“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Next Saturday our consistory and ministry area leaders will be on retreat in the youth house. I write today to ask you to pray for us, speak with us and work with us, as we seek to develop our vision and plans for the next three to five years. Read more »
“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” (Psalm 98:1)
Chalk it up to the latest evidence of God’s providence; we are hiring Wesley Joseph to be our organist and choir director. God has done marvelous things! Read more »
There will be a wardrobe in worship at Hopewell this Sunday. It will be symbolically crammed with all the crud that confuses our lives. We stuff our stuff in the closet and hope that it stays hidden, and then one day we open it up and it all comes tumbling out. It is time to clear some things up in our lives; to simplify and sort through what we need to see clearly. This Lent, for the next six weeks, that will be the image we work with; a clearing season. Read more »
“Belhar”
For these past three weeks we have been highlighting the Belhar Confession in our worship and my preaching. “The Dutch Reformed Mission Church formally adopted the Belhar Confession in 1986. It is now one of the “standards of unity” of the new Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa (URCSA). Belhar’s theological confrontation of the sin of racism has made possible reconciliation among Reformed churches in Southern Africa and has aided the process of reconciliation within the nation of South Africa.” Read more »
President Obama stood before a joint session of Congress and shared the bad news. Things are tough. Sunday at noon, I will stand before a joint session of our congregation and share the good news. God is good! Our congregational meetings have gotten better and better as we have shared stories of ministry at HRC rather than simply balance sheets and reports on the year that was. Read more »
Joys and Concerns
We rejoice with the Hanna family on the birth of Colby Gibson, son of Trish and Mike. Mom and son are doing well. Please continue to pray for all those in our community that are struggling with work issues and health issues. Also continue to pray for those in our Sunday bulletin’s prayer corner. Read more »
One hundred years ago Addison Bird left his pastorate at The Hopewell Reformed Church and planted the Arlington Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie. A century later the consistories of Hopewell and Arlington have been working on a plan to have Randy Prentiss work with Arlington Reformed on a fresh start in ministry in Poughkeepsie. Read more »
The day after the earthquake in Haiti, Lia, a woman from Bright Beginnings was in the fellowship hall weeping because she did not know about her family’s well being in the tragedy that was unfolding. Lourdes and I prayed with her and we are hoping that she gets good news. I have not heard about Lia’s family yet, but most of the news from Haiti is not good. Read more »
Happy New Year Everyone! It is exciting to start a new decade, even if we haven’t figured out what to call it: twenty-ten, or two thousand and ten. That will work itself out, I guess. We begin the new year at Hopewell building on the ministry foundations that have brought us through the last decade: ChristCare, Missions and Healthy Leadership. Read more »
Dear Friends,
Since we have a lot of snow on the ground and the girls are getting ready to come home, it feels like the perfect time to send out Christmas cards. Here is what’s been going on in our family: Read more »
