A New Opportunity - Weekly Celebration (Jan. 7)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

2020 was quite the year in so many ways. While there could be many reasons given for us to complain, I think we have an even better opportunity to celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness to our church family. While turning the year on the calendar also doesn’t alleviate every concern, particularly in a pandemic, we also must realize we do have a new opportunity to continue to place our faith in God as we move forward into the new year.

As 2021 begins, we are incredibly excited by some of the things God is doing. Below are just a few of them, along with our financials for the week.

Staying Safe:

As always, keeping our church family safe during the pandemic continues to be a major priority as we roll into 2021. You can see some of the basic ways we are doing this at the bottom of this letter or go to hhbc.net/coronavirus for details on all of our guidelines for specific ministries.

In the Word:

It’s not the only Bible reading group at HHBC, but we have one group of over 50 men reading God’s Word together every day through the YouVersion Bible app as we start the new year. How exciting is that? It’s not too late to jump in either. You can join by following this link: Bible Reading Plan - New Testament Epistles and Acts. If you have any problems joining, you can email Tom Rasey at raseyt@yahoo.com.

Fashion Police:

This past week we launched on our website a way for you to purchase HHBC apparel. Check it out athhbc.net/shop.

Making a Splash:

Last Sunday, we kicked the year off right with 3 more baptisms. Do you or someone you know want to be baptized? Our next baptisms are scheduled for Sunday, January 31st. Go to hhbc.net/nextsteps and follow the baptism link for more information.

New Members:

In addition to celebrating through baptism, we also had 3 new members join our church family. Praise the Lord! If you or your family wants to learn more about why membership matters at Hyland Heights, go to hhbc.net/nextsteps and follow the “connect” link to register for our connect class. It’s the easiest way to learn about membership at HHBC.

Used Coat Donations:

Our Clothes Closet, in conjunction with our Food Pantry, has had many requests for gently worn used coats and blankets to distribute to those who come through the lines in January. We will be accepting donations of new or gently used coats and blankets through the end of January. Donations can be brought to Entrances 2, 3, and the Upper Lobby. This is an excellent opportunity to bless our community.

Register for the Advance Winter Bible Conference:

Spots have already started filling up! January 24-27 (6:30-8:00pm), Hyland Heights will be hosting our first ever Winter Bible Conference. We have an absolutely incredible lineup of guest speakers that you are going to want to hear each night. Please remember that registration is limited. You can register your family today or learn more by going to hhbc.net/advance.

Ministry Stimulus:

Over the past week, some of our members have asked if they could give at least part of their stimulus check, over and above their regular offerings, to help Hyland Heights be able to make an even larger impact through some of our ministries in 2021. For the next few weeks, if you desire and are able, we recommend giving to what we are calling our “ministry stimulus”. All of what is received in this offering will go directly to help push our ministries forward in 2021. Imagine being able to meet a significant need in one of our key ministries or make a major update in our facility because of this one-time gift to start the year. Once this offering is closed, our leadership team and finance committee will help to determine how to make the best impact with what is given. You can give to this offering by marking the memo line on your check “ministry stimulus” or by going to hhbc.net/give and then selecting “ministry stimulus” in the drop down menu.

HHBC Weekly Financials:

December 27th Weekly Offering: $36,339.35

January 3rd Weekly Offering: $62,989.63

Weekly Budget: $33,228.00

While we are still working to close out our 2020 calendar year, and a little more work still remains, we want to praise God and say thank you for helping us end the year around 105% of our 2020 annual budget!

Sunday Reminders:

Please remember that giving in worship will continue to look different as long as Covid-19 persists. We will not pass the plates for your safety, but will have offering boxes at each entrance to the worship center where you can give as you enter or exit. If you cannot be here in person or prefer to mail a check, the address to the church office is: 11452 Wards Rd. Rustburg, VA. 24588. For many, we know that you have started to give online, and this continues to be an excellent choice to make giving easier/safer for you. It also ensures that the ministry and mission of HHBC continues to impact more lives in the weeks to come. If you would like to give to Hyland Heights online, simply go to hhbc.net/give.

HHBC continues to strive to keep our church family safe during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. We continue to encourage everyone to take the precautions you would take when entering into any other building. If doing things like social distancing, washing hands well, and wearing masks can help us love our neighbors better and avoid potential spread in our church family so we can continue worshiping together in person, we should strive to do these things as much as we are able. We also want to remind everyone that the 9:30 service still has plenty of room for you and your family to join us while best maintaining social distancing. Thank you for your help and understanding as we strive to keep the people we love as safe as possible. For additional information on HHBC’s response to Covid-19 go to hhbc.net/coronavirus.

With excitement to advance the gospel,

Dr. Josh Carter

Senior Pastor