April 2008

Celebration of Women Luncheon

Backyard Tea PartySaturday, May 3rd 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Celebrate with joy and laughter as comedian Sally Edwards entertains ladies of all ages with her wit and wisdom. An informal backyard lunch with tea and lemonade will be served by the men of Hillside Church.

Cost is $10.00/ticket. Seating is reserved at the time of ticket purchase, so get your tickets early for the best seats. Tickets will be on sale in the foyer before and after services and in the church office. Payment is required at the time of ticket purchase.

Childcare is not provided during this event, but little ladies 6-years-old and up are welcome to attend with a paid ticket.

Dress up for a Mother & Daughter Portait! Photographers will be available before and after the event in the Zone.

Meet Sally EdwardsSally Edwards is a humorist and clean comedian who performs high-energy comedy and music at corporate and Christian events throughout the country. She is a graduate of The Second City Improvisational Training Classes in Chicago and she tours nationally as a clean, corporate stand up comedian. Sally is a master of interactive humor and she enjoys entertaining all guests who enter her harried yet beloved family-oriented world. These clean comedy performances are hilarious and inspirational and they encourage us all to “find the funny” in everyday living.

April’s virtue in the Zone (K-3rd grade) is Joy – finding a way to be

happy even when things don’t go your way.

This month the kids will learn four “R’s”:

Remember-when things seem bad, what Jesus promises,

Review-God has a big plan,

Rejoice-that God is with us always, and

Restore-even when we mess up, God can give us joy.

God is the creator of joy and all things joyful. God wants us to be joyful, so God gave us His Son, Jesus, to save us. What a reason to have joy!

Many times things don’t go the way we want them to, but when we’re able to have real joy no matter what happens, our joy can pass to others. When we are joyful others notice and want to have the same joy too.

Kids will learn about joy as we study Bible stories like these:

Bible Stories: April 5th & 6th: Remember (The Last Supper) * Luke 22:7-20 April 12th & 13th: Review (The Road to Emmaus) * Luke 24:13-35 April 19th & 20th: Rejoice (Jesus appears to the disciples) * Luke 24:36-48; John 20:19 April 26th & 27th: Restore (Jesus restores Peter) * John 21:1-17, Acts 2:14, 22-25, 36-41

Memory Verse: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Kingdom Kids

The furniture’s talking. In April, our preschoolers get to

watch the furniture tell Bible stories about how we can all

love others.

Bible Memory Verse: Obey the Lord your God. Jeremiah 26:13 April 5 & 6 Bible Story: NoahGenesis 6-9 Key Concept: God wants us to obey. April 12 & 13 Bible Story: A Widow’s Coin Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-2 Key Concept: God wants us to give. April 19 & 20 Bible Story: Joseph and His Brothers Genesis 37-46 Key Concept: God wants us to be kind. April 26 & 27 Bible Story: David and Jonathan 1 Samuel 18-20 Key Concept: God wants us to help others.

First StepsThe First Steps Ministry congratulates Jeremy and

Betty Johnson on the birth of their daughter Jade Sky born on February 25th.

Memory Verse ManiaParents, remind your kids to check the Memory Verse Mania portion of our website (www.YourHillside.

com, click on children’s then Zone456) to download memory verse printables, parent prize forms, and to check out who’s

winning. For the next several months the M.V.M. competition is

between 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Keep up the great work; we are so proud that you are taking the time to hide God’s Word in your hearts.

Caring Hearts TeamThe Children’s Ministry is building a team of caring individuals or families that have a heart for seniors. In February, we were so blessed to spend some loving moments with a few of our senior

friends, delivering handmade scarves and cards sharing God’s love from our Zone456 kids.

If you are interested in developing an ongoing relationship with a resident at Mimosa Manor and are willing to take a little time to decorate a room, read a story, or hold a hand, please contact Jan at jwhitfill@YourHillside.com.

Kids Camp 2008Hey kids, come join in the fun as we “Get Stuck” on God. If you will have completed 3rd – 6th grades by this summer, mark your calendars, tell your friends, and sign up for Kid’s Camp at Camp Riverbend, June 23rd – 27th. Cost will be $225 per person. Camp registration is on a first come first served basis and we need all registrations in by June 1st. Please look for information on the website.

Any adult interested in touching a child’s life this summer by serving as a camp counselor, please contactjwhitfill@YourHillside.com.

Zone 456April’s virtue in Zone456 (4th

– 6th grade) is Joy – finding a way to be happy even when things

don’t go your way.

