Make Friends…
Connect with God…
Grow in your Faith…
Staff contact: Beth Palmer, Director of Adult Discipleship.
Quick Links
- Youth Suicide Awareness & Prevention event (for adults)
- What’s Happening in Gaza? with Peter Hahn
- Enneagram Stand-Alone Classes
- Midday Bible Discussion
- Centering Prayer Reboot
- Other ongoing groups
- Walk to Emmaus weekend spiritual retreat
- Deeper Waters
Youth Suicide Awareness & Prevention
Wednesday, May 1
6:30-8pm
Hybrid: In person, room 206 (parlor)
and on Zoom
Are you a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, with a teen in your life who struggles with their mental health? A middle or high school teacher, administrator, or coach working with kids all week? Do you supervise teens at your business or place of employment?
Join us for an important conversation around mental health, specifically suicide awareness & prevention.
And while the presentation will be focused on youth suicide prevention, the principles are mostly the same for adults — this presentation really is for everyone.
This presentation is specifically geared toward Christian faith communities, and it will give us an opportunity to talk about how our faith plays a role here.
The parlor (room 206) is on the main level of the Sanctuary building, down the hallway from the sanctuary. Come early for Wednesday Community Supper and enjoy a free hot meal, serving 5:30-6:30pm.
Facilitator
We’re so glad to host Micah Morgan, LPC, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Suicide Prevention Specialist.
Important Note
This event is for ADULTS. We may schedule another event for youth if there’s interest.
Cost
This is a free event. And we invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations. Thank you!
What’s Happening in Gaza?
with Peter Hahn, Ph.D.
Sunday, May 5
Dialogue Sermon in Worship with Pastor April and Jon Esala, all three services
6:30pm
Follow-up Teaching & Conversation
Sanctuary building
Room 306/308
and on Zoom
Join Peter Hahn, Ph.D., Professor of History at The Ohio State University, for more in-depth teaching and conversation around what’s happening in Gaza, some history about the region, and how we understand our faithful Christian response.
“An accomplished research scholar, Professor Hahn has published seven books on the history of American diplomacy in the Middle East, most recently Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq since World War I, as well as scores of articles, essays, and reviews.”
Use the entrance to the Education Wing past the playground. Room 306/308 is UPSTAIRS, first room on the right.
We invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Enneagram Stand-Alone Classes
Hilliard UMC is a hub for learning about the Enneagram, a powerful tool for self-discovery and growth.
Join us online on Zoom for a series of stand-alone classes – ALL WELCOME, whether you know your Enneagram number or not.
We will learn to see ourselves as we are: reflections of the divine… creatures of habit… children of God… new creations in Christ.
May 9: Stress Reactions & Coping Strategies
June 23: Brief Introduction to the Enneagram
Midday Bible Discussion
First & Third Wednesdays
(skipping April 3)
12-1pm in person
Church office, room 6
Facilitated by Judy Scott & Pastor Jon Osmundson
Join Pastor Jon and others to encounter and discuss scripture with this Engaging the Bible foundational class. Learn a method of praying the scriptures called “lectio divina,” which just means “sacred reading.” It’s about slowing down and reading the same verses several times, listening for God’s word to us today.
No experience or preparation necessary! Just come willing to listen and share if you want to.
We invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Centering Prayer Reboot
2nd Mondays
extended through
September 2024
6:30-7:30pm
Sanctuary building
Parlor (rm 206, accessible)
Please use the playground door to enter the building rather than the social hall door, so as not to disrupt the AA meeting happening in the social hall 6-7pm.
Ginny Fisher will facilitate a monthly group for Centering Prayer practice. Expect an opening grounding/centering activity, an abbreviated Centering Prayer practice (10-15 minutes), and then some conversation around what you’ve been noticing and experiencing in your practice, what fruits have you seen, what has been going well or not, etc., for 30-40 minutes. She may provide a topic or experience based on previous conversations and questions.
If you’re interested in practicing Centering Prayer in community, whether you have little experience or are a long-time practitioner, this opportunity is for you. You’re welcome to come for just the first part or the entire hour.
Sign up below so we know to expect you, or you’re also welcome to just show up as your schedule allows.
We invite contributions in any amount toward the Adult Discipleship ministry at Hilliard UMC. Your generosity helps us continue to offer opportunities such as this, and we’re humbled by and grateful for your donations.
Walk to Emmaus
A Weekend Spiritual Retreat
The Greater Columbus Walk to Emmaus community hosts weekend spiritual retreats for adults a few times a year at the Church of the Purple Door (Grove City UMC). It’s an inclusive community, so we’re happy to support their work.
If you’ve never taken a spiritual retreat as an adult, we can’t recommend it highly enough!
Several members of the Hilliard UMC community have attended a walk as a pilgrim or served on a leadership team. Any of these folks would be happy to talk with you about this wonderful experience: Max & April Andrick (she’s the HUMC staff contact and serves on the Emmaus leadership team), as well as Virginia Blasingame, Lisa Haney, and Melissa Landon.
