March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
Please contact Ying (music@fhcpresb.org) if you are interested in joining!
March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
Join Forest Hill Friends on June 11th to Celebrate Life and to
Support Transplant House of Cleveland!
ALL members and friends of all ages are invited to join fellow Forest Hill’s team as we walk to support Transplant House of Cleveland (THOC) and celebrate the Gift of Life!
The 5K run/1 mile walk begins and ends at THOC and winds through University Circle and a portion of the Cleveland Cultural Garden. Proceeds benefit Transplant House of Cleveland is a local non-profit that provides affordable, temporary housing and a welcoming, supportive community to organ transplant patients and their families. THOC, located in University Circle, is under the leadership of FHC’s own Elaine Turley (co-founder and Executive Director) and is truly an example of the healing power of community.
Please notify Sue Lafferty if you would like to join the Team or if you have any questions! We will coordinate carpooling from Forest Hill on the day of the event. Each team member will need to complete and submit the attached registration form. The race fee is $30 per entrant in advance/$35 Day of the Race.
All team members will receive a T-shirt and runner bag! Registration forms will also be available at church.
Can’t run or walk but would still like to Support Transplant House of Cleveland? You may write a check to Transplant House of Cleveland and mail it to 2029 E. 115th St., Cleveland, OH. 44106
Give online via this link: https://www.transplanthouseofcleveland.org/5k-run-1-mile-walk/, where there is a DONATE button at the top of the page—donation acknowledgments to anyone who gives.
March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Isaiah 2:4
Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event
Sat. May 20, 10 am – 1 pm
Place unwanted, unloaded guns in a vehicle trunk.
Gun donors are anonymous.
No ammunition is accepted.
Thank you gift cards will be provided until they run out.
The project is part of the “Guns to Gardens” movement, which works to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities. Unwanted guns are dismantled and the leftover parts are forged into garden tools. Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender events will be offered across the nation marking Wear Orange Day, June 2, Hadiya Pendleton’s birthday. She was a high school student from the south side of Chicago, who marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s childhood friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.
With over 400 million guns in American homes, many of these guns are no longer wanted for a range of reasons: the gun owner may have children or grandchildren in the home; a hunter or other gun owner may have reached an age where they no longer feel that they can safely handle weapons; a gun may have been returned to the family by the police after it was used in a suicide or accident; there may be conflict in a family or there may a family member with a serious illness. For whatever reason, Guns to Gardens provides a way to dispose of unwanted guns without returning them to the gun marketplace, where they could be used for future harm.
Over 43,000 Americans die every year from gun violence. Approximately 60% of gun deaths are from suicide, followed by homicide, family violence and accidents. A difficult moment can turn into a tragedy simply because a gun is nearby.
Please support this event by spreading the word to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Flyers advertising the event are available. See Cynthia Lehman or Derry Stauffer for flyers and/or more information.
You may also reach out to Cynthia Lehman to volunteer or if you have questions.
March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
The 32nd Homeless Stand Down (CLE) will take place this year from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM on Saturday, April 22, at Cleveland Public Auditorium.
For many years, Forest Hill Church, now a sponsoring organization of the Stand Down, has fielded a volunteer team on the day of the event. This year we will be personal shoppers once again, and I invite you to join our team!
If you would like to join, please follow the link below. Just so you know, you must register with the organizer, BVU, before you can sign up. TO BE ASSURED A SPOT, PLEASE SIGN UP BEFORE 20 MARCH, WHEN REGISTRATION WILL OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. After you sign up, please also send me a quick email so that I know you’re on the roster. See you on April 22!
https://volunteerconnect.bvuvolunteers.org/opportunity/a0C8V00001xxKd4UAE/personal-shoppers
If you would like more information or if you have questions, please feel free to contact Jack Breisch.
March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
SOFTBALL SEASON IS BACK!!
Forest Hill softball season is right around the corner. Anyone 16 years of age and older wishing to join the team, please complete this signup form. Games are played from the Sunday before Memorial Day to the Sunday before Labor Day on Sundays at 3 or 6 pm at Forest Hill Park. All are welcome.
If you wish to join, sign up here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/50acb69288.
March 29, 2023 Antoinette Richardson
Fiber and Fellowship
We will continue to meet and grow on the Second Saturday of each month. We will be meeting from 10 AM -1 PM (note the time change).
Upcoming Dates:
April 8
May 13
June 10
As a group, we are working on quilts for donation and a special project to provide quilts for children who have been admitted to the hospital. Knitters are going strong with car seat blankets and Prayer Shawls.
Personal projects are welcome, as advice and tips are freely given. All are welcome- beginner to experienced. We are happy to teach.
Contact Carol Gifford for additional information.
December 19, 2022 Antoinette Richardson
For the Winter of 2023, the Ministry of Adult Spiritual Growth is pleased to announce the following classes.
