By Pastor Stephen Hess – Of all the misconceptions among Christians about worship, probably the most common is the idea that worship is something that only happens on Sunday morning. Many people view worship merely as what happens during a “worship service.” Some have an even more limited view, thinking that only certain activities within […]
Articles posted by Stephen Hess
Gospel-Shaped Worship
Highview’s new vision statement declares that we exist “To glorify God and make disciples who are completely transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Additionally, our vision states that two of our core values are “the centrality of the gospel” and the “primacy of worship.” We were created to worship God, and we desire to […]
gospel, sermon series, small groups, worshipExploring New Horizons
By Pastor Stephen Hess – This fall we celebrated Highview’s 25th Anniversary, and during our anniversary weekend we introduced a new vision statement for Highview. Our church exists “To glorify God and make disciples who are completely transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.” As the Session worked on articulating a new vision, we also […]
church planting, highview, visionHighview’s New Vision Statement
By Pastor Stephen Hess – On the weekend of October 20th-21st we celebrated our 25th anniversary as a congregation. One of the things that was introduced during that celebration was a new vision statement for Highview. The elders worked hard to articulate this new statement in the months leading up to the anniversary, and it […]
anniversary, mission, visionHighview 25th Anniversary: “From Generation to Generation”
By Pastor Stephen Hess – On the weekend of October 20-21, 2018, we will celebrate our 25th anniversary as a congregation. The theme of our anniversary weekend will be “Generation to Generation,” which is inspired by Psalm 79:13: “But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation […]
anniversary, highviewA Milestone Year for Highview
By Pastor Stephen Hess – Milestones are important in the Christian life because they are a way of celebrating and remembering God’s faithfulness over time. Last year, our church—along with churches all over the world—celebrated an important milestone as we marked the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Throughout the year, we remembered the historic […]
anniversary, highview, visionProclaiming the Gospel through Suffering
By Pastor Stephen Hess – Many Christians have been following the news about EPC pastor Andrew Brunson who has been wrongfully imprisoned in Turkey since October of 2016. As I write this article it has just been announced that Andrew has been moved from prison to house arrest, however, the ultimate outcome of his case […]
andrew brunson, gospel, persecution, sufferingHighlights from the EPC General Assembly
By Pastor Stephen Hess Once a year, our denomination—the Evangelical Presbyterian Church—holds a national gathering called the “General Assembly” where leaders from churches all over the country gather to connect, worship together, and conduct church business. This year the assembly gathered in Memphis for four days (June 19-22) at Hope Presbyterian Church. Attending General Assembly […]
EPC, evangelical presbyterian churchSummer Reading Recommendations
By Pastor Stephen Hess – A recent survey conducted by journalist Tony Reinke found that Christians are reading fewer and fewer books than in previous decades. One of the reasons for this seems to be that our culture is more distracted than ever before. An endless list of activities fills our lives and when we […]
booksReflections on MLK50
By Pastor Stephen Hess – April 4, 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of an historic and tragic event in our nation’s history—the assassination of Martin Luther King. At the beginning of April, I had the chance to travel to Memphis to attend a conference called “MLK50: Gospel Reflections from the Mountaintop.” In addition to reflecting […]
book of colossians, colossians, gospel, race