Hot Off the Press Archives

November 2007 Archives

Elder Nominee Bios
Be Informed for Sunday's Election

Sue Breiner: Joe and I have been married for 43 years, all of them happy! We are blessed with three wonderful children and four grandchildren. I have been retired since 2001 and loving every minute. Before retirement, I was the Director of Planning, Contracts and Community Relations for the Hamilton County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD). My younger sister, Annie, was born in 1947 with Down Syndrome. The impact of this event changed my life and the lives of others around me immensely. I was able to witness and be a part of a revolution in the services and supports provided to individuals with MR/DD and their families.

I have been a Christian all of my life, but really experienced the presence of Jesus my Lord and Savior while at a high school church retreat. I spent an evening of silence and prayer and personally met my Savior. Since that time, I have been honored and privileged to witness His presence in many ways. He has always been there in times of illness, death, joy and in everyday living. Because of this, my life has been truly blessed.

CHPC is at a crossroad. I believe that this is an opportunity for all members and friends to take a prayerful step forward and envision our church as Christ would want it. Are we reaching out in a missional way to our community, our world and ourselves? We have been blessed in many areas. Are we using those blessings as Christ would want us to?

I feel that God has called me to be a part of CHPC and will rely on His presence to allow me to serve our church in His way.
Joe and I love to travel and have just returned from a three-week trip to China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. We are very fond of spending time with our children and grandchildren. Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays are special family times.

Cindy Brown: I have been a member of CHPC for the last 12 years, and I give God all the glory and honor for the blessings in my life. I am married to Lance and we will soon celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary. We have four children, Parker who is 15, Mitch who is 13, and Molly and Jenna who are 10.

Some of the areas where I have served include the Strategy for Mothers Team, various mission teams, and the Deacon Board. I am deeply honored to be nominated for the position of Elder.
I am very excited to see how the Lord is knitting together our congregation into a community that loves and serves together.

Mark Jorgensen: Thirty years ago while attending UC, Gale and I visited CHPC. We were drawn by the depth of worship and amazing diversity of ministries in this church. The following year we were in Ron Rand’s Inquirers’ class recommitting our lives and joining this body.

After graduation, we were married here and have remained active members throughout my job-related moves from Northern Kentucky to Southeastern Indiana and finally to Green Township.

I was raised in a Christian home and committed my life to Christ in 1967 as part of confirmation in my hometown Methodist Church. In our early years here we were blessed by the ministries of CHPC but with work commitments and three young children I was unable to serve extensively in ministry. As our children entered school I had the opportunity to teach Sunday school, serve a term on the Board of Trustees, co-chair the fund raising drive for the atrium construction/renovations and serve a term on Session. Last year I had the chance to teach 3rd grade Sunday school again.

Today, I feel blessed to be called to serve on Session once more. Mindful of the challenges we face, I believe God has “planted” our family in this “extended church family” at CHPC and I’m honored to be nominated to serve.

In my “day job” I serve as Associate Vice President at the UC Foundation and as both an employee and an alumnus I remain actively engaged in the life of the university community.

Bart Sauer: I was born in Mt. Healthy, Ohio in 1966. Penny and I met in Cleveland while I attended Case Western Reserve University. I completed my BS in Mechanical Engineering in May of 1989, and we were married in December of 1989. We currently reside in Finneytown with our daughters Rachel (14), Colleen (12) and Kara (12).

I grew up in and attended the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) before beginning my attendance at CHPC in 1992. My previous service at CHPC includes Trustee, FFAT member, StewardLife Ministry and participation in the 2006 Youth, New Orleans mission trip. I currently serve as a member of the Band of Brothers leadership team and with Lance Brown as the sixth grade Sunday School teaching team.

Though I’ve been exposed to the Bible and the Christian faith since my birth, it wasn’t until I was 23 years old, that I felt like I made the transition to an adult personal faith in God, a deeper relationship with Christ and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. My Engineering study solidified my belief in a Creator God, but it was a country preacher who asked me, “Are you saved”, that brought about my life-changing decision of faith in the truth of the Scriptures and Jesus Christ. I am excited about this church and where the Holy Spirit may lead us as a congregation and Session.

Jim Warner: My spiritual odyssey has had several chapters: extending from accepting Jesus at the age of twelve, being a Jesus Freak and Spirit-filled believer in the 70’s, to joining this fellowship in 1978 where I answered the call to minister to the poor and hungry and bring about racial reconciliation. I am filled with passion to see our Jubilee Community emerge as an Acts 2 fellowship in the 21st Century.

