Hey Friends…
We’ll keep this quick and focused today as Sherri and I are away on our vacation enjoying much-needed reconnection deep in the mountains of West Virginia. We will be back to work this coming Wednesday, September 4. In the meantime… some important updates: · A powerful celebration of life for our beloved Chris Nicholson will be held at Mt. Hope Church NEXT Saturday, September 7, at 11:00 a.m. As you likely know by now, Chris passed into the arms of Jesus on Tuesday. Please plan to join us next week to honor his life, to care for his family, and to celebrate all that his life meant to us. o The memorial service will be immediately followed by a church fellowship potluck luncheon in honor of how Chris always treated us to a great meal together. Early next week we will send out an online potluck sign-up, to include suggestions and recipes of some of Chris’s culinary favorites for those who might want to celebrate him by bringing their own rendition of a world-famous Chris Nicholson best. · The men’s breakfast and challenge originally scheduled for next Saturday will be cancelled so we can focus the day entirely on Chris Nicholson, as is fitting. We’ll reset for a later date. · Join us THIS Sunday for a great Sunday worship experience. Pastor Randy Richardson will be bringing the Word of God as we are out of town. o But more than just filling in for me, Randy shared with me that prior to our vacation announcement, God had given him a specific word for us that will bridge nicely between our “God’s Game Plan” series we just ended and our next exciting teaching series that begins on Sunday, September 8: “The Normal Christian Life: Not Weak, Not Weird, Not Wandering.” · Ladies: Put on your cowboy boots and hat and come line dancing with us on Saturday, September 14 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Click here for more info and to RSVP! · But wait, ladies, there's MORE… SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, October 19 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for a One-Day Women's Retreat at the Mt. Hope Pavilion! Cost: $30 (includes light breakfast and a lunch), but if cost is an issue, please talk to Tracey or Sherri because we want you to be there! More details to come! · All-Church Workday… come hang with an amazing group of people, all while helping spruce up the church facility and campus on Saturday, September 21! More details to come! OK… that’s it today. No “Deeper Thoughts” for this one, but God is showing me a LOT of great things that I can’t wait to share with you next week!! Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
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Hey Friends…
Does it feel weird to you that God has been tracking your every move before any of it came to be? How about that God has kept a well-worn journal recording every aspect of who you are? If it was anybody else writing down literally everything about you, we’d call that creepy. But since this “recorder of all things you” is also your creator, I suppose we grant Him a little extra license to be so nosey. He’s not a stalker in the creepy sense of the word. But He is VERY invested in your story. Do you know why, and do you know what He has been writing down? Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below… But first…. · Can I tell you about our next teaching series? I’m excited to start our next study of scripture beginning on Sunday, September 8: “The Normal Christian Life: Not Weak, Not Weird, Not Wandering.” o When we see someone living totally “sold out” for Jesus, we tend to think of this as abnormal and super-spiritual, while the rest of us “normal” folks live more moderate lives. But the scriptures reveal that full devotion and supernatural levels of spiritual power are the actual “baseline” of normal Christianity. Come explore with us the God-centric, Spirit-filled life and discover all the elements, habits, and outcomes of being a “normal” Christian. God has some big things in store for us this fall! · Ladies… Pool & Prayer TOMORROW: Saturday, August 24, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Join us for swimming, food, a devotional, and prayer! Oh… and you don’t have to swim to enjoy this… c’mon out! Click here for more info and to RSVP! · Parents—Join us for an important after-church parent’s luncheon THIS Sunday, August 25, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will explore your ideas and family needs for long-range planning of our kids and family life ministries. We’ll share what’s upcoming this fall and co-create our direction for the future with you. This is a don’t miss event… yummy lunch provided! · The Eads are trying again for vacation after our early July attempt ended up being Covid recuperation instead. We’ll be out Monday, 8/25, returning late Tuesday 9/3, and will not be checking our email or phones. If anything arises where you need pastoral support, please contact Kristie Zoller (click here to email, or call 703-999-3156) so she can coordinate a response from our Elder Team. o Next Sunday, Pastor Randy Richardson will bring the Word of God to us… the Lord has laid on him a special word of hope! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who aren’t curious about what God just wrote down about you. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… You may have heard this revelation from Psalm 139:15-17: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious are your thoughts, O God!” Did you notice that God has been keeping a record book… about you? On the one hand, this could be a little intimidating. What exactly is He writing down? Revelation 20:12 reveals that there will be books opened at the final judgment and everything we’ve done will be read aloud. Gulp. (We taught on this just last Sunday… if you missed it, click here to catch up!) But on the other hand, if we fully understand the revelation of Psalm 139, we recognize that in this particular book, God isn’t recording deeds to be adjudicated at the Pearly Gates. No, this journal is about who you are, why God made you, and the God-designed purposes that your life will fulfill. That sounds pretty lofty, doesn’t it? Most people get a little sheepish when the spotlight is on them. We get even more squirrelly when effusive praise is lavished on us. I know it can be intimidating when I tell you--as I do often—that God is so giddy about you that He has been keeping meticulous notes by his bedside as He visualizes everything about you. But this grand affection is not at all about what you have created for yourself. This is not God’s notebook of how impressed He is with your self-made success, your spectacular decisions, your perfected impulses. We all know the drill, don’t we? Our self-made efforts typically don’t end so well, and surely don’t impress God. God is writing meticulously about what He can do with you, what He will do with you, and what He has done with you. In that sense, God’s journal is not about you at all; it is about Him. It is about His work in you that makes you all that you are. Your life is a story that God is writing. It is not that He is determining the outcome—you still have free will and all your faculties to make your own decisions. But He is influencing you. He is leading you. He has designed you with a purpose and goals in mind. He has a mission for you to fulfill—if you will seek God’s leadership in your life and choose to engage that mission. So, what is the story God is writing? How has God been at work in you? How have you seen God lead, and stir, and provide for you? This Sunday, we are going to do something very special for the last teaching in our “God’s Game Plan” summer series, wrapping up our study of biblical prophecy and God’s plan for the good and glorious outcome of all things. Not so coincidentally, this Sunday is also the 189th anniversary of the founding of Mt. Hope Church. On August 24, 1835, a handful of people signed their names to a charter that launched our church, pledging themselves “to strive together for the faith of the gospel, by all the methods laid down for our observance in the word of God… cordially uniting in those efforts by which the people of God are now labouring to evangelize the world… in the service of our Adorable Redeemer… living according to the pattern shown forth in the Divine Word.” This Sunday, we will share stories of God’s purpose, plans, and activities in our church all throughout our 189-year history. We will open the microphones to share our own stories of God’s present faithful activity in our church family. In God’s handwritten journal about you, your days at Mt. Hope are part of it. You and I have been chosen by God to have a place, a part, and a purpose in the 189-year-long journey of this beautiful church family. What is that purpose? How has God been at work in you? How has God been providing for you? What have you seen God do in your life and in others as you belong to this family? Think about what God has been doing in your story as a part of this bigger story. Consider if there is something you should share with us all. Do some advance reading in the Word of God if you will… Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-35 and 1 Corinthians 12. See if you can recognize any patterns to what God is doing in you and in us! Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey Friends…
Today’s Mt. Hope Friday email will be a little different. I want to tell you about some important details of where we are with the church, what’s coming next, and what this Sunday after church is all about. I’ll detail these matters in Deeper Thoughts below… But first…. · This Sunday morning is our next to last teaching in our “God’s Game Plan” series. We will look at what the scriptures reveal about what happens and where I go when it’s time to meet the Lord face-to-face. How can I know for sure what will happen? We’ll face the things that might scare us and discover the real joy, hope, and confidence we have in Jesus. Read a bit in advance if you will—the Gospel of John chapter 3. · Then, THIS Sunday after church, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., we’re gathering everyone for an important “all church business meeting.” More about this in Deeper Thoughts below… but don’t get scared off by the word “business.” We’ll be sharing a lot of exciting and forward-looking things! · Ladies: "Pool and Prayer" on Saturday, August 24, 2024, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Join us for swimming, food, a devotional, and prayer! Click here for more info and to RSVP! · Parents—Join us for an important after-church parent’s luncheon on Sunday, August 25, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will explore your ideas and family needs for long-range planning of our kids and family life ministries. We’ll share what’s upcoming this fall and co-create our direction for the future with you. This is a don’t miss event… yummy lunch provided! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who don’t want to know where Mt. Hope is heading. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… Every August we hold a church “business meeting” to make a couple of necessary annual decisions. Our Covenant Partners (traditionally thought of as “church members”) discuss and vote on our upcoming fiscal year budget, appointment of new leaders, receiving of new Covenant Partners, and other important matters. Everyone is welcome at this meeting—you don’t need to be a Covenant Partner to participate. In fact, if you’re not yet a Covenant Partner, you especially should consider attending this Sunday to see what we’re all about! BUT… does the idea of a “business meeting” already put you to sleep? Well… hang on… Here at Mt. Hope, these meetings take on a very different vibe. Joy, laughter, and celebration have always marked these conversations. We have a lot to celebrate. God has been leading people to our church who are finding Jesus, experiencing healing, discovering their identity, and becoming family with us. There is a palpable momentum in what God is doing here, and we have a LOT to be thankful for… and a lot to look forward to. This Sunday, we’ll meet from 11:45 a.m. ‘til about 1:00 (with extra snacks and munchies on hand!). We have some really big stuff to tell you about. It’s about to get real with the potential expansion of our facility. · For the last several months, we have been praying and exploring options to expand the sanctuary at Mt. Hope to accommodate the growth we have experienced and to position ourselves for reaching the next wave of people God wants to send to our church for salvation, healing, breakthroughs, and belonging. · What we heard the Holy Spirit tell us in a “listening prayer” and worship experience many of you participated in back in the spring, plus research and discussions by our Board of Administration, has led us to focus the expansion to a single phase project, expanding the sanctuary towards the brick education building (closing in the courtyard), adding a new foyer and fellowship space out front, and updating the education building, kitchen, and restrooms. · It’s time to take the next step--and start spending significant amounts of money—if we want to continue with what we believe God is doing. This Sunday’s meeting will be a critical moment of discussion and decision. · All are welcome to explore this with us, hear from the Lord, offer your perspectives, and pray boldly with us. Then, we will ask our Covenant Partners to discuss and vote on our next move—which I will detail at the end of this email. · NOW… here’s where it gets real. You’ll see in the details below that between September and January, we must make a major and final decision about proceeding or pausing with this expansion project. That decision will be based on two things: 1) Most importantly, what is the Holy Spirit speaking to us as a congregation? 2) What is the Holy Spirit speaking to each of us individually regarding generosity to help fund the expansion? o We do not want to make this a decision of man. We want to hear from God. o We also do not want to engage in a traditional “capital fundraising campaign” like many churches do to raise the money for this. We want to take a far simpler, more Spirit-led, and less pressured approach. § Call us crazy, but what if we all simply committed to genuinely ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to each of us our role in generosity towards the future of Mt. Hope? “God, what do you want me to do?” And then we trust God that He will supply? o To hear the Holy Spirit as a congregation, we will organize prayer meetings, prayer vigils, private prayer experiences at home, and corporate prayer times at church. We need to inquire of the Lord, just as scripture teaches. § Look for a schedule and plan in September and come pray with us! OK… finally… here’s the detailed ask of our Covenant Partners this Sunday afternoon:
o Blue Line LDD – cost not to exceed $210,000 o Kirk Engineering – cost not to exceed $115,000 o Bowman Consulting - cost not to exceed $17,000 o JTC Consulting - cost not to exceed $12,000 o TOTAL Design Phase costs not to exceed $354,000 · “Section 1” of the design phase of the project will commence during September and last through January, 2025, with the following terms: o Blue Line will provide conceptual drawings and 3-D renderings of the proposed facility expansion at an expense of ~ $25,000 (included in above “not to exceed” numbers). o Kirk Engineering will provide renderings of proposed location of parking lot expansion, sidewalks, construction retention ponds, and other site improvements at an expense of ~$10,000 (included in above “not to exceed” numbers). o Bowman Consulting and JTC Consulting will complete their responsibilities in stewarding this section of the project at their entire “not to exceed” costs. o AT THIS POINT, we will have spent $64,000 of the above $354,000 and WE WILL PAUSE for a “last chance” decision in January by the Covenant Partners for “go/no-go” on the overall expansion project.
