167 Living-It’s not about an hour- It’s about a life

How do I live my life every moment for the glory of God?

September 19

167 Living-It’s not about me- It’s about Him.

How do I live a life for God’s glory?

September 26

167 Living-It’s Not About Money- It’s about What Matters

How do I live this with my money?

October 3

167 Living-It’s Not About Religion- It’s about Relationship

How do I live this with my family?

October 10

167 Living-It’s Not About Maintaining-It’s About Mission

How do I live this with my friends?

October 17

167 Living-It’s Not About A Book-It’s About the Living Word

How does the Bible apply to my life?

October 24

167 Living-It’s Not About A Moment: It’s About Forever

How do I live this day with eternity in mind?

 We have reason to celebrate.  That is what we will do together at Tymor at ten on the twelfth.  It will be our fourth church picnic at Tymor and it will be the third celebration of our movement towards one church in multi site with the goal of planting 15 new faith communities in 15 years.

 This past week Mark baptized a guy from Malaysia, the first Christian in his family, who has been coming to Common Ground.  Common Ground also experienced its first wedding  this summer.  A number of our twenty something young adults from Hopewell are making Common Ground their primary worshipping community.

 Journey has lived into a mission far beyond what we could have asked or imagined in the ministry of Odyssey.  Another local church will be launching an Odyssey service with the help of HRC in October.  The 15 by 15 vision continues to spread.

 Worship numbers overall are up by about 6%.  In Gatherings we have seen a 10% increase from the year before.  Foundations has seen a drop in attendance from year to year, but continues to attract many new families as we celebrated 26 children, most close to the age of five, joining with their families in our spring new members group.

 Our income currently is tracking at a five percent increase year to year overall.  This is fantastic in an economy that is so weak and with so many of our own members struggling with job situations.

 People are living into our 167 vision in so many ways.  We are seeing people willing to serve as we paint the church and bless the community through CMP.  Kids Hope started up this year and Beds In the Name of Christ shared a good night sleep with many.

 This year at Tymor I will be beginning my thirteenth year at HRC.  I served Middlebush Reformed  in New Jersey twelve years before coming to Hopewell.  This starts new ground for me.  I am as excited about ministry here as I begin year 13 as I was as I began year one in 1998. Let us get together and celebrate because with our God we know that the best is always yet to come.

 In Christ,

 Taylor

Our summer Sunday School adventures are concluding this Sunday and next with King Solomon.  When God offered to give Solomon anything he asked for, young Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people.  God was pleased with Solomon’s request and blessed him with incredible wisdom and wealth.   Solomon used his blessings to the glory of God.  He lead the people of Israel wisely, kept peace with neighboring countries and built a temple for God.  May our children learn early to use their gifts to the glory of God and the benefit of others!

Announcements

Tymor Worship & Picnic - Join us on Sunday, September 12th at Tymor Park @ 10:00 for worship followed by a picnic. All of the HRC communities will be together to praise God and kick off the new program year. Please bring your own chairs, drinks and a salad ( if your last name starts with A-M) or a dessert (if your last name starts N-Z).

Fall Sunday School – Fall Sunday School starts on Sept 19th. We are looking forward to a new program year and are introducing a brand new curriculum for second through fifth grade!

Here’s the Scoop for Sunday:

Pre-K – Entering 4th Grade  -  Solomon

• Scripture – I Kings 5
• Story – Solomon Builds a Temple
• Purpose – Children will learn that God blesses us so we can be a blessing to others.
• Memory Verse – “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you..” I Timothy 4:14

 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

 I have had a C.S. Lewis summer.  Carol O’Malley loaned me a copy of The Great Courses lectures that featured Lewis’ writings and his life.  I had twelve hours of  Lewis on my drive to Michigan. This past Wednesday a group from the church went down to the city to see Max Mclean in Lewis’ Screwtape Letters.  Lewis is a theologian of pleasure and of longing.  He sees in pleasure the hand of God’s touch upon humanity with everything that is beautiful.  Our deepest joy points us to the even deeper joy that is at the center of creation and is “the serious business of heaven.”  Our deepest longings point us to our deepest needs.  We have a longing for eternity.  It is planted in our hearts.  For Lewis this speaks to us of the truth that we were made forever.

 As we come to the end of summer I hear again and again some variation on the phrase: “I can’t believe that summer is almost over,” or “this summer (or this life for that matter)” has just flown by.”  Those comments, for Lewis, point to a deeper truth- we were made for eternity and it is planted deep in our souls.  When we are surprised by how quickly time goes by we are really touching our deeper truth that we know we were made for forever.

 The Beach Boys sing of endless summer.  This side of eternity it is a nice song that seems to speak to the “real world” of getting back to business, school and work.  But the real world is but a mist that covers the reality of the kingdom of God.  We are meant forever and the Beach Boys song could be a hymn of faith that does not lament the end of summer, but the deeper joy of all that God intends.  I hope you had a good summer, but I know you will have a better forever.

 In Christ,

 Taylor