COVID/Flu/RSV Announcement

COVID, Flu, and RSV are on the rise.

If you are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, please stay home in order to protect our friends and neighbors and curb the spread of disease.

We encourage you to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

There's a lot going on at

Heart of Longmont!

Join us!

Remember to scroll down to see all the exciting events coming up at HOL.

You can also find upcoming events on our website by visiting: https://www.heartoflongmont.org/hol-events/

Heart of Longmont has a new refrigerator in the kitchen!

Thanks to everyone who donated funds in memory of Linda Johnston and our generous congregation who attended our UMW Spaghetti Dinners — and continue to support UWF in all our fund-raising efforts — the refrigerator has been completely paid for, and is ready for many years of hard work.  



HOL United Women in Faith thank each and every one of you!!!

The documentary film This Is [Not] Who We Are will be shown at The Heart of Longmont on Saturday, March 4th at 6:30 PM.

The film documents Zayd Atkinson’s story when, in 2019, he was threatened and harassed by a Boulder police officer. Zayd was working his work study job at the time.

The film explores dialogue with black individuals in Boulder in hopes of finding new solutions to the old issues of deeply entrenched racism. The film encourages informed action for systemic change.

Following the showing, Co-Producer Katrina Miller and Heart of Longmont Member Hermine Ngnomire will discuss the film.

Saturday, March 4th

6:30 PM

THIS IS [NOT] WHO WE ARE

Heart of Longmont

Prayer Shawls

A Ministry of Comfort and Prayer

HEY ALL YOU WONDERFUL AND TALENTED KNITTERS/CROCHETERS!

First, thank you all so much for previously supplying prayer shawls to our members and the community. Currently we are dangerously low on our supply.

If you are still able and willing, would you be so kind as to supply another one, two or three?! People who receive these prayer shawls have been so appreciative of the comfort and love they receive.

If you have any questions or comments, please give me a call 303 772-7399 or email me at peghoward149@gmail.com.

Thank you all ever so much.

Peg Howard

It's that time of year: The Girl Scouts are selling cookies!

Stop by their table in the gallery and pick up a box or two!

Sunday Kids In Mission

On February 26, the HOL Sunday Kids followed the directive of Jesus to serve and feed the hungry. They decorated paper bags and assembled a nutritious meal in each bag. 36 bags were filled and will be delivered to HOPE. 36 folks will have a healthy meal thanks to the efforts of the HOL Sunday Kids.

If you feel called to work with the children, they will be doing a mission project once a month. Help is needed for gathering supplies and organizing future mini projects. Contact Lynn Greenhalge if this activity speaks to you.

The Keep Coming Back AA group invites you to help celebrate their 30th Anniversary!

Friday, March 24, 2023

Fellowship Hall

Heart of Longmont

Dinner at 6:00 PM featuring Jim T.'s legendary lasagna!

Speaker Maia M. at 7:30 PM

The Keep Coming Back group has been meeting at Heart of Longmont for many years and they welcome our church family to help them celebrate.

Please bring friends, family, and a salad, side dish, or dessert.

2023 January Financial Update

January was a good month financially with income at expected levels and expenses below budget. While January 2022 was also good, these are the only two January’s in the last five with this trend.

Contributing to the good month were significant contributions from two long time members, coupled with favorable spending variances for personnel, utilities and maintenance.

Expenses were higher than 2022 due to utilities and a full complement of staff. In January 2022 we were still having virtual services and had an open position.

Did you know…

That through Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation, you as an individual can invest your savings in accounts similar to CDs and Money Markets where you will earn above-average interest rates. The fund is called the Methodists Helping Methodists Fund. Your investments allow the Foundation to provide capital improvement loans to United Methodist Churches throughout the region. Investment options include,

• Fixed-Rate Investments (one, two, three, four, and five-year) are available for amounts $1,000 and above. Interest is paid out quarterly or reinvested, depending on investor wishes.
• Variable-Rate Investments are available with a minimum investment of $500. Withdrawals can be made at any time upon written notice.

Effective March 1, 2023, rates for fixed-rate investments range from 3.6% for a 12-month term on deposits of $1,000 to $4,999 to 3.05% for a 60-month term on deposits of $10,000 and over. Variable-rate accounts starting at $500 pay .50%. For more information, including access to the full rate schedule, go to https://www.mountainskyumf.org/faith-based-investments-giving/.

