Hello Hickory Creek,

As we look forward to the New Year, here are some upcoming Studies and ministries to help you in planning your New Year.

Baptism Opportunity - Sunday, January 14 @ 11am service
On Sunday, January 14th, we will have an opportunity to be immerse baptized at our 11:00am service. If you are a believer in Christ and have never been immerse baptized, then I would encourage you to take this step of faith.  If you are still unsure if baptism is something you should do, then check out our teaching video on Baptism (click here - Scroll down past current weeks message - it is the expTruth 2 video that talks about salvation and Baptism. the teaching on Baptism starts at about 8:40 into the message).  If you would like to be baptized, please let me know by replying to this email so we can make arrangements for you to follow the Lord in obedience.

Bible Studies and Groups
The New Year is a great time to begin a study or join a group. Below are some available studies for you to consider.

Women’s Studies
Jude - Tues, Jan 16 - Feb 27 - 9:30a - 11a - Jude will be a seven week study led by Melissa Kachin and Lynn Schumacher. We will learn how we are called, loved and kept in our faith to keep from falling into deception in our current culture while also pointing others to the grace and truth of Jesus lovingly and mercifully. We will explore what we need to do in order to contend for our faith. Childcare will be provided. Click here to register.

Good Boundaries and Goodbyes by Lysa Terkeurst - Begins Thurs, Jan 18 - 9:30a-11a -Led by Lisa Bonnema and Alicia Jakubek, this book study will explore relationships, boundary setting, and when to say goodbye. We will have a link available in the coming weeks to sign up for this study, as well as childcare. This information will also be available on our website. We anticipate 7 weeks for this study. Childcare will be provided. Click here to register.

Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer - Monday, Jan 29 - 6:15p-8:15p
Joinwith other ladies to learn more about the invisible war that rages around us. We know that the enemy fails miserably when he meets a woman dressed for the occasion. This study is described as an action plan for putting on this armor and developing a personalized strategy to secure victory. Led by Gale Storen, Maryanne Lullo, and Karen Miner, this Bible study will meet every Monday night from January 29 – March 11 at church. Click here to register. Any questions regarding our women’s studies, contact Alicia Jakubek at alicia@hickorycreekchurch.org

Groups for Men
Wed (6a - 7a), Thurs (6a – 7a) or Sat (7:30a – 8:30a)
Our men can gather on Wednesday mornings (6a), Thursday mornings (6a) or Saturday mornings (7:30a).  There are multiple groups that gather on those days either digging deeper in the message from the sermon, studying Genesis, or a study on Forgiveness. You are free to join in at any time.

Groups for All
Daniel - Sundays at 9:30a in the Flex Room OR Thursdays at 10a in the Glass Room
Dr. Dave Rompala, Phd, will help you discover how the prophet Daniel survived the challenges in his world of turmoil. The time we are living in, just like Daniel, is not an accident. This book has been described as the Old Testament Book of Revelation. Many scholars believe it’s  understanding is essential to truly comprehend end times. Learn practical lessons to help equip you to stand firm during this time of turmoil and see how God uses Satan to accomplish His sovereign plan. Everyone is welcome regardless of backgrounds. If you have questions, contact Dr. Dave at rumps50@sbcglobal.net.

ExpGrowth - Membership Seminar - Sunday, February 25
We are offering our ExpGrowth Membership Seminar on Sunday, February 25th. Session 1 will be at 9:30 and session 2 will be at 11am in the cafe. You will need to attend both sessions to complete the seminar. This Seminar is a great way to learn more about Hickory Creek Church and why we believe the Bible is God's Word and why you can believe it too. We also talk through what the Bible says about salvation and baptism and help you to know more about the church and its leaders and how to belong at Hickory Creek. This Seminar is a requirement to be a member at Hickory Creek. There is also a video portion that you need to watch before attending. Click this link to watch the video portion Exp Truth on Video (click and scroll down to bottom and view ExpTruth & ExpTruth - 2) If you would like to register to attend click here.

Ministries and Outreaches
Math Magic - Mondays, beginning January 22 @ 9:30 am
This is an 8-week game-based math learning program for children ages 3-5. We will work on building young children’s number sense through activities like group games, magic, puppet shows, and story time. This program will be led by Crystal Feil. For more details of the program, please visit https://mathmagic.carrd.co/ . Parents and siblings are welcome to stay. Limited space of up to 16 participants. Please try to ensure you come consistently since each week builds upon the prior week and we want to ensure your child can master all the building blocks of math so they see how magical it truly is!  Please feel free to invite friends to join. Registration is required. Please click HERE to sign up.

