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Town Hall Meeting

Brothers and sisters,

I wanted to take a little time this week to talk about what our Town Hall Meeting is about this coming Sunday. We’ll be meeting over in the Fellowship Hall at 3:00 to have a discussion about our vision as a church and how we want to accomplish that vision together, with a special focus on how we want to fill the opening we have on staff now that Amy has stepped down as the Minister to Children and Families.

The idea for this kind of a meeting originally came from the Personnel Team’s discussions about how we wanted to go about searching for someone to fill Amy’s position. I was working with the team on this and we started asking ourselves some questions. What are the needs the church has? What are the hopes for our church’s future? What is the mission God is calling our church to? What kind of minister would help us live into that calling?

As the Personnel Team and I pondered those questions, we began to take the first steps to organize this first Town Hall Meeting. And it was in talking with other church leaders that the idea of discussing the church’s vision came up. Where do we see Hope Valley going? How do we want to get there? What kinds of programs would we hope to see in the future? Who would be the best kind of leader to come on staff and help us carry out that vision?

These are some of the questions we’re going to ponder together as a church family. I think this discussion on Sunday will be really productive. It will give us an opportunity to dream together and imagine what our future looks like here at Hope Valley. I hope you’ll make plans to be here. Come with your ideas. Come with your hopes. Come with an open heart and mind. If you cannot make it this Sunday, please pray for these discussions. Pray for discernment as we seek God’s will for our church.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

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The Green Bridge II

The Green Bridge II – Pastor Benjamin Wines

Seek good and not evil
That you may live,
And so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
Just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
And establish justice in the gate;
It may be that the Lord, the God of Hosts,
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I despise your festivals,
And I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
And the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like water
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. from Amos 5:14-15, 21-24

We hope you will join us as we continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “The Green Bridge II“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Luke 18:18-27. The artwork Pastor Wines will be sharing in today’s service can be found at the NC Art Museum.

Questions for Further Reflection:
The Green Bridge II depicts a lot of people going under its bridge.
What does the bridge itself represent to you?
How does Christ help us pass through the open door rather than the Green Bridge?

August 21, 2022 Bulletin Download
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The Worship of the Golden Calf

“The Worship of the Golden Calf” – Rev. Benjamin Wines

Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord
Or declare all His praise?
Happy are those who observe justice,
Who do righteousness at all times.
They made a calf at Horeb
And worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
And awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore He said He would destroy them —
Had not Moses, His chosen one,
Stood in the breach before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them. – from Psalm 106


We hope you will join us as we continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “The Worship of the Golden Calf“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Exodus 32:1-20. The artwork Pastor Wines will be sharing in today’s service can be found at the NC Art Museum.

Questions for Further Reflection:
When it gets hard to see God, sometimes people panic. Why would Aaron go along with the people’s desire?
What are some ways we can connect with God even when it is difficult to see God?

August 14, 2022 Bulletin Download
Children’s Ministry Resources August 14, 2022Download
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Head of a Man

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
So my soul longs for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
My help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I remember You.
By day the Lord commands His steadfast love,
And at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
My help and my God. Psalm 42

Today, we will continue our Faith and Art series. Pastor Ben Wines will bring today’s sermon, “Head of a Man“. We hope you will join us – either via livestream or in person – starting at 11:00AM. We will be reading from Luke 8:26-39.

Questions for further reflection, based on today’s passage:

How should Christ’s actions in this story affect your perceptions of other people?
What sorts of negative things can we allow ourselves to be overrun by?

Bulletin for August 7, 2022Download
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German & Flemish Cutlery Cases

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Leader: Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
And I walk in faithfulness to you.
O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell
And the place where your glory abides.
Do not sweep me away with sinners
Nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
Those in whose hands are evil devices
And whose right hands are full of bribes.
But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
In the great congregation I will bless the Lord. from Psalm 26

We hope that you will join us as we continue our “Faith and Art” series. Today (July 31), we’ll look at Genesis 2.

https://youtu.be/2Z75kSifYng

Some questions for further reflection:

Why do you think God takes so much time and effort to make Adam and Eve?
What does that say about God’s love for people?

