Holy Week – Tuesday 3.22.16
As we approach Easter Sunday together, we are in what is known as Holy Week. Today through Saturday, I will share a brief devotional giving us a thought from scripture leading us into this incredible weekend!!!
Psalm 71:1-9
“IN YOU, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all day long.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
In some translations this Psalm has been a “Prayer for old age”. It is the only Psalm where old age is mentioned. Old age and failing strength is the unavoidable part of our human condition. Even those who are young feel the effects of fatigue, exhaustion, sickness, pain, and failing human strength. This among many other scriptures as well as life’s experience, reminds us we are frail and finite beings. As we reflect on this concept with Holy Week as our background we are reminded of our limitations, our weaknesses, and our failing human conditions.
Christ was fully human and fully God. Yet in the cross event, we see His human frailty and finite condition become a reality and not just a myth. His divine nature willingly allowed it, but nevertheless, He suffered pain, His strength was spent, and He experienced His body coming to the end of it’s life.
Closing Thought – As we come face to face with Jesus’ frailty at Calvary, let us confront our own mortality as well. Let us recognize how Christ identified with our humanness to the fullest extent and in doing so, we can have faith that He is with us, when our strength fails, when we are exhausted, and when we come to the point of even death. He is our rock, OUR CORNERSTONE, and in Him we take refuge, when we are young and strong as well as when we are old and gray.
Have a great day!
Friday Focus 3.10.16
GREETINGS
Yes, it’s Thursday and I’m writing my “Friday” Focus :). Since I’ve changed my off days to Fridays, I will be writing them on Thursdays, but I can’t change the name because it has stuck, well at least in my brain it has. Last night at church was a fun and very exciting time. As many of you know we have started connect groups with our teens on Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 – 5:15 pm. This has been a great way for us to connect with the teens while many of them are just now hearing about Jesus for the first time in their lives. Many of them do not come from church backgrounds and our team of adult volunteers are sharing the gospel each week at the very basic levels. In many ways this is a refreshing opportunity for this Pastor who normally teaches Christians. I want to commend Pastor Micah for his vision to organize the Wednesday afternoons and evenings for an intentional, fun, and life changing ministry experience for our teens and church. I know God is at work! He is on the move!!!
Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:17-18 – “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Some of the teens are being introduced to who Jesus is and to the gospel message. I can see some seeds being planted in their minds and hearts and I look forward to seeing how God works among them working to redeem the lost. Would you commit to praying with us for the lost in our community and that God continues to allow us to be the salt and light.
NEWS AND UPDATES
Here’s an overview of what’s coming up!
This Weekend
03/10 – Tonight – Thursday – 6:30 pm – Our Youth Fundraiser Fashion Show w/Premier Jewelry. We invite everyone who can to come and support the teens.
03/12 – Saturday Morning – Wall Finishing Project – Billy Meikrantz has donated some labor and manpower this week to the church by cutting and preparing pallet wood planks for the staff office lobby wall. This Saturday morning at 8:00 am he will be delivering them to the church for us to sand, stain, and put up on that wall. We want to turn this area into a study lounge as it is a great place for small group studies, homework, and reading with the glass walls and ambiance. We just need to finish the unfinished wall. I’m asking anyone who would be able and free to come join me this Saturday morning and help me finish this project.
03/13 – This Sunday New Comers Lunch – Following the worship service this Sunday we will be holding a new comers luncheon for all new families that have been with us for 6 months or less. We are very excited to have 8 or 9 new families planning to attend. If you are interested in coming please contact Caitlin Porter at the church office before Sunday.
The Next Few Weeks
– Saturday – 03/19 – Monthly Men’s Breakfast – 8:30 am
– Saturday – 03/19 – Church Wide Easter Egg Hunt – 2:00 pm
– Sunday – 03/20 – All Church Elections – During Morning Worship
– Sunday – 03/20 – Board Meeting – 5:00 pm
– Friday – 03/25 – Good Friday Service – 6:30 pm
– Sunday – 03/27 – Easter Sunday Worship
Important Upcoming Event
Children’s Wing Work Day – Saturday April 2nd – 8:30 am
We are planning to have an all church work day to give much needed attention to the finishing touches of our children’s wing involving decorations, minor fix up projects, cleaning and organizing the space in our kids cove. Let us show our support and that our kids cove is a priority for us to make as fun, as safe, and as welcoming for all of our children and children’s workers.
Fifth Sundays at HCN Moving Forward
I’m excited to share with you what our Fifth Sundays will be like at HCN moving forward. Fifth Sundays happen on average once every quarter. We want to make those special Sundays. In morning worship our service will be focused on the involvement of our youth and children. On each fifth Sunday evening we will have what we call a classical worship service featuring traditional hymns of the faith with a sermon as well.
Connect Cards to Help Organize Life Groups – Starting in April we will be actively planning on organizing new life groups. If you are interested in being a part of a life group, please fill out a connect card on a Sunday morning to let us know if you are interested in joining, leading, or hosting a life group.
Sunday Morning Prayer Team – Starts March 20th 9:00 am
I want to remind everyone that beginning on Palm Sunday we will start our prayer team which will meet every Sunday morning between 9:00 – 10:00 am in Room 113. The purpose will be to pray for our church, our community, our leadership, the needs of our congregation, and our worship service. If you are not currently involved in a Sunday School class and have a passion for prayer, we encourage you to consider being a part of this.
THIS SUNDAY WORSHIP
I’m excited to be with everyone this Sunday morning as we gather for worship to explore God’s Word together heading closer to Easter. As we journey through the season of Lent preparing for Easter Week – this Sunday we will be exploring John 12:1-8 during our message time. I hope everyone will be able to join us!!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend! You are loved and prayed for.
MAKING DISCIPLES BY THE WATER
In Christ’s Love,
Friday Focus 2.26.16
Dear HCN Family,
GREETING
There are weeks where I witness the Body of Christ in action through love and compassion. This was one of those weeks. On behalf of the family, we want to express our thanks and appreciation for those who came, supported Wilma and the family, and prepared the meal for the family on Tuesday. It was a great thing to see our church family come together for both Harry Potter’s memorial and now for Delton Denton’s funeral. I am most proud of how our people respond when some of us are hurting. Thank you! Please never change that about you! May we always be willing to respond and to help one another through prayer, support, encouragement, and most of all just being there for each other. It’s what the Body of Christ is for and I am proud to have witnessed our church being that to the Potters and the Dentons over the past few weeks.
NEWS AND UPDATES
Here’s some information we want to make sure you are aware of.
Children’s Ministry Volunteers Needed
As we mentioned on Sunday, we have sign up sheets at the Welcome Center for children’s ministry volunteers. We have time slots for once a week, once a month, once a quarter, and even once a year to work with any of our age groups. Please prayerfully consider serving in one of these areas and please contact Melanie Harris our Children’s Director for any questions.
Life Group Leader Training with the Pastor
Life Groups or Small Groups is a ministry passion of mine as your pastor. We believe Life groups provide us with an opportunity for a deeper experience in discipleship, accountability, outreach, and to build stronger relationships with each other. Our Life Groups ministry is in transition at the present time since a couple of our Life Groups have dis-banded. We have several families now looking to join another Life Group. We also have several new families who are interested in being a part of a Life Group as well. Now, we are in the process of training and equipping new Life Group Leaders to form new groups over the next couple of months. If you are interested in being a part of a Life Group by leading one, hosting one, or helping to start one, please contact me directly and let me know. If you have any questions, please ask. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be looking and ways and opportunities we can re-launch new Life Groups.
New Family Member Lunch – Sunday March 13th
If you’ve been a part of our church family for less than 6 months, we want to invite you to our new family member lunch after church on Sunday March 13th. Please make plans to join us for a great time of fellowship as we the pastoral staff want to have an opportunity to get to know you more and connect with you and your family!!!
Church Wide Easter Egg Hunt – Saturday March 19th – 2:00 pm
Make plans to bring the family and the kids to our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday March 19th at 2:00 pm. There will be games, snacks, crafts, a photo booth, the Easter Bunny, and ofcourse Easter Eggs for days!!!
