THE WINDOW SEPTEMBER 2015

Transcription

1 THE WINDOW SEPTEMBER 2015 ANDERSON HILLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) The Extreme Makeover crew, formerly known as the AHCC Painting Task Force, has been working on our church building lately, refreshing rooms in the education wing with new paint and new ceilings. We have a lot more work to do, and we need your help. Besides painting, we want to replace tired old light fixtures and add carpeting. The fellowship hall needs a fresh coat of paint (this will be done by a professional painter), and all of the rooms need curtains. All of this work requires two major things: volunteers to do the work, and money! We have set a goal of raising $3000 to pay for the necessary supplies and we need to be able to schedule volunteers for painting, installing carpet squares, and curtain making. Please pray about what you may do to help move this effort forward, and then join the EMCE team today! Inside this issue: Pastor s Note 2 Prayer Requests 3 Moderator Morsels 4 Socks & Underwear Drive 5 Serving in September 7 Birthdays/Anniversaries 7 September Dates 8

2 Page 2 From my heart This month I m using this space to share part of what Pastor Zorn wrote for LCR s newsletter. He ed it out to everyone participating in the meetings mentioned below, AHCC is one of the nine participating congregations. Pastor Zorn is graciously allowing us to use what he wrote saying, No sense re-inventing the wheel! Sean Riffle and I attended the second meeting and Sean attended the third. Please pay special attention to the information and invitation in the red box at the bottom of this page. Blessings, Rev. Nancy Reflecting On Racism "It s not hard to fume at the thought of the killer of Mother Emanuel s Nine. And it feels good to click like and share posts calling for the removal of Confederate flags. But if we stop there, bias beats us. It is the unconscious biases of the masses that keep us from moving forward, not the explicit biases of the few." Lisa Sharon Harper, Sojourners magazine, September/October, 2015, p.14 "It is the unconscious biases of the masses that keep us from moving forward, not the explicit biases of the few." I own that statement! We all do! I am convicted by the sin of my bias! We all are! And therefore, I believe that it is necessary that we carry on the difficult and sensitive conversations about racism and bring education, awareness, compassion, and welcome to LCR and the Anderson Township community! Silence condones. Action transforms. [I believe AHCC would agree with his sentiments.]...a number of our members [LCR] thought it was important to converse about racism. I asked those members to meet with me. Some of them asked if they could bring some friends who were members of other churches. This got me to thinking about those 21 congregations that signed the Declaration of Christian Unity after the swastika event in our community in 1998, so I invited them into the conversation as well. To date, we ve had three meetings to brainstorm the issue. Nine congregations have been represented among the twenty people who have participated in the conversations. Recognizing the need for African American voice and the sparsity of such in our community, we have reached out beyond Anderson Township. We are in the process of putting together a "program" for Anderson Township in hopes of educating, raising awareness, and making our community more welcoming and tolerant. Greater Anderson Promotes Peace has joined in our efforts. Our first event will be a film screening and discussion of the documentary Slavery by Another Name on Tuesday, October 6 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at LCR. The documentary tells the history of a new system of "slavery" that took place in the South after the Emancipation Proclamation and through the time of World War II.

3 Page 3 Prayers for Tom Braswell Braxton Lindloff and family Linda Cary s Father Robert Tincher Fran Bally Wilbur Buck Jim McSorley Bob Snap & Family Russ and Gail Halsey Jeff Tincher Joys Heather Nichols Kurtis Thomas Lauren VanDierendonck Nik and Eunice Donges Cleveland James The Payne & Riffle Families Reconciliation Ministry Special Offering SCHOOL YARDS NOT PRISON YARDS. This year's theme, #ReconciliationGeneration: School Yards Not Prison Yards, is undergirded by Psalm 78 which reminds us of God's steadfast blessings in our past and present, and God's faithfulness toward restorative justice. God's unfathomable grace toward each of us informs our courage to impact future generations for Christ's shalom. As the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ,) we are committed to addressing racism as a sin and restoring all of God's children to the fullness of their humanity.

