Hope Notes 8/22/13

Dear Friends of Hope~

I read some interesting (although useless) information the other day.  An ordinary lead pencil can write 45,000 words, draw a straight line 35 miles long, write in zero gravity, underwater, and upside down.  Why this fascinates me so much I have no idea!  All I ever thought about pencils is how I love the smell of the lead on paper, lol!  But the things a pencil can do don't even begin to hold a candle to what our GOD can do!  He spoke the world into being, He breathed life into man, He controls the wind and the rain, He contains the seas, He knows the number of hairs on our heads, He knows the number of stars and calls them each by name, and He even made the sun stand still!!  I think I need to shift my amazement more to almighty God and remember to give Him the praise He is due rather than be impressed by a lowly lead pencil!

 SATURDAY EVENING & SUNDAY MESSAGE

August 26 – The Light (John 1:6-14)

If you've ever tried to navigate your home in the middle of the night, you probably know from personal experience how much of a difference a light makes.  You may have paid the price with your shins or your toes, because darkness makes it hard to avoid what you can't see!  As John continues to describe Jesus, he calls Jesus the "Light".  We're going to take some time to see why John uses this term (and others) to describe Jesus' mission during His life on earth.  Even today, Jesus is the Light for everyone who turns to Him.  Let's let Jesus be our Light so that we can see.

 

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.

 

PRAYER HUDDLE

9:30 – 9:35

The prayer huddle is open to anyone who would like to come pray - but it is specifically intended for those who are serving on that Sunday.  So if you're scheduled to be in kids' ministry, greeting, in the tech booth, on worship team, or any other ministry role for a given Sunday, join us at 9:30 sharp to pray together for God's power in each of us.  We can do all things through Christ, and nothing of worth without Him, so let's come together each Sunday to ask for God's Spirit to fill us and use us!

 

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 Pat Harkin at Prayer Team with any questions.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

 

AUGUST CHALLENGE VERSE

Proverbs 26:17, 20

"Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.  Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip, a quarrel dies down."

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING PROGRAMS

7:00 – 8:15

We are putting our study of 1Corinithians aside until fall.  Small Group Samplers will be meeting on Wednesdays during August in lieu of Bible study. 

Coming August 28^th - A special Worship Wednesday!

 

MARRIAGE GROUP

Coming in September!  Pastor Mark and Dana will be leading a short tem group on marriage at the church this fall.  The group will meet on the 2nd and 4th Monday nights of September, October, and November at 7:00pm.  Begin praying about if this is something God is calling you to do in order to strengthen your marriage.  A signup sheet will be out soon.

 

SUMMER WITH SISTERS/WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY

Mondays at 7:00 pm

July29th thru August 26^th

A five-week study of the book of Ruth, led by our own Kim Rice. Come out and learn what the book of Ruth, a remarkable woman of the Bible, has to teach us about living as a woman in today's culture. A sign-up sheet is at the information table. (The Women's Prayer group will not meet during this time period.)

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM

7:00 – 8:15

Keep Jesus fresh in your child's mind and heart!  We have classes for children ages 3 – 5 and for those in 1^st – 5^th grades.  Nursery is provided for infants thru age 2.

Please Note:  This program is not running over the summer.

 

YOUNG ADULTS

7:30 in Youth Room

First and Third Monday of every month

Anyone who has graduated high school up to their early thirties is welcome. See Pastor Mark or Dana for more information. Childcare is provided.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

WEDNESDAY EVENING WORSHIP

August 28^th

This is our last 'special summer event' before we resume our regular Wednesday night Bible study and kid's programs.  Bring the whole family and come enjoy an evening of praise and worship!

 

PRIORITY ONE MEN'S RETREAT

September 12^th – 15th

Steve Sonderman (author, national men's leader) will be challenging us through the long weekend, and the activities at this beautiful Lake Champion facility are crazy fun!  Go to www.priorityone.org and enter Stephen Jones-HCF as the group name when you register.

 

MEN'S BREAKFAST

Second Saturday of Every Month

8:00 – 9:30am

Come and join us for a delicious breakfast and a good time of fellowship/sharing with the men of Hope.  Feel free to bring a friend!  Open to men 18 and older.  If you are willing to help set up – we meet in the kitchen at 7:00am.  See Steve Jones with any questions.