I love the people of this church and feel called to work together for the “reconciliation of all things on heaven and earth through Him (Col. 1:20). I have served with 3 PNC’s, Presbytery committees, as a Deacon, led small groups, and the Vision MAT. Robynn and I love to search for and discover charming diners with great cooking.

Tom Osborn: Tom will be celebrating his 26th wedding anniversary this coming Wednesday with his wife, Jan (just retired as Director of Care). He was born in Colorado and has worked in Cincinnati with P&G for the last 32 years. He is a Senior Research Fellow.

Tom has been a very active member at CHPC for the past 34 years in various groups and committees. Currently, he helps lead the Band of Brothers and is on the board of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families. If elected, this will be his third time serving our church as an elder.

To Read Other Officer Nominee Bios, Click Here

Congregational Meeting Date Change

In response to concerns recently brought to the Session regarding the October 14th congregational meeting, the Session has determined that the election of officers at our last congregational meeting was not in order. Officially, the motion to elect the officers was not properly followed by the opportunity for nominations from the floor during the meeting. According to our PCUSA Book of Order, we must give opportunity for any member to make a nomination from the floor at the time of the meeting. As a result, Session passed a motion on November 5th stating that the October 14th election was not conducted properly. In essence, this means the election of officers did not occur.

Election of Officers with Opportunity for Nominations from the Floor

The Session wants the election process to be as correct and clear as possible and to respond openly to the valid concerns of members of the congregation. So, on November 18, 2007 at 3 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, a congregational meeting will be held to receive the report of the Church Nominating Committee and to conduct the election of new officers. For those interested, the Church Nominating Committee will give a detailed explanation of the discernment process that was used in preparing the slate of nominees after the election.

We believe this time will be the most convenient for the majority of our members and also will give freedom for full discussion. The Session is also reviewing the feedback that has been received regarding the proposed By-Law changes and will be bringing these items to the church at a later called congregational meeting.

Gingerbread Shoppe Saturday, Nov. 17th

Don’t miss 3C’s annual
Gingerbread Shoppe
Sat., Nov. 17, 9:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Select items from a variety of handcrafted gifts and decorations from over 85 vendors.
Sip hot, spiced wassail • Enjoy a gourmet lunch • A craft table for children • A bake sale

Good for you, good for 3C’s

Proposed CHPC By-Laws Change, Be Informed!
by Barry Stare

Update (Nov. 16, 2007): The Session is currently discussing and re-considering the by-law changes. Because of input from the congregation and valuable insight gained from our Q & A session, we will be re-writing some of these proposed changes. The by-law changes listed here are those proposed in October. The Session hopes to have a congregational meeting in January.

The Constitution of the PC(USA), or Book of Order, contains extensive regulations that the larger church has adopted over the life of the denomination about how the church is structured and governed. The By-Laws of the Congregation are a set of rules that the local church adopts to deal with the areas that the Constitution leaves up to local option. Over many years, these CHPC By-Laws have been modified as the need has arisen. This ultimately created a document that was not very unified and that contained a lot of things that were just restatements of what was in the Constitution. Recently, when we needed to make some changes, your Session decided to simplify the By-Laws and eliminate any unnecessary and outdated provisions as they brought the needed parts up to date. As a result, the original eighteen subjects covered have been reduced to six, and these six match our current structure and practice.

The following questions and answers will help explain the changes and why we are making them. For those who are interested, the full text of the By-Laws will be available for pickup at church on Sunday today and next week, and is available on the CHPC website at www.chpc.org.
What are the By-Laws? The By-Laws of the Congregation are a set of rules that the congregation adopts to govern aspects of its life together. The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) governs a great deal of how we are organized and how we operate, but it leaves certain areas up to the individual church. The By-Laws of the Congregation address those areas.

The By-Laws are a set of rules that a local church adopts to deal with the areas that the Constitution of the PCUSA leaves up to local option

What are the changes to the By-Laws? In summary, the changes:

allow flexibility in how many Elders and Deacons we elect, according to their needs
eliminate the Board of Trustees and make the Session the Trustees of the Corporation
eliminate the Budget Committee and give the responsibility for preparing the annual budget to the Session
eliminate the requirement of using a secret ballot for the election of officers at Congregational meetings
eliminate the appointed members of the Congregational Nominating Committee from other organizations except Deacons and Session and increase the number of members elected at-large from the Congregation
eliminate most of the language of the By-Laws which restates what is in the Book of Order and is unnecessary

How do we change the By-Laws? The By-Laws can be changed by a two-thirds vote of the Congregation at any Congregational meeting.

