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Brothers and sisters,

In just about ten days, our church is going to begin a week-long commitment to missions in our community. That commitment is know as “Operation Inasmuch,” taking its name from the story of the sheep and the goats in Mat-thew’s gospel. When Jesus told the sheep that they had helped him in so many ways, they asked, “Lord, when did we see you this way? When did we do these things for you?” And Jesus replied to them, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40; KJV). Thus, we are going to be giving back to our community in several different ways during the week from April 21st through April 27th.

On Sunday, the 21st, the children of our church will be decorating and assembling bags of treats and goodies for the bus drivers at Parkwood Elementary School to show our appreciation for all they do. Those bags will be delivered on Friday of that week so that the bus drivers get to start their weekend knowing that there are some in their community who love and appreciate them.

On Wednesday, April 24th, at 6:30 PM during our usual Bible Study time, the adults of our church will also be assembling bags, but these will be different. These will be bags filled with useful items to give to folks experiencing homelessness in our community. Basically, these bags will be filled with some basic supplies that people who spend all day in the elements may need: bottled water, band aids, sunscreen, ponchos—as well as some snacks. Once those bags are assembled, we will make them available for folks to be able to pick them up and carry in their car. You’ll be encouraged, then, to give out those bags to anyone you see in Durham who needs a blessing. As part of that, we are asking folks to bring in supplies for those bags—the list of needed items is printed in the Operation Inasmuch announcement in this newsletter. So, if you can come out on Wednesday the 24th and pack bags, we’d love to see you! If you aren’t able to help pack bags, you can bring in items that will go into those bags!

Then, on Saturday, April 27th, we are planning to have volunteers go to the home of one of our church members and do some yard work and light repairs. If you are interested in helping with that, please be sure to sign up in the vestibule. If there is a specific type of yard work you’d be willing to do or a specific tool you can bring to help, you can list that next to your name as well. Once I’ve got an idea of who all can help, we’ll coordinate a time with the church member we’re helping and finalize what we’ll be doing that day.

Also, starting Sunday morning, April 28th, we will begin a month-long collection drive for supplies for our Hope House. There are several needed items listed in the Operation Inasmuch announcement in this newsletter. This collection will run through the month of May.

To top it all off, on Sunday, April 28th at 5:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall, we will be having an Ice Cream and Dessert Social with a missionary in India whom our church helps sponsor.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Obviously, this Sunday is kind of a big deal for us Christians. This Sunday, March 31st is Easter Sunday, the day on which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. It is the day on which we celebrate the fact that the tomb was empty because the one in it had triumphed over death. Easter is arguably the biggest Sunday of the year for churches, with only the Sunday before Christmas coming close to it.

In many Christian traditions, Easter Sunday is not the end of the celebration of Easter. Many other traditions and denominations celebrate what’s known as Eastertide. Basically, Eastertide refers to the seven weeks between East-er Sunday and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the twelve disciples. It is a time of celebration as we remember the days that the resurrected Jesus spent with his disciples before ascending into heaven.

Here at Hope Valley, we celebrate Eastertide to a certain extent—keeping the paraments white in the sanctuary, singing Easter-inspired hymns through those seven weeks, and singing “Alleluia” in our offertory response each week. But this year, I wanted to emphasize the idea that Easter Sunday was not the first miraculous day in Jesus’ ministry. Too often, we Christians skip from Jesus’ birth to his death and resurrection, leaving out huge chunks of his life and ministry along the way.

This year, I want us to spend Eastertide looking at many of the other miracles Jesus performed during his life. Each of the miracles we’ll look at point toward the incredible nature of the resurrection. They help to predict it and pre-pare the people and the reader for what will happen at the end of Jesus’ life. So, over the next seven weeks, we’re going to take a look at these miracles and see just how they inform our understanding of the resurrection. We’ll see what Jesus was preparing us all for in this, “Season of Miracles.”

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

The last half of March is going to be a wonderful time here at Hope Valley Baptist Church. I want to be sure to touch on just a few of the things we have coming up!

First, during morning worship this coming Sunday, March 17th, the former pastor at my home church, Dr. Glenn Phillips, Jr. will be preaching for you all. Glenn is the pastor that I most remember growing up in Goldsboro. He is the one who baptized me, catching me when I slipped and fell as I was coming back up out of the waters. He and Scott, my youth minister, helped me discern my call to ministry. Most recently, he is the one who preached at my mother’s funeral. He is a truly good man and I am excited for you all to get to hear from him on the 17th.

Then, on Sunday, March 24th we will be celebrating Palm Sunday and participating in the 2024 CROP Walk. During morning worship on that Sunday we will celebrate the arrival of Jesus in the Holy City, though we will also take time to remember what a whirlwind of a week he would have—triumphal entry on Sunday, crucifixion on Friday, and resurrection the next Sunday. After that service, starting at 2:30, the Durham CROP Walk will celebrate its 50th anniversary as people from all over the city and county come together to march in solidarity with those struggling with hunger. It is a wonderful opportunity to gather with members of our wider community and remember that we can do incredible things together.

The rest of that week, we have our two special Holy Week services. On Wednesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm we will be having our hand-washing service over in the sanctuary. The hand-washing service is designed to remind us all of Christ’s simple assertion—that he came to serve, not to be served. By taking that time to wash and dry each other’s hands, we imitate our Lord. Then, on Friday, March 29th at 7:00 pm, we will have our Good Friday service, again in the sanctuary. Good Friday is always an interesting day in the Christian calendar. On the one hand, we mourn the fact that Jesus was killed. On the other hand, we hold on to hope, knowing that there is a resurrection awaiting both him and us. So come out both nights and worship with our church family.

Finally, on Sunday, March 31st we will come together to celebrate Easter once again! On that Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the fulfillment of God’s promise to both Jesus and us—that all who believe do not come under judgment, but pass from death into eternal life. In addition to our usual celebrations, we will also be celebrating the baptisms of two new members of our church! Mark your calendars for that Sunday—to celebrate Christ’s resurrection and to welcome a new brother and sister in Christ into our church!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben