the HillTopper

V o l u m e 4 5 I s s u e 1 J a n u a r y 2 0 1 6

This year our church will observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 17, 2016. Many

churches have done so since January 13, 1984, when President Ronald Reagan issued the

following proclamation:

The values and freedoms we cherish as Americans rest on our fundamental commitment to the

sanctity of human life. The first of the “unalienable rights'' affirmed by our Declaration of

Independence is the right to life itself, a right the Declaration states has been endowed by our

Creator on all human beings -- whether young or old, weak or strong, healthy or handicapped.

Since 1973, however, more than 15 million unborn children have died in legalized abortions -- a

tragedy of stunning dimensions that stands in sad contrast to our belief that each life is sacred.

These children, over tenfold the number of Americans lost in all our Nation's wars, will never

laugh, never sing, never experience the joy of human love; nor will they strive to heal the sick, or

feed the poor, or make peace among nations. Abortion has denied them the first and most basic

of human rights, and we are infinitely poorer for their loss.

We are poorer not simply for lives not led and for contributions not made, but also for the

erosion of our sense of the worth and dignity of every individual. To diminish the value of one

category of human life is to diminish us all. Slavery, which treated Blacks as something less than

human, to be bought and sold if convenient, cheapened human life and mocked our dedication to

the freedom and equality of all men and women. Can we say that abortion -- which treats the

unborn as something less than human, to be destroyed if convenient -- will be less corrosive to

the values we hold dear?

We have been given the precious gift of human life, made more precious still by our births in or

pilgrimages to a land of freedom. It is fitting, then, on the anniversary of the Supreme

Court decision in Roe v. Wade that struck down State anti-abortion laws, that we

reflect anew on these blessings, and on our corresponding responsibility to guard

with care the lives and freedoms of even the weakest of our fellow human beings.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby pro-

claim Sunday, January 22, 1984, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon the citi-

zens of this blessed land to gather on that day in homes and places of worship to give thanks for

the gift of life, and to reaffirm our commitment to the dignity of every human being and the

sanctity of each human life…

As a church, we support the life-affirming ministry of Choices, Chattanooga’s local pregnancy resource center, which offers counseling and material assistance to women experiencing unplanned pregnancy. At 2 pm on January 17, Choices will host an Open House at 6232 Vance Road. At 3 pm, there will be a memorial service at the National Memorial for the Unborn adjacent to the center. If you wish to learn about volunteer opportunities, contact Kelli Combs at kcombs@choiceschattanooga.org or call 423-892-0805.

Why Do We Observe Sanctity of Life Sunday?

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National College Championship Men’s Event, January 11th 7PM National College Championship Men’s Event, January 11th 7PM

At HPC we are endeavoring to create as many opportunities as possible for men to be men, and to learn together what that means and what it looks like played out in daily life. We are not looking to the fickleness of social norms to define our masculinity, but to the truth of scripture.

One important step in this journey is for men to re-learn the art of relationship. As men, we long for genuine relationships that have meaning, that point us to a fraternal bond centered on the truth of scripture. We believe that the greatest example of manhood is exemplified in Christ. We long to become Christ-like men. We believe that one step in doing so is to spend time together with other men who have the same desire – to be like Christ. No gimmicks, no planned program, the simple coming together of men to do something most men enjoy – watching football. Even those men who do not enjoy watching the game will find ample opportunity to connect with other men, and build the relationships that will ultimately point us to Christ. Will you join us?

When? January 11th – National College Championship Game

Where? HPC Fellowship Hall

What time? 7:30 PM until – whenever!

Should I bring anything? A snack to share.

Hutchings Baby Shower: Please join us as we welcome Caleb

Wells Hutchings Sunday, January 10, from 2:30 to 4:30 pm here

at the church. The Hutchings are registered at Target.

Lusk Baby Shower: Please join us for baby shower honoring Jennifer and Morgan Lusk on January 17 at 3:30 at the church. They have registered for baby Isaac at Target and Amazon. We hope to see you there!

