For a number of years we’ve reached out to our neighbors at Halcyon Apartments in a variety of ways. Through Family Fun Days, car washes, and personal acts of kindness, we’ve been building bridges for the Gospel.  Sunday, December 18, we will celebrate Christmas with them. Join us at 5:00 p.m. on the green next to the Halcyon clubhouse for a carol sing, doughnuts, and hot chocolate. We invite Shepherding Groups to use this as an opportunity to reach out together. Come, mingle, make a new friend, and sing of Jesus as we love our neighbors and share the Good News of Christ with them.

Ladies, please make your plans to join us for our annual Women’s Christmas Brunch on Saturday, December 3, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will enjoy a delicious brunch prepared by Peter Selby, followed by a talk from one of our elders’ wives, Anna Hilgeman. Anna has been teaching and discipling women in the local church context for many years, and we’re excited for you to hear from her this year.

At this point, all seats are taken for the Brunch. Please email Lisa Hansen if you would like to be added to the waiting list. Cost is $10 per person.  We are looking forward to a beautiful morning of food, fellowship, and encouragement as we head into the Christmas season!

This holiday season our church will partner again with Community Mission Baptist Church (CMBC) to provide a Christmas Store for low-income families in the Taylors area. CMBC hosts this store at their church facility, 1950 Boling Road Extension. The store is based on the concept that families would prefer to provide for themselves at Christmas rather than receive a handout. Gifts of all kinds are donated to CMBC, and families come to the church to purchase gifts at discounted prices. This gives joy to the children and dignity to the parents. Our role with the Christmas Store is two-fold:

1. Donating gifts

2. Volunteering in the store.

The store will be open December 5-9, daytime hours, and we will collect donated gifts at Heritage on the two Sundays before that, November 27 and December 4. Make your preparations to contribute to this special holiday outreach. Specific details about gifts and volunteer opportunities are available here.

We are excited to be able to host Trunk or Treat again this year on Friday, October 28. If you live in our community, we invite you to join us! In addition to lots of trunks with free candy, there will be free hot dogs and magic shows at 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30 p.m.

Heritage family, in the past, we have had big crowds, so let’s be eager in opening our hearts and arms to people from all over our community. Every member of is encouraged to participate in several ways.

1. Pray. Ask our Father and God to open doors for the Gospel. Ask Him to give us eternally significant conversations with people who are searching for joy and purpose and meaning—people who need a Savior.
2. Plan a “Trunk.” Start thinking about some creative design ideas, and sign up online or in the North Lobby on Sunday. Our goal is to have 50 decorated trunks in our parking lot this year.
3. Donate candy. Whether or not you are able to participate in Trunk or Treat on October 28, you can contribute to our church’s community outreach by donating candy. Buy wrapped fall candy and bring it to church; we need lots and lots! Drop it off at the display in the North Lobby.

In past years we’ve seen more people come onto our property and interact with us through Trunk or Treat than through any other event. This is a creative way that we can reach out into our community and communicate our love and care for people. We don’t know how our God may work, but may Christ use our efforts to bring us into contact with seekers who need the Savior!

Men, join us for our fall Bible study beginning Thursday, September 29. We will be looking into the book of Judges together on Thursdays at 6:15 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. There’s a lot of darkness and even more junk which permeates the book, but we’ll find that God’s steadfast love and mercy shine through it all. This study will help us to live as God’s men in our own time.

Since we’ll be working through the whole book in just 6 weeks, we’ll have our work cut out for us. Make sure that you sign up for the study on Sunday and purchase your book for $5. Then get a jumpstart on the study because you’ll need to have completed the first week when you come to our first meeting on September 29. Sign up and join your brothers for encouraging times in the Word and in prayer. The study continues through Thursday, November 3, and will meet in The Cave.

Email Abe Stratton with questions.