Hill Church News - Asylum Hill Congregational Church · Rhonda Mitchell, Communications Manager, at...

VOLUME 72 | ISSUE 8SEPTEMBER 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

IN GENERAL 2

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT 4

OUTREACH & VOLUNTEERING 4

STEWARDSHIP 5

MUSIC & ARTS 6

WOMEN’S SPIRITUALITY 7

YOUTH & TEENS 7

CHILDREN & FAMILIES 8

ADULT EDUCATION 9

HIGHLIGHTS 10

Hill Church News THE NEWSLETTER OF ASYLUM HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Helping people grow in faith and love as disciples of Jesus

See “Transition” pg. 3

Transition Time: What’s Next?

If you attended one of the Sacred Circles this summer you’ve heard our consultant Anna Tansi talk about moving from an ending (a particular change) toward a new beginning (the hoped-for future). Anna defines this time between the ending and the new beginning as “the neutral time.” For some, this time is marked by anxiety, a yearning for certainty and stability, or a desire to “simply get on with things.”

There is often a desire to move through this period of neutral time as quickly as possible, if not skipping over it altogether. And there is the notion that it is a time of inactivity.

A biblical example of the neutral time is the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert. The time when God’s people won their liberation from slavery and exited Egypt was a change. Crossing the Red Sea was an event that signaled things would be different for their community going forward. Yet, the hoped-for future, the Promised Land, was not an immediate reality.

For 40 years, Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, and it wasn’t easy. In fact, God’s people were extremely uncomfortable, and Moses did a whole lot of hand wringing. However, the years spent in the desert were vital and necessary to

One worship service – 10:15am

WORSHIP (CASUAL DRESS) | FELLOWSHIP | DJPOPCORN | BOUNCE HOUSE | FACE PAINTING

GRILLED FOOD FOR SALE (CASH ONLY)

Spirit Sunday, September 10

September Worship

As a way to bring us together as a family, we will have one worship service at 10:15am for the first three Sundays of the program year: September 10, Spirit Sunday – food, music, and fellowship following worship.

September 17 – We will celebrate the Transition Leadership Team and covenant for the work ahead.

September 24, Discipleship Sunday – ministry fair following worship. This will be a wonderful opportu-nity for all of us to find ways to get connected to one another and to the ministry of Jesus.

Note: We will resume our 9:00 & 10:15am worship schedule on World Communion Sunday, October 1.

2 For a complete list of events, programs, and volunteer opportunities, please visit ahcc.org.

Asylum Hill CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH814 Asylum Ave., Hartford, CT 06105-2892

Ph: 860.525.5696 | Fax: 860.525.3457www.ahcc.org | e-mail: [email protected]

The Hill Church News USPS245-160 is published one time per month (every six weeks during June, July and August) by Asylum Hill Congregational Church. Periodical postage paid at Hartford, CT.

Items for publication must reach the office by noon on or before the 15th of the month prior to publication.

Please submit items to Rhonda Mitchell, Communications Manager, at the above address OR [email protected]

Postmaster Send address changes to Hill Church News at the above address.

September Worship Services 10:15am

Sunday morning services are recorded. Sermons are posted on our website, ahcc.org Church Leadership Rev. Erica A. Thompson, Acting Senior Minister Rev. John W. Collins, Interim Assoc. Minister Jack A. Pott, Director of Music & Arts Susan Carroll, Organist Helena Carvalho, Director of Operations Rev. Mia Douglas, Director of Discipleship Marcie Jackson, Dir. of Children & Family Min. Holly DeYoung, Moderator Bart Halloran, Vice Moderator

In General

That is The Question!

As we begin a new program year, continuing to find ways to know one an-other more deeply and be connected to each other’s stories, we are going to begin a new column in the HCN called The Question! Each month, we will pose a question for you to reflect on, and we invite you to write in (prefera-bly by email) and let us know your answers. Depending on the number of responses this column generates, we will choose a few to share in the next month’s issue of the HCN, along with another question. So let’s get started!Question #1: What would be the title of your life story, and WHY? A few things to note:~ Your responses are not anonymous nor confidential. Rather, we will pub-lish selected responses with first and last names attached.~ Submissions should be no more than 100 words. ~ Email your answers to Rhonda Mitchell at [email protected]~The deadline for answering this question is Friday, September 15.

