NEW MEMBERS

Please join us in welcoming these new faces to our church family!

Jane Lankford

We are so excited to have Jane join HPCUMC! Jane is a wedding officiant for Say I Do Cincinnati and lives in Anderson Township. She is married to Aaron Lankford, and has 4 children (Zoe McFadden- 18, Alexander McFadden- 18, Willow Brooke Lankford- 5, and Waylon Lankford, 5). Jane is excited to join HPCUMC because of the connection to community that this faith community brings, as well as the spiritual accountability and growth that is possible here. Help us welcome Jane!

Janet Elizabeth Herman

Help us welcome Janet Elizabeth to HPCUMC! Janet Elizabeth is a consultant for Deloitte and lives in Norwood. Before joining HPC, Janet Elizabeth was a member of St James UMC in Dayton, OH. Because that church community has decided to disaffiliate from The UMC, Janet Elizabeth searched for a different church home. She is joining HPC because of the affirmation of LGBTQIA+ persons and wants to be a part of a congregation that doesn’t go against her beliefs. We’re so excited to have Janet Elizabeth join!

AIMEE & RICHARD STOCKDALE

Help us welcome Aimee and Richard Stockdale! Aimee and Richard Stockdale have been married since 2014. Richard is a Tax Examiner for the DOT, and Aimee is HPCUMC’s new Praise & Worship Leader at our Worship@11 service. Richard and Aimee live in Union Township and are excited to be a part of the HPC faith community in a variety of ways. We’re so excited to have Aimee and Richard join HPC!

Don't miss this opportunity to share your love of music and your God given talents by joining the Interfaith choir. Use the QR code below to sign up today!

This year’s festival will feature more than 13 world religions and will consist of programs throughout the week following the exhibition, culminating in an interfaith Peace Walk at Ault Park on August 31, at 7 PM. All events and programs are free and open to the public. To learn more about the 6th annual Cincinnati Festival of Faiths visit www.cincifestivaloffaiths.org.

In late May, we held auditions for our planned summer production of Godspell. A good number of talented auditionees danced, sang, and acted their hearts out! However, we were unable to cast a few of the most important roles in the show. Have no fear! Rather than cancel our summer production, we have decided to retool the show into a more manageable timeline and worship experience:

On Sunday, August 20th, come and experience a Godspell-infused worship service at 9:30 or 11:00! Worship God with scenes and songs from Godspell intertwined with prayers, scripture, and a meditation on building God’s beautiful city on earth.

Can you sing, act, dance, or play an instrument? We need YOU! Sing a solo or in the ensemble. Read scripture or lead a prayer. Our choreography is designed to include people of all ages and skill levels – from “stand and sings” to full-on seasoned dancers.

Rehearsals are as follows:

Sunday, August 6th, 1:15-4 pm

Tuesday, August 8th , 7-9 pm

Thursday, August 10th, 7-9 pm

Sunday, August 13th, 1:15-4 pm

Tuesday, August 15th, 7-9 pm

Thursday, August 17th, 7-9 pm

We want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in helping us celebrate the Cincinnati Pride Parade this year! Whether that was walking, donating, sharing on social media, or praying for us, we are so thankful for Hyde Park Community UMC and your commitment to love, justice, and equity for all of our LGBTQIA+ siblings.

To continue to learn about Pride, how to be an ally, and other resources, you can visit our website: http://hydeparkchurch.org/pride/ or use the QR code provided.

New District Names And Boundaries Announced

When annual conference met in June 2022, members approved the reduction of districts in the West Ohio Conference from eight to six. The Book of Discipline authorizes the bishop “to form the districts after consultation with the district superintendents” (¶415.4), while giving the annual conference the authority to determine the number of districts.

A task group, assigned by Bishop Palmer, included representation from each of the seven existing districts. Working with the district superintendents, the task group created new district names and boundaries. These districts will focus on new ways to do mission and ministry as The West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Effective July 1, the new district names and individuals who will serve as district superintendents are:

• Maumee River District - Rev. Amy Haines

• Western Lakes District - Rev. Dr. Jim Wilson

• Olentangy River District - Rev. Dr. Tim Bias

• Great Miami River District - Rev. Jenn Lucas

• Scioto River District - Rev. Dr. Calvin Alston

• Hocking River District - Rev. Mark Chow

District names were chosen because the image of water encourages Christ followers to remember their baptism and renew their commitment to God and to discipleship — with the help of the Holy Spirit.

