JULY 2015

www.highlandsucc.org
highlandsucc@sbcglobal.net
937-399-7493

1910 Saint Paris Pike

Springfield, Ohio 45504-1206

From the Pastor

Japanese Bowls
Peter Mayer~Minnesota Folksinger
Im like one of those Japanese bowls
That were made long ago
I have some cracks in me
They have been filled with gold

Thats what they used back then

When they had a bowl to mend
It did not hide the cracks
It made them shine instead

So now every old scar shows

From every time I broke
And anyones eyes can see
Im not what I used to be

But in a collectors mind

All of these jagged lines
Make me more beautiful
And worth a much higher price

Im like one of those Japanese bowls

I was made long ago
I have some cracks you can see
See how they shine of gold

Ive had the immense pleasure of hearing the folksinger, Peter Mayer sing this song in concert several
times. Peter talks about the Japanese tradition of mending beautiful china by using gold which calls
attention to the cracks, yet adds to the beauty of the piece. Ive often thought about the lyrics and how
they might apply to us. Read the words to this song again. Do you sense a time of self-reflection and
acceptance of the experiences and challenges we each have faced in our lives? When we embrace life with
an open heart and open mind, we can look upon ourselves and the world around us as beautiful works of
artcracks and all.
Each challenge that we have faced has left a unique mark upon us. We can grow and learn from every
moment. Where we may have once felt a piece of us was broken or damaged, we are invited to look at
ourselves differently. Despite our brokenness, through Gods grace we are made whole. We are more
beautiful and more unique than when we were first created. Each crack can be mended. The Bible is
replete with broken people who God mended and called to serve Gods people. When we love ourselves
for all that we are, with all our cracks and brokenness, we are able to love others more abundantly. No
matter how many cracks we have experienced in our lifetime, we are as beautiful as those Japanese bowls
filled with gold. The gold that makes us whole again is Gods presence in our lives and how we choose to
grow and learn from all our experiences. God helps us mend those broken
places in our livessometimes it is not easy, but we persist through faith.
Our body, mind and spirit will shine all the more because of our cracks
mended with gold.

Pastors Office Hours

Monday and Thursday 9:00 a.m.12:00 noon

Wednesday
12:00 noon3:00 p.m.
You can reach Pastor Avery in the church office
during these hours or at 937-429-1536.

Highlands Leadership
Pastor:
Church Officers:

A Safe Zone

Rev. Avery Sledge

Pam DixonModerator
Jan KushmaulVice Moderator
Linda OwensTreasurer

Outside the pastors office is a sign that says, This is a

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
SAFE ZONE. You can talk about anything here. The
9:00 a.m.12:00 noon.
sign lists some of the many things you can discuss. Check
it out!

Worship Helpers for July

Greeter
Liturgist
Sound System
Fellowship Hour

Barbara Romaca 12 & 26

Barbara Romaca 5 & 19
Linda Owens 12
Dixie Jenkins 26
Kathy Howard
Barb Korn
5
Jan Kushmaul 12
Suzanne Saksa 19
Flo Keaton
26

Greeters and Ushers needed

Serving during worship is one way of giving glory to
God and to enrich the experience of worship for all,
whether it be ushering, as a greeter or as a liturgist. See
where you can be of service. You will be blessed!
The sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex

THANK YOU!
All who helped with Relay for Life.
We couldnt do it without you.
Dont Forget the Food Cart!!
We collect food and
non-perishable items for Open
Hands Free Stores food
pantry. You can help feed the
hungry by dropping off items to
Highlands Church, 1910 St. Paris Pike,
from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Come through the front door under the
covered walkway.
The grocery cart is outside the office doors.

Kids World of Springfield

KIDS WORLD of Springfield is a Christian Pre-School/Day Care with a mission of developing the whole
child, keeping the love and nurturing of children as our top priority. KIDS WORLD will create a caring, value
-based environment while providing safe boundaries and opportunities for children to grow developmentally
with structured learning activities.