· The FY 2024-2025 budget as recommended by the Elders and the Board. · Extension of one more year operating under our current draft by-laws. · Building a columbarium in the graveyard at an expense not to exceed $10,000. · Receiving of 8 new Covenant Partners. I look forward to processing all of this with you on Sunday! Thanks for reading all the details… we’re a family, so let’s have a family meeting!! Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey Friends…
When you discover you’re in a terribly untenable situation, all your mental energy goes towards figuring out how to gracefully evacuate that circumstance, does it not? Worse, when it’s a downright painful scenario, your brain goes into overdrive panic mode looking for any way out. I have some good news about an exit strategy from our summer teaching series on the end times. Not just that it’s going to end in two Sundays. No, I’ve got much better news than that! When all the terrible realities of the end of the world come to pass, Jesus Christ himself is going to step out on a cloud and call his children home. I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below… But first… some quick reminders of important Mt. Hope happenings: · Are you interested in becoming a “Covenant Partner” of Mt. Hope? Join us for a no-commitment orientation THIS Sunday, August 11, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., lunch included! Click here to RSVP. · Men… our next-up Men’s Challenge breakfast is TOMORROW Saturday, August 10, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. · Join us for a super-important all-church information, vision, and business session right after church NEXT Sunday, August 18, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will discuss the potential expansion of our facility, vote regarding our new fiscal year budget, and other important ministry and business matters. All are welcome, and we always have fun with these meetings! · Ladies, "Pool and Prayer" on Saturday, August 24, 2024, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Join us for swimming, food, a devotional, and prayer! Click here for more info and to RSVP! · Parents—Join us for an important after-church parent’s luncheon on Sunday, August 25, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will explore your ideas and family needs for long-range planning of our kids and family life ministries. We’ll share what’s upcoming this fall, and co-create our direction for the future with you. This is a don’t miss event… yummy lunch provided! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who would rather hang around in highly uncomfortable situations. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… I spent this week at my in-law’s cabin deep in the mountains of West Virginia feverishly working on our fall teaching series that will launch in a couple of weeks (more on that coming soon!). It is simple country up here; coal used to be king, but now most everyone lives on the edge of economic ruin and the towns are in deep decay. Many folks here cling to their faith in the physical and victorious return of Jesus Christ. For some, that is all the hope they have that someday life will get better. They know that here in the mountain hollers there just isn’t much physical abundance in store for them. So, they turn their eyes towards spiritual abundance and a day when the entire physical world will transition to perfection at Jesus’ return. Signs with some variant of “Jesus is coming back… you’d better get ready” adorn the front yard of more than one church in these parts. For them, the majestic return of Jesus Christ *is* their exit strategy from all suffering, disappointment, and decay. Is such an eternal focus merely an emotional crutch for the economically disabled? Or is it good theology? You don’t see any church billboards proclaiming Jesus’ return in Ashburn, do you? You know… on those little movable letter signs where there’s always at least one letter that has fallen off? Never mind that we don’t have many of those types of signboards anywhere in Ashburn except at fast food joints or oil change shops. But even if we did, our churches don’t seem to feel the need to shout real loud about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Not so here in Appalachia. Here they cannot afford fresh asphalt to fill the potholes. Dancing on heavenly streets of gold seems like a worthy upgrade from the economic squalor that surrounds them. I heard a quote recently (I can’t remember from who) that suggests the reason we don’t think or talk much about heaven anymore is that “we think we have created heaven right here.” This may be one of the major problems with affluent suburbia—we are just too content with the creature comforts we have amassed to feel the need to