Today is All Saints Sunday. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Candle-Lighting”. Our Scripture passage comes from John 1:1-14 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 43. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 43)
Leader: O send out your light and your truth;
People: Let them lead me;
Leader: Let them bring me to your holy hill
People: And to your dwelling.
Leader: Then I will go to the altar of God,
People: To God my exceeding joy;
Leader: And I will praise you with the harp,
People: O God, my God.
Leader: Why are you cast down, O my soul,
People: And why are you disquieted within me?
Leader: Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
People: My help and my God.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, John compares Jesus to “light” and “life”.
How does the light of Christ in each of us guide us in our daily lives?
How can we stay attuned to that light?

This coming Sunday, we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. If you’ve been coming to Hope Valley for a while now, you know what things typically look like on All Saints Sunday. You know what this Sunday means to folks and for folks. But for those that may not know about All Saints Sunday or for those of you who may be thinking, “I remember we always do something that day, but I can’t remember what,” let me tell you a little bit about it.

All Saints Day has been celebrated by the Catholic church for centuries. Basically, it is a holiday on which Catholics remember and celebrate the saints of the Catholic church, i.e. Saint Peter, Saint Christopher, etc. They will also celebrate anyone who died for their faith. (By the way, we get our word, Halloween, from All Saints Day. “All Saints” can be written as “All Hallows” and since “All Hallows” is on November 1st, that makes October 31st “All Hallows Eve,” aka “Halloween.”)

However, as time has gone on, Christians—particularly us Protestants—have begun to refer to all believers as “saints,” since that is one of the words used by Paul to describe us. And so, we Protestants have begun to celebrate All Saints Sunday on the first Sunday of November. All Saints Sunday, then, is a time to remember those Christians that have come before us and celebrate their lives and their faith journeys. It is a time to contemplate the ways in which we have been shaped by “so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1; NRSVUE).

It is also a Sunday on which we honor specific church members and/or the immediate family members of church members who have passed away within the last year. It’s a time when we can come alongside their family and remind them that we love them, that we are with them. It is a time to remind them that we loved their family member, too. It’s a time to catch up, tell stories about the person, and be grateful for all they meant to each of us.

This coming All Saints Sunday, we’ll be remembering five people who have gone on to glory: Dixie Ferrell, Alan Mangum, Phyllis Edwards, Moria Packer, and Shirley Lewter. During the service, we will read their names and have any family present stand. Then, we will light a candle for them and ring a bell. We will also have a candle for anyone in attendance who lost someone this year. It’s a touching moment as we remember them.

So, plan to be here on Sunday, November 1st during morning worship as we remember those saints who have gone before us. Come to honor their legacy. Come to spend time with their family. Come to worship a God who promises us that death does not have the last word.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Our Guest Speaker, Rev. Jeanell Cox will bring the message, “The Shortcomings of Striving”. Our Scripture passage comes from Genesis 28:10-19 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 136. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship. Thank you to Rev. Cox for bringing our message today and to Brenda Doyle for leading us in music!

Jeanell Cox is a Board-Certified Chaplain who is an ordained minister of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. A graduate of Duke Divinity School, she is passionate about the spiritual care of older adults and supporting individuals who are facing grief and loss. She is married to Christopher Ingram, and together they have three sons ages 19, 17, and 14. She currently serves as a Chaplain at Glenaire Retirement Community and in her free time loves to cross stitch, listen to music from the 90s, play with her dog, and do cardio dance classes.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 136)
One: Hints and whispers abound. God seeks us where we are.
All: A voice calls our name in the twilight of sleep.
One: A call seen in the outstretched hands of the poor.
All: A new dawning of insight while at prayer.
One: An internal shift of perceptions that is felt in the heart.
All: A joyous peace in the midst of adversity.
One: A lifting of a burden, a flood of tears, a bushel of laughter.
All: God is so near: guardian and friend who speaks to us.