Letters to the Church: Fall Worship at AHCC

In the age of texts, tweets and email, it seems as though letter-writing has become a lost art. This fall, we will revive this powerful and intimate com-munication method as a way to grow and explore our faith.

After all, the earliest writings in the New Testament are Paul’s letters to the churches he founded, enabling the Christian faith to begin its universal reach. Paul’s letters expressed personal feelings, new ways of experiencing the faith, advice about conflicts, and often an appeal for financial support. Most were written before the gospels, but like the words of Jesus, they offer the 21st Century Church remarkably helpful guidance.

Beginning Sunday, September 17, our worship series will explore Paul’s and other significant letters that speak to the issues of this time in our congrega-tion, our country and the world. And, we will be inviting you to consider writing letters to our church in the spirit of Paul, to share your hopes, frus-trations, dreams, and faith, just as he did so long ago.

We are excited about the coming worship season and the possibilities it of-fers to deepen our faith and strengthen our church. We hope you’ll join us!

Sacred Circle Conversations in Twichell. More photos on back page

Asylum Hill Congregational Church | www.ahcc.org | 860.525.5696 3

prepare the Israelites for their future. Wandering wasn’t a passive time, rather it was full of lessons and reflec-tions and growth.

It is our hope that as a community of faith we will use our transition time wisely, learning how to inten-tionally “wander” together – having the difficult conversations, taking in the lessons, reflecting and growing together, so that we can be ready for the future. It’s not always comfortable, and that’s why we do it together.

Stepping into the FutureWe are calling this neutral time, “Stepping into the Future.” The bulletin board pictured above is the hallway between Drew Hall and the front office. Check in there for reflections, and ways in which we can all participate in the process. As well, there will be monthly updates about our journey in the HCN, as well as the Thursday email with messages between monthly HCN publications.If you do not currently receive the weekly email but would like to, please click on the envelope icon at

the bottom of any page of our web-site, ahcc.org to sign up.

So what are the Stepping Stones we are using to move forward? Great question!

Step 1: Sacred Circles, which have taken place this summer, have engaged about 200 church mem-bers. These conversations are about rebuilding an atmosphere of open, honest conversation. If you have not had the opportunity to attend one of these Sacred Circles, please register

for the final one on Monday, Septem-ber 11, at 6:30 pm in Twichell. Please sign up on Sundays or by contacting Mary Way at [email protected] or 860.525.5696. Childcare is available and sign up is required.

Step 2: Café Conversations, which are currently being planned, will build upon the open-heartedness restored in our Sacred Conversa-tions. These will be held throughout the fall and early winter and can be best described as conversations

about “things that matter.” Exam-ples include: the creation of a culture of respect and gratitude for all of God’s people, church governance, our church’s relationship with our denomination – the United Church of Christ, growing the church, racism and its effects, the mandate to “do justice” and what that looks like for us. These are a few of the topics we believe really matter.

Step 3: Vision Gathering, which will take place sometime in later winter/early spring, will be an all-church, congregational event during which we will celebrate the common vision for the future of our church which has emerged from our work together during the fall.

Step 4: Completion of the Church Profile where we discern who we are now, and who is God calling us to become; and formation of the Senior Minister Search Committee. The con-gregation will be asked to vote upon the members of the search committee.

Step 5: Calling a settled Senior Min-ister to AHCC. The congregation will be asked to vote upon the candidate selected by the Search Committee.

As you can see, this neutral time is a time of great opportunity for engage-ment, and we hope that you will take every opportunity to participate in shaping our church’s future together.

Let us all be a part of Stepping into the Future.

In faith, hope, and love,Holly, Bart, John, and Erica

Note: Anna Tansi is the principal of Counterbalance Consulting, LLC, specializing in the work of organiza-tional and leadership effectiveness for a range of clients encompassing faith-based, corporate, and non-profit organizations. Anna began working with AHCC leadership in May 2017.

“Transition” cont. from pg. 1


Construction on the Hill: Volunteer at 52 Huntington St

Northside Institutions Neigh-borhood Alliance (NINA) is embarking on its next new construction of a single-family home on Huntington Street. This home, to be built next door to 54 Huntington, our previous house-building project. Con-struction will start in September, once the foundation is in and capped. We’ll be looking for volunteers to work on the house starting at the end of October, and we’d love to have you join us! Please contact David Corrig-an, NINA Program Manager, at 860.244.9390 or [email protected] for more details.

Member Engagement

Outreach & Volunteering Community Meals Update

The monthly community meals at Center Church are currently undergoing reorganization and volunteer opportunities will resume in late fall. These community meals are wonderful opportunities for individuals, Villages, or Christian Sharing Groups to put their faith in action.

Volunteers from AHCC gather on the fourth Sunday of the month from 2:45 – 6:45pm. For more information about volunteering, please contact Director of Discipleship, Rev. Mia Douglas at [email protected] or 860.216.9834.

Table to table Collection

Thank you for your continued support of AHCC’s Table to table collection. Please place your do-nations in the labeled bins at the front entrance to the sanctuary or in the hallway leading to Drew Hall on Communion Sunday. Donated items benefit the patrons of Loaves and Fishes Ministry who may have food for a midday meal, but often need assistance supplementing their dinner or breakfast. Loaves and Fishes is a tax exempt chari-table organization that provides human services to the poor in Hartford, CT. To learn more, visit loavesfishesministries.org.

October - canned soup (any size) November - nutritious cereal December - canned vegetables (green or yellow)

West Middle School

The Volunteer Resource Center at West Middle School is in need of volunteers for the 2017-2018 school year. Volunteers will start the week of September 11. For more infor-mation on short and long term opportunities, please email Nicole Rodriguez at [email protected].

The foundation of 52 Huntington being reinforced, with 54 Hunting-

ton in the background.


Faithful Steward of God’s Grace: Luz Antonio-LaMarco

When a Las Vegas casino mogul sought to build a casino in Hartford in 1993, a coalition of Hartford area ministers were going to use their pulpits to ex-press their opposition. A young reporter at The Hartford Courant at that time, Luz was assigned to interview the Rev. Jim Kidd at AHCC. Jim greeted her with a warm smile and a hearty handshake. After sharing many stories about his ministry and a tour of the church, he invited Luz to attend worship.

When she returned, Luz was moved to hear Jim share his heartache about the difficult relationship with his sister. “As I listened to his story, I won-dered how a man of faith could expose his pain so openly,” Luz recalled. “My heart ached for him.”

But then, Jim shared this: “The good news is that God still loves us.” God loved Jim, and God loves me. God’s love is abundant. And, God forgives.

Luz left the service with new hope – knowing that she needed to come back. On that day in 1993, she discovered that God was still speaking.

Since then – nearly 24 years ago – Luz has left journalism for public education. She and Michael married at AHCC. Both of their children were baptized here.

“This church has walked with us through the seasons of life, comforting us through the death of my mother, Mi-chael’s mother and his brothers and sister, and through illness,” Luz adds. “God spoke to our children through their Spirit Hill experiences by nurturing their faith, inspiring them to Be the Church.” And as she watched her daughter prepare for Confirmation Sunday, Luz couldn’t help but think, God IS still speaking. Thanks be to God.

Stewardship

Administration and Finance Committee Update

The Administration and Finance Committee recently reviewed the preliminary financial results for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2017. The good news is that income exceeded expenses; as a result, our fiscal year ended with a potential surplus $100,000.

While this is good news, consider the following: the number of pledging households decreased from the previous year, and AHCC continues to experience an increase in “non-pledge” giving. Non-pledge giving cannot serve as a basis for budgeting. Non-pledge gifts include contributions given to the collection plate during worship that are not earmarked as pledge payments, as well as memorial gifts and special gifts.

