'progressive' Tagged Posts
Financial Update
Thursday, October 26, 2023 Beloved HUMC Community, Last year about this time we held a State of the Church meeting to share about how we were having a difficult year in terms of our finances at HUMC. We had some expenditures that caught us by surprise, leading to a nearly $80,000 projected deficit, and you responded. You helped to close that significant gap by the end of the year. As a result we pushed our budget planning until the beginning…
Showing No-Matter-What Love
October 25, 2023A Note from Nikki Buskirk Dear Friends, As many of you know, back in January I officially became a Godly Play trainer. I get to go to other churches and train people in how to do Godly Play, the Bible stories and materials we use in our Children’s Ministry on Sunday mornings with kids age four through 6th grade. I have loved every moment of it: meeting new people, talking about Godly Play, speaking the language of Godly…
The Church Where We Belong
October 4, 2023A Note from Donna Bradley Dear Friends, Walking into church many years ago, our then three-year-old son Elliot became obsessed with a deceased squirrel we passed crossing the street. During a quiet time of prayer, the questions rang from his mouth, not yet pronouncing “squirrel” properly. “Mommy, is the dead girl still in the street?”“Why can’t I touch the dead girl?”“Who will clean the dead girl up?” I remember trying to stifle my laughter and sheepishly clarifying “squirrel”…
Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright
July 19, 2023A Note from Pastor Jon Dear Friends, Every little thing’s gonna be alright… As I write this Letter of Encouragement, it’s been just a little over 72 hours since Pastor April has headed off for her 16 weeks of renewal leave from Hilliard UMC. As the days drew closer to her departure, I could feel the tension building in my body as I was acknowledging to myself that I was about to take the reins for this 16-week…
The Best Week of the Year!
July 12, 2023A Note from Michael HaneyThe Best Week of the Year! Dear Friends, It’s here — Vacation Bible School (VBS)! Some say it’s the best week of the summer. I think it’s the best week of the YEAR! For those of you that may not be familiar, VBS is a week-long experience for kids four years old through entering sixth grade. The three-hour morning consists of crews of age-group-organized kids going from station to station experiencing God and Jesus…
Space
July 5, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, Space. As I listen to people talk about what they are going through, I hear this consistent longing. More space. They may not always use this word, but it’s there under the surface. “I can’t wait for some time away from work.” “I’m waking up exhausted each day.” “I haven’t had time to myself in weeks.” “I just wish I had more time with the people I care about most.” More…
Look Lovingly
June 28, 2023A Note from Stephanie HarrellLook Lovingly Dear Friends, As one of your delegates to Annual Conference, I attended my first conference in early June. I didn’t have expectations, though I’d previously seen part of worship and music from other conferences. How would voting be done? What speeches and questions would surface before a vote? Who would speak and what would be their topics? Who would preach? I’m happy to chat with anyone about my Annual Conference experience and…
Pride, Prejudice, & Pronouns
June 21, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I remember the first few times I heard people introduce themselves and include their gender-related pronouns. “My name is Greg and I use he/him pronouns.” I was confused. Why was he stating something that (in my mind) appeared to be obvious? Shortly after, I began to see friends introducing themselves with pronouns I was less familiar with. “I’m Jane and I use they/them pronouns.” Now, my English grammar lessons from school…
Releasing the Outcome
Releasing the Outcome June 14, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I might have preached a sermon on Releasing the Outcome on Sunday, but this doesn’t mean that I’m good at it. A couple of years ago, we introduced you to the Palms Up Path, through my good friend and colleague the Rev. Jenny Smith. It’s four easy-to-understand steps around how we seek to live our lives with God. Show UpPay AttentionCooperate with GodRelease the Outcome I’m not suggesting…
Grief & Hope
June 7, 2023A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, When I walked into the main hall of the Dayton Convention Center last week, I could feel the heaviness in the room. People were milling about the room trying to find a table where they could sit. Some were greeting old friends that they hadn’t seen in years. Others were sitting at the corners of the room with arms crossed, avoiding eye contact. I immediately wanted to leave. As the morning…
Summer Events!
We’ve got some great stuff planned this summer to connect, play, serve, pray, and learn!
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,…