Hope Notes 12/30/10 Happy New Year!

Dear Friends of Hope~
I was thinking about the remnants of all the gifts under the Christmas tree.  By now, most have been put away; but there are probably some stragglers left.  Sadly, those are most likely the ones we didn't care for so much.  Then I thought about how God is the perfect gift giver (James 1:17).  He knows exactly what gift you need the most!  None of His would ever be stragglers left behind.  Or would they?  Think about everything God has given you and be careful not to treat His gifts carelessly; be sure to give them the regard and care they deserve.  Don't leave our Father's precious presents/presence thoughtlessly "under the tree"

 

SUNDAY MESSAGE
COMMUNION
1/2 – Grading on the Wrong Scale (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Probably your least favorite part of school was taking tests.  You had to take time to study, hoping you could remember all you were trying to cram into your brain.  Then, you had to face the pressure of actually taking the test – trying to make sense of the questions while fighting the urge to just panic.  But what if, after all that, you found out that you were not going to be graded on the correctness of your answers, but instead on how the teacher thought you looked that day?  That would be weird… and probably never would happen.  But the point is that we want to know what we're being graded on.  In life, we tend to evaluate people – this one is worthwhile, that one isn't – on some type of scale.  But are we looking at the right things?  As we begin our study on David's life, we'll find that generally, people look at the wrong things when they evaluate one another.  Let's be reminded where God looks!

 

MESSAGES AVAILABLE
Did you know that Sunday's worship service is available on CD immediately following the service for FREE? Pick up a copy for yourself or for anyone you would like 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. If you would like to participate, just show up! Contact Jim Bradshaw at Prayer Team with any questions.

BIBLE READING FOR JANUARY – PROVERBS
ONE CHAPTER PER DAY
The book of Proverbs is filled with some of Solomon's best wisdom, all of it spelled out in practical, easy-to-understand terms.  He covers friendship, controlling anger, knowing God, laziness, pride, temptation, money – just to name a few.  If you struggle with a particular temptation or have a question about living right, you will most likely find some real help in Proverbs!

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY
7:00-8:15pm
Think the book of Genesis couldn't possibly relate to us and the world in which we live? Think again! Genesis means beginnings and that's just what this book is about. It describes a loving God who made all things perfectly, but also tells about the beginning of sin and how it ruined what had been a perfect relationship between God and man. Isn't that still happening today? Join us as we continue our study on the book of Genesis.

YOUNG ADULTS – BEGINNING THIS MONDAY
Monday January 3^rd at 7:30
Attention all young adults (post High School through early thirties)!  Come and be a part of our Young Adults group.  We are making a six month commitment to meet once a month on the first Monday of each month at 7:30 right here at Hope.  We will be doing a study together and will also use this time to get to know one another.  At the end of six months, we will reevaluate and figure out what God has in store for us next!  If you are in this age category, please come and join us.  Your participation is important to the group and to Hope.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT KIDS PROGRAM
7:00 – 8:15
The adults aren't the only ones who could use a spiritual boost in the middle of the week!  We are thrilled that we now have a program currently running for ages 2-3 and 4-5. Classes meet in the same rooms as those age groups meet on Sundays.  The elementary classes will begin in January

WOMEN'S PRAYER GROUP
1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Prayer Room at Church.  All women are invited to attend.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

SMALL GROUPS
Please note that the Small Groups will be on hiatus until after the Christmas season.  The next study sheets will come out on January 9^th.

 

WEEKEND TO REMEMBER
February 25 thru 27, 2011
Pastor Mark & Dana would like to invite you to join them for this weekend of relationship building.  It's a wonderful time of connecting and improving your marriage.  If this weekend isn't good for you, there are still other locations and dates for the conference that can be found on their website.  Any of their conferences in 2011 can be signed up under our group rate ($159 per couple).  In addition to registering with Family Life online or by phone, each couple will need to make hotel reservations for the weekend at the hosting hotel (or another area hotel).  The contact info for the hotels is listed with the registration information on the website.
To register, simply log on to http://www.familylife.com/groups/hopenj  and signup as a part of our group.  Our group name is "hopenj".  You will automatically receive the discounted rate.  After you register for the conference, call the hotel and reserve a room as well.  .  If you sign up for the Hershey conference, we'll be having a meeting on the Sunday before we go to give everyone some idea of what to expect. Then, get ready to spend the weekend with the one you love, building your relationship as husband and wife!

YOUTH ANNOUNCEMENTS – ROOTED
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water." Jeremiah 17:7-8

YOUTH GROUP
Wednesday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30
Note that this coincides with Bible Study. This is a great mid-week touch point for our youth a spiritual shot in the arm to get them through the week. Please make every effort to get your kids here; you won't regret it

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THANK YOU FROM PASTOR MARK & DANA
To all our church family – Thank you for your generous gift.  We are so blessed to have a church family that cares about us and wants to "take care" of us as well.  We are so grateful for all of you!

