t is certainly exciting to see some steel going up for our new education facility on the south end of the building. It always seems to take longer than it should for things to get going. We are just thankful to have the progress that we do. The west parking lot may be a little congested for the time being and we ask for patience from our visitors while this initial phase of construction is completed. If the Lord allows, we plan to have the new building enclosed before the weather turns really nasty. We pray that God helps the builders and keeps them safe while they work on His building.

Our theme during Sunday morning services was "Changing Views". It is really difficult to get folks to change their point of view on most anything. Even those with "open minds" have great bulwarks of what they believe that are hard to break through or even honestly examine. We looked at the lives of three individuals in the New Testament who encountered the Lord in different ways. Two of them changed their opinions and therefore their lives. One did not, and went away sorrowful. The apostle Peter had a vision while sleeping on a roof that changed his opinion of who was worthy to receive the gospel. Zaccheus the tax collector changed from being a thief to being a benefactor because of his encounter with Jesus. The rich young ruler who came to see Jesus refused to let go of his love of material gain and refused the Lord's invitation. He went away from his encounter with Christ sad, and lost eternally.

We offer anyone who comes an opportunity to encounter Christ in our services and studies at Hillside. We believe that the best we can do is to help people meet Jesus through worship, fellowship, and learning from His Word. Our church is full of people, who have done that, and their lives have changed and they will continue to change as God teaches them and helps them grow in their spiritual lives. We realize that we cannot do more than the Lord can to cause someone to choose Him. We do intend to stay out of His way and help however we can.

Our pastors enjoyed a wonderful fellowship dinner in their honor last Sunday after second service. It is a privilege to serve the Lord with Christians who love the Lord and are experiencing His love in their daily lives.