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!!!