Grand Reopening Of The Sanctuary | Reece's Peaces

Mark your calendars and make plans to join us for a very special day in the life of our church. On Sunday, July 20th, we will officially reopen and rededicate our newly renovated sanctuary! 

This has been a long-anticipated moment for our congregation. Over the past several months, we have worshiped in the fellowship hall while construction crews have worked diligently to bring new life into our beloved sanctuary. Many of you have caught glimpses of the progress through windows or during walkthroughs, and while the updates have been exciting to witness, nothing will compare to experiencing the completed space together in worship. 

To mark this joyful occasion, our Sunday morning service on July 20th will begin as usual in the fellowship hall. There, we will gather in prayer and gratitude, reflecting on the journey we have taken together as a church family. Then, during the service, we will transition both        literally and spiritually into the newly renovated sanctuary. As the sound of the organ fills the air for the first time in months, we will walk into a space that has been renewed by God’s grace, guided by prayer, and shaped by faithful hands. It will be a powerful and sacred moment. A celebration of God’s faithfulness, a time of worship lifted to the One who makes all things new, and a joyful gathering of the body of Christ. 

This grand reopening is more than the completion of a building project. It is a symbol of who we are as a church, a people willing to grow, to change, and to invest in our future. The        renovations have created a space that is more accessible, more beautiful, and more functional for our ministries today and for generations to come. It has been a labor of love, made possible through generous donations, dedicated service, and countless prayers. 

Whether you have been with us every step of the way or are just rejoining us after some time away, this is a Sunday you will not want to miss. Come and witness what God is doing here at Hurstbourne Christian Church. Let us gather in joy and thanksgiving, dedicating this sacred space once again to the glory of God and the good of our community. 

We look forward to seeing you on July 20th as we celebrate this special occasion!

His Truth Is Marching On | Marc's Music Notables

Julia Ward Howe was born into a wealthy family in New York City in 1819. Descended from Roger Williams and two governors of Rhode Island, she mixed socially with such luminaries as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charles Dickens. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) counted himself as her friend.

In 1843 she married Samuel Gridley Howe, eighteen years her senior.  An autocratic husband, he sharply limited her activities and took charge of her money, which he managed ruinously.  When he died in 1876, she wrote in her diary, “Start my new life today.”

Howe used her writing and speaking skills to promote a number of causes, including women’s rights, education reform, and the abolition of slavery.

In 1861, she traveled to Washington D.C., where she met with Abraham Lincoln at the White House.  She also visited a Union army camp, where she heard soldiers singing, “John Brown’s body lies a’molderin’ in the grave” - a song honoring John Brown, a prominent abolitionist who had been hanged for treason against the state of Virginia in 1859.

Howe’s pastor, the Reverend James Freeman Clarke, asked her to consider writing new words to that tune.  That night, in her hotel room, the words came to mind as she tried to sleep.  She got up and wrote them hastily on an old piece of paper.  She then offered her poem to The Atlantic Monthly magazine, which published it in February 1862, sending her a check for five dollars.

Chaplain C.C. McCabe of the Union army heard the song and taught it to the soldiers in his command.  It soon spread to soldiers in other units - and finally to ordinary citizens of the Union States.  It became incredibly popular, making Howe famous.

The song is couched in the language of Christ’s Second Coming - a time when Christ will “sift out the hearts of men before His judgment seat.”  Howe’s “grapes of wrath” in the first verse alludes to the passage in Revelation 14:19, which speaks of “the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

Howe’s mention of “the trumpet that shall never sound retreat” might allude to the trumpets of Revelation 8, where seven angels sound seven trumpets.  However, that phrase spoke loudly to soldiers who, in the confusion of battle, received their commands from trumpet sounds.  A “trumpet that shall never sound retreat” was an inspiring image for those soldiers.

Howe’s song continues to enjoy great popularity.  Lyndon Johnson had it sung at his inauguration in 1965.  Andy Williams sang it at Robert Kennedy’s funeral in 1968.

But the loveliest story comes from James Humes, a presidential speechwriter.  Humes interviewed General Eisenhower a few weeks after Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965.  He asked Eisenhower to talk about the most moving moment of that funeral - and Eisenhower mentioned this song.   He noted that Churchill had learned this song at his American mother’s knee.  It was one of his favorites.

Eisenhower said, “We all know the first verse, ‘Mine eyes have seen the glory’ - but do you know the third verse?  Because there I was seated with heads of state - Charles de Gaulle of France, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. King Olav of Norway, King Baudoin of Belgium, heads of nations whose freedom had been redeemed by the warrior who lay in state only yards before us:

“And I could see feelings of gratitude and reverence mist their eyes as they did my own as we all sang: ‘He sounded forth the trumpet that never called retreat.
His will goes marching on.'”
(From Humes’ book, Confessions of a White House Ghostwriter)

Egg Roll In A Bowl | Jenna's Favorite Recipes

This deconstructed eggroll in a bowl is one of the easiest dinners ever! It comes together in about 20 minutes and makes a surprisingly satisfying meal. You can chop up your own veggies if you have time, but if you’re in a rush, just use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix. Serve it over jasmine rice for a hearty and healthy dinner that everyone will enjoy!

