September 2014

www.highlandsucc.org 1910 Saint Paris Pike

Highlandsucc@sbcglobal.net Springfield, Ohio 45504-1206

From the Pastor, Now that summer is over and we are entering a new season and getting back in the swing of things at church, I wanted to address a problem that continues to be with us. Hunger continues to be a vexing problem. It is a key focus area in our Justice Ministries. As you know, we have the food basket in the narthex that ran very low this summer. There continue to be many, many folks in the Springfield area who struggle to put food on the table. We partner with the Open Hands Free Store to provide the food we collect. Inside this month’s Outreach, you will find a repeat of an article we ran earlier this year addressing items that are needed and appreciated.

Recently, while I was on vacation, I listened to an old Harry Chapin concert on my IPOD. Most folks, if they remember him, remember his songs “Cat’s In the Cradle” or “WOLD”. Many folks don’t know that he donated a major portion of the income from his concerts, albums, and souvenirs to fight hunger through the group he founded called, World Hunger Year. After his tragic death in a car accident in 1981, friends kept the vision alive as WhyHunger, which still works with over 8000 community agencies to fight hunger globally. I was struck (…and shocked…and saddened) as I listened to the 1981 concert, how that the words Harry spoke about hunger those 33 years ago could be spoken word-for-word today. As we work to build the beloved community, let’s remember those who have even less to eat than we do and share God’s love one food item at a time.

Adult Discussion Group

We had several folks join us for our time of meditation and reflection during the summer as

we took a break from our Adult Discussion Group. Our 2014-2015 Adult Discussion

begins September 7 at 9:30 in the Lounge.

During the fall, we will be exploring several video series that are relevant to exploring our

faith. The first video series—The First Days of Christianity— was first aired on The History

Channel and explores the lives of the Holy Family, Jesus and the Apostles. It uses Biblical

resources, other ancient texts, science, history, geography, and our understanding of

Christianity and faith to examine how the lives of a small number of people, living merely a

few years, still affect our lives 2000 years later.

Join us for lively discussion on Sunday mornings, bring your coffee, watch some interesting

videos, share your thoughts!

Highlands’ Leadership Pastor: Rev. Avery Sledge Church Officers: Pam Dixon—Moderator Jan Kushmaul—Vice Moderator Linda Owens—Treasurer Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon

Rally for Jesus and Highlands

September 7, 2014

10:30 a.m.

1910 St. Paris Pike

Start the Church Season off with a BANG!

Everybody come and fill the sanctuary with song and spirit.

There is a carry-in picnic following the service in the shelter house. Bring your dinner service and a dish to share.

Beverages will be provided by Christian Education Ministry Team.

Pastor’s Office Hours Monday and Thursday 9:00 a.m.—12:00 noon Wednesday 12:00 noon—3:00 p.m. You can reach Pastor Avery in the church office during those hours or at 937-429-1536.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Book Fair – In support of Highlands’ Scholarship Fund Books, videos, CDs, and DVDs.

Bake Sale – Donate your favorite baked goods. Gently used Items – Donate items to sell: household, kitchen, clothes, furniture, toys, sports, tools, antiques, jewelry, miscellaneous, and more.

Food Service – Have a meal while you shop: Hot dogs, chips, and cold drinks.

If you can help at the snack bar, call Kathy Howard at 323-5015 You may begin dropping off items beginning Sunday, August 31, or call Jan Kushmaul to pick up 206-1005. Baked goods should be delivered on Friday, September 5. Please price your items. Call Betty Mougey for more information at 399-1437. Sign up to work. The clip board is on the table in the narthex. Proceeds from food sales will be donated to the Open Hands Free Store Food Pantry. Offer to help – donate – volunteer – do some small part to make this effort a HUGE success. Call Jan Kushmaul at 206-1005.

People for Safe Water

Protecting our water supply from contamination from the hazardous waste in the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site is very important.

Problem: The sole source aquifer for 82,000 people, primarily Clark County citizens, is at risk of contamination by chemical poisons from the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site.

Contact Marilyn at 937-484-6988 for more information or visit their website www.peopleforsafewater.org.

