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Hillview United Methodist Church
The Connector
JULY 2015
Hillview Farm
2015 Vacation Bible School
July 27-31, 9 a.m. to noon
July 5: Worship at 10 a.m.
Registration forms are due by July 7 (only limited
followed by
spots will be available after that date). Pick up forms on the
Finger Food
bulletin board in the Hansen Wing.
Brunch
Volunteers are still needed! We need help with the kids during VBS
week and sewing before VBS week, prepping t-shirts, etc. There July 7: Lydia Circle trip to
the Outdoor
IS something you can do!
Prayer Labyrinth
See list of supplies on page 6. Please bring them to the church office
or the bin in the Gathering Area.
For more information, please contact Heidi Holmes at (619)952-9935 or
hholmes54@hotmail.com.
July 14: Lady Veterans
Luncheon
July 27-31: Vacation Bible
School
SPRC News
SPRC has been actively working to define staffing plans for growth since
Jeff and Maggie left Hillview. We have been studying what other
churches did to drive growth, notably Meridian Methodist. We believe
that children and youth involvement are vital to the future of
Hillview. We are planning to take two essentially fulltime salaries and
reshape the salary spend into one fulltime salary, spread across three part
time jobs. We are working closely with the Finance Committee to ensure
affordability, so keep your pledges current and growing to help Hillview
grow! SPRC recently presented this to Church Council and received a
very positive response. While we have more work to do to finalize our
hiring plans, SPRC would like to share news about the three roles we are
developing. This article covers the staffing plan, and we will share this
plan during church service on July 12th. We are working with various staff
and Church Council members to finalize the content of job descriptions
and the expectations for hours worked per week. We hope to have that
complete within the next month. These job descriptions will include
goals tied to growth.
1. Director of Children’s Ministry working with Sunday School, Fellowship, Worship and
preparing for an active and growing children's group - 20 hours a week.
2. Praise Band Leader supporting the choir, worship service and offering another opportunity
for youth to plug into Hillview music ministries - 10 hours a week.
3. Director of Discipleship Ministries measuring, educating and encouraging Hillview members
of all ages to plug into the many ministries within the church and around the community - 10
hours a week
SPRC looks forward to your feedback as we work together to help
Hillview grow.
Regards,
Charlie Pegan
SPRC Chair
July Stewardship
Challenges
Choose to do one or all!
*Attend church camp or
make it possible for
someone else to attend.
*Volunteer to help in the
church office to cover
vacations.
*Review your giving; bring
your pledge current if you
have fallen behind.
THE CONNECTOR
Page 2
Offerings ~
The theme of the Oregon-Idaho
Annual Conference this year was
“Restoring the Sacred Circle.”
There were very inspiring Native
American speakers, musicians, and
worship leaders who led us through
three days of repentance, education
and celebration. We made a
commitment as a conference to
work toward healing the deep
wounds our culture has created and
the church has contributed to with
our Native American brothers and
sisters. I was deeply moved, and
yet skeptical. How many of us will
go out of our way to proactively
reach out to the Native American
population and work toward
justice? How long will it take to
change cultural attitudes?
The week after our conference,
nine people were murdered at a
Bible study in Charleston, South
Carolina, by a young racist man.
We have seen reports of racial
profiling by police, of black people
protesting violent treatment at the
hands of some police officers. We
have seen and heard neighbors,
family members and strangers
speak out in opposition, stating that
the police aren’t racist, that these
people who have been treated with
violence were at fault for doing
something wrong in the first place,
even though their crimes would not
have warranted the death penalty if
they had gone to trial. We don’t
want to confront the racism we
know is rampant in our culture. It
is hard to admit that our country
still has such deep wounds.
At our conference we voted to
divest in companies supporting
Israel’s activities against
Palestinians. We stood up for the
oppressed, but without
acknowledging that, according to
the Washington Times, 2014 was
the worst year for anti-Semitic
violence since 2009. Most of those
incidents took place in Europe and
the United States.
