Welcome
We are a vibrant family of faith rooted in God's Word, gathering together to worship, and equipped to share the love of Christ with the world. We are a caring community that is passionate about serving others and growing closer to Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is our Savior, the source of our compassion and acceptance and the drive behind our desire to share God’s love.
Welcome to our
Worship Service
at 10:00 a.m.
March 16, 2025.
The Service will be available for livestream, or to be viewed on our YouTube channel later.​
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YouTube Channel Link -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGL4zscdHkbzvFzF4iuZE2g
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Would you like to donate fresh flowers for the sanctuary? Flower dedications are a great way to celebrate and remember a birthday, anniversary, loved one, special occasions and the Glory of God! Please contact Brooks Barwell by clicking the link below. Brooks will reserve a date for your dedication on the church calendar and work with you on the wording of the dedication and other details.
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR RICHARD
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“Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” – Luke 4:8
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This week, I’ve been reflecting on Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. This is a scripture most of us know, but each year, I hear something new that challenges me. For the second temptation in Luke, the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms in the world. He then offers Jesus the chance to rule all the kingdoms if Jesus worships him. Jesus then responds with the scripture above, saying, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
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As we begin Lent, we often hear that this is an opportunity to give something up for this season. This comes from the spiritual practice of fasting, when we abstain from something, like a food or other things, to focus on God. If this is something you choose to do, I think that is great. Whether you give something up or not, though, Lent is a time to think about what we can do to grow closer to God in our own lives and how we can “worship the Lord your God, and serve only him,” as Jesus did.
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This Lent, I am going to focus on prayer. Each week, I will share a prayer with you that is particularly meaningful for me in my own faith journey. A lot of the prayers come from our own Book of Common Worship daily prayer book. (Here’s a link to that book: Book of Common Worship, Daily Prayer) They comfort me, no matter what happens in my life, and they help me feel closer to God.
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Here is a prayer for us as we begin Lent. Please pray with me:
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“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the shepherd of Israel, their pillar of cloud by day, their pillar of fire by night. In these forty days you lead us into a desert of repentance that in this pilgrimage of prayer we might learn to be your people once more. In fasting and service you bring us back to your heart. You open our eyes to your presence in the world and you free our hands to lead others to the wonders of your grace. Be with us in these journey days, for without you, we are lost and will perish. To you alone be dominion and glory, forever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Worship, Daily Prayer, pg. 163)
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May the love of God be with you this Lent,
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Pastor Richard
Services, Bible Studies and Events
Love in Action
Mission of the Month
Rooted Wisdom Africa
Piggy Plummet
The BIG day finally arrived. One week ago, on Friday, January 31, Church of the Hills’ TEAM PIGGY took their place at the starting line of the first ever Rooted Wisdom Africa Piggy Plummet. Other piggies joined Team Church of the Hills, including the BUNCO piggies and many others from Church of the Hills’ proud piggy purchasers. Church of the Hills was well represented, but the competition was tough with 747 piggies ready to take the plunge to victory. Members of the Team Church of the Hills piggy phan club gathered at noon to cheer on the team. The suspense grew as the piggies flew toward the itty bitty target. The referee pulled piggies out of the winners’ hole~ who would the winner be? 3,2,1–CHURCH OF THE HILLS!!!
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Besides being fun and very silly, what is the Piggy Plummet all about? RWA has a big dream and these little piggies are helping them reach their goal. Designs are in place to build a Community Empowerment Center and Demonstration Farm that will provide the opportunity, tools and education for an estimated 10,000 Ugandan citizens to become empowered and independent in a multitude of trades. $16,450 was raised as piggies were purchased to support this cause, providing enough money to build 2 classrooms for the CEC-DF. Team Church of the Hills won $3500! We will be donating this money to Rooted Wisdom Africa to help reach this ambitious goal.
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“Love in Action” is the Church of the Hills mission team. The primary goal of the Love in Action Team is to serve the needs of others locally, nationally and internationally. The people of Church of the Hills are blessed with unique gifts; although the size of our congregation is smaller, sharing these gifts remains a vital part of our outreach ministry.
The “Love in Action” Committee will guide us to be Christ’s faithful Witnesses. As such, we will share a deep life of service, and participate in God’s mission to care for the needs of the sick, the poor, and the lonely to establish Christ’s just, loving, and peaceable rule in the world.
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Friday Features offers weekly updates and happenings at Church of the Hills. It’s a great way to stay in touch and up to date with our Ministries and our Community. To receive this weekly email, please sign up below.