Chesapeake Conference

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, KJV).

What is the mind of Christ? How does God think? If we continue with this passage in Philippians, we learn that even though Jesus was God, He humbled Himself to become a man. But He didn’t stop there. He didn’t come as a king or some wealthy person; He became a servant.

He didn’t stop there either. He humbled Himself to be subject to death on a cross—the worst and most humiliating form of punishment any human could endure. Accordingly, the mind of Christ is complete and utter selflessness and humility.

Because of His selfless sacrifice, we learn that Christ was exalted above every name. And “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:10, KJV).

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26, NKJV).

“This can’t be happening to me!” I said. The doctor’s diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I was suffering from a painful illness that was spreading aggressively. In spite of this distressing news, I remained optimistic that surgery was still an option.

Unfortunately, I awoke from that first surgery only to be confronted with more dismal news. There was nothing they could do for me! Naturally, I started to blame myself because I knew something was wrong years ago, but I ignored all the warning signs, choosing to bear the pain silently.

Story by Evan Knott / Video by Melvin Donadelle

When a local non-profit organization supporting homeless men in Salisbury, Md., needed a new location for its winter shelter, Chesapeake Conference's Park church decided to lend a hand.

Hands and Hearts Ending Homelessness (HHEH) was founded 18 years ago after three men froze to death in Salisbury. The organization partners with the city government and area churches of different denominations to aid homeless men in the city.

For the last three years, the director of HHEH has been Walter Davidson, a member of the Park church. When HHEH needed to find another location for the shelter this year, Davidson reached out to his home congregation right away.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3, NLT).

I love this text, mostly because it is a simple proclamation of the gospel. But also because it sets the record straight in regard to the lies the serpent told in the Garden of Eden. Many people are still being convinced that God’s Word is not reliable, that God uses obedience to keep good things from his people and that we do not already have everything we need to reflect the image of God.

Story by Evan Knott

In January 2020, the leadership team at the Bell Branch church in Gambrills, Md., prayed that God would bring five new people into their church. Then COVID-19 hit.

But despite the pandemic, the church has seen unprecedented growth in 2021, adding 21 new members—a growth of more than 20 percent. And they’re not done yet.

“I think it goes back to that meeting in January 2020,” says Geoff Crowley, pastor of Bell Branch. “We wanted a phrase that would sum up our mission and vision and everything we say and do here, and what we settled on at that meeting was this: ‘At Bell Branch, we’re family, and so are you.’”