4 Page 4 Moderator Morsels Happy September! Our new church year is in full swing and I m excited for it to unfold. Thank you for entrusting me for another year as your Moderator. I assure you that I do not take it lightly and will do what I can to prayerfully support the positive change that is happening at Anderson Hills Christian Church. DID YOU KNOW? We had a GREAT church picnic on August 8! My family and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone in attendance. A Worship Team has been formed and has had a few meetings. Our Youth have been cared for during the summer months through some great Children s Moments from Barb Moore and a loyal group of Junior Worship teachers who have provided lessons and activities for our preschool and elementary-aged kids. Our church building has been getting a beautiful facelift if you haven t already, take a stroll around and see the fresh paint in several of the rooms. The building is looking great and I know more is to come! The new AHCC Board met on August 10 and had a productive first meeting. In addition to the regular reports and business, here are some of the actions from that meeting: The Board voted that the area of communication will fall under the Administration Team (rather than the Ministry Team) for the time being. This means that the Admin Team will be responsible for overseeing this area. The hope is that this will help our overall communication efforts to flourish. The Board voted to reaffirm the Transition Team s role as the logical and stated part of the AHCC transition process. The Board also voted for this team to take a look at the current structure of our church and to make appropriate suggestions to better fit the times and the number of participating people including recommending to the Board potential changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. The new members of the Administration and Ministry teams were approved: Administration Team Steve Brinker Nancy Martin Sean Riffle Karen Serenil Greg VanDierendonck Ministry Team Eunice Donges Chris Eichorn Josh Haney Kim Kazee* Brian Lee Susan Smith *Kim agreed to serve on this team after the Board met; the Board will officially approve her at the October meeting. Scott Shellabarger, our new Vice-Moderator, and I are looking forward to serving together this year. Our plan is for him to assist with the Admin Team and for me to work with the Ministry Team, while keeping each other updated on important issues and happenings. Please come talk to us or to Rev. Nancy if you have questions about anything. And don t forget to GET INVOLVED! Joy and Hope, Katy Lee, Moderator

5 Page 5 Disciples Women All women of AHCC and friends are invited to the first DW meeting of the new church year. The September meeting of Disciples Women will meet on Wednesday, September 9. Come at 7:00 p.m. for food, fellowship and Bible Study. Disciples Women usually meets the second Wednesday of the month. Although for most meetings there is a snack and a beverage, this month s kick-off meeting will be a Bring-a-dish supper, and the theme is International Food. If questions, call Susan Smith Socks and Underwear Drive Disciples Women are collecting any final donations of Socks or Underwear on Sunday, September 6th. Our collections started out slow but have been increasing in the past couple weeks. Currently we have 379 items with a goal of 500 items! Something so simple that a lot of us take for granted is a huge need for others that just don t have the means to purchase, so please help us to help others. There is a basket in the Narthex designated for the garments. After Sunday September 6th, the items will be taken to City Gospel Mission where they will be distributed as needed. As always we thank our AHCC family for their big hearts. The Disciples Women Group will be partnering with our AHCC youth in September to collect much needed items for IPM. IPM is located in Newtown and supports our surrounding community with food, personal care items and clothing that otherwise some families would have to go without. There is also a need for new or gently used children's clothing and shoes. Please help us to support this effort by bringing in items on the list or other items you think would be helpful. We will collect through September and then personally deliver the items to IPM. Thankyou in advance for your generosity! Critical Needs Lists FOOD ITEMS Canned tomato products Canned Chunky and or Progresso soups Pasta, - other than (spaghetti) NON-FOOD ITEMS Tooth paste and tooth brushes Soaps and/or shower gels Laundry detergent Macaroni & Cheese

6 Page 6 Adult Bible Study Starting, Sunday Sept 6 9:30 am Contact Sean Riffle for details New Address Jim and Bonnie Hackney 5289 Mesa Del Oso Drive NE Albuquerque, NM Cleveland James Born Aug 18 weighing 7 lb. 11 oz. Son of Patricia Schimmel-Doerr & Trey Reese Grandson of Heather Schimmel & Michael Doerr AHCC walking Club Tuesdays at at locations announced weekly. We typically walk for an hour and we will meet at different trails/parks in the Anderson and Clermont County area each week. This is a great way to get to know each other a little better while getting in some good exercise. For additional information you can contact Laurie VanDierendonck at Your supporters (12 households) who shopped at Cincinnati Krogers between May 2015 and July 2015 (Cycle 4, Qtr 1) have contributed $ total donation to your church. Thank you for listing AHCC # for your Kroger Community Rewards. IPM Mobile Pantry at AHCC Wed. Oct 7 9am noon Volunteers always needed September is Hunger Action Month Inter Parish Ministry is joining other food pantries throughout the nation and Feeding America and asking everyone to fight hunger this September during Hunger Action Month. Inter Parish Ministry is working to make a lasting impact on hunger through various community activities including a dine-in day at Buffalo Wild Wings in Milford and Anderson on September 29 th, food drives at businesses in the community and on Wear Orange Day, September 3 rd. Further details will be available on IPM s website, Inter Parish Ministry has been fighting hunger in your community for more than 50 years! During the first half of this year IPM has served more than 2000 families with food, clothing and other support programs. You can be a part of this fight by advocating and raising awareness, making donations or volunteering. Your support to help fight hunger will make a lasting impression and bring hope.

7 Serving in September... Page 7 Deacon and Fellowship Snack Schedule Worship Leaders Sept 6 - Katy Lee Sept 13 Worship Team Sept 20 Worship Team Sept 27 Worship Team Greeter Barb Henderson (all month) Preparers Sue Carter (all month) Tom Moore (9/6), Mary Heeney (9/13) Maureen Boeing (9/20 & 27) Usher Tammy Riffle (all month) Snack: Sue Carter (9/6), Mary Heeney (9/13) Barb Henderson (9/20), Tammy Riffle (9/27) Subs All Deacons should be prepared to sub Junior Worship Sept 6 th - Laurie VanDierendonck Sept 13 th Susan Smith Sept 20 th Jeanna Haney Sept 27 th - Children in Worship Today Elders Sept 6 th - Scott Shellabarger/ Gayle Roush Sept 13 th Gayle Roush/ Scott Shellabarger Sept 20 th Scott Shellabarger/ Susan Smith Sept 27 th Gayle Roush/ Scott Shellabarger ~Church Office Info~ Pastor Hours Rev. Nancy A. Eichorn s office hours will vary from week to week. Please check with her or call the church office for current hours. Secretary Hours Lynda s hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. If you would like your name removed from our Monthly Newsletter, please respond to this or call the church office at (513) , and we will promptly remove your name. If you would like to receive your newsletter in printed form, please let us know that, too. Thank you. ~AHCC Fellowship Hall Rentals~ Karate: Tuesday & Thursday 5:30 8:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 10:30 am. Contact Kim Webber at September Birthdays 9/3 Caleb Horner 9/5 Marcia Brownstein 9/22 John Heeney 9/25 Pennie Bally Sue Carter 9/29 Howard Brownstein Katy Lee September Anniversaries 9/8 Roland & Karen Serenil

8 Anderson Hills Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 8119 Clough Pike Cincinnati, OH Rev. Nancy A. Eichorn Interim Pastor Office Hours Lynda - Secretary T, W, Th 8:30 AM - 1 PM Join us on Sundays 10:30 AM Worship Junior Worship ~ Most Sundays September Dates Sept 1 Walking Club Sept 3 AL-ANON Sept 6 Adult Bible Study 9:30am Sept 8 Walking Club Sept 9 DW Meeting & Carry-In Dinner Sept 10 Transition Team 6:30 pm AL-ANON Sept 13 Adult Bible Study 9:30 am Administration Team 11:30 am Chi-Rho 5 pm Choir Sept 14 Cub scouts Pack 6:30 pm Sept 15 Walking Club Sept 17 AL-ANON Sept 20 Adult Bible Study 9:30 am Ministry Team 11:30 am Choir Sept 21 Cub scouts den 5:30 pm Elders Sept 22 Walking Club Sept 24 AL-ANON Sept 27 Adult Bible Study 9:30 am Chi-Rho 5 pm Choir Sept 28 Cub scouts den 5:30 pm Sept 29 Walking Club AHCC needs any new contact information We are gathering phone numbers, and address updates from our members. Send any changes to the AHCC office at ahccdoc@gmail.com, leave a message on the office phone or a note on the office desk. Next Board Meeting Monday, October 12 AHCC Building Rental and Weekly meetings *Tues Anderson Karate 5:30 pm 8 pm *Tues Walking Club (location TBA weekly) *Thurs Anderson Karate 5:30 pm 8 pm *Thurs AL-ANON *Sat Anderson Karate 9 am 10:30 am