Hope Notes 2/6/14

Dear Friends of Hope ~

We've all had plenty of reasons to skip church this winter – illness, flooding rains, freezing cold, ice and snow! But most Sundays our auditorium is just as full as ever.  I love seeing everyone still at church, no matter what the weather outside.  Hey, inside it's nice and toasty with hot coffee and cocoa at the ready to warm up your insides!  We keep our sidewalks clear and our parking lot plowed for easy access.  Pastor Mark is always ready with God's Word and a good message.  Our Worship Team is here with hearts and voices lifted to the Lord.  It might seem tempting to stay snuggled under the covers, but with all this available at Hope, why would you want to?!  Don't let the enemy give you any reason to stay home.  The weather is no match for our powerful God – He's here, ready and waiting for us all to join Him!

 

SATURDAY EVENING & SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

February 9 – Equal With God (John 5:16-30)

It is popular today to theorize that Jesus never thought of himself as God.  In fact, the thinking today among skeptics is that no one around Jesus during his life would have ever thought he claimed to be God.  But in this passage, we see from Jesus' own mouth the claims he made to deity.  And we can clearly see the reaction of the religious leaders as well.  And once this issue is resolved, the big question is whether Jesus being very God has any impact on our lives or our faith.  So let's dig into these ideas and see what Jesus himself has to say on the matter.

 

TEEN SERVICE NEXT WEEKEND (2/15 & 16)

On this weekend, our teens will be leading the service and our worship. We have the added privilege of being served communion by our youth.  We are deeply thankful that God has given us a vibrant youth ministry at Hope, and for each young person who is engaged in this group.  Make plans to join us and support them as they step out in faith. Get ready to receive the amazing blessing that comes as our young people serve the Lord and all of us at here at Hope.

 

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

 

FEBRUARY CHALLENGE VERSE

Proverbs 25:28

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control."

 

WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

7:00 – 8:15

1Corinthians

Make sure you set aside time to come and study God's Word mid-week.  This helps keep you rooted in Scripture and connected to each other.  Childcare is provided.

 

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

This study meets the 1^st and 3rd Monday of each month from 7:00 – 8:30pm.  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

 

HCF SOFTBALL LEAGUE

It's hard to believe that baseball season is right around the corner with all this cold and snow, but it is! We'd love you to join our team!  It's an awesome chance to meet and fellowship with not only Hope's family but other churches in our area.

Hope Fellowship's softball team is open to our guys and ladies. You must be 15 before the start of the season. Games are played on week nights; usually once or twice a week (6:30, 8:00 or 9:30). Fields are in Sewell and Pitman. Season runs from April to mid July.

Contact Lenny Little with any questions at littlemanlenny@yahoo.com.  

 

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. See Steve Jones with any questions.

 

MEN'S MORNING PRAYER MEETING

Every Friday at Church

6:00 am – 7:00 am

A fellowship of praying men contending for His will done on earth as in heaven.

 

YOUTH NEWS

 

GROW GROUPS

(2/10) - Ever wondered why you should or if you could really trust the New Testament? Come out this Monday and take a look with us as we discuss the reliability and trustworthiness of the New Testament.

 

ROOTED WEDNESDAYS

(2/12) - Guys and girls are different. They look, act, and think differently. So for the next few weeks we'll be splitting up by gender and having Guy Talk and Girl Talk.

 

RE-PLUGGED RETREAT

3/7 – 3/9

In today's media driven culture we are always plugged in - plugged in to the drama of our friends, plugged into the constant news cycle, plugged in to the latest trends in music, fashion and everything else. Bad news is that doesn't leave us much time to be plugged into God. Come out for a weekend of unplugging and then re-plugging. We'll have plenty of fun as we grow closer together and closer to God.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS

Please help us keep our hallways and coffee room safe and clear!  We are asking that parents make sure all of the minors at church are in the appropriate space during services.  For elementary kids and younger - this would be in their classrooms; these classes are designed for an age appropriate learning experience. For infants - it is in our awesome nursery, which is staffed by caring and wonderful workers. This helps keep our auditorium as distraction free as possible.  Please know that all our workers are background checked for your peace of mind. Finally, all teens should be in the auditorium during the entire service unless they are serving in a class.  Our ushers will ask any teens in the coffee room or halls without a parent to return to the auditorium.  Thanks for your help in doing all we can in consideration of one another and in teamwork for the function of our church family!

 

JANUARY GIVING REPORT

We averaged $5395 per week for the month of January.  Our giving target for the year is $5600, so while this is a good start, we are a little behind what we're shooting for this year.  As always, we are completely grateful for the sacrifice of each person who gives faithfully!  We share this load together as each person gives all that the Lord asks.

