The Messenger
COLLEGE HILL
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Progressive Theology, Traditional Worship, Inclusive Congregation (PCUSA)
Affiliated with More Light Presbyterians and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians
September 2022

712 S. Columbia Tulsa, OK 74104
918.592.5800



Church Office Hours:
Mon - Th, 9 am - 3 pm
Closed on Fridays

Rev. Freeman is now working from home on Mondays.

Worship Schedule:
11:00 am Sundays
Worship services have resumed in the sanctuary.
Services are also live streamed.

Church Email:

Pastor Email:

Website:

YouTube Channel:
The Church Office will be closed
Monday, September 5th.
Word From the Pastor
None of us would have guessed that for the third September in a row we will not be have a huge Rally Day celebration and Pancake Breakfast to kick off the new church school year.

As I write this, Tulsa Country is still RED, thus requiring face masks on Sunday mornings. I know we are all so tired of this, and hopefully the numbers will go down soon. However, we will have a safer outdoor gathering on Sunday, September 11, a Rally Day Pool Party at the Gammie’s home!

I want to share that I had an incredible week in Santa Fe last month. I received a $1000 Sabbath Grant from the Office of Christian Formation of the PCUSA. It was originally granted for my 6-week sabbatical, but was approved for the week in Santa Fe. The Grant process included a zoom meeting with a national leader of the program and a chosen sabbath advocate, Gini Fox. The intention was to set aside all sense of responsibilities or obligations and simply find rest and renewal. Being very intentional about this helped me accomplish that.

If you are in need of rest and renewal (and who isn't) I encourage you to give yourself permission to find ways to do so. Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend!

As always, know that I and the Congregational Care ministry team, are truly interested in knowing if you or your family has a pastoral concern (illnesses, surgeries, death in the family, as well as joys and celebrations). Our level of support and care for one another in this community of faith is indeed one of the most meaningful aspects of our ministry together.

Blessings, Rev. Todd
Charlotte Bronston

October 12, 1922 ~ August 24, 2022
A memorial service
to celebrate
Charlotte's full, amazing life,
will be held here at the church on
Wednesday, October 12th
at 10:30 am
on what would have been her
100th Birthday.

Charlotte joined College Hill in 1961 and was a member for 61 faithful years!
Our Afghan Neighbor Assistance group planning a possible tutoring program for Afghan youth.
Church folks celebrating
Betty Coleman's
92nd Birthday!
Day Center “Drop-Off” Dinner
September 24

The menu will feature Coney Islander coneys, slaw, pickled okra, oranges, homemade cookies and iced tea, plus 4 gallons of milk for breakfast.

If you would like to provide milk or bake cookies and deliver them either to Caroline Johnson’s house or to the Day Center, text Caroline
918-629-2882.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless
Needs Your Help!
A recent email from Mark Haltam, Tulsa Day Center’s executive director, is well worth sharing:
 
 … a mom and her young son come through our doors. He was 9 years old and had only the clothes on his back.
 
His mom came to get day services, a meal and a new set of clothes for them both. What breaks my heart is that a toy dinosaur we gave him was his ONLY toy. He was thrilled, and even asked our security officer to run it through the x-ray machine to make sure he is healthy. Not sure who enjoyed it more, the little boy or our security officer seeing him smile. This is a rough story, but this is reality for many families.
 
As much as we’d like this story to be a rare occurrence, it has been happening with alarming frequency. With the lack of affordable housing in Tulsa, we work very hard to find apartments, rentals and even sometimes extended-stay motels to house our clients. This all takes money.
 
$.91 cents of every dollar donated to the Tulsa Day Center goes to programs and housing. We are asking for YOUR help. Please consider a financial donation today.
 
We have made it very easy to give:
 
You can text-to-give
“DAYCENTER” to 44321
 
You can mail a check to:
PO Box 1019, Tulsa, OK 74101
 
You can sponsor a housewarming basket online:
 
You can set up a FB Fundraising page
You may contact the Day Center if you
need help setting it up.
Bein' Green
September is Monarch Month! Our beloved black & orange butterflies are coming through Tulsa on their way to Mexico for the winter.
 
