In case anyone out there is wondering why this blog has not been updated in 2 months, it's because I used to manage this blog as a way to post current events at church because someone else was managing the website and we didn't always get pages updated in a timely way. But now that I am updating the official church site myself, the blog has fallen by the wayside. Sorry about that. I'll try to find ways to make the blog more complementary, less redundant.
But even as we prepare to give thanks and stuff our faces tomorrow (is that just me? no? I didn't think so), we are also heading into one of my favorite liturgical seasons: Advent. We take four weeks before Christmas to prepare for the coming of Christ, both through readings from the prophets and the gospels about the promised Messiah, and through some apocalyptic readings about the completion of God's purposes for the world that, to be honest, are a lot harder for those of us who find meaning in a progressive approach to Christianity. So if you want to hear how I reconcile the texts about the signs in the heavens and the end of the world with my belief in a God who is at work primarily in the natural and human processes of evolution and creativity, show up this Sunday! My sermon is called "Back to the Future," and I'll explore Jeremiah 33:14-16 and Luke 21:25-36.
Check out our main website for information on current and upcoming Sunday school classes for adults, discussion of The Shack, Advent vespers services, opportunities to help those in need, and more. We have a lot going on at Highlands UMC these days, and we would be delighted to have you join us!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Meeting Cancelled; Rummage Sale & Pastor @ the Pub this weekend
Tonight's Administrative Council meeting has been rescheduled to October 12 at 6:30 p.m. We hope to see representatives from all the committees then.
Don't forget -
If you have been saving up some household goods and other items for a yard sale, you are in luck! The church will host a rummage sale on Saturday, September 26, 8am - 2pm, with proceeds to go toward a mission trip being planned for spring/summer 2010. You can bring items to donate to the church during office hours (9am - 12pm, 1 - 3pm, Monday - Thursday), during the "pricing party" Friday 4pm - 7pm, or call to arrange a different time for drop-off.
And Pastor Kerry will be facilitating a new monthly discussion about God called Pastor @ the Pub. All are welcome – including your friends who won’t set foot inside a church building – to come and talk about God, faith, spirituality, the Bible, Jesus, or whatever questions you were told not to ask in Sunday school! You don’t have to commit to coming every month, and it’s okay to just drop in to check it out. Pastor Kerry will bring some discussion starters, and we'll take it from there. First round is Sunday, September 27, 5pm at El Camino on West 32nd Ave - we'll be a group gathering for conversation at one of the tables, not an official event of El Camino. Look for Pastor Kerry and the "Pastor @ the Pub" table tents.
Don't forget -
If you have been saving up some household goods and other items for a yard sale, you are in luck! The church will host a rummage sale on Saturday, September 26, 8am - 2pm, with proceeds to go toward a mission trip being planned for spring/summer 2010. You can bring items to donate to the church during office hours (9am - 12pm, 1 - 3pm, Monday - Thursday), during the "pricing party" Friday 4pm - 7pm, or call to arrange a different time for drop-off.
And Pastor Kerry will be facilitating a new monthly discussion about God called Pastor @ the Pub. All are welcome – including your friends who won’t set foot inside a church building – to come and talk about God, faith, spirituality, the Bible, Jesus, or whatever questions you were told not to ask in Sunday school! You don’t have to commit to coming every month, and it’s okay to just drop in to check it out. Pastor Kerry will bring some discussion starters, and we'll take it from there. First round is Sunday, September 27, 5pm at El Camino on West 32nd Ave - we'll be a group gathering for conversation at one of the tables, not an official event of El Camino. Look for Pastor Kerry and the "Pastor @ the Pub" table tents.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Show-up Sunday and new ministries!
The summer went by incredibly quickly, and here it is September once again. This Sunday, September 13, is "Show-up Sunday" (formerly known as Kick-off Sunday), a time to come together and enjoy being in community again after a summer of travel, outdoor activities, or other commitments. Pastor Betty will invite us to "Rethink Church" - what if church were not a noun, but a verb?
Friday, September 18 will be our fall Game Night, starting at 6pm. Kids, adults, families, singles, couples, everyone is welcome to come and bring your favorite game or just join in with others. Bring your favorite game, a snack to share and $5/child toward child care if you have little ones. Hope to see you there!
Administrative Council will meet Monday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. Chairs of committees are expected to attend; anyone else interested in the life of the church is welcome.
