Pastor's Thoughts: May

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring season so far. Spring is such an important time for the life of the church because it is when we have multiple opportunities to minister to our community and bring glory to God. Last month, we had our Spring Revival with Dr. Keeney Dickenson, where God showed up in a powerful way. The Community Easter Egg Hunt, people in our community look forward to each year. Our Good Friday and Easter worship services were powerful times of worship for the church. All of this was to the glory of God! Now, we look forward to seeing how God is going to work in May.

At our last Members’ Meeting, we approved a bylaw update that requires candidates for membership to go through our New Members’ Class, a candidate interview, and be voted on by the church at the next Members’ Meeting. The New Members’ Class will allow potential members to know who we are as a church before joining, give time for the Holy Spirit to lead them, and help build a healthy culture at New Hope.

Because we now expect every new member to go through this class, it is important that our current members also attend the New Members’ Class as well. Thus, I will be teaching this class in our current Sunday School classes. I will begin teaching this class in the Harden/Kelso class on 5/18, 5/25, 6/1, and 6/8. If you are not currently attending a Sunday School class, plan on attending during these dates.

The New Members’ Class consists of four individual classes. Each of the four classes will focus on essential aspects of the life of the church. The first class addresses the question “What is the Church?” The second class focuses on the question “What Does New Hope Believe?” The third class deals with the question “What Do You Need to Know About New Hope?” The fourth class covers the question “What Does It Mean to Be a Member at New Hope?”

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this day that You have given us. Thank You for Your grace and mercy that we do not deserve. Thank You for the blessing of being a part of New Hope Baptist Church. Thank You for bringing Your people together to serve one another, to advance Your mission, and build Your kingdom. We ask that You would give us the focus to be a church that worships You, grows in Christ, and shares the gospel with the world. Please, Lord, use us as Your servants to reach our community and the ends of the earth for Your eternal glory.

In Christ,
Pastor Ben