This week's newsletter from Karen

It’s Summer Camp time!!!

Yesterday Tom talked about the balance between fellowship and partnership as it relates to the church and its mission.

If you have been on the leadership team in past years, we need your valuable experience and expertise again this year.

If you have never been a part of the fellowship of Summer Camp by being part of the leadership team, we invite you to join us this year.

If you have never been a part of the partnership of Summer Camp by serving the children of this church and the surrounding community, we invite you to join us this year.

Contact me if you have any questions!

This week's newsletter from Steve

Have you prayed for Christians around the world today? If you are like me, the cares of work, your children, and just Austin in general tend to occupy most of my thoughts in a given day.

However, one of the benefits of God allowing Amy and me to do work in different parts of the world has been the way it has changed our view of that world. Having friends in Nepal, Ukraine, Russia, Africa, and many other places gives us a front-seat view to news that seem a million miles away when watched from a television reporter’s viewpoint. My Facebook newsfeed is constantly flooded with stories of these world events told through the eyes of friends right there in the midst of often difficult and sometimes tragic events. We are able to see Jesus at work, even in the midst of all of this.

This week, as you watch the news coming out of Nepal, take some time to stop and pray. Pray for the people in the midst of such tragedy, and also pray for the Christians that are there doing ministry right now. We may not be able to see them, but the Lord certainly does. May the name of Jesus be proclaimed, even in tough circumstances!

This week's newsletter from Gene

This past week, Michael and I spent Monday through Wed in Mobile, AL, at a music conference. It was a brand new conference put on by one of our major music suppliers, Prism music. The concept was transferring information from those of us who have been around for years to our younger counterparts who are just beginning to lead worship.  There are many things that have changed in church music over the past 15 years, and, in all likelihood, many more to come. However, in the midst of all the changes, there are some things that do not change: the message of the gospel, and the people involved. What we have seen is a style change. 

This conference brought together worship leaders from some of the top churches in the country to lead small group seminars on a variety of topics related to music ministry. None of them were about style, but were about dealing with people, organization, and the spiritual aspects of leading worship. It was a very worthwhile conference. 

While there, I was able to introduce Michael to some of my long-time friends who are leaders in the publishing business and churches. It was a good time to give him a historical perspective of the past 40 years in church music. 

The conference was hosted by the University of Mobile, a Baptist college with an outstanding music program. The music department has been chaired by Roger Breland for the past 12 years. Roger, through his traveling group, “Truth,” which was on the road for 30+ years, had a major impact on many of the style changes that have taken place in church music and helped it to remain relevant to new generations. I’ve known Roger for several years, and it was interesting to see how he has taken the same style of “Truth” from the early 70’s, made some minor adjustments, and developed a very successful music department on those concepts. There were about 350 students in the choir, about 40 in the orchestra, and a wide variety of ensembles that led in worship each evening. Thank you, Hillcrest, for the opportunity to attend this conference.

Sweet Tea for the Soul

by Tom Goodman

I know a Southernism that can help you develop your soul.

You know what a “Southernism” is, right? People from the South measure distance in “tads” and measure time in “directlys”—as in “scoot over a tad” and “I’ll be over to your house directly.” People from the South know that a state of readiness is required to enter into any action, so we’ll let you know when we’re “fixin’” to do something. And people from the South know that it makes no sense for the plural of “you” to be “you.” Every other language differentiates between the second-person singular and the second-person plural, so English should, too. “Y’all” solves the deficiency here. Even my smartphone’s autocorrect knows this.

By the way, the best indicator that a speaker has no idea how to imitate a Southerner is when he refers to one person as “y’all.” Yankee, please.

But there’s one Southernism that will help you develop your soul. I’m speaking about the word “reckon.” On his 2012 album, Punching Bag, Josh Turner included the song “Whatcha Reckon.”

Whatcha reckon we take off early today?
Go and take a little ride in my Chevrolet
Down the road we ain't been down before
And see where it goes

He was inviting his girl to imagine herself in a scenario—more than that, though: He was inviting her to act on the scenario.

