90 Days of Prayer - The Right Location

90 Days of Prayer - Inviting

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Let's Take Our City...!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

As we walk through these 90 Days of Prayer leading up to Commitment Sunday on November 6^th, my heart is overflowing with anticipation at what God wants to do in and through our congregation. By supernaturally delivering us from debt, He has set us free to impact our city and the world more effectively for generations to come. As we seek His face together, listen to His voice, and obey His promptings, He will position us to bring many more lost and hurting people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, God instructed the prophet Habakkuk to, “Write down the vision; write it clearly…so whoever reads it can run to tell others...(Hab. 2:2 NCV).” That is what I have done in this letter. I encourage you to read it slowly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully, asking the Lord to speak to your heart through the power of the Holy Spirit about His purposes for our congregation.

On Vision Sunday (Aug. 7^th), I shared my conviction with you that the Holy Spirit is calling us to replant our church downtown. The location I have in my heart is very strategic, with easy access from a major highway. Re-establishing our ministry in such a centralized, prominent place will better position us to build a congregation comprised of individuals from a wide variety of economic circumstances, religious backgrounds, and ethnic identities…a church like the one at Antioch in the New Testament! It will also enable us to birth new forms of ministry targeting some of our city’s greatest needs, whether spiritual, social, or educational. As we reach many new people from throughout our community, neighborhood-based ministries such as LifeGroups will help us disciple them while caring for everyone who already calls Hillcrest Church their spiritual home.

Our calling is not dependent upon any single piece of property. Whether God immediately gives us the particular piece of real estate I have long carried in my heart or whether He gives us some other location - perhaps as a “stepping-stone” to move us in that direction - it is vital for us to put our ministry where our destiny is. Although I do not sense the Holy Spirit leading us to plant an inner-city church, I do sense Him leading us to plant a downtown church… a church in the heart of the city that has the entire city at heart…! Moving downtown will propel us toward our destiny.

On Commitment Sunday (Nov. 6^th), I will ask you to tell me what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. This is an extremely important step in our process of discerning His will together. As much as I want to see us rebirth our church downtown, I am firmly convinced this decision is far too important for me or any other single individual to make. We must do it together, as the Body of Christ, through wisdom and unity imparted by the Holy Spirit. If this is God’s appointed time for this vision, I believe He will bring powerful and vital confirmation of that fact by establishing a strong consensus in our congregation, not as the result of a political process, but through the supernatural work of His Spirit as we prayerfully seek His face together.

I need to make the following very, very, very clear…the long-term vision God has given me has many wonderful, far-reaching implications for our church, our city, and our world, but it is utterly impossible for us to achieve without a miracle.

In this moment we are very much like the children of Israel standing outside the walls of Jericho. God had just supernaturally parted the Jordan River so they could cross over to the other side. It took a second miracle of equal magnitude for the city’s walls to fall down flat. At Hillcrest Church, we have just seen the Lord supernaturally deliver us from debt. We will need His miraculous help a second time to acquire property and build ministry facilities downtown debt-free. Here is the good news…the God of the Jordan is the God of Jericho…! As the Lord brings confirmation through the collective voice of our people and we move forward in faith and obedience, He will help us take our city. NOTHING is too hard for Him…!

During our 90 Days of Prayer, I want to encourage you to do the following:

1.      Prayerfully reflect on my testimony how God dealt with me about moving downtown. If you did not hear it on Vision Sunday, please take the time to watch it online at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16499137/highlight/192963. If you do not have access to the Internet and would like a video copy on DVD or an audio copy on CD, please contact our office so we can furnish you one free of charge.

2.      Join the rest of our church family in special prayer every Tuesday night. Attend as many of our prayer meetings at Baruch Ha’Shem from 7:00-8:00pm as your schedule permits or pray wherever you are. Consider fasting all or part of these Tuesdays. Fasting helps bring greater spiritual clarity by weakening the influence of our flesh in our decision-making processes. Here are some specific points for prayer:

·         Ask the Lord to let you feel His heart for our city while driving “the loop” around downtown or while looking at a map of Dallas.

