May 29, 2025 – Newsletter

June 1st Worship in the Sanctuary at 10 am 
To Whom Do We Belong?” Acts 5:27-32
Deborah Haffner Hubbard, Guest Minister. Rev. John Hougen is on vacation.Children will go to Kid’s Kirk following the Children’s Time.
Adult Class on Deborah Part 2 follows at 11:00. (Deborah from Judges, not Deborah our guest minister).

The Worship Service will be live-streamed on our Hyde Park Presbyterian Church YouTube channel under LIVE!  CLICK HERE to go to the page.

Rev. Deborah Haffner Hubbard
Deborah was ordained by the Presbyterian Church, USA in 1985 as chaplain to the Elizabeth Fry Center in San Francisco, an alternative to incarceration for women prisoners with young children—which she founded and directed. After expanding these alternative programs to both Oakland and Sacramento, she was given the Restorative Justice Award at the General Assembly of the PCUSA in1994. Deborah went on to be an advocate in Sacramento for alternatives to incarceration, working with the state legislature and churches throughout northern California.She then became the Director of the Center for Community Transformation at Chicago Theological Seminary, a project in theological education that sought to bridge the gap between the church and the academy. Teams of students and faculty engaged community leaders in diverse neighborhoods throughout Chicago to learn about vital congregations and transformative leadership.

Deborah has served churches in northern Michigan, the Navajo Nation in Arizona, where she and her husband administered an elementary school and health clinic for the Navajo Lutheran Mission. Most recently, they served as co-pastors in northern California with her husband at a joint ELCA and PCUSA congregation, where they started an interfaith community, the Abbey of the Redwoods.

Deborah moved to Florida earlier this year to be closer to family and is now a member of Tampa Bay Presbytery, serving as pulpit supply.

Coming Soon: Summertime Sunday School until Noon! June 22 – Aug. 10 (skip July 6)Summer Series for Middle School through Adults 11am – Noon: Seeing Is Believing, the History of Christian Art Conference Room & Zoom. Children’s Sunday School: Movies & More!  Starting with Children’s Time in Worship on June 22, this will feature popular Movies with a Christian theme, fun activities and crafts, and snacks until Noon. Meeting in the Chapel, with two adults at all times.

Would you like to be one of our Steeple People?  The Hyde Park Memorial Steeple will soon be completed as a symbol of God’s everlasting presence in our lives and our community. What better way to honor someone who has been special to you, or in the life of the church, than to symbolically make them part of this historic beacon of hope?If you would like to join the church families whose memorial funds will be designated for this project, please consider making a one-time memorial contribution in the name of a loved one … or just contribute because you want to help! Our steeple has undergone repair and restoration work and painting is complete. The Cross (blown over in Hurricane Milton) is soon to be restored with new, updated lighting. The bell chimes are once again ringing. The Hyde Park Memorial Steeple will be a daily reminder of our mission: to be the Light and Love of Christ in action for our community. Donations will be noted in the Bulletin and read aloud at a Dedication Service this Fall; $200 or more will be noted on a plaque; $500 or more will have a memorial brick in a future patio on the front lawn. Click Here to donate, or Church Center app, or by check. Note Steeple People. We will personally contact all donors for dedication wording.