This month we’ll be talking about joy. Many times our Zone456 Kids see that life isn’t always easy around us. They hear about friends, family members, or others who have experienced a variety of things, such as pain, illness, divorce, job loss, school violence, and war. It is hard and a little scary to find joy when you hear of these things happening around us.

Now is a great time to help our Zone456 kids understand what true joy is and how to attain it. God wants us to have joy. He demonstrated this by His generous offer of eternal life despite our sinful nature. When we mature in

Christ, we learn to rejoice even with things are bad.

When our Zone456ers exhibit joy, their friends will notice. This creates an opportunity to share with their friends about how to make wise choices that change scary situations in their lives so they too will feel that deep joy only God can provide.

Kids will learn about joy as we study Bible stories like these:

Bible Stories: April 5th & 6th: Remember (The Last Supper) * Luke 22:7-20 April 12th & 13th: Review (The Road to Emmaus) * Luke 24:13-35 April 19th & 20th: Rejoice (Jesus appears to the disciples) * Luke 24:36-48; John 20:19 April 26th & 27th: Restore (Jesus restores Peter) * John 21:1-17, Acts 2:14, 22-25, 36-41

Memory Verse: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

GIVING UPDATE

February General Fund-Giving Actual: $124,288Budget: $129,250

YTD General Giving Actual: $683,225 Budget: $775,500

YTD Believe Giving Through 3/2/08:$1,394,573

Thank you for believing and giving to the vision at Hillside!

This summer you have three opportunities to make

a significant kingdom impact through missions work. There are three trips planned to Honduras, each with a different concentration of activities.

1. The first trip is scheduled for June 10-17 to the city of Danli, Honduras. The concentration of this trip will be organizing a VBS for children, youth events, as well as construction projects, and various ministry outreaches. The cost is approximately $1,280 and the deadline to hold your spot for this trip is March 11.

2. The second trip is scheduled for July 10-15 to the city of Danli, Honduras. The concentration of this trip will be running a soccer and basketball tournament in a local high school. Other activities include construction and various ministry outreaches. Cost is approximately $1,260 and the deadline to hold a spot for this trip is April 9.

3. The third trip is scheduled for August 7-14 to the city of Comayagua, Honduras. The concentration of this trip will be working on a construction addition on a home and going on outreaches with Jim Faber’s ministry in Comayagua. On this trip you have the option to come back on August 12 and the cost for this trip is approximately $1,140. If you would like to go onto the island of Roatan for some fun and fellowship and fly back on August 14, the cost for this entire trip is approximately $1,520. The deadline to hold your spot for this trip is May 15.

To initially sign-up for any of the above trips and pay a $100 deposit visit our website at www.YourHillside.com and click on Missions. Once you sign-up, you will be given an online account where you can pay for the rest of your trip. You will also be given the option to set-up a picture or bio about yourself and have friends and family contribute on-line to your trip.

Hillside’s Music and Motion Team is growing. We are excited to see our 2nd through 6th graders stand up and lead the music and motions in

our Zone and Zone456 services each week. If your children have a talent for

music and motion (singing and leading motions), our next meetings are scheduled in the Zone room for Thursday, April 3rd and Thursday, April 24th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Contact jwhitfill@YourHillside.com for more info.

— Missions — Summer Trips to Honduras

Mentoring ProgramHillside has a bold and life-

changing goal to partner with the schools in our community, from elementary to high school, and join in the effort of coming alongside hurting kids of all ages.

Hillside will begin by partnering with Central High School to help students who just need a listening ear. The emphasis is NOT on tutoring but on building a relationship and impacting their lives for the better. Prayerfully consider your role as a mentor and contact Heather Asp at CommunityImpact@YourHillside.com to get involved. You have an opportunity to see God work in and through you as a child’s life is changed.

Union Gospel MissionEvery weekend in April we will be collecting BLUE & WHITE POLO SHIRTS in SIZES 5-12 for Union Gospel. So that we don’t get all of one size, we ask that you bring the sizes based on the first letter of your last name.

A-L: Sizes 5-8 M-Z: Sizes 9-12

Please drop items in the boxes marked Union Gospel in the hallway outside of the sanctuary.

All Pro DadsAll Fathers and children are invited to attend the second meeting of All Pro Dad. The April meeting, on April 12th at 8:30 a.m., will discuss “Time with Dad”.

