christmas eve candlelight and communion service december ...storage.cloversites.com... · charlie...
TRANSCRIPT
The Christian M
essenger (usps 580-590)
is published bi -monthly except the week
of Christmas, New
Years and July 4, by
the Hickory Valley Christian Church.
PERIO
DIC
ALS POSTAGE
PAID
AT CHATTANOOGA, TN (USPS 580-590)
Worship Schedule
Bible School - 9:00 a.m.
Worship Service- 10:15 a.m.
Wednesday - 6:30 p.m.
6605 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
Phone: 423-892-4270
Fax: 423-892-0844
Email: hvccoffice@
hvcconline.com
Web: www.hvcconline.com
1887 - 2014 Celebrating 127 Years
Leading People to a Life Changing
Connection with Jesus Christ
December 15, 2014 VOLUME XLIII NUMBER 22
Christmas Eve
Candlelight and
Communion Service
December 24
7:00 p.m
Charlie Brown has always been the pop culture character I relate to the most. Followed closely by Winnie the Pooh, but that’s another thing entirely. I like Charlie Brown because nothing quite turns out like he plans, but there’s never a catastrophic disaster
that causes his plans to fall flat. That look of defeat when his tiny Christmas tree flops over describes many situations I find myself in, and yet, there is always a gentle reminder that not everything is terrible. I wonder if Joseph was like that. I mean, his fiancée, Mary, turns up pregnant. Cue sad Charlie Brown theme. But it turns out the child is from God. So not completely bad, right? Then he has to take his pregnant wife from Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea…cue sad Charlie Brown theme. But in doing this, they are filling up the prophets’ words of a Messiah born in Bethlehem. So not a complete loss, right? Oh, and then they have to stay in a room with animals. Cue sad…you know the drill. And yet, when we read Matthew’s account of the birth, Joseph takes everything in stride, never complaining or arguing. He simply gets up and follows God’s commands. Despite all of these inconveniences, he finds himself at a key point in a much larger story. He may not understand the entirety, but he seems to grasp at least a little of what may be in store for his new family. So what about this Christmas season? Do you have the happy “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” bouncing around in your head, or is the sad Charlie Brown theme playing constantly as your plans get derailed one after another? Remember that you are part of a larger story yourself. God is at work redeeming this world, seeking to make heaven on earth through you. You are an agent in a world gone wrong, on a mission of love, compassion, and peace. You are a builder working alongside others to construct this kingdom. And even though your plans may not work out, remember that God has a larger design, that won’t fail. So regardless of how your tree looks, how the ham turns out, how burned the cookies get, how annoying Christmas pop radio stations get, how clogged the traffic is, keep in mind that this season is a reminder that we all bear God’s image and are on a mission to share that truth with others.
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Each year the Chattanooga Community Kitchen asks our community to support their activities by fasting for one meal some time between September and December. You are asked to then donate the cost of that meal to the Community Kitchen. Please consider participating in this important event. Donation envelopes can be found at the Information Station.
The Young Women’s Small Group is
offering a Mom’s Day Out Saturday,
December 20, 12:00-5:00 p.m. at the
church for children ages birth through
12 years old. The children will enjoy
pizza, games, crafts, snacks and
movies. Each child is asked to bring
$2.00 to cover the pizza and crafts. To
make reservations, please contact
Sarah Atkins ([email protected] or
423-987-5683).
All youth (7th through 12th grade) are invited to an overnighter at the church on Wednesday, December 31, starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending on Thursday, January 1, 6:00 a.m.
Quilters Fellowship
The Quilters Fellowship will have their Christmas party Tuesday, December 16, 10:00 a.m. at Susan Dugan’s home.
Sunday, December 21, is our monthly Change for a Dollar. We encourage you to give an extra dollar to this special offering, which has already assisted both members of our congregation and members of our community with benevolence needs. Buckets will be available in the foyer.
We are working on the 2015 church directory. If any of your information has changed or was incorrect in the 2014 directory, please make sure we have the corrections. Also, if you are a new member or regular attendee, we would like to make sure you are included. Please send your information to [email protected].
ChurchDirectory
The Sister to Sister’s cookbooks “A Taste of Hickory” are available at the Information Station. The cost is $15.00 each. These would make wonderful Christmas gifts.
The church office will be closed
for the holidays December 25,
December 26 and January 1.
HVCS will be on
Christmas Break from
December 19 through
January 6.
We will not be having the regular Wednesday night meals or activities on December 24 or December 31. They will resume on January 7.
Rich & Callie Allen 1301 Market St. Apt 202 Chattanooga, TN 37402
Check out our web site at
www.hvcconline.com
What can you do online:
♦ Under the Calendar tab you can see all upcoming events. Click on an event and find out more details or who to contact if you have questions.
♦ Also under the Calendar tab you can select the Wednesday Night Dinner to see the menu and make reservations.
♦ Give online by selecting the Online Giving tab and then click on the link.
Also, check us out on facebook.
Don’t forget to keep up on HVCS events at: www.hvcs.org
Prayer Requests Angie Weaver, Candy Bond, Charles Coblentz, Gaynell Drake, Emily Simmons, Hap & Doris Blankenship
Cancer Patients* - Jack Wynn, Janie Holliman, Rock Bridges, Wayne Carter, Barbara Blair, Alex Ballew, Fred Pratt, Gary Simmons, Jim Dugan
Military & Families - Travis Armes, Dana Knight, Richard Ricketts (HI), Justin Abercrombie (KS), Nick Diaz (CA), Andy Dietz (KS), Logan Farley (NC), Addison Shannon (JA), Victor Stephenson (CA), Mason Farley (MS), Michelle Simmons (TN), Jason Knuth (CA), Mark Holler (TX), Michael Amatangelo (WA), Brian Simpson (KYR), Wade Nordberg (FL), Ben Faczan (TX), Jeremiah Simmons (TN), Casey Bridges (USS Abraham Lincoln), Zachariah Simmons (TN) Black River Church in Jamaica, HVCC Ministries & Leaders, HVCS, President & Government
*This list contains church members and immediate family only. A complete list is in the Information Station.
VITALS
Attendance Sunday School Worship Offerings
Nov 23
124 250
$6,624
Nov 30
109 228
$7,950
Dec 7
130 246
$12,337
Dec 14
134 250
$16,748
Our Purpose at Hickory Valley
Christian Church is ~
Leading More and More People to a
Life Changing Connection with Jesus Christ.
Our Values:
To be relentless in evangelism, connecting,
discipleship and unleashing compassion.
Ministerial StaffMinisterial StaffMinisterial StaffMinisterial Staff
Gary Armes Senior Minister
Ben Kehrer Worship Minister
Jack Dyer Minister to Youth
Alex Henderson Minister to Children