Hope Notes 8-13-2010

Hi Everyone!

 

Lois is away, so I'm filling in for the week.  I know I won't do as complete of a job as she always does, but I thought it would be neat to reach out to everyone.  I don't always get that chance, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

 

First, let me say a huge "thank you" to our teens and to Chris and Stephanie for their marvelous job last Sunday!  I know so many were blessed and encouraged by the service, and we're looking forward to finding another chance to turn the service over to them.  We are so thankful that the Lord has given us a youth group and for the way God is working in it.  Please pray for our teens and their leaders - we want to do a fantastic job with our young people!!  And while you're at it, extend your prayers to include all our young people's ministries - our little ones, our elementary kids, and even our young adults.  I believe the Lord is pushing us toward finding ways to touch the lives of those young people even more.

 

Now, as I write this, I notice all the names included in our "Hope Friends".  Some of you I get to see virtually every week.  I am so thankful for your true partnership in the work for God's kingdom.  Your faithfulness and connection to Hope really make our church what it is.  We wouldn't be very effective as a church without all that is sacrificially poured out by you. Others of you are new, and I can't tell you how exciting it is at Hope right now to see all the new faces.  It is a challenge to get to know you all and to get connected with you, but please be patient and hang in there.  I can tell you from personal experience that this group of people is open hearted and warm, and once we catch up to all the new people, you'll be amazed at how God's love pours out from your brothers and sisters in Christ at Hope!

 

There are some of you that I haven't seen in a while, and I just want to reach out to you and let you know that we miss seeing you and having you around. I know that God takes us from one place to another for many reasons, but if we haven't seen you in a while, please reach out and let me know what's going on!  It is a large challenge for us to welcome so many new people AND keep our eyes on who is missing at the same time.  SO help us out!  If something is going on that we can pray for or help you with - please let us know!  If the Lord has led you elsewhere - that is wonderful!  We don't want to bug you with all that is going on at Hope everyweek, so if you want to be removed from our mailing list, just let us know.  And if you're in a spot spiritually where you could just use some help, we would love to be of any help that we can be!! 

 

I want to again mention the upcoming small groups season.  We'll kick it off on September 12, but I want you all to be praying about who to reach out to and include in a small group.   You can start having those discussions now.  For those of you who weren't with us last year or a part of a small group - we want you included too!  At Hope, we commission our people to create their own small group.  Let the Spirit of God lead you to some other people or couples and put together a group of 8-10 adults.  We provide a discussion sheet for each group, and I'll go into further descriptions of the process on September 12th, but for now, ask the Lord to direct your heart toward someone new, or someone you need to re-connect with, or someone you just need to go deeper with.  The cool thing is that this pulls our relationships into a zone where we discuss our spiritual struggles and allows us to really pray for one another and care for each other.  So don't miss out.  We'll even help you find a group if you feel stuck or confused.  Please don't despair!!  God has amazing things for us this fall in small groups!

 

Speaking of connecting, don't forget about the opportunities we have coming up.  Ladies, plan on being at Women of Faith.  If you haven't purchased your ticket - do it right away.  I guarantee you won't regret setting aside those two days and getting filled up with encouragement and challenge from God's Word.  Men, your retreat is also coming up, so if you still need to sign up or make plans, do that right away!  And our teens are planning some big outings too - the Senior High is going to RevGen on Sept 5th, and the Middle Schoolers are going to have a blowout day of fun at FunPlex in Mount Laurel.  Make sure your teen is a part of that!

 

As I close, let me mention a few other opportunities.  This next Wednesday, we'll be getting back to Genesis, so plan to be there.  And we're moving towards a kids program (I really need someone who wants to serve our 2s and 3s on Wednesday nights as we start our kids program!!!), and with our teens, we really have something for the whole family on Wednesday night.  I know the fall is about to hit and there will be plenty of pull for you to do something else with your midweek evening.  But please let me encourage you to make the decision now to invest in each Wednesday night at church.  The long term impact is breathtaking.  Don't get trapped into spending all your time and energy running around and miss out on the chance to build your life spiritually and find refreshment in the middle of each week!

 

Also, we pray together each Sunday morning, and I want to personally invite all of you to join us.  Now, I know many of you can't make it at 9:15 - and we wouldn't all fit in that room!  But you can pray wherever you are - and you can join us in the room whenever you can!  Take some time each Sunday morning and pray for the service, pray for our workers, and pray the the Lord would do His work that morning in our church!

 

Thanks so much!  God's love and blessings to you all!

Pastor Mark

 

PS - Not sure who is on for what, so check your schedules!  Thanks!!