Dear HoC Members and Friends,
I’m back from my sabbatical, and I’m ready for another fall season
here at HoC! Fall is a great time of year for a fresh start. As I return
to the regular rhythms of work and worship post-sabbatical, I am
sensing it is a good time for us as a church to practice the three Rs –
Reset, Recharge, and Renew.
First, the beginning of a new season provides an opportunity to reset some of our
practices and routines. Over the next few weeks, the sabbatical bulletin boards will be
coming down and replaced with new content, photos and information from the pastor.
In addition to notices of upcoming events and activities, I’ll be posting a refresher
about my contact information, office hours, day off, social media engagement, and
other pertinent information. I’ll also occasionally share resources that I’m finding
interesting and beneficial that you might enjoy. So, keep checking the boards for fresh
content! These bulletin boards are located in the narthex and across from the Pastor’s
Study in the Christian Education wing near the church office.
We’ll also be resetting our Sunday morning worship liturgy to be more in line
with our Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, including changing up the order of
worship, adding a regular third hymn, and reintroducing a weekly “Affirmation of
Faith”. These changes will not be major, but they will update the service rhythm a bit.
We’ll also be reintroducing monthly liturgists to participate in worship, as well as
continue our monthly congregational flowers in the sanctuary. Thanks for your
patience and flexibility with this reset, which I hope will enhance our worship
experience!
This new season also invites us to recharge our faith and commitment to Christ
and one another as a church. One way to recharge our faith is through education.
Sunday school classes for all ages begin on Rally Day – Sunday, September 10th at
9:30 AM. See the information article in this month’s newsletter for details on class
offerings this fall. We can also recharge our faith through worship and fellowship.
Our choir returns this month, providing regular musical offerings in the Sunday
service to enhance our worship. Our choral students from the University of Delaware
will join with our church choir members to glorify God with the gift of music. Of
course, we’ll continue to gather after worship for a time of fellowship during coffee
hour. We look forward to seeing you in worship, either online or in person!
The fall season further offers us an opportunity for renewal. Fall is a great time
to begin a new spiritual practice – a new daily Bible reading practice, prayer practice,
or journaling practice. It is also a time to reflect upon our blessings, opening our
hearts and hands to share our gifts with others. We’re gearing up for our fall
stewardship campaign, which will give everyone an opportunity to practice greater
generosity toward one another and our broader community. I’m so grateful for
everyone’s gifts of time, talent and treasure that make this church a special place.
I look forward to seeing how God will work in and through us as a congregation –
through our living, through our giving, and through our loving!
So friends, let’s reset, recharge, and renew our faith this fall at HoC!
Blessings,
Pastor Hilary
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