Now Playing at Hidden Valley: Blingonomics

Most of our lives revolve around money: Getting it, saving it, investing it, getting more of it, giving it… Yet it is a confusing topic to most people.

Money is the #1 cause of conflict in marriage. We fight about spending, saving, jobs and careers, insurance. It’s the #1 reason people give when asked why they are getting divorced.

In America, far too many people are living from paycheck to paycheck. Far too many people have inadequate savings for retirement. Far too many people are overextended financially and unprepared for any financial crisis.

That’s the reason for our current series “Blingonomics.” “Bling” is a slang term for money and wealth today, and there are certainly a lot of confusing messages out there on this topic. We’ll cut through the myths and show you what the Bible has to say about this topic. Plus, you will hear some inspiring stories of people just like you who have gone though our 13-week “Financial Peace University” and are changing their lives. God wants you to have financial peace and we want to give you the knowledge you need as we encourage you to make the changes that will bring God’s peace to this potentially explosive area of life.

Take an important step toward securing your financial future!

HVCC will be offering Groups that will be using a curriculum called Financial Peace University (FPU). FPU is a 13-week, life-changing program that teaches you how to make the right money decisions to achieve your financial goals. FPU is for everyone from the financially secure to the financially distressed. On average families that have participated in FPU have paid off more than $5300 in debt and saved $2700 during this program.

Here’s one HVCC attendee’s comment about the difference FPU made in their life. “Financial Peace has improved our marriage in so many ways. We no longer allow financial situations to happen and then argue about how to solve them. We now prepare for what can happen and we come together as a united front to solve it. We now have ‘financial discussions’ instead of ‘financial arguments’. Having the peace of knowing that my husband supports my purchases takes worry and stress out of my life.”

Let us know you are interested by writing “FPU” on your welcome card or calling the church at 930-4822(HVCC) or emailing hvcc@hiddenv.com. For more information visit the FPU website at www.daveramsey.com.

Join us for 40 Days of Prayer

At HVCC, we believe there is nothing more powerful than prayer. We really believe that you can move the heart of man through God by prayer alone. Do you know someone whose heart needs to move? Crying out to God in prayer really works.

That’s why we’re challenging the church to raise their commitment to prayer during the Lenten season. The prayer team has put together a 40 day prayer challenge that anyone can sign up to participate in. We strongly encourage you all to take a moment and sign up to receive your daily prayer e-mail. You can either send an e-mail to 40daysofprayer-request@hiddenv.com with a subject of subscribe or fill out this online form.

Prepare to be amazed! Nothing moves the hand of God like prayer.

January 2008 Recap and Upcoming Events at HV-Richland Center

• A sump pump failure in early January damaged the new heating system, so temps were chilly as we got by on temporary heat, but the warmth of our greeters and the energy created inside kept us going.
• Seventy-five people attended Movie Night on Jan. 26 to watch Evan Almighty.
• On Sunday, Jan. 27, we marked the beginning of the Game On series with a special event: a tailgate party, complete with bratwurst, hot dogs, popcorn and nachos. Five new visitors attended.
• The HV-RC team finished the regular season in second place in Richland Center’s church volleyball league. In the season-ending tournament, a short-handed HV-RC team took third place out of 15 teams. Planning is underway to enter a team in the church softball league.
• The HV-RC Promiseland kids church children will visit a local nursing home from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9. There will be games, crafts, and storytelling, with popcorn and cookies for refreshments.
• Promiseland Kids Church has relocated to a larger room in the Richland Center auditorium to reduce noise conflicts between the children’s and adult services. The mid-week Middle School group will use the same room.
• HV-RC Classes: Feb. 10, Class 301, Discover your Purpose in Life; Feb. 17, Class 401, Discover How to Share Your Faith with Others; Feb. 24, Class 101, Discover Life in the Valley. More information may be found on the Classes page of hiddenv.com.
  

Focus on Ministries: Middle School Youth Group Finds Answers Together

Helping young believers to grow, and helping others to come to faith in a fun and safe environment is the vision behind HVCC’s middle school ministry in Dodgeville. According to ministry leader Leah Reidmiller, middle schoolers “are really seeking who they are and who they will be. This is the perfect time to reach them and teach them of their identity in Christ!”

The program for 5th-8th graders meets on the 2nd and 4th Sundays after church during the school year and at announced times in summer. Between 12-24 kids currently attend. They break the ice with games and lunch, then come together to listen to Christian songs, movies, music videos, or skits. Breaking into groups of four or five, they discuss how the messages in the songs or movies may provide insights into their own spiritual lives or answers to questions they may have. The meetings usually conclude with games.

“It's a wonderful time for kids to grow and learn to be disciples,” said Leah. Helping Leah with the group are Shaleigh Sugden and Ric U'Ren, as well as Greta and Matt Byers. The Byers are Leah’s ministry coaches, and they have been “a HUGE help,” she says.

Future plans for the group include a sledding party, a fun day in March, and fund-raising for LifeFest.

Thank You, Samantha U’Ren & Carol Halma

Samantha U’Ren & Carol Halma, after 7 years of faithful service leading the Promiseland grades K-5th children’s program, are moving on to other serving roles.

This extent of service commitment and faithfulness is rare and priceless indeed! We’re grateful for the time, commitment and energy that Sam and Carol have poured into this program, and how much we have to be grateful for at HVCC due in large part to their tireless efforts.

Please take a moment the next time you see one of these two women to thank Sam & Carol for their leadership and passion for kids. We appreciate the significant influence they’ve had over countless lives of children, parents and volunteers over the years.

Promiseland Gets Flipt!

We’ve recently started a brand-new lesson series for Promiseland grades K-5th called FLIPT, from Willow Creek Church’s Promiseland resources. The idea is: Jesus flips your life! He changes lives and flips the way we think and act when we’re living His Way.

Each week of this action-packed lesson series includes fun games, Bible verses and action-packed DVD components to each lesson. If you have a child grades K-5th, this is a great time for them to come check out the fun we’re having in Promiseland Kids Church.

We’ve already had a blast with a pancake flipping game and a Rapid Fire card game that taught kids about saying no to fear. In the next few weeks, here’s a sample of what we’ll be doing :

• Temptation activity stations & an activity called “Temptation? I’m Outta Here!”
• A “Know What’s True” game involving SPLAT balls
• An activity called “Thumbs Up for Differences!” and lessons in how to reach out to people who are different than we are
• A pickle-eating contest
• A paper airplane making contest

Join us in Promiseland Kids Church for grades K-5th, and get FLIPT! For more information about what’s coming up or how to get involved, or if you have questions, contact Hilary Kleese at thkleese@mhtc.net, or call 574-0535.