Anyone interested in participating is asked to RSVP by April 1st to Sean Manuel (smanuel@obccom.com or 817-909-5689) or Doug Fontana (fontana441@yahoo.com or 817-909-3226). The RSVP process is required at this time in order to secure a meeting place that can accommodate the size of the group.

After April 5, you can visit www.allprodad.com, click on Monthly breakfast, Find a chapter near you, click on the state of Texas, and go to the Keller chapter for time and location information.

COMMUNITY IMPACT CORNER

March was a month of moving massive amounts of dirt, about

40,000 cubic yards to be exact. If anyone is getting sentimental over

the dirt being gone, you can go visit it in North Richland Hills off of Hightower and Rufe Snow where a developer is bringing his property up to grade.

Concrete work is underway giving us back the parking area that was taken when the asphalt lot was removed. Trying to get it done by Easter was a challenge, especially with the snowstorms that came our way. As long as April does not bring a lot of spring

showers… April will bring the necessary underground utilities to the site as sanitary sewer, storm sewer, domestic water, and electric lines are brought in from the north. This process will dig up what little bit of grass we had left and will go right through our existing concrete parking lot – so more parking impact!

With the utility work and continued concrete work this month, we ask you to please continue to pray for dry weather. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate your cooperation as we work through these transitions. Say an extra thank you to the parking lot team this month!

Building Update

Discovering Hillside Interested in finding out more about Hillside, our mission & values, membership, and how to get involved in community & serving at Hillside? If so, please join us for our next Discovering Hillside class on Sunday, April 13th from 12:45-3:00 p.m. Lunch and childcare are provided free of charge. To sign up, please visit our website at www.YourHillside.com and click on Event Registration.

Online Tools“CONTACT US” FORM ONLINEThis month we wanted to make you aware of another website feature offered at www.YourHillside.com. This feature is the “Contact Us” button located in the left column on the homepage.

By clicking “Contact Us”, you will be taken to a screen that will enable you to choose one of the following from a drop down menu:• Find out more about Hillside• Interested in getting involved• Prayer Request• Care Need• Change my contact information• Report a website issue

Once you choose your item of interest, you will be asked for some basic contact information about yourself and then given a place at the bottom of the form to type in a detailed note about any of the above. For example, what your prayer request or care need is, your new contact information, etc.

We hope you will take advantage of using this convenient website feature to “contact us.”

Other Hillside News and Events

Have you tried getting a teenager off Guitar Hero and onto homework lately? Every morning I have to nag about the missing homework and making up tests. Every morning! I guess I’ll have to call the teachers again and see how we can make up the work.

That reminds me, I had better pay the phone bill today. I was going to pay it last week but my “other half” decided it was more important to take a road trip with friends to WinStar Casinos. Free drinks, that’s a joke! It cost the phone bill and a pot roast.

It’s a shame I lost my job last month, I’ve been feeling so worthless ever since. I’m so tired of fixing meals, managing the budget, supervising my kid’s schoolwork, and struggling through marriage. If only someone would fix me. If only someone cared.

“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.” Romans 7.15, The Message

When someone reaches the point when life seems unmanageable, there is a safe place to go with caring people. We won’t fix you… but we will build you up and encourage you. We care, but more importantly,

we show you that God cares. In the chaos of life, when you’re feeling afraid, angry, alone, or resentful, God claims you as his special child.

At Celebrate Recovery we worship, cry, laugh, and celebrate together as we recover from hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a biblical and balanced program based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

CR emphasizes personal responsibility while holding fast to the truth that we have to surrender our lives to Christ, claiming the grace we receive when we accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior.

What hurts, habits, or hang-ups are you dealing with? Anger, co‑dependency, eating disorders, sexual addictions, chemical addiction, or other addictive behaviors like love and relationship addiction, or sexual/physical/emotional abuse? We offer a safe place to care for others and be cared for. Come check us out on Friday evenings. We gather around the coffee pot around 6:45 p.m. We provide childcare. For more information visit www.YourHillside.com/CelebrateRecovery.php.

Where do you turn when life is overwhelming?

MPACT Youth has learned so much over the past

quarter. We have been studying how to become just like Christ in a series, “Fatal Flaws.”

We have learned about different

characteristics in our lives and others that are

fatal to our walk with God. It has been a life-changing series as we continue to strive to be like Christ.

Visiting our TroopsAs a youth ministry, we have geared our focus on community outreach. We want to impact the community in several ways, and in February we visited the troops coming home from Iraq.