Opening in 2005, ten years later, our mission is still going strong while also reaching out to the community. We
have developed a relationship with Wittenberg University and our center is a site for Psychology and Education
students who are able to observe children in all different developmental stages and conduct their Pre-School
teaching practicum in our classrooms. We also enjoy working in collaboration with Highlands United Church
of Christ to provide a Harvest Festival in the fall to our students and the community alike.
KIDS WORLD is your family away from home so give us a call and check out our wonderful pre-school/day
care program.
Krista Yost, Admin/Owner & Kelly Stewart, Owner 399-2444
*****************************************
Highlands United Church of Christ is pleased to have this high-quality pre-school/day care program in our
facility. We hear high praise from parents whose children attend.
Trustees of Highlands

Clark County Fair July 24 31

When the end of June rolls around everyone at Highlands knows that the Clark
County Fair is not far away. It also means it is time to get the White House, our
cafeteria-style building, all spruced up and ready for us to serve food to many people
who will be stopping by for a good meal while at the fair.

and end around noon.

On July 8th & 9th (Wednesday and Thursday), we will be doing meat preparation as
well as cleaning and washing the things that still need done. We will begin at 8 a.m.

The fair committee will meet on Thursday, July 16th, to set prices and take care of other business.
Tuesday, July 21st, most of the supplies will be delivered (beginning time to be announced). It is quite a job
to get things checked in and put away so if you can come out on that day for a couple of hours it will be a
great help.
It is then time to really get into full swing. On Thursday, July 23rd, beginning at 8:00 a.m., we will need
to do any final dish washing (if not already done) and prepare all of the salads and food so we are ready to
open for business. We will try to be done no later than 4 p.m.
Beginning Friday, July 24th, we will be open for business as the Fair begins that day. This means we will
try to get passes to those scheduled to work on Friday during Sunday morning worship July 19. The Fair
will continue through Friday, July 31st. This means we need your help to get the work done.
I know this sounds like a lot of days and hours, and a BIG job. Well, it is just that and that is why you are
needed. There are several kinds of jobs to be done, such as washing dishes, dishing up salads, preparing
food for the line, running the cash register, cutting pies, serving food and beverages, clearing tables,
cleaning trays, clean up and prep for the next day, and the list just goes on and on. If you need a sit down
job, we always need to have rolls and bread wrapped.
Also a very important job is to have a night person (someone to spend the night in the building) who might
help with the final clean up and then help open the building at 6 a.m. It is a MUST that this job be filled
Friday through Thursday.
I have only named a few of the things that need to be done each day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. or 12
midnight. As you can tell there are jobs for everyone. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS and SIGN
UP to help. We wor k har d, put in lots of hour s; however , we also enjoy the fellowship and have a
good time as a church family. There are many people who do not attend Highlands regularly that come to
help at the Fair. If you are one of these, please consider signing up to help.
We have the following shifts set for each day as follows: 6 a.m.-12 p.m., 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 3 p.m.-8 p.m., 6
p.m.-12 p.m., 9 p.m.-6 a.m. If you ar e unable to wor k any of these times, but can wor k 9 p.m.-12
midnight that would help out with clean up and prep for the next day. If the above does not fit your
schedule, you may sign up for the hours that do. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT WE KNOW THE HOURS
YOU ARE PLANNING TO WORK as we need to know we have enough help at all times. We also
need to get a pass to you so you do not have to pay to work. Call Kathy Howard at 323-5015 or Betty
Mougey at 399-1437. Please call if you are unable to work a scheduled time, telephone number at the
fairgrounds cafeteria is 325-2277.
If you are not able to actually work at the fair grounds, maybe you can help with transportation, picking up
supplies, watching children, sitting with someone, (so others can come out), or maybe you would like to
bake some things to add to our desserts. We are very aware that some of you are not able to come out.
However, you will be a great help if you pray for us to have enough help and also for safety.
If you have any questions, you can talk with any member of the Fair Committee.: Kathy Howard, Alta
Miller, Steve Mougey, Tammy Vlcek, Dixie Jenkins, Vicki Conway, Scott McSpadden, Victoria Smitson,
Judy Rude, Cindy Bowen, Geneva Falkner, Jan Kushmaul, or Betty Mougey.
You are needed. Please sign up!
Betty Mougey, Chairman

Attention! Sign-out sheet now in effect

People have needed to borrow items from the church (i.e. tables, chairs, wheelchairs, etc.) and,
until now, there has been no way to monitor or keep track of those items. It is possible that some
of our chairs have been borrowed and not yet returned. If anyone finds they have white folding
chairs at home, we ask that they be brought back. When you need to borrow items from the
church, please sign the form in the secretarys office so we know where church items are located.
We wish to continue to help out when possible but would appreciate help in keeping track of
church property.

