"But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good." (2 Thessalonians 3:13)
As the church members in Thessalonica looked around, they saw that many had given up, and some had given in. They began to wonder: “Is continuing to press on for Jesus really worth it?” Paul encouraged them that they were not to be like those that surrounded them. They were to live in the hope, joy, and strength of the Lord. They were to keep their eyes on Jesus. They were to press on in the faith.
In the midst of a long week, particularly one that began with losing an hour of sleep because of daylight savings time, it could be easy to feel tired and to let thoughts of, “Is it worth it?” creep into our heads. But be reminded church, Jesus IS worth it all. He is still our hope, joy, and strength. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Press on in the faith.
Below are a number reasons to celebrate what God is doing at Hyland Heights, as well as our most recent week of giving.
Mission Impact: Last weekend, over 50 Hyland Heights members served alongside one of our partnership church plants, Hill Church in Roanoke, to help prepare their facility for Easter services and invite their community to join them for Easter Worship. This is the first mission trip of the year, but it certainly won’t be the last. Stay tuned for what’s next!
Go. Love. Serve. Last Sunday, hundreds of Hyland Heights members went out into our community to show and share the love of Jesus. I’ve already heard so many amazing reports and we are already seeing great responses, such as the social media shout out from Elite Athletics to our 7th grade boys who served by cleaning an area of the gym. Way to go Hyland Heights!
Salvation Celebration: Last Wednesday, one of our students gave their life to Jesus after a powerful message on works vs. grace-based faith. Praise God for what he is continuing to do in our student ministry!
A New Way to Learn: This month our Children’s Ministry switched to a new teaching curriculum for our children’s Life Groups. The curriculum is called The Gospel Project and is published by Lifeway. It walks our children through the entirety of Scripture in a 3-year span and points them to Jesus every step of the way. Here’s a quick video to give you a sneak peek at what it’s all about: The Gospel Project for Kids | One Story Changes Everything - YouTube. Stay tuned for more exciting ways for you to learn more to help your children grow in their walks with Christ.
Matching Gift Opportunity: As you might know, we have been given a $10,000.00 matching gift to purchase 2 new side projectors for our worship center as 1 is out completely and the other is starting to show signs of failing, as others have in the past. This means that your gift is doubled when you give to this need. To date, $2,935.00 has been committed to this designated line item. If you would like to help us reach this goal, you can give at hhbc.net/give and select “projector matching gift” in the drop down menu.
Life Happens Here: One week ago, 74% of the people who attended worship on Sunday morning were also connected to a Life Group that morning as well. We have seen a huge increase in the number of people connecting to Life Groups over the past year. We believe everyone needs a place to develop authentic relationships around the Word of God. Join a Life Group this coming week. If you need help connecting to a Life Group, email Pastor Brian Freerksen at bfreerksen@hhbc.net or check out hhbc.net/lifegroups for more information.
Communion: On Palm Sunday, March 28th, many of our Life Groups will be celebrating the ordinance of communion during the Life Group hour. We hope you will take this special opportunity to worship together with your Life Group.
Easter Sunday’s Coming: As Easter quickly approaches on April 4th, we hope that you take this opportunity to invite your friends and family to join us for one of our 3 worship services; 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00. We look forward to seeing God move in great ways this Easter Sunday!
Celebration of Faithfulness: We want to remind you that this Sunday, March 21st, we will have an opportunity to thank and celebrate Gene Steele as he retires after 8 years of serving as our pastor to senior adults. If you would like, we encourage you to drop a card by the office that we can give to him and Monnie on that Sunday.
HHBC Weekly Financials:
March 14 Offering: $ 32,250.51
Weekly Budget: $33,228.00
Thank you for your continued generosity! God is moving in incredible ways at Hyland Heights and each gift continues to help us live out the vision of Jesus as we connect, grow, and impact our world for the gospel.
St. Patrick’s Prayer:
As many this week celebrate St. Patrick’s day in honor of the famous missionary to Ireland, below is a prayer of St. Patrick. Consider praying through it for yourself today.
Christ with me, Christ in me,
Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me,
Amen.
Pressing on in the faith,
Dr. Josh Carter
Senior Pastor