News & Announcements

June 27-30, 9:00-11:30 am

VBS Compassion Camp

K4-5th grade (must be 4 or older)
To register for SHPC’s Vacation Bible School (for children preschool (4K)-5^th grade) Click Here

During the season of Lent, we are kicking off a new venture, Common Read.

You can sign-up to be a part of a small group that will meet weekly from March 6 to April 10 for discussions of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World. These small groups will have about 8-10 people in them and will be led by two facilitators. These groups are an essential component of the church-wide Common Read.

These groups will function similar to the discussion groups that were in place a few years ago when we participated in Reading the Bible in Ninety Days. There will be no writing, no assessment, just discussion. Most of our groups will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am (as Sunday School for adults), but there is an opportunity for a group solely on Zoom, as well as a non-Sunday morning time.

You can sign-up in person at the tables in the Narthex or Hallway or sign-up online using the follow link: https://forms.gle/xDPwy6JzEh2VJkCy6.

Books will be available for purchase on Sunday mornings or in the church office during the week for $10 during February.

4:00 PM Family Service:
This service is designed with children and their families in mind. Thus, it will include an extended children’s message but no homily for adults. The Children’s Choirs and Youth Choir will sing, and a cantor team will lead other special music. The service will conclude with candlelight singing of “Silent Night.” In addition to our typical candles, battery-powered ones will be provided at this service for younger children. A livestream of this service will be available online.

8:00 PM Communion Service:
This service will include a Christmas homily and the celebration of the sacrament of Lord’s Supper. Music will be led by our Chancel Choir and special cantors. This service will also conclude with candlelight singing of “Silent Night.”

“The Weary World Rejoices”

November and December

Celebration of Creches: Rotating display of church members’ manger scenes in the church library

Sunday, November 28 – First Sunday of Advent

10:30 AM – Worship: “A World Weary for Peace” (Isaiah 11)

Sunday, December 5 Second – Sunday of Advent

10:30 AM – Worship: Cantata Sunday: Handel’s Messiah (excerpts from the Christmas portion) performed by the Chancel Choir, soloists, and chamber orchestra

5:00 PM – Alphabet Generations Christmas fellowship gathering at Mellow Mushroom

Saturday, December 11

9:00 AM – Advent-fest: Making wreaths, decorating the sanctuary, intergenerational fellowship event

Sunday, December 12 – Third Sunday of Advent

10:30 AM – Worship “Leaping for Joy” (Luke 1)- Decorating the Crismon Tree, music by the Children’s Choirs, Youth Singers, and Spring Hill Ringers

11:30 – Youth & Children Christmas Parties after worship

Sunday, December 19 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

9:00 AM – Christmas Pageant in the sanctuary

10:30 AM – Worship: Service of Lessons and Carols

4:00 -8:00 PM – Christmas Craze: Youth Event with Government Street Presbyterian.

Friday, December 24

Christmas Eve candlelight services- “Good News of Great Joy for All People” (Luke 2)

4:00 PM – Family Service

8:00PM – Communion Service

HOPE

Feel free to create a wreath with four candles around the wreath and one in the center, or just follow along without actual candles. (Children, use the Advent Wreath you created at BLAST on Nov. 28).

Light a Candle
Today we light the candle of hope. With this candle we enter the Advent season and open all the dark places in our lives. As we light this candle, we begin our journey to Christmas in anticipation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope now and forever.

Take a few moments to quiet your soul. Rest and become aware of God’s presence. Pray for someone who provided hope for you.

Meditative Walk
We often find hope through the many Christmas decorations and symbols around us. Take a slow, intentional walk around your house or neighborhood and find something that brings you hope. Either hold it, take a picture of it, or just stop for a moment and pray for places where they need hope.

Reach Out
Reconnect with someone in your contact list that you haven’t talked to recently. Call them or write a note. Connections with others brings hope to us all.

Gratitude
What gave you hope today? What is something kind you did for someone, or someone did for you? Kindness has a way of spreading hope.

