January 27th, 2018

Winter is upon us. 
And just as we go through the seasons, especially here in Western New York, so we go through seasons in our lives.  Education, relationships, church life, growing older, illness, deaths and losses. I heard a speaker ask the question of the audience – what would you like to have known at graduation that you now know?   From the group of older adults - a lot of the answers were around the topic of relationships – how important they truly are – and yet how little time we invest in them – until it is too late. We seem too busy chasing after things – things that we later find out do not matter as much as we once thought they did.   John Wesley often asked the question – Are you closer to God today than you were yesterday?   Brennan Manning believes Christ will ask – Did you know I loved you?   And God may ask – what did you do for my kingdom?  Did your life bring me glory?   Were you the salt and light for the world?  Was your life lived in such a matter that you were a Christian example of my love and grace?    Hillside is a very caring and giving group.  And I am proud and honored to call Hillside my home.   How can I and Pastor Dan help you answer these questions?  How can Hillside be an outreach to the city of Olean for Christ?  If Hillside ceased to exist – would we be missed – and what for?  What is our identity in the community?  We are both a body, and a group of individuals?  As individuals we impact those around us.   How do we share our faith to those around us?  Do we believe in our faith enough to share it – and tell others that our relationship with God is real – and I just wanted to share with you how important it is to me – and how real it can be?     Our relationship with God needs to be alive and real before we can share it with others. We need to be growing closer to Him daily – spending time with Him in prayer, reading his Bible, joining with others in Sunday School and small groups – and growing together.   On this journey, I don’t want to leave anyone behind.  If there is anything we at Hillside can do to support your journey, please talk to us. 
Thanks, Pastor Nila