And that’s where “reckoning” can help you grow as a Christian. In Romans 6:11, Paul says, “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NKJV).

If we think of the pursuit of holiness as a self-improvement process it will lead either to pride or despair, depending on our success. It’s better to think of the pursuit of holiness as getting aligned with the status Christ has achieved for us. United to him, we’ve already died to sin. Spiritual growth means acting in consistency with that scenario.

This great truth is like sweet tea for the soul. I’ll pour you a glass in this Sunday’s sermon. See you at 10!

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

Conservatives feel they have to remain closeted in the Bay Area high-tech world.

 

Just looking at sick people primes your immune system

 

What was Samsung going for with their default ringtone? I’m guessing an over-caffeinated whistler. Please. Make. It. Stop.

 

Last Sunday’s “Forecast” was the best Mad Men episode yet. “This is supposed to be about my job, not the meaning of life,” Peggy says as Don Draper critiques the sufficiency of her plans for the future. “So you think those things are unrelated?” he replies. This episode was about what future one ought to want, and whether it’s even worth thinking about (“I just wanna eat dinner,” Sally said, probably best capturing the short-term goals of most people in the show). Reviews by Wired, The Atlantic.

 

“A strong new body of science, developed during the last decade to what we now consider to be a level of certainty, demonstrates, first, that any sort of spirituality becomes a source of health and thriving for kids and, second, that the lack of spirituality in families and youth culture can be a big source of suffering.” Lisa Miller, for TIME.

 

What sets Austin apart from everywhere else? Austinites weigh in in the Zandan poll.

 

In discussions about same-sex relations, someone will inevitably say that Jesus never said anything about it. I suppose that is supposed to imply that Jesus was indifferent to the matter, or that only the “red letter” words of the Bible (the words of Jesus that some Bible publishers print in red) are significant. But Scot McKnight suggests that Jesus, like any first-century Jew, would have had Leviticus 18 in mind when opposing porneia (“sexual immorality”) in several of his statements. And Leviticus 18 included same-sex relations on the list of prohibited sexual activity.

 

Besides, even if Jesus made no reference to homosexuality, does that imply that he would have been at odds with everything else in the Bible? Are the “red letter” statements more significant than the “black letter” statements? Karen Swallow Prior: “All of the words of Jesus come through the narrators of the Bible. If the black letters of the narrators are reliable, so too are the red letters of Christ. If the narrators are unreliable, however, then the words of Christ they convey are untrustworthy as well. The only way to the red letters is through the black letters….It’s as impossible to be a Biblicist without being a Christ follower as it is to follow Christ without the Word… all of it.” Specifically, she reacts to the weaknesses of an opinion piece by Marv Knox of the BGCT’s Baptist Standard.

 

Without religious liberty protections, Matthew Lee Anderson wonders when militant voices demand that “religious colleges and universities like Biola, or Liberty, or Wheaton, or any others [like my Baylor] that maintain sexual behavior standards for students and faculty that prohibit same-sex sexual activity should lose their tax-exempt status…and their federal funding (via student aid).  For most institutions, losing both would be a death blow: but if our progressive friends are serious about ending an intrinsically and structurally discriminatory regime of sexual mores (on their view), wouldn’t they have every reason to pursue such measures…? Why should we leave any social space (much less ecclesiastical space!) for those who disagree…? Same-sex marriage will lead to a soft-despotism because it has to.”

This week's newsletter from Karen

My Facebook cover photo looks like this…

I’ve loved this picture from the very first time I saw it.  For me, it is a great visual picture of where two passages of Scripture meet.

1. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8, NIV)

2. “’Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:13-15, NIV)

When I made it my cover photo, I had no idea God would take me (more than a year later) to Africa as part of the Hillcrest team that went to Malawi. Africa was an amazing experience, but I hesitate to call it a “once in a lifetime” experience. Because as stressful, tiring, and demanding as it was, I’d drop everything and do it again tomorrow.

Not everyone is called to go halfway around the globe to tell others about the love of God for us. Some are called to just go across the street or next door.

This Sunday is Explore Sunday. Bring someone with you so they can see what we do here on Sunday mornings. Also, families with children/youth, participate in Sleepover Saturday by having your children’s friends spend the night with your family and then come with you on Sunday morning.

My prayer is that you’ll answer God’s call this week and be “sent” to your neighbors and friends just to ask them to join you. My prayer is for your “beautiful feet.”

This week's newsletter from Steve

This weekend is Explore Hillcrest and Sleepover Saturday! I encourage you to talk with your kids about what it means to invite their friends to church and to youth activities. It is a great way to introduce them to their friends at church, but most importantly, it is a place where they can hear the amazing story of Jesus! 

Speaking of our friends…  Our world is not interested in large arenas full of people talking about Jesus things and warm fuzzy feelings. Our world needs Disciples of Christ that will engage lives, one at a time, with what it truly means to walk each day with Jesus. It may take time out of our schedules, it will require a lot of patience, but a life changed by the renewing power of God is worth the struggle! This may even require us to wade into uncharted waters with new types of people. It may cost us status, money, and even our privacy at times… but isn’t that the example given to us by the New Testament church? To love unconditionally, to love at all times, to bear with one another, in an effort to save people from a life without Jesus? I pray that God will ignite this in our hearts, and that He will show you that one person that you need to invest in this week. Be an encourager, change the rooms you enter with the love of Jesus.  I know it is a challenge, but we’re up to it!

This week's newsletter from Gene

As I write this article, Michael and I are on our way to Mobile, Alabama. We are going to a music conference that centers around blending the old with the new. I'll let you guess which is which. The conference is organized by Prism music, which is one of our main music suppliers. We will be hearing from and interacting with some of the top worship leaders from around the country. It should be a very good experience. We will be back for Wednesday night activities.

There's been a change in the schedule for our 2nd Half Ministries alternate shot golf tournament. It has moved to May 16th. Find a partner and plan to play!! 

Who’s Coming with You to “Explore Sunday”?

by Tom Goodman

A big part of our life is our involvement at Hillcrest, and we want to introduce others to it. So, we’re inviting people to our first ever “Explore Sunday” this weekend! Who’s coming with you?

“Explore Sunday” is designed as an “Open House Party” to introduce our friends, neighbors, and co-workers to what we do at Hillcrest. Think about those who belong to another church, or another faith, or even no faith. Guests will feel no pressure to sign up for anything. Instead, we just want to give the people who are important to us a chance to experience the church that is important to us.

As a part of this effort, we’re also challenging our small-group leaders to contact members and prospects on their class roll to make sure everyone is in attendance on April 26. So ask your Sunday School teacher or Common Ground host what you can do to help.

For parents of children and teens, one key component of Explore Sunday is “Sleepover Saturday.” Talk with your kids about whom they could invite to sleep at your house on Saturday night and attend Hillcrest the next morning. Be ready to answer any questions parents may have, and let Steve or Karen or me know if we can help you with your efforts.

We’ve created a web page you can provide for people as you invite them to Explore Sunday and Sleepover Saturday. Forward this link to your friends: www.Hillcrest.Church/ExploreSunday.

Please be in prayer for this important Sunday at Hillcrest.

Life Together: Our series called “Tools for Soul Development” continues this Sunday. Fellowship with other believers is a vital tool for spiritual growth, and we’ll see why this is so essential in our study this week. See you at 10!

Missions Munch: Brian McKanna will be with us on Sunday, May 3. He works for the International Mission Board in Central Asia. Enjoy a BBQ lunch and learn more about his life and ministry from 12:15-2:00pm. You can purchase your ticket for $7 online (www.Hillcrest.Church) or in person at the Wednesday meal, in the MPC after service, or in the church office.

