Annual Report

2009 Pastor’s Annual Report
Fresh experiences of the Spirit open our eyes to new understandings and opportunities within the Body of Christ. The things we have seen, heard, and done this past year have helped us prepare for the year to come. When we talk about assessing our gifts in the Holy Spirit, we must always remember that these gifts are constantly being translated for the world around us. The Kingdom of God continues at all times and in all places, even when we see changes in everything.
Church in the Hills does not look like the same congregation it was one year ago and that can be a scary realization. I read someone who asserted recently that “very few of us are able to make changes gracefully, with style and ease, yet change comes…whether we like it or not.” The phrase “new normal” is often used to define these adaptations. When there is a birth, a death, a transition, any major event, we are not the same as we were before and we cannot try to recreate what we had. Instead, this new reality becomes our normal and we need to learn what that means.
Our congregation’s new normal is always focused on the transforming power of Jesus Christ. We are not the same church now because today we have different forces around us that we need to address. We have a new economy, a new community, new questions, new answers, and always changing view about the direction of our ministry. However, we must not lose sight of the one who is guiding and directing this providential road – the same loving God who has stood beside us in the past and who will stand beside us wherever we might go in the future.
Reading through this report, it is impossible not to take a kind of holy pride in the mission and calling the members of CITH have made real through God’s power – the community meals, the teen centers and new youth programs, the incredible increase in mission activities and giving, the explosion of participants in worship and fellowship, and the ever increasing presence of CITH in our community.
As we stop to catch our breath this January and consider where we have been, let us never forget we are called to continue moving forward. See where the Spirit is calling you this year, regardless of whether or not we have been there before. Be moved by God to show the grace of Jesus Christ in all we do and in all we say. And just maybe, we’ll follow that ever moving path with some sort of ease. Embrace that we are called into this journey with God.

Traveling alongside you in faith,

Rev. Andrew Pomerville

Complete Thanks

I’m thankful. I’m truly thankful.

After celebrating another wonderful Thanksgiving in Northern Michigan, I have to offer an early Christmas greeting of thanks to the whole Church in the Hills community. You really have no idea how utterly and totally thankful I am for the opportunity to serve as your pastor.

What I’ve learned and gained in my faith these past few years was only possible because of your continuing love, prayer, and concern for being all God has called you to be in this place. In the training and preparation seminary offered me before accepting this call, there was never enough mention about the growth I could expect through being surrounded and supported by people called to be a church.

And so, I offer my thanks again for allowing me the privilege to be your pastor. Thank you for teaching me grace, hospitality, service, community, and leadership. Thank you for pushing me, encouraging me, and inspiring me to use my gifts to show the gospel in my life and my ministry.
Thank you for helping me be the best pastor I can be through your patience, understanding, and willingness to be led, regardless of my experience. Thank you for inviting me into your lives to partner with you in your faith.

I daily give thanks for you in my prayers, but I rarely verbalize this thanksgiving directly to you. I know it shouldn’t take Thanksgiving or Christmas to spark this type of gratitude, but sometimes we need that extra reminder. Take the time this Advent to give thanks for those unsung heroes in your lives and pass along this note of thanks.
Again, I cannot express the joy I feel to be called to be your pastor and your friend.
Merry Christmas,

Pastor Andrew Pomerville

Health Care

The debate rages in the media, in the townhalls, in the homes, and hopefully, in the churches.

I think it is healthy for our churches to debate these issues because we can approach it from a different perspective and attitude than are expected in the rest of society.

Last week I enjoyed a discussion at our men's rap group (the group meets each Thursday at 9:00 am...no preparation necessary...just bring yourself) about the health care options that are being debated. This discussion was tempered by our common faith in Jesus Christ. The men around that table disagreed but they were able to speak openly without fear of condemnation. They understood that there is diversity of thought in the Body of Christ.

Too often, individuals will look for a church that already coincides with their social/political ethic, rather than their theology. We look for a place that we reinforce our beliefs, rather than challenge them.

Moreover, we approach God expecting to hear what we want to hear, rather than listening to what God wants to tell us.