Justice and Peace Wall

The wall in the narthex under the picture is being made into a Justice and Peace Wall. The justice
and peace activities that Highlands is involved in will be displayed on a table where those entering
the church can see them.

Benches available

The blue bench in the narthex is available if anyone would like to have it (see article on Justice and
Peace Wall).
Also available is the white bench in the rest room with the changing table. That bench interferes
with access to the changing table and restricts the use of wheelchairs in that room.
If no one wants them, they will be stored until the next garage sale in the fall.
You may leave a message on the phone at 937-399-7493 or call Trustees at 937-206-1005.

Meijers Community Rewards Program

For those of you who shop at Meijers, you can help Highlands by enrolling in the Meijers
Community Rewards Program. Applications and information are on the table in the narthex.
Application can be made on line at Meijer.com/rewards. If you know of families that shop at
Meijer, pick up an application form and share it with them.
As you make regular purchases at the store using cash, a PIN-Debit card, or a linked Meijer credit
card, you contribute to the donation Meijers makes to the organization you choose.
Highlands is a registered organization; our designation is 210405.

Recycle at Highlands!
Paper, plastic, metal, cardboard all are collected and taken to the recycling centers 1602 W. Main
St. and between the Project Woman building and the Clark County Combined Health District
building on East Home Road.
Household hazardous waste is collected for a fee of $1.00 per pound
at the West Main Street location on the First Saturday of
April, June, August and October.
More information is posted outside the kitchen door.

The following statement was prepared by Pastor Avery for the Springfield Pride Celebration on June
13, 2015. Highlands UCC was represented by Pam Dixon, Kathy Howard, and Pastor Avery. Pastor
Avery spoke as a representative of the six congregations in Springfield that welcome LGBT persons.

Statement for Springfield Pride June 13, 2015

Christianity as a whole has done a horrible job of living out the command to love our neighborand
our neighbor includes those who identify with the LGBTQ community and allies. After suffering
discrimination in employment and housing, and being rejected by family and perhaps friends, the one
place LGBTQ persons should have been able to turn was the churchand there too folk have been
rejected often with the gospel of hate rather than the gospel of love. The church has largely rejected
folk with everything from denying ones existence to condemning one to hellwho wants any part of
that kind of Christianity? Many have given up. Far too many bright folk with so much to offer society
have given up their lives to suicide.
Nowhere in the Bible does it condemn homosexuality or transgender folk. Humanity has the way of
interpreting the Bible to say what we wish it said according to our own biases . But there are many,
many references to hospitality and welcome in the Bibleincluding the famous story of Sodom and
Gomorrah. It is no wonder that LGBTQ folk while being spiritual turn to places other than the
churchtheres been a lack of hospitality and too much pain, suffering and rejection.
There are those in this city who would deny that LGBTQ rights are civil rights and a matter of justice.
We believe they are. Martin Luther King said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
and many of our faith communities in addition to welcoming you also work on social justice issues
right here in this cityadvocating for equal housing and employment nondiscrimination because we
believe that if we are going to profess being believers that we should live as believers and stand with
all persons who society tries to push to the margins.
But as we are gathered here, we want you to know that there are congregations here in Springfield who
will welcome you just as you areWe dont merely accept LGBTQ folk, we celebrate you the way
you were createdindividually and wonderfully made, for we are all on lifes journey together. We
will continue to fight for justice and a place at the table for all people.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please call 937-399-7493 and ask to have
your name removed from the Outreach newsletter mailing list.