The Malawi Mission Trip Report: Watch a 5-minute video summarizing our church’s trip to Malawi to host the Annual General Meeting of the IMB’s Zambezi Cluster. You can find it at www.vimeo.com/125339317.

This week's newsletter from Karen

I read a poem* a while back that read… 

Words are very powerful.
Words have the power to…

move us from a place very deep within us,
shift us from old beliefs to new ones,
inspire us to take action steps to make a difference,
shake us up and help us change,
touch our hearts and bring us peace.

I thought about these “word powers” and the part God’s words have played in my life as I’ve moved from non-belief to belief to growth to service to influence. 

In my non-belief, God’s Word made me want something so much more from my life. Continued reading caused my shift from a factual knowledge of Jesus to a believer in Him as the one and only avenue for salvation. More reading helped me to grow and understand that there was an obedience-from-love component of the salvation I had received that made my life different than it was before. Even more time in God’s Word shook my life’s plan to see that God had a calling on my life to serve Him, what that exact service was, and where the strength to serve would come from. After following his calling to service, I find myself needing God’s Word to direct me as he uses me to influence the lives of others. 

Have God’s words been a major factor in your life?

If not, my prayer for you today is that God’s words would begin to move, shift, inspire, shake, and touch your life for His honor and glory.

* author name not given

This week's newsletter from Steve

Do your kids like to have sleepovers? I know that mine do! I also know what it is like to hear those same kids awake and giggling WAY past their bedtime.  Do you remember the sleepovers you had with friends when you were growing up? I sure do! Such fun memories! Sure, my house gets messy and loud, but hey… where there is life, there is going to be a mess! It is just fun getting to know our daughters’ friends a bit more each time we have them over.

Would you pray with your kids about having some friends over for a sleepover on Saturday, April 25th? Then, bring those kids to church with you the next day? You could even invite their family to meet you there, if you wanted.

Why promote something like a sleepover before church? Well, the answer is very simple. It gives our kids an easy way to show their friends what they do at church on Sundays. That’s it, plain and simple! We will have a special breakfast in Youth Sunday School that day, but other than that, it will be a normal day at Hillcrest.

I hope you’ll pray about this, and maybe even have sleepover Saturday at your house! You never know… you might just have a great time, and share Jesus at the same time!

This week's newsletter from Gene

We have some construction projects going on that you have probably seen. A couple should have been completed some time ago, but there have been some issues that had to be resolved.

 

One is our parking lot. We are doing repairs, sealing cracks, seal coating and restriping. This was scheduled to be done during spring break, but rain impacted that schedule. We have been able to do the repair and sealing of the cracks, but because of our heavy building/parking lot use, we are having difficulty finding a time to vacate parts of the parking lot to do the seal coating and striping. Everything is ready, but it might be the end of school before we can complete this project. 

We spent considerable time trying to find someone to install the material in the foyer. Austin’s construction boom and the skill level required for this material have made it very hard to find someone. We did contract with a good installer a couple of weeks ago, but ran into material issues, so the installation has been only partially completed. The material issues have been resolved, so now that part of the project should be completed any time.

Another project that is in the works is reroofing the choir room area. This is the only original flat roof we have. Since we refinished the interior, some leaks have become evident. 

We are in the final stages of doing a major reworking of our entire campus signage. We have never had good signage to get people from the street to the area of the building they need to go to. Having people become lost in our building is a fairly common problem. We will start at the street, label our entries and have directional signage inside the building. This is a much needed thing for our guests and new members.

Get Ready for “Explore Sunday!”

by Tom Goodman

We’re encouraging those who attend Hillcrest to bring someone to our first ever “Explore Sunday” on April 26! A big part of our life is our involvement at Hillcrest, and we want to introduce others to it!

“Explore Sunday” is designed as an “Open House Party” to introduce our friends, neighbors, and co-workers to what we do at Hillcrest. Think about those who belong to another church, or another faith, or even no faith. Guests will feel no pressure to sign up for anything. Instead, we just want to give the people who are important to us a chance to experience the church that is important to us.