Ingredients:

· 2 Tbsp olive oil

· 1 lb organic ground turkey, chicken, or pork

· 1 onion, chopped

· 1 small bag coleslaw veggies (or equivalent amount of shredded cabbage & carrots)

· 2 Tbsp garlic powder

· 1/2 Tbsp ginger

· 1/4 cup chicken broth

· Coconut aminos or tamari soy sauce, to taste

· 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

· Salt and pepper, to taste

 Directions:

1.  In large skillet, sauté onion over medium heat until soft.

2. Add ground meat, season with salt and pepper. Break up the meat as it cooks.

3. When meat is mostly done, add chicken broth and scrape any browned bits.

4. Add the shredded veggies, seasonings, vinegar, and aminos or soy sauce. Stir well and cover

5. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the veggies have reached desired tenderness. Taste a bite and add more aminos/soy sauce and seasonings if desired.

6. Serve over rice and top with green onions or sesame seeds.

*This recipe took inspiration from the website evolvingtable.com

Renovation Update | Reece's Peaces

I want to share a brief update on our sanctuary renovation project. Things are moving along quite well, and we are getting closer to the finish line. I know many of you are  eager to return to worship in the sanctuary, and several have mentioned that squeezing into the Fellowship Hall each week is getting a little tight. Of course, having a full house is a good problem for a church to have, but I understand that we are all looking forward to returning to the comfort and beauty of our dedicated worship space. 

For those who have not had a chance to look inside, here is what has been happening: The new chancel platform has been constructed, and the expanded tech booth at the back of the sanctuary is now in place. The floor under the organ has also been raised so that it now sits level with the rest of the sanctuary floor. This change not only improves the look of the space but also makes it more functional and accessible. 

As you may have seen, the pews have been removed and are temporarily placed in other parts of the building. The painting recently began in the sanctuary, and we hope that by the time you read this, that work will be finished. The new paint adds brightness and a renewed sense of warmth to the space. 

Looking ahead, the next steps include laying the new flooring and reinstalling the pews. In mid-July, the pews will be reupholstered, which will be one of the final steps in   completing the sanctuary. After that, just a few finishing touches will remain before the space is fully ready for use again. 

If everything stays on schedule, we anticipate returning to worship in the sanctuary by late summer. I am personally very excited for that day. I look forward to seeing the beautiful improvements and, more importantly, to worshiping with all of you in our    renewed space. We are planning a special service for our first Sunday back, one filled with celebration and joy as we rededicate our sanctuary to the glory of God. 

We will announce the reopening date as soon as it is confirmed. In the meantime, thank you for your patience, your faithfulness, and your continued support. God is doing something wonderful here, and I am grateful to be on this journey with you. 

“To God Be The Glory” | Marc's Music Notables

Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) was blinded by an illness as an infant, but she lived a long life full of joy and accomplishment.  She entered the New York School for the Blind at age 15, and remained there for 35 years, first as a student and then as a teacher.

She wrote poetry from the time that she was a child, and published her first book of poetry, A Blind Girl and Other Poems, at age 24.

But Fanny Crosby is best known for her hymns.  She wrote more than 9000 hymns during her lifetime.  Many, such as “All the Way My Savior Leads Me” and “Blessed Assurance” quickly became standards––and are still included in many hymnals a century after her death.

Fanny wrote “To God Be the Glory” about 1872, and included it in a collection of hymns entitled Brightest and Best.  However, while many of the hymns in that collection became quite famous, this one didn’t catch on––at least, not in America.

But Evangelist Ira Stankey published the song in his Sacred Songs and Solos, and took it with him to England.  It caught on well enough there to be included in several hymnals.

Then in 1954, Billy Graham went to England for his London Crusade.  Someone (almost certainly English) gave a copy of the song to Cliff Barrows, Graham’s song leader, and suggested including it in the songbook that they were compiling for the crusade.  Barrows had heard the song on an earlier visit to England, and was impressed with its strong note of praise so he included it in the songbook and used it in the crusade.  The crowd responded so enthusiastically that he sang it nearly every night.

Upon returning to the United States,  Graham and Barrows introduced the song to an American audience for the first time at their Nashville Crusade.  Once again, the crowd responded enthusiastically, so Graham and Barrows adopted the song as one of their standards. Because of their influence, the compilers of hymnals     began including it in new hymnals.