THINKING ALLOWED...

January has turned out to be a very eventful month for us. The beginning of the year is always a wonderful time and God is doing some great things through our church family.

We had an amazing group of people join us to experience Disco Skate Night on January 20th. Seventy-five plus people were moving like lightening around the gym. I was rolling as if I was floating on air. Well, actually, I was floating on air until I came down on the floor. Thanks to those of you in our Hilldale family who served at the event. Thanks to our guests, who were the majority of our attendance that night.

The following night, we had a Student/Youth Ministry Reunion for 1998-2004. Again, it was a great turnout and fantastic time of fellowship. In addition, I was amazed at all the babies that were there. Patricia and I picked out at least seven for our substitute grandchildren. You can imagine our surprise when every set of parents was willing for us to take them home for a couple of days of enjoyment.

Then there was our Connections Luncheon. We do have some great people visiting with us at Hilldale and it was so good to get to know them better.  Pray for them as they try to identify the place God wants them to invest their lives.

Of course, January was also a month of great tragedy. The storm damage was horrendous and yet, while we are so saddened by the loss of two lives, the fact that more people were not killed is almost miraculous. The loss of property is devastating to so many people as are some of the injuries that were much more severe than first realized. We are collaborating with a number of churches and organizations to provide labor and help for the ongoing cleanup. A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center will set up for a couple of weeks in our facility. The purpose it to accept requests for assistance and to deal with the variety of needs and information related to the storm.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5 AT 5:30 PM AT HILLDALE Pathways Professional Counseling Ministry of the Alabama Children’s Homes will provide Critical Incidence Stress Counseling for adults and children. There will be a 20-minute general presentation on dealing with the stress of the storms and then various breakout groups to deal with the different levels of stress created by the tornados. The needs of children will be considered as well. Should anyone need long-term counseling or a couple of additional private sessions to deal with their feelings, appointments
and/or information will be made at that time. Ongoing sessions will be free of charge to those directly affected by the storms.

Keep praying for those who live around us and even those in our own congregation who must totally rebuild.

Praying with you,