Study The Gospel of Luke With Us

This Lenten Season

Starting February 26

Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Relief

(from UMCOR International Latest Responses)

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey at 4:17 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, the most powerful earthquake recorded since 1939. In the hours that followed, at least 78 aftershocks were reported, followed by a second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude. More than 5,000 people were killed, with deaths expected to rise. 

The earthquake also heavily impacted northwest Syria, where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance. The majority are women and children. At this time, Syrian communities are simultaneously facing an ongoing cholera outbreak and extreme winter weather events, including heavy rain and snow. The humanitarian response is overstretched due to the devastation and cold weather. 

UMCOR has released an initial solidarity grant to a longstanding humanitarian partner, International Blue Crescent (IBC), which has offices in Turkey. The grant will provide tents, heaters, blankets, warm clothes, ready to eat meals and basic first aid kits.

Click here to donate to UMCOR international response and recovery.

Heart of Longmont YouTube Channel Changes

You may have noticed that there have been some changes to the YouTube channel. YouTube updated their UI (user interface) and the way content is organized on a channel page. Don't worry! All our regular content is on the channel; the only change is how YouTube now organizes content.

When you navigate to the Heart of Longmont YouTube channel (youtube.com/heartoflongmont), you will see our banner, our channel name, and then a series of tabs above the welcome video. These tabs are where you will find different content.

VIDEOS - This is where regular uploaded content are located, including condensed worship, sermons, music, Pastor Claire's sermon series and invitations, etc.

SHORTS - This is where short-form (less than one minute) content is located.

LIVE - This is where all livestream VODs (Video on Demand) are located. If you are looking for Sunday's livestream, this is where you will find it. These used to be located with regular video content on the front page but no longer appear there. They are now located under this LIVE tab.

PLAYLISTS - This is where you can find our playlists, including playlists for short form content, condensed services, worship services, and sermons.

Please note, also, that after the worship service livestream ends, YouTube takes a little time to process the video into a stable VOD state, so you may not be able to play the VOD immediately after the livestream ends. The VOD should be available for viewing shortly after the livestream ends, but may take an hour to be available.

If you watch the condensed worship service videos, you can find a link to the worship service VOD in the video description.

Hopefully this information helps you to navigate the changes to the YouTube channel!

Through The Wilderness Of Gender Lenten Study

Are you looking for a Lenten study with a different perspective, or know someone who might be interested? Consider approaching Lent through genderqueer and transgender perspectives with an 8-week Lenten study on How to Understand Your Gender by Alex Iantafi and Meg-John Barker and Transfigured by Suzanne DeWitt Hall offered by Mountain Sky Conference's NextGen and Inclusiveness Ministries. The study will be help via Zoom, starting February 27 at 6:00-7:30pm MT. 

If you prefer to self-study or read the books on your own, please do so! But if you would like to participate in an open and inclusive study group, register at mtnskyumc.org/nextgen or by scanning the QR code on the image below.

To read more about this study, click here: https://www.mtnskyumc.org/nextgen.

Heart of Longmont Scholarship Information

Currently active church members who are pursuing post-high school education goals to the baccalaureate level are invited to apply for one of our church scholarships.

Click here to download the application.

Please contact Edy-Kay Ward at edykay318@gmail.com for further information.

Lenten Food Drive for the OUR Center

It's that time of year again where we support the OUR Center with our annual food drive during Lent. Here is the calendar of items for donation. Remember, these boxes get heavy so if you want to bring items as you come to church on Sundays there will be a large donation box in the airlock marked OUR Center.

We will be in the parking lot on Saturday, March 25th from 10 am -12 noon to take donations and then will deliver to the OUR Center on the following Monday. Thank you for your continued support!

UWF 2023 Reading Program Books

The books that we have purchased for the UWF 2023 Reading Program are now on the library table in the Gallery and available for check-out. Please leave the book card in the container on the table. There is also a box for returned items or they can be left on the library desk. If you would like a list of the program books that can be checked out from the Longmont Public Library, please let me know at sy3473@comcast.net and I will send you the list. We have a limited number of books this year, so please try to return them within 2-3 weeks.

Thank you.

