Our New Hope family got together on Saturday, July 14 to honor Pastor Sandra in a fond remembrance of her service to us. Sandra came to us in April, 2013, at a critical time in the church's 190 year history. We had separated from the other two churches in our charge and had requested a new pastor through Brother Frederick Yebuah, the District Superintendent who had been in that position for one year. We were experiencing poor attendance and had none of the activities typically associated with a church: Sunday School, Bible study, socials, missions and the like. Sandra changed that. We got some old members back, some new members and some folks from Sandra's church to come along for the ride. And what a ride it was. Fellowship dinners, Fifth Sunday Singing, Buncombe and Shannon choirs, special services like Hanging of the Greens, Tenebrae and Christmas Eve. We packed the house on a couple of occasions and needed the Community Center to hold everybody.

We started a food bank in honor of beloved member Justine Halls. We had a dozen Bible studies and are starting another. We got reacquainted with old friends through our Fellowship Dinners. We even tried a Halloween Party and an Easter Egg hunt. Well, it was worth a shot. We took care of our church properties, too. Redid the Fellowship Hall, repaired the windows in the sanctuary and got rid of the bats.

We became a loving, caring, welcoming church family again. All we needed was a leader. Thank you, Sandra. God bless you. .