As a part of this effort, we’re also challenging our small-group leaders to contact members and prospects on their class roll to make sure everyone is in attendance on April 26. So ask your Sunday School teacher or Common Ground host what you can do to help.

For parents of children and teens, one key component of Explore Sunday is “Sleepover Saturday.” Talk with your kids about whom they could invite to sleep at your house on Saturday night and attend Hillcrest the next morning. Be ready to answer any questions parents may have, and let Steve or Karen or me know if we can help you with your efforts.

We’ve created a web page you can provide for people as you invite them to Explore Sunday and Sleepover Saturday. Forward this link to your friends: www.Hillcrest.Church/ExploreSunday.

Please be in prayer for this important Sunday at Hillcrest.

The Lord’s Prayer: Our series called “Tools for Soul Development” continues this Sunday. Prayer is a vital tool for spiritual growth, and Jesus taught us how to pray in what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer. It’s one of the most familiar sections of scripture. This Sunday we’ll make this prayer a measuring stick to evaluate our own praying. See you at 10!

Get Anchored! The first week of our 8-session Anchor Course begins this Wednesday, April 15. This is a study through a book I’ve written called The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. It’s designed for those wanting to examine Christianity and for those wanting to explain Christianity to others. The class begins with a meal at 6:30pm and ends promptly at 8:00pm. Learn more about the course at www.Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse or call my assistant, Lisa, at 512-345-3771 or email her.

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

4 Things You Shouldn't Do On Facebook

 

Saying this four-letter word will transform your productivity

 

10 words we've forgotten how to pronounce. I learned how to pronounce the second word from living in the Cayman Islands where the Boatswain Bay United Church is located.

 

22 Benefits of Meditating on Scripture. Christians believe in meditation; we just believe it requires focus on the right subject.

 

Sermon Illustration Alert: “Researchers have detected trace amounts of gold, silver and other precious metals in human waste and are exploring how to make their extraction commercially feasible — a move that may stymie the dispersal of metals in the environment and lessen our dependence on mining.”

 

Fact Check: Are All Christian Denominations in Decline? You hear this statement from people a lot, some with glee and some with foreboding. It’s just not true.

 

“Kill them all, let their god sort them out.” A comment from a sociological survey of the attitudes toward conservative Christians by mostly rich, white, educated, progressive Americans. Likely hyperbolic, but disturbing in light of the massacre of Christians in Garissa, Kenya last week. George Yancey for CT: “As [the American National Election Studies] illustrates, animosity toward Christians involves racial, educational, and economic factors; the people most likely to hold negative views of conservative Christians also belong to demographic groups with high levels of social power. Rich, white, educated Americans are major influencers in media, academia, business, and government, and these are the people most likely to have a distaste for conservative Christians.”

Tools for Soul Development

by Tom Goodman

What are the best “tools” for developing your soul? Last Sunday, we began a series of Sunday messages designed to answer that question.

Across the next few weeks we’ll show you how to…

…explore the Bible,

…explore prayer,

…explore church, and

…explore grace

We begin this Sunday with the role that the Bible plays in soul development.

Maybe you’re stalled in your spiritual search or your spiritual growth because you doubt the Bible's dependability. Anne Rice was like that. For 30 years she was a popular writer of novels involving vampires and witches. She said her writing “reflected my quest for meaning in a world without God.” And then Anne Rice came to Christ.

It began by studying the Bible during her frequent periods of depression. But even after placing her faith in Jesus, she wondered about the reliability of the Bible. So Rice began to research the New Testament era. She started with the writings of skeptical and liberal historians, perhaps assuming like much of our culture that they would be more objective than conservative scholars. She said she “expected to discover that their arguments would be frighteningly strong, and that Christianity was, at heart, a kind of fraud.”

The opposite occurred. “What gradually came clear to me,” she wrote, “was that many of the skeptical arguments -- arguments that insisted most of the Gospels were suspect, for instance, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts -- lacked coherence....Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all.”