Math Magic MULTIPLIED – Mondays, beginning January 22 @ 10:30am
This is an 8-week game-based math learning program for homeschool kids with the goal of learning multiplication and division through games, mistake detectives, and word problem theater.  There is no age requirement, but to ensure that all of our participants are ready for the topics and can make the most of our lessons, we do expect all of our participants to be fluent (accurate and fast) with addition and subtraction in numbers up to 100. If you have fluency questions, reach out to our program leader Crystal Feil.  Registration is required.  The program is free, but we do kindly request participants commit to attending all 8 weekly sessions since there is limited space of up to 16 participants.    Parents are welcome to stay or to work on schoolwork with siblings in another area/room nearby.  For more details on the program, please visithttps://mathmagic.carrd.co/ . Please click HERE to sign up.

GriefShare - Monday evenings @ 7p
Anyone suffering the loss of a loved one is encouraged to come to GriefShare at Hickory Creek. Griefshare is a Christian support program that will help you navigate the journey of grief and begin the healing process. Meeting dates are Mondays beginning January 8th from 7 to 9pm. Click here to signup . For more information, email Bob Soukup or you can reach him by phone at 708-473-7547.

Women's Work out Wednesdays - Wednesdays @ 9:30a & 10:30a
Work out Wednesdays are back and waiting for you, ladies! We are offering two different classes, both with childcare provided. The 9:30 class is a full body conditioning program and the 10:30 class is cardio and core. The cost of each class is $5. Click here to sign up.

Hickory Café – Open for Ministry on Wednesdays 10a to 1p
The Hickory Café is open for Ministry on Wednesdays from 10a to 1p. Use this opportunity to invite a friend to meet you for a free specialty coffee and to interact with others at the church.

SISTERHOOD OF COMFORT (for Widows) - Wednesday, January 3rd - 10:30a - 12p
If you are a widow, we invite you to come and celebrate our 1st Anniversary of meeting together! We are here to be comforted and provide the comfort to each other that God has given us (2 Corinthians 1:1-4)
All ages and stages of "widowhood" are welcome. Please invite a widow friend, too! If you have any questions, contact Tina Blackburn, 815-370-7158, tinal95@sbcglobal.net or Gloria Cox, 708-941-4427, gjccookie21@sbcglobal.net

Family Grace Groups - 1st & 3rd Thursdays at 6:30p - Next on Jan 17
Support for Family of those with mental health issues
This fall, we will be having a group to biblically support family and caregivers of those struggling with mental health challenges. We have trained facilitators leading these groups to provide the biblical encouragement and care you need to be who you are needed to be. Meetings are on the 1st and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm at Hickory Creek Church. Let us know you are interested by signing up here .

Little Music Makers - Friday Mornings, beginning Jan 26 @ 10:00 am
All children are welcome to join us beginning Friday, January 26, at 10:00 am for a fun and free class to sing and dance. All ages and stages welcome, including babies! Please feel free to invite friends and guests to join in, as well. All children will need to be accompanied by an adult (mom, dad, grandparent, babysitter) who will stay in class with them for the full 30 minutes. We encourage participation from children and adults alike! At the end of class, we will invite everyone to stay for a snack and time to visit. To register, click here.

Women at the Well (for Women 60+) - January 22 - 1p - 2:30p
"Come join us at the 2024 Kickoff of Women at the Well to be held at 1 pm Monday, January 22nd. We will be serving apple pie and coffee. Please join us for a time of fun, fellowship and encouragement in the Lord. So we know how many pies to get, we would appreciate your registering if you plan to attend. If you have questions, contact Marcia Horan.

Her Solid Ground Podcast
Women of Hickory Creek, we invite you to tune in beginning Tuesday, September 12 to our new weekly podcast Her Solid Ground to share the truth of Christ with the women of our church. Led by Lisa Bonnema and Alicia Jakubek, you can access this podcast on the Hickory Creek Church app.

Save the Dates for Summer 2024!

VBS Session 1 – Tuesday, June 11 – Thursday, June 13 from 1pm to 3:30pm
VBS Session 2 – Tuesday, June 18 – Thursday, June 20 from 1 pm to 3:30pm
REACH High School Summer Camp – Thursday, June 6 – Tuesday, June 11, 2023

Giving
If you would like to give to support the ministry of Hickory Creek, you can mail a check to Hickory Creek Church at PO Box 1805, Frankfort, IL 60423 or you can give online at (http://www.hickorycreekchurch.org/giving) If you have our app, you can also give through the app (the give link is in the bottom right corner of the app). To give online, you can set it up to come out of your checking account or from a debit or credit card and you can set it up as a repeating gift as well. Remember that we pay a fee for the online gifts we receive, so if it is just as easy to mail a check or drop it off, you can do that too. Thanks again to those who continue to support the ministry of Hickory Creek so we can continue to minister in the name of Christ.

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Blessings,