look for an exit strategy. That makes perfect sense to me. Why plan for an exit from something that is awesome? The problem comes with how temporal, how fragile, how tentative these comforts really are. Biblical prophecy that we have been studying all summer reveals how the power and wealth and comfort we cling to are a shaky construct at best, and built on demonic spiritual deception at worst. There is a day coming--called “the Day of the Lord”—where deception ends forever. At that time, whatever is good will persevere into eternity with the Lord, and whatever is bad will fall away in destruction. We need an exit strategy. And it needs to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. Some say it will happen in a “rapture” of the Church where we believers get snatched up into heaven before the really bad stuff happens. Others say it will come later as the climactic rescue of His Bride at the end of the great tribulation. So, which is it? This Sunday, we will look specifically at the “rapture”—a promise quite familiar to many evangelical Christians in North America. Movies and books have regaled us of this glorious exit strategy that promises an off ramp prior to the woes of global tribulation as the Day of the Lord approaches. This is a great promise, and one that I would love to experience. But we need to also look carefully to see if this promise is indeed in the scriptures. Some say it is not. I’ll weave us through the academic arguments on both sides, and we’ll dig deep into the Word of God to see exactly how Jesus plans to evacuate his Bride from a world entangled in despair. Whatever theology you end up with, know this: Jesus Christ is coming back for his Church, his Bride. He will not leave us to destruction or despair. The Word of God is clear on this. Check it out in advance of Sunday: 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11. Oh… one more thought. There’s something else they do here in rural West Virginia: They play a whole hour of old time Gospel quartet singing on the classic rock radio station at 9:00 every morning. I’m not kidding. It was during “Gospel Hour” two days ago while I was driving to my quiet study spot that they played an old song I hadn’t heard since I was a teenager. It’s called “The Midnight Cry.” Sung well, the swelling melody will send chills up your spine. Its lyrics go something like this: “When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call God’s children; The dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air; And then those that remain will be quickly changed; At the midnight cry, when Jesus comes again.” (Click here for a rendition of this song by the Gaithers. It’s worth your four minutes.) I don’t know about you… but I need to be quickly changed. “Come, Lord Jesus, come” (Revelation 22:20). Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey Friends…
We are almost done with our summer teaching series on “God’s Game Plan” and how everything in the universe will wrap up. That’s good news for you who’ve heard all you want to hear about the end times and biblical prophecy. But I have even better news!! The devil is almost done for, too. This is actually quite glorious, is it not? All temptation, all defeat, all disease, all disorder, all deception… it’s all going to end, and we will stand triumphant with the God who has planned our victory all along. But there are a few details we need to know so we can help speed this along and do our part. I’ll tell you more in Deeper Thoughts below… But first… three new things and three reminders… · REMINDER: Are you interested in becoming a “Covenant Partner” of Mt. Hope? Traditionally thought of as “church membership,” those who make a covenant of partnership with the mission, values, and ministry of Mt. Hope are those who own the direction of our church. Join us for a no-commitment orientation on Sunday, August 11, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., lunch included! Click here to let me know you’re interested. For those who are traveling that weekend and can’t make that date, click here anyway and we’ll line up an alternate time to get you oriented! · NEW: Men… our next-up Men’s Challenge breakfast is NEXT Saturday, August 11, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. · REMINDER: Join us for a super-important all-church information, vision, and business session right after church on Sunday, August 18, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will present and discuss next steps with the potential expansion of our facility. We will share, process, and pray about next steps in our ministry. Our Covenant Partners will vote regarding our new fiscal year budget, vote regarding contracts with architects and civil engineers, and elect new members to our administrative board. All are welcome, and we always have fun with these meetings! · NEW: Ladies, you are invited to join us for "Pool and Prayer" on Saturday, August 24, 2024, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. A friend of Sharon Brown's recently had a beautiful inground pool and hot tub installed in her backyard and she would like to bless other women with the opportunity to use it. So, please join us for swimming, food, a devotional, and prayer! Click here for more info and to RSVP! · REMINDER: Kids & Parents—mark your calendar for an important after-church parent’s luncheon on Sunday, August 25, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We will explore your ideas and family needs for long-range planning of our kids and family life ministries. We’ll share what’s upcoming this fall, and have you help co-create our direction for the future. This is a don’t miss event… yummy lunch provided! · NEW: Some of you may remember missionary Dr. Michael Brown who visited us this last winter. He is leading humanitarian and Gospel mission to the front lines of battle in Ukraine. He recently prepared a video update specifically for Mt. Hope to tell us of a need and opportunity to help resource a Christian school near the battle lines. Click here to watch! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who don’t want to hear about our victory. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… We started this summer teaching series at Mt. Hope by calling it a “summer of hope.” We’re doing a study in biblical prophecy: “God’s Game Plan: Beginning, Middle, End.” God has set the whole course of where our world and where all things spiritual are headed. It is all good, all hope, all joy as we will ultimately be face-to-face with God forever. But to get from here to there, we have to bump along through a few rough patches on the road. Those rough spots are all about the work of the devil—called in scripture “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10)—who has made it his mission to wage war against God’s beloved (see Ephesians 6:12 and Revelation 12:17). You’ve felt this battle every day, haven’t you? We call this study a “summer of hope” precisely because that’s how the New Testament writers present the storyline of where everything is headed. In the end, Jesus wins. The devil is defeated. We overcome. Oh…this is good news… you can read all about it in Revelation 12:11! As we turn the corner into our last three weeks of this careful study of God’s precious revelation to us, we are going to look at a few details about how the devil gets defeated. If you are aware of typical “end times” topics from the Bible, some of these subjects might stir a bit of fear. Maybe you’ve heard of scary topics like “the mark of the beast,” or “666,” or “the tribulation period,” or the “bowls of God’s judgement,” or the final “battle of Armageddon.” Especially if you saw the scary movies that some folks have produced about the end times, you’re likely just holding your breath, hoping for “the rapture” to catch you away from all this before any of it comes to be! But, oh… beloved… this is not our position. Speaking specifically of these end times events, the Apostle Paul declares: “But you, brothers [sisters], are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons [daughters] of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Did you notice the word “all”? We are *all* sons and daughters of the light. We walk in the light of God’s revelation to us. In that light, we have absolutely nothing to fear. This Sunday, I will speed-walk us through a handful of these important details so we can know what to expect, see where God is with us, trust God’s protection over us, and discover how we will ultimately be victorious. We’ll move fast; we’ll cover a ton of ground quickly. And most importantly, we will see the joy that awaits us as we stand in victory over that pathetic little devil whose time is indeed short. They say, “the devil’s in the details.” I say he’s in them alright… spiraling down to his defeat as the details of God's game plan pulls him under! Let’s jump in together and see how it all shakes out. If you want to do some advance study, you can roam around Revelation chapters 4 – 16. That’s a lot, I know… but see what questions and fears arise for you. We’ll do our best to knock them all down and bring everything we fear into the light of God’s hope and joy. It’ll be good… I promise!! See ya Sunday… 10:00 a.m. in-person (always best!!) or online live-stream (for you who are traveling… or just being lazy [“boo!” to the lazy part…]) Much love to all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend |
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November 2024
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