Family Activities
Create these amazing stars through folding: https://www.sarahssilks.com/blogs/journal/waldorf-window-stars. Colorful paper is available at the church (and included in the Children’s and Youth bags). Stars give off light. What are some some stories of Scripture that talk about light? Share these as a family. Jesus shared that he was the light of the world. The wise men followed a star to find Jesus when he was born. Read John 1:1-5. Light brings us hope. Look for other places where you see light today.

PEACE

Light a Candle
Today we light the candles of hope and peace. Jesus Christ will give us peace when we turn to Him in faith. The Prophet Isaiah calls Christ “The Prince of Peace” and asks us to prepare our hearts so that He may come in.

Quiet your soul and push the rush of the Advent season out of your mind. Mindfully envision something that brings you peace. Rolling waves at the beach? A sweet lullaby? A delicious cup of coffee? Rest and focus on the peace of all that God provides.

Meditative Walk
Take a walk and look for 5 things in nature that bring you peace. Walk slowly, mindfully focusing on your breath and the things around you. Gather each item (or take a picture) as you walk and examine them at the end.

Reach Out
Who might God be calling you to offer comfort and peace today? Call or write them a note.

Gratitude
Think back through your day in God’s presence focusing on the gifts of the day. Notice your work, the people you encountered, activities you engaged in, what brought you peace. God is in the details!

Family Activities
Find a candy cane (for children and youth, you should have one in your bag). Sometimes, finding peace, means slowing down and savoring/enjoying the things around you. What does a candy cane look like? What does it smell like?

If you use your imagination, a candy cane looks like a staff that might have been used by a shepherd to herd sheep. Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. Talk with your family about how Jesus being our shepherd can bring us peace. A candy cane, if you turn in upside down, also makes the letter J, which is the first letter for Jesus’ name. Are there other ways that this candy cane reminds you of Jesus? Share with your family.

Peppermint is often a smell that can help us focus, relax, and feel at peace. In this busy season, slow down and savor this treat!

JOY

Light a Candle
Today we light the candles of hope, peace, and joy. The good news of Jesus’ birth brings us and all people the greatest joy there is.

Sing a song as you light your candle today. A song that you might enjoy singing is “Joy to the World.” Think about what brings you joy.

Sing for Joy
A huge part of rejoicing and joy is singing. Sing some of your favorite Christmas songs and think about how music, even in the midst of weariness can bring light and joy.

Reach Out
Call someone who you know has experienced a joy in their lives—maybe they aced a test, got an award, or became a grandparent. We are called to share our joys and sorrows with one another.

Gratitude
What does it mean to rejoice? How is joy the same of different from happiness? Who brought joy or happiness to you today?

Family Activities
For children and youth, find the bells in your bag. Ring the bells to the beat of Christmas songs. Do you have other things in your home that can be used as a musical instrument? Play them and create a joyful noise! Find somewhere to hang your bell that will bring joy and fun—it might be on your Christmas tree, a dog’s collar, or on your wrist.

Youth and parents meditate on this quote, “Ring the bells that can still ring. Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack in everything that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen

LOVE

Light a Candle
Today we light the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. We light the candle of love because we know that Jesus is love. It is our hope during this Advent season that His love will grow inside us, and we will share His love with each other.

Imagine your love like a light, starting small in your heart, then reach out to the people closest to you, then finally reaching out to touch those further and further away. Spend a few moments praying for those who need love and light in their lives.

Meditative Walk
As you take a walk today, think about when you felt or seen God’s love? How can we show God’s love each and every day?

Reach Out
Call or write someone today to tell them that you love them.

Gratitude
What does it look like when love and faithfulness meet? Think about this and jot down a few notes.

Family Activities
Have a family craft night where everyone in the family can make a gift for another person. Talk about how you have experienced love through a gift someone has given you (it doesn’t have to be tangible).

Christmas Day

Today we light the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. And we light the center candle – the Christ candle – because Jesus, the Light of the World, is born. As this candle burns, we celebrate with great joy, because Jesus Christ took on human flesh and was born of Mary in the Bethlehem. On this holy night, shepherds and outcasts heard the good news: The Son of God has come into the world to be the Savior of the world! May the joy of that Good News be always found in our hearts.