DID YOU KNOW????

Highlands UCC is used on more than

Sunday morning. As part of our being

engaged in the world, we allow many

groups to use our facilities.

Kids World uses our building Monday

through Friday to provide quality care for

children.

People for Safe Water uses our building

as a place to meet and address issues with

the cleanup of the barrel fill that threat-

ens the aquifer that provides drinking

water to our area.

We continue to open our building to a

Zen Buddhist group for their weekly

meetings.

Highlands also hosts an Alcoholics

Anonymous group to help those fighting

alcoholism.

Our facility has been used for work-

shops, training sessions, and family

gatherings.

If you think Highlands is only open on

Sundays, think again. As we become

more engaged in the world, we hope

more groups will find our hospitality and

facilities meet their needs.

Semper Fidelis

The Semper Fidelis Class, with lots of help, will serve a meal to Delta Kappa Gamma on Monday, September 8, at 6:00 p.m. The profit will go towards the church budget. Call Betty Mougey 399-1437 if you can help. Wednesday, September 10, we will get our fall program started off by eating out at Golden Corral at 6:00 p.m. Devotions will be given by Kathy Howard. Our roll call is to read John 12:24. Semper Fidelis is open to all the women of Highlands Church.

Worship Helpers for September

Worship Helpers are needed for September. The sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex. Helping in worship is one way of worshipping God. Your partici-pation enhances worship for all the people who come.

Items that Food Banks Need but Don’t Usually Ask For Some items are in high demand at the food bank and you may not realize it. But, because they aren’t essentials, food bank staffs don’t usually ask for them. A recent survey on Reddit.com asked volunteers what items people would be most appreciative of and the top 10 are listed below. Having worked with folks who rely on food banks in several states and in Appalachia, I can vouch for these items which are sorely needed and greatly appreciated. ~ Pastor Avery The following is reprinted from an article that appeared on Facebook recently.

1. Spices. Think about it. People who rely on the food bank eat a lot of canned food, rice, oatmeal, white bread, etc. They love spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, oregano, basil and so on. 2. Feminine Products. Can you imagine being worr ied about affording these? Pads, tampons, panty liners, etc. Recommended: Buy in bulk at Costco for donating. 3. Chocolate. People don’t need it, but think about being in their shoes and how nice it would be to be given a chocolate bar or brownie mix along with your essentials. 4. Toiletries. Grocery stores are great about donating surplus or unsold food, but they have no reason to donate toilet paper, tooth paste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc. Food stamps often don’t cover these. 5. Canned meats and jerky. This isn’t true of all food banks, but many struggle to give users enough protein. 6. Crackers and tortillas. They don’t spoil and everybody likes them. 7. Baby toiletries. Diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, baby shampoo, baby soap, baby food, bottles, etc. 8. Soup packets. Sometimes you look at r ice, beans, instant potatoes, and cans of vegetable and think, “What do I make with this?” Hearty soup is a complete meal. 9. Socks. From a former homeless person: “Socks mean the world to you. They keep you warm, make you feel like you have something new, and just comfort you.” 10. Canned fruit other than pineapple. Food banks get a lot of pineapple donated. Their clients love it when other kinds of fruit are available.

Of the items listed, the most commonly needed items are protein items (canned meats or peanut butter), feminine products, baby toiletries, socks, and toiletries. All are not usually as readily available as canned beans or pasta or cereal. If you’re looking for an easy way to help out with some of these appreciated items, pick some of these up while shopping and drop them off in the food cart in the narthex.

Are you looking for quality child care?

Check out Kids World located at Highlands Church, 1910 St. Paris Pike. Krista or Kelly will be happy to answer all your questions. Kids World provides a warm, caring environment that helps children grow mentally, physically, socially,

emotionally, and spiritually. 937-399-2444

CultureFest Highlands United Church of Christ will have a booth at CultureFest on September 27, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the Springfield City Hall Plaza. This is a wonderful way to share the Highlands message with the Springfield community. Help us spread the good news that God Is Still Speaking and all people are welcome at Highlands. Sign up on the sheet on the table in the narthex or call Jan Kushmaul 206-1005.