New Prayer Group – Sunday School Hour
I want to let everyone know that beginning on March 20th we will have finished our Articles of Faith class and begin our prayer team meeting from9:00 – 10:00 am on Sunday mornings in Room 113. This will be open to anyone who’d like to come and spend some intentional time in prayer for our church, our worship service, and other prayer needs within our congregation and community each week during the Sunday School hour.
This Sunday Worship
I look forward to a great day of worship on Sunday. This Sunday during our message time we continue to walk through Luke 6 as we focus on the teachings of Jesus for our lives and our relationships with others. I hope you don’t miss it!!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! See you on Sunday!
MAKING DISCIPLES BY THE WATER
In Christ’s Love,
Friday Focus (2.19.16)
Dear HCN Church Family,
GREETINGS
We look back at the week and we can thank God for His continued presence, faithfulness, and protection over our people. His constant provision, His constant protection, and His constant presence is the outflow of His consistent love that never fails nor grows weary. Listen to what the Bible says through the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 40:28-31
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
We may grow tired, we may grow discouraged, we may faint, but we can always know and always trust in a God who never will.
As we head into this weekend, there’s a lot going on in the life of the church we need to let everyone know about, especially in the month of March!
NEWS AND UPDATES
This Weekend
Friday – March 19th – Today
Women’s Movie Night at Church – TONIGHT at 7:00 pm
Women, come to church this evening for a fun evening of fellowship and to watch the movie “War Room”. It will be shown in the sanctuary beginning at7:00 pm. Snacks and drinks will be served. We hope you can make plans to come.
Saturday – March 20th
Men’s Monthly Breakfast at Church – Tomorrow (Saturday) 8:30 am
Men, come join us tomorrow morning at 8:30 am for our monthly Men’s Breakfast. Bring $5 per man to cover the cost of the food. Join us for a great time of fellowship and of iron sharpening iron.
Sunday – March 21st
Senior Adult Luncheon w/Pastoral Staff – This Sunday after worship
If you are an adult 55 or older, we invite you to join us for a luncheon with the pastoral team. We want to have a chance to connect with you more, learn more about how we can partner with you and seek ideas for Senior Adult Ministries. You just have to bring yourselves.
This Sunday Evening – Open Church Board Meeting – 5:00 pm
This Sunday Evening, March 21st, we are inviting anyone who’d like to come and observe our monthly Church Board Meeting. We will meet in the Sanctuary at 5:00 pm for our board meeting. This is a great way to see how the church board operates and to be updated on what’s going on related to the business of the church.
IMPORTANT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NOTE
We are in need of more volunteers to help in the nursery and children’s Sunday School areas. We have put together a sign up sheet with a rotation of times and Sundays where people would be asked to serve only once a month in either the nursery or as a helper in the elementery and pre-school classes. This sign up sheet will be available at the Welcome Center on Sunday. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in this as our children are more than worth the investment of time.
Next Month at HCN
All Church Game Night – Friday March 4th
The church will be open for anyone who would like to come on Friday evening March 4th at 7:00 pm for All church family Game Night, for board games and card games.
District Event – Improve Your Serve – Saturday March 5th
Each year our district holds an event called Improve Your Serve designed to equip those in our local church for ministry and service. The day includes sessions with speakers, a lunch, and many different workshops related to specific areas of ministry. We will have the registration forms with all of the information and details at the Welcome Center this Sunday, available for anyone who’d be interested. If you are a ministry leader or volunteer in a ministry area, we encourage you to consider being a part of this.
March Begins our Sunday School Prayer Group – Starts March 6th
As I mentioned last Sunday morning, we will be forming a Sunday School hour Prayer Group that will meet in Room 113 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am every Sunday morning. The purpose of this group will be to come together, to share prayer needs, and to pray for the church, the weekly prayer list, the worship service, the pastor and the staff. If you are interested in being a part of this intentional prayer team, it will begin on Sunday March 6th.
Emmaus Ministry Team – Sunday March 6th
We will be sending down our monthly outreach team to minister and feed the homeless in Nashville on Sunday March 6th. If you are interested in going, please see Jennifer Lester. The team will leave from the church at4:30 pm that day.
