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College Hill Presbyterian Church
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We are experimenting with a new Constant Contact format developed specifically for those who read their emails on smart phones or pads. It looks like it will be easier to read. Your feedback is much-appreciated!
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712 S. Columbia Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
918.592.5800
Church Office Hours:
Mon - Th, 9 am - 3 pm
Closed on Fridays
Worship Schedule:
9:30 am - Church School - all ages
10:30 am - Fellowship
11:00 am - Worship in English
11:00 am - Worship in Spanish
Church Email:
Pastor Email:
Website:
Join us for coffee, juice, cookies and
conversation in Fellowship Hall before
Church School and Worship.
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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 Fuller (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!
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Thank you!
College Hill's dedicated support for the
Kendall-Whittier
neighborhood is making a huge difference in the lives of many.
We
collected
$680.00
during our recent
5th Sunday Offering,
that will be used to buy
school uniforms
for Kendall-Whittier Elementary students.
Our
Outreach & Mission Ministry Team
also helped fund the
Annual Kendall-Whittier
4th of July Parade
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Brooklyn Featherston & Aubrey Hovenga
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Danielle and Ryan Hovenga,
with Bryson Featherston
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(from left) Marilyn Hill, Charlotte Bronston, Marianne Stambaugh and Barb Nole
volunteered during the parade.
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Donovan Hamilton's
90th Birthday Celebration
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College Hill Family Fellowship
Pool Party - Oaks Country Club
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I often use the qualifier “progressive” when speaking about the social and theological perspective of Christianity that we relate to here at College Hill.
As befits
progressive Christianity itself, there is no one definition. However, there are some basic characteristics. As expressed in our Church Brochure (that you can find on our church website under “Who We Are”):
- Willingness to question tradition, including orthodox understandings of church doctrine and biblical interpretation
- Respect of intellectual integrity, including the use of the latest in biblical and scientific knowledge and understanding
- Acceptance and affirmation of human diversity – a ministry of hospitality and inclusiveness
- Strong emphasis on ministries to promote social justice, peace, and care of the environment and all of God’s good creatio
- Centrality of the commandment to “love one another” – a ministry of compassion
- Outreach to those for whom organized religion has proved ineffectual, irrelevant, or repressive
- A life of faith is approached as a journey, not a destination
On Sunday, August 7, I will be preaching a sermon entitled “
Faith: It’s More About Trust Than Beliefs.” I will reference a brand new book by Peter Enns,
The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our “Correct” Beliefs. He writes:
- When did being “right” with God come to mean believing the right things about God—believing the right doctrines, reading the Bible the right way, holding the right views? For many Christians, this idea is at the very center of their religious lives. And that’s a problem. Because this focus on being correct can actually distract us from faith and from God. What happens when the security of “knowing what you believe” gets disrupted—as it does sooner or later? What if once-settled questions—like “What is God really like?”—suddenly become unsettled?
Know that I am always open to conversations with anyone in the congregation who would like to visit with me personally about faith or theological matters.
Blessings,
Rev. Todd Freeman
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You will see this sign in our narthex starting Sunday, August 7
We have just installed a
Hearing Loop system
in our sanctuary!
(It's made of copper wire running underneath the carpet
around the outside of the pews.)
It's simple, switch the hearing aid
to the "T-coil" mode. There will also be earphone sets for those without T-coil technology.
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Sunday, August 14
The Celtic Circle was formed three years ago as part of the College Hill small groups program. The Circle gathers quarterly to discuss various aspects of spirituality from the Celtic traditions. The programs are intended to help the participants develop a closer spiritual connection to the Divine found throughout all of Creation.
We have scheduled an extra gathering in the Adult Church School room immediately following worship. This will be a celebration of harvest and the end of summer. In addition to the changing seasons, we will be discussing letting go of things that are no longer needed in our lives.
The program will last 30-45 minutes. This might be the perfect opportunity to see if the Celtic traditions speak to you without investing an entire evening. (Click name to) contact Mark Miller if you have any question about the Celtic Circle or this gathering.
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To welcome everyone back from summer vacation, we’ll have our
Game Night
in
Fellowship Hall
for everyone to enjoy! If you like playing cards, dominoes or board games, then plan to join us for a fun night of fellowship!
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! We look forward to seeing you there!
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Potluck Luncheon &
DF7O8 Sign Up
Sunday, August 28 after worship
Our
Fellowship Ministry Team
is hosting a
"Meal Mix Up" Potluck Luncheon
in Fellowship Hall to launch the Dinners for
7 or 8 (DF7O8).
Everyone is welcome
- p
lease bring a dish to share
.
Dinners for 7 or 8
(DF7O8) is a great way to connect and get involved in the life of the church. Dinners can be held in the home or at a restaurant and you have the option to sign up as a
Host
or a
Guest
- or both! If you know of new members that might be interested encourage them to
sign up
as well.
Please
click on the link below
to complete the registration form and return to the church office or (click name to) contact
Clay Finck-Ward
.
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Generating Hope Overseas
As part of our outreach efforts, College Hill supports JustHope's revitalization and poverty elimination efforts in Chacraseca, Nicaragua. You might recall the tiles we made and sent to their cultural center. We funded two micro banks with JustHope, and we get updates from the women that are now independent, thanks to our micro loans. JustHope has many programs that we don't currently support directly. One of them is a new Model Farm.
Aimed at compensating for a growing season lost to global warming, the model farm provides resident farmers ways to experiment with growing techniques and new types of seeds.
Click here for their latest newsletter article, where you can read about JustHope's farm and how they will be beginning the science soon.
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Thursday, August 18 at noon
Luncheon Club meets the third Thursday of the month in Fellowship Hall.
Join us for great food, fellowship and fun!
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Visit our Facebook page for
more photos!
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The Chancel Choir of College Hill Presbyterian Church rehearses Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. in the second story choral room (next to the church office) for singing, fellowship and fun!
We are in recess (rehearsals) until Wednesday, August 10.
If you are a singer and would like to sing with the Chancel Choir, we are welcoming new members for the upcoming season. Please contact Kim Childs, our Director of Music.
Solo and Ensembles (instrumentalists and vocalists) will be presenting music during summer Sunday services through
Sunday, August 7.
BELLISSIMO HANDBELL ENSEMBLE
BELLissimo Handbell Ensemble of College Hill Presbyterian Church has bell-ringing rehearsals Wednesdays 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.
The ensemble is in summer recess from until Wednesday, August 10.
Dr. Kim J. Childs, Director of Music
Mike Gibson, Organist
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Have You Completed
the Survey?
If you did not get a chance to complete the
Congregational Care Ministry Team's recent
survey, please click the link below.
We completed this survey several years ago. but have many new members and you might want to change what you put on the last survey.
As a church family, we all take care of each other. We all have different likes, strengths and time constraints which allow us to participate differently in the
care of others - from providing transportation, to hospital visitation, to writing cards, making phone calls, etc.
It only takes about 5 minutes to complete the survey and will help the Congregational Care Team better minister to the whole congregation.
Please click below to
download.
Completed surveys can be returned to Marilyn Hill or to the church office.
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Penny Fund Donations Welcome
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!
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Book Club
Sunday, August 21
Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel
by
J. Ryan Stradal
Selected by one of College Hill’s own librarians, Rebecca Howard, as one of her favorite reads of 2015, calling it “quirky, heartfelt, and surprising.” Many stories are weaved in and out of one another, centered around Eva Thorvald, a misfit Midwestern girl with a special talent. School Library Journal deemed it “a very special novel most readers will hate to see end” and Rebecca described it as “an unusual novel that is part ‘Like Water for Chocolate,” part ‘Peace Like a River,’ but altogether original.” Kitchens of the Great Midwest appears to have the perfect ingredients for a tasty read and delectable discussion at Book Club!
Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel
by J. Ryan Stradal 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).
Please (click name to) contact Fritha Ohlson if you are interested in more information about Book Club.
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Openarms Youth Project Meal
Thursday, August 25
Outreach & Mission
Ministry Team will be serving the
meal at
Openarms Youth Project.
Click here to go to
www.openarmsproject.or
g to learn more.
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Something for the Spirit
6 Ways to Create Your Own Sabbath
by Ellen Debenport, 7-19-16
The idea of a Sabbath is built into most of the world's religions. It's one of the Ten Commandments. The non-religious definition of "Sabbath" is simply a day of rest. Are you allowing a day of rest into your weeks?
"'Remember the Sabbath' is not simply a lifestyle suggestion. It is a time for sacred rest; a time to cease all mental and physical activity and let God be God in us. . . It is more than the absence of work – it is an inner knowing and faith that we have done our part and now we rest in the notion that God will do God’s part.” - Wayne Muller from his book Sabbath.
Debenport’s list includes things like a time of silence, exploring nature, putting away electronic devices for a “screen-free day."
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2016 Birthday Endowment Fund
A meaningful way to celebrate your Birthday this year 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. Checks can be made payable to College Hill and marked "Birthday Fund" on the memo portion of the check.
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Search for New
Church Treasurer
As you probably know, our church treasurer of 25 years, Mike Evanson, is stepping down at the end of this year. According to the Book of Order, the Session must appoint a Treasurer from the congregation. This person does not need to be an accountant. We may need to hire an accountant to do the budget reporting and keep the accounting records that Mike does if we don’t have a volunteer from the congregation who can do that.
The Treasurer will need to work closely with the service, if we need to hire one, and with Lisa Hays, our Office Administrator.
If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer position, or feel called to serve in this capacity, please (click name to) contact Johnna Thurston.
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1st Sunday Food Collection - KWI
August 7
Our
First Sunday food collection will go to the
Kendall-Whittier, Inc. Emergency Food Pantry.
Current needs include canned vegetables and canned fruit, as well as other non-perishable food items.
Cash donations are also welcome!
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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 still 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.
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College Hill Mission Statement
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~ Build an inclusive community of faith
~ Receive and openly share the love of God
~ Reach out with a compassionate voice for peace and justice
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STAY CONNECTED
View Photos and upcoming events on our Facebook page!
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College Hill Presbyterian Church | 712 S. Columbia Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104
Rev. Todd Freeman, Pastor
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