People Met = 10+
We started the day with a presentation to the adult education class in between morning services at Rolling Hills Presbyterian. There was a large presence of teenagers there, a good age group for hearing a message about increasing community involvement, and for realizing early on that our natural empathy leads to kindness. At the end I reported on some of the community initiatives and ingredients I’ve witnessed and later learned the Youth Director Emily would have liked me to speak further about that to the youth group.
Rolling Hills is a large church by my small village standards. Between the two morning services they get about 350 in attendance. Their Easter and Christmas collections go to an outreach cause and the amount can reach $25,000. This year the designated cause is Cornerstones to Care, a program for young people that age out of the foster care program. Some foster kids never do land with people they really can call family, and have no support system when they age out. Rolling Hills involvement in Cornerstones to Care involves both financial support and people support for those who desperately need to know someone is there for them.
Baptism at Rolling Hills Presbyterian
Our hosts for that day were Brian and Christy Watson. Brian is a 6th grade teacher at Westwood Views Elementary School, where I gave a talk on Friday morning. Christy is the Congregational Care Director for Rolling Hills Presbyterian. Both of them are involved with the youth of the church, including work camp trips that witness around 80 kids going to places like Joplin, Missouri to help out. I would be remiss if I did not add that the Gudgels, our previous hosts, also were involved in these work camp adventures.
Christy and Brian Watson
The youth of Rolling Hills also get involved in Project Uplift, which provides warm meals, blankets and other forms of assistance to the homeless. I’m sure there are a good many other ministries the church is involved in, but these are the ones my antennae picked up on during the course of the day.
The Watsons took us out to lunch at BRGR with a few guests from the church, including Pastor Ted. Ted has high energy and is proficient in the modern tools of communication, important for reaching out to a congregation and getting them involved in good works. Leslie, Olivia and David, all good friends of the Watsons, also joined us. David had just come back to the area from Southampton, Massachusetts. Leslie is a single mom and the Watsons are Olivia’s godparents. Also joining us were Brian’s older brother Phil and his friend Laura.
From left: Ted, Phil, Laura, Ky, Olivia, Leslie, Cindy, Christy, David, Brian at BRGR
As Congregational Care Director Christy sees to it that assistance is provided for members with extra needs. Sometimes she provides the assistance, helping a member adjust to a new lifestyle such as assisted living; other times she connects members with the resources they need. She is perfect for the role with a warm heart and efficient enthusiasm.
In the evening we lounged in the Watson living room chatting. Brian is 6’ 5”, a former scholarship basketball player, and fits the role of gentle giant. He started out working for Sprint, but had enough of the corporate lifestyle and switched to becoming a 6th grade teacher, where he can build community with young people. He shared how at the end of each year he needs to battle tears at the parting.
All in all this was another memory filled day spent with kind people and a special church.
Other Photo
Unique restroom with shared sinks
