“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
Consider the second element of our vision: hope. When we talk about hope, we mean that there is a sense of expectation and faith for the future. We’re leaning forward. It requires clear vision in all our ministry areas, which we have endeavored to formulate. It means renovating our facilities so that they remain usable and effective for our outreach. It has meant reforming and reshaping some ministries so that we are a more inviting place where you can be confident to invite your friends and family so they can hear the gospel. And it means leaning forward toward the future with a willingness to continue reforming, or, as we like to put amongst our staff, we’re “always improving for the sake of the Gospel.”
This implies a couple of things. First, half of renewal is reformation as we saw earlier. So, renewing hope is about a willingness to reform. It means we’re not stuck but we’re pressing on. Second, it does have something to do with mission because hope is an outward looking attitude and much of what we are hoping for has to do with mission: being a place you’re confident to bring others so they can hear the gospel. Bethany welcomes you to renew hope with us and join in vision for what God has in the greater Springfield area and the Pioneer Valley.