The Hillsboro Christian

Hillsboro Church of Christ

August 2023 - Volume 63

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE HILLSBORO CHRISTIAN

By Brad Clouse

Summer break is winding down, which means everybody is preparing to go back to school. Parents are taking their kids back to school shopping for clothes and supplies. Teachers are prepping their classrooms for the upcoming year. So, what can we, as Christians, do to prepare for the upcoming school year?

1.) Don’t underestimate the godly influence you can have on those around you. This is especially true in the classroom setting.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

(I Timothy 4:12, NIV)

2.) Seek the Lord for His wisdom and discernment. May our teachers seek godly wisdom to carry out the responsibility they have in educating their students. May students seek godly discernment in their daily actions and that their choices have consequences, both positive and negative.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

(James 1:5, NIV)

3.) Serve the Lord wherever you are. Someone once said, “Bloom where you are planted.” Understand that the ideal place to make a difference for the Lord is right where He has placed you as a teacher/student. Work hard in all you do. Put forth your best effort. Give God all the glory.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

(Colossians 3:17, NIV)

4.) Do not compromise your convictions. Some of you are beginning your college education, and others are continuing your college education. Understand that most secular universities do not share your faith in Christ. Do not be persuaded to compromise your convictions regarding who God is and what His Word says. Honor God above all else and stand firmly upon the authority of His Word.

“So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.”

(Deuteronomy 5:32, NIV)

5.) Our schools need Christ. George McLeod, a 20th -century Scottish clergyman, challenged believers as to where the cross of Christ should be planted. Christians can’t change the world from a distance: “I simply argue that the Cross be raised again at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the

claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek… At the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where churchmen should be and what churchmanship should be about.” Just remember that, as believers, we can’t change our schools from a distance. Our places of education need to see the light of Jesus shining brightly in all of us.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:16, NIV)

In this edition of The Hillsboro Christian, we are highlighting some of our church members who work in our local schools. These men and women have committed themselves to impacting the next generation daily through their careers. As this school year begins, may God be glorified.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

In Christian love, Brad

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brad Clouse, a Louisville, Kentucky native, graduated from Louisville Bible College in 2010 with a Master's Degree in Sacred Literature after earning his former degrees at the same university. Brad served at smaller churches in Adair County Kentucky while in college before being called to Ohio in 2009. Brad ministered to the New Vienna Church of Christ congregation for 12 years before being called to the Hillsboro Church of Christ as the Senior Minister.

He is pictured here with his wife, Julie.

Please pray that I can make all of my students feel genuinely cared for and valued in my classroom. I pray that I can lead students in developing a Godhonoring work ethic. Finally, and most importantly, please pray that all believing teachers can have boldness in bringing students to faith in Jesus Christ.

As the summer is coming to an end and we are transitioning into another school year, I pray for all our students and families to have a successful year. Matthew 5:16— ”Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.” To all our students, be a positive Christian role model for your classmates and don’t be afraid to lead by your faith.

As I get ready for another school board meeting, the realization of how quickly this year is coming is crazy. Our students are so blessed to be a part of a district that is led by so many Christian leaders and teachers. There are some who don’t appreciate this fact, but as a board member and a parent of many years, it warms my heart to know that so many of our students are in loving, caring hands. Please continue to not only keep our students in your prayers, but our teachers, administrators, bus drivers, janitors, and cooks. They each play a vital role in making the day of every kid they are in contact with.

Starting a new school year is an exciting time, but it also can cause some anxiety for staff and students. I hope I can be a light to my speech therapy students, their families, and my fellow staff members. Please pray for me as I adjust to changes that are taking place this year.

Kristine Wigginton . . .

Bill Myers . . .

Tim Davis . . .

Trevor Gleadle . . .

The beginning of a new school year can be such an exciting time! However, for students and teachers it can feel slightly stressful and overwhelming. Philippians 4:6 reminds us, '"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." This coming fall, I pray that our students feel loved and encouraged, and that their families feel connected and valued. I also pray that our educators have renewed energy, so that they may teach with passion and purpose.

Another school year is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited! Every summer I anxiously await receiving my class list so I can begin to pray for each of my students by name. This year is no different. I know God puts the students that need me and quite honestly, the ones that I need as well, in my class each year. Praying that all the students, teachers and families can work together to make this school year a success. I know I am blessed to teach in a district that values the students, teachers and community. Please pray for all of us as we make this transition from summer to school.

As we prepare to start a new school year, I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue to support many students I already know and love. My prayer is that their differences will be celebrated, their passions will be nurtured, their opportunities will be unlimited, their friendships will be solid, their struggles will be supported, their needs will be met, and their worth will be viewed by all through David’s perspective in Psalm 139, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Please join me in petitioning for my students and others like them at neighboring districts.

It’s that time of year when summer starts to end and a brand new shiny school year begins. As our children, teachers, and school employees make their way back, a special prayer will be said to ask for their safety, health, and peace.

Cheryl Ison . . .

Julie Clouse . . .

Crystal Myers . . .

Tara Davis . . .

Kyra Brown (6 years old) was immersed into Christ on 6/29.

She is a family friend of Shannon McCray. Let us as a body of believers rejoice together while also lifting her up in prayer as she begins her walk with the Lord.

Harley Culp was also immersed in Christ on 7/18.

She is the mother of Kyra. As we celebrate her decision to give her life to the Lord, let us praise God for answering our prayers for souls to be saved. All of God's people said... Amen!

Gaven Lucas was baptized 6/22, by his friend Kyah Chaney. He enlisted in the Army and has already left for training. Keep this young man in your prayers.

Life Line Screening will be here at Hillsboro Church of Christ

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

9:00 A.M.

