The EncouragerThe EncouragerA publication of the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church January / February 2016

“Think about ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” (Heb. 10:24)

Knowing the pri-mary purpose of

something is veryimportant. I onceheard this explainedusing Nolan Ryan,the great baseballpitcher, as an exam-ple. The author saidit was very impor-tant for Nolan Ryan

and the team he played for to remem-ber what his primary purpose ormain contribution was to the team.

His primary purpose was to pitch.If he became distracted by trying tohelp the team by becoming a good hit-ter, he would lose his focus on pitch-ing and stop being able to make hisgreatest contribution. As a result, theteam would suffer and be less likely toaccomplish its goals.

In the same way, it is important, inanything we do, to understand theprimary purpose. Otherwise we willget distracted and be less likely toaccomplish the goals God has givenus.

One example of this is the upcom-ing Valentine’s Extravaganza. As Iunderstand it, the primary purposeof the event is evangelism or out-reach. We want to invite people whodon’t know Jesus to a place wherethey can experience the love of Godthrough others and where they canhear the good news about Jesus.

As a result, it stands to reason thatour invitation efforts would focus pri-marily on the unchurched and thosewho don’t yet know Christ. If we for-get that primary purpose, we will besatisfied with filling our tables with

Remember theprimary purpose

An Inside LookAn Inside Look

Pastor Brian

See PURPOSE, Page 2

Love can beRESTOREDBY LARRY KING

My high schoolsweetheart andI were married

in 1971, something wehad planned on formany years. A year anda half later we divorced.I found that you cannothold onto a butterfly tootightly or it will die. Myown insecurities mani-fested themselves in theform of jealousy, angerand mistrust and itsmothered the one Iloved. Jane fled and Iwas devastated.

We continued to careabout one another, but living together did not work out theway we had dreamed. She had moved to Colorado and thenon to Alaska in and effort to run away from our failures.Sometimes I would get a note from her about things thatwere happening in her life.

In the card for 1974 she wrote she had given her heart toJesus and was experiencing His love and forgiveness in herlife and started attending church regularly. She was leavingshortly for Europe on a backpacking trip with a friend andshe would be gone for several months.

I had begun a relationship with a girl back home and wastrying to set my life back on track. While at my girlfriend’sparent’s home I picked up a copy of the Living Bible and Icouldn’t put it down. As I read it, the Lord began to revealHimself to me. I soon found myself at a crossroads knowingthat I could not continue to live with my girlfriend and growin my relationship with Jesus, whom I felt was calling me.

Jane had come back through Kansas to visit her family onher return to Alaska. She contacted me to touch base and wemet to catch up and to share what God was doing in our lives.I had not spoken to her for a long time. I shared with her thedilemma I found myself in with my girlfriend and the desire

See RESTORED, Page 2

Who in their rightmind would everwalk back into amarriage that hadfailed and againexpose their heartto the nightmarishpain of goingthrough the possi-bility of anotherdivorce? We wereso very differentand so verywounded.

As it did forBalaam, God’sword to us cancome from unexpectedsources.

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those who are already saved.Of course, a byproduct of this evening

is that whomever we are with will experi-ence a great time together. We will enjoy agreat night with our spouse or with afriend or another church member or fami-ly member. However, that is not the pri-mary purpose. If we experience all ofthose things but don’t have anyone withus who doesn’t know Jesus, we will fail toaccomplish our goals.

I want to encourage you to try to inviteunchurched people to be with you at yourtable at the Valentine’s Extravaganza. Itmight be a family member, a friend, acoworker, a neighbor, an acquaintance, orsomeone you met on the street that day. Avery large percentage of unchurched peo-ple still say they would attend a churchfunction if they received a personal invi-tation.

On top of that, God is always workingin people’s lives to draw them to himself.See this as an opportunity to live through

the eyes of faith rather than the eyes offear. Don’t invite just one person. Keepinviting until your table is full.

If we have unchurched people at ahigh percentage of our tables the night ofthe Valentines Extravaganza, we will haveaccomplished the primary purpose Godhas given us for that evening. I pray thatwill happen and that God will use thatevening to draw those who don’t knowHim closer to that day when they surren-der their lives to Christ.

