You Are Loved - Weekly Celebration (Jan. 14)
"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." (Psalm 55:22)
What is causing you to feel burdened right now? Do you know that you are loved beyond measure? Do you know that the Lord cares deeply for each one of His children? Do you know that your church family cares for you too?
In this incredibly difficult season, as the coronavirus or other circumstances may even cause some of you to not be able to gather for worship in person, I want you to hear these words so clearly: You are so very loved!
Let me challenge each person reading this today with this: over the next week, call a church member that you are missing. Let them know they are cared about and missed by you. We sometimes forget the power of a caring friend’s voice on the other side of the line, especially on a bad day. Share the love of Jesus with one another this week. After all, it was the reminder of Jesus that the world would take notice of Him through us, not because of our amazing doctrinal intellect, but because of our love for one another.
Below are a few celebrations from the past week, as well as 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.
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 line-up of guest speakers that you are going to want to hear from each night. Please remember that registration is limited. You can register your family today or learn more by going to hhbc.net/advance.
A Time to Serve:
As our Winter Bible Conference quickly approaches (January 24-27th), we are still in need of several preschool and nursery workers for each night. We greatly desire that no member feels obligated to serve more than one night of the conference so that they can also participate in worship and hear the teaching of our incredible guest speakers. For that to happen, we need you to consider serving in our preschool and nursery department on one night during that week. If you are willing to do so, please contact Pastor Mike at msummy@hhbc.net.
New Year, New Faces:
Over the past few weeks, we have noticed an increase in the number of people connecting to the Hyland Heights worship service, children’s ministry, and student ministry. We love seeing new individuals and families connect to what God is doing in our church! If you see someone you don’t know, make sure to say hello and make a connection with them! If you’re new to Hyland Heights, we are thankful that you are joining us, and we’d love to connect with you!
Used Coat Donations:
Our Clothing Closet, in conjunction with our Food Pantry, has had many requests for gently worn, used coats 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 in a practical way.
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 greater 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 greatest 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:
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 at around 105% of our 2020 annual budget! Your incredible generosity as we ended the year is already serving to help us take steps to advance the gospel even further in 2021. Let’s keep up the great work!
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 and to make sure 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.
You are so very loved!
Dr. Josh Carter
Senior Pastor