So after yesterday’s dissertation on grace, do you feel like an expert yet?  No?  That’s ok, I don’t either!  In some ways we ended yesterday with more questions than we began with as we started to explore the practical applications of God’s grace in our lives.  We’ll be spending the next several weeks looking at grace together as a reminder of the incomparable gift that God blesses us with through Jesus.  I’m looking forward to going deeper into God’s unmerited favor and I hope you are as well!  If you missed yesterday’s sermon, be sure to get caught up here.

In less than two weeks, we have our annual Church Family Meeting!  I know this is the “highlight” of your year and something that you’ve been counting down to since before Thanksgiving.  Ok, ok… I know it’s one of those things no one really gets excited about and that some of you always seem to get **cough, cough** sick the week of but it is a pretty big deal for the church.  Whether you enjoy the nuances of Robert’s Rule of Order and looking over budgets or not, it’s important that we all gather together for these few minutes to look at where we ended 2019 and where we see 2020 taking us—both financially and spiritually speaking.  These brief gatherings are key to helping our church remain transparent and accountable with your generous giving throughout the year.  This year’s meeting will also be the final opportunity to express any thoughts or questions regarding the proposed staffing addition in 2020 as we hope to hire a Family Ministry Director in the coming months.  Please join us on Sunday, January 26th following the worship service!  Whether you are a HBIC member or attender, we would love to see you there!

Finally, I would like to again express my thanks and the Leadership Team’s appreciation to Lee Keefer for her years of service on staff at HBIC.  She has served as our Church Life Coordinator over the past several years.  She has asked to step down from her role and continue on as a volunteer in order to free up resources in expectation of the new staff hire this year.  We are extremely grateful for all she has done on staff for our church family as well as all she plans to continue to do as a volunteer to bless our church family.  Please make sure to thank Lee the next time you see her for her constant love and devotion to HBIC!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Jan