The Hiland Vision. in Action. SOMA Kick-off Wednesday, September 13th. 845 Perry Highway Pittsburgh, PA

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1 The Hiland Vision September 2017 in Action SOMA Kick-off Wednesday, September 13th 845 Perry Highway Pittsburgh, PA The Vision of Hiland Presbyterian Church is to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, who gather for worship, teaching and fellowship, and who go out into the world to serve Christ and share His love. Hiland has BUNDLED your favorite activities into one program: Sunday School Adult Ed. Fellowship Opportunities Youth Group Christian Education Service Opportunities SOMA is not like our previous mid-week programs! SOMA is a series of 4-week studies with a 2-week break in between that offers you the opportunity to enjoy a fellowship/family event and a service/outreach opportunity. 1»»»In This Issue Children s Clothing and Toy Sale pg 2 Financial $napshot pg 2 Children s Ministry pg 2 SOMA Is Here! pg 3 SOMA Wednesday Night Schedule pg 3 Transformation pg 4 Beyond Mourning Grief Support pg 5 Your Part in Grief Ministry pg 5 Collection Boxes pg 5 September Birthdays pg 6 Calling All Youth! pg 6 September Calendar pg 7 Join us 5-7 PM, Wednesday, September 13th for our kick-off picnic. Dinner will be at 6 PM. Bounce house for the kids Games for all ages Activities Fellowship Dinner An introduction to SOMA (Seeking Our Mission Altogether) For more details on SOMA, see page 3 to serve Christ and share His love.

2 Children s Clothing and Toy Sale Children s Ministry The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don t, the parts we see and the parts we don t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. 1Corinthians 12:25-26 MSG Seeking Our Mission Altogether The Fall Children s Clothing and Toy Sale will be September 23rd (8 AM-3 PM) and 24th (1-3 PM). Volunteers are needed to help set up before, work during, and clean up after the sale. The Preschool will donate money to volunteers favorite Hiland ministry in return. See Jen Borsh for details. Vendor spots are still available. Sign up for your vendor number in the Administration Building. Sell your (grand)kid s un-needed newborn size 12 gently-used clothing, baby equipment, and toys. Financial $napshot 2 JAN 1, 2017 JUNE 30, 2017 RECEIPTS VS. EXPENDITURES $ 169,587 *RECEIPTS $ 176,125 **EXPENDITURES $ 6,538 RECEIPTS LESS EXPENDITURES * Receipts include Regular Giving, Building Utilization Income, Cell Tower Income, and Other Contributions. ** Expenditures include Christian Education, Benevolences, Human Capital and Administration. SOMA is here! We will see you all starting at 5 PM on September 13th, for a fun picnic with games and the bounce house. We ll have dinner and activities for the whole family and will answer any questions about this new offering for Christian Education and fellowship. Much prayer and thought has gone into the creation of this program. We seek your support and encouragement as we move forth, growing together in Christ and in service to Him. We will return on Wednesday, September 27th with a full program for children, youth and adults all diving into the same scripture. Children will meet in Fellowship Hall initially, then move to the sanctuary building for activities. All ages will join together for dinner at 6 PM, then children will be excused for some spiritual practices (6:45-7 PM) after which parents will take their children home. Parents and children, separately, will have the opportunity to study the scripture lesson at 5 PM. There will be a repeat offering at 7 PM for adults. Child care is available for children up to 3 years old from 5-6 PM and 7-8 PM during the Adult Discipleship Discovery sessions. We will be collecting for our World Vision Malawi children in the children s and adult SOMA groups. The children will sing in worship on October 22nd and December 3rd. We will have some fellowship opportunities outside of our SOMA schedule. See additional information and complete schedule on the next page and you can always go to the website for information, updates and schedule. Worship for Children Children and Worship begins Sunday, September 10th. Children 3 years old 4th grade ( 3 & 4 year-olds must be attending a preschool program) will leave after the Children s Sermon to go to the Worship Room in the Balcony area of the Library. In the Worship Room we walk more slowly and talk more softly because someone might be talking to God and we don t want to disturb them. We sing and pray to create a worship atmosphere. Using colorful underlays and hand made wooden figures, the Worship Leader tell the Bible stories in a peaceful atmosphere. The Greeter not only welcomes the children, but helps them during response time. Children respond to the Bible story using art and craft materials. Our ultimate goal with Children & Worship is to prepare our children to fully participate in the congregational worship service. All children, therefore are always welcome in worship. There will be no Children & Worship on the first Sunday of the month so that children can join their families for communion. Bible Presentation Children in kindergarten and third grade will receive a bible from their parents in place of the Children s Sermon on October 22nd....to serve Christ and share His love.