What/Who are the Trustees? CHPC is a corporation, incorporated in the state of Ohio. State law requires that there be Trustees who are responsible for various financial and real property functions. Many years ago the Congregation chose to establish a Board of Trustees who were elected annually the same way we elect Elders and Deacons.

Why are we eliminating the Board of Trustees and making Session the Trustees? In recent years, the Board of Trustees and Session found that there was a lot of overlap in what things they dealt with and that there was too much time and energy being spent on trying to communicate cleanly and accurately and on deciding who should deal with various issues. In our restructuring in 2004, both boards agreed to merge the Trustee function into the Session to simplify the organization and its functions. This is permissible in the PC(USA).

Why are we eliminating the Budget Committee? The restructuring of 2004 included moving the budget preparation function into the Session and eliminating the Budget Committee. Again, this is an organizational simplification.

How does Session deal with the budget and Trustee functions? The 2004 restructuring established a Facilities, Finance and Administration (FFA) Team which is a committee of Session. They are responsible for addressing issues of buildings and grounds, finances including budget preparation and general administration (not personnel functions). Currently, the Leadership Team (most of the Staff) has been assigned the responsibility of preparing and proposing a budget to the FFA Team and then to Session. Session is responsible for approving and officially adopting the annual budget.

Why leave the number of Elders on Session and the number of Deacons open? Both Session and the Board of Deacons believe it makes sense to allow for changes in their responsibilities and how they do their work. From time to time, they may increase or decrease their numbers without having to change the By-Laws.

Why are we changing the requirement for a secret ballot for electing officers? The Book of Order does not specify a method of voting. At some time in the past, the Congregation chose to adopt a secret ballot and wrote it into the By-Laws. For a number of years, we have been using a voice vote for officer elections. It is quicker and easier. The Congregation has the option of choosing to use a secret ballot at any meeting.

Why are we changing the makeup of the Congregational Nominating Committee? The Congregational Nominating Committee is the group of eleven people who select and screen candidates for Elder, Deacon, Trustee Administrator and Congregational Nominating Committee, and present them to the Congregation for election. They also nominate people for a Pastor Nominating Committee when one is needed. In the past, it was the practice for organizations, such as Merrimates and Ceiling 70 or Dunamis which no longer exist, to appoint a member to the Congregational Nominating Committee. This was supposed to be a way to ensure proper representation of the older and younger members of the church. Quite a few years ago, this practice was abandoned and all the non-Session or Deacon members are elected at-large from the Congregation. The committee has the responsibility of providing diversity in the nominations. This does not change the size of the committee.

Why are we removing all of that wording from the By-Laws? Over the years, lots of things were added to the By-Laws or were there from their beginning. As Session looked at fixing the other items that needed to be fixed, they decided to eliminate all the items that just restated what was in the Book of Order (Constitution of the PC(USA)). The By-Laws begin by acknowledging that the Book of Order takes precedence, so just restating what is there does not add anything. Additionally, when there are changes to the Book of Order, we then have to modify the By-Laws to eliminate any conflicts. This makes things much simpler. Only the things that are not spelled out in the Book of Order are included in the By-Laws.

For a complete version of the proposed revision of the By-Laws, click here.

Dramatics in the Prayer Room
by Colleen Scheid

Good drama entertains, communicates truth, and gets to the heart as well as the mind. For this and many other reasons, CHPC has a long history of using drama in worship services, Sunday School and outreach events.

For the last year, we have offered a monthly drama meeting for anyone interested in improving their own acting skills, or in performing in church drama. We want a place for beginners to make a safe start and experienced people to practice and improve. We’ve had adults, high school students, junior high students and a few children show up. The age mix is part of the fun, and part of living out our call to be a multigenerational church.

Some people think this meeting is only for people committed to drama ministry and ready to give it time, but that’s not true. We want anyone who might enjoy the meeting to show up, no strings attached. We play improv games, have script readings, learn new skills and perform for each other. The atmosphere is fun and affirming.

This is a great meeting for families to attend together, for Sunday School teachers, missionaries and educators to get ideas, for people who aren’t comfortable up-front to practice in a non-threatening place, and for anyone who wants to have fun!
We meet in the Prayer Room, between the Atrium and the Sanctuary, the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.

For more information, call Colleen Scheid, 541-8289.

Make a Difference Day
by Amy Kindell

American Heritage Girls (AHG) had 24+ workers at CHPC for Make-A-Difference Day. Nearly everyone was assembled by 9:15 a.m., and shortly thereafter Rebecca Desch opened their time in prayer.