German & Flemish Cutlery Cases – Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
Children’s Ministry Resources July 31, 2022Download
Bulletin for July 31, 2022Download
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Hunting in the Alps

Hunting in the Alps – Bailey Hardy

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place,
And let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together He called Seas.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation:
Plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.”
And it was so.
The earth brought forth vegetation … And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning,
The third day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
Cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.”
And it was so.
God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind.
And God saw that it was good. from Genesis 1

We invite you to join us for Worship on Sunday, July 24th, beginning at 11:00AM. You can join us in-person, or via livestream. Today, Bailey Hardy will bring the message, “Hunting in the Alps.” We will be reading from Genesis 1, and from Psalm 8.

Bulletin July 24, 2022Download
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Vacation Bible School!

Brothers and sisters,

As I’m writing this article, the church is decorated for Vacation Bible School. The sanctuary is decorated with trains, mountains, trees, and a giant water tower. The choir room has been transformed into Ananias’ house for Bible stories (though that will change each night!). The fellowship hall’s windows have been painted with a train that is chugging on to a wonderful time! All of this in preparation for our adventure on the Rocky Railway, where Jesus’s power pulls us through!

I’m excited for the next four days of VBS as we come alongside these children and talk to them about our faith in God and the simple, but profound truth that Jesus can bring us through difficult times. I do want to add just one layer of shading to that theme. Part of the amazing power of Christ, the wondrous love of God, is that God is with us through these difficult times. Our faith tells us that not only does Jesus have the power to pull us through, he has the will to stand with us in the face of adversity. The presence of God is always with us. You’ve heard me say this before, but it always bears repeating—there is no problem, no crisis, no challenge that can scare God away. Nothing.

This week, pray for the children that are coming to our church. Pray that they would have fun, that they would make new friends, and that they would hear and remember that they are loved deeply by God. Pray for the volunteers. Pray that we would be able to encourage these children in their faith, that we would have ears to hear them and words to say to them. Pray for our feet and knees and backs, that we don’t shuffle into church on Sunday like zombies. Most of all, pray that God would be glorified in all of this and that God’s kingdom is served by this VBS.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

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Ships in a Stormy Sea off a Coast

“Ships in a Stormy Sea off a Coast” – Rev. Benjamin Wines

I love You, O Lord, my Strength.
The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer,
My God, my Rock in whom I take refuge,
My Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised,
So I shall be saved from my enemies.
He reached down from on high; He took me;
He drew me out of mighty waters.
He delivered me from those who hated me,
For they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my Support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
–from Psalm 18

We hope you will join us for Worship on Sunday – either in-person or via live-stream. Rev. Wines continues the Sermon Series : Faith in Art.

Bulletin July 17, 2022Download
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St. John the Evangelist

Your Word is a Lamp unto my feet
And a Light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
To observe your righteous ordinances.
I am severely afflicted;
Give me life, O Lord, according to Your Word.
Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord,
And teach me Your Ordinances.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
But I do not forget Your Law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
But I do not stray from Your Precepts.
Your decrees are my heritage forever;
They are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform Your Statutes
Forever, to the end. Psalm 119:105-112

“St. John the Evangelist” – Rev. Benjamin Wines

We invite you to join us at 11:00AM — in person, or via livestream — for Sunday Worship. Pastor Ben Wines will be bringing the sermon entitled “St. John the Evangelist” based on John 1:1-18.

Bulletin for July 10, 2022Download
Children’s Ministry Resources July 10, 2022Download
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Double Portion

“Double Portion” – Rev. Benjamin Wines

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love;
According to Your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
You desire truth in the inward being;
Therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
Let the bones that You have crushed rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your Presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation,
And sustain in me a willing spirit. – from Psalm 51

We invite you to join us – either in person or via livestream – starting at 11:00AM on Sunday, June 26. We will be reading from 2 Kings 2:1-14. Rev. Benjamin brings the sermon, “Double Portion”. We hope to see you there!

Children’s Ministry Resources for June 26, 2022Download
Bulletin for June 26, 2022Download