N E W S L E T T E R O F H I L L T O P U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

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1 N E W S L E T T E R O F H I L L T O P U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H December 2017 Fear Not By Bob Scarborough So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 It s not easy to fear not; especially when you are an introvert at heart! What s my greatest fear? Public speaking, yes public speaking! Can you think of anything more traumatizing then getting up in front of a group and sharing a message, giving a speech, or communicating with intent to persuade? Eighteen months ago; I said yes to two of my friends at Hilltop, when they asked me to serve on Leadership Selection, & Development. Many thoughts entered my mind; I am too busy, Why me?, I do not have the experience, someone else would be much better, etc. Yet, below the surface is for me, what seems always to be at the heart of this introvert, is fear, yes; let me name the feeling - F E A R. It is a blessing to be a blessing! Each of us who serve on L S, & D (Deb Hale, Barry Welliver, Sandy McCormick, Pat Shaw, Jhuvie Hobbs, Skip Poole, myself, and Pastor Dennis as chair, per Book of Discipline) are blessed to be your servants striving to identify and develop strong leaders and teams for our key administrative committees- Staff Parish, Trustees, LS&D; Stewardship, & Finance. A key factor for congregational vitality is the quality and effectiveness of lay and clergy/staff leadership! So, to the slate of teams, individuals, and leaders that have said yes for the church year 2018; we want to say Thank You for saying yes to the LS&D team member that asked you to consider serving, and Fear Not, for God is with you! Not only is God with us during our journey at Hilltop as servants, but we will be strengthened, and God will help us as we are held up by a righteous right hand. I have (Continued on page 3)

2 Pastor s Musings Casting out Fear Pastor Dennis Shaw Senior Pastor pastor@ hilltopumchurch.org There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. - 1 John 4:18 ESV Fear is a natural element of the human condition. It is easy to utter the words fear not, but it is much more challenging to live out of an ethos that actually fears not. We are quick to turn fear into a Golden Calf, a Golden Calf that its flawed priests say worship and honor the God of Fear, because that God feeds a natural element of your humanness. As I said, it is after all a natural element of the human condition and wants to be fed. The Star Wars fictional character Yoda sees fear as leading to darkness in our souls: Fear is the path to the dark side fear leads to anger anger leads to hate hate leads to suffering. Jedi Master Yoda doesn t say a path he says the path. That is pretty absolute: the path. Jedi Master Dietrich Bonhoeffer is equally absolute calling fear the archenemy itself crouch[ing] in people s hearts. Again, the article is definite: the. I grew up in a Christian denomination that, I felt, operated from fear. Too often the theology was fire and brimstone, turn or burn. The overarching approach was often to use fear to rally us away from the dark side. I remember far fewer sermons on the idea of love being a superior, or at least an equal, countervailing, force against fear. Instead of trying to remind us of the force of perfect love, and bringing us to that, fear of hell or damnation was very often the key lens by which we were led to see the force of Jesus. Much of what drew me to John Wesley and the People Called Methodists is the idea of love made visible in Jesus. In the First Letter of John, we see this idea about striving towards perfection in love, because it leads to our fears, our natural human condition, being cast out. Cast out is the same phrase used to describe overcoming demonic possessions. If fear is The path to the dark side and The archenemy Christ is The force that leads us to perfection in love. I pray this is The gift you need in this season of anticipation. Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. - John 14:27 Selah, Pastor Dennis Pastor Dennis s Electronic Hangouts His sermons can be found at mantuan.podbean.com. You can read his thoughts at mantuan.blogspot.com. 2 Hilltop Highlights