All Church Elections – Sunday March 20th
If you are a member of the church and are 15 years old or older, please make plans to participate in our annual All Church Elections at the end of the service on Sunday, March 20th. This will be the elections where we vote for church board members, church officers, and for delegates to our Annual District Assembly.
Easter Week at HCN – March 19th – March 27th
-Community Easter Egg Hunt – Saturday March 19th
-Good Friday Service – Friday March 25th
-Easter Celebration Service – Sunday March 27th
Baptisms on Easter Sunday
If you or anyone you know would be interested in being baptized, we will be having baptisms on Easter Sunday if there are anyone that would be ready. If you are interested in being baptized, please contact me or the church office so that we can arrange a consultation meeting with me.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and has a chance to enjoy this nicer weather. May God’s presence be with you each and every moment. I can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday morning as we worship the Lord together!!!
MAKING DISCIPLES BY THE WATER
In Christ’s Love,
Friday Focus
Dear HCN Family,
GREETINGS
It’s been quite a week with all of the snow and events happening around the life of the church. I’m so thankful for all who came out this past Wednesdayevening for our Ash Wednesday Service, despite the weather. It was a great turn out and I believe God was honored in our gathering and in the hearts of those who participated. As we head into the Season of Lent together, let us make space in our lives for sacrifice, for prayer, fasting, and for the Word. As we head into this weekend, we anticipate a great day on Sunday as we celebrate VISION Sunday!!!
NEWS AND UPDATES
This Sunday Feb. 14th – Vision Sunday!!!
Don’t miss this Sunday’s worship service as we celebrate the year that was at HCN as well as look ahead into 2016 as we explore God’s vision for our church moving forward. There will be slide shows, testimonials, stories shared, and as always The Word of God and Worship. We hope this will be a great day in the life of our church!!!
Parents Meeting – Children’s Ministries – This Sunday Feb. 14th
Immediately following the service, we invite all parents and/or grandparents to join us as we meet with the children’s ministry team and discuss the plans and vision moving forward for the Kids Cove, the Pond, and the Puddle. All ages from birth to 5th grade will be included.
Teen Volunteer Meeting – This Sunday Feb. 14th
If you are currently an adult volunteer or are interested in becoming a volunteer with our teens, please plan to meet with Pastor Micah following the worship service on Sunday.
Mobile Phone Church App – Now Available!!!
I’m excited to share with you all that we now have a mobile phone church app you can download for free from the App Store on your iPhone or Android device. From it you will be able to read Friday Focuses, listen to sermons, pay your tithes, browse our website and much more. We will share more about this in our service on Sunday.
Volleyball Night – Monday Feb. 15th
All Church Volleyball Night will be held this coming Monday at 7:00 pm for all ages.
Special Prayer Need
Clint Arnold – Many of you know, Clint was involved in an accident yesterday and was taken to Skyline for emergency surgery. The operation went well and he is recovering in the ICU at Skyline. Please pray for Clint and his recovery process.
May the Lord bless you and keep you! May He shine His face upon you and bring you peace. I hope you all have a great weekend and I can’t wait to see you on Sunday morning!!!
In Christ’s Love,
Friday Focus
Dear HCN Family,
GREETINGS!
Psalm 100 – ” MAKE a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Oh that we may come to church on Sunday singing and praying this Psalm in our hearts and minds! May we never take for granted the wonderful privilege and opportunity we have each week to gather with God’s people and to encounter the all mighty living God in worship! Have we lost our passion and gratitude? I hope not! I think not! But if any of us have, may the Lord renew our joy, our passion, and our minds to remember we are HIS people who HE has given HIS ALL for! Who are we to not thank Him every day with our very lives for His steadfast love and His faithfulness to all generations!!! If we hold our salvation dear, if we bear the name of Jesus, if we love God, how could we NOT serve Him, love Him, and love being with HIS people? May all of us prepare our hearts for the privilege of Sunday worship this weekend!!!
NEWS AND UPDATES
This Weekend!!! (Here’s What’s Happening)
All Church Game Night Tonight – is Cancelled
Due to some scheduling conflicts that has happened over the last couple of days we have decided to cancel all church game night for this evening. We will plan to start it up next month.
Winter Jam – Today (Our Teens)
We have 30 of our teens meeting at the church today at 3:30 pm to leave for the annual Christian Worship concert, called Winter Jam this evening. Let’s pray for their safety. Pastor Micah is still in need of help with transportation if anyone is available to help him. Please feel free to contact him.
Harry Potter’s Memorial Service – Tomorrow (Saturday)
We will be holding a memorial service at the church in the sanctuary for Harry Potter tomorrow morning at 10:00 am at the church. The family has invited the entire church congregation to attend and to join them as we honor and celebrate Harry’s life! We hope you can make plans to attend.
This Sunday – Pastor Christy’s Farewell Luncheon
This Sunday will be a special Sunday as we will be honoring and celebrating Pastor Christy and her ministry at HCN with an all church potluck luncheon following the worship service. There will also be a table set up in the sanctuary for cards, gifts, and any other expressions of appreciation for them. While we eat lunch, we will be watching a slide show of Pastor Christy and our children throughout the years. We also look forward to our children serving as our ushers on Sunday as well. We hope you will make plans to join us!
Important Upcoming Events
Wednesday Feb. 10th – Ash Wednesday Service 6:30 pm
Next Wednesday we want to invite everyone to join us in our annual AshWednesday service. This service is a special gathering where we mark the beginning of the Lent season. As Christians, we observe a 40 day season leading up to Good Friday. Our Ash Wednesday service helps us to remember our mortality and our utter dependence upon God for eternal life. If you’ve never been a part of an Ash Wednesday service, we encourage you to come and learn how this can deepen your walk with Christ as we journey together towards the cross on Good Friday.
Next Sunday Feb. 14th (VISION SUNDAY)
Make plans to attend VISION SUNDAY on Feb. 14th. This worship service will be a very important event for our church! I will be sharing the state of the church address but more so, sharing with you the vision God has laid on our hearts for 2016. We will be sharing information, providing everyone with info packets, showing everyone how they can be a part of the mission God has for us moving forward. You will get to meet
our leadership, and much more!!! DON’T MISS IT!!!
Sunday Feb. 14th (Parents Meeting for Children’s Ministries)
We invite all parents of children to stay after the service on Sunday Feb. 14th for a very important children’s ministry meeting led by our Children’s Ministry Leadership team. Important information will be shared about the plans for our children’s ministry moving forward.
Sunday Feb. 21st – Senior Adult Ministry Luncheon
If you are 55 years old or older, you are invited to stay for a luncheon with the pastoral staff following the worship service on Feb. 21st. We want to hear from you and share ideas together about the vision and plans for our Senior Adult Ministries. Everything will be provided.
Sunday Feb. 21st – Open Church Board Meeting
We are opening up our church board meeting for everyone in the congregation to come and observe. We will be holding our board meeting in the sanctuary. It will begin at 5:00 pm. You are invited to attend.
May the Lord bless you and keep you! May He shine His face upon you, and may the God of peace surround you this day with His steadfast love that endures forever!!!
Have a great weekend!
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Duane
Friday Focus
GREETINGS
My personal devotions this week has led me to camp out in Matthew chapters 5 and 6, and specifically being reminded this morning of verse 33.Matt. 6:33 – “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
As I shared with some of our staff this week, nothing we are a part of, nothing we do at HCN will be healthy or see God’s hand in it if we are not first focused on our own personal holiness and our own personal walk with Christ! If we as a people are not in a personal, healthy, and growing relationship with Jesus, everything else will be out of sorts. We must be a people of prayer! As we head into 2016, my prayer as your pastor is that we become of a people of prayer and a people who strive for righteousness in our own hearts and lives first. We must be a people who pursue righteousness and His Kingdom first! For then everything else will fall into place as it should.
Yesterday I had the privilege to spend the whole day at our District Ministry Resource Center in an all day training work shop for senior pastors. It was a great opportunity for me to be equipped, refreshed, and reminded of how to be a more effective servant of Jesus in ministry! I’m excited about what God has in store! I’m excited to see where God is going to lead us in 2016. Would you join with me in prayer for our church and for the days ahead?