They cleaned up a lot of the tree and flower beds, parking lot edges (particularly along Hamilton Avenue and in the front and parking lot side of the church), cleaned out the preschool courtyards, raked and blew leaves and gravel from the whole of the 3C’s Playground (including the south gravel play area), blew and raked leaves in the sidewalk and yard area between the White House and Fellowship Hall, cleaned out stairwells going down to the Undercroft and the White House, cleaned out some window wells in the Sanctuary building. Everyone stopped for pizza around noon.

Those in attendance were AHG Leaders: Robin Cantor, Amy Kindell, Rebecca Desch; AHG Girls: Caitlyn and Camryn Morrow, Olivia Haines, Diana Puglielli, Inna Risma, Lea Cantor, Laura Kindell, Rachel Abbott, Abby Desch, Emily Novak; Other Family Members: Kevin Morrow, Debi and Evan Haines, Mary Jo Puglielli, Cybele and Chai Risma, Gary Kindell, Beth Abbott, Phil and Noah Desch, Sigma Novak; Others:Giff Tebbs, Carol Schubert

American Heritage Girls and Friends,
our church thanks you for all of your wonderful work!

Treehouse: How Blessed to Give
by Sue Baker

Treehouse Learning Center, CHPC’s tutoring ministry to first through fourth graders in College Hill, is off to a great start. We yearn for your prayers, though, because the needs of these young children are great. We have an especially terrific team of volunteers, but we are looking for a few more, particularly on Thursday afternoons. Many of the students have a need for one-on-one help at every session. Their homework is made up of the most basic reading and math. Any adult who can read and who enjoys being with children is a great candidate. Please join our team. We’ll train you.

We meet 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Volunteering for both or even just one afternoon is an option. Questions? Call Sue, 245-2819 or Donna. 829-8807. If your schedule does not allow you to be directly involved, perhaps you’d like to give us some practical help with supplies. Every child who comes could benefit from a gift of math flash cards. If you would like to buy some flash cards (marked Treehouse) for us, just leave them at the Front Desk on a Sunday morning.

The New CRASHpad

Check out the new hangout for our youth! It’s an unexpected discovery up on the second floor of the Barnabas Center in Room 205. A chain link fence sets a cool atmosphere for hanging out and even worship. Photos and posters of past events and service projects speak to the incredible zeal these young people have for the Lord, and also say a lot about the leaders who serve with them.

Camp S'More: Touching Lives with Love

Sing to the Lord for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Isaiah 12:5

Everyone had a wonderful time at Camp S’More on October 17 and 18. Douglass School brought 34 students and 4 teachers, and Winton Hills Academy brought 25 students and 4 teachers. Northwest High School also sent 20 honor students and two teachers to be with the children on the first day.

Camp S’More cooks, (Bob Faul, Allen Rainey, Roch Oberding, Jerry Dwyer, Jerry Berleman and his friend Floyd) did an outstanding job beginning their day at 5 or 6 am and working through the entire day. The first day they fed 112 people at lunch and 97 at dinner. Their fried chicken was magnificent.

Great fun was had at the gorgeous lake which was perfect for fishing. It was so well stocked that almost every camper was able to catch something with the helpful assistance of Jack You, Dan and his son Jack, and Justin Bolduc. Jane Cantey was our naturalist, taking the children through the woods and down to the creek. Each was given a brown bag to collect things of interest. What a great exposure to nature!

Wally Bolduc got many laughs with his parachute games. We had a magnificent staff to partner with the children through their many activities. Bart Campolo was also there and gave an excellent presentation on character building. It was exciting to see how this tough group of kids paid close attention to him. Two undercover officers also did a great job holding their attention with their “Choices” presentation.

The campfire entertainment was led by the teachers. They did a wonderful job and the children ate hot dogs and s’mores. At another point, Cedric Lowe gave a concert on one of the covered porches. As soon as the concert ended Wally Bolduc emphasized teamwork through the Junior Olympics activities.

Special thanks to all who “adopted a child” with their contributions. Camp ended with everyone talking about the fun they had.

Christmas for Our Global Workers

Let’s again join together to bless our friends working overseas with a special gift at Christmas.Due to increases in postal costs we will not be collecting gifts this year. Instead, please take a red envelope from the Christmas tree on Main Street by the Fireside Room, and make a donation toward the cost of specific items our Global Workers have requested. Leave your red envelope in the offering plate during the month of November. We will mail the gifts. Thanks!

Questions? Call Mary Sue Verhagen at 541-7829.

