By Pastor Stephen Hess – As Thanksgiving approaches I find myself thinking about how Christians should celebrate this holiday. Christians have very distinct ways of celebrating Christmas and Easter, but what about Thanksgiving? Do we use this autumn holiday to worship our Lord or is it just another excuse to over-indulge and eat too much […]
Articles posted by Stephen Hess
(Un)natural Disasters

By Pastor Stephen Hess – Over the past month there has been a recurring and disturbing theme in the headlines: natural disasters. First, Hurricane Harvey drowned the city of Houston with a deluge of rain and flooding of epic proportions. Thousands of homes were destroyed and it will take years for the city to rebuild. […]
current events, sufferingA Gospel Response to Charlottesville

By Pastor Stephen Hess – A couple of weeks ago I turned on the news and saw images that I found it hard to watch. There were images of men marching at night carrying torches deliberately reminiscent of KKK rallies. There was video footage of men chanting Nazi slogans and performing Nazi salutes. I am, […]
gospel, race, racism, sinGospel-Shaped Living

By Pastor Stephen Hess – Some time ago we acquired a toy garbage truck set in our household. This particular set came with play-doh molds to create objects such as garbage cans and bottles. These objects can be dropped into a special compartment on the truck before you drive the truck across the floor. As […]
gospel, sermon seriesGod is Able
Confidence in the Midst of a Changing World

By Pastor Stephen Hess – Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Wichita, Kansas and attend a Ligonier Ministries regional conference where hundreds of believers gathered to study the truth of God’s word. The theme of the conference was “Stand Firm”, and the speakers focused on how Christians can stand firm in their faith […]
culture, faith, pluralismWhat on Earth is a Presbyterian?

By Pastor Stephen Hess – As I write this article, preparations are being made for a “Presbytery” meeting that will take place at Highview in just a few days. Quite often when I tell people that I am a pastor they will ask me about the type of church I serve. When I tell them […]
EPC, evangelical presbyterian church, presbyterianismBiblical Maturity for the Body of Christ

By Pastor Stephen Hess – There is no such thing as a “perfect church.” In fact, it’s been said that if you find the perfect church don’t join it or else you’ll ruin it! The reason there are no perfect churches is simple: churches are made up of people and there are no perfect people. […]
1 Corinthians, sermon seriesGod’s Gift of Adoption

By Pastor Stephen Hess – The first couple of months of 2017 have been a whirlwind for our family! After being in the adoption process for the better part of year, God answered our prayers and brought a new daughter—Evangeline—into our family. One of the things we have been so thankful for throughout this process […]
adoption, gospelSemper Reformanda

By Pastor Stephen Hess – As we started the new year at Highview we have been focusing on our theological roots in the Protestant Reformation. 2017 marks the 500th year anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, and consequently we have been using this anniversary as an occasion to study some of our most foundational […]
reformation, reformed theology