1. family and parenting
2. children

January 2015 | Vol. 61, No. 1
THE SPIRE
A Community of Grace
Pastors
Rev. Norwood V. Brown, III
Pastor/Head of Staff
My Dear Friends,
The Importance of Being Grateful…
[email protected]
Rev. Dr. Ted M. Pierce
Associate Pastor
[email protected]
2014 was an outstanding year! Our preschool and parents day
out programs were amazingly successful. The children’s ministry
was creative and steady throughout the year. Youth ministry
welcomed Bobby Morgan as our new director and watched him
take off with exciting programs and ministry. In addition, Bobby
brought his beautiful wife Stacie and young daughter Mia into our community. Our outreach
efforts touched and changed lives in our neighborhood, city and world. The Deacons helped
shape us so that we better care for one another.
I am so very grateful for the Rolling Hills congregation. Your encouragement and support of
time, talents and treasures make us a more vibrant and vital Community of Grace. Throughout
the year, we asked you:
Worship Schedule
9:00 & 10:15 AM
Traditional Worship
Adult Education
Nursery and Preschool classes
- to support the work of your church with your treasures so that we could meet our financial
obligations, and you did;
- to give your time to help our ministries be more effective, and you did;
- to share your talents so that we may be more significant with our ministry impact,
and you did.
9:30 AM
Celebration Choir for
Grades K-5
Youth Choir for Grades 6-12
10:15 AM
President John F. Kennedy reminded us, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who
make a difference in our lives.” With this in mind, I am thankful for each member and
participant in the life of church. Truly, Rolling Hills is a great church.
Youth Church School
* Children start in the Sanctuary
and go to Church School
following A Time for Children
Nursery available both hours.
Please know that my prayers are with you as we welcome a new year.
Happy New Year,
Rev. Ted Said...
“Do You Know?”
Church & Society 2014 Update and 2015
Initiatives
The Church & Society
Committee is grateful for your
support of our efforts to benefit
both local and international need.
2014 Update:
Initiatives for 2015:
• San Gregorio: The Church &
Congratulations and thank you to RHC for your support for the
Church & Society Committee initiatives during 2014. Here are
the highlights of this year’s efforts.
Society Committee will coordinate
one more trip to San Gregorio,
with a focus on building a church
Rev Ted Pierce
for the community to worship. More
details to follow!
• Adult Mission Trip: In January 2015, Church &
Society will hold exploratory meetings and information
sessions to determine interest for a domestic adult
mission trip for spring or early summer of 2015. We
want to provide an opportunity for mission work both
domestically and internationally. The need is
everywhere.
• Volunteer Team: Would you like to volunteer at the
Village Food Pantry and Clothes Closet with other
Rolling Hills members? Beginning in January, the
Church & Society Committee is coordinating a
volunteer team to sort donations and stock shelves from
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every fourth Saturday of the month.
Our efforts will make it possible for eligible families to
easily select from the packaged and fresh food, clothing
and household items available. Please join us and make
this a regular part of the RHC community programs.
If you would like to sign up for Saturday, January 24,
please contact Cindy Brendzel at 917-881-8741 or email
at [email protected]. The Village Food Pantry and
Clothes Closet is located at 6641 Mission Road in Prairie
Village.
Do you know?
• Earth Care Congregation: As a result of the Green
Team efforts, RHC earned the Earth Care Congregation
designation for the third year in a row. We are making a
difference.
• Dirt Devils: The Dirt Devils planted, nurtured, and reaped
189 pounds of vegetables from our garden. All of this bounty
was donated to the Village Food Pantry to provide those in
need with fresh vegetables.
• Bees: Our bees were very "beezy" over the summer and
produced a hive full of honey. Kim and Dan Penner
harvested and bottled over 50 jars of honey, which you
purchased before Thanksgiving. As a result of your
generosity, the $540 proceeds from honey sales will be donated
to the Village Food Pantry to support their program. Therefore
all food and proceeds generated from our RHC land is
designated for the benefit of the Village Food Pantry.
• Coffee: With a September rollout and your coffee purchases
this fall and early winter, RHC has purchased $1,545 worth of
coffee from Transformational Journeys. These funds support
the Guatemala Coffee Cooperative, which positively affects
the lives of our friends in San Gregorio Guatemala. The coffee
will continue to be available so we encourage all RHC
members to enjoy our Guatemala coffee each morning.
• Scholarship Cards: RHC has been so very generous to
purchase $3,370 worth of Guatemala Scholarship Christmas
cards. As you know, these funds will allow our San Gregorio
children to advance their education beyond the state funded
sixth grade. These cards will continue to be available after the
new year, but with a blank area for your own message.
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
Now you know what your Church & Society
Committee is doing and where they are going.
Drew Masters and
Reverend Ted Pierce
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Outreach
The continuing generosity of Rolling Hills has come
through again with FOOD! The Outreach Committee
is proud to say that 300 plus bags of food were given
to Operation Breakthrough, Della Lamb and the
Village Food Pantry in November. This helped
stock the food banks, which provided meals for the
Thanksgiving holiday and beyond for more than 2000
people in our area. In addition, through monetary
donations, we were able to give $1,016.53 to each of
the three organizations.
The Outreach and Mission Committee would like to
thank all of those who volunteered their time to sort
the food and for those who drove to deliver the bags.
A special thank you goes out to Emily Jennings for
organizing the Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Kaleidoscope
Our former Spiritual Nurture Dinners will now be known as Kaleidoscope.
Just as a kaleidoscope creates a continual changing pattern of shapes and
colors through multiple reflection, we will be covering a multitude of topics
to discuss and reflect upon.
Mark your calendars for our first Kaleidoscope of the year on
January 21, at 5:30 p.m. featuring Karen Gonzalez, an Olathe mother and
nurse, and her daughter, Bianca. We will learn how this family overcame
adversity, through nine years of faith, perseverance and love. Karen
Gonzalez has spoken nationally and written a book on her family’s ordeal
when her daughter Bianca’s traumatic head injury left her in a coma for a
year. Karen and Bianca will talk about their remarkable journey.
On January 28, Lisa Pinkser, MA, health educator and
mindfulness coach in Kansas City will talk about mindfulness based stress
reduction and lead us through an interactive exercise. Lisa has trained with
Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of medicine and creator of the Stress Reduction
Clinic and Center for Mindfullness in Medicaine, Health Care, and Society,
in MBSR through UMass Medical School.
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
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The Final Spiritual Nurture Dinner of 2014
Announcements
CPR Classes Return in January
Thursday Morning Bible Study
CPR For Seniors:
Tuesday, January 20, 1-3 p.m. This class was first
offered last fall and is designed for seniors who would
not physically be able to take the full CPR
certification class or prefer to just know the basics to
care for a loved one in the case of an emergency
cardiac arrest in the home.
CPR Heartsaver/AED Certification Class:
Thursday, January 22, 7-9:30 p.m. This class includes
adult, child, and infant CPR, the choking maneuver and
use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
“Scriptures of Hope for Presbyterians”
Dr. Young’s Thursday morning Bible study
resumes on Thursday, January 8. Each class stands
alone, so that you can attend when your calendar
permits, without feeling like you’ve missed
necessary information for that class.
The class meets in the Fireside Room from 10 to 11 a.m.
and the format is a presentation by Dr. Young followed
by discussion of the scriptures for the day. The winter
segment will look at “Scriptures of Hope for Presbyterians”. We will look at scriptures that guide and challenge
our faith in these difficult and confusing days. This is a
six week course that will meet January 8, 15, 22, 29 and
February 5 and 12.
Information and the opportunity to sign up for either
class will be available in the Narthex between services
on Sunday, January 11. Questions? Call Mary Longley
913-649-1815.
Thank You!
Many thanks to the 20 Rolling Hills volunteers who
helped the families shopping at the Johnson County
Christmas Bureau. You made a difference!
A Gathering of Men
Our next meeting will be held January 11 (second
Saturday of each month) from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. featuring
Kenn Miller, the Heart of America Council Scout
Executive.
Inclement Weather Policy
It's that time of year when weather and road conditions
may turn bad. Rolling Hills has no policy for office
closing or meeting cancelations. In general it is our
practice to have the office open regardless of weather.
Individual staff members are asked to determine for
themselves the road conditions between their homes
and the office to determine if they can safely report to
work. We ask that you do the same for Sunday
Worship. If you do not feel that it is safe for you to be
on the roads, you may watch our 10:15 a.m. service live
by going to our website www.thespire.org and clicking
the Worship tab.
As the Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Kenn provides
leadership to an organization that brings Scouting to
more than 47,600 youth members through the work of
more than 18,500 adult volunteers in a 19 county region
in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Miller comes to Kansas City with 26 years of experience
as an executive for the Boy Scouts of America. Most
recently he was based in Chicago and served as the
Deputy Regional Director for the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America. Kenn is a Member of Rolling
Hills Church, serving on the Communications Committee
and his wife, Laura serves on the Outreach Committee.
The Rolling Hills Preschool and MDO follow the
Shawnee Mission School District for weather related
closings.
You won't want to miss the behind the scene looks at
scouting in the 21st century – the good and the
challenges.
Church Directory
Please be a part of our new Church Family Photo
Directory. We need YOU to make our photo album
complete! We are partnering with Lifetouch again for
professional photography to better connect us and tell
our Rolling Hills story. You may sign up online by
going to the Rolling Hills website: www.thespire.org
Shalom House
Thank you to Bobby Morgan and the Rolling Hills
Youth for providing the December dinner for the men
at Shalom House.
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
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MUSIC
Friends of Music and the Arts
The Kansas City Chorale performed at Rolling
Hills on December 12 to a sold out crowd.
Thank you to the Rolling Hills Friends of
Music and Arts for hosting a beautiful
reception following the concert!
Welcome New Members!
Melissa and Paul Hemenway
Isabella, Emma and Jackson
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
Andy, Cate and Paxton Short
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Children
Celebration Choir
Messy Mania
Mom Squad
4th and 5th grade Fellowship
Celebration Choir meets from 9:30 until 10 a.m.
each week. They share their gift of singing with the
congregation the second Sunday of each month
during the school year. Thank you to all of our
sweet singers who participate in our choir. Also, a
BIG thank you to our lovely choir directors, Becky
Lloyd and Barbara Meyer, you are amazing!
Please add these Mom Squad dates to your calendar
and plan to come have some laughs with your RH
friends!
Jan. 15: La Bodega (119th and Roe) at 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 16: Nordstrom’s Café (Oak Park Mall) at
6:30 p.m.
April 16: BRGR (Corinth Square) at 6:30 p.m.
May 16: Black Dog Coffee House
(87th & Rosehill) at 9:30 a.m.
Come get MESSY! Join us in the Children's
Center on January 25 after the 10:15 a.m.
service. Mad Science will be here for a messy
presentation. Please feel free to wear clothes you
can get messy to church that morning. Invite
your friends and family for our Messy Mania.
RSVP to [email protected] by January 21.
Join us in the Children’s Center for food, friends
and fellowship! We meet from 11:15 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. Here are our upcoming dates:
Jan. 11: Don’t be bored! Come play board
games with us!
Feb. 8: Spread some Rolling Hills love
March 8: Cupcake wars!
Youth
January 4: Youth Parent Meeting
11:30 a.m. Do you have questions about youth ministry? Have you
met our new director of youth ministry, Bobby Morgan? Meet and talk
with Bobby and learn about upcoming events and ways you can get
involved with youth. Make plans to join us at Rolling Hills Church in
Rooms C and D, just down the hall from the Fireside Room. There will
be a Q and A session to conclude our time together, so make sure you
bring questions with you. Bobby is looking forward to meeting with all
of you!
Srs Progressive Dinner
January 24 - 25: 8th Grade Confirmation Lock-In
6 p.m. Saturday - 10 a.m Sunday at RH. What have you learned in
confirmation so far? What questions do you still have?
Confirmation students are invited to attend this lock-in for these
answers and more. Don't miss this opportunity to join together and eat
tons of food, play games, and enjoy a message from a special guest!
Plus, on Sunday morning, we will eat breakfast and attend church as a
group. More details coming soon! Parents should watch for a SignUp
Genius email requesting help with breakfast.
Jrs Progressive Dinner
Study Hall
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
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Rolling Hills 2014, What A Year it was!
WWW.THESPIRE.ORG
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Susan Spence
PASTORS
Norwood V. Brown, III,
Pastor/Head of Staff
[email protected]
Ted M. Pierce,
Associate Pastor
[email protected]
Communications/Marketing
Consultant
[email protected]
MUSIC
Charles Bruffy
ADMINISTRATION
Margaret Nichols
MINISTRIES
Gene Augustine
Steven McDonald
Business Director
[email protected]
Theologian In Residence
Randy Payne
Facilities Manager
Parish Associate
[email protected]
Kelli Kaufman, CPA
Bobby Morgan
Co-Director,Children’s Ministries
[email protected]
Amy Hopkins
Office Coordinator
[email protected]
M-Th: 8:00-4:30p
F: 8:00-12:00n
Su: 8:00-12:00n
Find Us
9300 Nall Avenue
Overland Park, KS
66207
www.thespire.org
Associate Director of Music,
Youth Choir Director
[email protected]
Jessie Burkhalter
Patrice Sollenberger
Patrice Sollenberger
Director, Youth Ministries
[email protected]
Financial Assistant
[email protected]
Co-Director,Children’s Ministries
[email protected]
Call Us
913 642-9100 main
913 642-1732 fax
913 642-8525
(preschool MDO)
Director of Music
[email protected]
Organist
Tom Young
Andrea Edgeller
Director
[email protected]
Melina Bland
[email protected]
Visit Us
MDO/PRESCHOOL
Arlys Tarwater
Clergy Assistant
[email protected]
Rebecca Lloyd
Barbara Meyer
Co-Directors
Celebration Choir
Jessie Burkhalter
Director
Cherub Choir
Email & Facebook
[email protected]
(general mailbox)
Rolling Hills
Presbyterian Church