This Sunday, I'm going give you five reasons you can be confident that the Bible supplies reliable information about the life and teaching of Jesus. I’m going to show you why you can trust that…

…contemporaries of Jesus wrote the New Testament

…the Bible was faithfully copied

…archaeology verifies the stories of the Bible

…the presentation of truth is consistent throughout the Bible

…the church carefully selected what writings counted as “scripture”

The Bible faithfully gets you straight to the words and deeds of Jesus. Come Sunday at 10 to find out more.

This week's newsletter from Karen

To the Hillcrest Baptist Church Family - On behalf of the Malawi Mission Team, a huge “Thank You” for supporting us with your prayers, donations, time, and funds. The trip could not have happened without each one of you.

To the Malawi Mission Team - I do not have the depth of vocabulary to express to each of you how much participating on this team with you has changed my life. You were truly an amazing group and I learned so much about the awesomeness of our God by watching you serve Him.

To the Children’s Ministry Leadership Team – Although I wish you all could have been with us, it was encouraging and comforting to know that the ministry was in excellent hands while we were away. You are my heroes.

To the Hillcrest Baptist Church Staff – From the first day we began discussing the possibility of Hillcrest being a part of this mission effort, you were behind it 100%. I am blessed to serve alongside each one of you.

To the missionaries in the Zambezi cluster and their families – Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. We will continue our service to you stateside with our prayers and finances so you can continue the work God has called you to do.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; NIV)

“God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:24b-26; NIV)

This week's newsletter from Steve

Have you prayed for Ukraine lately? I know that this country has not been on the front page of the news lately, but the need for prayer is still great. Our good friend, Joe Ragan, had been a missionary in Donetsk, Ukraine for many years until the fighting broke out last year. He has been moved out of Donetsk, but is still doing ministry in Ukraine. 

Joe sends us frequent updates about the churches in Ukraine, and the ministry that is going on there, despite the often intense fighting and violence in the country. It is amazing to hear the stories of God’s faithfulness coming out of the churches there. Please pray that God will continue to move among the people there, and that there may be a true peace in Ukraine—peace that can only come through our savior, Jesus Christ. 

Have a wonderful week!

This week's newsletter from Gene

May by the Bay mini-camp for seniors in Palacios is May 4-7. We’ll leave Hillcrest at 1:00pm on Monday and return about 4:00pm on Thursday. Cost is $175.00 per person, double occupancy, and $100.00 deposit is due no later than this coming Sunday, April 12. Please put your deposit in an offering envelope with your name,  marked Palacios, and turn it in with our regular offering. 

2nd Half ministry, there was a scheduling conflict with the golf course, so we have moved the alternate golf shot tournament to Saturday, May 16.  This was a really good event last year. I hope all you Boomers are planning to attend again. 

Our new youth choir did an outstanding job this past Sunday!!  Thank you Michael for getting this group restarted! This once again fills all ages in our music ministry, from 4 years old through our oldest seniors. Our oldest active member in the SonShine Singers is Ann Wingfield. At 94, she is still very active and makes all the rehearsals and performances. She and her husband, Les, helped start this group about 30 years ago.

 

What a testament to how music can be a ministry to the people involved and how they can minister to those who hear them. 90 years of life separate our youngest and oldest members. That is pretty neat!!!

This week's newsletter from Karen

Karen is in Malawi this week. Please pray for her and the rest of the team as they minister to the Zambezi Cluster missionaries and their children.

Malawi Team:

John Cameron                 
Paige Dahl    
Anna Grace Dickard
Rebekah Fountain
Tom Goodman
Linda Green
Matt Harpin
Sandy Harpin
Herb Ingram
Gayla Raulie
Karen Raulie
Cheryl Tye
Isis Valencia
Ashley Wiederkehr
Kathy Wiederkehr
Mike Wiederkehr

This week's newsletter from Steve

Mid-week Bible Study, also known as Rock Solid in the youth ministry, is a vital part of the ministry that we do with students here at Hillcrest. Why? Well, I am glad you asked! 

