Worship Pastor Candidate

Edward & Jessica Melendez

This Sunday, January 9, promises to be an exciting one for sure. Edward Melendez will be here from California to interview for the Worship Pastor position. Edward will lead the morning worship.

Searching for a staff position is difficult and time consuming. It becomes an exciting time when we narrow our search down to a single person and have an opportunity for the Hannaford family to meet him. Edward will be accompanied by his wife and two children.

Edward, in addition to his musical abilities, is very proficient in computer skills and has graphic design capabilities. He could be an excellent addition to our staff.

Please don't miss this occasion to meet Edward and experience worship under his leadership. I hope to see you Sunday.

Pastor Dick Crosby

Farewell

Church Family,

It is with mixed emotions I compose this letter, both heavy heartedness and joy and excitement for what the future may hold.

About three weeks ago I received a call from a very close friend and mentor to come and serve with him in ministry in Grants Pass, Oregon. After a visit to him in July of this year with the purpose of consulting on some audio/video for a building remodel (during which I led the church he pastors in worship), they created a worship pastor position. He expressed the desire for me to fill that role. Julia and I have been praying for weeks about this decision, and we have decided to accept the calling and move to Oregon to serve the Redwood Christian Church as their worship pastor. Our last Sunday with you at HSBC will be October 31st.

Please know that this was not an easy decision for us. We have made several good friends here, my ministry is thriving at Hannaford, and we were looking forward to many years of service to you and the Lord at Hannaford Street Bible Church. However when God calls (and this may be difficult to understand if you have never served in vocational ministry), you can either fight it as Moses did at first at the burning bush or accept it (no matter how difficult it may be), embrace it, and trust God that He knows what is best for us.

We are not running from anything or anyone here at HSBC. I have searched for many reasons to say no to God in this matter, but His calling is persistent. The non-spiritual side of me cringes at the thought of having to move AGAIN for the sixth time in four years, starting over in ministry, being even farther away from immediate family in Indiana, and leaving our dear friends in Helena. Every time I pray about it, I am getting a green light from the Holy Spirit; it has become evident that God is pursuing us in this calling.

Our time at HSBC will remain in our hearts as a blessing. Your generosity to our family, both as church and individually, has truly been an incredible blessing from God! We will treasure the friendships we made here for our lifetimes, forged in the fire of ministry! We pray God’s richest blessings on you and on HSBC. You are doing a wonderful work in Helena; we have been privileged to be a part of it.

If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to e-mail me (jonwimp@gmail.com) or give us a call (202-6034).

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Jonathan Wimp

Easter is coming on April 4th this year, and we are excited to remember Christ’s death, His burial, and celebrate His resurrection! This year Worship Ministry is forming a worship choir called Harmony to participate in the Easter services, and we need you! The name “Harmony” comes from Psalm 133... “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” This is a multi-generational choir, and all are welcome. If you are 14 or 114, this opportunity to serve in worship is for you! Our first rehearsal will be Sunday, March 14th, from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the Worship Center. Please call Jonathan at the church office (449-2273) or e-mail (jonathanw@hannaford.org) for more information or to confirm your attendance at rehearsal. (If you will need childcare, please let us know.)
Jonathan Wimp

Life Change, Week 2

We hope to see you Sunday for week 2 in our Pillars of the Faith series. Ray Fuller will be teaching on how the Bible came together? Sermon Central is now up and running on our website, www.hannaford.org. Listed below are links available from Sermon Central.

• Weekly Online Questionnaire
• Weekly Sermon Notes and Small Group Study Guide

• Life Change Blog (answers to weekly sermon questions)
• Facebook Page: Life Change At Hannaford Street Bible Church
• Weekly Sermon Podcasts

Just For You-The Worshiper Magazine

Make sure you get your copy of The Worshiper magazine. It's free and it's in the Hannaford foyer while supplies last. This is a great way for you to get insight on continuing your worship even after you leave the church doors.

The Worshiper is a quality publication full of content that will encourage and inspire readers to seek after God in worship. Each issue is filled with reviews of the latest music and Christian entertainment; articles include interviews with Christian ministers, musical artists and people who are making a difference in worship in their communities.

Other features include outreach profiles, stories from the front lines of vibrant ministries and worship articles designed to offer your congregation guidance in their everyday lives from a biblical perspective.

Remember, they're free - but there are only so many to go around :-)

Eric Powell, Pastor of Worship Arts

Jesus as Worshipper

If Jesus truly is the model we seek to imitate, then how Jesus worshipped should give us insight into how we, too, can worship our Father in heaven. As Chris Jack* reminds us, we know that Jesus was a Jew - and as such, He worshiped as a good Jew. "Jesus worshipped according to the established Jewish patterns and practices of his day."

Have you ever considered how Jesus worshipped? Why or why not? Should Jesus be our model for some things and not others?

HOW DID JESUS MODEL WORSHIP?
Chris Jack lists a number of scriptures that give us evidence that Jesus followed the Jewish practices of the day. Circumcision, temple and synagogue attendance are just a few examples. But I think the most important model of worship Jesus gave us is this: Jesus lived his life in complete submission and obedience to the Father. In that, Jesus was a model worshipper.

How are you doing in your submission and obedience to the Father? Are you a model worshipper? Are there areas that you are holding back from God? How about in gathered worship - are you completly surrendered to God among your brothers and sisters in Christ?

JESUS IS THE TRUE WORSHIPPER
Not only was Jesus a model worshipper, He was the one totally true worshipper - and more! "As the ultimate sacrifice for sin ... Jesus becomes the means of worship, the One through whom worship is to be offered." He makes true worship possible for us all. Praise God!

Are you focused on Christ in your worship? In personal worship? In gathered worship? Or is your focus distracted by other things? How can we better focus on the object of our worship?

Eric Powell, Pastor of Worship Arts

* Quoted excerpts taken from "Understanding Worship In The New Testament" by Chris Jack, pages 55-60 of the book Inside-Out Worship by Matt Redman and friends. For more, see here.

Are You An Inside-Out Worshiper?

I just finished reading Andy Stanley's Making Vision Stick. Among many others, he makes a great point about vision. Basically, if your vision isn't clear and concise, you can't effectively communicate it, much less embrace it and carry it out.

This is why we, in the worship ministry, have been discussing a simpler vision and how we can better embrace, communicate, and live it out - both inside and outside Hannaford.

We've reduced our worship ministry vision - our goal - down to this simple statement: "To do anything we can to encourage inside-out worship with everyone we meet." It's not complete. it doesn't explain everything. But it puts our main goal right out front.

Here are some basic thoughts behind inside-out worship:

1. If our worship does not begin on the inside, then it's really not the worship that Jesus talks about when He says, "True worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)
   
   
2. If our worship is only on the inside, is it really true worship? Especially when we believe God's word is true when He says that "From the overflow of our heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45)
   
   
3. Then finally, if our worship is only on the outside then it's more like "worshiping with our lips, when our hearts are far from Him." (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 5:8, Mark 7:6)

Our worship needs to be both "inside" and "out" - and the worship ministry at Hannaford is committed to encourage others in that direction. For more on inside-out worship and the Worship Arts Ministry Vision, click here. If you have comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Eric Powell, Worship Arts Pastor