3 Mother s Morning Out Mother s Morning Out Have you or someone you know, ever thought about trying MMO? Now is your chance! We are looking to start up second classes for our program and are looking for new students. We offer classes for children from 6 months to 3 years of age, our program is designed for kids who are not yet potty trained and not yet ready to start preschool. We currently have openings on Tuesday, Wednesday nursery, Thursday, and Friday. Please us with questions, tuition rates, or to schedule a private tour! We are also hiring qualified teachers for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings. Pay is $10/hr. Please your resume to mmo@hilltopumchurch.org if you are interested. Thanks! Fear Not (Continued from page 1) found that as my faith journey and spiritual life have grown, my personal and professional skills have also grown and believe strongly that for me, the introvert that I described above; there is a direct correlation between my spiritual and professional growth attributes. The purpose of Hilltop is to be a faith community where all people can belong, grow in their beliefs, and become disciples of Christ. Remember, walking alongside others to help, find, and fulfill their call goes by several names: mentoring, teaching, Christian coaching, encour- aging. Each of us on LS&D are committed to this walk with each of you. You have a fresh perspective and a word from God! We are here to support you as you explore your spiritual gifts, skills, and life experience at Hilltop. I can say that I am a learned extrovert, because of saying yes many times to folks on LS&D. Someone once said when looking in the rearview mirror, we see with 20/20 vision! For me, my life experience through serving in church communities has made all the difference in my level of confidence to serve in the community and business world. There was and is a direct correlation. December 2017/January

4 Music & Arts Ministry Fear Not By Donna Garbrecht Fear is classically defined as, an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined. Fear may be useful when we are faced with genuine danger that requires a boost of adrenaline and energy in order to escape to safety. Oftentimes our fears are triggered by overactive imaginations. In A Mid summer Night s Dream, Shakespeare writes, Or in the nigh, imagining some fear, how easy is a bush supposed a bear. Faith in God helps us deal with fear. Psalm 56:3 says, When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Isaiah 35:4 tells us to Tell everyone who is discouraged, be strong and don t be afraid, God is coming to your rescue. However, even the strongest of us have doubts and fears. When Jesus called Peter to walk on the water with him, Peter succumbed to fear and began to sink. This demonstrates that fear may feel all consuming, but faith helps us to rise above. The media seems to emphasize the negative and feed us with reasons to be afraid. Stories abound regarding problems involving the economy, environment, politics, crime rate, and natural disasters. It seems that these fear-producing stories dominate the headlines. But many of these things are out of our control. Fear and worry do not serve a useful purpose. When you suffer from irrational fear, remember the acronym False Expectations About Reality. Concerns of modern day life regarding finances, health, family, and relationships can overwhelm us, but faith can bring a calmness that enables us to deal rationally with our problems. As a Choir member, singing praises to God brings me solace. I have also found that quiet prayer helps calm my fears. On other occasions I have shared my uneasiness with someone in my church family. This works for me. We can find peace by knowing we are not alone. God can help lift the burdens of fear. Caroling to Shut-ins 4 Hilltop's annual caroling party is Sunday, December 17. For families, youth, adults - everyone is welcome, and the more, the merrier. Meet in Fellowship Hall for a light supper at 4:00 pm; we will leave the church at 4:45 and return around 7:00 pm. Sign up to bring soup, bread, or treats in Fellowship Hall. This is best gift you can give yourself this year! Hilltop Highlights

5 Music & Arts Ministry Community Christmas Celebration The beloved tradition continues when Hilltop hosts A Savior from on High Sunday, December 10, at 6:00 pm. Featuring the Hilltop Chancel Choir, Crescent Ridge Stake Choir, Hilltop's Youth and Children's Choirs, brass quartet, bells, and other instrumentalists. Congregational singing of some of our favorite carols is included in the program. Please bring a donation of non-perishable food items. Children Are the Church By Michele Starcher Children s Music Director Hilltop Children's Choir meets on Tuesday nights 6-7 pm. Although smaller than last year, we have a strong core of singers who love to sing and learn about musical notation. All in the community are welcome, ages We prepare music for Sunday worship services here at Hilltop and occasional special community services. We sing a variety of music to take advantage of opportunities to grow and learn. Developing singing voices, good posture and productive breathing techniques are the foundation for great singing. Choir is not only singing but also developing a musician in cognitive and social development. It s Coming Not Christmas...but it's just as meaningful! Not New Year's...but it's just as much fun! Heads-up that Hilltop Gospel Choir 2018 begins rehearsals Tuesday, February 6, at 7:30 pm! This is the year to experience what it means to be part of a mission in the community to connect across cultures and denominations, and make a personal connection through the power of song. HGC is open to all - contact Roberta Shimensky at x3 or <music@hilltopumchuch.org> for information! "Children are natural musicians, as they readily sing, dance and play music from the time they are infants. Every child has musical ability that can be developed into a satisfying and life long relationship with music." -Steven M. Demorest, Professor of Music Education at Northwestern University. Through the musical literature we learn about God's world and his love for us. 1Timothy 4:8 "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." Let us be faithful to one another and our children by supporting this eternal endeavor. December 2017/January