 

CHURCH DIRECTORY – FRIENDLY FACES NEEDED

We need your help to fill our directory!  We've looked at the progress with our pictures and information – we have LOTS of gaps! We need as many people as possible to be included so that we all can have a complete resource to turn to when we just can't place a name or face!  Pastor Mark will be passing around a registration sheet these next two Sundays; if you haven't yet elected to be in our new directory, just fill in the information required and check off your preference regarding photos.  For those who would still like to have their family picture taken, we will have one last chance on Sunday, February 23^rd.  Contact Lois Hartwell (foolsforchrist7@yahoo.com) with any questions.

 

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY CONFERENCE

Saturday, March 22^nd

Children's Ministry Workers! You are invited to a Children's Ministry Conference here at the church on Saturday, March 22^nd from 9:00am-2:00pm. It'll be an awesome and unifying time as we discuss where our Children's Ministry is headed and what the next few months will look like.  We'll also take time for training and group discussions.  Breakfast and lunch will be served.  You won't want to miss it!  

 

THE ROSE PETAL/PROM GOWNS – THIS SATURDAY

Saturday, February 8^th 10:00 – 3:00

If you are a young girl whose family is experiencing financial difficulties, The Rose Petal would like to offer you one free prom gown of your choice!  Just come to Beacon Academy Pre-School in the Harbor Pavilions, 570 Egg Harbor Rd, Washington Township, NJ.  Contact Lisa Minner at lisaminner13@aol.com with any questions.

 

MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

February 14 – 16^th

We're getting a group together to go to the Family Life "Weekend to Remember" conference in Hershey, PA.  You can siignup online at www.familylife.com.  Our group name is HopeWoodbury.  Hotel reservations & costs are separate.  Don't miss this chance to invest a weekend into your relationship, spend some time focused just on the two of you and get some powerful training from God's Word about God's design for marriage.  See Pastor Mark with any questions.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  For the first time since we've been attending this conference, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine will be the main speakers!  They are the president and vice-president of Family Life and the hosts of the radio show, "FamilyLife Today".  Don't miss this opportunity to hear what God has laid on the hearts of these men!

 

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

Don't be shy!  Jump in and get engaged in some spiritual conversations via social media stuff like facebook and twitter.  We'd love for you to share your thoughts and your spiritual journeys so that we can walk through life a little more 'together'.  Share something you're thankful for, share what God is doing in your life through the challenge verse, share what you learned at our last service, etc.

 

OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE

 

NURSERY HELPERS NEEDED

We have enough workers to fill the schedule, but we still need a few extra helpers to be on call in case there are a lot of babies in the nursery on any given Sunday.  Our baby population has been booming and it's a little too much for only 2 workers.  Contact Alicia Heverly at lilfeet21@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping.

 

COFFEE TEAM

Have you been enjoying our coffee café?  Why not lend a hand to our Coffee Team and take a turn occasionally to set up on Saturday night (about 15 mins) and cleanup on Sunday after the service.  Contact Jeff Toomin at jktoomin.98@comcast.net with any questions.

 

SUNDAY MORNING OPENING

We're looking for anyone who would be interested in helping Matt or becoming a part of the Sunday morning openings for kids.  You would be playing some games, singing together, and other fun stuff!  If you think you might like to get involved, contact Matt at mruss80@gmail.com.

 

SATURDAY EVENING CHILDCARE

We'd like to have some basic childcare for our Saturday evening services.  Anyone interested in watching little ones (3 and under) on a rotating basis, please contact Pastor Mark.

 

TEACHERS AND AIDES NEEDED

We have a need for Sunday School teachers and aides for the 3-5th grade classroom beginning in January. Teachers work on rotation, with 2 weeks in the classroom and 6-8 weeks off. We could use one to two more teachers for this age group. We would also like to have an aide in the classroom at all times. High school teens, this is a great way to minister to the younger kids! We would like to make "teaching teams" of one teacher, one aide, so if an adult-teen team is interested in working together, let me know. Thanks so much for your willingness to serve our youngest family members.

Please contact Mary Lebeau (marylebeau@verizon.net; 856-316-6301) if you're interested or if you have any questions about the program.

 

FOOD PANTRY

Please check the expiration dates of any donations and place in the basket located outside the kitchen door. Contact Karen Blythe with any questions or if you are interested in helping with our pantry.

 

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery                          TBA

Toddlers                         TBA
Pre K – Kindergarten     Linda Landis, Madison Winstel
1^st & 2nd                        Lisa Fiorile

3^rd - 5th                         Mary LeBeau, Dylan Ott
Counters                        Kathy Berry, Melissa McGinness
Greeters                        Glen Baade

                                      Delores Baade
                                      Ellen Boales
                                      Diane Beardsworth          

Wed. Evening                Barb Frazeur, Joy Hamilton

 

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

Sunday Morning Children's Opening – Let's keep Matt Russell in prayer as he leads in this new venture for our children.

"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

 

Drawn to Worship Him,
Lois

 

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