Sharon Yonkees

Secretary, Program Resources and Reading Program

Agape Safe Haven Update

Hello Friends,

As you are aware we have faced bitterly cold temperatures this week. Knowing this, we extended our Day Shelter hours and days this week. Since Sunday we have served 75 meals to our homeless brothers and sisters. And it's only Tuesday! We are in need of some pantry staples like milk, eggs, coffee, and bread. Our other needs include cleaning and laundry supplies as well as shampoo and shower gel. We are so grateful to be able to offer anyone experiencing homelessness a shower, laundry facilities, and a hot meal. But, we can't do that without support. We also have a couple of specific needs. Weather like this means we see it all: frostbite chief among them! We can also use antibacterial cream and bandages.  

God bless you all.

Jessica Bennett

Executive Director

Agape Safe Haven

Volunteer Opportunity:

Youth Group Dinners

HOL Youth Group needs volunteers to bring dinner for the youth group gatherings this spring semester!

Please sign up for a spot as you are able to. Dinner starts at 5:00 PM every Sunday. Please plan to provide dinner for a group of 12 - 18 youth. 

It is helpful if you are able to stay to clean up, but if you aren't able to do that and would still like to drop off food, please let Emily know ahead of time. 

We have a gluten and milk allergy, so please provide dairy free and gluten free options. 

Sign up to volunteer using the URL below OR, if you do not want to use SignUpGenius, email Emily at emily.basic@gmail.com to let her know you are interested!

Sign up URL: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054faeab2da6fe3-basic5#/

Please let Emily know if you have any questions!

Help out with Sunday Kids!

Sunday Kids are growing! How wonderful it is to see children in the building on Sunday mornings! We have split the "littles" from the "big" kids and are providing Children's Church in the Library while the Nursery remains for the "littles". But we need your help!

If you would be willing to be a "helper" either in the Nursery or Children's Church, please let Tricia Grafelman or Lynn Greenhalge know! Another way you can help is by being an emergency back-up! We may grab you from the church service or Sunday School class if you are there and can cover.

ALL those who work with the children will need to go through our Safe Sanctuary training which is online and simple to complete.

Let's keep this momentum rolling and protect the future of our church while having fun!

It’s that time of year, and OUR Center is happy to let you know that this year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser will be back to the traditional soup luncheon! Also, it’s at a NEW location – Trail Ridge Middle School in east Longmont.

They are excited to see people in person for a sit-down meal and fellowship after having to modify this event for the last 3 years.

This is the 20^th Empty Bowls fundraiser! OUR Center has raised over $500,000 for their Food Program since its inception, and now more than ever, people are relying on them for nutritious food and to stretch their budgets. 

Every day, OUR Center is providing 150+ hot, nutritious meals and 5,000+ pounds of groceries in their Community Café and Community Market to families in the St. Vrain Valley.

Join OUR Center for this annual show and sale featuring hundreds of quilted items, sewn all year by a very talented group. Their items are truly works of art!

Friday, March 3, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 4, 9:00 to 3:00 p.m.

First Lutheran Church, 3rd & Terry, Longmont

All proceeds benefit OUR Center and the Safe Shelter of the St. Vrain Valley.

The Interfaith Quilters have supported OUR Center since our first services were provided in March 1987 and this is our longest-running fundraiser!

See flyer for more details or visit Interfaith Quilters website.

You are invited to OUR Center's next "Coffee for a Cause" on Wednesday, April 5 starting at 7:30 a.m. This is a free event for anyone in the community and includes a full breakfast, presentation on OUR Center programs and services in a casual setting, concluding with a tour if your time allows. Share this with friends & associates, but please let them know if you're coming, as space is limited!

Please RSVP by Monday, April 3 to elaine@ourcenter.org or call 303-772-5529 x224 (so they make sure to have enough food and materials).

"Pack and Unpack" Lunch Study and Discussion - Tuesdays at 12:00 pm Pastor Claire invites you to "pack your lunch and unpack the prior sermon" with her. Bring your lunch and enjoy interesting discussions in the Parlor!

Lenten Study 2023 – The all-church Lenten study will begin February 26 and go through April 2. We will be studying Adam Hamilton’s new book Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws.

Discussions will be held at multiple times:

• Sunday mornings with adult discussion groups
• Monday evenings via Zoom
• Tuesday at 12PM with Pastor Claire for Pack and Unpack lunch discussion

More information coming soon!

