They devoted themselves

This past week, I noticed some of the leaves on the trees at my house are starting to change color. As much as I love the summer, the beauty of the Fall is always such a joy to welcome. I always love the change of the seasons. It always seems like a new beginning when seasons change. Or at least it’s an invitation, a chance for a new beginning, just like God’s grace. And like Jesus’ offer, the new beginning hinges on our response to the invitation.

And you are invited to join!

Fall classes and programs are gearing up at the church, including our community Wednesday Night Dinners. (We are so blessed to have Deborah as our official Church Chef!). We have various groups centered around dinner at the campus on Wednesday nights, so we can all come together and share a meal and experience community. Or we have multiple small groups designed to help you experience community at Hillspring. That’s the reason behind it all. The classes, the small groups, and even dinner all have the same intent behind them: Community.

I’ve always loved the Acts of the Apostles; it’s the story of the first generation of the Church. Acts 2:42 lists four things the early church was known for; they’ve served as a guiding light for us at Hillspring.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

The Church in Acts, especially as described in that verse, inspired our Vision statement: Live, Love, Grow.

Live: As followers of Jesus, we pursue life as God intends. Therefore, we are on an ongoing mission to discover our part in God’s story and join in God’s work in the world.

Love: We celebrate the joy that can be found only through nurturing authentic relationships.

Grow: We are committed to growing in our relationship with God and becoming more like Jesus.

That vision is supported by our Four Core Values at Hillspring:

We will Become more like Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit as we:

Connect with the people God has put in our lives

Develop meaningful relationships

Change the world for good.

I am convinced that you can’t follow the Way of Jesus alone. His path brings us into an ever more profound experience of community, bound together in the Holy Spirit. I wonder if you are yearning for a deeper experience of community. This is an excellent time of year to venture into a small group or take a class! We’d love it if you could join us for dinner!

In Christ, your pastor,

Bryan White