2021 Faith and the Arts – Summer Sunday School

Join us from June 6th – August 29th for the 2021 Faith and the Arts – Summer Sunday School Series. Each week we will have a different speaker on the topic of Always Forward: A Transforming Journey. Some of the presentations will be on Zoom, and some will be in person and live online. Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jun 6 Karlos Finley – Dora Franklin Finley African-American History Trail of Mobile

Judge Karlos Finley will be speaking on June 6th about the Dora Franklin Finley African-American History Trail of Mobile. Judge Finley has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office and is now in Private Practice with the law firm of K. Fitzgerald Finley, P.C., while serving as a City of Mobile Municipal Court Judge. He is the President of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the African-American Heritage Trail. Judge Finley is married to Mrs. Kelly Finley, they have three wonderful children and five dogs. Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jun 13 Brent Davis – More to the Journey: A Peregrino’s Notes

Brent Davis will be speaking on June 13th about his 2016 journey on the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage undertaken by thousands each year beginning in the Eighth century. Brent Davis has worked as a church custodian, Velveeta cheese cooker cleaner, TV reporter, university instructor, and as a public tv and radio host and producer. He’s currently Arts, Life, and Culture Content Director at WOSU Public Media in Columbus, Ohio. He holds degrees from the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. He also holds a banjo, and sometimes plays it. Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jun 20 Ben Shamback – Oil on Copper

Ben Shamback, Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of South Alabama will be presenting Oil on Copper on June 20th. In 1999, Ben received an MFA in Painting from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. Ben’s work has been included in more than 150 national and regional competitions receiving awards in competitive exhibitions throughout the United States. Ben is represented by LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, Louisiana and Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ben currently lives in Mobile, Alabama with his wife Amanda and daughters Edie and Lilith. Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jun 27 Carol Dorsey – Horticultural Therapy: An Overview and Application in a Wellness Program at Strickland Detention Center

Carol Dorsey will be speaking on June 27th about Horticultural Therapy at Strickland Detention Center. Carol Dorsey graduated from Auburn University with a BS in microbiology and went to work in public health. She retired as lab manager in 2016 and immediately began Master Gardener classes. Through this outlet Carol has embraced her passions for growing, learning, and outreach in the community. Carol and her husband, Bob, live in Midtown Mobile with two Border Collies, a few hens, and lots of plants. Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jul 11 John and Dolores Eads – Light of the Village “Exploring a Calling”

John & Dolores Eads will be speaking on July 11th about Light of the Village. John & Dolores moved to Mobile in 1997 where John served as a Hospital Administrator and Dolores worked in the public school system. In 2001 The Eads delivered Angel tree gifts to the Queens Court apartments and felt the Lord lead them to start a ministry. Alabama Village, considered to be the most impoverished and violent community in south Alabama, was chosen to start Light of the Village with an After-School Program, Summer Bible Camp and Sunday Morning Bible Study. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jul 18 Megan Rubio – Solar Under the Sun

On July 18th Megan Rubio will be speaking about Solar Under the Sun. Megan Rubio is a member of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church and has participated in international mission with Solar Under the Sun for the last six years. Solar Under the Sun seeks to fight “energy poverty” by training participants to design and install solar power systems in partnership with communities that lack access to electricity. Megan is a Solar School Instructor and serves on the Board of Directors of Solar Under the Sun. She has made multiple installation trips to Haiti and Honduras. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Jul 25 Rabbi Silberman – Journeys in the Hebrew Scriptures

Rabbi Steven Silberman of Ahavas Chesed Congregation was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. He has lived in Mobile, AL since 1990 and places a priority on maintaining close relationships with the members of his synagogue. Frequently, he visits local schools and churches to teach about Judaism. The greatest moments of his life are his marriage to his wife, Manette, and the births of their four children, David, Aaron, Jacob and Danit. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Aug 1 Gabe Holloway – The Journey of Grief and Hope