There was no talk at Conference
about the violence in the world
associated with ISIS or Boko
Haram, and the ethnic cleansing
taking place in parts of the world
today. Perhaps we don’t know
enough about what is happening to
even begin to join in a discussion.
I am convinced that this theme of
healing the wounds created by the
injustices of the past will continue
to be a valid theme for generations
to come. The writer of Ecclesiastes
wrote, “There is nothing new under
the sun.” There isn’t anything new
in oppression. It was expressed at
Church Council a few months ago
that the LGBT community is the
last community to be fully included
in the Church. I disagree. People of
faith have never been immune to
prejudice and oppression. Once the
LGBT community is fully
included, we will discover that
another group has been oppressed.
All of this sounds so negative! It is
discouraging to realize that human
nature has not changed all that
much from some of the stories of
oppression in the Bible from 3,000
years ago. But then, perhaps that is
one reason the Bible still rings true
to us today. We can still relate to
the feelings and situations of our
ancestors. But just as they spoke up
against oppression, and just as
Jesus witnessed to us how to stand
up against tyranny, there is still a
need for us today to not remain
silent.
When we joined the church, it was
asked of us: “Do you accept the
freedom and power God gives you
to resist evil, injustice, and
oppression in whatever forms they
present themselves?” We each
answered boldly, “I do.” Let’s now
live out our faith as if we really
meant what we said!
Grace and Peace, Brenda VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015
Page 3
Annual Conference Highlights
Provided by Jim Walt (Lay Member to Annual Conference)
Annual Conference
theme this year:
“Restoring the Sacred
Circle”
“Restoring the Sacred
Circle” comes from
the focus on an act of
repentance with Native
Americans.
 We listened to several
dynamic Native
American speakers.
 During Annual
Conference, those
attending went
through an Act of
Repentance Ceremony.
 The 2012 General
Conference held an
Act of Repentance to
recognize the harm
done and the need to
heal and build
relationship with
Native Americans.

Fulfilling a
commitment,
Conference pays 100%
Hillview paid 100% of
its apportionment in
2014.

In 2014, the OregonIdaho Annual
Conference paid
100% of its
apportionment to the
General and
Jurisdictional
Conferences.
 That’s a big deal!!!!


The Conference
Treasurer couldn’t
remember the last
time that
happened.
Simple Board
Leadership
Steve Ross (DS/
Healthy Vital Church
Initiative) gave a short
report on the ways the
Oregon-Idaho and
Pacific Northwest
Annual Conferences
have been sharing
resources around
church vitality.
Holy Land Task Force



Some learnings:
 Having a good
leadership team.
 Having a good plan
(and the willingness
to change it down the
road!).
 Good coaching and a
resilient process are
also important.
 Continued attention
to vitality is essential.

Many churches
throughout the
Conference have gone
through the selfevaluation process;
Hillview might want
to consider this.

Has been very active
this past year,
providing training
opportunities
throughout the
Conference.
They proposed
several Legislative
Items at Annual
Conference,
concentrating on
divestment from
companies that
profit from the
Israeli and
Palestinian conflict.
Most of those items
passed.
Karen McAlister has
been an active
member on the Task
Force.
Extreme Churches

Out-of-the-box
thinking on creative
local church
outreach was a focus
during this Annual
Conference.
During the Awards
Dinner, “extreme
churches” that were
using out- of-thebox outreach
strategies were
recognized.
Next Year
In 2016,

General Conference
is in Portland,
Oregon, at the
Convention Center
on May 10-20.

1,000 volunteers are
needed to help host
the event.

Annual Conference
is scheduled to
return to the Salem
Convention Center
on June 16-18.
 Jurisdictional
Conference will be
held July 13-16 in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
THE CONNECTOR
Ice Cream Social
Page 4
Lydia Circle Summer Schedule
All are welcome to join us!
The Purpose of UMW
United Methodist
Women shall be a
community of women
whose purpose is to
know God and to
experience freedom as
whole persons through
Jesus Christ; to develop
a creative, supportive
fellowship; and to
expand concepts of
mission through
participation in the
global ministries of the
church.
