Ancient Israelites often commemorated the works of God by making a stone memorial or altar, a physical reminder of God’s goodness in this world. This past Sunday in the life of the church felt like one of those high holy moments that I wanted to remember with a physical monument, something holy and special was afoot.
As we unveiled the new branding, website, and bulletin, I appreciated the stories of Highland Hills past, present, and hopefully future shared by folks other than myself. It was hard not to get a little emotional when seeing just how much everyone cares about this body of believers and the work that God is doing in each of our lives. I saw it in our presenters, in the attendance at breakfast, and in the spirit in worship. The Holy Spirit is doing some good and really beautiful things.
But as much as I want to remain in that high holy mountain of a moment, to sit in the goodness of that special Sunday morning, it’s time to come back down the mountain and get to work. This week, you will notice quite a few new things announced. We’ve got exciting things that haven’t been done in quite some time, and other more familiar routines kicking off.
This week kicks off Nominating Committee season, and just like last year, there is a big white board where you can sign up to participate in the life of the church. This may just be putting your name to a line, but it's also a holy moment of saying you want to help shape and work in that part of the life of the church. If you’re a member, I encourage you to find a committee to serve on. If you aren’t a member but still want to take part, consider joining one of our many teams. Also, if you’ve ever fussed about a certain aspect in the life of the church, consider joining that committee—now's your chance to shape its future! Baptist churches are unique in that they run on the work of the committees, teams, and people of the church.
This week also kicks off the sign-ups for Gathered Table. This is where you sign up to attend a dinner at a church member’s house. Our hope is that these dinners are diverse in age and attendance so that we can all get to know each other. In divided times, it's really important to eat together, to fellowship together, and to work to build bridges when others are building walls. There is no programming at these dinners, no pressure to purchase Tupperware or any other gotcha moment, just dinner as a community. Sign up to attend one today—the dinners are varied in dates so there is sure to be one that fits your schedule!
There is so much more kicking off this week, and we are off to a great start. As we come off the high holy mountain of Sunday, let us join in the work of the church together!