6 Youth News Melissa Dolloff Youth Director Hilltopumchurch.org For many of us, this holiday season is filled with travel, parties, events, family time, etc. It is one of the busiest times of the year. As I sit and reflect on past years, I am reminded by cozy fun-filled days and then other days of overwhelming stress and frustration. Frankly, I always get a bit nervous right before big family vacations. Is it going to go smoothly or will I end up in a screaming match with my sister while my parents watch in horror (I am 12 years old again- no longer a fully functioning adult)? Usually these instances of disappointment, frustration, anger, all stem from one thing failed expectations. I expect people to help me with doing the dishes- when it doesn t happen I get angry. My daughter expects that we go on the fun family outing I ve been promising her, when it gets cancelled because of a snowstorm she gets frustrated. When I burn the elegant and elaborate Christmas dinner I ve been expecting to cook perfectly, I get overwhelmed (and end up crying). Failed expectations. In recent years, I ve learned that if I come into a situation with low or no expectations I am often pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Yet I still struggle with the desire to want to control a situation, to come with my own agenda and set of expectations that need to be met. In Luke 1:13 an angel appears to Zechariah and tells him: Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. Just a few vers- es later in Luke 1:30, an angel appears to Mary (Elizabeth s cousin) and says: Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God and then proceeds to tell her she will be the mother of Christ. The reactions of Mary and Zechariah are quite different. The Bible says that Zechariah started asking questions of how and didn t believe what the angel had told him. The first thing we often want to ask in difficult situations is how or why. We want to get a handle on the situation, feel more in control. We are afraid of the unknown. We think by planning and setting expectations we somehow have more control on how the situation will unfold life becomes known. That s not the case however (as evidenced by my annual failed New Year s resolutions). Craig Groeschel talks about how many of us shake off or ignore God s invitations because they are unknown, scary, and inconvenient. It made me stop and think, how many incredible opportunities have I missed out on because I didn t Fear not? Groeschel notes, Outcome is God s responsibility. Obedience is yours. Mary knew this. Her response, I am the Lord s servant demonstrated her priority; knowing her life mattered because of who she is (a child of God) not what she does. As we go into this new year, my prayer for all of us is that we open ourselves to the new and different things God is wanting to do in our lives. We place obedience above control and faith above fear. 6 Hilltop Highlights

7 United Methodist Women 150th Anniversary of United Methodist Women When it all began on March 23, 1869, eight women gathered at Tremont Methodist-Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts and organized the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, what would become United Methodist Women. Those women raised money to send a doctor, Clara Swain, and a teacher, Isabella Thoburn, to India as missionaries to serve the women of that nation. The United Methodist Women will celebrate their 150th anniversary in Way to go, gals! Who are the United Methodist Women If you are a woman - YOU!!! The PURPOSE of United Methodist Women 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. Out of the Purpose are four mission points that relate to the mission initiatives and priorities of United Methodist Women: To be a community of women To know God To develop a creative and supportive fellowship To expand concepts of mission Women, please join us anytime for an activity or circle meeting. Christmas Eve Offering All the Christmas Eve offerings of 2016 went into the Missions account to be sent outside the church walls. We send it locally, regionally, and internationally so that we remember that God s children reside everywhere and that everywhere we can make a difference. Utah/Western Colorado Committee on Native Ministries & Mission Trip... $500 Pastor to the Navajo at San Juan Cooperative Parish... $360 Crossroads Urban Center... $500 Family Promise... $500 Nazareth Project (Hospital)... $250 Pura Vida (sponsorship for a child)... $314 Rescue Mission of Salt Lake Give-Away... $500 UMCOR... $500 Pastor s Discretionary Fund... $500 Water Purification System in Dominican Republic (plus $560 from 2016)... $3,000 December 2017/January 2018 Total $6,924 7

