Here’s a quick update of where things are with our transition to independence!
The HBC elders have been diligently preparing for the January 2019 launch! We have finalized all job descriptions for all the Deacons and any part-time staff positions. Deacons have been asked and we are starting to plan for the 2019 budget year with them. We have also secured resources for accounting, financial admin, and graphics part-timers. We are also getting ready for our first HBC Member Meeting scheduled for January 20, 2019.
Legally speaking, we have finished all the paperwork for 501c3 tax exempt status and submitted the paperwork. Our bank account has been opened and we are busy preparing the back-end systems to get ready to track giving and payables. In the meantime, we need to attend to the “smaller” stuff like passing our annual fire inspection, securing a curriculum for the Kids Ministry, church credit cards, and finally getting a copier/printer/scanner!
Membership-wise, we are seeing our last group of prospective members thought the current process and we are asking the current membership to affirm their membership as HBC-specific.
We are also looking ahead to important training initiatives in early 2019 – prospective elder training, under-shepherd training, and care group leader training.
In all this, we need to keep the ministry of the gospel as “of first importance.” I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 15-17 – “We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
(2 Corinthians 10:15–17 ESV)
There can be no boasting in our own achievements…no matter how much we accomplish. This is all of God and for God’s glory. The whole point of church planting is to bring glory to God by making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. We do this by preaching the gospel, in Green Pond, Highlands and “lands beyond.”
Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming!
