The HeartbeatThe HeartbeatThe Heartbeat

A publication of Heartland Baptist Church

What’s INSIDE

WINTER BIBLE STUDY SECOND CORINTHIANS Beginning February 14

at 6:00pm

2 Pastor Jim’s Gems

3 Discipleship/Family Ministry

4 Music & Women’s Ministry

Inserts—Calendar

5 Heartland KIDS/Nursery

6 Grandparent’s Ministry/

Announcements

7 Volunteer Schedule

February 2016

Pastor Jim’s Gems

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Lovingly, Bro. Jim

Happy New Year! 2016 is well on its way as I write this newsletter article. I hope you enjoyed Christmas, I know I did being able to spend it with family in the Heart of Texas! I was ready for Christmas this year, I had so much anticipation of a good celebration, and the Lord didn’t disappoint. As we come out of the Holiday season, and put all the decorations and such away for next year, often there comes a “lull” or “Blue” time for many people. The year has ended and all the excitement of Christmas, family and football have climaxed. We slip into a mindset of “winter is here!” This time of year can be very depressing for us, nothing to really look forward to except “fight the cold and sicknesses.” I want to hopefully encourage you and help you fight off the winter blues. If we will keep our minds fresh about the blessings of life and all the Father has given us, coupled with a steady diet of His Word; we should be able to prevent the hibernation desires. Many of you may have missed the 2015 Year in Review presentation, but I want to convey to you that the Lord was mighty in our presence during the year. God blesses us, and you were in-turn faithful to give back to the Lord. Heartland took on an unexpected roof repair in July and through your faithfulness, we were able to pay off $55,000 in 6 months. In our time of economic instability, that in my estimation is huge. Our Strategic Planning Process saw growth and fruition in the community. Many of you were involved in the schools either as readers or mentors’ to young children. The women’s groups were active inside and outside the Church. Our staff has been involved in community forums such as Drug Free Alton, and Options Now. Several of us did the Life Walk fundraiser to raise funds for troubled pregnancies. Our church held the Annual Gateway Baptist Associational meeting. The 26 ministry booths were a hit with all who attended and set the bar for future events in the Association. Our Church was part of the GBA Mission Spectacular, cleaning up areas around Granite City. Also the annual “Bucket Brigade” helped a much needed lady with painting her house, and then a Sunday school class extended the ministry by doing some inside work too. In the midst of this, we held our Vacation Bible School and launched our D6 Family initiative and Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action Groups. Speaking of the RA’s, we had our first campout in October with the men and boys. The men’s ministry attended “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference in Springfield and a SIUE basketball game. So, as you can see there has been a lot of “Outside the Walls” ministry going on. This is just the beginning! I know I had great expectations of growth and added people to our Church. I was reminded that all that

the Lord is doing WITH us takes time. Through the year, something occurred which Tim and I hoped for; the community discovered that Heartland Baptist Church was a place that cared and wanted to be involved. In the New Year, the opportunities abound. We have been contacted about partnering with Restore Network, a foster home and adoptive group that helps families and children adjust through the transitory crises times they encounter. We had already partnered with them through the Women’s groups during the year. By the time you receive this newsletter, you will have heard 3 messages about the vision for 2016. The Lord impressed upon me that 2016 needed to be a Year of Difference. In other words, we have the organization, the structure and ministry objectives already in place; it is now time to cultivate the processes and “bring people to the Lord” through our ministries. The first message is “Come to the Light” – our task is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ; we are all called to witness to the life changing Gospel. SO our first task is telling people about Jesus; talk about Jesus in our homes, work places and community. It is time that we end our silence and speak of the “Great things He has done” and tell the Lost there is HOPE in JESUS CHRIST. But the Church must look at itself – if we are lost, how can we tell someone else how to get saved. Judgment begins at the House of God; we can no longer be content to be religious, we must get the Gospel in us first. Church membership is good while on earth, but doesn’t translate to Eternal Life with Jesus! Secondly, ‘We must Walk in the Light” – this means as a church and believers we commit ourselves to living the transformed life of Christ. People have to see a difference in us, which means that there MUST BE a difference in us. Salvation is the beginning not the end of the Believer’s life. As the children of God, our lives must reflect a holiness and righteousness about it. We cannot keep sinning and living in a state of apathy. We are this generations Light of the Gospel. Thirdly, “WE Must Carry the Light” - this means that we, the story of the 99 and 1 sheep is the message. This is an extension of the first sermon, Come to the Light – after we have Come to the Light [back to Jesus], then we are to take the message to the streets! We live in a lost world, even though we have 99 sheep that are safe; the Lord compels us to go after the One. We have a mission and ministry to Alton & Godfrey. We have been too quiet for too long. It is time that Heartland Baptist Church rises to the opportunity before and take the Gospel to the streets, that God’s Divine Kingdom be expanded! Glory to God for His immeasurable grace and mercy to us all.

The Heartbeat

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FAMILY MINISTRY

Stuck Inside It’s inevitable in Illinois. Snow, ice, and cold season are here. This tends to lead to families bundling up and staying cozy indoors. Depending on your household make up, this can lead to boredom, teasing, loneliness, or hours of TV and tech devices. I wanted to use this article to encourage you to make the most of this season. If you are intentional about the time, it can create those moments that will be remembered later on in life. Boredom Anyone with children knows that it doesn’t take much for them to “have nothing to do”. Plan ahead for this and be prepared to teach at least one life skill or hobby to your children. It can be something that is important to you or something they have shown some level of interest. Teasing My favorite solution for children teasing one another is to keep them busy doing housework. I have a mental check off list. If they have idle hands to mess with each other, then they have hands that can be put to work. One key to this though is that I have them do the work together. If they continue to fuss at each other, they continue to get another task to complete. The goal is to teach them how to work through disagreements and frustrations and not to separate them. (I picked this up from the musical group The Barlow Girls.) Loneliness If your family make up is parents and children, it may not get very lonely in your house; however, there are others that would like to have some of that noise in their own homes. Use this season to connect with some elderly and/or single people. Allow them to become the adopted grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Almost every person on earth loves to hear stories. Plan a story night with some people that would love to have conversation about their life. Ask them to teach your family a skill or hobby that they enjoy. Ask them to share their testimony of salvation and life with Christ. TV and Tech One avenue with this is to turn the TV and tech into a positive rather than mindless activity. Have a Family Movie Night. Use the D6 App to ask some of the Fun Family Questions or do one of the Splink activities. Another avenue is to have days where you turn it all off. Gather around the table for Family Worship or a Game Night. Act out a story of the Bible. Instead of watching a movie, have the family act it out with each member of the family taking a different role. I hope this has spurred some thought on how to make this season memorable and intentional instead of boring, frustrating, lonely, and mindless. Even though it is harder to get out and do; it can still be a great season of fellowship and warmth.

Tim Weihrauch

Family/Discipleship Minister

The Heartbeat

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MUSIC MINISTRY

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

We are excited about the upcoming

Pinterest event on Saturday, February 27 from 8am

to 2pm. We ask those interested to sign up and

bring a soup or a salad. Please bring your own

project to work on. This is a time to get things done

that you never seem to have time for. We will also

have time to connect with one another. Invite your

friends too.

We will be making new small groups for the

coming year. Be sure to add your name to the list.

As always, if you have questions or

concerns see Bridget Perkins or Karen Harris.

“And the four living creatures…day and

night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy,

holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was

and is and is to come!’” Rev. 4:8

The excitement and praise within these

words create such awe. Thinking of singing praises

to God forever in Heaven causes such an

excitement within me. However, we do not need to

wait until we reach Heaven to begin singing these

praises continually, nor do we need to wait for us to

be excited to sing the praises of our God.

One thing that has been on my heart lately

is that we do not get into the “flow of things” and

simply come to church to sit in a class, sing songs,

give our offerings, listen to a word, and go home. I

desire more of an excitement to be able to learn

more about God, grow closer to Him, offer Him a

sincere offering of praise, worship Him in our

singing, and allow Him to move within us and

convict us through His Word. I desire that we

become excited to enter into the doors of our church

because we know that God is moving, and we want

to be apart of it. Let us come in expecting God to

use us that day, to move in us, to move through us

and reach others. May we continually be reminded

of how Holy is the One that was, and is, and is to

come.

Steven Trask

Music Minister

The Heartbeat

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HEARTLAND As we start another year, I like to look back

and reflect on 2015. Each year I try to make a

change to better my life. I try not to make

resolutions, but lifestyle changes that take me the

entire year to change. Last year I chose to read my

Bible more. Using pastor Jim's 15 in 15 reading

really helped me achieve that goal. I didn’t

necessarily read every day, but most days.

Sometimes I would even have to play catch-up

reading 2 & 3 days at a time. God still kindled a

change within me. I am glad Pastor Jim is

continuing with 16 in 16.

This year God has laid prayer upon my

heart prayer upon me. I'm reminded of the song

"Glow in the Dark" by Jason Gray. That song tells of

the light we are to be in this world. "Even in the

darkest place His love can make you radiate". It

reminds me that no matter how broken we are we

still glow in the darkness. Somehow God enables

me to glow in the dark. Without prayer and

spending time in the Word we will never be able to

fight the darkness. Our light will continue to dim.

The darkness of the world encompasses us and

without the renewing of our minds it will takeover. It

is easy to become part of the world, but spending

time in God's word will dispel the darkness and allow

the light within to shine, "Like a flame, like a burning

star you can shine right where you are He made you

to glow in the dark!"