If you have been saving up some household goods and other items for a yard sale, you are in luck! The church will host a rummage sale on Saturday, September 26, with proceeds to go toward a mission trip being planned for spring/summer 2010. Details coming soon!
Finally, Pastor Kerry will be facilitating a monthly discussion about God called Pastor @ the Pub. All are welcome – including your friends who won’t set foot inside a church building – to come and talk about God, faith, spirituality, the Bible, Jesus, or whatever questions you were told not to ask in Sunday school! You don’t have to commit to coming every month, and it’s okay to just drop in to check it out. First round is Sunday, September 27, 5pm at El Camino on West 32nd Ave. We'll be a group gathering for conversation at one of the tables, not an official event of El Camino. Look for Pastor Kerry and the "Pastor @ the Pub" table tents.
Friday, September 18 will be our fall Game Night, starting at 6pm. Kids, adults, families, singles, couples, everyone is welcome to come and bring your favorite game or just join in with others. Bring your favorite game, a snack to share and $5/child toward child care if you have little ones. Hope to see you there!
Administrative Council will meet Monday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. Chairs of committees are expected to attend; anyone else interested in the life of the church is welcome.
If you have been saving up some household goods and other items for a yard sale, you are in luck! The church will host a rummage sale on Saturday, September 26, with proceeds to go toward a mission trip being planned for spring/summer 2010. Details coming soon!
Finally, Pastor Kerry will be facilitating a monthly discussion about God called Pastor @ the Pub. All are welcome – including your friends who won’t set foot inside a church building – to come and talk about God, faith, spirituality, the Bible, Jesus, or whatever questions you were told not to ask in Sunday school! You don’t have to commit to coming every month, and it’s okay to just drop in to check it out. First round is Sunday, September 27, 5pm at El Camino on West 32nd Ave. We'll be a group gathering for conversation at one of the tables, not an official event of El Camino. Look for Pastor Kerry and the "Pastor @ the Pub" table tents.
Survey Results
Summary of Christian Education & Ministry Survey Results
Thank you to all who responded to the recent survey about Christian education and other ministry activities. In case you are wondering what we learned from the results, here is a brief summary of the highlights:
49 people took the survey; 40 completed it. Of those who completed the survey, 3 were age 30 or younger, 18 were 31-45, 11 were 46-60, and 8 were 61 or older. 18 reported having children or youth in their household.
Interest in adult Christian education was substantial (16 would come twice a month or more), though many expressed a commitment level entirely dependent on the topic. Sunday mornings and evenings had the greatest amount of interest.
Several topics struck people as interesting enough to attend:
Spirituality (28)
Theology: discussions about God (24)
Bible study/learning about the Bible (23)
Ethics or social issues (22)
Learning about other religions (21)
Topics that relate directly to my life (20)
Ministries, programs, and other activities that received significant interest included:
Bible study (15)
Book discussions (12)
Movie discussions (16)
Seasonal study (12)
Short-term topical discussions (19)
Open discussions (10)
Social activities with others in my stage of life (13)
Social activities with people of all ages (e.g., game night) (16)
Opportunities to serve people in need (16)
Women's group (9)
Most of these had the highest number of responses under the medium priority level ("I'd probably come if I'm not too busy"). Which confirms what we suspected: this is a congregation of busy people! However, movie discussions, all-age social activities, and opportunities to serve people in need each received 5 or more responses that indicated a high priority, people who would definitely come.
Pastor Betty and I will make use of this information in conversation with lay leaders to determine our plans and priorities for ministry this year. Thanks again for sharing your perspective!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kerry
Thank you to all who responded to the recent survey about Christian education and other ministry activities. In case you are wondering what we learned from the results, here is a brief summary of the highlights:
49 people took the survey; 40 completed it. Of those who completed the survey, 3 were age 30 or younger, 18 were 31-45, 11 were 46-60, and 8 were 61 or older. 18 reported having children or youth in their household.
Interest in adult Christian education was substantial (16 would come twice a month or more), though many expressed a commitment level entirely dependent on the topic. Sunday mornings and evenings had the greatest amount of interest.
