Sunday Evening Rhythms at High Pointe

From the beginning, the early church met on the Lord’s Day for distinctly Christian worship. The Lord’s Day is Sunday or the first day of the week. Why this day? Because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead. On this day, the first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, gathering in homes, eating meals together, and observing the Lord’s Supper.

It is for these same reasons, that we gather on Sundays as a church. During our morning gathering we focus on the apostle’s teaching through reading, singing, praying, preaching, and seeing the word. But that’s not the only time we gather. We also gather informally from house to house in Life Groups on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday evenings. Then, on the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM, we gather at the church building to pray together as a church.

As we begin a new church year together, I want to encourage us to make time to begin and end the Lord’s Day together as a church. For more information about our Sunday evening rhythms, click on the links below:

Prayer Gathering (2nd and 4th Sundays at 5:00 PM)
Sunday night prayer gatherings are our family nights. That’s when we not only pray for one another, our city, our state, our world, but we also learn about one another. Make every effort to join us as we pray together as a church.

Children’s Catechism Class for 3 year olds – 5th Graders (2nd and 4th Sundays at 5:00 PM)
While parents are praying together, our children are learning God’s word and biblical truths through a question and answer method. To register for our CCC, click HERE.

Life Groups (1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays)
Life Groups (LGs) exist to provide a relational context in which High Pointe members can help one another to follow Christ. LGs are small groups of High Pointe members (and those in the membership process) who have committed themselves to regularly meet together for the purpose of discipleship.

For more information on Life Groups or to request to join a group, click HERE.

KidsPointe Sunday Mornings, During our Morning Worship Gathering!
We’re excited to kick off the new school year with a new study, The Gospel Story. We’ll take a detailed look at how each of the Bible stories, beginning in the Old Testament, connects to the gospel and to God’s larger plan of redemption as we answer the question, "Where is Jesus?” Each K-5th grader attending must be registered. To serve in KidsPointe, please contact Erin Wyman (erin@highpointeaustin.org).

High Pointe Mission Trips
In an effort to encourage missions at High Pointe, one mission trip is still available for you this year:

• 2-7 November | Santa Clara, Cuba | contact: Juan Sanchez (juan@highpointeaustin.org)
  • Interest Meeting, Sunday September 17, at Noon, Membership Class Room (Old Library)

Would you pray about one of these trips? More information will be forthcoming, but you can prepare now by (1) securing a passport, (2) asking questions, (3) and letting us know of your interest.
 
Giving at High Pointe
God is generous, and so he calls us to be as well. What we do with what God has given us shows the world where our hearts are and helps proclaim the gospel. We want to glorify God in every area of our lives, including what we do with our finances. But as you may have noticed, we do not take up a collection on Sundays at High Pointe. Consequently, we’ve been receiving questions as to how to give. There are several ways you may give:

1. Offering Boxes in Auditorium – You may place your offering in an offering box.
2. Mail – You may mail your contribution to the church office.
3. Text/Online – You may give by texting 84321 (it will require a first-time setup).
4. Your Bank – You may give through your own bank via Bill Pay or ACH.

If you have any questions, go to this LINK. Our financial staff is also available to help or answer your questions. You may call the church office at 512-837-7725.

On-Call Pastor
To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours and on weekends. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.

Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is a preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays:

• September 10 | Romans 11:1-36
• September 17 | Romans 12:1-2
• September 24 | Romans 12:3-8

Resources of the Week

• 5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America 
  • According to Michael Graham and Jim Davis, “We’re currently living in the largest and fastest religious shift in U.S. history. Some 40 million adult Americans who used to go to church at least once per month now attend less than once per year.” And yet, Graham and Davis argue that they are not leaving for the reasons we assume.
• ‘Just Not Feeling It’: How Routine Awakens Devotion 
  • Faithfulness is hard, tiring. And as we seek to be faithful in our communion with the Lord, it’s easy to think “I just don’t feel like reading and praying today.” If that’s you, hopefully, this article will be an encouragement.
• Digital Resistance: Three Habits for the Internet Age 
  • How should we think about the influence of the internet and social media on our lives and the lives? Samuel James argues that we should think more in terms of resistance than retreat.

Begin praying as you prepare to gather with us this Sunday at 10:00 am.
Love,