The connector APRIL 2017

Transcription

1 Hillview United Methodist Church To live the teachings of Jesus as we share God s unconditional love The connector APRIL 2017 Lenten Schedule Palm Sunday, April 9 We will welcome families from Hillview Preschool as well as the congregations that share our building at the 10:30 a.m. service. Come join us! Maundy Thursday, April 13 We will have a service at 7 p.m. featuring a Cantata sung by our choir. Good Friday, April 14 We will have a service at 7 p.m. Easter Worship, April 16 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Worship April 8: Spring Cleanup at Hillview, 9 to noon April 9: Palm Sunday April 13: Lunch Bunch goes to Sockeye Grill & Brewery, Maundy Thursday Service April 14: Good Friday April 16: Easter Services 7, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m., Easter Egg Hunt at 9:45 a.m. April 22: One-Day Spring Retreat, Talent Show April 23: Camp Scholarship Breakfast April 26: Community Meal Easter Egg Hunt At 9:45 a.m. Easter Morning we will have our Easter egg hunt. We have plenty of eggs! But we need individually wrapped candy to put in the eggs. Please bring in your candy donations by April 9. April 23 April Stewardship Challenges Choose to do one or all! *Make a special Easter gift to Hillview. *Bring a friend to church on Easter Sunday. *Participate in Hillview s Spring Cleanup Day. Tickets available Sunday mornings in the Gathering Area.

2 THE CONNECTOR VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 Page 2 Offerings ~ We did it! We had our first political discussion group at the church! Marcia Belchier and I did not know how many people would join us, but it ended up being 13 people. We decided that we will meet every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Gathering Area. It is an open group, so you are welcome to join us at any time. You may wonder why we would want to talk about politics, when that seems to be all we hear on the news, and all we read in the papers, and all we see online. Many of us do not have safe people with whom we can process all the information that is bombarding us. We want to talk openly and safely. The first thing we did together was to establish ground rules, such as listening to learn, rather than to respond; being respectful; not using any of what we talk about as gossip; being open; taking turns with talking. We wanted to get to know each other and understand each other more, so we began our discussion with basic questions that would give us insight into why we are who we are politically. We asked, What is your first political memory? It was amazing to hear the responses, and to realize what a broad age difference there was among us. The second question was, What is an experience that has shaped your political views? Again, the responses were varied and significant. The final question for the day was, Are your political views similar to those of your parents? It helped to listen to the answers and to get a glimpse into what has formed some of the people sitting in the pews on Sunday morning. Next week we will be discussing our biggest fears, the most important issues we believe that our politicians should tackle, and what issues we wish they would leave completely alone. One of the questions we will eventually answer is whether or not our faith truly influences our political decisions. When Marcia and I discussed starting this group, I wondered if it was acceptable for us to encourage political discussions in the church. I thought about how political Jesus was, especially during his last week. I soon realized that as long as it is a discussion, and no one is pushing for one party or one person over another, we are fine. I also realized that we need these kinds of discussions in the church to learn how to have civil dialogue even when we disagree. If you are wondering what this group is like, stop by and join the conversation! Grace and Peace, Brenda Trustees The Trustees have scheduled a Spring Work Day for Saturday April 8th from 9 am to noon. There will be coffee and donuts provided. Please plan on helping the Trustees clean up the church grounds and church for Easter Sunday!