·         Ask Him to give you creative ideas on how we can more effectively reach its inhabitants.

·         Ask God to let you know His dreams for our church.

·         Ask Him to help us move in His perfect timing.

·         Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring us into unity concerning His will. When a congregation is poised to take a significant step forward, it arouses Satanic opposition. Rebuke the spirits of dissension, slander, division, greed, materialism, bitterness, and fear!

·         Pray for the peace of God to rule in our hearts and for our “steps” (our decisions) to be firmly established in the center of His will. 

3.      Ask me, our Elders, or our Trustees whatever questions you may have. Encourage others to do the same. Don’t rely on hearsay or second-hand information. It may be inaccurate or incomplete. We will be more than happy to share the insights God has given us into the specifics of His plan. We also value your input. We want to hear what God is speaking to you. He rarely reveals all the details of His plan in a single moment or to a single individual. Some things will only become clear to us as we move forward into His purposes together.

On Commitment Sunday (Nov. 6^th) I am going to ask you two very important questions:

1.      Do you agree with me that the Holy Spirit is calling us to rebirth our church downtown?

2.      Are you willing to make a one-year commitment to help make this happen? (By continuing to attend our worship services, give of your finances, and serve as a volunteer in some area of our church’s ministry.)

Your answers to these two questions will be very helpful to me as I serve our congregation as Senior Pastor. Relocating our church’s ministry downtown is a huge step. I need God’s help and guidance as I lead our people during this time. Hearing from you will help me hear from Him.

According to 1 Corinthians 2:9, God has a wonderful future in store for us, filled with things that are beyond anything we have ever seen, heard, or even imagined. He wants to help us bring many lost and hurting people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. As we seek His face together, listen to His voice, and do His will, He will position us to do just that.

From the heart of our community we will be able to serve people from every part of our city through such ministries as ESL (English As A Second Language) classes, GED high school equivalency programs, after-school academic tutoring for at-risk students, crisis pregnancy intervention, Bible-based financial counseling, vocational coaching, and a Christian day school like the Coram Deo Academy…along with other creative outreaches based on ideas God is going to give people like you. Close proximity downtown to public transportation including DART rail stops will make it possible for precious individuals who need such ministry free of charge to easily come to our campus. On a spiritual level, establishing a venue downtown for activities including noon-time prayer meetings, Bible studies, and ongoing intercession 24/7 for our city and our world will have a significant impact far beyond the parameters of our single congregation.

To see these things happen and much, much more, we must do three things:

First, we must collectively embrace this vision on Commitment Sunday (Nov. 6^th). In order to move forward, we need the Holy Spirit to bring about a clear consensus in our hearts as we pray.

Second, we must begin birthing new ministries out of our initial downtown meeting location. We have already begun scouting out possible venues and have turned up some promising leads. Like seeds that are planted in fertile soil, our first steps will be small compared to our long-term impact, but we will take them with the conviction expressed by Jesus,

The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree…(Matthew 13:31–32 ESV)”

Third, we must purchase and develop our new, permanent church campus. God wants to help us do this debt-free…! This may mean that it takes longer or that we start smaller than we would do otherwise. It will certainly require humility, faith, and patience, but it will yield huge benefits. Here is the most important…more money will be able to go to into ministry! As we demonstrate to God that we value people over property, He will graciously give us everything we need. In fact, we have already seen signs that we may be able to buy a spectacular piece of real estate downtown for a price far below the market rate. Whether that turns out to be the case or not, this much is sure, as George Mueller of Bristol put it so many years ago: “God’s work done God’s way never lacks God’s supply…!”

We are in a wonderful new season here at Hillcrest Church, filled with promise and new possibilities. We have learned a lot from our experiences over the last several years. God has brought us new resources, including relationships with pastors from some of the greatest churches in America, to help us re-think and re-tool our ministries for greater effectiveness. The Holy Spirit is prompting us to reposition our church downtown at the very time our city’s growth is bringing waves of new residents into the same area.

