HPC 2012 Bible Reading Plan

Posted on 01/03/2012 by Brian Sandifer

This year as a congregation we are encouraging everyone to read the entire Bible in one year.  For those who don’t have a Bible reading plan, we are using Tabletalk magazine’s 2012 schedule.  It is one of many Bible reading schedules that are available.  This one takes the reader sequentially and concurrently through the entire Old and New Testaments one time.  For example, the readings for January 1 is Genesis 1 and Matthew 1.  Happy reading, and may God bless your devotional reading of the Bible this year!

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Knowing God (Free Audiobook in January 2012)

Posted on 01/03/2012 by Brian Sandifer

Christian Audio is offering during the month of January 2012 a free audiobook download of J.I. Packer’s classic book Knowing God.  From the website christianaudio.com:

A lifelong pursuit of knowing God should embody the Christian’s existence. According to eminent theologian J.I. Packer, however, Christians have become enchanted by modern skepticism and have joined the “gigantic conspiracy of misdirection” by failing to put first things first. Knowing God aims to redirect our attention to the simple, deep truth that to know God is to love His Word.

What began as a number of consecutive articles angled for “honest, no-nonsense readers who were fed up with facile Christian verbiage” in 1973, Knowing God has become a contemporary classic by creating “small studies out of great subjects.” Each chapter is so specific in focus (covering topics such as the trinity, election, God’s wrath, and God’s sovereignty), that each succeeding chapter’s theology seems to rival the next, until one’s mind is so expanded that one’s entire view of God has changed.

Author Elizabeth Eliot wrote that amid the lofty content Packer “puts the hay where the sheep can reach it–plainly shows us ordinary folks what it means to know God.” Having rescued us from the individual hunches of our ultra-tolerant theological age, Packer points the reader to the true character of God with his theological competence and compassionate heart. The lazy and faint-hearted should be warned about this timeless work–God is magnified, the sinner is humbled, and the saint encouraged.

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HMS Kids Club Christmas Party 2011

Posted on 12/21/2011 by Brian Sandifer

Last Sunday our kids club had a Christmas Party.  The lesson was that Jesus in the reason we celebrate Christmas.  As you can see from the slideshow below, we expressed our love for many of the Christmas traditions and stories that have grown up surrounding the mythology of Christmas, but that Christmas is a holy day (holiday) because we remember and celebrate the First Advent–the birth of the Son of God 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  Just like we look forward to the celebration of Christmas each year, Christians should look forward to the day when Jesus will return–his Second Advent–on the last day.  So have a very Merry Christmas!



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Brian Sandifer ordained & installed as Associate Pastor

Posted on 12/20/2011 by Brian Sandifer

On Saturday 12/17/2011 the Potomac Presbytery of the PCA ordained and installed Brian Sandifer as Associate Pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church.  Brian and his family have been members at HPC since 2006.  He completed his seminary education at RTS-DC (begun in 2003) in 2009 and served a pastoral internship at HPC from 2009-2010.  Near the end of 2010, HPC voted to call Brian as associate pastor alongside Pastor Larry Yeager.  Beginning in 2011, Brian was hired with the title of “Assistant to the Pastor” at HPC to prepare for ordination trials.  Thus the ordination and installation of Brian to the office of Teaching Elder (TE) in the PCA was an exciting day for Brian, his family, and our congregation.  We rejoice with God for his many blessings, and pray that Christ’s name will be proclaimed and glorified through Pastor Brian’s ministry.  See the photo slideshow and video below.

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15th Annual Warrenton Live Nativity (2011)

Posted on 12/12/2011 by Brian Sandifer

 

Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, Shepherds, Angels, animals, and the main attraction...baby Jesus!

HPC just reached a milestone in the history of our congregation.  For 15 years we have been privileged to host a Live Nativity on the front lawn of the Warrenton Courthouse.  We are so thankful to the Savior for the opportunity to share the priceless message of Christmas with our neighbors.  This year’s photo Christmas card included the following message from our Pastor Larry Yeager for those who stopped by to have their picture taken in the Live Nativity.  We also handed out candy canes to the children with a Christmas message about Jesus.

