Highlands Family Christmas was held on Sunday evening, December 8, 2024 and it was a great success. Over three hundred people attended and enjoyed a meal of delicious homemade chili, hotdogs, and desserts. A chili contest was held, and after the challenging task of selecting from many tasty pots of chili, the winners were announced. Congratulations to our top three chili winners: Taylor Wilson for first place, Cristy Hillerman for second place, and Sean Neely for third place. 

After the hearty meal, everyone moved to the sanctuary to enjoy the children's program. We loved seeing the children's costumes made by the talented ladies from Highlands’ Sew & Sew group. The children worked hard to present a beautiful program of the Christmas story, which included scripture readings and singing Christmas hymns. We ended the night with the congregation singing Christmas carols together.

Many thanks to the organizers, chili cooks and judges, directors, band members, singers, seamstresses, and dedicated parents who worked tirelessly to make the evening so special. What a delightful way to bring in the Christmas season!

On Sunday, December 1, Highland’s Student Ministry had the honor of hosting a  multi-church Hymn Sing event for all PCA youth groups in the area! 85 students from Highlands, First Presbyterian Church, Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church, Providence Presbyterian Church, and others gathered together in the fellowship hall for a time of worship, consisting of singing Christmas Advent Hymns and scripture readings throughout. BBQ was provided by First Presbyterian Church in Jackson and Providence Presbyterian Church’s Praise Team led them in song. Students also enjoyed Christmas cookies & hot cocoa!

What a great opportunity for the students to see and be a part of something bigger than Highlands as they gathered to worship our Lord and Savior!

On Sunday night, November 17, Highlands proudly hosted a special Songwriter’s Evening! This event showcased the musical talents of our own Mike and Allie Murphy, along with their talented friends Matthew Clark, Trailand Eltzroth, and Jennifer Adams. All ages gathered together in an intimate setting to enjoy music and heartfelt stories. Each artist took turns sharing their original compositions and providing insights into the inspiration behind their work. The music was not only beautiful but also deeply meaningful, as each performance aimed to glorify God through their unique gifts. Light refreshments were served, and everyone enjoyed fellowship together as well. It was a wonderful time of bringing glory to God through the shared experience of music and storytelling.

On Saturday, November 2, our Student Ministry held a guys-only Duck Camp Event in Greenwood, MS, for sons and their fathers or father figures. The day was filled with fun activities including target shooting, skeet shooting, kayaking, and more. Deacon Andy Sensing prepared a delicious lunch featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, and smoked bologna. Steve Weeks also led a devotion for the group. It was a wonderful opportunity to get away, appreciate God’s creation, and spend quality time together as men, both young and seasoned. Our guys had a blast!

On Sunday, October 27, our Highlands family and friends came together for a spectacular Harvest Festival!

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with live bluegrass music by the Accumulators, children’s games, Space Jumps,  face painting and delicious hamburgers, hotdogs and brats served by Cey Let’s Eat Catering. Our talented bakers shared 46 scrumptious pies, making the Harvest Festival a sweet success. The kids (and some adults) stole the show in their creative costumes during our Harvest Festival contest.  Our winners were :

Best Overall  ~ Shrek ~ Maddux Madden

Most Adorable  ~ Pumpkin ~ Sam Wilson

Most Creative/Artistic ~ Volcano ~ Ayres Tisdale

Best Family ~ Murphy family as Harry Potter cast

Best Youth ~ The Lorax ~ Hartley Strain

Most Clever ~ The Candy Girls ~ Molly Murphy, Alice Jernigan, Addison Combest and Sadie Harbaugh

A huge thank you to all volunteers who contributed to the festival's setup, cleanup, pie baking and serving, and games. We welcomed many visitors and shared a picturesque afternoon together of fellowship and joy!

A lovely time was had at our Women’s Fall Event “Created to Create” on Sunday, September 29th. We had delicious appetizers together and desserts were served by the girls from our student ministry. Ladies of all ages listened as Marilyn Tinnin led us in focusing on how we mirror our creative God when we create. We walked through exhibits of various Highlands’ artists who displayed their talents and creations for all to enjoy. Many thanks to Laurie Nordan, Marilyn Tinnin ,Vicki Overstreet, and all who worked to put this night together. It was a delightful time of fellowship and artistry. Many thanks to our talented artists: Barb and Hal Martin ~pottery, Skip Holmes ~ iron sculpture, Rebecca Holmes ~ photography, Gina Wheat ~ container gardening , Cindy Mercer ~ mixed media, Kaitlyn Harbaugh ~ painting,  Vicki Overstreet ~ acrylics, Anna Shinnick ~ Jewelry, David Segrest ~ Legos, Gary Brewer ~ watercolors, Mary Ann Simpkins ~ thrifting, Charles Tinnin ~ oils, Marilyn Tinnin ~ author, Chuck McBride ~ painter, Abby Pierce ~ jewelry

“...and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship.”

Exodus 35:31-33 NKJV

What a fantastic turnout at our Men's Steak Supper September 15th! It was a wonderful evening of fun, fellowship, and delicious food. Men of all ages gathered together for a night of steak, trivia, singing, and listening to an inspiring testimony. A huge thank you to Brad Mercer, Thomas Gandy, Andrew Wilson, Mike Murphy and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this event a success. Your efforts are truly appreciated!