3 SOMA Is Here! Welcome to SOMA! Hiland Staff and Leadership are excited to introduce this new midweek DISCIPLESHIP discovery series for all ages. As people of faith, we are lifelong learners. We are called to deepen our understanding of God through discipleship, study and reflection of God s Word. Not only does this enrich our experience of faith, but it also equips us to share and model it to others. As parents and family, neighbors and friends, we can best witness to others as we intentionally grapple with stories and lessons the Bible teaches. We are excited about the connections that will be made one to another, and each of us to Christ. Our fall programming begins on Wednesday, September 13th at 5 PM. Wednesday, you say? Yes, we are meeting Wednesday evenings to accommodate busy schedules and family time. Wednesday the 13th will be our first day of the new programming so we are having a kick-off celebration to introduce you to the new schedule. Each 4-week session will be followed by a 2-week break that will offer a fellowship/family event and an outreach opportunity. ADULTS The education opportunities we offer to our adults during our midweek program will challenge them to go further, asking them to contemplate essential questions: Who is God? Who am I? What am I called to do? Each week, our texts will parallel those discussed by the children and youth. That way, all parents, students and friends can discuss the same subjects from their own point of view. To give adults every opportunity to attend, we will offer the same program 5-5:45 PM and again at 7-7:45 PM. Attend whichever suits your schedule best. Child Care for children up to 3 years old is available from 5-6PM and 7-8PM. CHILDREN For the children 3 years old 4th grade, the evening is broken into 15 minute segments to work within their attention spans. The children will sing a song they learn at SOMA during the Sunday morning worship following each 4-week interval. Child Care for children up to 3 years old is available from 5-6PM and 7-8PM. TWEENERS Our Tweeners, 5th and 6th graders, will be helpers/leaders for the children s program during this time frame. Service and leadership will be their focus as they grow as individuals and in their faith. The Tweeners will benefit from the lessons as they help lead and will begin to gain a foundation for church leadership. YOUTH The Youth, grades 7-12, portion of the SOMA evening will combine discipleship discovery and S.H.O.E. fellowship by integrating scripture and study into fellowship activities with the intent of encouraging the youth to attend the whole evening and ensure a comprehensive growth in their faith. SOMA Wednesday Night Schedule Adult 5-5:45 PM Discipleship Discovery 6-6:30 PM Dinner 6:45 PM Dinner Clean up 7-7:45PM Discipleship Discovery Youth 6-6:30 PM Dinner 6:45-8 PM S.H.O.E. 8 PM Pick Up! Children/Tweeners 5:00 PM Recreation/ Free Play 5:15 PM Bible Story 5:30 PM Craft 5:45 PM Music 6-6:30 PM Dinner 6:45 PM Closing/Send Off Schedule* 9/13 Kick-off Celebration 5-7PM 9/20 NO SOMA (Consignment Sale/Consider Volunteering) 9/26 SOMA 10/3 SOMA 10/10 SOMA 10/17 SOMA 10/22 (Sunday) Bible Presentation/Children sing during worship 10/26 (Friday) SOMA Family Movie Night 11/4 (Saturday) SOMA Community Service at World Vision 11/8 SOMA 11/15 SOMA 11/22 SOMA 11/29 SOMA 12/3 (Sunday) Children sing during worship 12/8 (Friday) SOMA Fellowship/ Game Night 12/13 SOMA Birthday Party for Jesus *dates subject to change 3 to serve Christ and share His love.

