# @hopewdm on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B3uQC7CAw7A
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/16338939-hopewdm-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/cdae6becce.jpg
- **Posted:** 2019-10-17T14:28:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** HOPE (@HopeWDM) — https://gondola.cc/HopeWDM

## Caption

I thought we’d just slip into the back row unnoticed.⁣
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The week before, our doorbell rang and there stood a tall man who, in a great rush of words, invited us to a new mission start church named Hope. I had actually tried to find it months earlier, hoping to join a small church like the one I grew up in, but the sign on the land of the future church building had blown down, so I gave up trying to find Hope. ⁣
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Have you ever tried to get out of the door on time when you have a newborn and a toddler? ⁣
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Yep, we were always 5 minutes late to everything, including that Sunday in July 1993 when we pulled up to the door of the office building where the church was meeting. My hope of not being noticed was dashed when we snuck in – there were exactly 2 rows of chairs set up, so technically there was a back row. But not unnoticed. Our family of four increased the attendance 20% to a grand total of 24.⁣
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We settled in, were handed a hymnal by the smiling man we sat next to and joined in with the electric keyboard played by Music Mike. We then listened to a sermon read by the tall pastor from a yellow legal pad delivered from behind a lectern. After the service, we were greeted by every single person including a 15 minute conversation with the pastor and his wife who were chasing around two boys of their own who were just a year older than ours. ⁣
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As we piled the girls back into the car, we talked about our experience and how good it felt. My husband Tom especially liked how the sermon was relatable and wanted to go back. ⁣
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I was concerned it was too small …⁣
Fast forward 26 years, and I’m not concerned Hope is too small.⁣
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Could you slip into the back row unnoticed today? Possibly. You might be able to escape the wave of a friendly parking attendant, the welcome from greeters, the ushers’ offer of a bulletin, and the smile of the person you sit next to. But you won’t escape the notice of God – because we’ve been praying that you would encounter Him – and never be unnoticed again.⁣
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#PiecesFromHope⁣
#BirthdayPieces⁣
#Hope25⁣
⁣
Caroline & Tom

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- **Likes:** 368
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## Tags

birthdaypieces, hope25, piecesfromhope

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