Organized Prayer Ministry at HCN in 2016
The Lord has really laid on my heart the need we have to become more intentional in prayer as a church. As we head into 2016, one of my goals as the pastor is to organized a much more intentional prayer ministry. In all that we do, nothing is more important than prayer!
HCN Weekly Prayer Needs
1. Delton Denton – health fading – Wilma for strength and comfort
2. Our Teens – On their Winter Retreat this weekend
3. Our District Tween Lock In – Hosted at our church this weekend
4. Bettye Harmon – Recovering from hip and back pain
5. Vicki Maberry – Health issues
6. Pastor Christy – as they prepare for the God leading them
7. Our Children’s Ministry Team – as they see us through the transition
8. Our Teenagers – so many spiritual and family needs
9. Our Staff and Leadership – for wisdom and personal holiness
10. Our Staff Families and Children
11. Leah Ceplo – Preparing for another Mission’s Trip
12. Jared Horne & Amy Botomslee – Currently in Haiti on a Missions’ Trip
13. Our Pastors Across the District – for protection and guidance
14. This Sunday Worship at HCN – That God would be magnified in our hearts
THIS WEEKEND
As we head into this weekend, there is a lot going on with our teenagers and our pre-teens. Here’s Whats Happening this Weekend!!!
District Tween Lock In
Tonight and tomorrow morning, we as a church will be hosting our District’s Tween Lock In where there will be over 200 4th-6th graders along with 40-50 adult workers staying at our church tonight!!! It will be a great time of worship and fun. Please pray for safety and each child would draw closer to God through this exciting event. Several of us will be there tonight to host this great event!!!
Teen Winter Retreat in Gatlinburg
Tomorrow morning, we are taking over 20 teenagers to Gatlinburg through Monday for their annual Winter Retreat!!! I’m excited to be going with them as one of the chaperons. It will be a great opportunity for me to get to know our teens better as we spend time together! Please pray for traveling mercies!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Here’s a few upcoming events you need to know about!
Monday Feb. 1st – 7:00 pm – Volleyball Night at Church – All Ages
Friday Feb. 5th – 7:00 pm – All Church Game Night – All Ages
Sunday Feb. 7th – Pastor Christy’s Farewell Celebration Sunday w/potluck lunch
Sunday Feb. 14th – Vision Sunday – A look back at the year and a look ahead!
Friday Feb. 19th – 7:00 pm Women’s Movie Night at Church
Saturday Feb. 20th – 8:00 am Men’s Monthly Breakfast
HCN Volunteer of the Week
This Week’s HCN Volunteer of the Week is Susy Sircy. Susy has been a long time core member of our church and has served in leadership roles as a board member and in so many other ways. Her servant’s heart and her Christlike love for people fuel her desire to serve the Lord within the Body of Christ. She has recently agreed to step in and lead our Women’s Ministries. We are excited about what God will do through her leadership! Thank you Susy for all that you do and for who you are in Christ at HCN!!!
This Sunday’s Worship
As I will be away as one of our adults with our teenagers this weekend at their winter retreat, I’m excited to let you know that I’ve asked Keith Roberts to fill in and so he will be preaching our message this Sunday! Please pray for him as he prepares to share God’s Word!!!
May you all have a great weekend and may God’s grace shine upon you in so many ways!!! Let us be a people of prayer! Let us be a people who pursue righteousness! Let us be in Christ!!!
Have a great weekend!
In Christ’s Love,
Friday Focus
I apologize for not having a chance to send this out to you on Friday. I pray that the Lord is helping all of us get acclimated to the new year as we all get back into the swing of things. We continue in our current sermon series “Fearless Faith” and the Lord has been challenging me while also encouraging me personally through His Word. I hope He has done the same with you.
NEWS AND UPDATES
Children’s Sunday School Classes
I wanted to share with you some great news and answers to prayer involving our children’s Sunday School classes. With the way the numbers and the ages of our children are, it was decided that the best option is to divide our one large children’s SS class into two classes being a boys class and a girls class. This new arrangement will begin this coming Sunday January 17th. Billy Meikrantz has agreed to teach our boys Sunday School class. Rhonda Harris has agreed to teach our girls Sunday School class. We are very excited and thankful for Billy and Rhonda to be our Sunday School teachers and we look forward to seeing how the Lord will use them to teach our children.