4 Transformation Hello all, With summer coming to a close, and fall programming beginning soon, I wanted to give you a small recap of what the summer has been like. With each passing week, I discover another aspect of the Hiland experience. I am more and more grateful to be with you, and look forward to what s to come. Faith in Christ transforms us. We can t stay who we have been. Seeds don t just become bigger seeds to grow, transformation must happen first. We had an exciting July here at Church. After VBS and Workcamp were over, we got a chance to try a few things. After worship, I led a discussion with folks about the nature and function of transitional ministry, and what it means for all of us. Interim time can either be spent just filling the gap, or it can be used to understand ourselves and our collective vision better. We are striving to do the latter. Our discussion over those four weeks centered on what is necessary for growth to occur, both in terms of church growth and spiritual growth. We discussed the two scriptures where Jesus talks about a mustard seed. The first compares them to the kingdom of God, the other (more famous one) compares it to faith. The point I made was this: Faith in Christ transforms us. Mustard seeds don't stay seeds, they transform. So, "faith like a mustard seed" should also transform us. The same is true for the Church. If a church wants to grow, it must also transform go through intentional times of change and discernment. We can't stay who we have been. Seeds don't just become bigger seeds to grow, transformation must happen first. One of the most pressing things we discussed was how transformation happens. In Hiland s case, it s not about adding more programs or finding new opportunities, but about how we can continue to create a culture where we go deeper with each other, fostering an ethos of closeness, trust, compassion, and love. We want to continue to create an environment of care and nurturing for ourselves and anyone who might be making Hiland their church home. As it happens, God has provided us with an opportunity to do just that. On August 5th, we were invited to join World Revival Assembly of God for their inauguration service in celebration of the congregation beginning its ministry with us here on campus. It was a beautiful and jubilant time of praise, where Hilanders got a chance to meet, worship, and eat with our new Brazilian brothers and sisters. It was a wonderful witness to what God is doing in our midst. As we move into a new season, I pray for many more transformational moments to come. Peace - Ben 4...to serve Christ and share His love.

5 Beyond Mourning Grief Support Who is Beyond Mourning for? Any adult in the community who is grieving the death of a loved one whether the loss was last month or decades ago. What Is Beyond Mourning? A free, eight-session, peer-led, weekly support group which combines grief education, activity, and peer support into each session. Beyond Mourning is open and inclusive no matter your beliefs, worldview, or religion. Our goal is to provide a firm foundation of practical wisdom and emotional support to help you navigate through your grief. We provide valuable information about the grieving process and support to help you get beyond the mourning and back into life. Weekly Focus: Group building and the grief process Review of grief s common physical, behavioral, cognitive, emotional and spiritual/philosophical reactions Looking at what to expect during the grieving process and developing a plan Preserving the memories and dealing with loved one s material belongings Dealing with the anger, sadness, and loneliness as time goes by Preparing for holidays and special days Looking at what to expect in the future, what it means to move on and exploring the new normal Finding hope and making plans for the future Why Join a Beyond Mourning Group? Everyone grieves when a loved one dies. The mourning process takes time and having the right tools to navigate that process can make it bearable. This free program has been carefully designed to equip grieving individuals with knowledge about grief and grieving, provide a safe place for them to share their grief experience and create a much needed support network. In the Conference Room of the Hiland Church Administration Building 845 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA hilandchurchofffice@gmail.com 7PM, Mondays starting Sept. 25, 2017 $ FREE Each group is limited to 12 participants PLEASE CALL TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT Your Part in Grief Ministry Pray. Pray for the people and facilitators who will be participating in the upcoming Beyond Mourning group. Invite. Invite people who have lost a loved one to become part of a Beyond Mourning group. Attend. If you are grieving the death of a loved one, please consider participating in a Beyond Mourning group. Magazines. Please consider donating your old magazines one of the group activities involves cutting pictures out of magazines. We need magazines of all sorts. You can drop your magazines off in the church office. Collection Boxes Have you been looking for the collection boxes that used to be in the Narthex? In order to create a more open and welcoming first impression as people walk into the Sanctuary for worship, we moved the collection boxes. Here s where you will find them: Pleasant Valley Shelter beside the Sacristy door under the AED unit. North Hills Food Bank in the Library. Backpack Initiative in the Library. 5 to serve Christ and share His love.

