In the midst of the excitement (and scariness) of everyone changing their congregation, we wanted to acknowledge some realities that are worth keeping in mind.

 01

Same Same

The big things are not changing. Jesus is still our King. His gospel of love and mercy is still our message and passion. His word is still our guide and we’ll preach it every week. Lost people will be saved and God will be glorified. We’re all going to keep praying, serving, repenting, encouraging, laughing and crying together. We’re still going to be the same HBC, same staff team, same values and mission.

02

Harder for Some

We’ll all have very different feelings and ways of going about the next 12 months, and that’s ok. It’s important that those of us who make quick decisions are patient and understanding of those who take their time. And those who value thinking things through for a long time will need to be understanding (and even thankful) for those who act swiftly.

03

Expect to Grow

Our God loves the widows and orphans. He has a welcoming heart. Our king, Jesus, died for every tribe and nation, people and language. And he taught us to look out at the harvest and pray. We love people and so we love welcoming them into our church family.

Occasionally people say that big churches must be unloving. In our own hearts we feel the fear that if more people come, I won’t matter and I won’t be cared for. Sometimes that is true. But it’s also possible to be unloved in a small group of people and to feel deeply loved in a large group. What matters is not size but our heart. Love means we want people to join and we also think and work hard to love them when they do.

04

There Is a Cost

Big plans always require an extra effort to get off the ground. It might be the cost of some close relationships, the investment of extra time, or the dollars and cents it will cost to make church happen in 2024. Building a new venue at Garden Suburb and leasing 259 King St will require us all to dig deep, with thankfulness to God.