3 Page 3 VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 My Weekend with Justice-Loving United Methodists My plane landed in Portland early on Friday, February 17. I was there to attend the Western Methodist Justice Movement s conference called Rise Up! Registration wouldn t begin until 4:00 p.m. so I assumed that I would be hanging out at the hotel by myself for a while. However, on the shuttle to the hotel I met two people who had also arrived early. One was a gay, black man from Glide Memorial in San Francisco. He had worked with Bishop Karen Oliveto. He was excited to see her again and to experience this gathering. The other person was a Latina high school girl from Phoenix. Both of her parents are UM pastors. She was there because she s interested in justice issues. We shared about ourselves and found a place to eat lunch. By mid-afternoon people had begun showing up for the conference. A choir of young adults was practicing in the meeting room and they were good. I finally met my roommate Barbara from Fresno. We took the shuttle to Famous Dave s BBQ for dinner. The opening worship service for the conference began about 7 p.m.; Bishop Karen Oliveto, the Western Jurisdiction s newest bishop, preached a wonderful sermon. Following that there was a welcome and conference plenary. At 9:00 p.m. we moved to another room for a gathering with Bishop Oliveto. Since I was one of the first people there, I had the opportunity to meet her and talk to her for a few minutes. More people arrived and the bishop answered people s questions. We began the morning with breakfast provided by the Oregon-Idaho MFSA in a hospitality suite. This was a great opportunity to meet people in a very small (and crowded) setting. I was pleased to mingle with such a diverse group different races, some from other countries, gay and straight, clergy and lay people, young and old. I was particularly pleased to see how many young adults attended. Our morning worship included ICON, a talented young adult musical and service group from San Francisco. They were a great beginning for our day. Our leader for the day was Beth Zemsky, a community organizer, educator, psychotherapist and organizational leader. She skillfully moved us through Movement Building in an Intersectional Way. She explained adult learning theory and social movements. Beth gave us a lot of important advice for building our justice movement. She said to be clear about what we re fighting for and not what we re fighting against. Social movements are, at their core, a contest of values and ideas. We saw a film of Dr. William Barber from the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina. We were told: ALL POLITICS IS MORAL. Resistance provides the energy needed to transform the current culture. We have to be willing to have conversation with people with whom we disagree. Figure out what you value and find out what you have in common. There were four sessions on this topic throughout the day. It was a long day but a good beginning to figuring out next steps. At 9 p.m. I stayed for Solitary Man, an incarceration presentation and discussion. We were back at worship at 8:45 the next morning. There was a panel discussion with Bishop Oliveto, Lloyd Nyarota (African), and Nestor Gerente (Philippines) about the past, present, and future of our church. The previous night we had begun the process of forming action networks. We had named areas of interest and those were recorded. This morning we moved to a table with others who shared our interest. Mine was human rights. At that table we named different topics that come under human rights. We voted on our favorites. The top vote getter was LGBTQ rights. Coming in second was human trafficking they broke off into another group. At that point the different groups were announced and people had the opportunity to shift. We had time for a break on Sunday afternoon but there were interesting optional programs (and it was raining) so the break was short. The first program was about human rights in Africa. The second was a musical presentation by the ICON choir. They were delightful! We worked some more on our action networks both before and after dinner. We chose a name for our network, a leader, and more. Mine is the Just Love Action Network. I volunteered to put together the list. All of the action networks are supposed to have regular conference calls to keep in touch and make plans. The optional evening program was about human rights in the Philippines. On Monday morning we worked a bit longer in our networks and then we shared Communion and the conference ended. I had the opportunity to eat lunch with Izzy Alvaran (Regional Organizer for the Reconciling Ministries Network who visited Hillview) and we discussed future steps for Idaho. I appreciate the opportunity to attend this justice conference. I met passionate United Methodists who deeply care about justice, plus I reconnected with people I had met previously. I am now part of a network of people across our Western Jurisdiction who care about justice for LGBTQ people. I m hoping that these connections will help Idaho United Methodists to become more loving and inclusive, one church at a time. Debbie Mallis

4 The Purpose of UMW 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. THE CONNECTOR VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017.One-Day UMW Retreat Relax, Refresh, Renew from the Inside Out! Our one-day retreat will be held on Saturday, April 22. Claudia will help us find ways to be relaxed, refreshed and renewed even in the midst of our busy lives. Worried about spending a day inside when the weather might be warm and sunny? We will be spending some time outside! Save the date and plan to attend. Registration forms are available on the UMW bulletin board in the Ballantyne hallway. Page 4 Hillview United Methodist Women s Circles (Subunits) Hillview United Methodist Women offers five circles to provide fellowship, spiritual growth, and expanding our understanding of mission. Ladies are invited to visit and participate in these groups. Lydia Circle: Meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month in the Hillview library from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact Judy Halverson at Morning Book Club: Meets the 2nd Monday at 9:30 a.m. at Barnes & Noble. A book to read and discuss is chosen each month. Contact Kristen Guyon at Evening Book Club: Meets the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the church kitchen. April date is 4/10/17, and the book is "The Boston Girl" by Anita Diamant. Contact Darlene Smith at or Michelle Ward at Fellowship Circle: Meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in members homes. There are a variety of programs. Contact Betsy Baughman at Friends of Phoebe: Study group meets in the library on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Contact Sue Cook at Community Meal Mark your calendar for April 26, the date for our April Community Meal. The main entrée will be lasagna. All are welcome! If you are interested in helping with the meal, we need large salads, vegetable side dishes, and desserts and WORKERS. To help with the meal, see the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area. If you have any questions, you may contact Marilesta Nelson at Lunch Bunch Come join us on the second Thursday of the month for good conversation and food. This month we will meet on April 13 at Sockeye Grill & Brewery (3019 N. Cole Rd.) at 11:30 a.m. Please sign up in the Gathering Area or call the church office at

5 Page 5 VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 Hillview Youth Group News (by Claire Chambers) As Lent approaches, I thought long and hard about what to give up this year. In the past I had tried the usual things chocolate, candy, soda, my time (to others), but those all felt shallow and selfish. But during one daily devotional I reread 1 Samuel 16:7-13. Again and again I was drawn to what God said to Samuel: The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. I realized how judgmental and critical I had become of other people and decided that for Lent I would give up this practice and instead search harder for what God saw in others. I passed this challenge on to our Youth Group. On March 12 we visited the Anne Frank Memorial/Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. We walked through the memorial with the task to read each quote and find one that embodied the idea of looking at the heart of others. For each youth, it was a different quote, but we were all struck by the Declaration of Human Rights. If everyone saw people as God did, we wouldn t need to declare All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Article 1). Focus on the things that that make us equal and worthy of God s love and not the things that divide us. April Schedule 2 nd 11:30-1:30 At the Youth House. Regular Youth Group 7 th (Friday) 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Glow Egg Hunt! Open to 6 th graders and held WITH Meridian Methodist Youth Group. Bring your friends. We need volunteers to help hide eggs and with prep activities. Contact Claire if you can help. 9 th 11:30-1:30 At the Youth House. Prepping for Youth Sunday (April 30). 16 th Happy EASTER (no Youth Group). 23 rd 7:45 a.m. to noon Camp Scholarship Breakfast. Attending camp this summer? Want some help paying for it? Plan on signing up for a shift at the breakfast! 11:30-1:30 At the Youth House. Prepping for Youth Sunday followed by the usual food and fun! 29 th 9:00 am to noon. Final run-through for Youth Sunday! Followed by lunch. 30 th 8:00 a.m.to 11:30 a.m. Youth Sunday! All hands on deck. Breakfast and lunch provided. 11:30-1:30 Movie day at the Youth House, Aliens in the Attic.

6 THE CONNECTOR VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 Page 6 Join us for a free community presentation sponsored by Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger. Thursday, May 4 (7-8:30 p.m.) Faith In Action Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 6200 N. Garrett Street Boise, ID Topic: What Shall We Do About ALICE*? *Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE families work hard and earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to cover a basic household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care. Who are these families? What resources are currently available? How can we combine efforts and work together to strengthen communities? Featured Presenter: Nora Carpenter, President and CEO, United Way of Treasure Valley Milk and Cereal for Corpus Christi The homeless people at Corpus Christi, a day shelter, very much appreciate the 10 gallons of milk and 4 family-size bags of cereal that we have delivered each Monday since the beginning of July. If you can help, please put your name on the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area; there is a separate sheet for each Sunday. Sign-ups are important so we know if we will have enough each week. Milk should be placed in the large commercial refrigerator in the kitchen and labeled Corpus Christi. Cereal can be placed in the bin labeled Corpus Christi at the back of the Gathering Area. Finance Committee We continue to experience a deficit when comparing our income to expenses. As of February, we are approximately $8,100 behind!! We all need to pull together to remedy this situation. Month Income Expenses Year-to-date Difference February $24,947 $25,650 -$8,166 We will continue to keep the congregation informed as to where we stand. Look for weekly updates in the Sunday bulletin.

7 Page 7 Page 7 VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) provides one-to-one mentoring relationships to children who are facing adversity; relationships that change the life of that child for the better, forever. Currently, we are recruiting volunteers to become Bigs for our schoolsite program. School-site Bigs have lunch once a week with a student (Little) and play board games, decorate cupcakes, do crafts, throw a football, knit, do homework, eat together, and ultimately just hang out, have fun, and make a child feel special. Currently, we have Little Brothers and Little Sisters who are on our waiting list for the school program (primarily in the Bench area). We have more permission slips rolling in. Volunteer Opportunity : Big Brothers Big Sisters Our goal is to match children on the waiting list as soon as possible. With this goal in mind, we are seeking opportunities to recruit volunteers and schedule informative presentations. If you are interested in volunteering for our program and/or if you think it would be appropriate to provide a 20-minute presentation through your employer/organization/ special-interest group, please contact Cami Hill, School-Site Coordinator, chill@bbbsidaho.org, or From Big Sister CeCe Angell As some of you know, I started volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters last November. The reasons to volunteer are many. I quit my job after working for 18 years and needed something to do. There are many children out there who need a fun mentor and it s good to give back to your community. I didn t volunteer for any of those reasons. It was all quite selfish on my part. I wanted grandchildren and thought I could adopt one. I m a big kid at heart and wanted someone to play and act silly with while still being an adult. I like to sew and crochet and I can only use so many things for myself. It turns out that volunteering is awesome!! It is all of those things and more. I look forward to seeing my Little each week. She paints my fingernails for me; we ve done gymnastics in the school hallway and on the bars on the playground; we planted flowers and have watched their progress; we ve made jewelry and lots of other fun stuff too. My match specialist is always available for me when I need support. Forty-five minutes a week doesn t seem like enough time. I may still get my own grandchildren but I ll keep my Little sister around too. Time to Plan to Go Camping LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER Sawtooth Camp Schedule 2017 June 16-18: Sawtooth Family Camp July 9-15: Elementary I, ages 9-11, grades completed 3-6 Junior High/Middle School ages 12-14, grades completed 6-8 July 16-22: Senior High completed grades 9-12 Outpost Camp completed grades 4-6* July 23-29: Elementary II, ages 9-12, grades completed 3-6 Adventure Camp, ages 13-14, grades completed 7-8 J *See Camp Bulletin Board for description of Family, Adventure and Outpost Camps. May 5 is the deadline for registration for camp to get the lowest rate for camp ($349). Please contact Marilesta Nelson by April 2 if your child is interested in attending camp so we can determine the amount of money we need to raise to help pay for camp fees.

8 Page 8 VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 Welcome, Invite and Membership (WIM) A New Ministry Faith In Action Alo, a Support Group for Families of the Incarcerated WIM has begun a Ministry Outreach Program with mugs. We have purchased blue and green mugs that will be given to visitors. We will also put information cards in the mugs about Hillview and events. So, if you know of new visitors, please bring them to the Welcome Counter! WIM will also have mugs available for the congregation, for a donation. This donation will make it possible for us to purchase more mugs and continue this Outreach Ministry. You are welcome to make a donation and receive a mug, or just give a donation if you don't need another mug! You may leave the donation and get a mug at the welcome counter on Sundays. We have had good feedback from our guests who have received mugs. Blessings to you all, The WIM Committee Meets at 7 p.m. on the first Friday of every month at King of Glory Lutheran Church (3430 N. Maple Grove Road) Alo is a support group dedicated to families that have been disrupted by incarceration. The mission of the support group is to inspire hope, provide support, and contribute to the well-being of family members of incarcerated persons. For more information: alo.inspirehope@gmail.com or on Facebook: Alo-Supporting Families of the Incarcerated. Safety Ministries Gene Hochhalter April Safety Tip Remember, don t leave valuables (purses, tablets, recent purchases, etc.) on the car seats or floor boards that are visible through the windows and always lock your car doors while attending church services or other events at Hillview. These simple actions may save you from a financial loss. Your Hillview Safety Ministries Team Safety Ministries Committee Hillview is in the process of building a new Safety Ministries Committee with the sole purpose of making Hillview a safe and secure place to visit and worship. The committee members were identified and presented to the Nominations Committee for formal presentation and approval at the March Church Council meeting. The committee is comprised of a committee chair, representatives from Trustees, Christian Education, and the Preschool. In addition, two additional positions will be filled by the committee. These positions consist of a security team leader and a medical team leader, who will head up and coordinate the security and medical team activities. A medical team meeting was held on March 12 for individuals with medical experience or background. It is not too late to join the medical team. A security team meeting will be scheduled in the near future, so stay tuned. Anyone interested in serving on either the security team or medical team as a team leader or a team member can contact Gene Hochhalter at or kata9b@cableone.net for additional information about these teams. Finally, the Safety Ministries Committee is now responsible for the HUMC Safe Sanctuary program, which includes background checks and training. Gene Hochhalter, Chair Safety Ministries Committee