Children’s Ministries (Interim Period)
As I shared in an email on Thursday with you all, Pastor Christy has stepped down as our children’s pastor and her last Sunday with us will be Feb. 7th. I also want to remind you that we will have a reception following the worship service that day. We love and appreciate Pastor Christy so much for all that she has done in service to the Lord at HCN. We and our children will all miss her and Jimmy greatly. As we enter into the interim period and begin the search for a new Children’s Pastor, my wife Melanie Harris will be stepping in to serve in this role, leading Children’s Church and assisting all other children’s teachers and volunteers in their various areas. We pray and hope that Melanie’s several years of experience working in Children’s ministries will help her in this task. We do not plan for this to be a permanent role for her, but only to bridge the gap. Please pray for Melanie as she fills this vital position during the interim period while we prayerfully search for the next Children’s Pastor that the Lord will call to HCN.
The Third Adult Sunday School Class – (Prayer Group)
Currently, the third Sunday School class we have, serves as an Articles of Faith class that I am teaching. This coming Sunday, we will cover Article 9 of 16. As this class comes to a conclusion, we will be transitioning this class to become a prayer group. This will serve as an opportunity for adults to come together, to fellowship but also to focus on praying for each other, for our church, and for those in our community during the Sunday School hour. We plan to begin this class on the first Sunday of March. If you are not currently involved in a Sunday School class and would like to be a part of this new prayer group, please let me know.
Renovations Update
As we have all been through the holidays, much of the finishing touches have been on hold until we come back together to prioritize the remaining funds and direct them to the areas of need. This week our Finance Committee and Church Board will be meeting and one of the areas we will discuss and decide on will be what we can accomplish with the remaining renovation funds we have available. There are still several smaller projects and repairs that need to be completed through our building. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom and discernment in the decisions of these areas.
The Cove Training Classes Coming Soon
As we head into the new year, we have many who are relatively new to the church and many who are not new to the church, but are still unfamiliar with the Cove and how it works. If you do not know, the Cove is our online web based system we use as a directory, communication tool, church calendar, RSVP, event planning, group messaging, record keeping, and so much more. Angie Welch has been helping us learn new ways to use the Cove that will benefit our church even more in the weeks and months ahead. We plan to hold a few training classes soon that will give people an opportunity to learn more about the Cove and how they can use it to be more in touch and connected with the life of the church. We will let you know as soon as the dates and times are scheduled.
A Family in Need – Home Burned Down
A family by the name of the Mintons, who are friends with Corey Heath, a regular attender of our church experienced tragedy as their home burned down a few weeks ago. They lost everything. Corey has asked if there is any way we can help as a church through donating furniture, clothes, housewares, appliances, and such. Corey has a 12 foot box truck that he will be parking at the church parking lot this week and will be leaving open for drop offs. If you have any furniture you would like to get rid of, housewares, dishes, clothes, or anything that you would consider donating to this family in need, please consider doing so. We will send out more detailed information this week regarding what sizes the children’s clothes are and how and when you can drop off the items here at the church.
HCN Volunteer of the Week
May God bless you and keep you this week!!!
New Years’ Friday Focus
Dear Church Family,
GREETINGS
Happy New Year!!! I hope and pray that you have had a safe and enjoyable holiday season! I hope that Christmas and New Years has been about fun, food, friends, and family! My prayer for you is that the Lord may richly bless you, keep you, guide you, and prosper you in 2016. As we all look back on 2015, we see highs and lows in our personal lives, our family lives, and even our church life. Some of us have experienced loss. Some have experienced gain. We have seen success and we have seen failure, but we are reminded through it all, that God is still God and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. I read in one of my personal devotional times this past week a piece from Oswald Chambers who wrote these words. “God is the God of our yesterdays and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future.”
We can’t change yesterday. But we can allow yesterday to change us fortomorrow.
The prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 52:12 – “You shall not go out with haste, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”
I pray that we as a congregation will allow God to teach us from our past, will allow God to walk with us in the present, and will allow God to guide and go before us in the future. May we never get ahead of God!!! May HE lead us into 2016!
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Prayer Needs
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please read over the weekly prayer list that I sent out on Wednesday. There are several prayer needs within our church family.
New Sermon Series in January – “Fearless Faith”
I’m excited to announce our new four part sermon series that will begin thisSunday Jan. 3rd, entitled Fearless Faith. As we head into 2016 with so many questions, challenges, fears, or even worries, we will focus each week over the next 4 Sundays on a story in the Bible where God helped someone overcome their fears to be used in amazing ways. I truly hope that these next four Sundays will be a season of encouragement, inspiration, and hope for us through the timeless truth of God’s Word as we head into the new year.
State of the Church Address – Sunday January 31st
I want to share with everyone that I will be sharing our Annual State of the Church Address on Sunday morning January 31st. This will be a time where I will share with our entire congregation a look back on 2015 and a look ahead to 2016. I will share with you information about our finances, resources, staff, vision and ministry plans moving forward. I hope you don’t miss it!
Life Group Focus in 2016
One of our major focuses of 2016 will be the continued growth and formation of Life Groups ministries at HCN. I ask that you begin praying now about how God would want you to be involved in a life group. We will be sharing more in the next several weeks.
This Weekend – Sunday January 3rd
We will resume our normal Sunday Schedule with Sunday School at 9:00 amand Worship at 10:15 am. We look forward to a great opportunity to come together for worship for the first time in 2016. May the Lord bless you and keep you and may He shine His face upon you!!! See you all on Sundaymorning!!!
In Christ’s Love,
Christmas Friday Focus
GREETINGS
It is Christmas Eve!!! The presents are wrapped and under the tree,hopefully 🙂 with the glow of the Christmas tree lights shining off of the wrapping paper, the stockings bulging with stocking stuffers, and perhaps if you’re like me, regretting that last piece of pecan pie. The Christmas movie credits are rolling or the board game is winding down and you’re about to go to bed, looking forward to all that tomorrow will bring! The kids are asleep, anxiously waiting for tomorrow morning! Everyone’s in their Christmas pajamas and you’re perhaps sitting in the silence of this moment during the calm before the chaos :). This moment has always been one of my favorite moments of Christmas. That moment is now, Christmas Eve, when everything and everyone is calm, everything under the tree is still pretty and put together and the focus of the evening perhaps has been more about Christ’s birth. This is the moment I cherish the most, right now. Resting the the quite presence of our wonderful Lord and Savior knowing that He is with us because He came to us!
It has been wonderful to see all of the photos and everyone’s posts of Christmas Eve festivities. From Christmas Eve services of friends and family, to parties, and various family traditions celebrated. It is a wonderful time of year!!! The JOY is in the air. Christ is born and God is with us. EMMANUEL!!!! From our family to yours, Melanie, Timothy, Carson, Ashley, and I all wish you a very Merry Christmas!!! We count it a joy and true blessing to be serving the Lord at HCN. We love our church family so much and we appreciate all of the cards, gifts, and expressions of love from our congregation during this Christmas season. I could not be more blessed!
HCN VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK
This week’s HCN Volunteers of the Week is plural. This week, we honor and celebrate our Tuesday night Women’s Life Group. This past Sunday evening, this group led by Susy Sircy went down to Emmaus – which is a homeless ministry run by Nashville First Church who we partner with each month. They took gifts and candy to all of the children that were going to be there and spread the love and joy of Christmas to those kids and families in the name of Jesus. We want to celebrate those women this week who all deserve to be the HCN Volunteer of the Week. Thank you for taking the initiative to do this and make a difference for Christ.
As we head into this weekend, here is a special reminder!
This Sunday Worship – Family Worship 10:15 am – (No Sunday School)
There will be no Sunday School this Sunday. We will have a combined Family Worship Service at 10:15 am with our children (except pre-school) joining us for worship! We hope you will be able to join us as we celebrate Christmas and look ahead to the New Year as a church!!! We can’t wait to see you on Sunday!
I hope you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I love you all so much!