Brothers and sisters,
At the end of this month, we will be starting up one of my favorite traditions here at Hope Valley Baptist Church—Operation Inasmuch. For the last several years, we have dedicated a week at the end of April and into early May to missions. This year is no different. Operation Inasmuch will run from April 26th to May 3rd. The goal of this week is to find opportunities to do the work Christ has called us to in our communities, to serve others, and to let them know that they are loved by God and by this church.
I’m particularly excited about Operation Inasmuch this year since we were not able to have our Holy Wednesday Hand-Washing service again this year. (Truly, I am going to do everything I can to make sure I don’t get sick until after Easter next year!) On that night, we usually talk about the ways that Jesus calls us to be servants to others in the way that he came to be a servant. We model that servant attitude by washing and drying each other’s hands. It’s a service that asks us to take time out of our day, see our brothers and sisters, and do what we can to show them they are loved.
Operation Inasmuch works because of that same spirit. It works because we know that Christ has called us not only to serve him, but to serve our wider community. Each person is a beloved child of God and so it is always worthwhile to show them that. It is worthwhile to let them see the church in action, so they can say, “I have seen God’s people and they have seen me.”
In light of that, you’ll notice that there is a list of planned activities in another part of this Illuminator. I would encourage you to look over those activities and see if there’s one you’d like to participate in. If you’re not sure you can participate in any of them, see if there’s one you’d like to donate to. If you’re not sure you can do that either, that’s totally fine; pray for the church as we go out and do these things. Pray that we would lift up the hearts of those we help. Pray that they would hear a good word about a God who loves them.
I’m looking forward to the end of this month!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben