Lord, we stand today as our forefathers have stood before You in times gone by,
Celebrating our history and revelling in all the great things that our country has achieved.
On this day we rejoice in the favor You have graciously given us.
We thank You for the blessings of liberty, for this generation and for the generations to come.
We thank You for our independence, peace and for all those who have bravely given their lives in the defence of freedom and justice.
We thank You that Your gracious and provident hand has given us so much.
Yet as a nation and people we have not always chosen the right way.
We ask You to forgive us for these times.
On this day we commit ourselves to wholeheartedly honoring and serving You.
With everything that we are, we lay our lives before You.
Make us a generous people,
A holy nation,
A people set aside to love You forever,
For the sake of the land of the brave and free,
And the peoples and nations of this world.
Today, we do not presume Your grace for our country.
Our land is in need of You,
Our people are in need of You,
Our industry and business is in need of You.
May we look only to You
This Independence Day, dependent on You.
Please come now by Your glorious Holy Spirit,
Breathe new life into the sinews of this nation.
May justice flow like rivers,
And righteousness like a never failing stream,
Until the whole of our country is covered with Your glory,
As the waters cover the sea.
We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit.
One God, now and for all eternity.
Amen.
(a modern prayer for the United States of America from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
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The Pastor Search team had narrowed its search to one candidate; this candidate recently let us know that he felt God was leading him in a different direction. While this was obviously disappointing for us, we continue to trust God to bring us the person He has planned for Hillsboro. We all need to keep our eyes on Him and to trust God's timing. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to seek Him and his perfect plan for Hillsboro.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulations, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12
Yours in Christ,
HBC's Pastor Search Team
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Update from BGAV:
3 Ways to Help with Western Virginia & West Virginia Floods
Updated: 6/29/16 at 12:11pm by Aaron Lee.
It has been five days since devastating flood affected our neighbors in West Virginia, just a short drive away for many in Virginia. Our Virginia Baptist Disaster Response team has mobilized equipment and volunteers to help West Virginia Baptists stand up response operations. Virginia Baptist teams are based at First Baptist Church, Fairlea, WV, a few minutes south of Lewisburg.
We currently have two shower units and a laundry unit on site. We will soon have three recovery teams joining the response in Fairlea as they are quickly standing up response operations.
How You and Your Church Can Help
Donate online at
bgav.org/donate, or mail to BGAV Attn: West Virginia Flood, 2828 Emerywood Parkway, Richmond, VA 23294.
Donations will support on-the-ground response efforts in West Virginia. 100% of your disaster contribution helps families and communities in West Virginia. Through your generous, ongoing support of the BGAV, our daily operations are fully funded by our budget, leaving donations to make a difference for those who need it most.
Flood Buckets
Our Southern Baptist Disaster Relief partners and Home Depot have worked to create a flood bucket shopping list. These buckets contain supplies to help homeowners who would like to clean up their own homes and provides an opportunity to also serve them as they clean up.
Learn more about filling flood buckets.
Volunteer
As recovery operations continue, we will fill teams in the coming weeks until the work is completed. Indicate your interest, availability, and your disaster response training status (trained current or expired, or untrained), and we will follow up with more information as we fill these teams and respond to requests from our partners.
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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL RECAP
The week of Vacation Bible School was a wonderful experience. The theme was "Submerged - Finding the Truth Below the Surface." Our VBS Scripture was Psalm 139.23-24. The children came each
evening excited to learn more about God's Word. We averaged 25 children per night.
A special thank you to all who worked so hard throughout the week to make VBS a great success:
Prayer Support for VBS - Hillsboro Baptist Church Family
Kitchen Workers - Dolly Wiley-Jarvis, Frances Wyant, and Terry Ludovissy
Nightly Dinners for the Children and Staff - Karren Tyler, Marge Oram, Annette and Dennis Cox, and Noel and Chris Purdy
Snacks for the children each evening - Annette and Dennis Cox
Sharing the Gospel with the children - Pastor Joel Jenkins
Worship Rally and Video Support - Pastor Christian Rutherford
Worship Rally - Donna Cain
Sound and Technical Support Support - Jeffrey Ludovissy
Bible Stories - Sheila Woodzell
Crafts - Rebekah Doerr
Games - Don Gilliland
Nursery Workers - Maria Rutherford and Barbara Dollens
Preschool Teachers - Karen Elias and Beth Saunders
Rotation Leader for Kindergarten - 5th Grade - Sandy Conely
Administration and Missions - Kathy Gilliland
Youth and Young Adults serving throughout the week - Victoria Westrup, Jonathan Bowman, Lorenzo Carrazana, Gabe Carrazana, Isabel Carrazana, Sofia Carrazana, Kevin Herlihy, Bryce Van de Castle, Brittany Elias, Kevin MacPherson and Lelead, Lauren Buckholder, and our Special Guest - Robbie Coman of the UVA Baseball Team
Our Family Night Dinner on Friday was a fun evening. We had 55 children, parents, and VBS staff members. Dinner was provided for the children and their family members. Everyone enjoyed a video of the children during the week, hearing the children sing and dance, and throwing water balloons at Don Gilliland.
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Summer Camp is in full swing! Each day the children enjoy a Bible story and making an art project. Wednesdays are special days featuring blowing bubbles, eating ice cream, making tie dye t-shirts, playing with balloons, outside water day, and enjoying snow cones and watermelon. Summer Camp will conclude August 4, 2016.
Hillsboro Christian Preschool is enrolling for the 2016-2017 School Year. Information and applications may be found on our church website at
www.hillsboro.cc. Applications are also available at the preschool office. Please call 434-823-5342 more information.
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MISSION TRIP
Virginia Impact was a somewhat great success! Pastor Christian led a team of 5 college age students to North Chesterfield to assist a widowed woman, Mrs. Miller, with the replacement of her roof. The team worked hard pulling old shingles, replacing rotten wood, and installing the new shingles. By day two most of the roof was already completed. Unfortunately, disaster struck when a sickness fell over the camp and the team decided that it would be best for them to head home to avoid causing the rest of camp to get sick. Some of you may have had to experience this terrible stomach bug during VBS... All in all the week went well and the students learned more about serving others and growing deeper in their relationship with Christ. New friendships were made and old relationships were deepened as a result of this trip. We thank you all for your prayers and support and look forward to more projects in the future!
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