Adult Learning Opportunities

prayer

Connecting with God and Learning How to Pray

We all want to experience a deeper connection with God… but most of us don’t really know how. And most of our spiritual life is going to be spent outside of church, so here are some ideas of some things we can do on our own to connect with God. Prayer & Meditation Boot Camp Class First, we have a great prayer class coming up at church, if you’d like to develop your own prayer practice. Prayer and Meditation Boot…
summer events

Summer Events!

We’ve got some great stuff planned this summer to connect, play, serve, pray, and learn!
deeper waters innovative courageous leaders

There All Along

June 1, 2023A Note from Deborah Mitchell Dear Friends, It’s Been There All Along, Waiting for You What does it mean to “grow”? What does it mean to grow as a Christian? To grow as a human being? In many ways, the idea of “growth” has been central to how I’ve tried to understand and interact with the world throughout my life. When I was a little girl, very early on I gravitated toward the idea of growth as mastery,…
love grief healing

Prodigal by Proxy

May 3, 2023A Note from Diana Huey Dear Friends, My mother and I have a long, complex relationship, fraught with anger, disappointment, rebellion, grief, and denial, but also laughter, love, longing, healing, and hope. We didn’t speak for a quarter of a century, yet God has been working on us and we are slowly & steadily rebuilding & healing. Mom is a texter, not a talker, so imagine my surprise when she texted to ask if I was available for…
Weekend of Healing Jenny Smith worship retreat grief

A Rock & a Hard Place

April 26, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I’ve always been a goal-oriented person. I enjoy the work of problem-solving and finding the best possible outcome for everyone involved. Even when it’s hard, the process of overcoming obstacles and getting to the finish line is something I find incredibly satisfying. (Here’s me finishing my longest race ever of 10 miles!) The reality of life is that some things aren’t things you can “overcome.” Some things can’t simply be problem-solved.…
Weekend of Healing Jenny Smith worship retreat grief

The Lost Years

April 19, 2023A Note from Pastor Jenny Smith Dear Friends, Anyone else feel like they lost the last three years of their life? I intellectually know March 2020-March 2023 happened. My body knows it too. There’s plenty of leftover trauma vibes running around my nervous system to prove it. My Google calendar is full of evidence I lived these last three years. Somehow my children grew taller. My Amazon Photos account even says I have 23,188 photos and videos during…
great story message series sermon worship

Gospel of Matthew Recordings

During this holy week, we invite you to take some time to experience the Gospel of Matthew as a whole, read by our pastors and other folks from both Hilliard UMC and Fairmont Presbyterian Church, our partner for The Great Story. Hearing the whole Gospel read straight through, from start to finish, can be a powerful experience! The Readers
learning in community adult opportunities lent classes

Learning in Community

February 22, 2023A Note from Beth Palmer Dear Friends, I have always loved school. I can remember all my elementary school teachers’ names. I loved learning and being with my friends. I still remember the satisfaction I felt at coming up with an enormous list of homonyms in about third grade (words that sound the same but are spelled differently, remember?). I still have some of my artwork. High school wasn’t my favorite, but I remember a great physics class…

The Bible

January 15, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I’ve had an evolving relationship with the Bible over my life. As a child, I found the stories presented to me on flannel boards mildly interesting. Aside from the story of Jonah and the whale (a favorite of mine), I wasn’t particularly drawn in by the church services or Sunday School lessons. Jesus seemed like a nice guy, but very distant from my actual life. I did, however, read my Bible…
encouragement

A New Year

January 4, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, Happy New Year, friends! I’ve always loved the ritual of turning the calendar into a new year. The energy that January brings with it offers a fresh start, and a chance to look ahead with renewed hope about what this year might hold. For many years now, I’ve been in the habit of taking some time to reflect on the prior year and thinking ahead into the new one. This year,…
squirrels throwing acorns ongoing small group letter encouragement

Squirrels Throwing Acorns

September 14, 2022A Note from Beth Palmer Dear Friends, I have a deep need to be seen for who I am and to belong. We all do. We want to know that we matter to others, and that we can show up as we really are and be accepted and embraced as our authentic, messy selves. I have always felt lucky that I get those needs met through my college and seminary friends, my volunteering friends and church friends, and…
deeper waters innovative courageous leaders

Deeper Waters: Highly Recommended!

July 13, 2022A Note from Emily Clark Dear Friends, Last August, two of my closest friends, Jon Esala and Meredith Osborn, told me of a group that was starting at their church — one that they thought I might be interested in.  I had never even attended HUMC, but Jon and Meredith gave me the information, mentioned my name to Beth Palmer, and I decided to apply. The group was Deeper Waters, and I was pretty jazzed when I read…
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