Hope Notes 4/24/14
Dear Friends of Hope ~
God has created so many beautiful things for us to enjoy, but His most beautiful creations are His children. I'm not talking so much about our physical appearance; I'm talking about our inner most being, our hearts and our souls. Inside every one of us beats a heart designed to be so filled with God's love and mercy that it spills over onto others. But if we don't accept that love from God, we can't share it. We don't always feel beautiful – we see our sin and our shame. But we must remember that God sees us as beautiful and 'blameless'. "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Eph 1:4 The next time you are feeling 'ugly' on the inside, or making a judgment on someone else as ugly, please remember the beauty and the worth we all have in God's eyes. And truly, those are the only eyes that count!
SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE
April 27 – A Swirl of Chaos (John 7:25-36)
Have you ever noticed that two people who were in the same conversation can remember it very differently? If there are more people involved, there can be even more variation in the recollections. Some of this results from imperfect memories. But much of it grows out of the prejudices and viewpoints that filter our memories. In our journey through the book of John, we've seen Jesus be very clear about who He is. As the people of Jerusalem react to Jesus, they have a wide array of opinions. It seems impossible to pull these ideas together, and so the crowd swirls in confusion and contradiction. Unfortunately, there is only a limited time for them to decide what they will believe about Jesus.
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
APRIL CHALLENGE VERSE
Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
APRIL DAILY PRAYER CHALLENGE
Pastor Mark has CHANGED OUR CHALLENGE for the month of April. He is challenging everyone to deliberately take some time each day to pray for Hope – for God's work in our church and for the people from Hope that God puts on your heart.
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 1st – 5th grades. Nursery is provided for infants thru age 2.
SMALL GROUPS
The last study sheet for our Small Groups went out Sunday, April 20th. We will resume the study sheets again in September as always!
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 1st 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
M EN'S SHOOTING OUTING – THIS SATURDAY
Saturday, April 26th @ 8:30 am
Rain Date May 3rd
Time to get out your frustrations and go shoot something! We plan to meet at church and carpool to Makepeace Lake Wildlife Area in Weymouth. Hope will provide all supplies for a cost of about $10-15/man. Make sure to bring eye protection. RSVP TO STEVE JONES at jones.stephen.d@gmail.com so he knows how much ammo to buy. If you'd like to have breakfast beforehand at a diner (at your own expense), please indicate that also; if there are enough guys, we'll meet at 7 a.m. at a diner to be determined. Feel free to bring your friends! Sorry ladies, this is a 'men only' event!
HCF SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Root, root, root for our ball team! Games are played on week nights. Fields are in Sewell and Pitman. Come on out and support our players! Look for the schedule in the Salt & Light or contact Lenny Little for details 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
ROOTED WEDNESDAYS
Wednesday evenings at the church.
GROW GROUPS
Meets at the Hallahan's house at 7:00 pm thru May.
MISSION TRIP MEETING
Wednesday April 30th
We will be having an informational meeting regarding this summer's mission trip to upstate New York. All interested teens and their parents are encouraged to attend the meeting that will take place at 7:00 pm in the 1st-2nd grade room.
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEWS
SAVE THE DATE for VBS!
Vacation Bible School will be July 28-August 1 for children 3 years old and up to 5th grade! We'll meet each night 6-8:30pm. The theme this year is Weird Animals. God filled the world with a lot of crazy creatures...including you! When kids feel weird, different, or even lost in a crowd -- nothing compares to the extraordinary love of Jesus! So mark your calendars! We'll need plenty of volunteers to help out, so if you're interested in being a part of this amazing ministry contact Matt Russell: mattrussell@hopechristianfellowship.org.
READY? SET... GO!
HopeKids! has launched the Go Zone as the new name for our kids Sunday morning service! We are GOing for GOD, GOing for GROWTH, and GOing FOREVER! The Go Zone is a service entirely focused around the kids, in which we connect by playing games, worshipping with one another, and hearing a message from God's Word in fun, creative ways before heading off to Sunday school for the rest of the service.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, It's our SUPERHERO SERIES!
Come out to the Go Zone every Sunday in May, and you can rub shoulders with some of your favorite comic book heroes! Word on the street is that Captain America, Spidey, Batman, and even The Hulk will make an appearance at the Go Zone to talk about their favorite superheroes from the Bible and how it impacts the way they "fight crime." You won't want to miss this!
GRADUATION!
Sunday, July 6th is Graduation Sunday for the entire HopeKids! Ministry. All students will move up to their new classes if they are of age. We will also be honoring our graduating 5th graders in the Go Zone on Sunday June 29th. Make sure you come out to support and celebrate with them!
Follow HopeKids! Ministries on facebook at: facebook.com/HCFHopeKids
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANK YOU!
We managed to collect $2010.00 for our CHOICES OF THE HEART baby bottle drive! This money will be put to good use. The families at Hope have such generous hearts. Thank you for giving to such a worthy cause.
CHURCH PARKING LOT
I don't know if you all have noticed……..but our parking lot is a disaster! We put a Band-Aid on it with some black gravel, but we truly need to pave the entire lot. We've been putting it off due to financial constraints. We have about $20,000 but need closer to $40,000 to get the job done. We are asking for you to join us in prayer as we put this situation before the Lord. We are looking for God to lead us to reputable contractors to do the job and, of course, the funds to do so when it's time. Our God is mighty and able to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20).
HOPE FOR RECOVERY
This group for those struggling with addiction meets weekly on Tuesdays with a start time of 7:00 pm. Contact Liz McCool with any questions at irelandjim@netscape.com.
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'. Find us on facebook at Hope Christian Fellowship or on twitter at @HCF_Woodbury, @HCF_YoungAdults, or @HCF_Rooted.
OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE
HELPERS NEEDED – IMMEDIATE NEED
Does your child enjoy coming to our 1st & 2nd grade class? If so, please consider lending a helping hand every now and then. No teaching involved, just an extra set of hands! Rotation is you are on for 2 weeks and then off for 8 weeks. Contact Kathleen Toomin if you are willing to serve! jktoomin.98@comcast.net
SAINTS PRISON MINISTRY
We have two missionaries right here in the body at Hope! Jim Jefferson and Bill McGinness travel with the prison ministry's softball team to bring the gospel to those in prison. They sacrifice their family time and finances to do this. We can help ease their burden and support them by praying for them and giving as we feel God leading. Each man needs to raise $1000 in order to cover their own expenses. If you are able to give, simply write a check made payable to Jim or Bill and offer it to them.
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. Thank you!
THIS WEEK'S WORKERS
Nursery Karla Hopkins, Jeanne Wurst, Katherine DellaRova
Toddlers John & Dawn Brazelis, Tori Shute
Pre K – Kindergarten Bill McGinness, Isaiah Owens, Angel Nolan
1st & 2nd Kelly Louis
3rd - 5th Lauren Serebransky, Patty MacAdam
Counters Kathy Berry, Melissa McGinness
Greeters Matt Austen
Emily Hartwell
Lisa Minner
Connie Matthews
Wed. Evening Liz Johnson, Franne Harkin
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 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
He Chose the Nails,
Lois
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