20/11/2024
On Sunday November 17, 2024 we celebrated our one year anniversary as Highland Community Church. Below is our devotional that was shared with the congregation during our service!
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
My, Oh My! Look at us, we made it! One year enjoying the blessings that God has bestowed on the Highland Community Church. And, we are just getting started!
You may have picked up a timeline of our Journey when you entered the church today. That is a long……….journey. Quite a lengthy one; 187 years to be exact, and yet so much more happened between the lines. It is a history we can be proud of: a legacy. I have often wondered what the founders of this religious society at Highland would think about our journey to this point.
What would the circuit riders have said to us as we prepared to venture out on our own as a church?
One word: BELIEVE. John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” NAS
And what would the founders that gathered in the grove at the edge of the then New Lexington village tell us? HAVE FAITH Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV
What would the congregation of the first Methodist Episcopal Church, built in the cemetery area behind us, tell us about the storm damage we received last July? They would probably say be thankful the wind didn’t destroy the entire building as it did ours in 1860. They would say: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” NAS
What would the builders of this New Lexington Methodist Episcopal Church you are currently worshiping in, say on this anniversary celebration day? Something like this maybe: You can change the name of the town. You can change the name of the church. But you cannot rewrite the Bible.
HIS WORD NEVER CHANGES! Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” NIV
What would Norman Vincent Peale think of our church today? Would he say to keep dropping seeds of faith in the community instead of dropping crackers down the aisle, as he reported he did as a two-year-old, when he spoke to us on our 75th anniversary of the building of this church. Dr. Peale was a proponent of “positive thinking” I think he would tell us to REJOICE! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV
What would our ancestors whose names appear on these beautiful stain glass windows share with us? And they are very beautiful especially when the sun shines through them. They might say BE FULL OF THE SPIRIT Colossians 2:5 “For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in spirit, joying and holding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.” KJV
Reviewing our history from 1837 through 2023, we see this church has been engrained in Methodism for 187 years. This rebranding we have done for our church this past year took much prayer, hours of Bible study, a massive amount of wisdom, and a heart full of Jesus to accomplish. This was not a process for the faint hearted. It took much courage. It took hours of work. It took pledges of dollars from our members. It took cooperation. It took a unified spirit. It took time to listen to all in our congregation. And the words we all personally heard in our souls were
STAND FIRM.
We made a choice and we moved forward on our journey as a unified group that believes the scriptures as they are written. Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to Him for protection. NIV We at Highland are standing on the rock of salvation. “Keep your foot on the rock”, Pastor Tom told us in a recent message. Stand firm!
Church, Look how much we have done in one year’s time. We have taken that word “community” in our church name to heart. Our mission statement for years has been “To know God and to make Him Known”. Matthew 28:19-20 is God’s commandment to go forth and make disciples for the Lord. It’s not s request; it’s a commandment. Go, tell all about Jesus.
We see the history. We see the work we started this year. It is not time to stop now. As Rev. Sentman said on the construction of the church building 124 years ago: “We are not building this church for ourselves, but for our children.” Only God knows the unwritten history. Every day we add a new chapter to our story.
One truth remains. As Pastor Ken spoke in his message of October 20: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrew 13:8. NAS. Repeat that with me. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Let us continue to walk in His steps. Let’s continue our journey. We are not alone for we walk in the Light. God walks beside us.
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father, we praise your name and thank you for the blessings this church has received over the years. When we were looking for a new name for our church, suggestions were offered that told what the church meant to our people here. There were words in those church names such as Bible, Christian, Fellowship, Compassion, Faith, Grace, Hope, Mercy, Redemption, Gospel, Cornerstone, Heritage, God, United, Light, Rock, Legacy, The Way, The Middle Cross, Truth, Trinity, and Community. This church means all of these things to us because we love you Jesus. We ask that you continue to bless this church and the love we all share. Pour out your blessings on the people of this little community of Highland. Guide us in our outreach and missions. You are the Light on our journey. Direct our path so we do not stray from it. Remind us if we trust in you Lord with all our heart, we have nothing to fear. We thank you for the greatest love of all: your great love and grace for your people. To you, all glory and honor and praise is given, and we all say AMEN
