and Peace, Brenda VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015 Page 3 Annual Conference Highlights Provided by Jim Walt (Lay Member to Annual Conference) Annual Conference theme this year: “Restoring the Sacred Circle” “Restoring the Sacred Circle” comes from the focus on an act of repentance with Native Americans. We listened to several dynamic Native American speakers. During Annual Conference, those attending went through an Act of Repentance Ceremony. The 2012 General Conference held an Act of Repentance to recognize the harm done and the need to heal and build relationship with Native Americans. Fulfilling a commitment, Conference pays 100% Hillview paid 100% of its apportionment in 2014. In 2014, the OregonIdaho Annual Conference paid 100% of its apportionment to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences. That’s a big deal!!!! The Conference Treasurer couldn’t remember the last time that happened. Simple Board Leadership Steve Ross (DS/ Healthy Vital Church Initiative) gave a short report on the ways the Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences have been sharing resources around church vitality. Holy Land Task Force Some learnings: Having a good leadership team. Having a good plan (and the willingness to change it down the road!). Good coaching and a resilient process are also important. Continued attention to vitality is essential. Many churches throughout the Conference have gone through the selfevaluation process; Hillview might want to consider this. Has been very active this past year, providing training opportunities throughout the Conference. They proposed several Legislative Items at Annual Conference, concentrating on divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Most of those items passed. Karen McAlister has been an active member on the Task Force. Extreme Churches Out-of-the-box thinking on creative local church outreach was a focus during this Annual Conference. During the Awards Dinner, “extreme churches” that were using out- of-thebox outreach strategies were recognized. Next Year In 2016, General Conference is in Portland, Oregon, at the Convention Center on May 10-20. 1,000 volunteers are needed to help host the event. Annual Conference is scheduled to return to the Salem Convention Center on June 16-18. Jurisdictional Conference will be held July 13-16 in Scottsdale, Arizona. THE CONNECTOR Ice Cream Social Page 4 Lydia Circle Summer Schedule All are welcome to join us! The Purpose of UMW United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church. Save the date! Thursday, July 16 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to the annual UMW Ice Cream Social on July 16. In addition to the delicious ice cream, we will be treated to a special program performed by the children of the African Pentecostal Church. Aug. 4: Judy’s Ireland trip. July 7: Outdoor Prayer Hillview library, 9:30 a.m. Labyrinth—Ed Keene’s garden. Meet at Hillview for Aug.18: Nampa carpooling at 9:30 a.m. Warhawk Air Museum. Meet at Hillview for July 21: Vacation Bible School Preparation. Hillview carpooling at 12:30 p.m. library, 9:30 a.m. Coupons for the Marian Pritchett School UMW member Amanda Ballance is collecting only current, valid coupons for the Marian Pritchett School. It is a place where young girls and their babies live and learn. We are no longer collecting outdated coupons for the military. You can put your coupons in an envelope on the UMW bulletin board. Upcoming UMW Events Mission u Is Coming in July! Don’t forget the dates for the Mission u 2015 are July 23-26 at the Nazareth Retreat Center, Boise. Early registration will save you $15, so please turn in your registration before July 1. This opportunity to study and grow is not just for women, but for men and older youth too! The three areas of study are: Created for Happiness – Understanding Your Life in God Latin America –People and Faith Church and Peoples with Disabilities Information about the studies and registration forms for Mission u are on the UMW bulletin board in the Ballantyne hallway. Hillview UMW offers sponsorships. July 14: Lady Veterans Luncheon July 16: Ice Cream Social, 7 p.m. July 23-26: Mission u at the Nazarene Retreat Center VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015 Page 5 Camp News We have 15 kids attending various camping weeks in July at Camp Sawtooth and 2 more who will be counselors. Let’s put together gift boxes for each of the kids. NEEDED—17 SHOE BOXES and the following suggested items for what will be packed in them: cookies, comic