Today is the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. Pastor Ben will bring the message, “Prayer”. Our Scripture passage comes from James 5:13-20 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 19)
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
People: Reviving the soul;
Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
People: Making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
People: Rejoicing the heart;
Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
People: Enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure,
People: Enduring forever;
Leader: The ordinances of the Lord are true
People: And righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold,
People: Even much fine gold;
Leader: Sweeter also than honey,
People: And drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Questions for Further Reading:
In this passage, James encourages the community to pray together.
How does prayer affect your individual relationship with God?
How does prayer shape a community’s relationship with God?

First of all, the festival itself will take place from 2:30 – 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 31st. Most everything will be happening in the Family Life Center or right in front of the Family Life Center, so visitors should be able to park in the side parking lot next to the sanctuary. As they come into the festival, we’ll have a Welcome Table set up where the kids can get glow sticks, a coloring book, a bag for candy, and a token to vote for the Best Trunk they see. From there, they will find a face-painting station and a photo-op area.

Our trunks for Trunk-or-Treat will be in front of the Family Life Center this year. Volunteers from the church are transforming their trunks into all kinds of fun things! They’ll pass out candy and the kids can vote on which of the trunks they like the best.

Then, in the Fellowship Hall, they’ll see lots of fall-themed crafts they can do. Things like real pumpkins they can paint/color, masks they can make, and a special craft from our Ceramics ministry! Plus, we’ll be passing out bags of popcorn for kids and parents to snack on while they’re here. There will also (potentially) be a guessing game where families can win a prize if they correctly guess the number of candy corns in a jar.

Finally, in the gym, the kids will see all kinds of games they play. At each game, they’ll have the chance to win tickets which they can bring over to the Prize Table and trade in for
fun prizes (or more candy)! In addition, we’re hoping to have the Cake Walk again this year, where families can win delicious desserts to take home with them. We are also planning to have a “costume parade” for the kids at around 3:15!

We’ve got a wonderful event planned for our community! These are all things we’ve done in the past and I’m sure we can do them again. But we need your help!

First of all, if you can volunteer on that day, be sure to sign up on the volunteer sign-up sheets in the vestibule! We need people in every area I just mentioned: trunks, face-painting, crafts, popcorn, games, cake walk, and prize table. If you can’t come the day of, but you’re free on October 30th, Frances is planning to get a lot of things set up that night and could use help! Let her know if you can help that night!

If you’re not sure you can be there either of those days, you can still help! Trunks typically
bring their own candy to pass out, but we always like to have candy on hand to replenish them if we need to—so you can donate candy anytime! We are also in need of new prizes for the prize table this year—so you can donate prizes (in the past, kids have loved things like rings with fake gemstones, small sports balls, small stuffed animals, etc.). We also need desserts for the Cake Walk—so you can donate a dessert. We ask two things related to that: list any major allergens your dessert may have (nuts, dairy, etc.) and, if you can, pre-package it into more manageable portions (i.e. if you made a couple dozen cookies, put them in Ziploc bags, and give 3-4 cookies per bag).

I’m looking forward to the festival this year! I think it is a wonderful way for us to bring
joy to our community. Be sure to sign up on the sheets in the vestibule!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Today is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Pastor Ben will bring the message, “Bible Study”. Our Scripture passage comes from 2 Timothy 3:10-17 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 119. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 119)
Leader: How can young people keep their way pure?
People: By guarding it according to your word.
Leader: With my whole heart I seek you;
People: Do not let me stray from your commandments.
Leader: I treasure your word in my heart,
People: So that I may not sin against you.
Leader: Blessed are you, O Lord;
People: Teach me your statutes.
Leader: With my lips I declare
People: All the ordinances of your mouth.
Leader: I delight in the way of your decrees
People: As much as in all riches.
Leader: I will meditate on your precepts
People: And fix my eyes on your ways.
Leader: I will delight in your statutes;
People: I will not forget your word.

Questions for Further Reading:
In this passage, Paul encourages Timothy to remain faithful to the things he’s been taught.
How can reading the Bible help you deal with difficult times?
How can treating it as a discipline help anchor you?