8 From the Office December Birthdays Maria Montoya... Dec 1 Lillian Dumas... Dec 2 Maria Montoya... Dec 6 Christine LeBel... Dec 10 Leigh Hendrickson-Huynh... Dec 11 Kelly Bullett... Dec 12 Tammjy Iriondo... Dec 13 Caitlin Shaw... Dec 14 Randal Hoff... Dec 15 Addison Goodart... Dec 15 Cheryl Gentle... Dec 16 Deb Hale... Dec 18 Melinda Heins... Dec 18 Emily Flemming... Dec 19 Beryl Murray... Dec 21 Roy Goodart... Dec 24 Tracy Owen... Dec 24 Ashlee Ewer... Dec 25 Lola Thombs... Dec 26 Erin Wilden... Dec 27 David Fleming... Dec 28 Curtis Crichton... Dec 29 Evan Agrelius... Dec 29 Martha Heiskell... Dec 30 Asher Olson... Dec 30 MacLain Olson... Dec 30 Payton Bullett... Dec 31 January Birthdays Solenn Coquemont... Jan 1 Jackie Morley... Jan 3 Taylor Hintze... Jan 3 Mike Kovach... Jan 4 Andrew Smith... Jan 5 Alexis Reddin... Jan 5 Evelyn Wells... Jan 6 Amanda Reddin... Jan 7 Jenn Bordner... Jan 8 Howard Shepperson... Jan 8 Daniel Kovach... Jan 12 Ron Snyder... Jan 13 Phoebe Heins... Jan 15 Bailey Goodart... Jan 16 Philip Montoya... Jan 18 Kathleen Ballaine... Jan 19 K.C. Agrelius... Jan 20 Maggi Welliver... Jan 23 Trey & Tyler Jordan... `Jan 25 Marilyn White... Jan 28 Dennis Shaw... Jan 30 8 Emergency Contacts The Special Care Ministry Team is working to collect the names and phone numbers of persons we can contact in case anyone in our congregation has an emergency or is hospitalized. Please submit your name and the name of your designated person and his or her phone number to the church office. This information will be stored in our church database. Pastor s E-Note If you would like to receive Pastor Dennis s weekly e-notes, please send your request with your address to office@hilltopumchurch.org Hilltop Highlights

9 Advent 2017 Faith, Fun and Food at Hanging of the Green Please join the Worship and Missions Committee on Saturday, December 2 at 9 AM as we prepare the church for Advent and Christmas with the "Hanging of the Greens." We will remember Jesus' birth, death and resurrection as we place the Christmas tree in the sanctuary and decorate it with the Chrismons representing Christ and His story. We will place greenery and candles on the sanctuary ledges and remember the light God brings to our lives and and His gift of everlasting life through His son. We will place the nativity scene in the narthex and remember that the focus of Christmas is the birth of Christ - interesting fact, St. Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first creche in And we'll also enjoy fellowship, fun and food - the Committees will provide the main breakfast items but please bring a breakfast/brunch item to snack on during the decorating or enjoy afterwards in Fellowship Hall. Blue Christmas Service Wednesday, December 13 at 7:30 pm Blue? Yes, blue as in the blues. As in "I am feeling blue." Not everyone is up and cheery for the Christmas holidays. Dealing with the death of a loved one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job, living with cancer or some other dis-ease that puts a question mark over the future, and a number of other human situations make parties and joviality painful for many people in our congregation and community. Hilltop will have a contemplative worship service on Wednesday, December 13 at 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary. Even if you are not feeling discouraged this season, we pray that you will attend the service in support of those who are suffering. Other Advent Activities UMW Christmas Dinner Dec 4 6:00 pm Blood Drive Dec 8 1:00 pm Community Christmas Celebration Dec 10 6:00 pm Blue Christmas Worship Dec 13 7:30 pm Caroling to Shut-Ins Dec 17 4:00 pm Sunday Morning Worship* Dec 24 10:00 am Christmas Eve Worship Dec 24 6:00 pm, 8:30 pm, 11:00 pm Sunday Morning Worship* Dec 31 10:00 am * Please note that there will be only one worship service at 10:00 am on the mornings of Sunday, December 24 and 31. December 2017/January