Hundreds of troops come home for R&R everyday at DFW Airport, so we decided there is no better way to reach out to the troops than by welcoming them home. There were too many people to count alongside our group at the airport, so watching everyone cheer, cry, and show their gratitude was awe-inspiring.

Several families were there to greet their soldier home from war, one of which was a new mom. Her little girl was only a month old and her husband had never seen their new baby. In excited anticipation the mother stood right next to the door in which her husband would soon be exiting the airport. As the new father walked through the doors, tears of joy and streamed down her face as her husband looked into their child’s eyes for the first time. As our students watched this touching reunion, we all knew that would not be the

last time we visited our troops coming home. We will continue to welcome the soldiers home every two months, so plan to join us the next time we go!

Also, thanks so much to Chris Shultz for sharing his testimony for the Sr. High youth group. The week before we went to the airport, Chris shared his experiences as a solider. Without his stories and first-hand accounts of what it is like to be a solider, greeting the troops at DFW would not have been the same. Thank you so much, Chris, for sharing with us and joining us at the airport.

Lock-InsHey parents… do you remember how much fun it was to stay up all night long when you were in Jr. and Sr. High? Well, we did just that! But, our lock-ins are not your normal lock-in - we went to Laser Quest and spent the whole night playing laser tag, hide-n-go-seek, and all sorts of other games.

There is no better time to make new friends you can laugh with than at Laser Quest!

Easter Mission TripThank you for donating thousands of filled Easter eggs for our March Easter trip! We had tons of eggs to give to Young Vision and Agora Ministries. Look for pictures, stories, and more soon!

Upcoming EventsApril has a movie theme! This month we are going to focus on fellowship through movie nights - MPACT Youth style!

Jr. High movie night will be after youth on Saturday, April 19th. Bring yummy snacks, drinks, and whatever you normally bring to the movies.

Sr. High movie night will be Friday, April 25th in the youth room at 7 p.m. Also, bring your most favorite snacks and movie-going treats.

We will also Welcome our Troops again in April. Watch for details, based on the flights, at YourHillside.com or mpactyouth.net.

This is the group in DFW Airport while we wait for their flight to come!

A wife greeting

her husband

home from war.

During the month of April, Adult Bible Studies are taking you into battle and on a journey. As we near the end of the Adult Education Ministry’s ABS Flex series on Wednesday evenings, Pete finishes up the last of his 3-part series on Biblical Generosity on April 2.

We will don our spiritual suit of armor as Allen Meredith teaches us how putting on The Whole Armor of God protects us from spiritual warfare. Allen is a gifted teacher, and you will not want to miss this 2-session topic on April 9 & 16.

To finish out this series, for three dates, April 23, April 30, and May 7, Jim Nicholson takes us on a journey to explore the Backdrop on Paul’s Epistles. You will gain a deeper understanding into some of Paul’s epistles by examining what was happening in his life and the lives of the churches to whom he wrote. Once you grasp the background of Paul’s epistles, you will read the New Testament with new insights and it will fit together as never before. This class is great for both history buffs and fans of Paul’s writings. All

Wednesday classes are from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. in the Zone 456 Building, and childcare is provided.

Finishing up shortly thereafter, before summer break, are the Sunday morning classes. Jim Nicholson offers the Foundations course at 9:30 a.m. This class is for anyone wanting to increase their overall Bible knowledge at a deeper level. It is an approved Hillside Leadership University course.

Kingdom Living explores Christ’s instructions for life based upon Matthew 5–7. Steve Amato shares his insights at 11:15 a.m.

You may join either the Foundations or Kingdom Living class at any time. Both of these classes meet in the Youth Building, and childcare is provided at the church. The Zone offers the “Dugout” at 11:15 a.m. for kids who have already attended their regular children’s program during the early service.

ABS Into Battle, On a Journey

Marriage – Upcoming SeriesJoin Hillside as we look at marriage in a fresh new light. We’ll study the scriptures to understand how to protect marriage relationships against the temptations of modern society.

Whether married or not, this series will help you understand the sanctity of God’s plan and how to appreciate the husband/wife relationship.

Brian and Lindsay Hodges were high school

sweethearts and grew up in their church youth group

together. They recently celebrated eighth wedding anniversary, and together they lead Hillside’s ‘Young Married’ small group.

Brian and Lindsay have two little girls, Avery (4) and Emmy (1). Brian works for American Airlines and Lindsay works part-time for a custom homebuilder.