Another reason for the potential surplus is that AHCC leadership and staff reduced expenses by 7% across the board during the year as pledges lagged. These reductions not only affected administration and operations, but ALL ministries, including cuts to expenses relating to worship, care, education, outreach, and fellowship. While the fiscal year ending June 30 ended on a positive note with the potential surplus, we continue to face some great challenges. Currently, our church has received pledges from only 322 households totaling almost $770,000; this amount is ap-proximately $388,000 short and only 66% of the $1.158 million pledged last year for our core ministries.

To the 322 households who have pledged to date: thank you for your faithful stewardship. To the other 500+ house-holds we have not heard from yet: please answer your church’s call to serve God. Your pledge enables your church leadership to create a budget that sustains the church’s many ministries in the year ahead. Your stewardship is what enables God to work with us and through us for a better life and better world.


Music & Arts

The Year in Preview

October 8 – Women’s Choir in worship (both services)

October 13 – Jazz Samaritan Alliance (Music 4 Humanity Concert)

October 29 – Children’s Sunday (Cherub & Children’s choirs in worship)

November 19 – Thanksgiving Sunday - All Church Choir & Orchestra in worship

December 10 – Christmas Pag-eant & Youth Choir

December 17 – Christmas Sun-day Worship with Orchestra

4pm Choral Masterworks(Music 4 Humanity Concert)

January 5-7 – Boar’s Head & Yule Log Festival

February 4 – Super-Bell Sun-day – Handbell Choir featured in worship

March 18 – Alturas Duo & Cuar-teto Latinoamericano (Music 4 Humanity Concert)

March 30 – Good Friday Service 7pm, featuring Requiem by Mau-rice Duruflé

April 22 – Annunciation Concert (Music 4 Humanity Concert)

April 29 – Children’s Musical in worship

May 13 – Mother’s Day (Men’s Choir)

The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival – What’s New?

Cast and Crew Sign-up: Sunday, October 1, 9:00am - noon

The great tradition of AHCC Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is entering its next 50 years, and we have some exciting new things to share.

We have a new logo! Designed by graphic artist and church member Wendy Avery, our new logo incorporates the symbolism of the Festival with its spiritual message in a brilliant new way.

As the doors to the Festival open, you will see that we are returning this year to the traditional Lord Mayor’s Show format,

with John and Lynn Wadhams taking the lead, adding new acts to the street fair ambiance and greeting our guests in costume.

Then a new opening scene unfolds, with a dramatic re-kindling of the Yule Log followed by the entrance of the king and queen to exciting new fanfare music, followed by a young squire on horseback (yes, you read that correct-ly) who is “knighted” by the king for his great deed in killing the dreaded evil boar.

There are other additions to the Festival … herald trumpets to introduce the Boar’s Head Carol, a more spiritual treatment of the King Wenceslas scene, an upgrading of the lighting design of the show, a giant Flemish rabbit in the procession of the feast, a new look to the Festival program and our section of the AHCC web site, and a few other touches that are still in the works.

We are also offering a limited number of patron tickets to those who make a contribution to the Festival. Your donation can be made, and these prime tickets reserved at any time (even in advance of tickets going on sale to the public), by downloading and printing the form from the AHCC website, ahcc.org, or by contacting Mary Way in the church office. It is important to note that this small number of patron tickets will not impact the availabil-ity of most of the best seats in the house when tickets go on sale to AHCC members on Sunday, November 5.

Finally, we are honored to be featured in a new photographic coffee table book, A Connecticut Christmas. This beautiful celebration of New England Christmas traditions features a 6-page spread showing our Festival in a very exciting way. Many of us will want a copy of this book, and it will be a great Christmas gift idea. We will offer these books for sale in Drew Hall to AHCC members beginning in September.