 

ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC

September 8^th

You don't want to miss this!  Immediately following our morning worship service, we make our way outside and spend time eating and enjoying each other's company!  Signup sheets are in the lobby for help with setting up or bringing food.  We need plenty of volunteers to make this event run smoothly – if you'd like to help contact Anita Little at alittleshopper@gmail.com or 856-373-2090.

 

YOUTH NEWS

 

YOUTH GROUP
Wednesdays from 7:00 – 8:30
This is a great mid-week boost for our teens to stay connected, grow in the Lord, and have a fun time with each other!  See Dave Hallahan with any questions.

 

GROW GROUPS SR. HIGH STUDY

2^nd and 4^th Monday Evenings

If you are between 9^th – 12^th grades, this is an awesome opportunity to grow closer to each other and closer to God.

 

WE'RE BAAAACK!!

Well almost, anyway. As of September 4th, Rooted will be back to their regular meetings every Wednesday from 7pm - 8:30pm in the Youth Room

 

OCEAN CITY SR. HIGH RETREAT

Calling all Sr. Highers (9th-12th graders)! Mark your calendars for Sept. 13-15th. You won't want to miss this weekend! More information will be made available NEXT WEEK so keep your eyes open!

 

JR. HIGH GAME NIGHT SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 23^rd HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

                                            

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY MEETING

Sunday, September 15^th

There will be a brief meeting for our 1^st – 2^nd grade teachers in the classroom.  Contact Kathleen Toomin if you have any questions.

 

OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE

 

CAMDEN OUTREACH

Saturday, August 31^st

Once again, our Young Adults will be making sandwiches and traveling to Camden to hand them out.  This is something they do every time we have a fifth Saturday in a month.  Please help them out by bringing in supplies!  All supplies need to be here at church by Sunday, August 25^th at the latest.  You can find the signup sheets listing what's needed out in the lobby.

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING KID'S PROGRAM

Starting September 4^th

We are in need of a teacher and a helper for the ages 3 thru K class from September thru December.  Please contact Jen Winstel at jenwinrn@comcast.net or 609-254-1176 if you would like to volunteer or have any questions.

 

NURSERY

We have a few 'holes' in our Nursery Schedule.  Specifically November 3 & 10.  If you can help fill these spots, please contact Don or Alicia Heverly at Lilfeet21@hotmail.com or 609-923-0806.

 

SIGNUP SHEETS OUT

Signup sheets for the HELPING HANDS (Ken Blythe) and BUILDING PROJECTS (Brad Hopkins) ministries are now out in the lobby.  These are both 'as needed' areas of ministry. Anyone willing to volunteer – please add your name to the list! 

 

FOOD PANTRY

Please help!  Our freezer door was left open and we lost all our freezer items!

We are in need of the following items for our pantry:

          Ground beef, hot dogs, meat, poultry, french fries, etc. for the freezer.

See Karen Jones with any questions regarding the pantry.

Please remember to check the expiration dates and leave all donations in the basket located outside the kitchen door.

 

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery                          Brian & Naidona Ott

Toddlers                         Ardra Jarvis, Joyce James, Prisca
Pre K – Kindergarten     Franne & Abbey Harkin, Steve Bradshaw, Maurice Brazelis
1^st – 3rd                         Patty & Rich Bunnell

4^th & 5^th                         Anne Jefferson
Counters                        LaTosha Briggs, Lois Hartwell
Greeters                         Frank Caranci
                                       Deb Caranci
                                       Wendy Lynch

                                       Diane Beardsworth
                                     
Wed. Evening                 None thru August

 

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 Pat Harkin directly at Prayer@hopechristianfellowship.org.

 

PRAYER REQUESTS  

Saturday Night Service – Please lift up these services as we move forward in seeing if a Saturday evening service is a good fit for us.

Kids Ministry Director - Please pray for God to connect us with the right people at the right time and let Him have His work in all of this!

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:18

Serving an Amazing God,
Lois

 

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