Hope Notes - Merry Christmas !

 

Dear Friends of Hope ~

 

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PASTOR MARK & DANA

To Our Church Family at Hope ~

We want to express our deepest and sincerest gratitude to each one of you for your generous and heartfelt gift this Christmas.  We are overwhelmed by your generosity, and want each of you to know how much we are thankful for you this Christmas.  God has truly blessed us with a church family that cares for us and supports us in so many ways.  We are excited to see what the Lord has in store in 2009 and looking forward to sharing that adventure with all of you!

 

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

December 24^th @ 6:30

We will be having a short service for everyone who wants to come and celebrate Christmas together as a church.  We'll read the Christmas story, have some music and prayer.  We won't be long (maybe 45 min), but it will be a great time to help us all keep Christ as the center of Christmas!

 

SUNDAY SERMON

12/28 – Dealing with the Dead Zone (Acts 1)

Christmas is over, and the week in between can be a great time for relaxing, visiting family, or just enjoying the leftovers!  But sometimes, we can lose direction when we go from a hurried pace of life to a slower pace.  Spiritually, as we face a new year, we have to understand what we should be doing as we hit those times in our lives that feel like "dead zones".  When we don't seem to be making any progress, or there isn't any particular crisis we need to address, what should we do?  The disciples faced this type of a zone after Christ ascended and before the Day of Pentecost.  Let's look at how they occupied themselves so that they were ready for the next step in their calling.

 

COMING UP

First Sermon of the New Year - January 4, 2009

We'll be talking about how fear can grip our lives and sidetrack us from what God wants us to enjoy.  We'll take a look at what the Bible has to say about fear and then we will take a few Wednesday nights to dig a little deeper into the topic. 

 

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. We start at 9:15 am in one of the classrooms. We pray for the services that morning and for the needs in the church.

 

BIBLE READING FOR DECEMBER - 1 CORINTHIANS

Paul's first letter to this church tackles all sorts of problems - pride, sexual immorality, infighting, and drunkenness at communion services.  Christians in the church there had continued to take part in some of those sins even after their conversion.  Paul wrote to them to correct both their thinking and their behavior.  They were like many of us today - they knew Christ, but they still needed His cleansing.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 

 

SPECIAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

NOTE:  There will be no Bible Study on 12/31 - study will resume on 1/7.

 

LADIES' BIBLE STUDY

The Thursday morning Bible study at Debby Bolser's house will resume on January 8^th.  We meet every other Thursday morning from 9:30 - 11:30.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

 

LADIES SCRAPBOOK NIGHT

January 8^th 6:30 - 10:00 pm

Our Ladies' Scrapbook Night will resume the first Thursday in January and continue to meet on the first Thursday of every month at Debby Bolser's house.  Come and join us!

 

A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

February 13 - 15, 2009

Hershey Lodge

PO Box 446

Hershey, PA  17033-0446

1-800-437-7439

We are getting a group of married couples together to experience this amazing marriage seminar. You can register by phone or email -

(www.familylife.com/groups/HOPEHANDS).  The cost is $89/person if using our group code 12332.  This is good up until 10 days prior to the event (about 1/30/09).  If you register 10 days or fewer, the cost per person is $129.  See Melissa McGinness with questions.

 

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

BLOOD DRIVE

Monday December 29^th 1:00 - 7:00 pm

The synagogue is sponsoring a blood drive.  Call Grace at 845-0540 for an appointment. 

 

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING

December 28^th

We will have our business meeting after a brief break following the morning service.  We'll give some updates on our progress this year, and a sense of our vision for 2009.  We'll also have a time for any questions or concerns that our partners may have. Partners should be prepared to vote for the Leadership & Deacon Team positions as well as the annual budget.

 

HELP WANTED

Pre-School Class - Two more teams needed to fill out our teaching rotation.  If anyone can help, please contact Debbie Bradshaw (856-417-3242).

Media Team - Looking for people with computer or video skills, some creativity, or just a willingness to learn!  See Matt Headley or Dylan Albright for more info.

 

NURSERY SUPPLIES NEEDED

We are looking for items to furnish our nursery - changing table, crib, etc.  If anyone has things they can donate, see LaTosha Briggs.

   

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS ARE:

SIGN-IN TABLE:       June Elliott

LAMB'S MINISTRY:   Liz Johnson, Kylie Ott (T)

                              Ray & Poppy Gillin (I)

                              Linda & Lisa Landis (C)

                            

GREETERS:              Bill & Nancy Murray

                              

COUNTERS:             Bill & Bob

CLEANERS:              Jess

 

PRAYER REQUESTS

Colette Bleistine - Twenty year old only child of George & Nancy Bleistine (friends of Pam & Dan Rozinski).  She is in the hospital awaiting a lung transplant due to complications from her cystic fibrosis.

Seeking Employment - Bill Berry and Mike Hartwell.  Pray for doors to open for a job and for patience as they wait & search.

Building - For the Lord to direct us as to how to best use the building He's provided, including what work to do and where to spend money.  Also, continue to seek God's direction in the search for a permanent home for us.

 

Help us to remember to pray, Lord.  Not just for these specific requests, but "in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Ph 4:6 

 

Our God is With Us,

Lois

 

 

God gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to Him!

 

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