We have tried to balance our offerings of classes in a variety of areas of Spiritual Growth:
We hope these classes will help people connect with each other, building our community of faith.
About Sunday Morning Class times:
Please note that the starting time for Sunday morning classes is 9:15 AM. This gives us time to complete our classes comfortably and allows people who need to be elsewhere at 10:30 AM to arrive on time.
Study of the Book of Luke
Facilitators: Kathryn Eloff and Tom Zych
Dates and Times: Sundays, January 8 through February 19, 2023, 9:15-10:15 AM
Format: Hybrid (both in person at church and on Zoom)
Resource Text: We will use the book about the Gospel of Luke, “Good News for All,” from the Kerygma series as a common reading to begin the discussion. In addition, each week, the facilitators will send an email containing reflections and suggested readings from the Bible and other sources.
Class Description: This class continues our long tradition of Sunday morning Bible study. Luke’s Gospel is uniquely inclusive, involving all people. Good News is for the outcast and the establishment, for the religious and those searching. Luke speaks to women, to men, to the strong and healthy, to the weak and dispossessed. Its relevance today inspires faith, spirituality, and action.
To sign up, click here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/3a3065.
Follow Me: Biblical Practices for Faithful Living
Facilitators: Ann Williams
Dates and Time: Sundays, January 8 through February 19, 2025, 9:15-10:15 AM.
Format: Meeting by Zoom only, to include people who live outside northeast Ohio.
Resource Texts: “Make Peace” from the Follow Me series, and your own Bible
Class Description: The Follow Me classes are designed to help us to follow practices that Jesus taught for spiritual growth. As we learn about each practice, we will have ample opportunity to share our experiences, encourage each other, and build community.
To sign up, click here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/3a3065.
The Gospel of Matthew
Facilitator: Ron Zimmerman
Dates and Times: January 8 through April 2, 9:15-10:15 AM
Format: On Zoom
Resource Text: Your own Bible and Gospel of Matthew: God With Us by Matt Woodley, part of the Resonate series from InterVarsity Press. Though the book is out of print, it is available as an ebook through Amazon and InterVarsity Press(https://www.ivpress.com/the-gospel-of-matthew-ebook).
Class Description: Using the Bible plus the easy-to-read commentary, Gospel of Matthew: God with Us by Matt Woodley, the class will journey through the Gospel, exploring a thematic study on kingdom building (developing a beloved community) with the intent to listen for God’s voice in how to live out an active faith in real-time.
To sign up, click here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/3a3065.
Praying with others through the Challenges of Life
Facilitator: Leslie Clement
Dates and Times: Friday afternoons, 5:30-7:00 PM, January 6- February 10, 2023.
Format: IN person at church
Class Description: Do you long to deepen your prayer life in company with others who have the same longing? Leslie will be sharing a five-part series written by faculty, program directors, and leaders from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary community.
To sign up, click here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/74fa0d190.
Racial Equity Book Club
Facilitator: Quentin Smith
Dates and Times: January 11 and January 28, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Format: On Zoom
Class Description: Please join us on January 7 & Jan. 28 (10:30 a.m. to noon via zoom ) when we discuss the New York Times best-seller historical novel Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. Ms. Gyasi was born in the African nation of Ghana but raised in America. Consequently, she views Africa and America through unique eyes.
To request the ZOOM link, please email: racialequitybuddies@fhcpresb.org.
About Books for Classes
Many of the books used in the following classes are widely available through local public libraries and major online booksellers. Most are also available in audio format. Inexpensive, used copies can be purchased through used booksellers like AbeBooks.com, Biblio.com, or ThriftBooks.com. Books for the Follow Me and Kerygma classes will be purchased by the Ministry of Adult Spiritual Growth. If you are able, please donate $8 per book to Forest Hill Church, specifying that it is for books for a class. But if this expense would be difficult for you, please consider the book to be our gift to you.
Tags: Adult Ed, spiritual creativity, WorshipSeptember 22, 2022 Kurt Haas
Facilitator: Quentin Smith
Dates and Times: Many (not all) Saturday mornings from October through June, 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon
Class Description: Join this book club to discuss amazing texts by Black women with fellow FHC and community members. We’ll read the books in advance and come together by Zoom, with discussion prompts and opportunities to reflect, too.
For a full list of the books to be discussed, and to express interest, click here.
August 30, 2022 Antoinette Richardson
Exploring Racial Equity Buddies
The racial equity buddies concept was introduced to Forest Hill Church (“FHC”) about four years ago, by a frequent visitor and friend of FHC, Professor Mark Joseph*. Saturday morning, September 17, via ZOOM (10:30 to noon), Mark will lead us as we meet to continue this program. Those wishing to attend can respond to racialequitybuddies@fhcpresb.org or register here: https://fhc.breezechms.com/form/0a3ab6.
