Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas  Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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“Your Turn?”
Hillcrest Church Office
August 27, 2003

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Here is this week’s WINNING WAYS . . . .



“Your Turn?”
by Tom Goodman

I ran across a little poem. Shakespeare it ain’t, but it makes a point loud and clear:

   Many will be shocked to find
   When the day of judgment nears
   That there's a special place in heaven
   Set aside for volunteers.
   Furnished with big recliners.
   Satin couches and footstools.
   Where there's no committee chairman
   No group leaders or car pools.
   No eager team that needs a coach
   No bazaar and no bake sale.
   There will be nothing to staple
   Not one thing to fold or mail
   Telephone lists will be outlawed,
   But a finger snap will bring
   Cool drinks and gourmet dinners,
   And rare treats fit for a king.
   You ask, who'll serve these privileged few
   And work for all they're worth?
   Why all those who reaped the benefits,
   And not once volunteered on earth.

Well, the poet’s picture of heaven’s rewards might be a little bit imaginative.  Still, we need to make sure that we’re doing our part at Hillcrest and not leave it all for others to do.

Specifically, we need your help in our Extended Teaching Care (ETC), the name given to our preschool care during the second worship hour.  The ETC ministry provides loving lessons for our little ones while their parents are free to worship.  Right now our worker rotation is once every 7 weeks, but with your help we can get worker rotation to once every quarter!  We need 21 more volunteers to reach this goal.  If you are a parent who uses the ETC, it’s very important that you take your turn once a quarter.  Also, if you attend the 8:30 a.m. service, please consider signing up for the 10:45 a.m. ETC once a quarter.  Contact BJ Linam at bj@hbcaustin.org or 345-3771.

We’ll appreciate your help in this important ministry!

– Tom

P.S.  I’m teaching a seven-week class that you may be interested in.  It’s a Seeker Class, designed for those considering the message of Christianity.  I’m inviting those who are seekers, and those who know seekers, to join me in a study of the book “A Search for the Spiritual” by Dr. James Emery White.  The class is a place with freedom to ask the tough questions about Christianity and explore answers together. People from all educational backgrounds have benefited from the class in past courses.

At home before each session, participants are expected to read two chapters of the book and answer questions in a workbook I’ve prepared for the course.  The sessions will then be a discussion of the impressions gained from personal study.  Each session ends promptly two hours after it begins, though many will stay afterward to continue to discuss the topics raised in class.

The class and the workbook are free, but Dr. White’s book can be purchased in local bookstores or on the first night of the session.  Couples taking the course together may share a copy of Dr. White’s book.

We will keep the class size small, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged.  Contact me at tomgoodman@hbcaustin.org or 345-3771 for more information.

The next study begins on Wednesday, September 3, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church.  The first night is simply a “Get Acquainted Night” where you can find out about the course before committing seven Wednesdays to it.



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