Rock Solid begins each Wednesday night at 7:00 PM (however, we open the third floor at 4:30 PM). We spend an hour and fifteen minutes together each week, and it is all designed to be a mid-week lift for all of us there. We often spend time worshipping through music, but we also play games, celebrate birthdays, eat, pray for one another, and above all each week, we study the Bible. The Bible study is so very important each week. It is a reminder to us as a group that we need to be the instruments of Godly change in our world. It is encouragement, it is our joy, and it is the truth that we can base our lives upon! 

If your student does not attend Rock Solid each week, I highly encourage you to help them get there by 7:00 PM each Wednesday. We are always stronger when we are seeking God together.

Have a wonderful week!

This week's newsletter from Gene

We had a very good group show up last Saturday for our work day. We got all the gravel moved, and chipped up the collection of branches that have accumulated over the past 4-5 years from our tree trimming. A great big “Thank You!” to all who came and helped!

We are working on plans to start Divorce and Relationship Recovery Groups to be offered here at Hillcrest. These are workbook discussion groups with such topics as Depression, Loneliness, Facing My Anger and other related topics. 

We need people who have been divorced who are willing to train as facilitators of these groups. Someone you know is hurting. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please call the Church office, or contact me for more information.

One of our senior ladies’ Sunday School classes has moved from 9:00am to 11:00am. Betty Morgan is the teacher, and they have decided to change their meeting time. If you are an older senior lady and would like to have Bible study with your own age group each Sunday morning during the 11:00 hour, you now have that option. They meet in O-107, which is the classroom right outside the auditorium in the office hallway. Come join them. Contact me if you would like more information.

The May By The Bay senior retreat sign-up deadline is coming up quickly!! This is a retreat we attended last year in Palacios. We’ll leave at 1:00pm Monday, May 4, and get home about noon on Thursday, May 7. They have a really good program lined up. Cost of the retreat is $175.00 per person. Please have a $100.00 deposit turned by this Sunday, April 5th. Just put it in an offering envelope with your name and mark it Palacios.

Discover Hope

by Tom Goodman

Botanist Elaine Solowey has successfully grown a palm tree from a seed that’s 2,000 old.

It is the oldest seed ever known to produce a viable young tree, and the news story is a parable about hope.

The seed was discovered 30 years ago during archaeological excavations at Masada. When she heard of the excavation’s findings in 2004, she asked for some of the seeds.

Solowey said she didn’t think anything would come of her planting, but then she saw something in the potting soil. “Much to my astonishment, after five weeks, a small little date shoot came up,” she said. “It was pale, almost whitish green. The first two leaves were abnormal-looking. They were very flat and very pale. The third leaf started to have the striations of a normal date plant. Now it looks perfectly normal to me.” Another researcher at the botanical center said, “It feels remarkable to see this seed growing, to see it coming out of the soil after two thousand years.”

The botanist has brought back to life more than 100 rare or near-extinct species of plants and herbs in a study of ancient natural cures, but this is the oldest seed to ever produce new life.

It’s not just a story of seeds; it’s a story of hope.

Maybe it’s been a long time since you’ve had any of that. If so, you can identify with those downcast disciples in Luke 24. Their hope in all that Jesus had promised them was crushed at the cross, but then they met Jesus alive, victorious over his horrible death, and hope blossomed.

Where there’s hope there’s life! As the Canadian musician, Bruce Cockburn, put it:

This world can be better than it is today
You can say I’m a dreamer but that’s okay
Without the “Could be” and the “Might have been”
All you’ve got left is your fragile skin

This Easter Sunday, April 5, we’ll look at how Jesus restored hope in those two disciples from Luke 24. Join us at 10am and discover hope again!

If you’re new to Hillcrest, click here for important information about making your first visit.

If you attend Hillcrest, forward this email to a friend. And as you make plans to attend Sunday, (1) arrive early in one car, (2) park away from the building, and (3) move forward and to the left before sitting down.