In this issue, and in all issues, we need to come to God with a clean slate and be willing to be transformed, instead of wanting to transform God.

Rubber Ducky 5k Race a Sucess!

Thank you to all of the truly amazing volunteers who helped make this year's 5k such a wonderful event. We couldn't have done it without all of you. Check on the pictures on the right side of this web page and follow the link to see the race results. More pictures coming!

www.rubberducky5k.blogspot.com

We are not alone

In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel said:
“There is much to be done, there is much that can be done. One person...one person of integrity, can make a difference, a difference of life and death. As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our lives will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.”

Friends, we have a high call and responsibility from our Lord and Savior to be in solidarity with one another throughout all adversity, all strife, all hardship, and all brokenness. Because of the faith we have in Jesus Christ – a faith founded on love and forgiveness – we have been called to share the gospel of hope with our world. We need to recognize that this brokenness is all around us, in the lives of our neighbors, our friends, and in ourselves. And that is why we must never cease supporting, loving, and helping one another just as the Holy Spirit sustains, guides, and motivates us toward greater expressions of the love of God.

I am honored and so very proud of the great strides this congregation makes daily in pursuing this lofty mission put before us. We are brought together by the call of God, called worship our risen Savior with many voices united as one, and then sent from this congregation to live our faith in the world around us. This expression of realized faith is alive in the many mission and service activities in which you participate; and yet there is still more we can do.

We must never allow ourselves to become complacent in our spiritual journeys. Instead, we should always be looking ahead to how we can better strengthen our relationships within the Body of Christ, how we can reach out further into our community that we previously have, and how we can see Christ alive and calling us daily. Please look over the many ministry opportunities highlighted in this month’s newsletter, but do not be limited by what you see in this paper. Be even more vigilant in listening for God’s voice calling you toward new ministries of faith, hope, and love.

I daily give thanks for the faith and love that is alive and well in this congregation. Keep focused on this gracious gift offered by our Lord Jesus and seek to share it with the world over and over again.

Grace and peace to you,

Pastor Andrew Pomerville

Rubber Ducky 5K will be August 15 at 9:00 am

The Second Annual Rubber Ducky 5k run/walk, sponsored and hosted by Church in the Hills, will be held on August 15, at 9:00 am. All proceeds from the race will be given to the Bellaire Community Food Pantry.

You can learn more about the race and register on-line at:

http://rubberducky5k.blogspot.com/

More Responsibility

I have a friend who only likes movies with happy endings. Who likes feeling sad or upset at the end of a two hour investment? There is another person I know who will not watch the evening news because he hates all the bad news about war, suffering, crime, pain, and a myriad of other negative things in the world around us. Both of these people have a point about wanting to isolate ourselves from negativity. However, not knowing about the pain does not make it go away. Just because we isolate ourselves from sadness does not make it disappear.

I’ve found that the more I know about a situation, the more likely I am to act. What I mean to say is that I’m more motivated to help, intervene, advise, and assist when I know the whole story and start to understand the implications of my actions. So it stands to reason that if I am in the dark about something, it is a whole lot easier to claim ignorance as a reason for not acting. I don’t help because I don’t know.

As Christians, we have the responsibility to educate ourselves about the needs of the world around us in order that we might be better prepared, motivated, and equipped to assist our neighbors. Yet it is so much easier for us to stay within ourselves. There is less guilt about the situation of the world if we do not know it is even there; but that is never an excuse.

Through our faith in Christ we are called to forgive, love, and serve our neighbors, but we must know our neighbors in order to make this happen. This congregation has a responsibility to be in our community, learning about the issues we have around us, and then seeking God’s help to address the many needs.

This summer we need to continue to ask “What are we called to do in this place?” Church in the Hills has a responsibility to be a leader in our community for hope, love, and grace that streams from our risen Lord and Savior. I am overjoyed to see the many examples of mission at work in our building and in our world. Come learn more at a mission meeting, a Wednesday night gathering, a service event, or one of the many activities in this church and in this community that help us better love our neighbors and our God.

Peace and grace,

Pastor Andrew