—Pastor Brian

PURPOSE...from Page 1

I had to lead her to the Lord and then tomarry her. Jane listened, offered encour-agement and then left a few days laterback to Alaska, but she didn’t leave myheart or my mind.

In the next weeks I began to sense thatthe Lord might want to restore our mar-riage, but in my mind I could not see howthat could happen. Who in their rightmind would ever walk back into a mar-riage that had failed and again exposetheir heart to the nightmarish pain ofgoing through the possibility of anotherdivorce? We were so very different and sovery wounded.

I was young in the Lord but was quick-ly learning that no one who wrestles withthe Lord walks away without a limp. But Itried. I looked at His Word and found thatGod forgave all my sins when I invitedHim into my life and I tried my best toleverage that against what I felt He wasasking of me.

On a warm day in the spring I climbedon my Harley Davidson and rode to meetwith one of my close wild and crazyfriends. In my turmoil I needed to try tofind someone who would side with me andtell me that I was right and that I was freeto remarry once my current girlfriend hadgiven her life to the Lord. At this time nei-ther my friend nor his wife knew the Lordnor much about His Word. Surely I couldfind the answer I was looking for. Theyknew me well and they cared for my hap-piness.

That afternoon I laid out my case asbest I could. I explained that I had anencounter with the Lord and that I hadinvited Him into my life as both Lord andSavior and that He had forgiven all of mysins. I told them I had moved back to myparents home after being gone so manyyears since high school graduation.

I also told them I had been praying formy girlfriend and sharing with her when-

ever I could, but that she had not yet beenopen to the Lord. Again I told them aboutGod’s promise of forgiveness andexplained that my slate was clean and Ineeded only to be sure I was marrying abeliever.

Are you familiar with the story of Bal-aam from Num bers 22? Balak the MoabiteKing sent for Balaam the prophet to comeand curse the Israelites because word hadreached him about all thatIsrael had done against theAmorites and the Egyptians.God forbid Balaam to cursethe Israelites and told himthat they were a blessed peo-ple.

Balaam did not want toface Balak with this news andrefused to go to meet him.Then God told him he couldgo, but that when he stoodbefore Balak he was to blessthese people and not curse them. Balaamrose early and saddled his donkey androde toward Moab, but evidently hismotives were not pleasing to God so theLord sent an angel to stand in the path tokeep Balaam for going any further.

Balaam did not see the angel but hisdonkey did and turned aside. This hap-pened three times and each time Balaamwhipped his donkey. Finally, the donkeyturned and spoke to Balaam, telling himthat if he had continued on he and Balaamwould have been slain by the sword-wield-ing angel God had sent to block their path.

My friend whose counsel I sought stoodin my path and delivered a message muchlike the donkey from this story deliveredto Balaam. After hearing my story and myplans he said, “You have only one problemhere: the divorce was the sin, not yourmarriage.”

I remember crawling back on mymotorcycle and riding back home withtears in my eyes the whole way. My planhad just fallen apart and now I was going

to find myself completely alone — andwhat if Jane thought this whole thing wascrazy? What if she wanted no part of it?What was God doing in my life?

Some 5,000 miles away, Jane was wait-ing on the Lord for direction in her ownlife. She was standing in a worship servicein her church in Alaska and God spoke toher, “Go back to Kansas.”

Early on in her walk with the Lord shehad told Him that she wouldgo and do what ever He want-ed, but “don’t ever send meback to Kansas.” When Godspoke to her, she remindedHim that He said He wouldnot send her back to Kansas.God then reminded her that itwas she who had said that, notHim.

We began to communicateand eventually told each otherabout our experiences and

what we believed God was directing us todo. Yes, it was awkward... all the “whatifs,” will she want nothing to do with this,what if she thinks I’ve lost my mind. Had Ilost my mind?

On June 25, 1975, I picked up Jane fromthe airport in Wichita and drove her toparents’ farm, where she told them whatwe were about to do. They were shocked,needless to say. That next Saturday Janeand I were remarried in a simple ceremo-ny with Christian friends surrounding us.What God has put together let no man putasunder.

To this day we still celebrate ouranniversary on the original wedding dateof Feb. 14. We believe God had a plan forus and it took tearing apart and breakingof hearts to prepare us for the things tocome. This February we will celebrate our45th wedding anniversary, give or take afew years. We have raised three wonderfulchildren, and served in a pastoral role for25 years. As for God’s plan, it is stillunfolding. He is not through with us yet.

RESTORED...from Page 1

We believe Godhad a plan for usand it took tear-ing apart andbreaking ofhearts to pre-pare us for thethings to come.

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For Brad Bartel, stepping into a new roleas church moderator was about being

faithful in following God’s call. Pastor Brian approached Bartel last fall

with a request to consider becomingchurch moderator. Having declined severalopportunities to take on the role in thepast, Bartel agreed to reconsider.

“I said I’d take some time to think aboutit,” he said. “(I) began praying about it alot and feeling kind of a nudge towardthat.”

Through participating in the S.H.A.P.E.class taught by Pastor Jeremy, Bartel saidhe gained a deeper understanding of hisgifts and the call God places on his follow-ers to use their gifts despite feelings ofinadequacy.

“God can provide that strength, wisdom(and) vision that we would need to fulfillthose roles that he’s placing you in,” Bartelsaid. “It really was something I felt astrong call for.”

After a few months of prayerful consid-

Church LeadershipChurch Leadership

Meet our newmoderator

Forums focus on facility space

Pastor Brian(left) intro-duces BradBartel as ournew churchmoderatorduring theDec. 27morningworshipservice.

eration, Bartel accepted the position asmoderator. He has served in that capacitysince mid-November.

Bartel’s roles include chairing thechurch council and serving on the Spiritu-al Life Ministries Board, and he worksclosely with the pastoral staff and trusteesas well. Bartel is also available to help dis-cern and answer potential questions ofscheduling or concern posed by the con-gregation.

Bartel said he is excited about theopportunities his new role provides.

“I see the role providing the opportuni-ty to give support and an avenue for com-

munication with the congregation andalso the committees and boards that makeup leadership in the church,” he said.“That really invigorates me. We haveopportunities to improve communication,and in doing so, make our ministry moreeffective.”

Bartel looks forward to building on thechurch’s ministry moving forward.

“The church has some momentumgoing with many positive things in min-istry, and I would like to see those contin-ue,” he said. “I just think we have so manypositive things that we can build upon.”—Janae Rempel

One of the exciting challenges that comewith a growing ministry is providing

adequate space to keep it growing.During two Sunday afternoons in Janu-

ary, HMBC members gathered in Fellow-ship Hall to become better informed on oursituation, and to provide the church coun-cil with feedback and direction.

The first family forum, Jan. 10, featureda presentation by the Facilities Assess- ment Team, which was appointed by thecouncil about two and a half years ago todocument space issues that might be hin-dering present and future ministry. About100 people attended the forum.

Members of the team for the initialstudy were Dar rell Driggers (chair), BrianAllen, Bev Vogel, Janet Hein, JeremyLoewen, Clint Seibel, Clyde Jost and RitaBartel. Their primary task was to focus onshort-term needs and solutions.

In February 2015, the team was asked to

address long-term needs as well, givenpresent growth trends and ministry vision.Jimmy Janzen and Kim Kaufman replacedBrian Allen, Bev Vogel, Janet Hein and Jere-my Loewen as team members.

The team completed its work in Juneand shared the results with the council. Inpreparation for the Jan. 10 family forum,the team published a summary of its con-clusions, a copy of which was placed ineach church mailbox.

In short, the team reported we aresqueezed for space at almost every min-istry level: Kids Connection as well as Sun-day and midweek ministries involving chil-dren, youth and adults, plus storage needs.

As our pastoral staff projected ministrygoals for the next 10 years, current spacewas considered inadequate to accommo-date growth—whether it be number ofrooms or adequately sized rooms. We alsolack appropriate office and storage spacefor staff.

Beyond the facility itself, the assess-ment team noted the need for a second exitfrom the campus to expedite traffic flowand additional parking spaces based on theconcept of “comfort capacity” — a termthat applies to reaching unchurched

adults. New comers tend to stay away whengathering spaces ranging from classroomsto parking lots are at 80 percent capacity orhigher. They are uncomfortable sharingtight spaces with people they don’t reallyknow.

The focus of the Jan. 17 forum, attendedby about 85 people on a frigid day, was toreceive feedback from the congregation.Partici pants asked a variety of good ques-tions with an open mind and seemed toappreciate the opportunity for dialogue.

Toward the end of the second forum,Moderator Brad Bartel asked for a “strawpoll” regarding a council recommendationto engage an architect to develop a concep-tual plan for expansion, based on theteam’s report. A solid majority of thosepresent indicated support for seeking anarchitect. Funding designated for capitalimprovements will be used, which will notimpact our church’s operations budget.

The conceptual plan should help thecongregation visualize possible space solu-tions, ideas for future ministry and an ini-tial sense of the cost. Council has said anyexpansion project would be at the congre-gation’s direction and likely would be pur-sued in phases. —Don Ratzlaff

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The many hopes of a student worshipband forming among the senior high

youth group are at last coming to fruition.Seven students have come under the lead-ership of Allie Jost, Tabor senior andYouth Ministry Team member, to form acomplete band. With Allie’s help, the bandled worship for the first time Wednesday,Jan. 13.

A student band gives individualsanother opportunity to participate in theyouth ministry program in a deeper wayand have a sense of belonging and owner-ship.

“I chose to play in the band because Ihave finally found a sense of comfort insharing my singing interest,” vocalistVance Klassen said. “I was always told Ishould sing for the church and I decided totake that leap.”

“I chose to serve in the worship bandbecause I have wanted to learn how toplay in a band and use my gifts to praiseGod,” said piano player Josh Kliewer.

God obviously had a plan for the groupwhen the original roster of sign-upsformed a complete band without any over-lap for instrument. To get the band start-ed, Allie sent out audio files and chordcharts so the students could familiarize

themselves with the music ahead of time.Then students met with Allie for threehours on a Saturday morning for a “Wor-ship Band Boot Camp” during which theylearned to play the three songs together.

“I decided to help lead the youth bandbecause I remember how meaningful itwas to me and my youth group growingup,” Allie said. “It also was a way to helpstudents make the youth group moretheir own. I am looking forward to gettingto know these kids more. It will be funseeing the band members grow as musi-cians and in their own walks with God.”

Band members hope using their giftsin this way will bring unity to the groupand increase participation.

“I thought the night went pretty goodfor the first time,” said drummer TysonReimer. “I like how the group looked moreengaged in the worship. It seemed like itwas more meaningful to the overall groupand it was a blast.”

“Having a student worship band is justa great way to worship and I think it getspeople more involved and connected,”said vocalist Chloe Pankratz said.

The band hopes to play at least onceevery few weeks to get started and slowlygrow their repertoire of songs. The firstthree songs learned were “Good GoodFather,” “Grace on Top of Grace” and“Called Me Higher.”

—Sara Jo Waldron, youth pastor

Participants in thenew student wor-ship band are(from left) JoshKliewer, senior, onkeyboard; vocal-ists ChloePankratz, sopho-more, AbbySechrist, sopho-more, and VanceKlassen, junior;Tyson Reimer, jun-ior, on drums (inback); Allie Jost,organizer; An- thony Kaufman,freshman, electricguitar; and CalebKliewer, fresh-man, acoustic gui-tar.

Sr. High MinistrySr. High Ministry

Students formworship band

Allie Jost rehearses with guitarists Anthony Kaufman and Caleb Kliewer.

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Over the past couple of years I haverealized that the greatest privilege as

a Christian is to know and connect withthe Living God. To know that the Creatorof all things wants to spend time talkingand listening to me (and you) is quiteincredible!

During January the Junior High Youthstudied this truth in a series titled, “Keysto Connection.” The theme verse for isJohn 15:5: “I am the vine; you are thebranches. If you remain in me and I inyou, you will bear much fruit; apart from

me you can do nothing.” As Christ followers it is crucial to stay

connected to our power source. Withoutreading God’s Word and praying, we loseour connection and will eventually lose ourpower to bear fruit. In order to do this, webegan a 21-Day Reading Challenge throughthe Gospel of John.

Research shows it takes 21 consecutivedays to form a habit, so we are hoping tobuild lasting habits of reading Scripturethrough studying one chapter a day all theway through John. I pray that we would bea church who sees connecting with God asa privilege and a joy on a daily basis.