The ‘Young Married’ small group, which meets every other Sunday from 5-7 p.m. at the home of Kyle & Angie Wakefield, is committed to good fellowship and building relationships, but also commits time to study and accountability. Outside of their bi-weekly meetings, they get together for Lake

House get-a-ways, days at Six Flags, New Year’s Eve parties, or simply meet for lunch together after church.

Over the last year the group has studied various topics, sometimes reading through a book of the Bible, as they recently did with Genesis. At other times they will

work their way through a book, like John Eldredge’s book, Waking the Dead. Currently, Brian and Lindsay are leading the group through C.S. Lewis’ book Weight of Glory, which is a collection of sermons.

This group of 20-young 30’s has many unique qualities. Though they are known as the ‘Young Married’ group, and most of them have young children, they are not restricted to that. Brian and Lindsey welcome diversity to their group. In the past they have enjoyed having single moms as well as couples without children as a part of their group. Many of the group members are also involved in serving the church youth on Wednesday evenings.

The ‘Young Married’ group meets on ever other Sunday evening, which allows them

to stay connected while all juggle very busy schedules, and take advantage of the childcare offered at the church. They meet according to the school calendars, taking some time off over the summer break, but staying in touch with social activities. In the fall, group members will throw out a variety of ideas and decide together what topic(s) they want to study next.

With 14 people in the ‘Young Married’ group, and 12 attending on a regular

basis, the women have developed good friendships, and the men are definitely buddies. All of the group members are pretty seasoned Christians, and are just enough different from each other to make for great discussions. Everyone always take something with them from the conversations.

Small Group Spotlight

LadiesChick Flick

You’re invited to the Hillside Chick Flick night on Friday, April 4th. We will be at Laurie Wischmeyer’s house, watching the classic Casablanca, and enjoying a wonderful Moroccan meal.

This is a great night with old friends and new – you won’t want to miss! The cost is $5.00 and tickets will be sold in the foyer and online at www.YourHillside.com. Call Kami Billingslea at 817-741-2505 for more information.

CONNECTION GROUPS“Connection Groups” offer an

opportunity for men to connect with other men that share their same interests. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other men in the church and provides you with an avenue to invite another guy in your neighborhood, family, or workplace to join you.

Some of the groups available are basketball, golf, outdoor sports, fishing, meeting with other coaches for breakfast, watching NASCAR, and many more.

For a complete listing of all the groups and to sign up for one, please visit our website, www.YourHillside.com and click on Adult/Men/Connection Groups. If you have any questions, you can e-mail mensministry@YourHillside.com.

WHITE WATER RETREATWhen: April 17-19 (Thurs.-Sat.)

Where: Buffalo National River, Arkansas

What We Will Do: Camping, Canoeing/Kayaking, Hiking, Fishing; We will also spend time developing our relationship with God and other men from Hillside.

Who is Invited: All men from Hillside, Fathers & Sons (16yrs and older); This is also a great chance to invite a friend who might be a seeker.

Cost: $175.00 per person. The fee covers canoe rentals, camp sites, pavilion, and food.

Sign up online at www.YourHillside.com by clicking on Event Registration.

Men’s Ministry

Hillside’s Spring BaptismTwice a year all of Hillside comes together for a single weekend to service to celebrate those who have giving their life to Christ through Baptism. Hillside’s spring Baptism event will be held on Sunday, May 18th at 10:00 a.m.

If you are interested in being baptized, please visit www.YourHillside.com and click on Guests/Baptism to register. You are also encouraged to attend one of two Baptism Informational Meetings:• Saturday, May 3rd, 6:30 p.m. • Sunday, May 4th, 12:30 p.m.

Have your kids recently made a decision to follow Jesus Christ? Think they may be ready to make that decision? Have questions about what it means to follow Jesus or what baptism is all about? Plan to attend Jump Start to have all of your questions answered.

Jump Start is a unique presentation where parents and children (grades K-6th) can learn what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Attend Jump Start to find out what every child needs to know about sin, Jesus, faith, heaven, and baptism.

Jump Start is a one-time class, developed to give parents the tools necessary to have meaningful dialogue with their kids about how to begin a spiritual journey. If you feel your kids are ready to make a decision for Christ or to be baptized, you will want to attend Jump Start with them.

We have four options this spring: Saturday, April 26th

after service; Sunday, April 27th after second service; Saturday May 3rd after service and Sunday, May 4th after second service. All Jump Start classes will be held in Zone456 and will last approximately 45 minutes.

Attendance at a Jump Start class is a requirement for any child (grades K-6th) wanting to be baptized at Hillside.