Recycling Continues Members of the congregation at Highlands continue to bring paper, cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic # 1 & #2 for recycling. The collected items are taken once a week to the recycling bins located near the Clark County Combined Health District on East Home Road. If you do not have recycling at the curb where you live, you may bring your items to the church

Change in web address

Please note this change from dot com to dot org

www.highlandsucc.org

Children Choose Missions to Support On August 24, the children of Highlands gathered during their normal class time to look at several missions both local and global that serve the needs of children. They chose these missions to support with the money they collect each month: On The Rise, The Blanket Project, The Heifer Project, and Project Jericho. Next month’s newsletter will describe each of these ministries. Donations to each of these missions will be made in that order. The August 2014 Children’s ‘Noisy’ Collection totaled $20.00. Money collected so far this year is $326.00.

‘Noisy’ Collection is the second Sunday of each month.

As the children collect the coins, they learn how to give to others in need. The next collection is September 14. Have your metal money ready to make a loud noise.

Using Gifts from Friends to Help Ministries in our Community Highlands has recently received generous gifts of money from friends of Highlands. Ten percent (10%) of these gifts has been set aside to assist ministries in the Springfield/Clark County community. We ask you to help determine who should receive this assistance by submitting suggestions of ministries that need additional help and that help fulfill High-lands’ mission. A submission form is printed below for your use. Please place in the offer-ing plate or on the desk in the office or you may give to Pastor Avery, Pam Dixon, or Jan Kushmaul.

Highlands UCC

Spreading God's Love through Tithing our Gifts

The Trustees of Highlands UCC have approved tithing (giving 10%) of any bequest or gift (other than

general or special offerings) given to the congregation. This form is the vehicle to request funding for

proposed projects, ministries, justice opportunities, or missions.

These gifts are intended to spread God's love in the wider world as part of our commitment to "Love our

Neighbor as Ourselves". Any member may submit a proposal. The only stipulations are that the pro-

posed opportunity must be designated outside of Highlands UCC and must spread the Gospel of God's

love for all.

Proposals will be reviewed and decisions will be made by the Trustees at their regular meetings.

Amount Requested $ ___________ Name of Proposed Project, Ministry, Justice Opportunity, or Mission:

__________________________________________________

Address (if applicable): ____________________________ ___________________________________

How does this proposal spread the word of God?

_________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Submitted by: _______________________________

Welcome, Friends Highlands has been so blessed with new faces each Sunday. We want so much to get to know you and invite you into the fellowship at Highlands. It helps if you complete the information card in the pews. Then we can wish you an appropriate welcome and keep you informed of special events that are coming up. We place you on our newsletter mailing list. If you do not wish to receive it, please call the church at 399-7493.

Automatic Giving Saves Time

Do you find yourself getting to the end of the month and thinking, "Oh, my! I didn't give my offering to Highlands this month."? Want to take the worry out of your faith commitment to God's work through Highlands? It's easy. Your bank can send your monetary gift to Highlands even when you are not able to be in church. You decide how much and when you want your contribution to be sent and it is automatically transferred or a check is written and sent to the church by the bank. If you want an automatic transfer, all you need to do is get a copy of the deposit slip to Highlands' account and take it to your bank. If you want your bank to send a check, you just let them know the name and address of Highlands Church.

“Especially among Christians in positions of wealth and power, the idea of reading the Gospels and keeping Jesus' commandments as stated therein has been replaced by a curious process of logic. According to this process, people first declare themselves to be followers of Christ, and then they assume that whatever they say or do merits the adjective 'Christian'.” ~Wendell Berry in Blessed are the Peacemakers: Christ's Teachings of Love, Compas-sion, and Forgiveness

Mugs help to save the Environment

The people of Highlands are using regular coffee mugs and glass glasses for their drinks on Sunday mornings. Each new person who comes to High-lands is offered a mug of their choice. They can either put their name on it and keep it to use at church or they may take it home. This is one way we lessen the amount of Styrofoam that goes into the landfills.