Save the date!
Thursday, July 16
7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to the
annual UMW Ice Cream
Social on July 16.
In addition to the
delicious ice cream, we
will be treated to a special
program performed by
the children of the
African Pentecostal
Church.
Aug. 4: Judy’s Ireland trip.
July 7: Outdoor Prayer
Hillview library, 9:30 a.m.
Labyrinth—Ed Keene’s
garden. Meet at Hillview for
Aug.18: Nampa
carpooling at 9:30 a.m.
Warhawk Air Museum.
Meet at Hillview for
July 21: Vacation Bible
School Preparation. Hillview carpooling at 12:30 p.m.
library, 9:30 a.m.
Coupons for the Marian Pritchett School
UMW member Amanda Ballance is collecting only
current, valid coupons for the Marian Pritchett
School. It is a place where young girls and their
babies live and learn.
We are no longer collecting outdated coupons for
the military. You can put your coupons in an
envelope on the UMW bulletin board.
Upcoming UMW
Events
Mission u Is Coming in July!
Don’t forget the dates
for the Mission u 2015
are July 23-26 at the
Nazareth Retreat
Center, Boise. Early
registration will save
you $15, so please turn
in your registration
before July 1.
This opportunity to
study and grow is not
just for women, but for
men and older youth
too!
The three areas of
study are:
Created for Happiness –
Understanding Your Life in
God
Latin America –People and
Faith
Church and Peoples with
Disabilities
Information about the
studies and registration
forms for Mission u are
on the UMW bulletin
board in the Ballantyne
hallway. Hillview UMW
offers sponsorships.
July 14: Lady Veterans
Luncheon
July 16: Ice Cream Social,
7 p.m.
July 23-26: Mission u at
the Nazarene Retreat
Center
VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015
Page 5
Camp News
We have 15 kids attending
various camping weeks in
July at Camp Sawtooth and 2
more who will be counselors.
Let’s put together gift boxes
for each of the kids.
NEEDED—17 SHOE
BOXES and the following
suggested items for what will
be packed in them: cookies,
comic books, small stuffed
animals, candy, glow
sticks, small cans of
Pringles, flavored straws,
fruit snacks, and anything
else that would be
appropriate for elementary
age through high school
age kids. If you would like
to donate items for the
boxes, please bring them in
by July 2 and put them in the
Camping box in the office.
The boxes will be sent up
with a parent on the Sunday
that Camp starts and will be
distributed to the kids during their
week at Camp. If you would like
to send the kids a note or card,
those can be included in the boxes
as well. Let’s let the kids know
that we care and appreciate them!
Remember our campers in
prayer!
July 5-11 Elementary camp:
Brooke Fonnesbeck, Josh Gallas,
Emily Sprague, Katie Ralls, and
counselors Amory Zuchhero &
Maraya Hanson.
Middle school Camp: Malcolm
Chambers, Hayden Fonnesbeck,
Megan Gallas, & Colby Pittz
July Greeter Schedule
July 5th- Mike Teter,
Gary Albright, Kim
Custer
July 12th- Amanda
Ballance, Pam Linger,
Ellie Flinn
July 19th- Ursula
Mardis, Debbie Mallis
July 26th- Karen
McAlister, Stan Rishel
with Philip Carpentier,
Arlene Worthington
July 12-18 Elementary Camp:
Arleigh Adams & Veronica Cook
July 19-25 Sr. High Camp: Tyler
Gallas, Annika Linguist, Jayne
Marie Linguist, Nicole Pittz, &
Amory Zuchhero
July Community Meal on July 29
Come enjoy food and fellowship.
Food and helping hands are needed
and welcome. We need large side
dishes, salads, and desserts that will go
with BBQ fare (burgers—beef, turkey,
veggie and hot dogs). Please see the
sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area to help with
the meal. If you have questions, you can contact
Marilesta Nelson at 375-5116.