Once our collective decision is made on Commitment Sunday, we will need to restructure and realign everything we do so that our focus is razor sharp. As we unite around God’s plan for our church family, we are releasing our past and embracing our future. We are no longer trying to resurrect a corpse, we are birthing a baby. A lot of hard work lies ahead, but excitement is beginning to fill the air…!

Teresa and I are grateful to the Lord for the privilege of serving you. We look forward to continuing to care for you. We are glad you are going on this journey with us. You are a valued part of our church family. Hillcrest Church would not be where it is today, poised on the verge of this tremendous opportunity, without your steadfast faithfulness. God is going to open new doors for you to use your gifts in helping our congregation reap a tremendous harvest of souls for His glory alone. Our future together is as bright as the promises of God. As the Apostle Paul put it, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. (Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24 NIV)”

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We love you very much.

The best is yet to come…!

In Jesus, 

Pastor Mark Brand

 

Foundation for Living (Ten Commandments): No Slander, Hillcrest Church, Sunday, August 28, 2011

90 Days of Prayer - Hearing

Foundation for Living (Ten Commandments): No Stealing, Sunday, August 21, 2011

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90 Days of Prayer - Unity

Let's Take Our City...! Vision Sunday 2011

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Vision Sunday 2011 is August 7th...!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this unusually long letter and to watch the video clip I have inserted above! We are approaching a very significant crossroads in the life of our church family and I have some very important things I need to share with you for your prayerful consideration...

I am so thankful for the wonderful things that God has been doing in our congregation these past several weeks: We experienced sudden, supernatural debt cancellation. We have moved into our temporary meeting location at the Baruch Ha’Shem Messianic Synagogue and our church ministries are functioning well in their new facilities. Many of our teenagers spent four days and nights in prayer and worship at IHOP Kansas City and returned with a fresh deep new touch of God on their lives. Like the Israelites at Gilgal in the Book of Joshua chapter five, our congregation has been experiencing an important time of healing and preparation for the next season of God’s unfolding plan for us as a people.

Now, the Lord is calling us to rise up and take the city like the Israelites did at Jericho in Joshua chapter six. Like them, we are called to conquer territory that can only be taken with God’s supernatural help. The walls of Jericho were thick and high. The Israelite army was far too small and unequipped to successfully assail them. No human strategy or calculation was sufficient to bring them the victory. Joshua, their leader, was utterly lacking in prior experience at besieging such massive military fortifications. Their only hope was a word from the Lord giving them divine instructions they could follow. As they moved forward in faith and obedience to what God then commanded, marching around the walls each day, refusing to allow the taunts and jeers of the enemy soldiers on top of the walls to penetrate their hearts or sway their spirits, they saw the Lord again do what only He could do. Their God had parted the waters of Jordan, now He caused the walls to fall down flat!

On Vision Sunday, August 7^th, I am going to be sharing my testimony of how God has dealt with my own heart and given me a crystal-clear conviction of what He is calling us to do and where He is calling us to go. I want to encourage you to do whatever it takes to be present in this service. After I have shared the vision God has given me, I am going to call upon you to seek the Lord in prayer about these things over the following weeks. Then, on Commitment Sunday, I will give you the opportunity to tell me what you believe the Lord has told you. Together, through this process of my sharing my heart with you and you sharing your heart with me, God will enable us to discern His will. The destiny of our church is far too important a matter to be decided by any single individual, including me. I believe the Lord is going to speak through our collective voice, showing us very clearly whether this is the right path forward for our congregation. On Vision Sunday, I will also be sharing an update on our church finances.

As the leadership of our church and I have been walking through the process of considering these and other matters, I am especially grateful for the input and help we have received from the leadership of Gateway Church and other apostolic leaders in the broader body of Christ. As the book of Proverbs puts it,

11:14 (KJV) — Where no counsel is, the people fall: But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Gateway Church’s Connect ministry, for example, led by Pastor Ed Funderburk, focuses on coaching, consulting with, and mentoring pastors and local churches who desire to glean from that outstanding congregation’s experience and expertise as they re-invent and re-position their own local churches for maximum fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God. The ongoing input he has given us has been extremely helpful to me personally as well as to the rest of our ministry team. The strongest and most important recommendations I have received from these sources include the need for me to lead every member of our church ministry team to prayerfully seek the Lord for a fresh, specific sense of calling to our church for this next season as we implement the vision God has given me; the need to restructure our church ministry staff so that it is appropriately sized and configured; and the need to revise our church constitution and bylaws to ensure that we are building upon a foundation of strong, stable, and healthy biblical church government.

