05/29/2026
Dear HCC Family,
There are few more thankless tasks than being an official for a sporting event.
To be an umpire for baseball games, a referee for football or basketball games, or a referee for soccer or wrestling matches is to invite a level of abuse that few other professions can match. Every official is supposed to get every call or decision right, and when they don't, look out. Officials at the professional level receive compensation that makes the vitriol somewhat worth it. Almost every official for youth sports, however, gets paid far less while being held to the same high standards.
Few consider that without officials to maintain the standards of competition intrinsic in each sport, there would be no way to confirm that the games were being played correctly. Left to their own devices, players will always make officiating decisions according to their own best interests. The standards officials provide make the competition matter. When those standards get confused or misapplied, the games lose their meaning.
Standards are vital in every area of life, and when they get confused or misapplied, people can lose sight of their meaning and purpose. The Apostle Paul addresses these issues throughout his letters, including our text for this Sunday.
Join us on Sunday as I present the next installment of our message series titled Solid Ground: Counsel For The Church. In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul addresses how our identity in Christ establishes our standards for life. When other standards are presented, they can be destructive to individuals and to the Church. We'll discuss the problem the Colossians faced and learn how best to address similar issues in the modern Church.
The 5th Sunday of each month is a Family Worship Sunday at HCC. Instead of our normal Children's Ministry programs, we'll offer activity sheets and crayons for your children to work on throughout the service.
See you Sunday!
Pastor Tom Beasley