Prepared for Highlands United Church of Christ NPO #82186 (Cycle 3, Qtr 1) Dear Highlands United Church of Christ, The Kroger Family of Stores is committed to bringing hope and help to local communities. We do this through a variety of activities, including charitable giving, sponsorships and the unique Community Rewards Program of Kroger. We are also committed to carefully protecting our customers' personal information. In order to meet their expectation of privacy, we have adopted a simple policy to never share a customer's personal information. Our privacy policy applies to Community Rewards participation as well. As your neighbor-hood food retailer, we deeply value our ability to support local organizations like yours. Your supporters (4 households) who shopped at Kroger between 05/01/2014 and 07/31/2014 (Cycle 3, Qtr 1) have contributed to your $37.69 total donation. Your organization will be receiving a Kroger check in this amount within 30 days from 07/31/2014. If you have any questions, please email cincinnaticommuni-tyrewards@kroger.com or visit our website at www.krogercommunityrewards.com. Thank you for your continued support of your local Kroger store. Don't forget to use your newsletter, website, and events to encourage your supporters to link to your organization. The more your supporters shop with us, the more money your organization will earn! Thank you,

The above letter was the report from Kroger Stores to inform us of our rewards for the first quarter of the third cycle of the Community Rewards Program. As you can see, we only have 4 households signed up for this easy way to contribute to Highlands’s ministries. All you need to do is register your Kroger Plus card at the Kroger Community Rewards web-site and designate Highlands as your charity. If you have any questions, you may call Jan Kushmaul at 206-1005.

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Bible Study???

We would like to begin a weekday Bible study beginning in September. If you have questions about the Bible

or you’d like to explore the Bible more deeply—maybe there are passages that are troubling to you or maybe

you’d like more information about why a passage was written—we’d love to have you join us.

Please complete the form below and drop it in the offering plate, so we can determine interest and determine

a day and time that works for most folks. The only requirements for this study are to bring your Bible, bring

your questions, bring an open mind and heart as we explore scripture. See Pastor Avery if you want to know

more.

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Please complete and place in offering plate Yes, I am interested in joining the Bible Study.

Name:____________________________________

Best Day (s)________________________________

Best Time(s)_______________________________

Save the Date “A Retreat for All Souls” October 24—26, 2014 Friday, Oct. 24—Hallowed Eve 6:30—9:00 p.m. An Introduction to Christian Contemplative Practices Saturday, Oct. 25—Sacred Morning 8:30 am—12:00 noon Praying with the Saints Sunday, Oct 26—Gathering All Souls 3:00—6:30 p.m. Learning from the Celts, Praying in nature Taize worship for Christian Unity Renowned author and contemplative practices leader, Carl McColman, will lead this weekend of practices that deepen the spiritual life. He is noted for his warm, down- to-earth style, his sense of humor and conviction that so-called serious topics like mysticism and meditation can be fun and whimsical, and his ability to make complex topics accessible to everyone. This weekend is sponsored by Christ Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, and Highlands United Church of Christ. Registration forms are available on the table in the entry. For more information, email Jan Kushmaul at jkushmaul@woh.rr.com or call Nancy Flinchbaugh at 937-206-0265.

Highlands United Church of Christ 1910 Saint Paris Pike Springfield, Ohio 45504

www.highlandsucc.org

Return Service Requested

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to be the loving heart and healing hands of God in the world; we are a welcoming community of faith, seeking to accompany and support all

on their journey to Christ, and bearing authentic witness of God’s inclusive love as proclaimed through Jesus.

Highlands’ Vision

Highlands United Church of Christ, is called by God

To open doors for all who seek a safe place for their spiritual journey To extend extravagant hospitality To set an open table for all who hunger To provide sanctuary for all who seek forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing To do justice and pursue peace

Highlands Open and Affirming Statement

The worshipping family within the faith community of Highlands United Church of Christ believes in Christ's gospel of unconditional love. We joyfully welcome into full participation, membership, and leadership of this congregation persons of every race, language, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, economic or marital status, and faith background. We affirm and celebrate all loving, committed relationships affirming that all families defined by love are blessed." Adopted by the congregation January 13, 2013