You Belong

But now thus says the Lord,
    he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
    I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
    and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
    and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”
-Isaiah 43:1-7

In his sermon on Sunday, Jason reminded us that our baptism is about belonging!  Our baptism is a symbol that we recognize we belong to God’s family, that we are a child of God.  

“Belonging” is such important part of our development as humans, and more specifically, in our development as a person of faith.  It’s scary when you feel like you don’t belong. When we lived in the inner-city part of Charlotte, we witnessed young people who did not feel accepted or loved. Consequently they would join a gang where they felt like they belonged.  Being a part of a gang, even though destructive, gave them a sense (or false sense) that they belonged! One of the goals of our ministry in that community was to help our neighbors feel loved and like they did have a place where they belonged.

We all want to belong!  That is part of who we are. That is why Isaiah 43 is one the most meaningful passages of scripture for me.  I remember singing an anthem in seminary that repeated the words from scripture “you are mine, you are precious in my sight.” Repeating those words truly calmed my fears.  

Today, hear this word of encouragement.  You belong!!  You belong to our church family and you belong to God.  God claims you as God’s own.  And you are precious! You are precious in God’s sight.  Do not be afraid. God is with you and holds you close.  You are loved!

I encourage you to read the scripture from Isaiah again several times and feel in your heart that you belong and that you are loved.  

Miss Sunday’s sermon? Read it here: Baptism, Everday (Matthew 13)

Leadership Launch 2020

With the anticipation of the good we will see in 2020, our Regional staff will host the first educational initiative for 2020, a Leadership Launch! This event will be held on February 1, 2020, at First Christian Church, 207 Tarboro Street, NE, Wilson, NC. We will gather over coffee at 8:00 am, and after an inspiring devotion, we will engage in-depth and hands-on learning experiences for pastors and congregational leaders. To close our time together, we will host a ‘thank you’ lunch for you. It is our deepest desire that you leave with resources that benefit your work and with a renewed sense of unity among the Region of NC.

Each pastor has been invited to bring up to five members of our church leadership team with us to the Leadership Launch. This educational and inspirational event is complimentary, and there is no registration fee.

Are you interested and willing to attend this Leadership Training Event on Feb 1 with Pastors Jason and Joanie? Please contact them ASAP!

This Week at Hood…

Wednesday, January 15 – 1:30pm – Prayer & Inspiration
Wednesday, January 15 – 6:30pm – Choir Practice
Thursday, January 16 – 3:00pm – Ladles of Love Meal Preparation & Delivery
Sunday, January 19 – 10:00 am – Sunday Morning Small Group
Sunday, January 19 – 11:00 am – Worship

Coming Events…

Sunday, January 26 – 12 noon – Board Meeting (with lunch) and Board Orientation

Tuesday, January 28 – 9:00 am – 2:00 pm – Hood Memorial serving at the DUMA Food Pantry on Broad Street, please make plans to share an hour or more with us supporting the neighbors in our community

Saturday, February 1 – 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Leadership Launch 2020, at the Regional Office (Fellowship Hall) in Wilson, NC (see above for more details)