Heartland Community Church
Main Street at Acacia Avenue
Ripon, California
Youth of Heartland
Join us each Sunday for worship, praise, and fellowship.
Worship Service - 10:30 AM
Sunday School 6-8th grade
"Monday Meet & Munch"
Come and play some ping-pong, pool or foosball during your Monday lunch. The Youth Center will be open from 11:30 to 12:15. You are also welcome to just hang out and eat lunch as well. I hope to see you there. Pastor Hefti. If you have questions, call Hefti >>>
Well, hello Heartland family!
Dear Heartland Family,
Hello again! For our youth 2010 has been yet another year that we have lived in a journey moving toward a Christ centered life. The Pulse (Heartlands Jr. and Sr. High Ministry) has been on a journey of living out its Vision: Everything we are doing is to lead us into a deeper, more tangible love relationship with God and one another. This vision has been challenging to keep in front of us as life keeps coming at us with no change of pace in the breakneck speed of our culture. But we are wrestling with the challenge and we are being transformed in the process.
In addition to the Vision mentioned above there is now an image that, for me, gives us a clearer picture of what The Pulse desires to strive toward; that image is Christ himself. In taking a closer look at the form that youth ministry has conformed to over the years, it is clear to see that our focus has lost the Christ-shaped form that is necessary for it to have a lasting impact on our student's lives. Because I am a visual learner, I needed to see what this ministry "looks" like, not just how it's articulated through words on a page. And of course Jesus had to be that image. Literally from head to toe, Jesus personifies the ministry vision of The Pulse. As a church we have looked at the bare necessities of being followers of Christ as being Learners, Worshippers, Servants, and Witnesses, and in the same way, our students need to participate and practice living life with each of these vital elements present. Christ gives
us the whole picture of what that life looks like. So the ministry of The Pulse is focusing on this "whole life" approach to becoming Christ like, involving our Head (Learner), Heart (Worshipper), Hands (Servant), and Feet (Witnesses).
As in 2009, we have continued to gather as parents on a quarterly basis to deepen our relationships and share in the process of leading our students into a life of discipleship with Christ. And as we gather to plan for future events, this image of Christ helps us to see whether or not what we are planning to do fits into whom Christ is and who we desire to become as Learners, Worshippers, Servants, and Witnesses.
One of the first major impacts that this Vision of Christ has brought about was actually very recent; it was the change in our Youth Christmas Event. We decided that if we are supposed to look more and more like Jesus as we follow him, that our events ought to be about others and not ourselves. So instead of doing a gift exchange for ourselves, we spent our resources on those who were in need; specifically, some students from Tim Brady's school in Modesto. And we didn't just purchase gifts for these students as in the past, we hand delivered them. It was a great opportunity to be a blessing, just like Jesus.
As we continue to pursue this life in Christ, I ask you for your prayers. The lives of our students and their families (That includes many of us) are filled to the brim with activities that keep us busy and often distracted from the greater purpose that God has for us. So pray that we will be able to deny ourselves and seek after God's will for us in 2011. Just as Jesus teaches us to pray "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", let's take that attitude to heart and make it our greatest prayer and pursuit in the year to come.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Hefti
Church Office:
Heartland Community Church, 127 S. Acacia Avetnue,
Ripon, California 95366
Phone: (209) 599-4233
E-mail:
Thanks to 