Dear Members and Friends of the Hills Church,
This has been quite the month for our church. We hosted a lovely outdoor release of vows service for Matt Wooster on June 20th where we celebrated our time together and wished Matt and Betsy Wooster well as they begin the next chapter of their lives. Our thanks to all those who helped with the preparations for this day. We then began our foray into in-person worship services in our sanctuary. It has been wonderful to see one another in person, to hear live music, to receive communion, and to experience the sanctity of our worship space. Attendance is now open to 100 attendees through the end of the summer.
The Interim Minister Selection Committee then announced its intention to invite the Reverends Jill and Rick Edens to be our Intentional Interim Co-Pastors beginning on September 1st. The Edens have served as co-Pastors virtually their entire careers. Jill grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, and Rick in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. They met at Yale Divinity School and upon graduation accepted a call by the United Church of Chapel Hill UCC to serve as Senior Pastors. During their 38-year tenure with this church, their congregation grew in many important ways. Among their many collective achievements, they co-chaired a working group with Martin Copenhaver about clergy transitions in large membership churches that was sponsored by the UCC Pension Boards. Upon retiring from their church in Chapel Hill, the Edens have since served as Designated Term Co-Pastors for the Congregational Church of Weston and most recently as Interim Co-Pastors at the First Parish of Westwood. The Reverends Edens will bring a wealth of experience to our ministry at the Hills Church and we are delighted to be able to welcome them aboard.
Holding our congregation in exquisite care during these changes have been our Associate Ministers, Reverends Judy Swahnberg and Anne Marie Holloway, for whom we give daily thanks. We are blessed to have the benefit of their leadership and wisdom during this time of transition.
CLERGY REPORT
Working in conjunction with the Deacons, Judy and Anne Marie have arranged a wonderful schedule of summer worship services for us. As of two weeks ago, the church was also able to introduce live-streaming of our worship services on our church website. We thank all those who made this achievement possible.
Pastoral care remains a priority. While much of this work remains confidential, we can share that Judy officiated at funeral services on June 30th for Eileen Howard and on July 12th for Patricia Foster.
Children and youth ministry opportunities continue to be hosted throughout the summer, including tending to the Community Garden Project, making sandwiches for Common Cathedral, baking cookies for the Homeless of the Outdoor Church, and the Inter-generational Summer Kindness Challenge.
MEMBERSHIP MINISTRY TEAM
The creation of a revitalized membership ministry team that expands the work previously done by the Board of Deacons was recently approved by the Deacons as its sponsoring board. The group is eager to begin meeting and hopes to have some of its activities up and running by Rally Day. For further information, one may contact Chris Stowell.
DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY TEAM
Plans are still being formulated for a Development Ministry Team that would strategically coordinate the church’s different fundraising components. One of these aspects is the creation of a Capital Campaign Continuing Committee that would monitor the fulfillment of pledges, the acknowledgment of gifts, the development of recognition policies, etc. Walsh Associates, with whom the “Generation to Generation” Capital Campaign worked previously, is in the process of preparing with Steven Patrick a proposal for Church Council to consider.
FINANCIAL UPDATE
Although this was not known until after the Church Council meeting, we are pleased to report that the church’s Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan of $226,000 has been formally forgiven by the Small Business Administration. While this was anticipated in our budget plans for this year, it is nonetheless welcome news.
May you enjoy the slower pace of summer and find time for enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures.