During our recent vacation, Teresa and I personally made seeking the Lord for a fresh confirmation of His calling to Hillcrest Church a very high priority, knowing that a multi-year process of property acquisition, architectural design, and facilities construction lies before us. We both made a renewed commitment to Jesus to do whatever it takes to lead our church family forward into our destiny. Upon my return, I called our church leadership to join me in seeking the Lord for a fresh sense of calling to the ministry of this specific congregation. The commitment I made to them was that we would do everything we could to make it financially possible for them to remain a part of our team going forwarded provided they felt the Lord calling them to “re-enlist” for continued ministry here at Hillcrest Church. They all responded with deep sincerity and spirituality and the Holy Spirit has been speaking to their hearts, giving them individualized direction.

Through this process, Pastor Paul Kerr has sensed the Lord leading him to transition off our Hillcrest Church pastoral team and into a new and different venue of ministry. We are very thankful for his hard work during the time He has served the Lord in our midst and we are convinced that God has something wonderful in store for him and Anita as they move forward into their future together. This Sunday, July 31^st, the Abundant Life class will be holding a reception in their honor at 9:00am; we will be praying a prayer of blessing over them in our 10:30 worship service; and we will be receiving a love-offering for them to use in celebrating their upcoming 10^th Wedding Anniversary.

In closing, I also want to address something that happened in the context of our Sunday morning ministry time this last week. A couple in our church who are grieving the loss in membership we have experienced over the past several years, began circulating a petition on Baruch Ha’Shem’s campus in an effort to collect signatures in support of their desire to have me removed as Senior Pastor. When I became aware of this, I offered to meet with them personally so I could hear their hearts and I also encouraged them to meet directly with our collective church leadership. Thus far, they have declined to do so. If you have any interaction with them about these matters, I want to encourage you to lovingly, straightforwardly, graciously, and kindly point them to the biblical pattern of conflict resolution found in Matthew chapter eighteen and also to the very clearly defined process for raising such issues as described in our historic Hillcrest Church Constitution and Bylaws. Both Scripture and the documents which have long governed the legal affairs of our church family set forth processes by which any issue or concern of this type held by any member of our congregation may be given full and prayerful consideration by our leaders in a peaceful manner that does not disturb or divide our flock or negatively impact the unbelievers or baby Christians who attend our classes and worship services. As we move forward into our future, I believe the Lord would have us all heed the appeal of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Christians,

4:1 (NIV) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

If you would like to hear more of my heart concerning the various things I have written about in this email, I encourage you to watch the video I have inserted at the beginning of this message. It is about eight minutes in length.

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you. We believe with all our hearts that the very best is yet to come for Hillcrest Church and we are glad you have chosen to be a part of it…!

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday as I continue my ongoing sermon series on the Ten Commandments entitled, “Foundation for Living.” This week’s topic is, “You shall not murder.”

Blessings!

Pastor Mark Brand

Our Hillcrest Youth Group Needs Your Help...!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

This Sunday, I begin my new series of messages concerning the Ten Commandments entitled,"Foundation for Living." This is a great opportunity to invite someone new to our services and then bring them to our church picnic at 4:30pm at Campbell Green Park at Campbell and Hillcrest.

Our young people are planning a special trip next month to one of the premier youth conferences in America. They have worked hard raising money to cover their expenses, but need are still short of what they need for this trip.

When you receive this email, please take a moment to watch the video clip I have attached by clicking on the picture above or on the following weblink: http://vimeo.com/25574884.

I encourage you to bring an extra offering this Sunday toward this project...!

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you. We believe the best is yet to come...!

