Wednesday Nights :: Fall 2015

A Publication of Hazel Dell Christian Church

14501 Hazel Dell Parkway, Carmel, IN 46033www.hdchristian.org

(317) 846-9828

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Table of ContentsAn Invitation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................. 4

Encounter Electives..................…………………………………………………………………………………...................................5-7

Wednesday Schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................7

The Calendar……………………………………………………………………………………………………..................................................7

Diving Into Faith...........………………………………………………………………………………………………......................................8

How Do I Sign Up?............………………………………………………………………………………………........................................9

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An Invitation... How do you get into a swimming pool? Some people enter slowly

so they can adjust to the temperature of the water, while others would rather get it over quickly–diving in. Which kind of person are you?

We’ve titled this publication “Dive In” because many adults want to get connected into a regular Bible study, but they aren’t sure how to do it. Fall is the perfect time to dive in and begin a study of God’s Word. One of the best places to do it is in our Wednesday Encounter Ministry. We provide a variety of studies to fit your needs, regardless of whether you are a new Bible student or one who has been engaged in Bible studies for decades. In this magazine, you’ll find a list of our Fall 2015 Encounter studies to help you participate in a life-changing encounter with God, His Word, and His people.

Here’s why Encounter has proven to be a place to “dive in” for so many:

• Encounter studies allow you to select a study that is of interest to you. We offer verse-by-verse, topical, and life-skill studies. Content is at different levels of biblical knowledge, personal interests, and ages and stages of life.

• Encounter studies are short-term. Many of our studies are between six and 12 weeks long. Our short-term studies help you determine if your life currently has space for this opportunity on a regular basis.

• Encounter studies aren’t cliques. No one enjoys trying to fit into a long-established community of people, even at church. Since our Wednesday electives are short-term communities, you never have to be concerned about breaking into a long-term group.

We have designed Wednesday Encounter to help reduce the stress in your life. We offer a staffed nursery, Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, and Adult Ministry–all under the same roof, at the same time. We also offer our “no muss, no fuss” family dinner, where you can feed the entire family for $3 per person or $15 for a family of five or more. And finally, our studies are only 60 minutes long; we will have you out the door at 7:30 p.m. so the kids are ready for school and you are ready for work the next morning.

I like to dive into the swimming pool. Won’t you join me and our team of teachers and “Dive In” to a Wednesday Encounter study? You’ll be glad you did.

David Smith, HDCC Discipleship Pastor

“As Jesus’ disciple, I am his apprentice in kingdom living. I am learning from him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of the Heavens as he would lead my life if he were I.” -Dallas Willard

A Letter From the Discipleship Pastor

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Encounter Electives:Bible 101Are you new to the Bible or looking for a basic refresher course? If so, this is the study for you. It will answer many common questions: Where did we get the Bible? Why are there two Testaments, Old and New? What is a Testament, anyway? What about the books that did not make it into the Bible? Why are there so many translations of the Bible? Can a person actually read and understand the Bible? Yes, you can...when you join the Bible 101 class! Leader: Scott Law

Bible 201 - The Storyline of the BibleYou believe the Bible is true, but can you explain the overall story? If you have a general understanding of the Bible (Bible 101), but you don’t know how all the pieces exactly fit together, then Bible 201 is for you. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible presents God’s plan of redemption and restoration. Though every book of the Bible is equally important and should be studied, the main storyline of redemption is told through 12 Old Testament books and six New Testament books. In this class, we will explore the storyline through a high-level overview of these 18 books.

Leader: Ron Pitzer

Culture Clash: How Did We Get From There to Here? The Supreme Court’s decision upholding same-sex marriage has many Christians asking, “How did America get from ‘In God We Trust’ to where we find ourselves today?” “Culture Clash” will explain that journey and what we can look forward to in the days ahead. This study will examine the spiritual, historical, cultural, philosophical, and ethical changes that have brought America to this point in time. “Culture Clash” will examine what the Bible says about the truth and morality, as well as how to have an informed and gracious conversation with those who hold positions that conflict with the teaching of God’s Word. Leader: David Smith, Discipleship Pastor

The Drama In 28 Acts: A Study of ActsImagine trying to live faithfully to Jesus Christ in a pluralistic culture that questions truth, is skeptical of religion, and persecutes followers of Christ in the marketplace and the courts. Sound familiar? That’s a description of the world of the first Christians more than 2,000 years ago. And yet, with just 11 devoted believers, they overcame these tremendous obstacles. Today, 2.4 billion people consider themselves to be followers of Jesus. The story of this audacious group of world-changers is recorded in Acts and holds the secrets of how modern Christians can face these same challenges and turn the world right-side up again in this generation.

Leader: Mark Wright, Senior Pastor

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Conversations With A Skeptical World In a matter of a few short years, we have seen our nation change–and not for the better. Many of the Christian values that our nation once embraced are simply ignored or even rejected today. Have we been wrong all along? Is the Bible still true? Can we trust it to guide our lives and culture? Is faith logical? Can someone love Jesus but not His Church? How can I answer those who challenge my faith? How can I share my faith with a skeptical world? We are at a time in history that demands Christians be equipped with real answers to real questions being asked in our culture and in our churches.

Leader: Jon Vance, Minister of Small Groups & Outreach

Made to Crave (Women’s Study)Have you decided to eat healthier and make better choices...over and over again? Is it possible that we love and rely on food more than God? Lysa TerKeurst’s relatable and humorous video-based Bible study will help you find the spiritual empowerment to make healthy lifestyle changes. This class will use small accountability groups to help one another through the process. Leader: Janet Smith

Real Man Card (Men’s Study) Guys, have you ever had someone ask you to turn in your man card? And what does a “real man card” look like, anyway? The “Real Man Card” studies are reminders of what it means to be a “real man,” according to the way God has designed us. They are structured around seven topics that challenge men and bring focus and action to our choices. These studies will also challenge and encourage men to serve whoever, whenever, and wherever God desires.

