A reflection from our pastors about the past year together, written in mid-June 2018.
For the past twelve months, Highland has been stretching into our future. Last June and July marked many new beginnings for our congregation with the launch of our new website, a new Sunday worship schedule, new staff, and new discipleship and evangelism initiatives. We welcomed Rev. Janet Baucom as our Minister of Communications, setting a media focus on both celebrating our stories in ministry and reaching out into the community through targeted marketing. Since then, it is not uncommon to hear first time visitors say they’ve discovered Highland through Facebook or street corner advertisements. We welcomed Candi Scott in a new role as Director of Care Ministries, partnering with the pastors to expand the ways we are equipping laity in visitation, beginning a monthly communion service at Springmoor, and beginning lay eucharistic ministry, where church members take communion to our homebound folks. We’ve welcomed Jo Anne Swartz as Choir Director and Erik Hawks as Connection Worship leader, providing consistently incredible music week in and week out in worship. We welcomed Gail Parrish as Receptionist, partnering with the pastors to improve our New Membership process.
We’ve begun Starting Point, a monthly new members class, welcoming folks of all ages to learn about our church and plug into ministry life. We’ve started a monthly Pub Theology, a public theological conversation where Highland folks are connecting with new friends, and inviting folks without a church to an easy first step towards the church. We’ve begun a new young adult small group, meeting weekly on Monday evenings for dinner and conversations around the scripture and sermon. We’ve begun a One-on-One discipleship ministry, a weekly meet-up where two church members commit to meet, pray, and discuss scripture together for a year, after which time they will each take on a new partner for discipleship growth. We are looking forward to our next twelve months together, anticipating that the seeds planted and watered this year will continue to bear much fruit.