06/04/2026
A note from Malea
18 years ago, our family started attending Blessed Hope. Our kids were young, we were navigating a difficult and chaotic season of life, and we knew something was missing. At the time, we didn’t know what that was, but God surely did. In His perfect timing, the Lord met us here. Through the local church, God showed us what we most desperately needed: a real relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.
In His kindness and mercy, He has grown us over the years through this family of believers. As we prepare to move to a new city, I look back with so much gratitude for this church family and all that God has done in and through us here.
When I think about what has grown our faith the most, the obvious things come to mind: sitting under biblical teaching, Bible study, prayer, and serving. But there’s something else that has shaped us deeply, and it’s not talked about as often: staying when things aren’t perfect.
I know how that sounds as we’re the ones leaving now (ha!), and yes, there are certainly times and biblical reasons for leaving a church…like moving (clearly!). But for us, some of the most meaningful growth came from choosing to stay when it would have been easier to go.
When the music wasn’t always our preference. We stayed.
When the preaching challenged us. We stayed.
When people hurt or offended us. We stayed.
When ministries changed or ended. We stayed.
When we didn’t always agree with leadership. We stayed.
When seasons felt spiritually dry. We stayed.
When our differences seemed bigger than the things that united us. We stayed.
When it would have been easier to quietly slip away and start somewhere new. We stayed.
And in that staying, God did something in us.
I say this not just as someone who sat in the seats, but as someone who also had the privilege of serving on staff for 9 years. I’ve seen the behind-the-scenes, the hard conversations, and the weight of leadership, and it only deepened my love for the church. Even there, maybe especially there, I learned the value of staying.
So to our Blessed Hope family: Stay. Stay rooted. Stay committed. Stay when it’s not perfect. Because God uses those very moments to shape us, to humble us, and to teach us. There is a kind of freedom and growth that only comes when we lay down our preferences and choose to love the people God has placed around us.
In Christ,
Malea
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3