SPIRITUALITY

The Collective at HKIS

by Jamie Halula

On November 23, 2024, the HKIS Collective was born. How this first evening came together is reflective of its name. This idea was shared by a parent, seconded by faculty, supported by our Head of School, planning was led by a small team, and here we are. All walks of life and faith are welcome to the Collective, whether you are younger or older, new to church, curious about what this is, or leading in one way or another. Hear what Jamie Halula shared to the group at The Collective. 

Image

The Collective is a time of celebrating community at HKIS

Why the Collective?

Let’s pretend you were playing on a soccer team, and it was the day of the big game. As you approach the field, you see the other team. They look pretty good. Kinda big, strong, lots of energy, warming up and getting ready for the game. You look around and see that you are the only member of your team there, so you wait a bit, take a few shots. How might you feel?

Maybe they are coming, right? But what if they don’t…do you think you could play the game by yourself? What would happen if you tried? It would be hard to take a shot on goal and try to hustle back to be goalkeeper, right? If the goal is to win the game, it would be a LOT easier if your teammates showed up right?

The Collective is one way that we can come together, like a team, with the goal of seeking God in Christian faith & fellowship. Doing life by yourself can be hard. Doing life with others is much easier.


The author of Hebrews 10, traditionally thought to be Paul, called the church to persevere in their faith, first spoken to as individuals, then as a community:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

In this room are many individuals. We can go to God on our own, to confess and pray and worship him. We also belong to different groups…families, churches, neighborhoods. But, we all belong to the HKIS community whether we are a student, faculty, staff or family member of someone who attends or works at HKIS. This is our opportunity to collectively worship and be in fellowship as an HKIS community.

Image

Members of different communities at HKIS came together for the Collective

Collectively, we…

  1. Seek the Lord, focusing on Him and setting aside the distractions of the world
  2. Praise God for Who He is and what He has done for us
  3. Worship Him together in one voice, as the band leads
  4. Pray, laying our requests at His feet and lifting our thanksgiving, in all circumstances, before His throne
  5. Surrender our hearts to Him, in confidence that He hears us because He deeply and unconditionally loves us
  6. Discern how the Holy Spirit may be prompting us to action in our lives, our homes, our classrooms and community
  7. Reflect, asking questions, digging deeper, learning more about God, ourselves and others
  8. Share, being vulnerable that we aren’t perfect, we don’t have it all together, and we acknowledge our dependency on Him through faith as we wait on Him or proclaim testimonies of His faithfulness.
  9. Encourage one another, building each other up in light of His word
  10. Can shine bright, no matter what comes our way. Our community is literally poised to be that bright city on a hill, shining His light and taking it into the world on a global scale. And NOT for our own personal glory, but to glorify the true source of Light, Jesus. To lift His name on high as the One who overcame sin and darkness, reconciling us to Him because of His love for us.

This evening is called The Collective because we collectively unite before the Lord in all these ways. But it’s not just us! We are part of a long line of people who have gone before us, covering this place in prayer, seeking His will to be done and His kingdom to come. There is a figurative baton that has been passed to us. Now, we collectively seek Him. Our time here is now, but it won’t be forever. Let’s continue with worship to the One who is forever.

Image
Image
Image

For information about more events like this, check out the Christian Life page on DragonNet.