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 events that set the Reformation in motion and reflected on our theological roots that can be traced all the way back to that movement.
This year we are preparing to celebrate another milestone at Highview, but this one is more local: 2018 is the 25-year anniversary of our congregation! It was 25 years ago that our church began gathering at the Lion’s Club in Genesee Depot. This year, we are excited to celebrate what God has done over these 25 years and give thanks for his faithfulness.
Over the past several months, a number of people have been hard at work getting ready for this celebration. A 25th anniversary committee has been meeting continually to make preparations for a memorable dinner and program on October 20th. Additionally, on Sunday October 21st we will have a special worship service that will commemorate our anniversary. The entire weekend will be a joyous occasion of giving thanks for what God has done in our midst.
The elders of Highview have also been hard at work as this anniversary approaches. One of the things the Session felt strongly about is that we do not want this occasion to be merely a time of looking back at our past, but we also want it to be an occasion of looking forward to our future together. God has been faithful to Highview over our history, and we are excited to see where he will lead us in the next 25 years! Therefore, the Session has been working on articulating a new vision statement that will be the blueprint for our ministry moving forward. We are excited to share this vision with you when the anniversary arrives. The Session has also been working on developing some concrete ministry goals that we want to explore together as we look toward the future. It is going to be an exciting year at Highview!
Here’s what you can do as the anniversary approaches: First, mark you calendar and set aside the weekend of October 20-21! It is going to be special weekend at Highview and you won’t want to miss it. Second, make sure you RSVP for dinner. The anniversary dinner will require a sign-up, so be looking for an invitation and response card that will come in the mail. Third, pray for our church. God has provided our church with his guidance and blessing over the past 25 years, and we want to continue to pray for his guidance and blessing as we move into the future. Pray especially for our elders as they seek to lead us forward together.
As we take stock of our lives, sometimes it can be easy to lose perspective. Some people continually live in the past and assume that all of their best days are behind them. When we make this mistake we often miss the great things God has in store for our future. Other people continually live in the future and assume that all their best days are ahead of them. When we make this mistake, we fail to appreciate what God has done in the past and how he is working in the present. During our anniversary we hope to avoid both of these mistakes as we bring together our past, our present, and our future. We will gather in the present for fellowship, we will celebrate and give thanks for the past, and we will look forward to our future with anticipation. We hope you will set aside this weekend and join us!