From the Pastor's Heart

Pastor Dalton 11/30/2023
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Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
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Pastor Dalton 06/08/2023
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Pastor Dalton 06/01/2023
Church Family,
2 Kings 22:11 says, "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes." In this text, the king is Josiah and he began to reign as king at the age of only 8 years old. Many of the kings prior to him had led the nation astray, and now that he is king the temple is lying in ruins. So he instructs the priests and the builders to begin cleaning up and repairing the temple, and in the process they uncover what many scholars believe to be the book of Deuteronomy! After hearing the words of the book, Josiah is aware of how much they as the people of God have not been doing in their service to God, and he tears his clothes! This was a dramatic and heartfelt sign of repentance! Rather than justify his kingdom before God, he repents and immediately begins to lead the country to conform to the Word of God. Do we have the same response when confronted with truth that contradicts the way we have been living?
As for announcements, we do mourn the homegoing of our sister in Christ, Mrs. Sara Moore. Her services will be held today at 12pm at McDougald funeral home. I know many of you may not have known Mrs. Sara, but she and her husband served the Lord at Hopewell for many years. So please be in prayer for the family as they grieve today.
Second, we will be having an Evangelism Training event on June 17 from 9am-12pm. This 3 hour training will be just that: training. There will be some teaching in there, but much of what we will be doing is getting comfortable with using a gospel sharing tool, and learning about the details of conversations that you may get into when you are sharing the gospel. So please make plans to be at this event, as we will be doing more with it as a church family as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission!
Third, on June 18 we will be celebrating baptism! Right now we have 2 candidates for baptism, but if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, but you have never taken the next step of baptism, then this would be a great opportunity for you to do that! If you would like more information about being a part of this service, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Finally, there is still a great need for VBS volunteers. VBS will be here before we know it, and we all know it is a tiring, laborious, but oh so rewarding event! So take a look at the signup sheet this Sunday and see where you can plug in and serve!
I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday. See you then!
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Serving Him,
Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
Pastor Dalton 05/25/2023
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Pastor Dalton 5/18/2023
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Pastor Dalton 5/11/2023
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Pastor Dalton 5/4/2023
Pastor Dalton 4/27/2023
Church Family,
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Pastor Dalton 4/20/2023
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Pastor Dalton 4/13/2023
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Pastor Dalton 4/6/2023
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Pastor Dalton 3/30/2023
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Pastor Dalton 3/23/2023
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Pastor Dalton 3/16/2023
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Pastor Dalton 3/9/2023
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Pastor Dalton 3/2/2023

Pastor Dalton 2/23/2023
Church Family,
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 says, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Is it possible to lead people to respond to something with eloquent words and flashy personas? Of course it is! Look at modern politics! Is it possible in the church as well? Unfortunately, yes, as a strong personality can lead many people astray. So always remember this text from Paul. The true power of a message is found in Christ and how He is presented. The gospel is the life-changing message. Now we can deliver it eloquently, but we can't forsake that message! So if you are a charismatic person, make sure you share Jesus and not yourself. If you are not charismatic, and you doubt your ability, remember that you don't need eloquence when witnessing. Just give them Jesus! He is enough!
As for announcements, we will be starting a Marriage Bible Study that is for married couples and it will last 6-8 weeks. We will be doing this study during the Sunday School hour beginning on March 12. If you are a married couple that would like to be a part of that, there will be sign-up available this Sunday. If you already attend a Sunday School class you can still attend. This class will only be for the set number of weeks, and then you can return back to your class. I am praying that this will be a fruitful time for some of our married couples to help one another and learn from God's Word.
Second, don't forget the the Dot Ayers WMU will be meeting not this Saturday, but the next on March 4. Please note that the time will be from 10-11 rather than 10-12. If you haven't ever joined the WMU, you are missing out! It is a great time of ministry and fellowship amongst the ladies of Hopewell. So make plans to join them!
