The HCC Leadership Team have committed to a week of prayer and fasting for Sept 12—19. All of HCC has been encouraged to join in. If other believers would like to join with us, we will be praying about the following items:
A) threats to Middle East peace that ISIS and the ongoing attack on Palestine represent
B) political stability of Egypt and members of Parliament being decided on in the coming weeks
C) our goal of wide-spread participation at HCC in the following areas: Friday morning worship and hospitality activities, prayer-ministries, small-groups, and youth and children’s education/ministries
D) Areas of future need at HCC, which the leadership team is developing committees to address:
(1) stewardship
(2) the pastoral search, with Pastor John and his family completing their term in the
Spring
(3) the fund-raising for completing the new parsonage.

We challenge you to pray diligently with us about these matters!

The weather is hot and the hospitality is warm! All are welcome to come and enjoy an evening of fellowship, games and fun. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall where there is air-conditioning 🙂 Please bring snacks to share and your giggle or laugh. All are welcome.

You are invited to come and join us for our Palm Friday Service on April 11. As we meet on Friday’s, this is the day we celebrate “Palm Sunday.” The service will be opened with the children greeting our Lord Jesus with the Hosanna song as they carry in some palm branches. This is in remembrance of the time when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people showed their respect as they laid palm branches and even their cloaks in the path for the donkey to walk on. All the people were exclaiming, “Hosanna to the Lord!” This means, “he saves,” and was used as a greeting and exclamation of joy at the prospect of welcoming their King. The details in scripture are rich in meaning and the hope that the people had at that time, and that we have now, as we wait for the return of our Lord and Savior as the King of God’s Kingdom.

As the weather is getting warmer, it is a nice idea to enjoy some time together in fellowship and sharing a picnic lunch in the park. Our plans have changed so that now we plan to meet at St. Michael’s in the garden for our picnic. Please bring your table cloths, blankets etc. to sit on the grass… just like if we were at a park. It’s at 4pm. All are welcome 🙂

Our annual Women’s Retreat is planned as an overnight event on Friday/Saturday, January 17/18. The ladies and youth girls love this special time apart: apart from the big city of Cairo, and apart from everyday activities. We focus on worship, the Word, meditation/quiet time, as well as fellowship and building relationships.

This year, our speaker is The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick, who is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She served for ten years as Associate Pastor for Education, Youth and Mission at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church in South Bend, Indiana, USA.

The message is about “The Friendship of Women: the hidden tradition of the Bible.” Using Sr. Joan Chittister’s book of the same name, we will explore the qualities that we find essential in our relationships with one another, and reflect on how they are represented by women in scripture. We will also take the time to reflect prayerfully on these qualities, our relationships with one another and how we can cultivate deep and valuable friendships.

This is the last Friday worship service before Christmas. We will be concluding the messages focusing on a particular aspect of our preparation for the advent, or “coming” of our Lord Jesus Christ. This week, December 20, is the final message in the series: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” The scripture is from Isaiah 60:1-6. In addition, the 4th candle on the Advent Wreath will be lit as we focus on the theme of “Jesus Christ our light.”

The four weeks of Advent are like a journey where we bring our gifts, ask God for discernment, and are prepared and ready to worship Christ at his birth. This week, the Third Advent service will focus on the theme of Jesus, the Prophet, as symbolized by the gift of myrrh the wise men brought to honor His birth.
Review here what the scripture records that Moses foretold about Jesus in Deuteronomy 18:
“18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

As we continue in our observance of Advent, please remember that the word means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival.’ During this time, we prepare our hearts and minds to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. In Advent we see a threefold coming of the Messiah:
1. A celebration of His first coming – born to Mary as her Son, Jesus.
2. Preparation for His second coming at the end of the world as judge.
3. Celebration of His coming into our hearts through rebirth.