Deeper Waters
Innovative & Courageous Leaders
January – November 2024
The 2024 cohort has been formed, and applications are closed.
But we invite you to keep us in mind for 2025!
It’s an extraordinary time to be a human. With everything we are facing collectively and individually, more than ever, the world needs innovative and courageous leaders who can meet this moment with a
- Capacity to hold complexity and ambiguity
- Compassionate, non-anxious presence
- Commitment to pursuing the most humane and loving path forward
Even if you don’t hold a leadership position in your organization, all of us can be leaders simply because we can influence others in important, life-giving ways!
How do we continue to evolve into the leaders that are needed in this season?
Research consistently points to the critical work leaders must do that is PERSONAL and SPIRITUAL in nature. This includes engaging in practices that increase their awareness and ability to be present to self and others, help them reflect and make meaning, widen their capacity to hold complex thoughts and emotions, and point them toward the greater good. Leaders who are also cultivating self-compassion and love as central values that guide the way they live are the same leaders building healthy, thriving, and innovative organizations that employees and customers want to be connected to.
As leaders ourselves, we’ve experienced the kind of growth, healing, and transformation that can come when we are doing robust personal and spiritual work. We’ve seen what can happen when this kind of transformation happens in communities of people, willing to do this work together.
We want to create that kind of space right here in central Ohio.
Are you ready to dive deeper into this kind of work?
You are invited to apply to be a part of the next cohort of DEEPER WATERS: Innovative and Courageous Leaders.
This cohort will launch in January 2024 for 10 months of collective work.
As we do our work, we will engage and explore
- An Innovative Leadership Model
- Resources for cultivating deeper self-awareness, including the Enneagram
- Tools for understanding and navigating our social location and its implications for social justice work in our organizations
- Models for nurturing healthy, authentic communities
- Daily meditative and reflective practices
Engagement in Deeper Waters will include:
- Monthly in-person teaching sessions on Sunday afternoons at Hilliard UMC
- Monthly in-person/online small group sessions
- Two in-person overnight retreats
- All books and curriculum
- Online learning platform that includes readings, videos, and podcasts to guide your learning
- One-to-one session with one of the facilitators
Cost: $1500
This includes your food and expenses for the two retreats, as well as all books, curriculum, and group sessions.
Facilitators
Rev. April Blaine
Lead Pastor, Hilliard UMC
Adjunct Professor, Methodist Theological School in Ohio
Nikki Buskirk
Director of Middle Grades Ministry, Hilliard UMC
Dan Mushalko
Vice President, Innovative Leadership Institute
Beth Palmer
Director of Adult Discipleship, Hilliard UMC
Testimonials
“Deeper Waters was everything I didn’t know I needed. What made it a transformative experience for me was witnessing God showing up at various points along the way, often during moments when the group was being vulnerable with one another. It ended up feeling like a journey that goes beyond the curriculum description.” (Mike Boyers)
“As someone who has been privileged enough to be a part of this group for two years, it is hard to articulate the impact it has had on my life and what a great catalyst that it has been. This experience really opened me up. It broadened my perspectives. I was able to grow so much in my self knowledge with the tools that were taught and the conversations that we had. In my adult life, it helped me in getting more comfortable being uncomfortable. I’m coming to acceptance that I don’t control most things, and learning to flow with it. If you’re thinking about doing it, I can wholeheartedly say, take the leap. See where it leads. This experience has been one of the most meaningful in my life and I feel pretty confident saying it probably will be for you too.” (Emily Clark)
“I’m amazed how often I’ve found connections in random, everyday things and can then explore further because of my experience in Deeper Waters: increased self-awareness, connections with community, and deconstruction are just some of them.” (Stephanie Harrell)
“Deeper Waters has made a major difference in my life: self love, spiritual growth, working with others, growing together…” (Louann Liming)
Watch Video Testimonials
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Foundational Classes
We regularly offer foundational classes to help ground your spiritual life and practice. Stay tuned to this page for details and signup links, as each class is offered.
- Engaging the Bible, an opportunity to learn how to read and understand the Bible, using an ancient prayer practice called lectio divina (“sacred reading”).
- Prayer & Meditation Boot Camp, for developing a consistent personal prayer practice.
- Introduction to the Enneagram, a powerful tool for self-discovery and growth.
Complete descriptions are listed HERE.
Costs
We don’t want the cost of books or class materials to get in the way of you taking a class, so sign up whether you have class or book money or not. Pay what you can from your heart (any amount welcome), or it’s on us, happily!
And if you’d like to contribute a few extra dollars toward a book or class materials for someone who doesn’t have money this time, we’re honored by your support, thank you! You can always contribute online here, or class facilitators will collect money at class.
Staff Contact
Beth Palmer, Director of Adult Discipleship
bpalmer@hilliardumc.org