Welcome Home

Its Wednesday night and I just got back from the Church a little while ago. The scene was sort of what I expect will be typical of any week night at Heartland Church in the near future. Mim Davis and Anthony Katongo were leading the first Wednesday prayer group in the sanctuary. Andy Sterie, Harold Hill and others were leading our young people in the equivalent of what was "the loft" in the old building. Sherry Ferris and Shija Puri were in the church offices -- it looked like preparing for the Newcomers Luncheon next Sunday.

It was good to see the building so busy. But, there were a few things that were different tonight than they will be in the near future.

For example, the prayer group met in the sanctuary mostly because the multi-purpose room (we need to find a better name for that room) was being painted. Pastor Dusty and his crew have been busy installing lighting in the sanctuary all week, but happened to be taking a dinner break during our prayer time. So, that worked out okay.

Of course, most of the class rooms for our kids are still being remodeled. But between the foyer and the youth room the students found plenty of space to do what they needed to do. In fact, despite all the work still being done in the children's wing we are still able to provide a full children's ministry on Sundays!

One thing that the church staff quickly discovered after the move (and really already knew) is that we can have whatever time table we want, but God's time table is ultimately the only one that actually counts. And, ready or not, God is moving at Heartland Church.

Someone has apparently let out the secret that we moved to Carrollton. Do you know how many first time guests we have had since moving? Well, I don't really know either!! You see, not all first time guests fill out information cards, and even when they do one card might actually represent more than one person. What I do know is that around 112 people turned in those cards in just the first three weeks in the new building. That is incredible!!!

I mentioned that our first Newcomers Luncheon in Carrollton is set for next Sunday. Do you know how many people have signed up for that? Well, I do. As of tonight, we already have thirty people registered -- which means we are quickly running out of space!!! That is a good problem for the church to have -- although if you are interested you need to sign up soon.

You may also have heard that on February 13th Heartland Church is hosting a FREE Valentine's Day event sponsored by KLTY -- America's # 1 Christian radio station. The chance to host this event came, well, out of the blue. Hmmmm? Anyway, renew your wedding vows and enjoy a mini-concert featuring Point of Grace, the award winning Christian Trio, here at Heartland Church. The wedding vow renewal ceremony will be lead by our own Pastor Dan Dean. Go to either www.theheartlandchurch.com or www.klty.com for more information, including directions.

We still have some work to do on the new building, and those projects will continue take some of our time (and require volunteers). But, it sure feels good to see God at work and to see our staff and volunteers focused more on ministry and less on construction projects. Thanks again to everyone who has worked so hard over the last couple of months to make our move a success. God is good!!