books, small stuffed animals, candy, glow sticks, small cans of Pringles, flavored straws, fruit snacks, and anything else that would be appropriate for elementary age through high school age kids. If you would like to donate items for the boxes, please bring them in by July 2 and put them in the Camping box in the office. The boxes will be sent up with a parent on the Sunday that Camp starts and will be distributed to the kids during their week at Camp. If you would like to send the kids a note or card, those can be included in the boxes as well. Let’s let the kids know that we care and appreciate them! Remember our campers in prayer! July 5-11 Elementary camp: Brooke Fonnesbeck, Josh Gallas, Emily Sprague, Katie Ralls, and counselors Amory Zuchhero & Maraya Hanson. Middle school Camp: Malcolm Chambers, Hayden Fonnesbeck, Megan Gallas, & Colby Pittz July Greeter Schedule July 5th- Mike Teter, Gary Albright, Kim Custer July 12th- Amanda Ballance, Pam Linger, Ellie Flinn July 19th- Ursula Mardis, Debbie Mallis July 26th- Karen McAlister, Stan Rishel with Philip Carpentier, Arlene Worthington July 12-18 Elementary Camp: Arleigh Adams & Veronica Cook July 19-25 Sr. High Camp: Tyler Gallas, Annika Linguist, Jayne Marie Linguist, Nicole Pittz, & Amory Zuchhero July Community Meal on July 29 Come enjoy food and fellowship. Food and helping hands are needed and welcome. We need large side dishes, salads, and desserts that will go with BBQ fare (burgers—beef, turkey, veggie and hot dogs). Please see the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area to help with the meal. If you have questions, you can contact Marilesta Nelson at 375-5116. July Lunch Bunch The Lunch Bunch will meet on July 9 at Sizzler (459 N Cole Rd) at 11:30 a.m. Sign up in the Gathering Area. Come and join us for conversation and good food! THE CONNECTOR Summer Sunday School Sunday School for children preschool through 5th grade will be held during the services (after the Children’s Story) in Room 10. Youth will help out with the children on a rotating basis. Adult classes: Jesus & Java, meets in Room 11 at 11:10 a.m. Preacher’s Forum, meets in the sanctuary at 11:10 a.m. Lydia Circle’s Field Trip to the Botanical Garden Page 6 VBS Needs: Please Save Your Stuff! Here’s the “stuff” we need for VBS: 1. Plastic containers (with lids) from margarine, ice cream, yogurt, etc. (1 quart minimum size) 2. Old nylon stockings 3. Sawdust 4. Empty seed packets VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015 Page 7 Hillview Youth Group News by Claire Chambers Mark 4:30‐32 “The Parable of the Mustard Seed 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Youth Calendar for July Because of camps, mission trips and VBS, there will be no official Youth Meeting during July. July 5-11 Jr. High camp! July 11-18 Claire in San Diego with Meridian Methodist Youth July 19-25 Sr. High Camp This parable is the Bible verse for our mission trip with the theme “God’s love rules.” How is the kingdom of God like a mustard seed? Well, it started small for sure . . . but it grew very quickly. In preparation for our mission trip, we spent some time discussing what this parable means in light of what we are about to do: Go into Portland and help the food insecure and homeless. One youth responded with these words of wisdom: “What we are doing seems like a small thing to us—handing out socks, working at a food bank, gardening, giving out sandwiches and dog food. But to those we are doing these things for, it is a big thing.” And each little thing we do grows God’s kingdom on Earth. THE CONNECTOR Volunteer Opportunities for July *Sign up to help with VBS. *Help with the First Fruits garden plots. *Learn and prepare Sunday PowerPoint. (Thank you to Cece Angell, Sean Bettinger, Cyndy Jonsson, and Mike Teter!) *Learn the sound system. *Staff the PowerPoint clicker. *Become an usher. *Do sandwich prep for Saturday Sack Lunches. Page 8 Finger Food Potlucks Finance Report Finger food potlucks will continue on the first Sundays of July and August. January through May: Total income $136,187 On July 5 we will have one service at 10 a.m. and share finger foods following worship. Total expenses $122,207 $13,980 On August 2 we will get to share between services and after the 10 a.m. worship time. What should you bring? Food that can be eaten without utensils, such as sandwiches that have been quartered, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes (stuffed or plain), cheese and crackers, cookies, brownies, etc. *Be a second adult for Youth Group. *Visit the homebound. *Join