January 25, 2010
Dear Sierra Heights Family and Friends,
Welcome to 2010! What a great year we had in 2009 and what a great future we have as a church family in the years to come. Thank you for being a part of our ministry. Whether you are an active member, visitor, or former member we thank you for prayers, support, and service here at “The Heights” where we lift Jesus up on high and soar to new heights (Isaiah 40:31).
I want to update you on several things that are going on around the church family. First of all we are actively engaged in taking the Gospel to the streets in our 93710 zip code area and beyond. Our new vision statement: Vision 93710 – A Place to Start, a Time to Grow is getting kicked off in February. We are partnering with California Southern Baptists to share Jesus with people in our zip code area. You can learn more about this by going to www.findithere.com and checking out the web site. Mark these important dates:
Saturday, March 20 Church-wide prayer for the community
Saturday, March 27 Church-wide gospel distribution to 3,000 homes
Sunday, April 4 Easter Sunday evangelistic services
During these weeks I will be preaching from our second mission statement that reads: Evangelize those in need. You will hear more about this on Sunday mornings so please come and be a part!
Second, I want to update you on our facility upgrades. On Sunday evening, January 31, we will have 2 visitors from the State Convention who will help us as we walk through the process of upgrading our facilities. I encourage you to come and hear what is being suggested as we prayerfully discuss our options.
Third, as we transition between Church Treasurers, we are working hard to upgrade our accounting system. This does not involve a significant cost but it does require lots of volunteer time, changes in our financial process and procedures, and will result in a financial report that will look a little different than it has in the past. A big thanks to the Financial Team for working overtime to make this happen.
Fourth, San Joaquin Valley College is preparing to do some upgrades to their facility down the street from us. From @ March – August, they want to use 4 rooms in the children’s wing Monday – Thursday for daytime and evening classes. Years ago we used their space for Bible Study overflow and feel it will be a good community gesture to reciprocate. This also fits our Vision 93710 here at SHBC. Yes, it will be somewhat inconvenient for some, but they are providing a full-time security guard, a custodian to set up and clean the rooms, and a donation to offset all of our extra expenses. It seems like a good opportunity so please, when you see what is going on let’s keep in mind that to do ministry we have to get out of our comfort zone.
Finally, I want to encourage you to pray more, read your Bible more, and come and be a part of our church programs. If you do, the result will be increased service and ministry to those in need. It seems like this is a good thing!
Blessings,
Bill