The Grace of Giving
by Susan Faul and Linda Crank

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Deacons at College Hill Presbyterian Church and Christ’s Community in College Hill work together to provide almost a week’s worth of food to single-parent families, the elderly, and those who have fallen on hard times in College Hill. You can help provide some of the food they hand out. Pick up a list from the Deacons today which will include the following goods:

3 cans of soup
3 cans of fruits
2 cans of peas
2 cans of yams
2 cans of green beans
2 cans of baked beans
2 boxes of macaroni
2 boxes of corn muffin mix
3 box of stuffing

II Corinthians 8:7 tells us we are “to excel in this grace of giving.”
II Corinthians 9:11 says that “our generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

In addition, throughout the year, the food pantry at Christ’s Community needs donations of canned meats, soups, peanut butter, and cake mixes. Any extra items from the Thanksgiving and Christmas food drive will be donated to the pantry.

Christ’s Community's food pantry is just one small part of this 30-year old organization’s outreach to College Hill, and is appreciated greatly by those it serves. The mission of Christ’s Community in College Hill is (1) to facilitate unity among and bridge relationships across racial, cultural, denominational, economic and social lines and (2) to demonstrate Christian compassion and social justice by administering programs and encouraging actions that address the needs of the people of the community. They reach out through their Summer Day Camp, emergency food services, utility assistance, rent assistance, and providing jobs and services through it’s lawn care and business management program, Clean Cut. Our church supports Christ’s Community.
The Deacon Bags and the CCCH Food Pantry needs are two wonderful opportunities through which we can share the love of Jesus Christ with others and excel in our giving!

Christianity 101: Jesus

Dear Friend,
You are invited to know Jesus in a new and more intimate way! Jesus has issued the invitation Himself. Your friends at the College Hill Presbyterian Church are hosting the event. There are many ways to know Jesus, but we are offering a series of six classes led by some older disciples that will bring you in contact with Him. We have called this event “Christianity 101: Jesus”. “Christianity 101” symbolizes the first in a series of classes. “Jesus” in the title indicates that the focus is on Him. Below are the dates and times of this series. We invite you to join us in this experience.

Monday, November 11, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Who Is Jesus?
Monday, November 19, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Why Did Jesus Die?
Monday, November 26, 7:00-9:00 p.m. How Can I Be Sure of My Faith?
Monday, December 3, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Why and How Should I Read The Bible?
Saturday, December 8, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Why and How Do I Pray? and How Does God Guide Us?

The leaders of this event have all known Jesus for many years and were selected to help you on your journey. You may speak to any one of them about details.

Paul and Terri Strasinger
Jon Hershberger
Bill Custer

We will be using the New International Study Bible as part of this class. The $35 fee per couple or per individual will cover the cost of one Bible and a study guide. RSVP to the church office, 541-5676 or one of the teachers by Mon., Nov. 4. Tell them that you want to sign up for Christianity 101: Jesus!

In Christ,
Paul, Terri, Jon, Bill

Outreach Project Grants

It’s that special time of year again when funds from CHPC will be distributed to empower mission to people beyond our walls. If you have a project or know of others that reach out in Christ’s name, read the following info from Chappie Chapman:

The Lord continues to bless our church with a substantial Endowment Fund and the Building “Beyond Our Walls” Fund from which to distribute monies. This provides an ideal opportunity to “Give Ourselves Away”. Use one of the forms from the website, or a literature rack to request a project grant from one of these two funds. Attach any supplemental information you believe would be helpful and return to Finance Department, Attn: Doreen Hendley or dhendley@chpc.org. If your request is contained in an attachment, you must still fill out the request form. If you submit the request by email, please also send a hard copy to be certain the request is received.

Please submit all requests by noon, November 16, 2007.

The guidelines for an Outreach Project Grant are as follows:

These funds are to be used for missions or outreach and to aid evangelism
and compassion for groups or people outside of CHPC.
Monies are to be used for other than currently budgeted expenditures.
Requests for an Outreach Project Grant should be of a non-recurring
nature.
A brief report documenting the use of funds must be sent to the Finance Department or dhendley@chpc.org within one month after the funds are used and no later than nine (9) months following receipt of the grant.

Please also consider the following items when filling out your grant request:

Ministry has a clear, stated, overall purpose
Ministry must be identified as a Christian ministry (witness as well as meeting a need)
Ministry has a well thought out plan for the funds (not just a dream)
Potential for grant to have a lasting impact on the ministry
Ministry will use the funds for the stated purpose within 9 months of grant
Capable management of ministry and funds are prerequisites for a grant

Each request will be reviewed and evaluated, and a decision will be made by late December. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Harold “Chappie” Chapman, hchapman@chpc.org, Mission Pastor at College Hill Presbyterian Church.