Hillside Christian Community

Today we worshiped at Hillside Christian Community, PO Box 689, 1050 Campbells Run Road, Carnegie, PA 15106, 412.279.2996, www.hillsidechristiancommunity.org, Ben Kendrew, Senior Pastor.

Scripture – Jonah 3

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”

This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes.

Then the King and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:

“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

Bob’s thoughts:

A highlight of today’s visit was a large back-lit cross, an impressive statement.

This is a pleasant, modern sanctuary; the aesthetic treatments softened the steel architectural beams and gave it a homey feel. The projection screens were large enough but from the back were a little hard to read and on one song the background picture was bold enough to wipe out the words. Maybe larger type would help. I enjoyed hearing praise songs I knew and haven’t heard for a while.

The one woman who spoke to me during the greeting expressed the standard church lament of whether we were visitors or members. I always wonder why this is a concern since the greetings are pretty generic at most churches.

The message focused on Jonah and dealt with his actual witness to Nineveh and that “one man’s witness” brought this city, which would take three days to walk, to repentance. We should never doubt how God might use one person’s witness.

Made me think of something I saw on Facebook today: when Tim Tebow wore John 3:16 on his eye black during the 2009 Championship game and more than 92 million people looked up that verse on Google. Still think God can’t use your story?

I think the church and pastor are still getting used to each other; it will be interesting as the comfort level grows.

Jan’s thoughts:

We visited this church once before, but it was a good while ago and we were not blogging at the time.

Although we entered through what looked from the outside like the main entrance, it turned out to be the downstairs entrance. Even so, a member opened the door for us as we approached and offered a friendly greeting, plus we got to see a little more of the building than we would have otherwise.

Several folks extended greetings as we made our way to the sanctuary, as did a few during the service.

The signage was helpful and the building was attractively decorated, aesthetically pleasing, and well kept. The sanctuary had no stained glass that I could see, but the window treatments were simple and elegant. The chancel featured a huge cross in front of a stone wall with wood placed in a diagonal pattern on either side. The TV screens on each side worked well, but I was unable to read the words from the very back where we sat.

During worship I found myself in the grip of a coughing spell and left to find water. The ushers were lined up immediately outside the sanctuary in preparation for entering and collecting the offering, and after pointing out the nearest water fountain, on my way back he confirmed that I was alright. A little later I needed water again and went out to the same fountain and a moment after I sat back down, a gentleman – one of the ushers, I think – popped in and handed Bob a bottle of water for me. This seemingly small gesture made me feel warmly welcome.

The message was part three on the book of Jonah. He reiterated the major points of part one – you can’t run from God – and part two – remember Who God is and repent. The three points of part three were: 1 – preach the message God gives us; 2 – don’t procrastinate, deliver the message with urgency; and 3 – the power of God’s message is God…we should deliver the message of the Gospel and leave the results to God.

Our prayer for this Church:

Lord, we pray You will awaken us all to boldly share our story, take our witness and use it for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.