Today is World Communion Sunday. Our guest speaker, Dr. Curtis Freeman, will bring the message, “Knowing Christ”. Our Scripture passage comes from Philippians 3:4-14 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 100. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 100)
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
People: Worship the Lord with gladness;
Leader: Come into his presence with singing.
People: Know that the Lord is God.
Leader: It is he that made us, and we are his;
People: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Leader: Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
People: And his courts with praise.
Leader: Give thanks to him, bless his name.
People: For the Lord is good;
Leader: His steadfast love endures forever,
People: And his faithfulness to all generations.

First of all, don’t worry. I’m not working while I’m on vacation; I wrote this article ahead of time! It would be silly to preach a whole sermon series on taking time to rest and then refusing to rest, wouldn’t it?

More importantly, however, this coming Sunday is World Communion Sunday. This tradition was originally started by Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA all the way back in 1933 by Dr. Hugh Thomson Kerr. The Presbyterian Church (USA) adopted it as an annual celebration in 1936 and in 1940 the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches) endorsed it and began to promote it to other denominations all over the world. Thus, on the first Sunday of October every year, churches all over the world, across denominational lines gather to celebrate Communion. It serves as this wonderful moment of unity among a church that can sometimes get so caught up in our differences, we forget that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and are united by our belief in his grace and his gospel.

And while here at Hope Valley Baptist Church, we will celebrate with grape juice and bread, I remember a professor of mine once telling my class at Duke Divinity a story about a unique style of communion she took years ago. She was in Southeast Asia (I don’t remember where exactly, but I believe it was either Indonesia or the Philippines) on a mission trip. She and her group were there to provide services to local communities and connect with some of their Christian brothers and sisters living on the other side of the world. They were there one Sunday and so they went to church with the Christians in the area, singing, praying, and worshiping together.

Toward the end of the service, they took communion—though the communion in that
Southeast Asian community looked a little different than ours. When my professor went
forward, she was presented with a saltine cracker and a glass of milk to dip it in. She gratefully took the cracker, dipped it in the milk, and ate it, but after the service she talked with one of the locals who they’d been staying with. She explained to them that in America, we typically use bread and either grape juice or wine for communion and asked why it was saltines and milk here. The local told her, “The reason we use the saltines and milk
is because those things are precious here. They are not easy to find! So, since we want to offer our best to Jesus, we use the saltines and milk.”

On this Sunday, all over the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ will be taking
communion. Some will use bread and grape juice. Some will use a wafer and a chalice of wine. Some will use saltine crackers and milk. But all of us will be united in our common belief that this table was set by none other than Jesus Christ himself and that anyone who would like to lay down their burdens and take up his goodness may come to it. Eat the bread. Drink the cup. Rejoice with your church family all over the world.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Today is the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Define ‘Unfair’”. Our Scripture passage comes from Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 25. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 25)
Leader: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
People: O my God, in you I trust;
Leader: Do not let me be put to shame;
People: Do not let my enemies exult over me.
Leader: Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
People: Let them be ashamed who are treacherous.
Leader: Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
People: Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
Leader: For you are the God of my salvation;
People: For you I wait all day long.
Leader: Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love.
People: Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions.
Leader: Good and upright is the Lord;
People: Therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
Leader: All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
People: For those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, the people accuse God of being unfair.
First of all, are they correct?
Second, how does God respond to their claim?
Third, how does the gospel depend on unfairness?

Today is the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Worthy of the Gospel”. Our Scripture passage comes from Philippians 1:21-30 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 145. We look forward to joining you in this time of Worship.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 145)
Leader: I will extol you, my God and King,
People: And bless your name forever and ever.
Leader: Every day I will bless you,
People: And praise your name forever and ever.
Leader: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
People: His greatness is unsearchable.
Leader: One generation shall laud your works to another,
People: And shall declare your mighty acts.
Leader: On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
People: And on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
Leader: The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
People: And I will declare your greatness.
Leader: They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
People: And shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
Leader: The Lord is gracious and merciful,
People: Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Paul talks about being “worthy of the Gospel of Christ”.
What do you think he means by that?
Are any of us “worthy” of the gospel?