Weekly News and Updates

October 29, 2026 | Volume 40, Issue 43

FROM YOUR PASTOR'S HEART...All Saints Sunday – Pressing On! 

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

One of my spiritual mentors, Dr. Bob Tuttle, always signed his notes with “Pressing on!” He would either write Hosea 6:3 or Philippians 3:14 underneath. Hosea 6:3 is “Let us press on to know the LORD… “ You can read Phil. 3:14 above. Paul is pressing on for the prize! And what is that prize? He answers it in Philippians 3:20-21  …we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”  What a glorious promise and hope, especially, for this All Saints Sunday! Looking forward to hearing Pastor Zach Anderson’s message and testimony on this passage. 

We will remember, name, and celebrate the lives of Heritage Church folks who have gone to be with the LORD this past year, and we will remember our loved ones who are part of the Communion of Saints as we celebrate Holy Communion together. Can’t wait to worship with you Sunday!

HERITAGE HARVEST FESTIVAL

Thank you to Madison Simmons who planned and coordinated our Harvest Festival this past Sunday evening. It was a great time of joy and fellowship for our congregation and our guests. Thank you to Caleb Lester, Fred Rompf and crew who set up for Sunday morning outdoor worship. Thank you to everyone who helped make the festival such a great gift to our community. 

Thank you to all who cooked and prepped and served the food, caramel apples and popcorn. Thank you to all who helped decorate and set up and run the various booths. To those who helped man the bounce arounds and pumpkin carving contest, thank you!  … and a very special thanks to Heath and Leslie Wagoner, Tim and Lisa Elkins, and Steve and Shareen Hobbs for providing the hayrides. The balloon art with Debbie Brents and crew is always a huge hit along with the face painting … I got in the face painting line several times with my granddaughter, Emma, but as she waited, she always saw something else she wanted to do instead of wait in line 😊.  

Finally, we were blessed with a new activity, a prayer tent manned by our prayer ministry team. They led at least one person to Jesus and got to pray with many more. See the pictures and articles below to see more about the Harvest Festival.  And thank you to Michelle Stovall for my “Are You Fall-O-Ween Jesus?” t-shirt that I wore Sunday. I love it!

PASTOR/STAFF Appreciation

Thank you for honoring and blessing our pastors and staff during Pastor Appreciation Month. Thank you for the generous gifts from the congregation and for Nick Holman providing lunch for us (which he does monthly! 😊) and for the Boomer Life Group proving lunch for us this past Tuesday. We feel so blessed and appreciated. We love what we get to do as ministers of the Gospel! Thank you!

Next Sunday, November 8, the Heritage Quilters are going to present some Quilts of Valor to some of our veterans, and I get to preach on one of my all-time favorite passages in scripture, Philippians 4:2-9. It is a great message for all of us. 

Pressing on with faith and joy!

Wes

P.S. The Heritage Leadership Team will hold its Charge Conference (Annual Business Meeting) with connecting elder, Rev. Jim Benfer, presiding, Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm in the New Room. This year is pretty low key. We are having it early this year instead of in January since we will be very busy then launching the Chaffee Crossing Campus.

Living with the End in Mind

As I prepare for this week’s sermon on Philippians 3:12-4:1, I can’t get over this line from the opening verse: Christ Jesus took hold of me (NIV). Or if you prefer the CSB, I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Stop and think about that for a minute. Jesus, the LORD of heaven and earth, has grabbed onto you. For the ups and downs, and ins and outs of life; through the joyous times and the seasons of darkness; for your times of great victory and your experiences of brokenness and sin; what could be more reassuring than the Christian reality that Jesus Himself is holding onto you with all His might?

But Paul says that Jesus has taken hold of you for a reason. An eternal reality with immediate implications. In light of this, how shall we then live? What does it mean to live today with the end in mind? I hope you’ll join this Sunday, and pray in humble expectation for a move of God when we gather as the Church, and as we scatter to go be the Church!

Zach

Fall Festival Smiles

What a joy to welcome our church family, friends, and neighbors for an evening of fall fun! We estimate about 800 people were here throughout the evening. Sunday’s Fall Festival gave us time to laugh, connect, serve our community. Here are a few glimpses of the smiles and memories from the evening, including the winning pumpkin from the carving contest. And check out the great shot from Pastor Wes of our beautifully lit up building and the harvest moon after the festivities were over.

Praying for Our Pastors Workshop!

The Trinity Conference is hosting Praying for Our Pastors, an online event on November 7 from 10:00-11:30 am. We will gather for a time a learning, fellowship, and practice. We'll discuss why and how we pray for and with our pastors, and hear from some Trinity Conference pastors about how prayers have supported them. Then we will break out into groups to put what we've learned into practice.

Register here, or if you have questions, you can contact Greg McClure,

gmacbpi@gmail.com or Rebekah Hutton, rhutton@heritage.church.

Support Foster Families with a Meal

We’re looking for a group to help provide a meal for foster parents during their next meeting at our church. Usually, we have about 10 adults to provide a meal for. It can be catered or cooked. 🙂 The date is November 17 at 6:00 pm.

Snack Packs for Central Elementary

We’ve partnered with Central Elementary to provide 50 snack packs to support students over the weekend. We will be packing the snacks on November 4 at 1:00 pm. If you'd like to help stuff, please reach out to me. We also need help with providing the snacks. If you'd like to provide one, please let me know so I can mark it off the list.

We need: Mac & Cheese Cups, Granola Bars, Apple Sauce, Gold Fish, Pretzels, Slim Jims, Fruit Cups, Mini Muffin Packs, Peanut Butter Crackers, etc.

Kairos Prison Ministry

Kairos is an international prison ministry whose mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ to incarcerated men, women, and youth. Weekend “walks”, similar to Emmaus Walks, are held inside prison involving 24 inmates in a series of talks, discussions, chapel meditations and worship designed to lead each inmate into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

There will be Kairos weekend at the Grimes Men’s Unit in Newport, AR, November 5-8. We are asking for your support in 2 ways.

Pray: We're asking for prayers for our safe travel, for an abundance of cookies, and for the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of these men during the weekend.

Cookies: We will serve cookies to the all of the inmates and officers. Cookies must be store-bought and in unopened, original packaging. You can bring donations to the church office.

If you have questions, contact the church office or Eddie Prince, eprince92@aol.com.

Heritage Women's Homestead Day - November 14

We have a new date for Women's Homestead Day! Join us Saturday, November 14, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm for a day experiencing life skills handed down from one generation to the next. “Back to the Basics” introductory classes will be offered on canning, needlework, gardening, and the art of homesteading. Most importantly, we will discuss time-proven traditions for being a faithful steward of the blessings the Lord has provided. Sign up on Church Center!

Want to stay informed about what's happening in Women's Ministry? Sign up for our Monthly Women's Newsletter! It's called Sisters by Grace and has devotionals, recipes, study tips, and information about upcoming classes and events.

Charge Conference will be Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm in the New Room.

Presiding Elder, Jim Benfer will be here to oversee our annual charge conference.

Heritage Travelers Christmas in Dallas! Click the flyer to register.

This Week at Heritage and Prayer Concerns

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