Theme for 2010

Each year we choose a theme to emphasize in our preaching, our teaching, and especially in our actions.  For 2010, our theme is Calming Life’s Storms: Studies in Peacemaking.  All one has to do is pick up a newspaper to see that there is a lot of discord in the world.  Fighting, murder, lies, greed, drugs, divorce, and the list goes on and on.  Even if you had $10 million in your bank account, if there is not peace in your home, it is awfully hard to find happiness.   But Jesus calls Christians to be “peacemakers.”  So for the year, we are trying to learn and practice the special task of being peacemakers.  There are at least three ways we want to seek peace:

1. Peace with God.  We want to live in a way that we can approach God in prayer and worship without an overwhelming sense of guilt or shame.  We want to follow God’s will for how we live, living in solidarity with His desires.  We also want to be a place in our community where people can come to find peace in their own relationship with God.
2. Peace in our Relationships.  We want to spend some time learning some better skills for resolving conflict in our families and workplaces.  We want to have a calming effect on all situations we encounter where there is disagreement.  A peaceful home has a much better chance of being a happy home.
3. Peace in our Congregation.  Jesus communicates a very clear vision for His Church, that we would be unified (John 17).  We hope to do several things this year to maintain our relationships with our fellow Christians, and to help ensure that Old Hickory remains a healthy, peace-loving congregation.

Throughout the year, we will have a variety of efforts to reinforce these principles including sermons, classes, seminars, outreach efforts, and spiritual retreats for our members.