Spirit Sunday – September 10

Many hands make light work! All young people are invited to participate in Spirit Sunday. As is tradition, the youth of AHCC will be grillin’ up a storm. Young people should meet members of the Youth

Ministries Committee in the parking lot at 10:30am to help set up and begin grilling. Youth will grill hamburgers, veggie burgers and hotdogs.

A free will donation (cash only) will be collected, and all monies will go toward supporting youth mission work.

Middle School Youth Group – Sundays, 10:15am in the Youth Lounge~ September 17: Kick-off celebration – food, fun, fellowship, and team-building!~ September 24: Interested in volunteer service? A number of organizations will be present to talk about significant monthly service projects that are open to Middle School youth. Come find your niche. High School Youth Group – Sundays, 7:00pm in the Youth Lounge~ September 17: Kick-off celebration – food, fun, fellowship, and team-building. And be sure to invite friends!~ September 24: Adventure Room, Middletown, CT. (details coming soon)

Youth & Teens

Prayer Groups Resume!

Tuesday morning groupbegins September 19,

10:00am at AHCC

Our time together is spirited, joy filled, full of laughter and incredibly prayerful. No need to commit to being present every Tuesday morning - come as you are, when you are able.

Thursday evening groupbegins September 7,

7:00pm at 136 Whiting Lane, West Hartford

If you want to attend a Women’s Prayer Group but have obliga-tions during the day, then this evening Prayer Group is just for you! Our time will be centered on the joys and challenges of living as a woman of faith in to-day’s day and age. We will take time to share with one another, pray with and for one another, and engage in fellowship togeth-er.

If you have any questions or would like more information about either group, please con-tact Erica Thompson at [email protected] or 860.216.9823.

Women’s Spirituality


Children & FamiliesDear AHCC Families,

I hope that you have had a fun and blessed summer. After a quiet summer here at church, we are back in the swing of things with activities for chil-dren of all ages and families.

September 10, Spirit Sunday, Rev. John Collins will deliver a Children’s Message for all ages. And we will have the opening of our new childcare classrooms on the upper level. Parents of infants/toddlers will bring their children to the Computer Room just past the elevator on the upper level. Parents of preschoolers will bring their children to Earth Ministry, located across from the Kindergarten Room and conveniently next to the bath-rooms. September 17 children in grades K-5 will come together to worship with our annual opening Spirit Hill service in the chapel. September 24 will bring the start of lessons utilizing the Spark Rotation curriculum, which connects students to a specific scripture over two-three lessons. Preschool children will be starting a new curriculum called Frolic, that teaches our young children about God using storybooks and central themes such as how to pray, asking for help, dealing with anger, etc.

October 15, families will gather at Erica & Brian Thompson’s home for the Fall Family Potluck Dinner (more information to come.) October 29, Children’s Sunday, the children of AHCC will participate as lay leaders in worship and third graders will receive their Bibles.

November 3 is the CFMC annual Movie Night & Wrapping Party – stay tuned for more information in October. November 26, AHCC families and members can express their creativity at the annual Advent Wreath Making Potluck Dinner.

December 3 is the CFMC-sponsored Christmas Store, where children have the opportunity to purchase meaningful gifts for their family and friends. On December 10, we celebrate the Christ Child during the 10:15am worship with Spirit Hill children retelling the Nativity story. (Sign-ups for the pag-eant begin September 24.)

With a busy and blessed season ahead, may your family find a moment to practice simplicity each day – a bedtime prayer, attending worship togeth-er, reading scripture from a children’s Bible, spend time with family and friends, discussing how a child can “give of themselves to others,” and just taking a moment to breathe and thank God.

Dear God, you gave us families to love. Thank you!Keep us safe on our journey as a church family. Amen.

- Blessings, Marcie Jackson, Director of Children & Family Ministries

Register For Fall

Registration for 2017-18 Spir-it Hill (grades K-5) and AHCC Sunday Childcare (infant-pre-school) continues. All children are REQUIRED to have an updat-ed registration form each year in order to provide the safest environment.