9 Page 9 VOLUME 3, APRIL 2017 April 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 18:00-4:00 African Church 28:30 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Worship 11:30 Youth Group Ballantyne 1:00 African Church 2:00 Micronesian Church 4:00 Church of God 3 10:00 Art Group 4:00 African Choir Practice 6:30 Praise Band 7:00 Church of God 7:00 Boy Scouts/Troop 40 49:30 Lydia Circle 11:00 Sermon Study 7:00 Living the Questions Small Group 5Wednesdays@ Hillview 5:30 Dinner 6:00 Classes 6:00 Bell Choir 7:15 Chancel Choir 6 7 4:00 African Choir Practice 7:30 p.m. Church of God 88:00-2:00 African Church 8:00 Men s b- fast, Moon s Café 9:00 Hillview Spring Cleanup Day 9 Palm Sunday 8:30 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Worship 11:30 Youth Group 1:00 African Church 2:00 Micronesian Church 4:00 Church of God 10 9:30 Morning Book Group 10:00 Art Group 10:30 Lady Veterans Luncheon 4:00 African Choir Practice 6:30 Evening Book Group 7:00 Congregational Care 11 11:00 Sermon Study 7:00 Young Adults 7:00 Finance 12Wednesdays@ Hillview 5:30 Dinner 6:00 Classes 6:00 Bell Choir 7:15 Chancel Choir 13 11:30 Lunch Bunch at Sockeye 6:00 Preschool Sock Hop 7:00 Fellowship Circle 7:00 Maundy Thursday Service 14 4:00 African Choir Practice 7:30 p.m. Church of God 158:00-2:00 African Church 10:30 Whitney Sack Lunch Program 16Easter 7:00 Sunrise Service 8:30 Worship 9:45 Easter Egg Hunt 10:30 Worship 1:00 African Church 2:00 Micronesian Church 4:00 Church of God 1710:00 Art Group 4:00 African Choir Practice 6:30 Praise Band 7:00 Church of God 7:00 Boy Scouts/Troop :30 Lydia Circle 11:00 Sermon Study 7:00 Young Adult Fun Night 7:00 Living the Questions Small Group 19Wednesdays@ Hillview 5:30 Dinner 6:00 Classes 6:00 Bell Choir 7:15 Chancel Choir 2010:30 Caregivers Support Group 21 4:00 African Choir Practice 7:30 p.m. Church of God 228:00-2:00 African Church 9:00 One-day Retreat 6:30 Talent Show 23Camp Scholarship Breakfast 8:30 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Worship 11:30 Youth Group 1:00 African Church 2:00 Micronesian Church 4:00 Church of God 2410:00 Art Group 4:00 African Choir Practice 6:30 Praise Band 7:00 Church of God 7:00 Boy Scouts/Troop 40 7:00 COM 2511:00 Sermon Study 7:00 Young Adults 7:00 Living the Questions Small Group 26 6:00 Community Meal 6:00 Bible Study 6:00 Bell Choir 7:15 Chancel Choir :00 African Choir Practice 7:30 p.m. Church of God 298:00-4:00 African Church 308:30 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Worship 11:30 Youth Group 1:00 African Church 2:00 Micronesian Church 4:00 Church of God Please remember to call the church office with any scheduling requests or changes. Just because a day may look available on the calendar, it does not mean that it is. This is our church calendar. We have not included Boy Scout activities, preschool, outside groups, Fit and Fallproof, and other activities. Please be considerate and flexible with room use.

10 Office Hours: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-noon, Friday We are a Reconciling Congregation, welcoming all persons into full participation in the life of the congregation regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, family configuration, racial or ethnic background, economic status, or mental or physical abilities. As we journey to the reconciliation of all persons as children of God, we celebrate our human family s diversity. Hillview United Methodist Church Staff Pastor Brenda Sene bsene@msn.com Family Ministry Director Alison Lehrman Administrative Assistant Claudia Flora claudia.flora@hillviewmethodist.org Choir Director Duane Conitz Praise Band Director Lani Nelson Youth Director Claire Chambers cilongpre@yahoo.com Custodian Mariya Gavrilutsa Nursery Director Peggy Sheldon Hillview United Methodist Church 8525 W. Ustick Road Boise, Idaho churchoffice@hillviewmethodist.org LETTER CARRIER FOOD DRIVE Stamp Out Hunger Saturday, May 13 Cole Post Office Station VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift We would like to have our Hillview people work together on this shift and we need at least 15 volunteers! This will be Hillview s 25 th year of volunteering to help stamp out hunger in Idaho! Volunteers are needed to put food into large totes for the Idaho Foodbank, so standing is required. The location is behind the Cole Post Office Station, off Ustick Rd. and Cole Rd. The sign-up sheet is on the table in the church Gathering Area. Contact Judy Halverson at or judybhalverson@gmail.com for more information.