Who Should We Invite This Easter?

by Brian Rudesill

I was 18 years old and a college student in the Twin Cities the first time it happened to me. I was driving one night through a new part of town when I got distracted. I didn’t notice the light in front of me had turned red. I went through the intersection and a car ran into the side of the van I was driving. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but it was a powerful lesson to me about the importance of focus and the danger of distractions.

Any time we get distracted, things begin to happen that shouldn’t.

• Distracted parents don’t give their kids the attention they deserve
• Distracted spouses don’t give their spouse the love they need
• Distracted workers don’t give their full effort
• Distracted Christians neglect their soul and their mission

What I’ve learned about myself lately is that I get distracted easily. Last fall, we had a lot of problems with our direct mail company. I ended up scrambling to make things happen that normally go off without a hitch. It cost me a lot of extra time and stress. In the end, it completely distracted me from what I should have been focusing on. The result?

• I didn’t do a very good job of keeping the church focused on our mission…allowing God to use us to rescue people far from God
• I didn’t do a good job of caring for my soul

Some of you are distracted today.

• For some, it’s been a while since you thought about the critical role your soul plays in your overall health. You are distracted and have turned away from God.
• For others, you haven’t thought about what’s at stake in our church’s mission in a while. You have allowed yourself to forget that people all around us are living each day as if the most important thing in life were things. You don’t remember what it’s like to have a soul that feels far from God. You’ve lost the urgency of the mission God has given us to reach out to those who are disconnected from Him.

This short time before Easter is the perfect time to refocus for us as a church. It’s the time to make sure our soul is plugged in to God. The Refuel Series can help a lot with that. But it’s also time to let our heart feel the same pain that God’s heart feels. His heart hurts today that there are so many around us who know nothing of His love. His heart breaks because so few know about His offer of Life. If we are to be like Him, we must value the same things He values.

The bottom line: It’s time to take some risks. It’s time to stop playing it safe. It’s time to invite others to come with us to church on Easter to hear about His amazing love. It’s time to remember that the answer to this life’s problems will never be found in money, marriage, material purchases or anything other than God. It’s time to remember that Jesus has the power people need.

Who might God want you to invite to come this Easter? Why not take a moment to ask God that question and then make an invite. Send them an email or ask them to come with you.

Personal Treasure Series Starts Easter Sunday

Has the grind of daily living stolen your dreams? Join us on Easter Sunday, March 23, as we delve into a new message series, Personal Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets.

In this new series, Pastor Brian will help us to reflect on how we may be allowing ourselves to settle for a life that is far less than what we were made for. Rediscover the fun of pursuing the life God wants you to have!

Visit the series page at hiddenv.com for specific message topics and dates for your location.

Good Friday Will Feature Prayer and Praise Event

On Good Friday, March 21, we ask you to consider fasting and praying for the people in our area who have given up on church but not on God. Fasting means to go without something in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Although fasting typically means abstaining from food, anything you can temporarily give up in order to focus on God can be considered a fast.

On Good Friday evening at 6:00, we will have a dinner at HVCC open to everyone who focused on praying throughout the day, whether or not you were able to join the fast. At 7:00, there will be a one-hour Prayer Event and Good Friday service.

If you plan to join us for the fast on that day, for the evening event, or both, please send an e-mail to jclark@hiddenv.com. Please also let us know if you need child care.

Annual Meeting Scheduled for March 30

Hidden Valley’s annual meeting is set for Sunday, March 30 following the 11:00 a.m. service.

The process for nominating new members of HVCC’s Leadership Team will begin at the meeting; nominations will be accepted for up to 30 days following the meeting. HVCC members will also be asked to cast their annual ballots to reappoint current Leadership Team members Al Bauman, Kevin Campbell, and Luther Smith.

The meeting will also feature a review of 2007 giving and attendance, a progress report on HVCC-Richland Center, and the presentation of the 2008 budget. Pastor Brian will also report on staffing plans for the coming year.

Hidden Valley Richland Center Updates

February is always a quick month anyway, but this year it seemed quick and long. Quick in the fact we only got to meet twice, and long based on so many comments that it had seemed so long between opportunities for fellowship. After two weeks off, we came back with 93 people on Sunday, Feb. 24. We were able to have CLASS 101 and we took on new members, very exciting considering the time away.

Looking ahead to March, CLASS 301 will be offered on March 9 and CLASS 401 will be the following week on the 16th. There is a lot of excitement being built around Financial Peace University, as well as having our first Easter Service on the 23rd since our official launch last October.

Dodgeball Tournament Returns on March 29

The HVCC Dodgeball Tournament will be held March 29th. Only the first 16 teams with completed forms and payment will be allowed to participate. Spots will fill quickly. To sign up, or for more information, contact Amanda Lockman at 341-7244.

How We're Doing

Following are some numbers that we track on a regular basis to help us to gauge our church’s health and progress.