Here's your December, 2016 Hillsboro Newsletter...
December, 2016
Pastor Search Update Pastor James Hardwick will be coming to Hillsboro on Sunday December 11, and preaching in view of a call. A business meeting will be held the following Sunday (Dec. 18) to vote. We hope you will be able to be with us for our service that day and for the Potluck luncheon to follow. Pastor Hardwick comes to us with many years of service to the Lord and to his church. Please take some time to "get to know" him a bit better by reading the information below. A schedule of more informal times with Pastor Jim will be forthcoming. It is your collective prayers that have brought us this far and we encourage you to remain prayerful as we all make this important decision together. For your convenience, Pastor Hardwick's message will be downloaded to the church website by the evening of Dec. 11, @ www.hillsboro.cc.
Yours in Christ,
HBC's Pastor Search Team
In View of a Call - Pastor James R. Hardwick Dec. 11, 2016
Pastor Hardwick grew up in Georgia and felt the Lord leading him to be a pastor during his teen years, a call that he feels just as strongly today as back then. He prepared for ministry by earning degrees from Valdosta State University (Bachelor of Arts), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas (Master of Divinity and Master of Education) where he served as class president.
Jim and his wife Leta served in overseas mission work in the Bahamas during the summer of 1965 where they led a seminary team of eleven students. The Hardwicks spent the summer of 1995 teaching English in Shenzhen, Peoples Republic of China. Pastor Hardwick has a heart for missions and training others to spread the gospel through Bible study open to the local community -- a passion the Hardwicks have shared with their four adult sons and six grandchildren.
During the last few years Pastor Hardwick served as senior transitional pastor at Effort Baptist Church at Lake Monticello from 2012-2013 and Greater Grace Baptist Church in Afton from 2014-2016.
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
Experienced Senior Pastor - over 25 years
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Adjunct faculty in Central Virginia School of Ministry, and associated for over 15 years with Regent University.
EXPERIENCE
Greater Grace Baptist Church, Afton VA June 2014 - June 2016
Interim Pastor
Effort Baptist Church, Palmyra, VA Spring 2012 - August 2013
Interim Pastor
Hebron Baptist Church, Afton , VA May 2002 - August 2008
Senior Pastor
Hebron Baptist Church, Afton, VA
Associate Pastor
River of Life Community Church, Richmond, VA
Senior Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Valdosta, GA
Senior Pastor
Central Baptist Church, Franklin, TX
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Kenova, WV
Associate Pastor
EDUCATION
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX
Master of Divinity
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX
Master of Education
Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
Bachelors of Arts
VOLUNTEER - COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Rebuilders Together, Nelson - Amherst Counties, VA 2009 - Present
Adjunct Professor - Central Virginia School of Ministry
Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief
BGVA Transformers
IMB Earthquake Relief - Turkey
Professor of English - Shenghen, China
Mission Team Leader - Bahamas
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Thank you to everyone who came out for Hillsboro's 2nd Annual Hanging of the Greens. The church, fellowship hall and grounds are all decorated in symbollically meaningful ways.
Don't miss our Candelight Service on Christmas Eve, from 5-6 pm. Since Christmas day falls on a Sunday this year this will be our only corporate Christmas celebration of the weekend. It will be a very "family friendly" service and a hopefully a meaningful way to celebrate Jesus birth together. Remember to invite your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers!
The schedule for the weeks leading up to Christmas is listed at the beginning of this newsletter. One addition is that Dec. 18 will be Baptism Sunday. If you or someone you know would like to be baptised that day please speak with one of the pastors.
As we worship together during these Advent weeks leading to and including Christmas Eve, I hope we all will experience a new sense of wonder as we gaze upon our Savior. That the baby Jesus, born in the shadow of the cross, will cause our hearts to be filled with even greater joy at the wonder of his love and grace. We have good news of great joy to share with others!!! Jesus is God with us, our Emmanuel. He promises to always be with us in our joy and in our pain. As a church family, I know we are all grateful for the many ways we have felt his very tangible nearness this past year especially.
Praying you all experience the wonder of God's presence in this Christmas Season.
"May we never lose our wonder
Wide eyed and mystified
May we be just like a child
Staring at the beauty of our King
Cause you are beautiful in all your ways
King of Kings
You are beautiful in all your ways
Just close your eyes
Just close your eyes, you'll see him
You are beautiful in all your ways
Open the eyes of our heart to see you God." (Wonder by Bethel Music)
Love you all and Merry Christmas!