“I have deep respect and gratitude for the members of the redistricting task group and each of the district superintendents,” said Bishop Gregory V. Palmer. “My gratitude for their tireless work and the spirit with which they do their work has no limit.”

Maps detailing new district names and boundaries shown above.

ADULT DISCIPLESHIP SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL MIXERS!

While most of our classes are not meeting in person during the summer months, we will still have some opportunities for learning, relationship building, and fun for anyone who would like to join!

These opportunities will be present at both 9:30am & 11:00am on the following Sundays in the Social Hall with Meredith Menius:

July 23, August 6 & August 20

If you have any questions, please email Meredith Menius at mmenius@hpcumc.org.

Tuesday Mornings with Pastor Todd

August 22 – September 19

Tuesday Morning in the Refectory 10:00 a.m.

After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements, Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, Hal Taussig, The Westar Institute

Christianity has endured for more than two millennia and is practiced by billions worldwide today. Yet that longevity has created difficulties for scholars tracing the religion’s roots, distorting much of the historical investigation into the first two centuries of the Jesus movement. But what if Christianity died in the fourth or fifth centuries after it began? How would that change how historians see and understand its first two hundred years? Considering these questions, three Bible scholars from the Westar Institute summarize the work of the Christianity Seminar and its efforts to offer a new way of thinking about Christianity and its roots.

October 17 – November 14, 2023

Tuesday Morning 10:00 a.m,. in the Refectory

2023 Colaw Lecturer Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church

Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God, Kaitlin B. Curtice

As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a believer, Curtice has struggled deeply with the West's destruction of indigenous cultures, its scientific view of nature, her own tribal upbringing, myths, stories, and how she should relate to ancestors. Strikes a deep chord with anyone who is a cross-cultural convert.

Kaitlin B. Curtice will be our guest in early November. Please bring your book for her to sign.

January 2 – February 20, 2024

Tuesday Morning 10:00 a.m. in the Refectory

The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read, Tim Leedom

The Editor and authors who have spent years of study, research and investigation share in a general point of view - the view that the religious beliefs held by many people in the United States and other countries, are totally unfounded. The foundation of the book is the spirit of free inquiry, from the ancient Greeks - Pythagoras, Socrates and others. This book is an enquiry into crucial issues of today. These issues need examination, for we are now all villagers in the global electronic village of the world, of which social commentator Marshall Mcluhan spoke of 30 years ago. This is not an anti-religious book. The search for the meaning of life started long before Moses and, Jesus, Mohammed or organized religion. This book is a reference guide that is meant to be challenging and informative.

March 15 – April 23, 2024

Tuesday Morning 10:00 a.m. in the Refectory

Grounded, Diana Butler Bass

The distant God of conventional religion has given way to a more intimate sense of the sacred that is with us in the world. This shift, from a vertical understanding of God to a God found on the horizons of nature and human community, is at the heart of a spiritual revolution that surrounds us - and that is challenging not only religious institutions but political and social ones as well. Grounded explores this cultural turn as Bass unpacks how people are finding new spiritual ground by discovering and embracing God everywhere in the world around us--in the soil, the water, the sky, in our homes and neighborhoods, and in the global commons. Faith is no longer a matter of mountaintop experience or institutional practice; instead, people are connecting with God through the environment in which we live. Grounded guides readers through our contemporary spiritual habitat as it points out and pays attention to the ways in which people experience a God who animates creation and community.

May 7 – 28, 2024

Tuesday Morning 10:00 a.m. in the Refectory Invitation to the Old Testament, Celia Brewer Sinclair & James D. Tabor

This study approaches the Hebrew Scriptures by inviting participants to hear the story of God and God's calling of the people of Israel through the many "voices" of the biblical text. Narrative, poetry, history and prophetic utterance all have their own distinctive characteristics and purposes, arising out of a particular historical, social, and cultural setting. To understand fully the story of God's covenantal relationship with Israel calls for listening to these various ways the story is told throughout the Old Testament. This is the participants guide.