Several topics struck people as interesting enough to attend:
Spirituality (28)
Theology: discussions about God (24)
Bible study/learning about the Bible (23)
Ethics or social issues (22)
Learning about other religions (21)
Topics that relate directly to my life (20)
Ministries, programs, and other activities that received significant interest included:
Bible study (15)
Book discussions (12)
Movie discussions (16)
Seasonal study (12)
Short-term topical discussions (19)
Open discussions (10)
Social activities with others in my stage of life (13)
Social activities with people of all ages (e.g., game night) (16)
Opportunities to serve people in need (16)
Women's group (9)
Most of these had the highest number of responses under the medium priority level ("I'd probably come if I'm not too busy"). Which confirms what we suspected: this is a congregation of busy people! However, movie discussions, all-age social activities, and opportunities to serve people in need each received 5 or more responses that indicated a high priority, people who would definitely come.
Pastor Betty and I will make use of this information in conversation with lay leaders to determine our plans and priorities for ministry this year. Thanks again for sharing your perspective!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Kerry
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
August already: Bread & Movies
This Sunday, August 2, is the ninth Sunday after Pentecost, in a season known in the church as Ordinary Time. Pastor Kerry will be preaching on John 6:24-35, and the service will include Holy Communion. ALL people are welcome at Christ's table.
Next Sunday, August 9, the sermon will reflect on the movie The Visitor. As always, viewing the movie is not required to understand the sermon. We will also be blessed by harp music from Rebecca and Sean Moritzky.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Next Sunday, August 9, the sermon will reflect on the movie The Visitor. As always, viewing the movie is not required to understand the sermon. We will also be blessed by harp music from Rebecca and Sean Moritzky.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Ordination Celebration
This Sunday, June 28, Pastor Kerry will preach on her experience of being called into ordained ministry, "Let Your Life Speak" (taken from the title of a book by Parker Palmer). Following worship, all are invited to stay for a potluck dinner to celebrate Pastor Kerry's ordination as a Deacon, which took place last Saturday in the New England Annual Conference.
Vacation Bible School is coming up fast - our theme this year is Camp E.D.G.E.: Experience and Discover God Everywhere! Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday morning, July 9-11. Visit our main site for more information.
Vacation Bible School is coming up fast - our theme this year is Camp E.D.G.E.: Experience and Discover God Everywhere! Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday morning, July 9-11. Visit our main site for more information.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Summer Movie Sermon Series Begins!
This Sunday, June 14, Pastor Betty will preach on The Bucket List in the first of our summer movie sermon series. You are encouraged to see the movie ahead of time if you can, but if not, the sermon will still make sense.
In case you want to line up your library hold or Netflix cue now, some of the other movies planned for this summer include The Secret Life of Bees, The Visitor, and Snow Cake. We are spreading the series out over the summer, so stay tuned for details!
The Highlands Street Fair is coming up, and this year our booth will focus on our children's programs: Parents' Day Out and Vacation Bible School.
On Sunday, June 21, we will have Rev. Heidi McGinness as our guest preacher while Pastor Betty and Pastor Kerry are at New England Annual Conference for Pastor Kerry's ordination. Pastor Heidi has come to Highlands previously to share about her work bringing aid to displaced people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Hope to see you at Highlands UMC sometime soon!
In case you want to line up your library hold or Netflix cue now, some of the other movies planned for this summer include The Secret Life of Bees, The Visitor, and Snow Cake. We are spreading the series out over the summer, so stay tuned for details!
The Highlands Street Fair is coming up, and this year our booth will focus on our children's programs: Parents' Day Out and Vacation Bible School.
On Sunday, June 21, we will have Rev. Heidi McGinness as our guest preacher while Pastor Betty and Pastor Kerry are at New England Annual Conference for Pastor Kerry's ordination. Pastor Heidi has come to Highlands previously to share about her work bringing aid to displaced people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Hope to see you at Highlands UMC sometime soon!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Garden Workday Postponed
The work day for this Saturday, June 6 has been canceled. The flower beds have already been cleaned out. Also, Kay and Bob Upton are mixing compost into our community garden and planting our beginning plants. The raised beds that will on the south side of the church will be built after the windows are painted. The second phase of the Sacred Surroundings grant will begin soon. The outside of the windows will be scraped and painted.
After the cleaning out of the beds, the church garden could use low in height, blooming annuals and perennials to fill in the empty spaces. If you have some in your garden or wish to purchase flowers, please bring them to the church and we will make sure they get planted. If you're interested in helping with the raised beds or maintaining the garden, please let us know!
After the cleaning out of the beds, the church garden could use low in height, blooming annuals and perennials to fill in the empty spaces. If you have some in your garden or wish to purchase flowers, please bring them to the church and we will make sure they get planted. If you're interested in helping with the raised beds or maintaining the garden, please let us know!
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