Here are a few other fun highlights fromthe Junior High Youth Ministry:

n On Dec. 11 we gathered at the churchfor a Christ mas party. Around 20 studentsand sponsors came wearing the favoriteugly Christmas sweaters, Santa hats andfestive pajamas. There was no shortage of

laughter and fun as we had a white ele-phant gift exchange, played games, andwatched a movie together.

n Our first event of 2016 was a bowlingparty at Bluejay Lanes. Thanks to the gen-erosity of Darrell Driggers, we were able tospend a few hours bowling, eating snacksand catching up together after a busyChristmas season.

n On Sunday mornings we have beengoing through a video series called, “WhyJesus.” Filmed on location in Israel, thisseries has asked us to wrestle with thehard questions about Jesus such as, “WasJesus really God or just a good man?” and,“How can we believe that the miracles ofJesus are true?”

These tough questions don’t have easyanswers, but they can be found throughdiving into scripture and studying the his-torical evidence for Jesus.

—Drew Pankratz, youth intern

Jr. High MinistryJr. High Ministry

Keeping kids‘connected’

Hats off to good times at Kids Connection Kids Connection had many fun activities and events happening during December andJanuary. A few of the highlights were celebrating “Polar Express” day, where we gotto gather as a center and watch the “Polar Express” in our pajamas. We had our an-nual Christmas program Dec. 17. Show-and-Tell Day was lots of fun and gave the kid-dos an opportunity to work on their “public speaking” skills. We celebrated NationalHat Day by wearing hats and even making our own hats on Jan. 14. Popcorn Day wasalso lots of fun. We celebrated Kansas’ birthday Jan. 29 by wearing our K-State andKU apparel. —Tiffany Miller, interim director

Due to theincreasing

number ofevents and serv-ices in ourchurch facility,the workload ofsetting up andtearing down,keeping thingsclean and readyfor the nextevent becamemore than a one-person task. Joining DarylKliewer with the huge challenge of main-taining the church facility, Brian Thiessenhas been hired as assistant facilities manag-er. Brian, the son of Glenn and DonnaThiessen, grew up and went to school inHillsboro. Before joining the HMBC team,Brian was assistant manager at MarionCounty Park & Lake. When he has free time,Brian likes to go hunting or fishing. Conse-quently, he is always looking for good hunt-ing ground around the Hillsboro/Lehigharea. One of Brian’s goals is to learn moreabout primitive survival skills. he also enjoyspreparing demolition derby cars for theMarion County Fair. So far, Brian says work-ing for HMBC has been good, although he isstill trying to familiarize himself with every-thing. When you see Brian moving tables orpushing a sweeper, take a minute to say hiand get to know him.

Welcome Brianto the team

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Have you ever goneskydiving?

Krista gave me ajump for my birthdayearly on in our mar-riage. It was some-thing I always want-ed to do.

As I was puttingon my suit, I began toget nervous, yet was

looking forward to the excitement Iknew would come. When the planestarted going up in the air, the antici-pation grew. Then one of the crewmembers opened the door of the planeand things got real.

As I saw the land get smaller andsmaller, my mind went numb and mybody switched into auto-pilot mode.My trainer had me sit in front of himwhile he fastened me to himself. Wethen waddled to the edge of the open-ing and without thinking, I jumped.

I tell you, that was the most exhila-rating experience of my life. At somepoint the guy on my back pulled thecord and our chute opened and even-tually we landed. Now, I can say Ijumped out of a plane, but I am noskydiver. All I did was jump, and theexperienced diver did all the rest. Ididn’t even pull the cord!

Being filled with the Holy Spirit islike this. We need to let go of the con-trol of our lives. We so often want tomanipulate everything, even out-comes we have no way of determin-ing. God wants full control over youand me. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still andknow that I am God.” In other words,stop trying to do everything yourself,and trust Him to be in charge.

You and I have been bought with aprice. We don’t own our lives anymoreif we’ve given them to Christ. Howincredibly freeing is that? We justneed to jump. Let God pull the cordand get us safely where He wants us togo. Are you willing to jump? Are youwilling to step out in faith and let Godbe in control? What is it that you needto give over to Him today and say, “Itrust you with this, Heavenly Father.”

—Pastor Jeremy

Skydivingwith God

Moment with MatlockMoment with Matlock

Pastor Jeremy

BaptismAbby Sechrist, Jan. 3Anthony Kaufman, Jan. 10Sarah Jost, Jan. 10

New membersJeff & JoAnne Jorgenson, Dec. 6Roger & Stephanie Sinclair, Dec. 6Gary & Connie Beavers, Dec. 6Brooke Vandever, Dec. 6Thomas Gill, Jan. 17

EngagementsDevin Dick and Brooke Vandever;

wedding date July 16Allie Jost and Drew Pankratz; wed-

ding date July 9

Parent/child dedicationKelton Mitchell, son of Rob & Alexis

Scott, Dec. 6

DeathsLewis Hagen, Dec. 8

HMBC FAMILY NEWS

Brooke VandeverI am from Choctaw, Okla., and now

attend Tabor College. I am an elementaryeducation major and I love it. I am engagedto Devin Dick and we are getting marriedhere at the church in July.

I started attending HMBC because I waslooking for a home church and Devin sug-gested I start attending here with him. Ireally loved the church and after about ayear and a half I felt God calling me to joinand serve here. I am excited to get connect-ed with this church even more.

I love working with kids, so I hope tosoon get involved in with some children’sministry within the church. I am lookingforward to everything God has planned inthe years to come.

Roger & Stephanie SinclairRoger is a retired Army veteran. He cur-

rently works as the assistant manager inHillsboro at United Supplies. Stephanie isin her 28th year of teaching middle schoolmath and physical education, and is headsoftball coach for Hillsboro High School.The Sinclairs have two children, Lucas, whois a junior business major at Wichita StateUniversity while also serving in the KansasArmy National Guard; Juliana is a freshmanat Oklahoma Baptist University. Julie enjoysbeing the manager for the OBU softballteam. She is majoring in applied alliedhealth (pre-med) with interests in missionsand traveling.

Roger also has four older children, Cara,Kyle, Jamie and Jordan, and three grand-children. Roger and Stephanie beganattending HMBC after Lucas and Julie werewelcomed into Sara Jo’s classes, Bible stud-ies and MBY. Becoming members was not ahard decision. They have felt challenged byBrian’s messages and have enjoyed wor-shipping at HMBC. They are serving bybeing greeters, participating in a smallgroup and being on another committee.

Gary & Connie BeaversWe moved from Herington to Hillsboro.

I am originally from Arkansas, Connie fromMississippi. We moved to Hillsboro to becloser to our grandchildren here in townand our grandchildren in Hutchinson.

Our son, Matthew, and his wife, Erin,attend church at HMBC and invited us toattend. We have since joined the church. Iam retired from the Union Pacific Railroadafter 401⁄2 years. Connie retired from beinga teacher and counselor at Herington for23 years.

M E E T O U R N E W M E M B E R S !

Connie is an avid reader, loves flowers,some traveling and I like being outdoorswhen the weather permits, some primitivewoodworking, traveling and love studyinghistory. We love being with our grandchil-dren.

We feel very welcomed at HMBC, feelthe presence of God working in our lives.The sermons with have heard at HMBChave been very meaningful.

We are involved as greeters andWednesday night meals. Connie has helpedat Bible school and the nursery.

A GOOD READBooks you should know about

“My Calling to Fulfill:The Orie O. Miller Story,”BY JOHN E. SHARP (2015)

Orie O. Miller, 1892-1977, was one of themost unifying Mennonite leaders of

the 20th century. His leadership affectededucation, missions, peacemaking, post-war reconstruction and mental health fordecades among several Mennonite denom-inations. —Ervin Ediger

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Pastor Brian attempts to win the trust of young Kelton Mitchell Scott during theDec. 6 parent/child dedication with parents Alexis and Rob Scott.

Pastor Brian welcomes Thomas Sill as a newmember at HMBC during the Jan. 17 morningworship service. Offering moral support forThomas (but not pictured) was Drew Pankratz, afriend of Thomas and our church’s youth intern.

Pastor Brian (far right) welcomes seven people into membership Dec. 6: (from left) Jeff and JoAnne Jorgenson, Gary and ConnieBeavers, Brooke Vandever and Stephanie and Roger Sinclair.

In January, youth pastor Sara Jo Waldron baptized three youth group members upon their confession of faith in Christ. Pictured fromleft are Abby Sechrist (Jan. 3) and Anthony Kaufman and Sarah Jost (Jan. 10).

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HILLSBORO MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH300 Prairie Pointe, Hillsboro KS 67063

Office phone: 620-947-3144Prayer Line: 620-947-5454

E-mail: hmbc@hillsboromb.comWebsite: hillsboromb.com

LEADERSHIP STAFFBrian Allen, lead pastor

Jeremy Matlock, adult discipleship and assimilation pastor

Bev Vogel, children & family pastorSara Jo Waldron, youth pastor

Bruce Heyen, worship music & choir directorTiffany Miller, Kids Connection interim director

THE ENCOURAGER TEAM Brenda Sechrist, Marilyn Hiebert, Don Ratzlaff

n Our Sundayschool class for 2-and 3-year-oldsmade a “world of

difference” this past Christ-mas. Under the teaching ofRon and Fran Duerksen, thechildren learned that Christ-mas has a lot to do with giv-ing and not just receiving.Ron and Fran received apamphlet from Samaritan’sPurse describing many prac-tical things that could bepurchased for needy familiesaround the world. Fran saidthey wanted to “show thekids that it’s not about me,me, me at Christmas.” Thechildren chose the “babychick project,” where $14would purchase 12 baby chicks.

Each Sunday, as Christ mas drew clos-er, the kids loved watching the stack ofbaby chicks grow under the bulletinboard Christmas tree. When their offer-ing was totaled, they were able to buy 84chicks. Some families around the worldare going to have a lot of fresh eggs toeat or sell all because of our 2- and 3-year-olds.

n Another third-grade studentasked Jesus to be the Savior of herlife on our first Wednesday night backto K.I.D. NetWork for the new year. Wow,I can’t think of a better way to start 2016.Please continue to pray for our studentsand teachers each week as we share

Jesus’ love and the gospel message on Sun-day mornings and Wednesday evenings“for Your glory and their good, Jesus.”

n Mission Exploration Station hasagain taken off this year. The engines wereignited Jan. 17 to “take” our Sunday morn-ing first-through-sixth-grade G5 Kids! stu-dents to Juneau, Alaska. Marilyn Jost andLeann Funk invited Ryan and Angie Regierand their family to share with our studentsduring the Sunday school hours, Jan. 17through Feb. 7. The students have beenlearning about the different culture as wellas the opportunities there to minister andshare the gospel with people of many agesin different walks of life.

n Prayer Pals, both students andadults, please remember to keep praying

for your pals. Each one of us needs to beupholding others in prayer. The book,“Pray For Me,” which was handed out Jan.10 on Prayer Pal Sunday, can be a great toolin praying for our Prayer Pals and others.Prayers for faith, purity, speech, conduct,favor, love and wisdom are so important ineach of our lives and we need to be askingothers to pray for us. The prayers in thisbook are actually prayers that are prayingScripture, which is very powerful. Askingsomeone to pray for us is not a sign ofweakness. It’s an acknowledgement that weneed God and each other to walk this life.It’s a sign we are relying on God and notourselves. Keep praying for each other!

If you were unable to attend our PrayerPal Sunday event, please see Bev Vogel toreceive your copy of “Pray For Me.” Or, ifyou would like to become a Prayer Pal, con-tact Bev Vogel or Jan Terman.

n The Lenten season, which preparesus for the Easter celebration, begins on AshWednesday, Feb. 10. In keeping with thisyear’s Advent theme of “Look to theLight!,” our Lenten theme is “Look to theLord!” The G5 Kids! will each be receivinga 3-D devotional booklet that will help themfollow the life of Jesus from birth to resur-rection. Parents and grandparents, be look-ing for this booklet in mid-February so youcan be a part of your child’s processing ofthis great truth, and help this truth becomea reality in their life. Having a personalrelationship with Jesus is the greatest giftyour child can ever receive.

n May God richly bless you in 2016.My prayer is that each of us will deepenour ministry of prayer for one another.

—Bev Vogel, children and family pastor

Toddlers learn the value of Christmas giving

CECLIPS

Ron and Fran Duerksen’s 2- and 3-year old Sundayschool class gave to purchase chicks for families aroundthe world so they can have eggs to eat and sell.

Rosella Mar-tin enjoysdrawing withher prayerpal, PenelopeWaldron dur-ing Prayer PalSunday, Jan.10.