Your Help Is Needed

The rest rooms on the lower level have not been updated since the building was built
in 1955. The metal stall enclosures have rusted over the years and are now a danger
to the children who use them everyday. You can see what we are talking about with
a quick trip downstairs.
We have received a grant in the amount of $799.00 to help replace the enclosures,
but that is not enough to do all that is needed. We have quotes for the repairs and
the one that appears to be best is $2,893.00. There are funds in the Building/Capital
account, but this amount would drastically deplete it.
We have already had a commitment of a donation (not yet specified) that will help.
Can you assist as well? Any amount would be appreciated. Mark your check or
donation for rest rooms.

The June 2015

Childrens Noisy
Collection totaled $47.00
A total of $468.00 was collected by the children in 2014. As determined by the children
of Highlands, donations of $100 each have
been made to On the Rise in Clark County,
The Heifer Project through Heifer International, Blanket Project through Church
World Service and Project Jericho in
Springfield.
With the $68 left from last year and what has
been Collected so far this year, there is
$227.00 in the childrens coin collection
fund.
Next noisy
collection will be July 12.

Box Tops & Labels collected for

Oesterlen Services for Youth
A number of organizations collect
BOX TOPS and food labels to raise funds for
their non-profit agencies.
Highlands received a plea from
Oesterlen and we have responded.
If you would like to help, a list of the items that
are being collected is on the bulletin board in
the fellowship hall
outside the kitchen window.
A can is located on the table in the
narthex to place the box tops and labels. When
we have collected a number of them, we will
take them to Oesterlen.

Items for Interfaith Hospitality Network are being collected

Some of the members of Highlands Church are collecting items for Interfaith Hospitality Network.
We have a box in the narthex if you wish to join us in this effort.
Once we have several items, we will take them to IHN.
Here are a few things needed:
Hygiene, such as bath, hair, and body products. Household, such as cleaning, storage, paper,
products. Health care, such as ointment, band-aids, baby items, pain relievers, over the counter
medications. A complete list is located on the Community News bulletin board
in the fellowship hall outside the kitchen window.

10:30 am
10:45 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
8:00 pm

10:30 am
10:45 am
11:30 am
12:00 p.m.
8:00:pm

12 Worship
Children
Fellowship
Trustees
AA

19 Worship
Children
Fellowship
Council
AA

26 Clark County Fair

10:30 am
Worship
10:45 am
Children
11:30 am
Fellowship
8:00 pm
AA

10:30 am
10:45 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
8:00 pm

5 Worship
Children
Fellowship
Diaconate
AA

Sun

21
Supplies arrive
at Fairgrounds
Cafeteria

14

Tue

Springfield Zen
Group 7:00 pm

27
28
Clark County Fair Clark County Fair

Springfield Zen
Group 7:00 pm

20

Springfield Zen
Group 7:00 pm

13

Springfield Zen
Group 7:00 pm

Mon

July 2015

29
Clark County Fair

22

15

30
Clark County Fair

23
Preparations for
Fair service

Fair Committee
meeting at Bettys
7:00 pm

16

9
Meatloaf prep and
final cleaning

8
Meatloaf prep and
final cleaning

Thu

Wed

18

11

Sat

31
Clark County Fair

24
25
Clark County Fair Clark County
Fair

17

10

Fri

Highlands United Church of Christ

1910 Saint Paris Pike
Springfield, Ohio 45504
www.highlandsucc.org

Return Service Requested

Highlands Open and Affirming Statement

The worshipping family within the faith community of Highlands United Church of Christ believes in
Christ's gospel of unconditional love. We joyfully welcome into full participation, membership, and
leadership of this congregation persons of every race, language, age, gender identity and expression,
sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, economic or marital status, and faith background. We
affirm and celebrate all loving, committed relationships affirming that all families defined by love are
blessed."
Adopted by the congregation January 13, 2013

Mission Statement
Our Mission is to be the loving heart and healing hands of God in the world;
we are a welcoming community of faith, seeking to accompany and support all
on their journey to Christ, and bearing authentic witness of Gods inclusive love
as proclaimed through Jesus.

Highlands United Church of Christ, is called by God

To open doors for all who seek a safe place for their spiritual journey
To extend extravagant hospitality
To set an open table for all who hunger
To provide sanctuary for all who seek forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing
To do justice and pursue peace