Do We Live Under a Basket?

How do people we live next to or work next to know we are Christians? How do people in Helena know what Hannaford teaches? Of course, they could ask us or attend. But why ask us as individuals or attend Hannaford? There are many people they could talk to and a host of churches in Helena that they could attend.

Perhaps as individuals and as a church we don’t demonstrate our faith in visible and attractive ways. Perhaps we do not let our light shine before men so that they see Christ through our actions. Instead, we hide our faith under a basket. (Matthew 5:15)

If we hope to be heard by people who don’t know Christ as their Savior, we need to give them a reason to listen. When we stop and study the current mind-set of America, we see people who question everything. That’s not all bad; it should prompt us to be more intentional as image bearers of Christ. How do we do that?

It might be of great value to explore these thoughts and evaluate how we could be more effective in sharing our faith. This is a challenge the pastoral staff has been studying, discussing, and praying about for several months. We are convinced that as an entire church community we can demonstrate Christ in more effective ways. That is our goal, and we intend to share some of those ideas in the coming days.

Dick Crosby, Senior Pastor

Marking Your Calendar with Hannaford in Mind

Mark these dates on your calendar so you won’t miss these opportunities.

"Power Lab" Vacation Bible School
June 9–13. Volunteers to help with this year’s VBS would be appreciated.

Missions Mania 2008: "International Treasure"
June 22. An opportunity to hear from the Chambers, one of our missionaries from Africa, and to learn about international missions at Hannaford.

BattleZONE Conference
July 11-12. A conference on the BattleZONE men’s discipleship program presented by Mike Pouliot and one of the top leaders in Promise Keepers.

25-Year Anniversary
August 10. Pastor Crosby and Carol hope that everyone will attend this Sunday. On their first Sunday 25 years ago, 27 people were in attendance. It would be great to top that by 500 or more.

2008 Hannford Fall Conference
September 28-30. Ken Hutcherson, former professional football player and a great speaker; Mark Labberton, pastor and conference speaker from San Francisco who is a great communicator; and Darren Streblow, a very funny comedian will highlight this three-day conference.

Dick Crosby, Senior Pastor