Brothers and sisters,
Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to meet with a couple of the leaders over at World Relief Durham (WRD). The reason for the meeting was simple. WRD had a new Development Specialist, Megan Wylie, and she was interested in learning about how our church partners with WRD to help refugees.
We set up a time to meet—myself, Megan, and the director of WRD, Adam Clark—and went to get coffee at Joe Van Gogh. Over the course of an hour, the three of us sat and chatted with each other about all kinds of things. We talked about how Hope House came to be. We talked about Megan’s recent move to NC and about sports. Then we talked about some of the broader things happening at Hope Valley, with our main topic of discussion being Super Saturday Adventures.
Then, she asked, “Is there anything that we can plan to do together—Hope Valley and WRD?” To which I said, “I’d love to get some kind of fellowship event planned with y’all. A night where you all can come to Hope Valley and talk about the work you do with refugees. And, of course, since it’s a Baptist church we’d have something to eat!” Megan and Adam liked the idea and mentioned that one of our former Hope House residents would be in town in August. They asked if he could come and be a part of this event as well. I happily agreed.
Within the last week, those plans have finally come together. On this coming Wednesday night, August 14th, we will be having a fellowship event with World Relief Durham starting at 6:30 pm over in the Fellowship Hall. We will be serving hors d’oeuvres and small desserts and offering a time of fellowship. Then, World Relief Durham will give a presentation on their work and how they help refugees here in the Triangle. We will also hear testimony from John (Odette’s son) whose family stayed with us in Hope House for over a year. Finally, time-permitting, WRD is open to a time of questions and answers, wrapping up around 7:20 pm.
I think this will be a wonderful night of fellowship together as a church, but also a wonderful opportunity for us to meet with one of our strongest community partners. Also, having talked some with John this past Saturday, I think his testimony about how Hope House helped set him up for success will be uplifting for us all. I hope you will make plans to join us on the 14th!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben