Rebooting Hope
Wow, here we are again! It's that time of year when young and old, parents and children, teachers and students, everyone focuses on heading "back to school"! As a retired educator, I fondly remember participating in 33 of these seasons. I easily recall the mixture of anticipation and excitement as well as anxiety and fear most of us have this time of year. One aspect that always excited me about this season was everyone having the sense of starting a new year fresh with a blank slate regardless of previous years. In short, we always kick off a new school year with a fresh supply of HOPE.
According to Google, the Bible mentions the word HOPE about 129 times. It is one of the essential virtues of being a Christian, alongside faith and love. There are multiple references to hope throughout the Psalms, like in Psalm 62:5: Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him; and Psalm 147:11: the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
A huge blessing of walking closely with our Lord and Savior is He can always provide HOPE regardless of circumstances or challenges. Isaiah 40:31 makes a case for having hope when the prophet shares: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
I trust this will be a season of renewing hope for you. This Sunday, Pastor Alan and Matt Gregory will bring back a wonderful tradition of having a blessing of backpacks during the service, where the entire church family joins in praying for every student, teacher, administrator, staff member, and parent as we head back to school.
Speaking of renewing hope, our church is starting a new ministry this fall called REBOOT Recovery. This 12-week, faith-based, peer-led course helps combat veterans, first-responders, and their families heal from service-related trauma. This group will meet on Monday evenings beginning Sept. 12. If you are interested in learning more about this effort, please contact Steve Walsh or Pastor Alan. They will be sharing more information about this effort in the coming weeks.
We are also celebrating the resumption and expansion of the food pack back support program for needy students, thanks to Kay and Mark Munday and an incredible group of volunteers. They will resume meeting on Thursday afternoons beginning Sept. 15 to pack bags of food and snacks for needy students to take home for the weekend. If you are interested in learning more about this project, don't hesitate to contact the church office by CLICKING HERE.
As you enter this exciting and hopeful time of back to school and the coming fall - I conclude with the following from Paul as shared in Romans 15:13: May the GOD of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Robert Trigg joined the NUMC staff in the fall of 2017 where he serves as our Administrative Support person in the church office. He is also a long-term member of our Worship Team where he plays bass and is caught smiling on a regular basis. Robert and his wife, Martha, are retired educators and have been members of NUMC since 1994.