the Prayer Chain. To volunteer for any of these things, call the All of our shared ministries (apportionments) are up to date. Please continue to support our ministry as you travel this summer. Consider electronic giving. (See page 9.) Thank you! Caregivers Support Group The next gathering of the Caregivers Support Group will be Saturday, July 4, at 10 a.m. in Room 6. A person who has been a caregiver will share experiences. If you are a caregiver or may become one in the future, please join us. Questions? Please call Jeannie Swenson at 323-0141. church office (375-0392). Come Play With Us Hillview has an active pinochle group that plays the second Saturday of every month at the church. The group takes turns being the host/hostess and is dedicated to fun and fellowship. (If you made a poor bid or play, no problem. It's all just for fun.) We are looking for people to be part of our group, either as a regular or as an occasional substitute. If you are interested, please call Darlene Smith at 376-5977 or Flora Walker at 869-0577. VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015 Page 9 New Electronic Giving Options Debut at Hillview UMC The Finance Committee at Hillview UMC wishes to inform the congregation of new options for giving. It is clear that the nature of transactions has changed dramatically in the last 5 to 15 years. Hillview recently addressed these changes by adding the ability to electronically contribute financially to the church. We are now aligned with a transaction processing company (VANCO) that has been vetted by the United Methodist Church as a national entity that offers state-of-the art security for these transactions. This means you have new options in the financial giving space. No changes are required, and all of the “old” giving options (like writing a check or placing cash into the offering plates during worship) are still available. The first option is already being used by some Hillview members, and that is known as “direct deposit.” This is a very low-cost way of having your pledge or your giving estimate move from your account to Hillview’s account electronically. This is set up to happen automatically, and it offers the church some desirable consistency in how income is received over the calendar year. This can be done online using the new giving "button" on Hillview's Web page. The church can also provide paper forms to you to put this in place if this sounds appealing. The second option is a giving “button” on Hillview’s Web page. This can accept credit or debit card transactions online with you being in control of how this transaction is accomplished. The Finance Committee is planning to have some information sessions on this in the coming months, or you can ask Curtis Kron or any of the Finance Committee members any questions you might have. These transactions have been designed to look like other online transactions you might be familiar with. They are secure transactions that go immediately to VANCO’s secure server. Credit and debit cards are what many Americans use when doing most of their shopping. Hillview is also adding this capability to be used during fund-raising events like Fall Festival, Easter Breakfast, or any other Hillview gatherings where financial transactions are taking place. By offering these new options to you at Hillview, we think we are now moving into the 21st century with these changes. But you need not make any changes at all, if that is your preference. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Finance Committee, or we encourage you to explore Hillview’s Web page (http:// hillviewmethodist.org/ ) and check out what’s new there. THANK YOU! THE CONNECTOR Trustees Happenings On May 25 the trustees picked up 80 red fabric-covered, cushioned chairs that were donated to Hillview by the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Meridian. Marilesta Nelson’s son is the chef at the hotel and he informed her that the hotel was getting new chairs and had chairs available for donation. We used these chairs at the May 27 Community Meal. Our thanks to the Marriott Hotel! During the last week of May the trustees converted the Hansen Wing men’s rest room into a family rest room with a baby changing station and additional grab bars to comply with the latest Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The rest room has a new family rest room sign in Braille for the sight-impaired and a Page 10 privacy lock to protect people who are using the rest room. Additional grab bars will be added the week of June 15 to the Hansen Wing women’s