 

GIVING UPDATE
For the month of December, we averaged $3221 per week.  This is well below our target of $3500/week and well below our annual average of $3742/week.   Please pray with us that the Lord will provide financially for our ministry.  As we head into 2011, we believe there are some very important and powerful things we need to do so that God can continue to stretch our ministry!  Let's each of us search our hearts before the Lord to see if there is anything more we can do to be faithful and sacrificial in supporting our church.  The last thing we want is to have a vision and a passion for sharing God's redeeming work, but be hamstrung by a lack of money.  As always, thank you all for the generosity and commitment you have shown throughout 2010.  Let's ask the Lord to help us together meet our new target for 2011.

 

CAR NEEDED

We have a person here at Hope in need of a car.  They are currently taking a taxi just to get to church.  If anyone can be of help, please contact Lorraine Otis at 856-686-1557.

 

NO MORE SIGN IN TABLE!
We now have buzzers in each class (nursery, toddlers, and pre-school) so we have eliminated the Sign In table.   Parents with children in these age groups should now sign your kids in at their classes.  If you have kids in multiple classes, you will get a buzzer at the first class, and use that buzzer number for all classes (so you only have one buzzer for all your kids, like before).  Please do not drop your children off at their classroom before 9:45 in order to give our teachers a chance to prepare for class.

 

TODDLER & PRE-K MEETING – THIS SUNDAY
January 2, 2001
There will be a meeting for all teachers who work with the Toddler and Pre-K classes immediately after the service on Jan. 2, 2011 to discuss the new buzzer system, learn how to use it properly, and pray together as a group for the children and the upcoming year.

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE
9:30 – 10:00 am
Be sure to come and join us for a good cup of coffee and some fellowship before services!.

TD BANK AFFINITY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
We're Almost to Our Goal!
 We recently joined TD Bank's Affinity Membership Program, which provides Hope Christian Fellowship the opportunity to earn annual cash contributions.  There is no cost to the church or the congregation.  TD Bank contributes a percentage of the annual balance in every one of our members' accounts.  Checking, savings, money market, CDs and retirement accounts are all included! We just need 50 households in the program in order for us to receive a contribution. 
 All you need to do is make TD your bank!  If you already have accounts at TD Bank, simply have those accounts linked to the Hope Christian Fellowship Affinity Membership Program.  On Sunday, there will be sign up forms on the back table for those that didn't get a chance to sign up previously. Also, we are not limited to just our church family.  If you have any friends, family or colleagues that currently bank with TD, ask them if they would be willing to link their account(s) to Hope Christian Fellowship Affinity Membership Program.  The church will NOT have any access to any account information linked to the program.  For more information on this program, see Damon Briggs.

 

FOOD PANTRY NEEDS
Please Note:  Donations can be put in the wicker basket that's to the left of the kitchen door.

OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE

Do you want to truly feel like you are a vital and connected part of Hope?  Just find a place where you can serve!  Here are some ideas!

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
Want to help us with the most effective and powerful ministry at Hope?  Join in as part of our Kid's Ministry!  Here's what to do:
          Nursery
                   Contact Brain or Naidona Ott
                   856-589-2047 or ottbraint@netscape.net
          Toddlers & Preschool
                   Contact Franne Harkin
                   609-458-2124 or fhark7@yahoo.com
          Elementary
                   Contact Anita Little
                   856-783-7168 or alittleshopper@yahoo.com
          Wednesday Night Program
                   Contact Jen Winstel
                   856-782-7798 or jenwinrn@comcast.net
Just pick where you would be most interested in helping and give that person a call. They will fill you in on the current needs and tell you whatever you need to know!

COAT RACKS NEEDED
We need someone who is handy with wood working to build coat racks for the classrooms and the youth room. Please see Glenn Johnson if you are able to help.

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS
TODDLERS	John & Dawn Brazelis
NURSERY	TBA
PRE-K THRU K	Tina & Craig Campana
1ST & 2ND	TBA
3RD – 5TH	TBA
GREETERS:	Rob Devereaux
	Wendy Devereaux
	Mickey Dariano
	Lucille Franchetti
COUNTERS:	TBA
CLEANERS:	TBA
TOY CLEANERS:	TBA

HOPES PRAYER TEAM
If you have a prayer request, please fill out a prayer request card and drop it in the offering slot at the back of the church on Sunday or use the "Prayer Request Form" on our website. If you have any questions or would like to join the Prayer Team, please contact Jim Bradshaw directly at Prayer@hopechristianfellowship.org.

PRAYER REQUESTS
Dan Rozinski – For his brother, Dave, who is beginning another round of chemotherapy. 
Edward Brazelis - For Matt Gallagher who suffers from vertigo and for
Young Adults – Please pray that God would give the young adults here at Hope a heart for our new ministry so that they can grow in the Lord and forge closer relationships with each other.
Ron Brion -. Please keep Ron and his family in prayer as he begins the process of rehabilitation and developing enough strength so that he can go home.

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

Rejoicing in His Birth,
Lois
 
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