July Lunch Bunch
The Lunch Bunch will meet on July 9 at Sizzler
(459 N Cole Rd) at 11:30 a.m. Sign up in the
Gathering Area. Come and join us for conversation
and good food!
THE CONNECTOR
Summer Sunday School
Sunday School for children
preschool through 5th grade will be
held during the services (after the
Children’s Story) in Room 10.
Youth will help out with the
children on a rotating basis.
Adult classes:
Jesus & Java, meets in Room 11 at
11:10 a.m.
Preacher’s Forum, meets in the
sanctuary at 11:10 a.m.
Lydia Circle’s Field Trip to the Botanical Garden
Page 6
VBS Needs:
Please Save Your Stuff!
Here’s the “stuff” we need for VBS:
1. Plastic containers (with lids)
from margarine, ice cream,
yogurt, etc. (1 quart
minimum size)
2. Old nylon stockings
3. Sawdust
4. Empty seed packets
VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015
Page 7
Hillview Youth Group News by Claire Chambers
Mark 4:30‐32 “The Parable of the Mustard Seed 30
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what
parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the
smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes
the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can
perch in its shade.”
Youth Calendar for July
Because of camps, mission
trips and VBS, there will be no
official Youth Meeting during
July.
July 5-11 Jr. High camp!
July 11-18 Claire in San Diego
with Meridian Methodist Youth
July 19-25 Sr. High Camp
This parable is the Bible verse for our mission trip with the theme “God’s
love rules.” How is the kingdom of God like a mustard seed? Well, it
started small for sure . . . but it grew very quickly. In preparation for our
mission trip, we spent some time discussing what this parable means in
light of what we are about to do: Go into Portland and help the food
insecure and homeless. One youth responded with these words of
wisdom: “What we are doing seems like a small thing to us—handing out
socks, working at a food bank, gardening, giving out sandwiches and dog
food. But to those we are doing these things for, it is a big thing.” And
each little thing we do grows God’s kingdom on Earth.
THE CONNECTOR
Volunteer
Opportunities
for July
*Sign up to help with VBS.
*Help with the First Fruits
garden plots.
*Learn and prepare Sunday
PowerPoint.
(Thank you to Cece
Angell, Sean Bettinger,
Cyndy Jonsson, and
Mike Teter!)
*Learn the sound system.
*Staff the PowerPoint
clicker.
*Become an usher.
*Do sandwich prep for
Saturday Sack Lunches.
Page 8
Finger Food Potlucks
Finance Report
Finger food potlucks will continue on
the first Sundays of July and August.
January through May:
Total income $136,187
On July 5 we will have one service at
10 a.m. and share finger foods
following worship.
Total expenses $122,207
$13,980
On August 2 we will get to share
between services and after the 10 a.m.
worship time.
What should you bring?
Food that can be eaten without
utensils, such as sandwiches that have
been quartered, grapes, strawberries,
cherry tomatoes (stuffed or plain),
cheese and crackers, cookies,
brownies, etc.
*Be a second adult for
Youth Group.
*Visit the homebound.
*Join the Prayer Chain.
To volunteer for any of
these things, call the
All of our shared ministries
(apportionments) are up to
date. Please continue to
support our ministry as you
travel this summer.
Consider electronic giving.
(See page 9.) Thank you!
Caregivers Support Group
The next gathering of the Caregivers
Support Group will be Saturday, July 4, at
10 a.m. in Room 6.
A person who has been a caregiver will
share experiences. If you are a caregiver
or may become one in the future, please
join us. Questions? Please call Jeannie
Swenson at 323-0141.
church office (375-0392).
Come Play With Us
Hillview has an active pinochle group that
plays the second Saturday of every month at
the church. The group takes turns being the
host/hostess and is dedicated to fun and
fellowship. (If you made a poor bid or play,
no problem. It's all just for fun.)
We are looking for people to be part of
our group, either as a regular or as an
occasional substitute.
If you are interested, please call Darlene
Smith at 376-5977 or Flora Walker at
869-0577.
VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015
Page 9
New Electronic Giving Options Debut at Hillview UMC
The Finance Committee at
Hillview UMC wishes to
inform the congregation
of new options for giving.
It is clear that the nature of
transactions has changed
dramatically in the last 5 to
15 years. Hillview recently
addressed these changes by
adding the ability to
electronically contribute
financially to the church.
We are now aligned with a
transaction processing
company (VANCO) that
has been vetted by the
United Methodist Church
as a national entity that
offers state-of-the art
security for these
transactions.
This means you have new
options in the financial
giving space. No changes
are required, and all of the
“old” giving options (like
writing a check or placing
cash into the offering
plates during worship) are
still available.
The first option is already
being used by some
Hillview members, and that
is known as “direct
deposit.” This is a very
low-cost way of having
your pledge or your giving
estimate move from your
account to Hillview’s
account electronically. This
is set up to happen
automatically, and it offers
the church some desirable
consistency in how income
is received over the
calendar year. This can be
done online using the new
giving "button" on
Hillview's Web page. The
church can also provide
paper forms to you to put
this in place if this sounds
appealing.
The second option is a
giving “button” on
Hillview’s Web page. This
can accept credit or debit
card transactions online
with you being in control
of how this transaction is
accomplished. The
Finance Committee is
planning to have some
information sessions on
this in the coming months,
or you can ask Curtis
Kron or any of the
Finance Committee
members any questions
you might have. These
transactions have been
designed to look like other
online transactions you
might be familiar with.
They are secure
transactions that go
immediately to VANCO’s
secure server.
Credit and debit cards are
what many Americans use
when doing most of their
shopping. Hillview is also
adding this capability to be
used during fund-raising
events like Fall Festival,
Easter Breakfast, or any
other Hillview gatherings
where financial
transactions are taking
place.
By offering these new
options to you at Hillview,
we think we are now
moving into the 21st
century with these changes.
But you need not make any
changes at all, if that is
your preference. If you
have any questions, please
contact any member of the
Finance Committee, or we
encourage you to explore
Hillview’s Web page
(http://
hillviewmethodist.org/ )
and check out what’s new
there.
THANK YOU!
THE CONNECTOR
Trustees Happenings
On May 25 the trustees picked up 80
red fabric-covered, cushioned chairs
that were donated to Hillview by the
Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Meridian.
Marilesta Nelson’s son is the chef at
the hotel and he informed her that the
hotel was getting new chairs and had
chairs available for donation. We used
these chairs at the May 27 Community
Meal. Our thanks to the Marriott
Hotel!
During the last week of May the
trustees converted the Hansen Wing
men’s rest room into a family rest
room with a baby changing station
and additional grab bars to comply
with the latest Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). The rest
room has a new family rest room sign
in Braille for the sight-impaired and a
Page 10
privacy lock to protect people who
are using the rest room. Additional
grab bars will be added the week
of June 15 to the Hansen Wing
women’s rest room to make it
ADA-compliant as well.
Just a note of information to all
church members: the toilets in the
women’s rest room closest to the
Music Room and the Hansen Wing
rest-rooms have high-profile toilets.
Susan Ford made Braille signs for
the library door, using her Braille
typewriter and adhesive tape.
Whether the library door is open or
closed, it is identified for the sightimpaired.
Mr. Mudd Concrete Corp.
constructed a new handicap ramp at
the east entrance to the church with
demolition on Monday the 8th
and placement of concrete on
Wednesday the 10th of June. The
yellow truncated dome tile is to
identify for the sight-impaired
that they are approaching a
hazard area.
The Memorial Fund will be used
to pay for the rest room
conversion and the handicap
ramp.
Sara Goodwin made two new
church banners for the front
entry to the church. They
represent “ordinary” time or
season.
We would like to give special
recognition to James from the
Nature Company (7106 Ustick
Rd., 323-4921)for the beautiful
landscaping at the east entrance
to the church.