Jackie Parish

Heartland Kids

NURSERY MINISTRY

Hello and Happy February from the Nursery

Gang! Things are really busy and our little ones are

growing so fast! Abel is already 3 months old,

Grayson is right behind him, Finnley has moved

over to Miss Carole and Miss Karla’s classroom and

Payson continues to entertain her “babies”. We

have had five little ones in the baby nursery the past

couple of weeks and we love it!! As I write this Miss

Mary is on some ship somewhere enjoying her

winter getaway and Miss Carole is in Florida for way

too long!!! We miss them but pray they enjoy their

much needed time away.

February is the time to speak of “love”, that

is an easy thing for Christians to do because God so

loved us we are to pass that on each and every day.

As Isaiah 40:11 says, “ He tends his flock like a

shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and

carries them close to his heart: he gently leads

those that have young.” Have a happy February and

spread the love!

Hazel Morgan

Mary Burger

The Heartbeat

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MONTHLY DEACON’S MEETING

February 28, 2016 at 5:00pm

If you have a need or know of someone who needs assistance, has become ill or hospitalized, please contact the church office or Mike Harris at 972-9145.

GRANDPARENT MINISTRY

Train a child in the way he should go [and in

keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he

is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

(Amplified Bible)

If you are a grandparent, you may be very

familiar with this promise from God. How heartily

have you relied on this promise? How often did you

have to, “let go and let God”? Do you ever wish you

could have a “do-over”? Well now you can, through

our Grandparent Ministry.

“What is the Grandparent Ministry?” you

may ask. Good question. Well, here is what it is

not. The Grandparent Ministry is not about

someone coming to minister to you because you

have achieved grandparent status. No, it is about

you using your life skills and abilities to mentor

young parents and children along the way in their

life journey. This means being purposeful in

building relationships with our younger brothers and

sisters in Christ. The simplest gestures may have

the most life-changing results. Come join us as we

develop the Grandparent Ministry into a tool for

sharing and caring for one another in the name of

Jesus.

Nancy Denby

Linda McRoy

SUPPER FOR SIX Supper for Six is a fun, relaxing way to get to know other people from church in a social setting. Interested people will be divided into groups of six which include couples and singles. Supper for Six will begin in March. Please sign up at the Welcome Center if you would like to participate.

VALENTINE’S BANQUET February 14 in the gym immediately following AM service

Heartland KIDS is hosting a fundraiser for CentriKid. All donations will help send our kids to Campbell’s University. Please sign up at the Welcome Center.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY WORKSHOP Friday, February 19 from 7:00-8:30pm.

This workshop is for anyone interested in Celebrate Recovery. Please sign up at the Welcome Center.

The Heartbeat

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Nursery/Children’s Church

February 7

Babies: Linda Witcher & Amy Vatole

Toddlers: Selma McAdams & Bridget Perkins

Children’s Church: Sandy Stolze & Jeremy Sneddon

February 14

Babies: Leona Barnett & Lisa Pimentel

Toddlers: Sara Lingow & Christina Allen

Children’s Church: Mark Denby

February 21

Babies: Missy Denby & Susie Kreitner

Toddlers: Linda Chapman & Linda McRoy

Children’s Church: Robyn Stolze & Tony Stolze

February 28

Babies: Karen Harris & Carole Fredrick

Toddlers: Amy Vatole & Karen Burleson

Children’s Church: Jack Pruitt & Matthew Payne

Greeters

February 7

Ted & Karen Burleson

February 14

Gene & Becky McGowen

February 21

Chris Bramstedt & Selma McAdams

February28

Jim & Joann Cassidy

Volunteer Schedule for February 2016

Bus - Driver’s Schedule

If you would like to set a pick up time, please call the scheduled driver.

To volunteer as a bus driver please contact Ed Kreitner at 466-9047.

February 7: Karen Harris

February 14: Ed Kreitner

February 21: Karen Harris

February 28: Ed Kreitner

Ed Kreitner (618) 466-9047

Karen Harris (618) 466-8950

For more information or to volunteer contact:

Nursery: Mary Burger at 462-5634

Hazel Morgan at 466-2306

Heartland KIDS : Jackie Parish at 789-2974

Greeters: Linda Witcher at 466-1844

The Heartbeat

Heartland Baptist Church 4500 Humbert Rd Alton, IL 62002 www.hbcalton.com

Church Staff

Senior Pastor Dr. Jim Grant

pastor@hbcalton.com

Discipleship & Family Minister

Tim Weihrauch family@hbcalton.com

Music Minister Steven Trask

music@hbcalton.com

Financial Secretary

Jeanie Farrow financial@hbcalton.com

Church Office

Sarah Neuhaus office@hbcalton.com

preachbetweenthelines.com

The cost will be $35 per person—this includes lunch. Doors open at 7:30am; Conference begins at 8:30am and ends at 4:55pm. We will leave from HBC at 6:45am and return by 6:30pm. Please sign up at the Welcome Center and pay by Feb. 7.