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Welcome to the College Hill website. Thank you for your interest in our community of faith. We are an inclusive, multicultural, theologically and socially progressive congregation. Through God’s grace, we seek to affirm and celebrate diversity. If you are looking for a place of worship, study, mission, and fellowship, please visit us some Sunday, or contact me and I will be glad to share information about the life and ministry of College Hill. - Rev. Todd
February, 2010
“I invite you, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.”
These traditional words, taken from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, are part of the liturgy we use at our Ash Wednesday Service of the Imposition of Ashes, which we will hold on Wednesday, February 17, at 6:15 p.m. The evening will begin, however, with our traditional “monastic soup supper” at 5:45 p.m.
We hope this will be a very meaningful way for all of us, individually and as a community of faith, to begin the season of Lent. This 40-day period of time, leading up to the celebration of Easter, is set aside as an intentional opportunity for us to reflect upon our journey of faith, our life in the church, and our work in the world.
Renowned author on spirituality, Henri Nouwen, considered Lent to be a time of returning, like in the parable when the prodigal son returns home to his welcoming and forgiving father.
Lent isn’t just a time of self-denial (the emphasis which many of us grew up with) but rather a time to do whatever works best for you in order to return to God – to experience more fully God’s love, grace, and acceptance.
May your, and our, Lenten season be one of living life more fully, loving in abundance, and being who God created us to be!
Blessings, Rev. Todd Freeman
January, 2010
“Ah yes, the great Christmas Eve Blizzard of 2009, I remember it well. That was the year that we, and basically every other church in Tulsa, had to cancel our Christmas Eve Services.”
We will probably be hearing statements like that for years to come. It’s not that it was a particularly horrible storm, as blizzards go, but that the timing was such as to necessitate the cancellation of one of the most meaningful worship services of the year.
Upon reflection, I found this experience to be a good object lesson. In life, it is important that we plan ahead and are prepared. However, we can’t always control how things will turn out. Circumstances sometimes arise that will cause us to have to change what we had planned to do. That’s often difficult for us, because we hate to think all our hard preparation has gone to waste. Yet when the unexpected occurs, it causes me to remember a couple of important lessons:
1. Preparation is never wasted.
2. Learning to be flexible is always a good life-lesson.
Here at the church, we do indeed try to plan ahead and to be prepared. Some things work out according to plan, and some things do not. As much as we like everything to be done “decently and in order,” sometimes we have to re-evaluate, change course, or even the most drastic measure of all, “make things up as we go along.”
All this is a way of saying that I am deeply grateful to this congregation for your patience, flexibility, and especially your input and hard work as we seek to fulfill the mission to which we feel we are called. So perhaps it’s a good time to remind ourselves of that mission as we head into another year of ministry.
- Build an inclusive community of faith.
- Receive and openly share the love of God.
- Reach out with a compassionate voice for peace and justice.
Blessings, and have a safe and Happy New Year,
Rev. Todd Freeman
December, 2009
‘Tis the season…
As individuals, families, and as a congregation, we have begun our month-long preparation for the celebration of Christmas. The Season of Advent is a time of active preparation and anticipation – a time for each of us to reflect upon what Christmas really means. So in all seriousness, I would like to ask you: What significance does the birth, life and ministry of Jesus have for you and your life?
Since we all tend to over-do and over-commit ourselves during the holidays, let me share with you again this year those four helpful tips to help all of us make this season more meaningful. They are:
- Do less.
- Breathe more.
- Adjust your expectations.
- Focus on people, not stuff.
I also hope you will take the opportunity to prepare for Christmas by attending our special gatherings here at the church, including Advent Family Night, Sunday morning worship (including the choir program on the 20th), and our Christmas Eve services.
Perhaps most importantly, let us take the light of Christ that dwells within each of us and reflect it upon others throughout this season. I pray that this Advent and Christmas season will be one of increased peace, hope, joy and love!
Blessings, Rev. Todd
November, 2009
I had a very productive study leave during the last week in October – and some good rest and relaxation, joining a group of church professionals at one of the group’s ancestral family farm in the predominately Amish/Mennonite countryside of north-central Ohio. I read The Future of the Christian Tradition, a collection of essays by scholars in The Jesus Seminar. The book is kind of like our Progressive Christianity church school class, only magnified to the enth degree. You’ll be hearing more about it.
Just a word about our Stewardship/Commitment Sunday on November 8. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Biblical stewardship isn’t about fundraising, but rather a spiritual discipline that becomes a lifestyle. When we realize that all that we have is actually a gift from God, it is out of a spirit of gratitude and generosity that we give a portion of our time, talents, and financial resources back to God in order to further a ministry of love and compassion.
I have learned that one of the most important elements of good stewardship is to recognize that it’s more about our need to give than the church’s need to receive. Also, there has been a generational shift away from stewardship as a means to preserve and promote an institution within which we experience God, towards stewardship as an act of personal spiritual devotion that secondarily benefits the church and its ministries.
The theology of stewardship also serves as the church’s antidote to our age’s obsession with materialism, consumerism, and the desire to acquire more and more. As Christians, we know that people are not worth the sum of what we acquire, but are of infinite value because we are children of God – created in the image of God.
Let us all think upon these things as we prayerfully reflect upon our own lifestyle, spiritual disciplines, and our needs to generously share our blessings with others.
Blessings, Rev. Todd
October, 2009
As expected, September turned out to be quite a monumental month here at College Hill. The Progressive Christianity adult church school class has generated a lot of interest and excitement. The Small Group Ministry program began the process of signing up folks a wide variety of interests. The groups will begin meeting soon, and further information about when and where each small group will regularly meet will be determined and shared so that others can join. Also in September, we said farewell to a very dear member of this congregation, Charlie Brown, who was currently serving as an Elder on our Session, serving on the Outreach and Mission ministry team. Our prayers go out to Rosie as we continue to celebrate the life and love of Charlie, and all that he meant to this congregation and community.
Upcoming special events include World Communion Sunday and the Peacemaking Offering on October 4; our big Fall Party chili cook-off, talent show, and pie auction on Saturday, October 24; the search for Elders to serve on the Session (a Congregational Meeting has been called for Sunday, October 25); and an emphasis on good stewardship. I am grateful that Charlotte Bronston, Betty Coleman, and Charlotte Slemp have graciously agreed to help with our stewardship efforts this year. As a preview, remember that it is to God (not a budget) that we pledge a portion of our time, talents, and financial resources.
Blessings, Rev. Todd
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