Pastor Mark Brand

www.markbrand.org

www.wordandspirittv.com

www.twitter.com/mwbrand

Free at Last! Free at Last! Thank God Almighty We're Debt-Free at Last!

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Debt-Free At Last...!

If God Had Asked These Mothers...

Rebecca would have wanted Jacob to become a prince and a patriarch...but not to be cheated at Laban's house and to walk with a life-long limp after being crippled by an angel...

Rachel would have wanted Joseph to become Prime Minister...but not to be sold into slavery and be falsely imprisoned...

Jochebed would have wanted Moses to become the deliverer...but not to be raised by pagan Egyptians and spend forty years on the backside of the desert...

Hannah would have wanted Samuel to become a prophet...but not to be exposed to backslidden priests at a tender young age...

Eunice would have wanted Timothy to become the Apostle Paul's protoge...but not to be circumcised as a grown man and be criticized for his youth...

Mary would have wanted Jesus to become the Messiah...but not to have gone through Gethsemane and the cross...

Mothers cannot protect their children from all pain or hold on to them forever. Jochebed "...hid Moses as long as she could...(Exodus 2:3)," then put him in a basket and released him into his destiny.

Every mother must do the same...!

(from Teresa's Mother's Day sermon)

When Death Brings Life, Resurrection Sunday, April 24, 2011

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Countdown to Baruch Ha'Shem

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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

I can hardly believe we just have two more Sundays at our Hillcrest Road campus before we move to our new, temporary home at the Baruch Ha’Shem Messianic Synagogue…! God is truly doing a quick and great work in delivering us from the stranglehold of debt and setting before us a open door of opportunity to pursue our Antioch destiny…!

Earlier today, I took a moment to record a video clip with some of my thoughts about where we are and about what is coming over the next few weeks. When you receive this email, I encourage you to take a few moments and view it online by clicking the picture above or on this weblink.

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you…! We believe more strongly than ever before that the very best is yet to come…!

See you on Sunday…!

Pastor Mark

mbrand@hillcrestchurch.org
http://www.markbrand.org/
www.twitter.com/mwbrand

P.S. In case you did not receive Pastor Susan Rutledge’s recent email sharing her heart about the new season of life and ministry she believes the Lord is calling her to, I have inserted it and the end of this message. We love and appreciate her very much here at Hillcrest Church and we will be honoring her in a special way at the end of the month of May. We will send you more details later. We are also very excited about the way God has raised up Rolanda Green to serve our congregation and our children as we move forward into our future. She and her husband, Terry, and wonderful people and we are blessed of God to have them as part of our team!

From: Susan Rutledge

Subject: Personal Update From Pastor Susan

Dear Hillcrest Friends,

I had hoped to talk in person this week with the people I've worked alongside and been closest to at Hillcrest Church, but I've realized it's just not possible. I'm sending you this email, because I value you as a friend. You've had an impact on me in my years of service at Hillcrest, and I want to share with you some important news.

In the past months, I've sensed God preparing me for a change. While I've had open conversations with Pastor Mark about retiring "in a few years", I expected to stay through our transition to a new location. But in recent weeks, God has shown me that the decisions to be made regarding Hillcrest's children's ministry should be made by the person who is called to lead it long-term in its new season.

Two weeks ago, God spoke to me as clearly as He did when I accepted my position nearly 18 years ago…and told me my assignment at Hillcrest was complete. I knew if I was going to walk in obedience to the Lord, I had to turn in my resignation that day - and I did. I told Pastor Mark I felt incredibly guilty leaving at such a pivotal time in the church. But as I've had time to process my decision, I realize how wise God is. It is the absolute perfect time. As Hillcrest is about to experience a new birth, He is putting in place the team that will establish a new, strong foundation and build up on it. I leave with peace in my heart, knowing God's hand has orchestrated a special plan for Children's Ministry.

While He has been preparing me for a transition out, God has been working in the heart and life of Rolanda Green to bring her in. Rolanda has both experience, training and a call on her life for ministering to children. As a volunteer, she accepted major responsibilities while covering for me while I was on sabbatical, and continued with those even after my return. We have talked of her succeeding me one day, and I'm thrilled to tell you she will be officially coming on board May 1 to lead our Children's Ministry into a wonderful future!