Hopefully, they’ll be stopping by the church’s petunias, coneflowers and rudbeckias for a bite to eat or drink.
 
The Green Team soon will be grooming another section of our Pollinator Garden to plant milkweed in the spring. Anyone got a roto-tiller we could use this fall?
 
In the meantime, take a walk with the Celtic Circle group Oct. 4 at Gathering Place. There will be a stop along the north end of Peggy’s Pond to see the many Monarchs on the swamp milkweed.
 
Whether you want roto-till or walk with the Celts, contact Green Team chair Mark Miller,
918-519-8696. 
WANTED: Endangered caterpillars seeking temporary shelter from predators. Open-air accommodations include two-story mesh enclosure, quiet surroundings and endless supply of milkweed. Post-metamorphosis transportation to departure site included. Contact: Caroline Johnson, 918-629-9882.  
1st Sunday Food Collection
for Kendall Whittier
Emergency Food Pantry
Sunday, September 4

Our First Sunday Food Collection for the Kendall Whittier Food Pantry is in need of breakfast cereal (Cheerios, Corn Flakes, or other less sweet cereals) and 1-2 lb. bags of rice

Cash donations are also accepted and appreciated!
Next Step in our Help for
Afghan Neighbors:

The vast majority of our Afghan neighbors have arrived in Tulsa (nearly 750 of our 800). College Hill has donated a Narthex and van full of food, clothes and supplies to help. 

Now though, our neighbors need core volunteer “wrap-around” groups to help them orient to Tulsa and through whom to report needs as they come up. Pursuant to Session approval,
Outreach & Mission invites you to participate in a College Hill “wrap-around” group to support an Afghan family in a number of ways that range from minimal time commitment to nearly a part time job. 

Our service might not be needed for months, or it could be needed in days. Having a “wrap-around” group ready to deploy will let us meet the call when it comes. 

Click here to learn more about “wrap-around” group roles. 

After that, click this link to sign up to join a group.    

If you want to know more about this initiative, please (click name to) reach out to:
SEPTEMBER
3 - Todd Freeman
 5 - Taylor Brennan
 9 - Nora Featherston
10 - Jim Campbell
11 - Sharon Coleman
13 - Lauren Harper Fogarty
15 - Adam Brennan
17 - Bill Nole
19 - Kim Childs
19 - P.J. Brobston
20 - Diane Buchner
20 - Laura Wimer
20 - Eric Nelson
22 - Katie Abercrombie
24 - Spencer Livingston-Gainey
24 - John Gammie
25 - Amy Williamson         
27 - David Ordonez
30 - Sofia Emma Ohlson
30 - Jesper Nils Ohlson
30 - Miles McAnally

 Remember the 
BIRTHDAY ENDOWMENT FUND!
Sunday, September 11
after Worship

Please plan to join us for an
All-Church Swim Party
at the Gammie's house!

Pizza and drinks will be provided,
but please bring snacks to share.
A Successful
5th Sunday Offering for Our
Neighborhood Elementaries
 
The Outreach and Mission Team sends a big thank you to College Hill members and friends for your gifts on July 31st to Sequoyah and Kendall-Whittier Elementary Schools.

We delivered several boxes of donated hygiene items to the schools. With the donated funds (nearly $1500!), we purchased uniform pants and shirts and much-needed socks.
 
College Hill’s gifts mean so much to the students, parents, and teachers at our sponsored elementary schools. Thank you for your generosity!
College Hill Goes
Back to School!

Marianne and David Stambaugh staffed the College Hill table at Kendall-Whittier Elementary Back to School Night on August 16th. Each student who stopped by received a colorful pencil.
 
Three College Hill volunteers assisted with activities at the Sequoyah Elementary Back to School Night, also on August 16th:
 
Cynthia Fox helped parents complete free and reduced lunch applications online; Mark Miller served hot dogs outside on the toasty summer evening; Gay Miller distributed uniform shirts (a gift from the Assistance League) to students and parents.
One of the meaningful elements of our ministry that has been missing for so long is the causal gathering around a cup of coffee, etc, in the Fellowship Hall before the service of worship.

We are looking for volunteer(s) to help setup and prepare the coffee each Sunday morning before gathering around 10:30 am. There are many options to help make this happen, depending on the availability of one or several volunteers taking turns.

If interested, please contact/text Emily Oldham at 918-237-9592. Thank You!
Equal Exchange
Coffee, Tea and Chocolate Sales
 
Along with other reunion activities, the Outreach & Mission Ministry team has reopened our Equal Exchange store, (on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, in Fellowship Hall), offering products such as coffee, tea, chocolate bars, chips and cocoa. These products are not only delicious, they also make great gifts. (and we all know the holidays will be here before we know it.) But most importantly, they provide a double impact on communities!
 
First, Equal Exchange provides small farmers with a better price for sustainably grown products, and with fewer middlemen, than the big corporate buyers.
 
Second, the profits (small, but significant) have for several years, been invested in JustHope, a local group founded by Leslie Penrose, which partners with inhabitants of three villages in Central America. The villagers decide what they need and provide labor, while JustHope provides some technical expertise, financial assistance and labor.
 
Bringing running water to these communities was followed by educational scholarships, a hardware store, a textile project and a model farm to help with adjustment to a dryer climate. One family has produced an impressive line of ceramics, while College Hill has been especially helpful in financing several microbanks for women starting small businesses (at 96% repayment with interest).
 
These items do cost a bit more than those similarly sold at Walmart, for example-but they make a huge difference in people’s lives!
COLLEGE HILL
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC MINISTRY

Dr. Kim J. Childs, Director of Music
Mike Gibson, Organist

The Chancel Choir of College Hill Presbyterian Church rehearses Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in the second story choral room (next to the church office) for singing, fellowship and fun!

BELLissimo Handbell Ensemble of College Hill Presbyterian Church rehearses Wednesdays at 6:15 pm in Fellowship Hall (1st floor).

If you would like to sing with the Chancel Choir, or are interested in joining our Handbell Choir, (permanent member or substitute),
we are welcoming new members!
Please (click name to) contact our
Director of Music, Kim Childs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday Morning Music Offerings:
September 2022

SEPT 4 ~ Blessed Is The One, Jane Marshall
Chancel Choir

SEPT 11 ~ Kyrie Eleison, Brian Lewis
Chancel Choir

SEPT 18 ~ Be Thou My Vision, Bob Chilcott
Chancel Choir

SEPT 25~ On Eagle's Wings, Michael Joncas
Chancel Choir
Masks are still required because the CDC County Map has Tulsa County in RED.
Celtic Circle Gathering
Tuesday, October 4
6:30 pm

The next Celtic Circle gathering will be "walking with the trees" at the Gathering Place. Final coordination will be by email.

Contact Mark Miller if you are not on the Celtic Circle email list but would like to receive notifications for this and other events.
Flower Chart
Sign Up

If you would like to bring flowers to decorate the sanctuary for an upcoming worship service, please sign up on the Flower Chart on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.

There are many open dates available for the new year. Your dedication will also be announced in the worship bulletin.

Flowers can be purchased from any store or brought from home. Please bring them in two containers the morning of the service for which you have signed up.
2022
Birthday Endowment Fund

A meaningful way to celebrate your Birthday, is to donate an amount equal to your new age to the Endowment Fund.

This donation is also a wonderful way to honor others such as children, grandchildren and friends and allows the church to have funds available for special projects.

Checks can be made payable to College Hill and marked "Birthday Fund" on the memo portion of the check.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Response to
Ukraine War:

To support emergency relief for those fleeing Ukraine, you may designate monetary gifts via text, online, or by phone:


You may also pick up a flyer on the table in the Narthex, that provides all the details.
COLLEGE HILL
Mission Statement
~ Build an inclusive community of faith
~ Receive and openly share the love of God
~ Reach out with a compassionate voice for
peace and justice