The Racial Equity Buddy Program Explained
I. A buddy is a trusted companion where difficult discussions on race can be had. To be successful, this must be a safe space where two people can be honest and explore their equity journey:
a) On the personal level of combatting racism, to better explore racial stereotypes and barriers that separate us, Dr. Joseph recommends partnering with someone of a different background, culture, or race. Our partner should be a person with whom we feel comfortable having a candid and frank discussion on these issues.
b) The partners should talk openly and honestly, without judgment, about one another’s experiences and views regarding race and racism. The key is to listen to each other and examine the world from your partner’s viewpoint. This shared experience, if faithfully done, should bring about greater understanding and appreciation of each other’s views and perhaps, result in a change in how each thinks and acts.
c) One’s racial equity buddy can be someone from the same race. In FHC, that is necessary due to the asymmetrical ratio of black and white members.
d) A racial equity buddy is NOT a personal trainer for his or her partner. Rather, where the buddies are of different races or cultures, the conversations should reflect the individual views of the participants. No black person should attempt to speak for or to represent all people of color and no white person should presume to speak for or to represent all white people.
e) Buddies are not assigned but choose to partner with each other. Help is available in making a match. Having multiple buddies is okay and changing buddies after a while is normal and beneficial.
II. The racial equity buddy concept is a method for enlarging and changing individual awareness and perspectives, which hopefully will lead to transforming those institutions they are a part of:
a) Our premise is that in our racialized society, we all urgently need to be on a personal journey to remove the injustice and inequity in the organizations and institutions that we have inherited, that we depend upon, that we support. That requires each of us to look with improved vision at our role and responsibility in perpetuating or deconstructing the racial injustice and inequity that is still embedded in the inherited organizations and institutions on which our way of life depends. Our goal is to get the members and participating friends of FHC on this journey and to begin it with a trusted buddy with a different background and perspective;
b) It must be appreciated that each individual is at a different point in their racial equity journey. We must be cognizant and appreciative that some of us are just beginning and are not as far along as others in this journey. However, if there is a willingness to begin such a journey, those individuals are welcome. With such a buddy, one must be even more sensitive to the principles that discussions are to be a safe place and nonjudgmental. Some of us will be walking and others running. One needs to learn about his/her buddy and act accordingly.
Other important aspects of the racial equity buddies include consistency, an open and curious mind plus a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue. Embarking on a racial equity journey requires a willingness to explore the history of non-white cultures in America. Be prepared to embark on a wonderful, colorful discovery tour and learn about hidden historical figures and events.
The impetus for resuscitating this program was Deborah Plummer’s book Some Of My Friends Are… The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships, which we read and discussed in June. That book reminded us of the importance of cross-racial friendships and discussions and motivated many – both in and outside of FHC – to reimplement the racial equity buddy program.
As implied, the book club works in tandem with the racial equity buddies. Reading and discussing the material of the book club will fuel your racial equity work. The book club introduces various topics and explores non-white culture in a safe, non-judgemental atmosphere.
Our first book discussion takes place Saturday morning, October 25, where we will discuss the NY times bestseller and winner of the Christian Book Award, Be The Bridge, Pursuing God’s Heart For Racial Reconciliation, by Latasha Morrison. The book club adheres to the core principles of the equity buddies program outlined above.
PRAYING FOR CHANGE?
We must do more than pray. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer,
“You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap” Join us. Together we will pray and act!
*For those of you unfamiliar with Mark Joseph, here is a brief introduction. Mark Joseph, Ph.D. is the Leona Bevis/Marguerite Haynam Professor of Community Development at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. His research focus is mixed-income development as a strategy for promoting urban equity and inclusion. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation and co-editor of What Works to Promote Inclusive, Equitable Mixed-Income Communities. He is the Founding Director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities, which conducts research and consulting projects in cities across the US and Canada. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the journals Cityscape, Housing Policy Debate, Journal of Community Practice, and Journal of Race and Ethnicity in the City. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, a Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, was a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Chicago, and a Harlech Scholar at Oxford University.
August 4, 2022 Antoinette Richardson
Outdoor Worship – on Sunday, September 4, join us on the church’s front steps for morning worship. Masks are NOT required!! We will have tents for shade. Sit on the grass, bring a folding chair and bottled water, or dance the whole service long! There will be some chairs waiting for you as well. Let’s show the world what Forest Hill Church is up to!
Guest Preachers – On Sunday, September 4 – Jean Reinhold, poet, artist, teacher and preacher, will give the sermon. Jean’s sermons are always artful and agitating…
Our Kickoff Sunday is September 11. Masks will no longer be mandatory. We recommend that you continue to wear them for your and others’ protection however they will not be required. Of course, depending on the scientific data, things could change.
Bring a friend to church! Let’s fill up the sanctuary again!
Rev. Dr. John C. Lentz, Jr., Pastor
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