6 September Birthdays 9/1 Andy Carlton Marci McCabe Greta Zewe 9/3 Ethan Borsh 9/6 JR Hagy Stephen Spitz 9/7 Renee Allerton Peter Gaus Vera White 9/8 Maria Weir 9/14 Eric Fichter 9/15 Aidan Brady 9/18 Mia Lipchak 9/19 Elizabeth Nicodemus 9/21 Jesse Crownover Linda Peffer Lisa Walton 9/22 Kami Christensen 9/25 Linda Williams 9/26 Kacy Christensen 9/28 Mallory Pisarcik Thomas Dean 9/29 Brandon Falcona Calling All Youth! We are mixing it up at Hiland to better serve our family of faith and to be more energized to serve the community. We have created an allencompassing program that will fulfill our needs of discipleship, education, community service, fellowship and fun! On Wednesday evenings starting on September 27th we will meet for dinner together at 6pm in Fellowship Hall. From 6:45-8pm we will have our S.H.O.E. programing which will be Bible study, games, activities, discussions, and many other ways to explore our faith together and with friends we might bring. These gatherings are going to be filled with people and are designed to bring the entire congregation and the community together. We are calling it SOMA which is Greek for body. These programs will be in 4 week chunks to allow for our volunteers to have breaks but also to free up a majority of the weekends for participants with exception of Sunday morning Worship which you will all be at! On the off weeks in between we will have one service or outreach event such as Lock Ins, volunteer at World Vision, Laser Storm, bowling, and other fun events! Again this will offer flexibility in your own very busy schedules and allow you to bring friends to events as well. By gathering to eat together, exploring our faith together, and building relationships through fellowship and fun, we will continue to build a community that grows in faith and service to each other. Our Wednesday evening gatherings will be designed to be bring-a-friend friendly and allow for our community to grow. Students 7th - 12th grade and their parents are encouraged to come to a gathering on Wednesday, September 6th at 6:30 PM for pizza and an informational meeting to cover the calendar for this fall, get all the necessary permission forms and to answer any questions regarding SOMA and how Hiland is taking steps to better serve our membership and community. Please let Chad know via at hilandchad@gmail.com if will be attending so we have an accurate count of how many mouths to feed. We are really excited for this program year and how this new programing impacts Hiland and the community. Peace in Christ, Chad 7th - 12th Grade Students and Parents 6:30 PM, Wednesday, September 6th Informational Meeting at Hiland in Fellowship Hall to... Cover the fall calendar get all the necessary permission forms answer any SOMA questions Please let Chad know via at hilandchad@gmail.com if will be attending so we have enough pizza for everyone. 6...to serve Christ and share His love.

7 September 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Worship 9:30am (Sanct) 4 Labor Day / Office Closed PVS 7pm (Kitchen) 5 Staff 9:30 am (STF) Girl Scouts 6PM (Lib) Basketball 6:30pm (FH) HCCC Board 6:30pm (Cnf Rm) Backpack packing 7:30PM (CR) 6 OYR 3:30pm (YTH) Yth/Parent Meeting 6:30 PM (FH) Choir 7:30pm (CR) 7 Deacons 7pm (Parlor) AA 8pm (CR) Worship 9:30am (Sanct) Officer Orientation 10:45AM People of God 3PM (Ed Bldg) 11 Brownies 6pm (Lib) 12 Staff 9:30 am (STF) Basketball 6:30pm (FH) W&M 7pm (CR) 13 OYR 3:30pm (YTH) KICK OFF PARTY 5PM (Campus) Choir 7:30pm (CR) 14 AA 8pm (CR) 15 Admin 7pm (Office) Worship 9:30am (Sanct) Officer Orientation 10:45AM 18 Campus Staff 1pm (Parlor) 19 Staff 9:30 am (STF) Backpack packing 7:30PM (CR) Cons Sale Set up 20 OYR 3:30pm (YTH) Choir 7:30pm (Sanct) Cons Sale Set up 21 Stwd/Fin 7:30PM (Stf) AA 8pm (Adm Bldg) Cons Sale Set up 22 Cons Sale Set up 23 Consign Sale 8AM (Campus) 24 Worship 9:30am (Sanct) Consign Red Tag Sale 1PM (FH) 25 Newsletter Deadline 9AM Brownies 6pm (Lib) Beyond Mourning 7PM (Cnf Rm) Session 7PM (CR) 26 Staff 9:30 am (STF) Basketball 6:30pm (FH) 27 SOMA 5-8PM (Campus) Choir 7:30pm (CR) 28 AA 8pm (CR) to serve Christ and share His love.

8 Hiland Presbyterian Church 845 Perry Highway Pittsburgh, PA Join us for Worship Sunday at 9:30 Find out more about us at: Staff Interim Pastor Rev. Benjamin Robbins Director of Children s Ministries Linda Davis Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Chad Johnson Director of Music Ministries Cynthia Plazak Administrative Assistant Maureen Profeta Financial Secretary Dorothy McNaugher We at Hiland Presbyterian Church affirm that we believe God has created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. Even in our diversity, all people form one humanity under God. God loves and accepts each person through God's unlimited grace. We extend the warm hand of friendship and hospitality to all, in the name of Christ our Lord, who extends grace to all. The Vision of Hiland Presbyterian Church is to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, who gather for worship, teaching and fellowship, and who go out into the world to serve Christ and share His love. 8...to serve Christ and share His love.