I will remain on staff through the end of May. I don't know what God has in store for me - that is a walk of faith as Grant and I wait to see. I would love to be able to devote full time to writing and video work - two of my passions. I also will enjoy the freedom to spend time with my eight (soon to be nine) grandchildren.

My years at Hillcrest have been blessed by the people I've known. I will treasure my precious memories and forever count each of you as my friend. I know you will love and support Rolanda as she moves into this new role, in the same way I've felt your love and support for me.

God bless you!

Susan Rutledge

Pastor of Children & Family Ministries

Hillcrest Church
Dallas, TX

972.392.3992, ext. 148

Follow My Blog:
http://web.me.com/susanrutledge

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

I HAVE SOME VERY EXCITING NEWS…!

Our Hillcrest Church Elders and Trustees have received, accepted, and unanimously authorized me to sign a contract for the sale of our church campus “as is” to a great, historic church in our Metroplex for $18 million cash with a rapid timetable for closing and full payment…!

In accordance with our Hillcrest Church Constitution and By-Laws and the terms of the contract, this letter serves as formal notice that our Hillcrest Church members will be voting on this matter two weeks from today on Wednesday, March 23rd at 7pm. Our Constitution and By-Laws require congregational approval by majority vote of our active members for any sale of property. Absentee ballots will be available upon request for all members who cannot be present to vote in person and who wish to vote in advance.

We will have a Hillcrest Church “Family Meeting” immediately following our 10:30am service this Sunday, March 13th, where we will present complete details concerning this transaction.

We will also have a Q&A time in our Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 16^th at 7pm.

Our Hillcrest Church Elders and Trustees are unanimously recommending that the members of our congregation approve this sale.

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you as God uses us all to build this “Antioch” Church.

The best is yet to come…!

Blessings…!

Pastor Mark Brand

Hallelujah! Praise Report

A Special Appeal From Pastor Mark...

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

Thank you for taking the time to read this very important email and to prayerfully reflect on what I have to say. I encourage you to also watch the video recording I have inserted above. It is less than twenty minutes long and will give you more detailed information concerning the latest developments in the sale of our church campus and the specific challenge that lies before us.

Spiritually, we are in a wonderful new season here at Hillcrest Church, but WE NEED YOUR HELP in meeting A VERY SIGNIFICANT NEED. Since you love our church, I want you to know exactly where things stand.

God is doing an exciting, new thing among our people…!

A true revival spirit spontaneously broke out among us two weeks ago, resulting in six nights of unplanned but very powerful services. Many people testified to divine healing through the sudden disappearance of physical symptoms; others were baptized in the Holy Spirit; and a wonderful new measure of God’s manifest presence filled our “house” and our hearts. This has given fresh momentum to our various ministries. I have personally sensed a strong new anointing as I have been preaching my series entitled, “What Is An Antioch Church?” My heart is filled with excitement about the wonderful future God has in store for us as a people.

As our Elders, Trustees, and I lead you forward into our destiny, while believing God for deliverance from the very high level of church debt incurred on our facility many years ago, we face TWO DISTINCT FINANCIAL CHALLENGES:

1.     The approximately $10 million dollar “balloon payment” on our church mortgage that will come due in September. In an effort to sell our campus and use our considerable equity to purchase new facilities, we have retained the leading real estate agency in North Texas specializing in marketing church properties. They seem confident they will be able to sell our building if they are given enough time. Between their efforts and our own contacts in the church community, at the moment there are three different potential buyers that appear interested in further discussions.

2.      The large monthly expenses we must meet in order to make the mortgage payments and cover the heavy costs of operating such a large facility. We have trimmed our discretionary expenses every way that we can. While our church income is more than sufficient to fund our ministries, meet our payroll, and provide for us to rent a temporary meeting place such as at Baruch Ha’Shem, it is far less than we would need to stay in our current building long-term given our indebtedness.