GET SCREENED FOR STROKE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK

WHY SHOULD I GET SCREENED?

For 4 out of five people who have a stroke, the first symptom of any illness is the stroke Screenings provide Peace of Mind or Early Detection

What’s included?

Carotid Artery screening

Peripheral Arterial Disease Screening

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)

Atrial Fibrillation

Osteoporosis Risk

You can register at: Get screened for stroke and cardiovascular disease risk - Life Line Screening

Pick a pumpkin - Painting

Bouncy House - Corn pit

Straw maze - and a train ride

Any child younger than kindergarten must be chaperoned Transportation is available from the church. We will leave promptly at 5:00 pm

By Micah Herrick

The other day I was singing “The Star Spangled Banner” with my wife. We were preparing to sing for an event around the 4th of July. After we finished, my eldest son was around, and I asked him if he knew the words of the song. “Yeah, I do, Dad,” he said. “Where did you learn the song?” I asked. “Is it something you learned and sang at school?” “No,” he replied. “I learned it by listening to you.”

That caught me off guard. I love the founding ideals of our country as much as the next guy, but I am certainly not some immense patriot that walks around singing our national anthem all day, every day. Honestly, I’m blessed to have a smart kid who listens to the few times a year I sing the song.

I share this story as we think about this “Back to School” time because I want to encourage all the parents and families out there to remember that you have to be an active component in the teaching of your children.

My wife and I were trained in a form of early childhood music education called Music Together. The basic tenets of the system were that little ones learn best through play, and they learn best from their parents. The class is marketed as an early childhood class to teach children,

but the parents sit in the class and participate with their child sitting on their lap. The course is designed to subtly teach parents how to play with music with their kids. The studies of the founders, who were musicians and early childhood psychologists, found that when the littles watched their parents play with music, the basic benchmarks for musical fluency happened far sooner. Kids under a year old could keep basic rhythms and find pitches in simple melodies.

But what is even more amazing to me is that many of these ideas were taught in scripture far before they were explored by psychology.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and

they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, ESV)

If we are active in the lives of our families and teaching them at every opportunity, we are engraining the truth of God in their very lives. And God has designed it so that our little ones learn best from us! I am not trying to say that teachers in schools are unimportant. But I am saying that if you have been blessed by God with the next generation, it is incumbent on you as a steward of what God has given, to teach them and not abdicate their education to a distant classroom.

What is truth? The word of God should define that, and that must be taught to our children by us. It is not taught in the public classroom. It is not even best taught in a Sunday school room. It is best taught when you know it and teach your children through life’s many moments.

Remember: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it’ (Proverbs 22:6, ESV).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Micah Herrick began ministry in 2012 after being commissioned for ministry by his home church, White Oak Christian Church, in Cincinnati, OH. Micah is currently serving HCC as Worship Minister, as well as leading our Evangelism team and coordinating our online presence. He has served in both Youth Ministry and Worship Ministry in Richmond, IN, and Knightstown, IN, before coming back to Ohio to serve in Hillsboro.

He is pictured here with his wife, Rebecca, kids; Rowan, Luci, Kennedy, and Finn, his mother and father; Steve and Valeri Herrick.

Looking for a daily connection to scripture?

Grab your Bibles, let’s go through the Word!

We’ve created a daily morning devotional that you can find on YouTube, Facebook, or our website.

Brad, Adam, Micah, James, and Dave have worked hard putting this together. Each day one of the guys breaks down a few verses of the text for us to connect with in more understandable chunks. Each one lasts 3-5 minutes long.

What a great way to start your morning! Check it out!

If you would like to receive notices about prayer requests, you can do so by texting

@hccprayer

to the number 81010.

This will add you to the list.

Any prayer requests we send out will come as a text from HCC Prayer Requests.

P r a y e r

08/01/2023

Health and Other:

Chuck Chaney

Ohio Mission Bible Training Center

Janet Pence

Shalom Orphanage

Don Watson

Sharon Webb

Wayne Wiedenbein

REQUESTS

Family Loss:

Evelyn Everetts family

Missions:

The Brittons, The Millers, The Newmans

Shut Ins:

Jewel Calmes

John Porter

Carol Setty

Sharon Webb

Cancer:

Jeffery Aurigema

Ken Aurigema

Rob Butler

Kari Crafton

Judy Roush

Mark Sears

HCC Leadership:

Steve Allen

Brad Clouse

Roger Epley

Dan Fauber

Jeff Griffith

Micah Herrick

Mike Labig

Adam Steele

Richard VanZant

Military:

Tyler Amos

Ryan Burns

Mark Conover

Thadeus Conover

Corey Hughes

Alex Klein

Phillip Mycroft

Average attendance for the month of July was 315

Average weekly giving for the month of July $12,511.00

Our weekly need is: $11,229.13

August 3

N0 FAITH IN ACTION MEETING THIS MONTH

August 4-5-6

SUMMER IN THE SON (CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION) hillsborochurch.net/sits

August 8

SPECIAL ELECTION

August 9

BACK TO SCHOOL BASH AT THE HILLSBORO SWIM ORGANIZATION (CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION) hillsborochurch.net/events

August 13

LAUNCH OF THE NEW HCC KIDS WING

August 15

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR BUTLER SPRINGS CHRISTIAN CAMP WOMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP

August 17

MISSION TEAM MEETING @ 6:30 IN THE CAFÉ

August 23

LIFE LINE SCREENING HERE

Schedule an appointment at: discoverlifescreening.com/?msclkid=e7a63f85efd5148550b85b3b23a183f9

August 24

MOMCONNECT 5:30 TO 7:00 IN THE CAFÉ

AREA 937 IS COLLECTING CEREAL FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST