God blessed us greatly in 2013. He is faithful. His grace abounds in the lives of His children. His glory is revealed in the work of His church. Last year we had a couple of baptisms, and, even as our general giving declined somewhat, we continued to be reliable and generous stewards of God’s riches – thus, our finances remain strong. Our schedule included multiple church events and discipleship efforts and missions’ engagement – local and far away. Thank you for being faithful to the ministry and work of Harrison Hills. I want to invite you to keep up that intentional faithfulness as we seek fresh winds of God’s favor in 2014.
Here are a few things coming in 2014:
1) Church Plant Partnership. We are partnering with Redeeming Vine Baptist Church, located in Greenville, IN. Our support will include contributing a monthly financial gift, along with assisting them in various local ministry efforts. This Sunday (Jan 5th), Todd Wells and Jason Sparks will be at our evening service to share some history of RVBC, and to share some of their vision. (Please make plans to attend to show HHBC support for the folks at Redeeming Vine.)
2) Fifth Sunday Focus. I will use each “5th Sunday” to share strategies and vision for Harrison Hills. I hope to better inform you so that you will be able to tell others what our mission and ministry are. We will also take advantage of the gifts and passions of our other ministerial staff by asking Caleb and Aaron to teach us on those 5th Sunday nights.
3) Spring Marriage Retreat. On March 7 & 8, we will have an opportunity to take part in a marriage retreat at First Southern Baptist of Clarksville. Ed and Kathy Litton will lead the retreat. Their story is compelling – both of them lost their former spouses in automobile accidents. Ed is pastor of First Baptist of North Mobile (Alabama). He and Kathy are very gifted in leading marriage retreats, so you’ll want to make every effort to take part. More details and sign-up will be coming soon. Cost is $50 per couple.
4) Summer Mission Trip. Yet another “big-ticket” item for 2014 will involve our third trip to the Toronto, Canada area. In August we will return to Hamilton, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, to lend support and encouragement to Jason and Kimberly McGibbon. We worked with them in the summer of 2012. We are also anticipating some members of Highland Baptist to join us on this trip. We teamed up with some Highland folks on a mission trip to New Orleans in the fall of 2009. (Our youth will also be engaged in ministry and missions when they go on their annual summer trip.)
5) Checking Progress. This year, we will be taking part in a church assessment. This process will allow each participating member to identify how we are doing in eight separate categories. Those individual notations will be compiled into a church-wide score in each area. Once we have the scores in hand we will explore possible adjustments. One thing will remain non-negotiable: though we must seek to engage a changing culture, we will not compromise on the unchanging gospel. More details to follow.
There is a thumb-nail sketch of some of the new(er) things we will be seeking to accomplish in 2014 – should God will it (James 4.13-15). I invite you to join me in praying for our strategies, and participating in our ministries & missions as we seek to be devoted followers of Jesus who are committed to learn God’s word, love God’s people, and live for God’s glory. As always, I welcome your comments or questions.
It is my joy to shepherd the flock at Harrison Hills.
Pastor Gary