Earlier this week, we received some stunningly good news from our lender when they unexpectedly agreed to allow us to make interest-only payments from now until the balloon note comes due in September…! That is a significant short-term step toward finding an answer to the first challenge because it gives us more time to find a buyer for our campus and also cuts our monthly expenses by more than $42,000. (It does not, of course, solve the long-term issue of the balloon payment next September.)

Here is the CRITICAL problem we are facing today…

Every year, our church income drops substantially in January and February before rebounding to more normal levels in the month of March. Even though our January and February giving has never been enough in past years to cover our expenses during those two months, we have always had enough cash left over from the preceding December to meet our obligations in January and February. As a result of the weak national economy and the loss our congregation suffered last fall when we processed the vote to sell our facility when we were approached by the NDCBF, our giving so far this year has been VERY GOOD but NOT ENOUGH for us to make it until March.

Here is “THE BOTTOM-LINE”…

WE NEED AN EXTRA $60,000 above our projected giving levels in order to have any hope of meeting our expenses through the next several weeks. A total of $100,000 would raise our bank balances enough to allow us to manage our cash flow in a more normal fashion into the summer, provided our giving strengthens in the same percentage as it has in past years beginning with the month of March.

We need half of that IMMEDIATELY or we will be unable to make our interest-only payment to the bank and pay our church ministry team at the end of February.

Here is WHAT I AM ASKING YOU TO DO…

Prayerfully consider giving as large an extra offering as you can THIS SUNDAY.

Here is what your offering will do…

• It will help meet this immediate financial need.
• It will provide our leadership the time that we need to walk out a thorough, thoughtful, and wise process of finding God’s answer to the mortgage challenge we are facing. 
• It will give God time to work a miracle to keep us on this campus if that is His will. He is still able to that. We just need to make sure that we do whatever He wants and that we do not “short-circuit” His work in our hearts. 

All of our pastors and I are passionately committed to partnering with you in the vision God has given us to build an “Antioch kind of church” here in Dallas.Your generous offering this Sunday will be a clear vote of confidence from you in our destiny as a church family.

Whether God keeps us on this campus or settles us somewhere else, this I know for sure - Our future is as good as His character and as bright as His promises…!

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you. We believe the very best is yet to come for Hillcrest Church…!

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday…!

Pastor Mark Brand

www.markbrand.org

www.wordandspirittv.com

www.twitter.com/mwbrand

God is giving us a special opportunity at Hillcrest Church...!

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

Through the special Revival Services we have had all this week, I believe God is giving us a very unusual spiritual opportunity. A little earlier this afternoon, I shared my heart about all of this in a short video clip. When you receive this email, please take a moment and watch it.

I look forward to seeing you tonight (Friday) in our special service at 7:30pm...! The best is yet to come...!

Pastor Mark

Three More Nights of Revival Services (Wed-Thu)...!

Dear Hillcrest Church Family,

The presence of the Lord settled in our Worship Center during the service last night in such a precious and powerful way that we found ourselves on our faces before Him during an extended time of worship and prayer. Such a spirit of revival is gripping the heart of our people that Evangelist Dale Everett and I feel led to have three more nights of special services starting tonight (Wednesday) and going through Friday. Please note that these meetings will start each night (including tonight - Wednesday) at 7:30pm.

We do not know how long these meetings will continue. As I wrote to you yesterday, I URGE you to NOT MISS YOUR MOMENT of deliverance, healing, Holy Spirit baptism, salvation for your family (Be sure and bring them to the meeting!), or fresh anointing for ministry…! Tonight could be the night God changes you and the circumstances around you forever.

I encourage you to invite others to these meetings, especially those who are sick and who desire healing from the Lord; those who need a fresh touch from the Holy Spirit; those who need deliverance from bondage; and those who need to come to know Jesus personally. Jesus, our Savior, Healer, Baptizer, and Deliverer will honor your faith and work powerfully in their lives through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you. We believe the best is yet to come for Hillcrest Church.

See you tonight at 7:30…!

Pastor Mark Brand
http://www.markbrand.org/
http://www.wordandspirittv.com/
www.twitter.com/mwbrand

From My Heart to Yours...What I Believe God Is Doing At Hillcrest Church