Leader: Scott Mitchell

Red Hot Monogamy: Making Your Marriage Sizzle Marriage is the foundation of the family, the family is the foundation of society, and the Bible has a great deal to say about building amazing and fulfilling marriages. If your marriage is great, not-so-great, or somewhere in-between, this video-based study will help you put the sizzle back in your relationship. With their trademark insight, humor, and candid personal perspectives, marriage experts Bill and Pam Farrel reveal the truths about the sexual relationship in marriage and what husbands and wives need to know to keep the embers burning. Leaders: Bob & Becky Beer

The Calendar

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Wednesday Schedule

16SEPT

First Session Holiday Break Last Session

25NOV

09 DEC

Encounter Electives, Cont’dEssentials of Parenting Raising faithful children has always been a challenge, but as our culture continues to make drastic moral and ethical shifts, Christian parents are faced with even more difficult obstacles. “Essentials of Parenting,” produced by Focus on the Family, provides parents with encouragement and practical wisdom to meet the challenges of raising children to love God, themselves, and the world around them. In this series, you’ll learn how everyday conversations, family fun, and purposeful projects build the solid spiritual foundations your son or daughter can rely on for a lifetime and beyond. Leader: Toby Kelly

HDCC Worship ChoirAre you a talented vocalist? Do you love to sing? You’re welcome to join the choir! We rehearse every Wednesday evening from 6:20 to 7:30 p.m. in the choir room, located just left of the stage. We welcome singers of all experience levels. Come and help prepare music for Sunday worship and be a part of a great community!

Leader: Joel Phillips, Worship Minister

5:30-6:20 p.m. Family Dinner$3/person or

$15/family max

6:30-7:30 p.m.Adult, Children, and Student Activities

The Calendar

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Diving Into Faith“If I wasn’t a diver, my faith may not exist.” Steele Johnson was raised in the church...his parents brought him every Sunday where it became routine. Steele admits that even though he was raised in the church and believed in God, he didn’t truly understand what it meant to be a follower of Christ when he was growing up.

That all changed this past January. “I was overcome with a deep desire and passion for Christ…” Steele took it upon himself to start developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and others in Christ that might help take his faith deeper.

“As a youth minister, I always found that Steele was one of those students that you are thankful to have in your youth group. Something I always appreciated about Steele was that even though he was one of the busiest

kids in our ministry, he always made church and youth group a priority. Not only did he attend, but he was very involved. Steele was consistently a part of student leadership and the youth worship band. He was a living example to other students that loving and serving Jesus should be the most important thing in your life, no matter how busy or crazy life gets,” said Jared Ensminger, Hazel Dell Student Associate Minister.

When you take the routine of youth groups, student ministry, and church friends out of the picture, faith can be a hard thing to keep at the forefront, but Steele makes it a priority to find accountability, even at college. “College is hard. If you don’t have any type of accountability, it’s easy to get lost in your own thoughts and desires.”

Steele has found accountability in his coach, as well as his diving partner, David Boudia. “If I wasn’t a diver, my faith might not even exist.” While at Purdue University, Steele “dives in” to his faith by having conversations with those who have a deeper understanding of the Word. “It has been the biggest factor in helping me make my faith my own and, in turn, has helped me grow deeper in my faith every day.”

That’s not to say his faith journey has been an easy road to travel. It’s a constant choice to make sure you’re pursuing Christ amidst the chaos of life and its pulls. “Living out my faith is something that has been tough for me to truly do. Yeah, it’s easy to put on a face and act like I’ve got

everything figured out so that I can try to be an example to others, but this is a battle every day.”Steele combats this by dying to his desires every day and turning to God in every situation. “I try my best to live like Christ, but my pride and human nature always steps in the way...the biggest way I can live out my own faith is by doing just that.”

While Steele is busy diving for the USA diving team, being a world diving medalist, two time NCAA champ, and training for future Olympic games, he makes sure to prioritize his faith by growing and learning every day.

Now that Steele has shared how he dives in, it’s your turn..

How do you dive in?

“I was overcome with a deep desire and passion for Christ…”

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How Do I Sign Up?

iConnect Station Online Form

Encounter Registration Form

Register for a Wednesday evening study!

Paper FormSign up at the iConnect iPad station in the foyer! Click on the Formstack link and register for a class of your choice!

Scan the QR code with the QR code reader on your phone or type in the registration link below to register for a class of your choice!

Grab a paper registration form, located in the foyer. Complete it with the elective of your choice and turn it in to the kiosk!

We’ve Made It Simple!

Dear Hazel Dell,

As your Senior Pastor, I want to encourage you to “dive in” and join an Encounter study this September!This is an awesome time of fellowship, where we come together to study God’s Word and grow in our faith. As you can see from this publication, the Discipleship Ministry has worked very hard to make sure we have classes for everyone in every stage of life, and that they are relevant for the times in which we live. If you aren’t involved in some type of Bible study, now is the time, and Encounter is the place. I hope to see you there!

Mark Wright, Senior Pastor

QR Code & URLHold your iPhone/Android device over the code. Using your QR scanning app, scan the code. It will take you directly to the sign-up form online! You can also type the URL below directly into your browser:

http://hdchristian.formstack.com/forms/wednesday_encounter

A Letter From The Pastor...

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