The Christmas card message:

Are you looking forward to Christmas?  Spending more than you should (& paying for it for months); every charity asking for money; gatherings with people you usually avoid?  I admit, some people really don’t like Christmas – because it’s “so commercial”, or it’s pushing religion down people’s throats, or it’s another reminder of loneliness.  Remove Jesus Christ (Messiah) from Christmas and there isn’t much to celebrate.  The promise of God to forgive sins, of eternal life and of peace in this life are all worthless if He doesn’t provide the means to give them.   But we look back at the 1st Christmas as we look forward to this anniversary edition.  God knew we could not make ourselves “good enough” to deserve anything but His judgment.  He gave His only Son, in a human body, to suffer all life’s sorrows and trials – without sin.  He came to give himself as a sacrifice for sins – that we might have life, real life through repentance and faith in Him. This Christmas, look forward to the eternal life Christ gives as you look back at the sacrifice he made to save us.

The candy cane message

Candy canes remind us of Christmas fun—especially giving and receiving gifts!  Its color and shape can help us remember that Christmas celebrates God’s gift of baby Jesus to us.  The shape (the letter J) reminds us of Jesus’ name.  The color white reminds us that Jesus is perfectly pure (he never sinned by doing bad things).  The color red reminds us that Jesus died on a cross to forgive sinners.  Jesus is God’s perfect gift of forgiveness and eternal life to all who turn from their sin and trust in him.  And that’s the best gift you can ever receive!

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HMS Kids Club Game Night

Posted on 12/12/2011 by Brian Sandifer

Recently we had “Game Night” at HMS Kids Club.  During the normal activity time, each class had fun playing arcade games in the large group room.  The kids (and grown-ups too!) played pinball, basketball shootout, video dancing, air hockey, ping-pong, and carpet bowling.  See the slideshow below.

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God’s Work in Camichines, Mexico (2011)

Posted on 11/23/2011 by Brian Sandifer

View a slideshow that describes God’s work with children in Camichines, Jalisco, Mexico.  The ministry is known as Ranchito con Esperanza, Casa Hoga Eirene.

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Reformation Day Party 2011

Posted on 10/31/2011 by Brian Sandifer

This year our celebration of Reformation Day focused on Martin Luther and his posting of the Ninety-Five Theses.  Children and adults gathered at 5:30pm to sing Luther’s most famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” and then learn about how Martin Luther, a troubled monk, uncovered the gospel of justification by faith alone and began spreading this good news.  For the next hour, the kids visited five teaching activities/games designed to bring Luther’s life experiences that surrounded the early years of the Protestant Reformation to life.  These stations included:

  • All Saints Church and Wartburg Castle
  • Escape!
  • Thuringian Forest
  • Luther’s Life Timeline
  • Augustinian Monastery

All the stations involved free candy for everyone!  At the end of the evening, we all met again to discuss what we learned, what Martin Luther learned, and what happened to Martin Luther at his trial (the Diet of Worms) in 1521 that launched the Reformation movement he helped launch.

See below for the large group presentation and a slideshow of the evening’s activities.



 

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HMS Kids Club 2011-2012 starting soon!

Posted on 10/05/2011 by Brian Sandifer

October is here.  That means the kids are back in school, the leaves are changing, the holidays are around the corner, and HPC’s HMS Kids Club is starting soon.  Be sure to download the registration form to sign your child up (grades 1st-5th).  If you need more information for yourself or a friend, download the Kids Club flier.  (If your child older, HMS Youth is our club for grades 6th-12th that meets at the same time.)  See you Sunday October 16 for the beginning of a great club year!

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Reenactment of Civil War Encampment

Posted on 09/26/2011 by Brian Sandifer

 

Civil War soldiers salute!

Perhaps the September highlight in terms of congregational activities was the Civil War Encampment HPC hosted for the community on 9/10/11.  One family in the church that is involved in 19th century living history activities set up a typical Union soldier camp, providing replicas of period items, dress, food that gave us a glimpse into the life of Americans from a bygone era.  We learned about the religious beliefs of typical soldiers and how their faith informed their attention to duty, honor, and principle.  We even had a musket-firing demonstration that was a big hit with the kids!  The day was such a success that HPC is considering hosting similar events in the future to provide living history education in the community, and a convenient entry way into the lives of people in the church.

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