“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.” Psalm 126:5-6
Family attends church nine years after church visitation
Dave Brown, pastor of Severna Park Baptist Church, in Maryland, recently wrote on Facebook, “A family visited our church yesterday for the first time and remembers us knocking on their door and prayer-walking their neighborhood about nine years ago. The woman remembered me, but I did not remember her (so many faces & names). My point…we reap in a different season than we sow. Results are not always immediate, but faithfulness to sow constantly and consistently is necessary to see the fruit. Your reward may come in nine minutes, months, or years… but don’t give up sowing and seeking the Lord.”
Gallery Church Sowebo, in Baltimore, Maryland, will celebrate their fifth anniversary on July 28 with a potluck dinner and cookout behind Steuart Hill Academic Academy, 30 South Gilmore Street. The church meets at the academy each Sunday for worship.
George Hopkins, pastor of Gallery Church Sowebo, grew up in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of West Baltimore and knows and loves the people and the city.
The church began as a Bible study group of 20 people at Gallery Church Downtown. On July 20, 2014, that group begam having worship services at what was then the Urban Business Center.
Reflecting on the past five years, Hopkins says the biggest blessing has been the people God has brought around around the church. They love the city and sharing their lives together.
There have been intense highs and lows, he acknowledges, ministering to and with people who struggle with drug dependence, who are coming out of sex trafficking, and who personally experience the grief from murder in the city.
Hopkins said it’s not easy to walk with people through the darkness they experience, but it’s what God calls Christians to do. “We have chosen to walk in those hard places with them. I believe that’s the embodiment of the Gospel — that Christ chose to come and be with us.”
Watch the video below to hear Pastor Hopkins share his heart and a part of Gallery Church Sowebo’s story (used with permission of Gallery Church).
Fellowship at the Fair
Dan Moore, pastor of Callaway Baptist Church, in Maryland, and Chris McCombs, pastor of Lexington Park Baptist Church, in Maryland, are among an ecumenical group hosting “Fellowship at the Park” from noon to 6 p.m. on August 10 at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds.
There will be a variety of activities — rides, games, food, vendors, fire company static displays, and music groups throughout the day.
The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
For more information visit Eventbrite.
Cover Photo by Evi Radauscher on Unsplash