Wedding ShowerWedding ShowerWedding ShowerWedding Shower All ladies are invited to a wedding shower for Daysha Shelhamer on Saturday, January 16 from 10:00 am-12:00 pm in the church parlor. Daysha joined our church last October after her wedding to John Shelhamer, so this would be a good opportunity to welcome her and “shower” her with our love and gifts as she and John start their new lives together. She is registered at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

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Looking Back, Looking Ahead

We are in a season of holidays. On Thanksgiving Day we reflect on how truly fortunate we are, looking back and thinking about all the freedoms we have and that God has surely blessed this land. At Christmas we praised God for the gift of His Son as we look back at the Incarnation and the birth of Jesus. New Year's Day is different. Here, we look ahead, uncertain of what the future holds. For some it may be a time of making resolutions. For others it may simply be a season of partying. As Christians, we can have a different perspective because we know in the next year, as well as all years, that God is sovereign and will continue His rule. This is a source of great comfort. How we look at holidays is part of our witness to a watching world. It is fairly easy to have a confident faith when we are worshipping on Sunday morning.

Beyond Our Walls b y L o r e n Wa t s o n

By the time you read this, Christmas will be over and we will already be in the New Year! Do hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. We can look forward to a wonderful New Year because we know the One who controls it! On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, we will meet for our first luncheon of the year! We will have lasagna from Fazoli’s, breadsticks, marinated vegetables and dessert for a $6.00 charge. Our entertainment will be the Jericho Brass Ensemble. They a r e most enjoy a ble a nd a much in demand group because they are so talented. We look forward to hearing their excellent and entertaining performance. Thanks again, for you generous participation in the Inner City Children’s Ministry. You br oug ht 123 items of clothing to keep children warm this winter. You should be very proud! Do hope to have you with us on January 12!

Primetimer’s News

It gets to be a different thing as we have to face a society with considerable hostility to the Gospel and Christ's claim to be the only Savior. How we observe holidays, therefore, can show others the difference Christ makes in our lives. Let's not forget that we are under the eyes of other people even though we may not notice it specifically. We are on display as Christ's ambassadors and holiday seasons are opportunities to act out our faith and to speak words that point to the Lord as the reason we cele-brate. We are starting a new year at Hixson Presbyterian Church. We can kick it up a notch, as TV chef Emeril says, in our prayer lives (especially for our missionar-ies), in our giving, our reaching out and in our lives as part of a fellowship of saints. This will enhance our witness for Christ in a world having much grief and hurt.

HPC Talent Show

• February 27, 2016 |6:00pm – 8:00pm

• Location: Hixson Presbyterian Church

Save the Date: Get Your Act Together

If you sing, dance, or paint a picture, come and share

your talent with your church family.

Acts will be screened. Acts must be submitted to the

Production Team of Paula, Shirl, and Debbie for con-

firmation. We will hold screenings for final approval

(this is to make sure material is appropriate and

timely).

Ideas:

Singing-solo or group

Instrumental

Drama-comedy

Story or joke telling Circus Acts-juggling, elephant tricks, bring your pet seal...

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DDDD----Groups Giving BackGroups Giving BackGroups Giving BackGroups Giving Back

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year for so many of us! It is a time to re-focus our lives on King Jesus with the hope that we might spend all of our days serving and living for him. It is a time to spend with family and friends and it is a time to give and receive gifts as we celebrate. For so many of our kids, it is the receiving of gifts that tends to take center stage at Christmas. I know, I was there once too. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with being excited about Christmas presents, they can become an idol like almost anything else. That is why it is so good for our kids to spend some time at Christmas giving back.

With that in mind, our High School Youth D-Groups had the privilege of writing Christmas cards to Foster Children in Hamilton County this Christmas. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering. We just wrote simple cards to tell children that Jesus loves them and that people in Chattanooga care about them. Our students really enjoyed this small act of service and it was a great way to get us all into the true Christmas spirit!

