Hope Notes 8/29/13

Dear Friends of Hope~

There is a strange and marvelous sight outside my window.  Our back yard is covered in lush, green grass (ok, so some of it is weeds, but it's still green!).  What's so odd about that?  Well, usually by August our yard is parched and brown.  So what made the difference this year?  We set a record for the wettest summer ever recorded!  Simply put – the grass was watered! It never had to go 'thirsty'.  Our souls can be parched just like our lawns.  God designed us to thirst for Him.  He also made a way for our thirst to be quenched.  "….. but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  John 4:14   Many of us go through life not even realizing how thirsty we are.  Don't let your soul become parched.  Go to God's Word.  Drink it up.  Let His Truth flow through you like a beautiful, sparkling stream.  Your soul will be refreshed, renewed and filled to overflowing.

 

SATURDAY EVENING & SUNDAY MESSAGE

September 1 – Do You Know Him? (John 1:14-18)

In our world today, we certainly can find out a lot about people we've never met.  Magazines and TV shows keep us up to date about the latest news on celebrities and famous people on a daily basis.  Sometimes we can get the impression that we actually know these people – even though we don't.  Meeting them in real life would make clear the disconnect between our knowledge about their lives and the lack of any real relationship with them.  As John continues his opening remarks, we see that he talks about knowing God.  He tells us how it is possible to go beyond just knowing ABOUT God to actually knowing Him.  Take a look at how God reached out to each of us so that we could know Him!

 

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

 

SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE VERSE

Psalm 27:13-14

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

7:00 – 8:15

We are resuming our study of 1Corninthians (picking up with Chapter 8) beginning September 4^th.  Setting aside time mid-week to come and study God's Word helps keep you rooted in Scripture and connected to each other.  Childcare is provided.

 

MARRIAGE GROUP

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. Signup sheet is in the lobby. Please sign up by September 8^th so Pastor Mark can plan accordingly.

 

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.

 

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.

 

GOD'S GIRLS

Women's Bible Study – Bible Bus Stops

Beginning September 16^th, this study will meet the 1^st and 2^nd Monday of each month from 7:00 – 8:00pm.  There will be discussion and reflection on the Proverb of the Day taken from the One Year Bible. It's like riding the bus; jump on and off anytime you are available!

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

 

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!

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

                                            

PART TIME JOB – BUS AIDE

Dawn Brazelis is looking for a bus aide for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 1:00 – 5:00pm.  You can contact Dawn at 856-881-0789 or 856-896-9480 (cell) for more information.

 

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! 

 

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.

 

MEALS MINISTRY

One of the ways we serve the body of Christ here at Hope is by providing a meal when certain situations come up.  Sometimes it is a happy occasion, like the birth of a baby.  Other times, there has been a surgery or illness that makes receiving a meal a relief and a true blessing.  If you have the time and the availability to provide a meal and deliver it, this would be a great ministry for you!  Having a list of reliable people means each person would only be called on every so often.  There is a signup sheet in the lobby.  Contact Carole Baumiester (needsministry@gmail.com) with any questions.

 

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                         Rebecca & John Jacob, Natalie
Pre K – Kindergarten     Franne & Abbey Harkin, Steve Bradshaw, Maurice Brazelis
1^st – 3rd                         TBA

4^th & 5^th                          Kimmie Rice
Counters                        TBA
Greeters                         Art Muhlbaier
                                       Lucy Muhlbaier
                                       Jeanne Wurst

                                       Charlotte Zediker
                                     
Wed. Evening                  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 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

 

Refreshed by Him,
Lois

 

Note: If you do not wish to continue receiving Hope Notes, simply reply to this email and I will remove your name from the list. Any correspondence for Hope Notes goes to Hopenotes Email.