February 2022
Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
It is good to be worshiping in the sanctuary again. It is good that, cautiously, we are beginning to go on vacations and holidays again. It is good to look forward to a sweet return on February 27 of the children to their 3rd floor classrooms as well as holy donuts and Mardi Gras beads. It is good to look forward to the seasons of Lent and Easter with anticipation of journeying together in person. While we have not been in Exile we yearn to connect in person.
But nothing, not height, nor depth, nor Covid-19, is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
February 8, 2022 Church Council Meeting
Once again, the Zoom format – and all the hard work of clergy, staff, and volunteers – led to a very successful Annual meeting. Attendance was very good and participation strong. Learnings for future years include emphasizing the Annual Report in pre-meeting email and other communications, having hard copies available in worship the week before the meeting. We will also strive to have detailed presentations on the various topics in the pre-meeting question-and-answer session the week before Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will then include summary presentations, motions, and voting.
Clergy Reports
Reverend Anne Marie Holloway continues to host digital prayer groups born out of this pandemic time: A Cup of Morning Prayer on Monday mornings and Wednesday Noontime Prayers From the Hills on Facebook Live. Reverend Judy Swahnberg continues the regular Care Team ministry, monthly Caring for the Caregiver and Connections events, and weekly Thursday Noontime Prayers and Tuesday Meditation Zoom events on Tuesday mornings with Mary Hill Canavan and typically 8 to 10 people joining in.
The clergy have held a ½ day “retreat” to plan worship through Eastertide. The Youth Group began to meet again in person. Confirmation Class met on Zoom throughout the month of January as there were several members of the class who tested positive for Covid-19 and were journeying through quarantine with their families. Rev. Anne Marie Holloway and Mimi D’Angelo continued to walk with our youth on their faith journeys. Our youth made 50 sandwiches and baked 100 cookies for the homeless cared for by Common Cathedral this month, supported by Rev. Anne Marie, Susan Walton, and Lori Janiuk. The Racial Justice Working Group and Faith Formation Support Board leaders met with Rev. Anne Marie to plan for the months ahead.
The Reverends Jill and Rick Edens led powerful and soul searching “Traces of the Trade” presentations on the legacy of the Slave Trade, including in New England. The Edens have hired Steven Hopkins, one of our audiovisual technicians who is currently a student at Mass Bay Community College, as a temporary Office Administrator and are working on hiring a permanent Office Administrator. Welcome Steven, and thanks for pitching in!
Financial Performance Review
Nancy Simons reported that, thanks to the strong collection of pledges from the Generation to Generation campaign, the Cambridge Trust loan was paid down to $460,000. Stewards are targeting repayment of the entire loan before the end of 2022.
Chief Financial Officer John Dooley presented the January financial reports, generated from our new QuickBooks general ledger system. As of the end of January, $309,000 in contributions had been received, over 30% of the total budget for the year. Nursery School operations and expenses are on track.
Transition Committee – Church Profile Review
Susie Alexander and Debbie Karlson, Transition Committee Co-Chairs, and Chris Stowell led a discussion on the draft Church Profile for the settled Senior Minister search. The draft profile had been available for review and comment by Church Council and other leaders for several weeks. Sixty pages in length, the Profile is a product of months of work by the Transition Committee and was shaped by the responses of over 100 Hills Church members to the survey sent to the congregation. The profile is a powerful presentation of our church as it is and our hopes and vision for the future. It will be the primary document guiding potential candidates as they seek to discern whether God calls them to serve the Hills Church. Council was particularly moved by the 5 minute closing video Welcome to Hills Church, beautifully produced by Sally Tomasetti. Thanks to John Finney and the Choir for the beautiful version of In My Father’s House Are Many Dwellings, and to Debbie Karlson and Susie Alexander for the idea and inspiration. We hope to share the video with the congregation in the coming weeks.
Council congratulated the Transition Committee for producing this critical piece in the journey to call a new Settled Senior Minister.
Search Process Update
Following the review of the Church Profile, Gary McCabe, Chair of the Search Committee, briefed Council on the timeline and expectations for the search process. By the end of this month, we expect to have the Church Profile reviewed and validated by the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ through the Reverend Alex Shea Will, Area Conference Minister. The opening will then be published through the UCC Ministerial Opportunities website. We expect to begin receiving applications from interested candidates shortly after publication The Search Committee will review these on an ongoing basis in March and April to identify a pool of candidates of interest. The Committee will interview candidates via Zoom, and review sermons and other information they gather on the candidates. Second interviews will be held with a short list. Hopefully, these can be done in person. The objective is to bring in one or two finalists for a visit, including meeting with staff, clergy, and lay leaders, culminating in the final candidate being recommended to the congregation at a worship service where the candidate will preach. The congregation will then vote whether or not to extend a Call to the candidate at a Special Meeting following the worship service. It is the hope of the Search Committee that the process will be completed in June.
Website Update
Sarah Pedersen provided an update on the development of a new, vibrant and more easily updated and maintained website for the Church. A group including the Moderators, Rev. Anne Marie Holloway, Myralee Wilson, and Sally Tomasetti is working intensively with the team at Johnny Flash Productions to design and launch the new hillschurch.org website. This new site will be in place before the Church Profile goes live for potential candidates. First impressions count! More to come.