About the book:

"Nobody is perfect. We all struggle. Even the first-century people who lived during Jesus’ time didn’t have their act together. But Jesus came to lift up these ordinary, imperfect people—many of whom were outsiders, outcasts, and even outlaws. He brought hope to those who needed it most. That includes you and me.

In the book and six-week church-wide study Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws, pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton explores the life of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Luke. Through Luke’s stories we find Jesus’ care and compassion for all as he welcomes sinners and outcasts. As we study Luke and see Jesus’ concern for those who were considered unimportant, we hear a hopeful and inspiring word for our lives today."

Film Screening: This Is [Not] Who We Are - This is [Not] Who We Are will be shown in our Sanctuary on Saturday, March 4 at 6:30 pm. After the screening, there will be a time for discussion with co-producer of the film, Katrina Miller.

Learn more about the film here: https://www.thisisnotwhowearefilm.com/ 

Saturday Family Movie: Disney's Encanto - Our next family movie screening will be March 11 at 2:00 PM. We will be watching Disney's Encanto! Bring the family or drop off the kids. Snacks will be provided. Discussion to follow the film!

Holy Thursday Service - April 6 at 7:00 PM

Good Friday Service - April 7 at 7:00 PM

Easter Sunday Service - April 9 at 10 AM, in person and online.

Be The Church Service Sunday - April 16 will be a very special service Sunday. There will be no worship service that morning. Instead, we will be taking our talents and skills into our community.

Do you need help with work around your home, or know someone who does? Members of our congregation, Wild Plum families, and close friends of our church will have the opportunity to sign up to have volunteers come to their homes to help with small repair, organizing, and cleaning tasks.

Volunteers will gather at Heart of Longmont Sunday morning, then travel to the homes of those who need assistance. This is a great opportunity to be of service and put more of God's Love into our community.

More details and sign up sheets will be available as we get closer to this special service Sunday. Please consider being a volunteer!

If you have questions, please contact Tricia Grafelman.

Hakuna Matata Children's Choir - We will be hosting the Hakuna Matata Children's Choir from Kenya this spring. They will be performing at our church on Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23 during our service. They are touring the United States raising money for their school. We will be looking for hosts to house 15 children and 4 adult chaperones. More information to follow.

Habitat for Humanity Build Day - Our next Habitat Build is Saturday May 20. Sign up now! Click here to sign up.

February's compassion offering supports UMCOR.

As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief – UMCOR – assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events—to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable. UMCOR provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants when events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own. UMCOR also provides technical support and training for partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to disaster relief, recovery, and long-term health and development.

If you wish to donate to this month's compassion offering, you can do so online by clicking here and navigating to the Monthly Compassion Offering tile. Or, you may send a check to the church office with "Compassion Offering" on the memo line.

Heart of Longmont UWF have a Facebook page!

Click here to follow us at https://www.facebook.com/uwfoftheheart/

United Women in Faith Circle Information

Please come join a group and see what it's about, we'd love to have you!

Lydia Circle

Catherine Murphy (chair)

Second Thursday of the month at 5pm in the church Gallery.

Sarah Circle

Ann Yoder (chair)

3rd Thursday of the month at 9:30am in various homes.

Contact the church office for location.

Esther Circle

Nancy Swope (chair)

3rd Tuesday of the month at 9:30am, various homes or church Gallery.

Call the church office for location.

Elizabeth Circle

Linda Morris (chair)

3rd Monday of the month at 1pm in the church Gallery.

Our Mission:

Putting More of God's Love Into The World

Helping all persons find deeper meaning and God’s purpose for their lives as committed Christ-followers.

Serving as the Heart of Longmont means:

We will welcome all persons, without reservation or judgment,

just as Jesus Christ would do.

We will work tirelessly by entering into intentional acts of compassion and social justice to make our community a place where God’s love is known by all, where poverty and deprivation are unknown by any, and where respect for the worth and dignity of each person is the norm.

We will respect and honor other religious traditions

while choosing Christ as our way of knowing God best.

We will emphasize life-long learning so that we may

engage our world from a dynamic and creative perspective.

We will work to protect God’s creation.

We will practice stewardship of all aspects of our lives,

including time, talent, financial resources, and spiritual gifts.

The office at Heart of Longmont is open

Monday through Thursday 10:00am to 3:00pm.