Reverend Jim Heikes, Pastor

Welcome and thank you for visiting the website for Hope United Methodist Church in Billings, Montana.  We invite you to consider visiting one of our regular worship services.

At Hope United Methodist Church we believe that as the beloved children of God, you and we and all people are of sacred worth.  We therefore strive to be an open and inclusive Christian community that attempts to model and practice extravagant hospitality.  We invite all people, without exception, to participate with us as fully as possible in our church's life, mission, and ministry to our community and the larger world.

Services: 9:30 am

Church Phone: 406.259.4673  hopeumc at billingshopeumc.org

Yellowstone Annual Conference Page  and  Find A Church

So, it was a lot about Carol Mathew today -- May 19, 2019, Carol's last service as Music Minister.
It was a brief tour, dating only from September of 1981.

Pastor Jim Heikes opens a special service of thanks and memories

Carol Mathew shares some memories of her service with us. Jody Coble, her faithful narrator.

Jeff Armstrong, Staff-Parish Relations Chair, presents a lifetime achievement award. This
seems to be the first of its kind awarded to a music minister in the United Methodist Church.

Carol and her husband, Dick Baumann

Carol and Dick, Carol's daughters and grandsons

Of course there were special cakes and a pot luck. Of course!
The entire choir wore pink ribbons to mark that breast cancer has recently touched Carol's family.
My personal favorite anthem
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Palm Sunday Cantata

Hope Chancel Choir with Carol Mathew directing.
Guest Cellist Emily Tschetter and Narrator Jody Coble
 

Hope UMC had the privilege of hosting the Court of Honor to award the rank of Eagle Scout to Grant Armstrong
on Sunday, March 31, 2019

Women's Dinner With Friends, February 15:

Our Souperbowl of Caring has brought in quite a haul for several comunity programs:

Sept 23: Guests from Family Promise told us more about the program, which we've supported for about twelve years now.

Felicia Berg and Erika Qwinn from Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley

Our guests shared stories of some Family Promise families and plans for expanding their programs.

July 22: Our first Congregation Sunday service

John Evans was liturgist

Jeff Armstrong reported to us on the Whole Church Initiative

We have nine guests stying this week with Famiy Promise

July 1: Welcoming Pastor Jim Heikes!

 
Jim Heikes conducts his first service at Hope

Carol Mathew led the choir in two anthems: America the Beautiful and Beautiful Savior
 
We enjoyed a pot-luck fellowship after Jim's first service

June 24th: Pastory Gary's last regular service as a full-time minister.

Quite a few of Gary's family and friends joined us today. From left: Jeff and Wendy Speaect, friends of long standing
Jan and Gary (why he thinks hiding helped I dunno), and the Lehrkamps: Grady, Maddie, Page, Kori and Michael.
Kori is Gary's daughter, herself a recently ordained minister.

Jeff Speaect sang at Gary's first official service when he was a third-grader.
That was 31 years ago, which would make Jeff a 34th-grader.

Gary's devoted crew: Rochelle Isaacson, custodian; Teri Normand, secretary,
Kathy Ulrich, nursery, Carol Mathew, minister of music

 
Jennifer Reiser presented Gary with a memento from the congregation; John Evans presented our thanks

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Becky Messman presented Gary with a bowl. Then her plants filled the bowl with candy bars representing
Gary's future in retirement: Good n Plenty of things to do, bones that may Crunch, and the 100,000 he is worth to us

 
After that? What else? A reception, of course

   
Turns out the cakes' pictures had to be in the right order!

June 9: Cleanup day! This is what we mean by "our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service."
 
Dan Oakes installing lights, Beth Emard on windows.
 
Lots of yard work. Dennis and Rody Fergus working on the playground, Steve Normand having a go at the hedges.

May 27: Graduation Sunday

Pastor Jim Heikes, our newly appointed pastor beginning July1 (Oh, yes. High-kess)
Pastoral Transition is going to be a process over the next year or so. We'll have information here.

SOUPER BOWL OF CARING: Our congregation piled up 1567 Food Items + $20.00 (cash) - Thank You!!

March 3: Pastor' Gary's Birthday! We won't mention which one, but it's the 50th anniversary of his 15th birthday.

This is also the day for the United Methodist Women's Pie Auction. Some of us still miss pasties!

CHRISTMAS EVE 2017: We had two lovely candlelight services.

Persephone plays her flute before the 5 o'clock service

Acolytes light the Advent wreath

December 17th: Christmas Cantata.

Jody Coble, our traditional Cantata Narrator

Sarah Pinnow (candlelighter), Marlee Ball (cellist), Ana Strong (violinist) and Jody Coble

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W are grateful to Marlee Ball and Ana Strong, Musical Guests

The Hope United Methodist Church Chancel Choir
Directed by Carol Mathew
As seen at Carnegie Hall in The Messiah, November, 2016

SPECIAL SERVICE: Pastor Gary's two congregations, Hope UMC and Huntley UMC, joined for a special service on
Oct 15th for Pastor Appreciation Month.
 

Leadership Transition: Hope UMC is going to  welcome a new pastor next July and there will be important changes in worship,
perhaps in scheduling and other things that mean a lot to church members. If you have ideas about how our faith journey will go
forward, please make your ideas known to members of the Admin Council or Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

June 25: We welcomed a family for the baptism of their son and four new members of our church.

Proud parents Jonathan & Meghan Duquette with newly baptized Jace Anthony.

New members Karen Casterline, B. J. Herren, Nancy Matovich, and Paula Walter.

Graduation Sunday: Emily Pinnow and Brody Baumberger graduate from Skyview High School on May 28.

Mother's Day: Our Traditional Closing Performance of Youth Choirs

Seniority/Co-edChoir Club. The tallest boy in the back is Dick, who has been made an honorary teenager for choir purposes

Children of Hope sing of family for Mother's Day.

Staff Recognition Sunday: Kathy, our Nursery Attendant, Teri, our administrative genius, and Carol, our Minister of Music.
Rachelle, our custodian, was unable to join us today.

Palm Sunday Cantata.

Jeanne Nitz, flautist, Carol Mathew, Director, Paula Cordes, cellist, Ana Strong, violinist.

Paula Cordes is an exchange student from Germany and is Ana's sister for a year.

35th Anniversary Celebration with a sendoff for the choir members on Nov. 13th.

District Superintendent Kama Hamilton Morton presents Pastor Gary with a certificate in honor of our 35th Anniversary.	Founding Pastor John Pugh
Charter Member Jim Reno reminiscing about Pastor John's founding efforts	Charter Member and Choir Founder Carol Mathew
Dawson, Seleyah and Persephone sing	Kathy Baumann leads Children's Time
Linda Ewert and Mary Beth Helgeson designed and built the sanctuary's stained glass window, original in the first sanctuary/present Fellowship Hall	Bill Benjamin, Admin Council Chair, presents an award to recognize Pastor Gary's 30 years in ministry.
Tammy Fote and Jeannie Nitz present an award to Carol Mathew for 35 years of music ministry at our church	Awards for Terri Normand and Kathy Ulrich, who have served our congregation for more than twenty years each. And Terri is just over 29...

Because Pastor Gary will be with the choir, Geoff Brown will conduct the service on Nov. 27th at our usual time.

Over 1,000 Cans of Soup!