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What Our Pledges Make Possible

Our Worship
Each week the worship spaces at AHCC are alive with praise. Our inspired clergy lead us through the church year with vision and compassion. But worship is more than just opening the doors and turning on the lights. From the music to the message, Bibles to bulletins, sign language interpreters to flowers and candles, last year AHCC offered more than 105 worship services with a total attendance of over 38,000.

Music and Arts
Music & the Fine Arts are a vital part of worship and community at AHCC. Your pledge supports our sanctuary choir (including 10 professional musicians/soloists), drama and visual arts ministries, bell choir, children's choirs and youth ensembles. At Christmas, Easter and throughout the year, guest musicians enhance our worship experience with instrumental and orchestral accompaniment. And all the while, our pianos and magnificent church organ (4,059 pipes!) require care and tuning.

Our Children
In 2008 Spirit Hill provided a Christian education experience for over 280 children. Each week the children learned the stories and concepts at the core of our faith through a multi-disciplinary arts-based curriculum. Last year we invested nearly $600 per child in our church school program to fund professional, qualified childcare providers, curriculum materials and development, 3rd-grade Bibles, and management of more than 150 adult and youth volunteers. In addition, scholarship funding made certain that all children and their families could enjoy church-based activities that required a fee.

Our Youth
The AHCC Youth Program focuses on fellowship, faith formation, and fun! There are two youth groups: 7th and 8th graders and 9th - 12th graders. Our young people are engaged introspectively and with the world around them-through small group conversation, projects throughout greater Hartford, plus national and international mission trips. In Confirmation Class our 8th graders examine how their faith impacts their lives. Our youth look toward the future and how they impact this faith community.

Our Educational Programs

Educational programs for the faith journey abound at AHCC. This fall, for instance, Peter Grandy will be offering three courses; and in October and November we will have the opportunity to hear and dialogue with three nationally known speakers: Peter Gomes, Michael Rion, and John Fox. During the spring two of our members, Wayne Rollins and Linda Beher will be offering special educational series. In addition we'll continue to offer small group settings for study and discussion, Sunday Forums, Grandtimers, our popular Lenten Supper Series, and other educational opportunities to help us understand and grow in faith.

Our Community
he Board of Christian Service granted $210,000 to 21 agencies whose missions are compatible with the mission of Asylum of Hill Church. More than half of the disbursement total was directed in the Asylum Hill neighborhood.

The church's other outreach ministries (Love Hartford, Real Estate Committee, Crisis Food Support Program and Thrift Shop) demonstrated love and neighborliness through service in the community. People of faith built homes, developed green space and delivered food to hungry families because they were moved by the Spirit. Additionally, $7,000 was sent to the UCC to make regional and national justice and disaster response work possible.

Our Building
We are blessed to gather every week in our beautiful and inspirational building. In 2008, over 30 community organizations used our space on a regular basis. AHCC is also an artistic, educational and cultural venue for concerts, lectures, and our annual Boar's Head Festival. Total attendance at special events in the last year was nearly 11,600 people. The cost of keeping this church open and running includes $20,000 for snow removal, $130,000 for annual utilities (heat, electric, water), and $50,000 for insurance (property, liability, workers compensation).

Our Staff
At AHCC we have attracted wonderful and talented staff. Your pledge helps pay the salaries and benefits of these men and women who have chosen to make this church and our spiritual development their life's work.
• 3 full-time ordained clergy, 2 part-time ordained clergy
• 4 full-time program staff
• 2 part-time program staff (Outreach, Youth)
• Parish visitor & Pastoral Care Assistant
• 2 full-time administrative staff, 3 part-time administrative staff
• Sexton
• Housekeeper
• 4 part-time security guards
Total salaries and benefits - $1.2 million

Our Family
Caring for our church family takes many forms: hospital and home visits, special services, cooking and delivering caring casseroles, even Sunday donuts! Our ordained clergy made over 50 face-to-face calls and 65 phone calls per week to parishioners in the past year. Our Parish Visitor and Pastoral Care Associate made over 330 visits and 350 phone calls and oversaw 360+ flower arrangement deliveries to members. Additional ministries include our prayer chain, Stephen Ministry and Care Teams.