Please fill out one registration form per child. Pick up forms outside of your child’s classroom or download from the CFM weekly email or the church’s website. Please return completed forms to Kyle Cannon by Sunday, September 24.

Your child cannot participate in Spirit Hill or childcare if we do not have a current form.

We Need You! Teachers & Classroom Helpers for Fall

Beginning September 24

Spirit Hill teachers volunteer to teach 2- to 3-week units, using the Spark Rotation curriculum where they teach the same lesson to differ-ent grades over multiple Sundays. The first unit focuses on Creation.

Classroom helpers assist teachers with such activities as passing out materials, playing games with, and helping manage students. This is a great way to volunteer your time and not be committed long term or to teaching. Please email Kyle Can-non at [email protected] if you are interested in giving your time.


Adult Education

SUSO News

Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. - 1 Peter 4:10

SUSO is once again stepping up and stepping out to promote peace, and educate our congregation and others about topics related to violence pre-vention. Our clergy are supportive of all that SUSO has done and continues to do. Many thanks to those who have already enthusiastically offered ideas and suggestions.

Our first meeting of the program year will be Sunday, September 24 follow-ing the 10:15am service in the Youth Classroom. We will have a discussion about what we’d like to accomplish for the upcoming year. Please come with your suggestions for speakers, topics, events, opportunities to serve, and suggested books and articles to read. ALL ARE WELCOME.

SUSO plans for the fall include:

October 15 (Twichell, 11:30am): Chris George, Executive Director of IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) in CT since 2005. He will speak about the challenges and hurdles refugees must overcome before entering the United States, and the many contributions they make once here. Chris has spent most of his professional life living in, or working on Middle East issues, and can speak Arabic. You will not want to miss his engaging pre-sentation.

November 19 (Twichell, 11:30am): Debora Rogala, Program Operations Director for Community Partners in Action (one of AHCC’s grant recipients which serves over 8,000 adults and youth each year, focusing on behavioral change and advocating for criminal justice reform), will speak to us about her organization. She will also bring two formerly incarcerated individuals who will share their stories with us. Join us as we explore ways the congre-gation can help with the re-entry process and welcome formerly incarcerat-ed people back into the community.

We continue to encourage you to become Sandy Hook Promise Leaders, and become knowledgeable about sharing their “Know The Signs” programs with your communities and schools. These are no-cost violence prevention programs, that focus on stopping violence before it occurs. These programs have proven effective, and are student led in the upper grades. Information is available online at ww.sandyhookpromise.org/prevention_programs, or by contacting [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you at the September 24 meeting!

Christmas Pageant Sign-Ups

The CFM team is already looking ahead to Advent! Christmas Pag-eant sign-ups will begin on Septem-ber 24 at the CFM Table in Drew Hall. This event is for children in grades K-2 with limited leadership roles for children in grades 3-5.

Please note that this year there will be auditions for some speaking roles and musical solos. The pag-eant will be held at the 10:15am ser-vice on Sunday, December 10 with a mandatory rehearsal on Saturday, December 9.

Parent volunteers are always need-ed. Last day to sign up is October 8. Contact Kyle Cannon ([email protected]) for more information or questions.

Save the Date: Sunday, October 15,

2:00pm

Fall Family Potluck & Pumpkin Decorating

More information coming soon


Sacred Circles final date: September 11, 6:30pm

Sacred Circles, which have taken place this summer, have engaged about 200 church members. These conversations are about rebuilding an atmosphere of open, honest conversation. If you have not had the opportunity to attend one of these Sacred Circles, please register for the final one on Monday, September 11, at 6:30 pm in Twichell. Please sign up on Sundays or by contacting Mary Way at [email protected] or 860.525.5696. Childcare is available and sign up is required.

Below: Members participate in a Sacred Circle – sharing feelings on AHCC’s present and future. Some participants’ reactions: “The number of commonalities we share was surprising,” “Each of us can take part in shaping the future of this church,” “BE SURE to go to one of these conversations!”

Hill Church News - Asylum Hill Congregational Church · Rhonda Mitchell, Communications Manager, at...

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