10 Missions Fear Not When the angel Gabriel told Mary about her upcoming mission, probably the most important mission God had given to any human, Gabriel reassured her with fear not. In fact, as I m thinking about missions God has sent his servants to take care of his people, whether Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David or Mary, God told them fear not. When taking care of his people, God wants us to walk with courage, fearing not. Family Promise I bet some thought it was an audacious move to start hosting Family Promise. What a success that has been. That brave act has taken care of innumerable families while they got back on their feet and has become one of the two top missional activities of Hilltop (as named by our members at the annual church conference in mid-november.) Last summer your mission committee took another plucky action and asked our neighbors in Crescent Ridge Stake to join us hosting. For this upcoming week they are filling some of the slots usually held by Hilltoppers. We hope that they will decide to take a week on their own and host at Hilltop House. Wouldn t that be wonderful if we could stabilize a family for two whole weeks at Hilltop House? Gift of the Magi This year Missions, the Youth, and the Upper Elementary United Methodist Youth, AKA UEUMYs, are forging ahead with a new Family Promise project - Gift of the Magi. The goal is to provide gifts for seven families (adults and children) for Christmas. With the generous help of the congregation, we ll be able to provide them a Christmas to remember. You can sign up at go/30e0b4eaaae22a3fd0-family. Rescue Mission of Salt Lake The other mission project mentioned at the conference was our involvement with the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake. The Rescue Mission helps those in need throughout the state of Utah, regardless of their station in life, race, religion, age or disability. They seek to help all those who ask, just as the Lord Jesus would. Bill Strickland boldly led this HUMC outreach ministry for several years on his own. In 2009 Bill invited the Praise Band to assist him and then slowly turned the ministry over. The Praise Band is now in its 8th year of leading this worship service and Pastor Dennis has been preaching there since In 2015 Pastor Dennis asked the Mission Committee to lead as Hilltop expanded their servanthood to ladle up dinner on the same night as the worship service. Since then every second Friday of a month, six to eight people join in serving the dinner meal and cleaning up. We reach out to these men and women, with respect for who they are, God's children just like us. Big Giveaway And since 2015, Hilltoppers have participated in the Big Give-Away (our term) (Continued on page 11) 10 Hilltop Highlights

11 Missions (Continued from page 10) at the RMSL at their Christmas party. Our intent has been to shower God s less privileged with love, kindness and necessities like clean underwear, scarves, socks, and gloves. When Pastor Dennis first proposed it, the idea was met with a can we carry this off? We should have heard God s message of fear not. It has been a success and has never been in want of volunteers or gifts for God s people at the RMSL. Eighteen months ago, the Mission Committee made the plucky decision to challenge Hilltop to raise funds for clean water for a poor, small village in the Dominican Republic. We thought $8,000 was a doable amount we could commit to. To date, through Chili Cook-off revenues, matching funds, and donations, we ve been able to send $3,000 to Water@Work, which is affiliated with UMCOR, for this effort. God will be with us this year as we work together to raise the other $5,000 and provide safe water for God s children in the Caribbean. (See related story.) Other Items Have you signed up with Smith s Inspiring Donations program to have a donation made to Hilltop when you make a purchase? Register online for the program. Shortly after Hilltop sent in its $3,000 donation, Pastor Dennis received this from Dan Blevins, Executive Director of Water@Work. Dear Pastor Dennis, The Board of Global Ministries collects donations through The Advance program, consolidates them, and sends them on to us. I want to express our thanks to you and your congregation for standing with us to bring clean water and the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the Dominican Republic. As a life-long Methodist myself, it is gratifying to me that congregations like yours from around the country that have never met us or been to the DR will donate to empower us in the mission God has given us. The Jaquimeyes plant started up in April of this year and set a record for our ministry in September 2017 by producing and selling 2,916 bottles (5 gallon size), a total of 14,580 gallons of clean, safe water for the month. Even with this success it must be noted that the electric power is on for only about six hours per day, then goes out. They need a generator to really attain full production in this place. Consider making Hilltop Missions the recipient of your United Way donation. December 2017/January

12 Hilltop United Methodist Church 985 East South Sandy, Utah Published monthly by: Hilltop United Methodist Church 985 East South Sandy, Utah Sunday Schedule Sunday School for All Worship Fellowship Time Worship Fellowship Time 9:00 am 9:00 am 10:00 am 10:30 am 11:30 am Pastor C. Dennis Shaw