Men’s Breakfast February 7th at 9am: Meet at Briarfield Cafe, Maumee, OH
Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday, February 12, 2023 HCC is once again holding a special collection for the Otsego Food Pantry as part of the nationwide Souper Bowl of Caring Initiative held on Super Bowl Sunday, February 12, 2023. Bring your coins for a noisy offering, and/or contact church for list of items to bring to worship. You can also drop donations off to the office most Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Please call first (419-823-1972) before coming.
Mardi Gras Celebration: February 19th at 10am. Worship and Jambalaya and cornbread lunch and King Cake following worship. Everyone is invited to wear festive Mardi Gras clothing (or purple, green or yellow) and a Mardi Gras mask or beads, if you have them!
Church Chicks Monthly Luncheon: February 21st at Bob Evans/ Levis Commons
February 5 Worship: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany/Communion (AB) Scriptures: Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 112:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12;Matthew 5:13-20
Sermon: “Faith of our Fathers (and Mothers!)” As we being our “Heritage Year” celebrations, we look back at the beginning of the American Baptist Church and the ways that they have been instrumental in the propelling of missionary work around the world. We have a great example to follow from our American Baptist “mothers and fathers.”
February 12 Worship: Sixth Sunday after Epiphany/Souper Bowl of Caring Scriptures: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37
Sermon: “Football is Life!” This quote from the hit Apple TV+ show, “Ted Lasso” is talking about the type of football that the rest of the world plays – soccer! But the intent remains the same. Football, like so many other societal things, can divide us, if we let it. How can we enjoy the small, inconsequential rivalries, and stand strong to refuse to be divided on things that truly matter?
February 19 Worship: Transfiguration of Our Lord Scriptures: Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2: 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon: “Living on the Mountaintop” Join us for Mardi Gras Sunday as we anticipate Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday”, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence.
February 22 Worship: Ash Wednesday Scriptures: Psalm 51:10-12.
Sermon: So much of life happens around us, even to us, that we take little time to notice. The amount of stimulation and news and ideas and expectations coming at us can outweigh our ability to process all of it and so we stop looking too closely, we filter in order to survive. While this is necessary, it can also dull our senses for seeing the things that matter deeply. In this season of Lent, we will intentionally put a “frame” around the scenes of Jesus’ last week and also frame our own lives in a way that we can see what really matters. In this Ash Wednesday service, we will ready ourselves for this journey by preparing the canvas of our lives, reapplying a base coat on which to create new works of art.
February 26 Worship: First Sunday in Lent Scripture: Matthew 1:7-9 (with references to Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, John 12: 12-19)
Sermon: “The Parade: Risking Reputation” Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week was full of risk. Rather than a nice impromptu celebration, it can be seen for the carefully planned and significantly symbolic event that would rub those in power the wrong way. In a moment already filled with tension, this “victory parade” had many implications, and as we know, many consequences. We will stop the action just at the beginning of the parade to take stock of all the players, including the role the city itself plays full of pilgrims for the Passover.
