Dear Church Family & Community,
I hope this week finds you well. Hanging in there, and taking it day by day, is okay too. God’s good, faithful, and true, and God’s got you.
Thank you for all the feedback about this blog. I hoped it would be an encouragement and a means of connecting us (the church body) with some of the things going on in the life of the church. I appreciate you taking the time to read.
This past Sunday, we began After God’s Own Heart: Lessons from the Life of David. Our introduction to David serves as a great reminder that God sees what we do not always see as He calls us to His purpose and work. David, the youngest, forgotten, overlooked, and least important in his own family, is chosen by God. Because of his heart – a mind and will united to God – and a life fully reliant on God, David is fully capable of serving as a priest before God and for his people.
David was God’s kingdom builder, and what God was looking for. God’s choosing of David invites us to ask the question, “Are we like David?” Are we who God is looking for to fulfill His purposes in our world? If you missed hearing this message, please be sure to check it out here on the website, or through our podcast on SoundCloud, Google Play, or iTunes.
This Sunday, we will be looking at perhaps the most famous story in all of Scripture, David and Goliath. To help prepare for this week’s service together, please take time to read and pray through 1 Samuel 17. The challenge with a story so familiar is that we can too easily gloss over its significance and lessons. If this story is not as familiar to you, you’re in for a treat. I hope to see you on Sunday as we learn again that our God, the real hero of the story, prepares us to slay our giants!
Also, this week, Pastor Nate will be sharing on behalf of the Young Adults Ministry Team about some exciting future plans and a re-launch of that ministry. I am excited to see us continuing to invest in our young people. I believe that God has called them to His purposes for their people. Please continue to pray for Pastor Nate and that team as they work to connect, build up, and with God’s help make disciples who make disciples.
Lastly, during our services this past week, we also highlighted our Food Pantry. Our church is greatly blessed by the work and ministry of our team of three Nancies (Benson, Busch, Patrick) and their group of faithful volunteers. If you’re looking for a place to serve in our church, please do check out our Food Pantry Ministry Team. Also, please remember that there is currently a cart in the lobby for donations of canned goods (i.e. fruit, tuna, salmon, and chicken), laundry detergent, dish detergent, and personal care items such as soap, toothpaste and toilet paper. Thank you for considering how you can bless our church and community in this meaningful way.
I have always been blessed by the Apostle Paul, who often wrote in his “blogs” (ok fine, epistles!), “I thank my God upon remembrance of you.” This has always been a challenge I’ve committed to joyfully embrace. To thank God upon remembrance of His people as they come to mind is a worthy discipline and exercise. So, my sisters and brothers, as your kin here at HBIC come to mind, please remember to pray for and thank God for them. Your prayer, on behalf of a sister and brother, may just be the difference today!
In Christ,
Pastor Hank
P: (717) 561-2170, ext. 104
E: pastorhank@harrisburgbic.org
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
– 1 Samuel 16:7