Donna
Care Packages for our Hillsboro Ambassadors
On Dec. 4, in the church service, we will be collecting homemade Christmas cookies and writing messages in Christmas cards for our church family who are away from home in college, serving in the military, or as missionaries. Please bring a dozen cookies to the church and place them in the "Ambassadors" basket at the front of the sanctuary. Twenty-one packages will be mailed out on Dec. 5, so that they reach the college students by final exams and our military families by Christmas. We have received many words of gratitude from the recipients of the past mailings. Thank you for ministering to our Ambassadors while they are away from home!
Ongoing Discipleship Opportunities
We have several ongoing discipleship opportunities.
We encourage you to join us for fellowship and learning!
Sunday School Class: (Sunday's at 9am). Join Pastor Christian as he leads this class.
Men's Bible Study: (Wed. at 6:30pm). The men meet in the classroom of the education wing building for a deeper study of the Sunday sermon. Contact Luis Carrazana for more information. 434.989.8862.
Women's Bible Study: (Friday 11am - 1pm) Also meet in the Education wing. Current study is "Entrusted" by Beth Moore. Bring your Bibles and a brown bag lunch. Any questions? Contact Teresa VandeCastle at 434.305.3077 or [email protected].
ReCharge: (Sunday 5-7 pm). The youth meet for dinner, fellowship, fun and Bible study. Contact Jonathan Gilliland for more information.
New classes are always welcome! If you would like to start, lead or co-lead a class, please contact Gena Carrazana. 434.989.8834.
Youth and Young Adults (ages 12-18)
With the holiday seasons coming and going, the youth have been busy at church and around the world. The Christmas season began early when the youth went into Crozet fo fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. The guys and girls both filled a box and they will be tracked to see where in the world they end up. Many of the youth also took their usual Recharge time to help decorate the church at the " Hanging of the Greens." The youth group is also planning on having a game night on December 9th in the fellowship hall where we also plan on getting to know Pastor Jim Hardwick. We also anticipate a great weekend at Watermarks Youth camp on March 31-April 2.
The youth and young adults spent a great day last Saturday playing our annual Turkey Bowl football game at the Western Albemarle field. Afterward we went o Jump, an indoor trampoline house in Charlottesville with trampoline dodgeball, basketball, and an obstacle course. After an hour of jumping around and throwing foam balls at each other, we decided to head to Bodo's bagels to refuel. More fun events are being planned such as a youth Christmas party in December and a church-wide comedy night to come in the new year.
Jonathan Gilliland
Thank you Hillsboro Family
Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes have been delivered to the local distribution site. Our combined total from the church and the preschool exceeded last years! Please continue to pray that the children & families who will be receiving these boxes will all come to know the love and salvation of Jesus this Christmas!!
Angel Tree for Mountainside Residents is underway. Residents names and gift information are on the bulletin board in the foyer. Please consider "adopting" one of these residents for Christmas this year. You can even partner with someone else or even have the gifts come from a group. For many of these residents, these are the only gifts they will be receiving this Christmas.
Parents' Morning Out
The next PMO will be held on Saturday,
December 10 from
9-11:30 am. Infants to 5th graders are welcome to come join in the fun while their parents do some last minute shopping or decorating.
To register, go to
signupgenius.com. For more information or to volunteer please contact Karen Elias. [email protected].
Hillsboro Preschool News
Upcoming Events (Everyone is Welcome)!!!
Sunday, Dec. 4- Preschool Children will be singing in the Morning Worship Service at 10:00 am.
Wednesday, Dec. 7- Preschool Children will be singing at The Lodge at Old Trail, 10:30 am.
Thursday, Dec. 15- Preschool Children will be presenting their Christmas Musical entitled: "The Real Meaning of Christmas" at Henley Middle School cafeteria, 7 pm.
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
2 - Ray Oram
3- Julia (Dolly) Wiley-Jarvis
9 - Martin Sanchez
19 - Sofia Carrazana
20- Frances Wyant
Shiela Woodzell
21 - James Houchins
23 - Chris Purdy
25 - Jesus Christ
Hillsboro Baptist Church/434-823-1505/6406 Hillsboro Lane
