Calendar of Events

5/3 – Ladies Spring Banquet – Fellowship Hall 6:00 pm

5/9 – Scrapbooking – Fellowship Hall 6:00 pm

Minister’s Message

As I sit down to write this article, my mind is racing toward the fact that the school year is almost over, and our children will be advancing to new grade levels by the end of the month.  They have read, reread, added, subtracted, divided, multiplied, calculated, figured, drawn, painted, colored, and done a multitude of other things, so they can be advanced to another level.

            While this is the accepted protocol of the school system, how does a person advance spiritually? I remember so well the tests in Bible College to determine our knowledge of the Scriptures, but they did not reveal our growth as a Christian. To my knowledge, no one has come up with a written test to determine a person’s level of spirituality. You see, we can all answer the questions about the Bible and spiritual development, but the real measurements of spirituality are the tests of life and how we respond to them. It seems the old cliché is still very appropriate: What Would Jesus Do?

Love ya,

Larry

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪  NIXON’S NOTES  ♫ ♪

This past weekend eight of our Celebration Choir members had the privilege of singing with the Franklin Graham Festival choir, a group of around 1600 people.  One of the songs we sang was a beautiful choral arrangement of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.”  The first verse reads:

“O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home!”

The hymn was apparently added to the Festival’s repertoire in Mobile, Alabama, as people were still dealing with Katrina’s aftermath.   We all have those “stormy blasts” that threaten to sink us, don’t we?  What do we do when it happens?

The writer of Hebrews gives us one of the keys.  In chapter 12, we read, “ . . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:1-2).

Christ endured pain and suffering for each of us and then, through His death and resurrection, claimed eternal victory for His followers.  As Christ followers, may we remain faithful and live victorious lives in Him.

“O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Be Thou our guide while life shall last,

And our eternal home.”

May God bless,

Ken

P.S.    Thanks to all our choir members who do so much to lead our congregation in spirit-filled, meaningful worship.  Thanks also, congregation, for your support and participation in the worship service.  Let us all pray for God’s presence and His anointing as we worship and serve God at HCC.