Party TimeParty TimeParty TimeParty Time

As much as our Youth enjoy serving, they also greatly enjoy getting together for fellowship. Christmas is, of course, a wonderful time to do this. And so we took full advantage with not one but TWO Youth Christmas parties this year. We had one for the Middle Schoolers, hosted by Keith and Holly McAfee, and another for the High Schoolers hosted by Jennifer and myself. At each party our students enjoyed Christmas themed games, a White Elephant gift exchange, all kinds of delicious food and drink, an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, and even a Christmas movie! Take a few seconds to check out the pictures below!

Christmas time with the hpc youth

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Bir thdays & Ann iversar i e s

New Sunday School Classes

Spring 2016

Learning 4 Change: Adult Sunday School Curriculum

Before the King: Joshua, Judges and Ruth - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live under a

theocracy - a state ruled by the law of God? Why did God require the ancient church (children of Israel) to

kill the inhabitants of the land of Canaan before taking possession of the land? Who was Ruth, and why is

she important among personali$es of scripture? These ques$ons and more will be some of the topics that

we explore together in the age before the king. January 10th - May 29th Taught by Greg Baney

The Standard of Faith: The Westminster Confession - Hixson Presbyterian Church is a confessional church.

This means we subscribe to a document wri)en more than three centuries ago that illustrates essen$al doc-

trines of the faith. Far from being stuffy, irrelevant material, the Westminster Confession is a helpful tool for

use in personal and communal devo$on. To learn more about the teachings of scripture as affirmed by the

PCA in general and HPC in par$cular a)end the Spring class on the standard of our faith. January 10th - May

29th Taught by Robert Johnson

January Birthdays

2 - Arlene Cunningham, Jonathan Entrekin & Bill Pratt

3 - Josh Mullins & Katie Beth Hutchings

4- Anais Mailloux

7 - Julian Mills

8 - Chris Taylor

10 - Mike Dishmon & Marie Marlin

11 - Nouwen Entrekin

12 - Jay Floyd

13 - Suzi Entrekin, Doug George & Asher Jones

14 - Emily Cochran, Bobbie Heidel, Alex Hutchings & Apsara Beard

16 - Abigail Landreth & Loretta Partain

17 - Adam Stimart

18 - Steve Hutchings, Rachel Payne & Loren Thomas

20 - Tim Beard

21 - Lance Middleton

23 - Hank Shafer

25 - Kay Payne

26 - Shannon Boulware

28- Sophia Clare Mullins

30 - Chris Armstrong

31 - Smith Cutter

January Anniversaries

2 - Gowan & Diana Johnson

Tom & Casie Runkle

9 – Tim & Rhianna Mills

19 - Bob & Jeannette Eldridge

20 - Jay & Terry Floyd

*Those in Italics are our missionaries.

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Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 New Year’s Day

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3 No Sunday School 10:45 Worship

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5 7 pm Joint Session Meeting

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7 3:30 TASK

8 7 to 9 pm Ladies Craft Night

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10 9:30 Sunday School 10:45 Worship

2:30 to 4:30 Hutchings Baby

Shower 5:00 All Evening

Ministries Resume

11 7:30 pm Men’s Event, College

Championship Game

12 12:00 Primetimer’s Luncheon

3:30 TASK

13 6:30 Youth D-Groups

6:30 Choir Practice

14 3:30 TASK

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16 10 am to 12 pm Daysha Shelhamer

Wedding Shower

17 9:30 Sunday School 10:45 Worship

12:30 Visitor Lunch

3:30 Lusk Baby Shower

5:00 Evening Ministries

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19 3:30 TASK

20 5:00 Youth HHD 6:30 D-Groups

6:30 Choir Practice

21 3:30 TASK

22

23

24/31 9:30 Sunday School 10:45 Worship

5:00 Evening Ministries

25

26 8:30 to 9 :30am Ladies Prayer

Walk 3:30 TASK

27 6:30 Youth D-Groups

6:30 Choir Practice

28 3:30 TASK

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

J a n u a r y

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