Dear HRBC Family,

I love our church! As your pastor, I consider it a great joy to serve alongside our congregation! Thank you for the ways you live out our guiding, North Star statement: “Loving, Understanding and Empathizing with our community … and the world.” Here are some thoughts that come to me as I think of you:

You are loving. You are caring. You are thoughtful. You are gracious.

You are forgiving. You are sincere. You are good.

You are generous. You are life-giving. You are able. You are capable.

You are smart. You are patient. You are mission minded.

You are dedicated. You love Jesus. You are merciful. You are faithful.

Recently, we held the celebration of life service for one of our deacons, John Yearby. His wife Kris and their family told me over and again how blessed they were by your care, ministry and support during such a difficult time. Many other families have said the same thing about HRBC. It warms my heart! I just respond and say, “That’s what we do!” The ministry that emerges from within HRBC is directly related to our value system. Thank you for being examples of what it means to live what you believe. It truly makes a lasting difference.

As we continue to go through this season of visioning, reorganizing and restructuring . . .

• Please be prayerful.
• Please be supportive.
• Please be helpful.
• Please give the benefit of the doubt.
• And by all means, please be patient.

Every one of us desires nothing more than to THRIVE in life and in faith in the present and in the years to come.

I pray the following scripture as I remember you and give thanks for you . . .

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Thank you for being you!