Dear Friends of Hope ~
Well, we did it! We managed to make the move to the synagogue without leaving anything precious behind (except maybe our disco ball!). Did you feel God's presence? I love how God is right there with us, no matter where we are. He promises to never forsake us and to never leave us. There is nowhere on earth that we can go where He will not be with us. Don't believe me? Read Psalm 139!
SUNDAY SERMON
We Drift Over Time (Nehemiah 5)
There are bad people in this world - of that there is no doubt. But most of us, especially those of us at Hope, want to do the right things. We hear instruction from God's Word and we decide that we will do all that we an to follow Him. With good intentions we start. But our himanity gets in our way and we begin to fall away. Through the cares of this life or the distractions it offers, we slowly but surely drift away from the decisions we make to live by faith. Don't get discouraged! Understand that this is a natural part of growing spiritually. We'll see that Nehemiah's people faced the same reality, and were willing to refresh their committment to do what was right.
CD'S AVAILABLE
Please remember that our services are available on CD immediately following the service for FREE! Pick up a copy for yourself or for anyone they want to share Hope with. Pastor Mark's messages are also available on our website, www.hopechristianfellowship.org.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER TIME
Our Sunday morning prayer time is open to everyone who attends. We will be starting at 9:00 am in one of the classrooms. We pray for the services that morning and for the needs in the church.
BIBLE READING FOR JULY - HABAKKUK
When they look around at the violence, the injustice, and the cruelty that happens, a lot of people wonder: Why doesn't God step in and stop it? Habakkuk complained bitterly about the same thing to the Lord. His book reminds us that God will not allow sin to go unpunished forever - but that only He has the right to decide when and how that judgment will fall.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP
ICE CREAM SOCIAL - RESCHEDULED
Friday July 11th @ 7:00
Join us for an old fashioned ice cream social at Dolores Incarvite's house (217 Davistown Rd. Blackwood NJ). There's nothing better than eating ice cream.....unless it's sharing it with your friends and playing some fun games as well! Be sure to sign up so we know how many to prepare for!
ADULT PICNIC AT THE BAUMIESTER'S HOUSE
Saturday July 26th @4:00
220 Landing Rd. Hilltop, NJ
Come join us for a day full of food, games, swimming, and fun! Anyone in high school and up is welcome. Sign up and let us know if you will be bringing a side dish or a dessert. Contact Bob or Carole with questions (228-3188).
FAMILY PICNIC AT ATKINSON PARK
Saturday August 16th 2 - 6 pm
This is the day to bring your whole family and enjoy spending time together! We have the baseball field reserved from 3-5pm. Pack a lunch for your family, and bring a dessert to share with everyone. Sign up on the back table.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Women of Faith - September
Harvest Crusade - October 3 thru 5
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
MEN'S RETREAT
September 11-4 in Lake Champion, NY
Set aside this weekend to find better ways of dealing with the most important aspects in your life. Think over some serious life choices in a unique atmosphere. Cost is $235. See Mike Goeggel for more information. Register online at priorityone.org. Use Mike's name in the "Group Name" field to stay with our group.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY Note: Bible Study Now Meets at the Synagogue
"Do I Have to Live Stressed Out?"
Only a couple of weeks left in this powerful study - Join us this week as we continue on with our discussion. We meet at Pastor Mark's house, and for those who need to bring their children, they can play in the basement while we study from 7:30 to 8:30 (sharp!). A small investment of an hour yields a great return for your week!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOOD SHOWER
July 20th
We have a family in need who could use some help in stocking their pantry. They are unsaved and friends of someone at Hope. This would be a good way to show them what being a Christian is all about. God has already used their situation to open the door of opportunity to witness to them, and to invite them out to Hope. If you feel God leading you to contribute, please bring non-perisable items or food gift certificates to church. Thank you!
BLOOD DRIVE
Monday July 28th
The Beth Israel congregation has set up a blood drive at the synagogue. If you can participate, this would be a great testimony to those we are sharing the building with! We need a few helping hands on July 27th after the service to help put some of our stuff away to make room for the blood drive.
GIVING UPDATE
Giving for the month of June averaged $2626/week, bringing our annual average to $2383/week. This is still slightly below our target of $2400/week. With our move to bigger and better facilities, let's blow away our target and get on the fast track to having our own place! Please continue to pray and give sacrificially as the Lord allows.
MISSION TRIP
We have 19 people going to West Virginia to serve the community. Praise God! Perhaps YOU wanted to go, but things just didn't work out this time. You can still participate - your prayers are greatly needed and if anyone feels led to make a donation to support this endeavor it would be a big help as well. You can just mark "mission trip" on an envelope and drop it in the offering box.
BATHROOM HELPERS NEEDED
Our list of helpers has gotten very small! Anyone who would be willing to come and clean the bathrooms before service can contact Jess St. Petery. (889-0182 or jstpetery@yahoo.com)
SPECIAL PROJECT: HELP IN OUR SEARCH FOR A PERMANENT LOCATION - Please do this ASAP!
We'd also like to ask anyone who feels that God has done some wonderful things in their life through the ministry of Hope to please write a paragraph or two describing what has happened in your life through this church. We want to have a stack of them to show people we're dealing with (in particular, the sister in Christ that we want to approach about the land) what God is doing at Hope. Whether your story is dramatic or personal, it is one of many stories that we'd like to share to help Hope move forward. You can write it, send it via email to Hope Notes or Pastor Mark, or give it to him on Sunday.
CHURCH DIRECTORY
It's time to update our directory! If you would like to be included, or if your information has changed, please fill out the forms located in the back of church and give to Andrea Goeggel. Information needs to be turned in by July 19th.
THIS WEEK'S WORKERS ARE:
SIGN-IN TABLE: Carole Baumiester
LAMB'S MINISTRY: Lenny Little, Kara Ott (T)
Helen Mastalski, Megan T. (I)
Steve Jones, Maurice Brazelis (C)
Melissa McGinness, Anita Little (P)
GREETERS: Dorothy Haines
Emily Naylor
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