Finally, we will be having a Men's Ministry breakfast on March 11 at 9am. During this time we will eat, enjoy fellowship, spend some time in the world, and discuss the future of the Men's Ministry. So if you are able to join, please let me know!
I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!
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Serving Him,
Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
Pastor Dalton 2/16/2023
Church Family,
Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Who is your enemy? Oftentimes I think we try to ignore the supernatural or we think that those supernatural battles are only for the super spiritual people. However, when Paul was writing in Ephesians 6, he wasn't thinking of the "super-Christians," as if there is such a thing. He was thinking of all believers; he was thinking of you. So remember that while people can get on our nerves, we are all in a spiritual battle, and the powers of darkness are against it. You can ignore it if you want, but it doesn't stop their opposition. Rather, we stand firm, by putting on the full armor of God, and continuing in studying His Word and prayer! Don't lose sight of who your true enemy is.
As for announcements, thank you to everyone who came to support the Valentine's Banquet, and thank you to the couples who took part in the Newly-Wed Game. We had a great turnout, and I know that all of the earnings are going to greatly help the youth as they begin even now to prepare for Summer camp!
Second, on March 11 we will have a men's breakfast at the church at 9am. This is a Men's Ministry event, so all men (kids-adults) are welcome and so are guests. We will have breakfast, and a short message to follow. So mark it on your calendar, and join us! Also, if you are able to go, can you email me (pastordalton@hbcanderson.com) or text me (864-230-5440)? That way we can have an idea of how much to prepare for.
Finally, I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday! I want to encourage you that if you are not part of a Sunday School class currently, then come at 10am, and join in! We are hoping to start another adult class soon, so you will hopefully hear more about that before too long.
See y'all Sunday!
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Serving Him,
Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
Pastor Dalton 2/9/2023
Church Family,
Normally I like to start these emails with a short devotional of a scripture text, but this week I wanted to tell you of a personal thing the Lord taught me this past week. I won't get in to the details because the details aren't important, but suffice it to say that I was excited about some work at the church that I couldn't wait to get done. I had an encouraging conversation that served as the Spirit's validation that God was working and everything was good. But then, as often happens in our lives, the discouraging conversations came. I got discouraged and began to worry that all my previous excitement was null and void. But then the Lord reminded me of the great conversation I had before the discouragement and what peace God had given me. Just remember, when Moses was fleeing from the Egyptians, he got worried when he got cornered at the Red Sea, but God did not perform the plagues and provide for his people with a pillar of fire and smoke in order to leave them when things look discouraging. He was still working! We have to trust when God has given us those moments of encouragement, and don't let the discouragement rule. Discouragement always comes. But it should never be allowed to be the loudest voice.
As for announcements, this coming Saturday is the Valentine's Banquet! Y'all I love this event! It's fun, it's simple, and it helps to serve our youth as they serve us! If you have been considering coming, but haven't decided to yet, then decide today that you'll be there! The Newly Wed Game is always a blast too. So come enjoy the fellowship, good food, and come support the youth! It starts at 5:30pm and you can pay at the door. Also, if for some reason you can't pay, please let me know and don't let that be a reason you don't come. We want everyone who wants to be there to be there.
Second, it's still a ways away, but if you signed up for Anderson Follies, then you can pay through the offering time by simply marking an envelope or check clearly that it is for Anderson Follies. The cost is $15 a person. We ended up having a great sign-up and I'm looking forward to the event!
Finally, I do want to give a big thank you to those who helped carry the load while I was down last week. The sinus surgery was not fun, but I'm hopeful it will have a long term payoff. Thank you for the prayers and texts.
I look forward to being with you Sunday! See you then!
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Serving Him,
Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
Pastor Dalton 2/2/2023
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Pastor Dalton 1/26/2023
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Pastor Dalton 1/19/2023
Pastor Dalton
Hopewell Baptist
Pastor Dalton 1/12/2023
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