Refugee Gardens
Wanted: An assistant for
the coordinator of the
Hillview Refugee Gardens.
Requirements:
Communication, computer
skills, calling/mailing and
coordination between
groups.
Some gardening
experience is helpful as
well as working with
people of different
backgrounds.
Please contact Chris
Carpentier (658-9190 or
chrispcarp@msn.com),
Kathy Tuttle (375-7748
or
ketuttle@hotmail.com),
or Claudia at the church
office (375-0392).
VOLUME 1 , JULY 2015
Page 11
July 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
16:00 Sermon
Study
6:00 Praise Band
5
10:00 Worship
Finger Food Brunch
1:00 African Church
4:00 Hispanic Church
12
8:30 Worship
10:00 Worship
11:15 Sunday School
1:00 African Church
4:00 Hispanic Church
198:30 Worship
10:00 Worship
11:15 Sunday School
1:00 African Church
4:00 Hispanic Church
268:30 Worship
10:00 Worship
11:15 Sunday School
1:00 African Church
4:00 Hispanic Church
62:00 Worship
Planning
79:30 Lydia Circle 86:00 Sermon
Field Trip
Study
6:00 Praise Band
Thu
Fri
2
3
911:30 Lunch
10
Bunch at Sizzler
11:00 Sermon
Study
9:30 Morning
Book Group,
Barnes & Noble
2:00 Worship
Planning
6:30 p.m. Evening
Book Group,
Church
13
10:30 Lady
Veterans Luncheon
at Veterans Home
7:00 NA Group
7:00 Finance
Committee
14
6:00 Sermon
Study
6:00 Praise Band
15
16
17
20
21
22
23
24
29
30
31
2:00 Worship
9:30 Lydia
Planning
Circle
7:00 Congregational
Care
7:00 SPRC
7:00 Trustees
7:00 NA Group
27
2:00 Worship
Planning
28
11:00 Sermon
Study
6:00 Praise Band
6:00 Sermon
Study
6:00 Praise Band
Sat
410:00 Caregivers
Support Group,
Rm .6
11
8:00-4:00
African Church
8:00 Men’s b-fast,
Moon’s Café
18
10:30 Whitney
Sack Lunch
Program
25
Jared & Adriana’s
Wedding! 5:00 p.m.
Vacation Bible School—Hillview Farm: 9:00 a.m.-noon
Please remember to call the church office with any scheduling requests or changes. Just because a day
may look available on the calendar, it does not mean that it is! This is our church calendar. We have not
included Boy Scout activities, Preschool, outside groups, Fit and Fall-proof, and other activities. Please
be considerate and flexible with room use.
Hillview United Methodist Church Staff
Pastor
Brenda Sene
bsene@msn.com
Administrative Assistant
Claudia Flora
claudia.flora@hillviewmethodist.org
Music Director
Leigh Falconer
leighfalconer@hotmail.com
Youth Director
Claire Chambers
cilongpre@yahoo.com
Custodian
Mariya Gavrilutsa
Nursery Director
Peggy Sheldon
churchoffice@hillviewmethodist.org
Office Hours:
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday
9:00 a.m. - noon, Friday
We are a Reconciling
Congregation, welcoming all
persons into full participation
in the life of the congregation
regardless of age, sexual
orientation, gender identity,
family configuration, racial or
ethnic background, economic
status, or mental or physical
abilities. As we journey to the
reconciliation of all persons
as children of God, we
celebrate our human family’s
diversity.
Hillview United Methodist Church
8525 Ustick Road
Boise, Idaho 83704
208-375-0392
www.hillviewmethodist.org
July 5
One Worship Service
10:00 a.m. followed by
Finger Food Brunch
Together with their families,
Adriana Caloca
and
Jared Sene
invite you to join them at the
celebration of their wedding,
Saturday, the twenty-fifth of
July, two thousand fifteen, at five
o’clock in the evening.
The Bishops’ House, 2420 E.
Old Penitentiary Rd., Boise
Reception to follow.
RSVP@ theknot.com~Jared &
Adriana