Gabe Holloway will be speaking on August 1st about The Journey of Grief and Hope. Gabe was born in South Korea and adopted and raised in Opelika where he met his wife Lynne (daughter of Sherry & Dick Coats). He is a postulant for ordained ministry in the Anglican Church of North America and holds a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary. His church home and workplace is Church of the Apostles in Fairhope. He and Lynne have three children. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Aug 8 Dr. Patrick Jacobs with Dr. Randall Sheets – Songs of Travel

On August 8th Dr. Patrick Jacobs, baritone and Dr. Randall Sheets, piano will be performing Songs of Travel in the sanctuary. Dr. Jacobs has performed principal roles with opera companies throughout the United States and is the Voice Faculty Chair and Director of Opera at the University of Mobile. Dr. Randall C. Sheets majored in organ and church music at Birmingham-Southern College and has a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been serving at Spring Hill Presbyterian Church since 2002. Attend in person in SHPC Sanctuary or click the link on YouTube or our church Facebook page at 9:00 AM to watch.

Aug 15 Meg McCrummen Fowler – The History of Mobile in 22 Objects

On August 15th Meg McCrummen will be presenting The History of Mobile in 22 Objects. Meg McCrummen Fowler is director of the History Museum of Mobile. She obtained a BA in History and French from The University of Alabama and an MA in History of Art from Tulane University, where she is also a doctoral candidate, completing a PhD in Art History & Society. Meg served as a visiting scholar in the Center for the Study of War and Memory at the University of South Alabama and had a curatorial fellowship at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Aug 22 SHPC Spirituality Writing Group – Our Journeys Are Our Stories

On August 22nd join our Spirituality Writing Group for a discussion on Our Journeys Are Our Stories. This group of dedicated writers has met for several years and has produced many stories, commentaries, and poems. The nurture of the spiritual through this creative path is hugely important to the individuals who participate. Individuals of all disciplines and interest levels are welcome. Leadership is provided by church members who are published writers, professors, and enthusiasts. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

Aug 29 Dr. Buz Wilcoxon – My Sabbatical Journey

Dr. Buz Wilcoxon will be speaking about his sabbatical this summer, which is May 17 – August 14. Dr. Wilcoxon holds a Bachelor of Arts in religion and philosophy, and a minor in history, from Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. He has a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in

Decatur, GA. Buz has served as the as the senior pastor of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church since 2013. He is married to Ryann Jordan Wilcoxon, and they have two children. Attend in person in SHPC Fellowship Hall or Click the Zoom link in the weekly church email on 9:00 AM to participate.

EASTER & HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday (3/28/21)

10:30 AM In-Person Sunday Worship (livestreamed online)

4:00 PM- Outdoor Vespers & Easter Egg Hunt

Maundy Thursday (4/1/21)

6:00 PM- Communion Worship-Sanctuary & Online

Good Friday (4/2/21)

Online Presbytery Worship

11:00- 1:00- Individual Prayer time in the Chapel

Easter Sunday (4/4/21)

9:00 AM Worship Service in the Sanctuary & Online

Nursery provided for 3 and under at 9:00 service only

11:00 AM Outdoor Worship with Choir

Mission Camp for Youth (During VBS)

Because we will not have Tribe Leaders and small groups, you might be wondering can youth volunteer? While VBS is happening June 27-30 from 5:00-6:00 pm, we will have our youth participating in Mission Camp. We will have our youth completed grades 5-12 work on mission projects outside and masked while our children are participating in VBS. Mission projects will include cleaning up Langham Park, making cards, cleaning up our church property, and more. This will be a great way for youth to get service hours (up to 6)!

Sign-up using our Google Form: https://forms.gle/wkK9pCWbB33JxsPb7

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School will be Sunday-Wednesday, June 27-30 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the evening outside. We are asking children who attend to bring an adult with them to help them with the activities. Because each child will have an adult attending too, we are opening VBS to children grades K3-5th grade  (children must be 3 years old). Vacation Bible School will be very similar to our BLAST (Bible Learning and Sharing Time) program. Children will have a towel to sit on along with a bag of supplies for the night. We will have 15 minutes of a story, music, art, and recreation during our hour together.

Sign-up using our Google Form: https://forms.gle/6bZuphXmGYWmrk4QA