rest room to make it ADA-compliant as well. Just a note of information to all church members: the toilets in the women’s rest room closest to the Music Room and the Hansen Wing rest-rooms have high-profile toilets. Susan Ford made Braille signs for the library door, using her Braille typewriter and adhesive tape. Whether the library door is open or closed, it is identified for the sightimpaired. Mr. Mudd Concrete Corp. constructed a new handicap ramp at the east entrance to the church with demolition on Monday the 8th and placement of concrete on Wednesday the 10th of June. The yellow truncated dome tile is to identify for the sight-impaired that they are approaching a hazard area. The Memorial Fund will be used to pay for the rest room conversion and the handicap ramp. Sara Goodwin made two new church banners for the front entry to the church. They represent “ordinary” time or season. We would like to give special recognition to James from the Nature Company (7106 Ustick Rd., 323-4921)for the beautiful landscaping at the east entrance to the church. Refugee Gardens Wanted: An assistant for the coordinator of the Hillview Refugee Gardens. Requirements: Communication, computer skills, calling/mailing and coordination between groups. Some gardening experience is helpful as well as working with people of different backgrounds. Please contact Chris Carpentier (658-9190 or [email protected]), Kathy Tuttle (375-7748 or [email protected]), or Claudia at the church office (375-0392). VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015 Page 11 July 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed 16:00 Sermon Study 6:00 Praise Band 5 10:00 Worship Finger Food Brunch 1:00 African Church 4:00 Hispanic Church 12 8:30 Worship 10:00 Worship 11:15 Sunday School 1:00 African Church 4:00 Hispanic Church 198:30 Worship 10:00 Worship 11:15 Sunday School 1:00 African Church 4:00 Hispanic Church 268:30 Worship 10:00 Worship 11:15 Sunday School 1:00 African Church 4:00 Hispanic Church 62:00 Worship Planning 79:30 Lydia Circle 86:00 Sermon Field Trip Study 6:00 Praise Band Thu Fri 2 3 911:30 Lunch 10 Bunch at Sizzler 11:00 Sermon Study 9:30 Morning Book Group, Barnes & Noble 2:00 Worship Planning 6:30 p.m. Evening Book Group, Church 13 10:30 Lady Veterans Luncheon at Veterans Home 7:00 NA Group 7:00 Finance Committee 14 6:00 Sermon Study 6:00 Praise Band 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 29 30 31 2:00 Worship 9:30 Lydia Planning Circle 7:00 Congregational Care 7:00 SPRC 7:00 Trustees 7:00 NA Group 27 2:00 Worship Planning 28 11:00 Sermon Study 6:00 Praise Band 6:00 Sermon Study 6:00 Praise Band Sat 410:00 Caregivers Support Group, Rm .6 11 8:00-4:00 African Church 8:00 Men’s b-fast, Moon’s Café 18 10:30 Whitney Sack Lunch Program 25 Jared & Adriana’s Wedding! 5:00 p.m. Vacation Bible School—Hillview Farm: 9:00 a.m.-noon Please remember to call the church office with any scheduling requests or changes. Just because a day may look available on the calendar, it does not mean that it is! This is our church calendar. We have not included Boy Scout activities, Preschool, outside groups, Fit and Fall-proof, and other activities. Please be considerate and flexible with room use. Hillview United Methodist Church Staff Pastor Brenda Sene [email protected] Administrative Assistant Claudia Flora [email protected] Music Director Leigh Falconer [email protected] Youth Director Claire Chambers [email protected] Custodian Mariya Gavrilutsa Nursery Director Peggy Sheldon [email protected] Office Hours: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. - noon, Friday We are a Reconciling Congregation, welcoming all persons into full participation in the life of the congregation regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, family configuration, racial or ethnic background, economic status, or mental or physical abilities. As we journey to the reconciliation of all persons as children of God, we celebrate our human family’s diversity. Hillview United Methodist Church 8525 Ustick Road Boise, Idaho 83704 208-375-0392 www.hillviewmethodist.org July 5 One Worship Service 10:00 a.m. followed by Finger Food Brunch Together with their families, Adriana Caloca and Jared Sene invite you to join them at the celebration of their wedding, Saturday, the twenty-fifth of July, two thousand fifteen, at five o’clock in the evening. The Bishops’ House, 2420 E. Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise Reception to follow. RSVP@ theknot.com~Jared & Adriana
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