Getting There...

The Heights Fellowship "lives" in one of the most quickly growing areas of Lubbock. We are surrounded on all sides with tremendous commercial and residential growth. It's a really exciting place to be.

But growth never happens without a degree of inconvenience. Developers and the City of Lubbock recently began an improvement project on 66th Street (the main artery of traffic that runs by the THF building on the south). The project will involve the widening of the road between Iola Avenue and Milwaukee. We have been told to expect 66th street to be out of commission for 120 days, which means through the end of the year and into January, the THF family will need to access the THF campus by alternate means (helicopters come to mind...)

The good news is that there is plenty of access to the THF campus and actually "Getting There..." is pretty simple. Traffic will never be a problem since the THF campus can be easily accessed from multiple directions. See the map below.

From the west - access is extremely simple (follow the blue arrows on the map): Come east from Milwaukee on the Spur 327 access road. At Justice Avenue, turn right (south) and continue up the street until you can enter the THF parking lot on the west side of the building. (Note: if you miss the Justice turn, you can still turn right on Iola Avenue and enter from the east side too.)

From the east - access is only slightly less simple, and that only because it's a little more obscure. Everything funnels through Iola Avenue (follow the green arrows on the map). The intersection at Iola and 66th will be accessible from three sides (east, north, and south) throughout the duration of the project. Proceding north of this intersection on Iola, you turn west (left) between the two office strips (don't turn into the parking lot of the office strips) onto the unmarked drive (Meers Mazda is located just across the street on the east from this turn). The "unmarked drive" curves around the parking lot for the State of Texas Health Services Department and deadends into Justice Avenue. Turn left on Justice and proceed to the THF campus.

THF leadership is currently working on getting signs erected to make "Getting There" even more simple. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this exciting time of growth. This we know: It's definitely worth it.

Connectivity

It's a buzzword we all hear: Connectivity. Now that we, as a culture, are turning our heads toward a new semester as our neighbors, children, or grandchildren head back to school, we must acknowledge there is going to be a lot of connectivity happening. So lets explore the term and see how it fits us
The dictionary's definition is straight forward:
con·nec·tiv·i·ty

n. pl. con·nec·tiv·i·ties

1. The quality or condition of being connected or connective.

There are two things that jump out immediately -
1) To be CONNECTED. In other words, to be a part of a community. We believe that is a universal need among God's people and an innate human desire. THF believes that we best achieve this through our LIFEGroup ministry. It's our way of letting people naturally associate via affinity (place in life). Our LG, as we call it, meets nine months out of the year (with summers off), and is a great way to meet people, share experiences, find support and encouragement, and really immerse into a genuinely loving, accepting culture.

2) Be CONNECTIVE. As a friend of mine often says: be amenable.  Over the past decade, our experience at THF has shown us that we've had thousands of visitors come check out THF and our "deliberately different" paradigm. Many of them stayed and invested their lives, but a lot moved on. There is one element we see over and over: if a person doesn't "connect" with the THF Family, he or she moves on to another community (or even gives up) within about 12-18 months. It's a sad, but true, reality.
THF begins a new season of LIFEGroup ministry in just a few weeks. Sign ups begin the end of August and the LIFEGroup season begins in mid-September. Are you looking for a really dynamic comminity? Are you wanting to "plug-in?" Are you connective? Here is a great opportunity to explore. You can follow this link and and jump directly to our LG page.
Or, stop by the THF Mall some Sunday morning between now and September and see for yourself.
Acts 2:42-43!
Pastor Mike

Making Community

It is basic human behavior to be social. Last decade's swell of connectivity with email and this decade's explosion in social media both strongly attest to this truth. The fact is that God knows us and intends that we be a part of a community. He wired us for it. Community is something we take very seriously at The Heights.

Recently our THF Media team enhanced the community option available to THF attenders. There are two new facets on the THF Online experience: The Table Project and THF Online Portal.

The Table Project is one of our most exciting community makers. It is going to help us answer some of those daily needs to 1)Find stuff and to Find help within the community, or 2)Give stuff and Give help as a part of our personal ministry mission. Go check it out! It's VERY cool. Follow this link to
THE TABLE PROJECT to find out more!

Another community maker for THF Attenders is the THF Online Portal. It basically allows you to see and be seen at a comfort level you control and like. You can register for THF events (i.e. Children's Camp, Youth Camp etc.), sign up for life groups, connect with your LIFEGroup, opt in and out of the THF Directory, and more. Over the next few months we will be integrating many more opportunities within the portal such as scheduled online giving and even access to view your past contributions. You can find out more and make the connection here: THF ONLINE PORTAL.

I'm reminded of this verse as we journey forward together:

You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. James 3:18 msg