Hope Notes 5/29/14
Dear Friends of Hope ~
Lately I've been so blessed by our time of worship on Sundays. It's the perfect segue needed to bring us into the frame of mind and condition of the heart to hear what God has to say. I've also been thinking about the difference between singing worship songs about God verses singing worship songs to God. Try thinking about that when you're looking at the words of the songs. When you sing those words to Him, it suddenly becomes more personal, more like a prayer. I confess – sometimes I even change the words so that I'm addressing Him directly rather than singing about Him. Before you start muttering about how I'm some sort of crazy word changer, give it a try yourself. I am confident that you will have a more personal worship experience!
SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE
June 1 – Free Indeed (John 8:31-41)
COMMUNION
Freedom is something worth dying for… what an amazing statement. This ideal is so valuable that it is worth giving up your life so that someone else can have it. You won't get to enjoy it – you won't partake of the fruits of your labor. But the exchange is worth it. And so we celebrate freedom – we give thanks for it. We honor those who fight for freedom and we enjoy the liberties they provide. Yet do we understand that freedom is not the end. There is free… and then there is 'free indeed'. That means that some of what parades as freedom is only a shadow of the real thing. Jesus tells us that He came to set us 'free indeed'. Are you?
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 from 9:15 – 9:45 am in the Prayer Room. We pray for the services that morning and for the needs in the church. If you would like to participate, just show up!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
JUNE CHALLENGE VERSE
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few."
JUNE CHALLENGE - COMPASSION FAST
What would you be willing to forgo in order to help a needy family here at Hope? We often treat ourselves to something without a second thought, but for many families just trying to meet their bills is a real struggle. We are going to take a benevolent offering the first week in July designated to help families in need. We'd like to challenge you to give up something for the month and re-direct the money you would have spent on that item to the offering.
WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
7:00 – 8:15
For the upcoming Wed nights (May 21- June 18) Pastor Mark is going to be talking through some 'Rubber Meets the Road" topics. We'll be stepping out of our normal Bible study in the book of 1 Corinthians to tackle topics like abortion, gay marriage, and God's role in evil. Childcare is provided.
WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY
June 25th thru July 23rd
Workshop Wednesdays are coming! Topics and teachers will be coming, but plan to be a part!.
AUGUST WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
We are planning a month of Family Nights in August - a chance to spend some time with your church family as a FAMILY! Each night, we have a different event that you can participate in as a family. From game night to movie night to a picnic (complete with games) we're going to have a blast. More info coming...
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.
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
For women high school age and up.
On hiatus for the summer. We will be starting up again on September 15th with an exciting new study! Be on the lookout for monthly events over the summer. Contact Jennifer Nolan at jnolan1962@yahoo.com to be added to our monthly email list for updates!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP
NEW FAMILIES LUNCHEON
Sunday, June 22nd
God just keeps blessing Hope with new families! If you just recently starting coming to Hope, we'd like to invite you to a luncheon immediately following the service on June 22nd. Our Leadership Team and staff want to welcome you to Hope and get to know you a little better. You don't need to bring a thing – just yourself! There is a signup sheet out in the lobby. Please sign up so that we know how many to plan for.
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.
SMALL GROUPS
Study sheets for Small Groups will resume in September as always!
YOUTH NEWS
ROOTED WEDNESDAYS
Wednesday evenings at the church.
CAMDEN OUTREACH – THIS SATURDAY
Saturday, May 31st @ 10:00 am
For the first time our Camden Outreach will be open to all of the Young Adults and Youth Groupers. We'll meet at the church to make the lunches and then deliver them to Camden. We are setting our bar high and aiming to make twice as many lunches as normal!
NOTE: This event is mandatory for all planning to go on the mission trip this summer. We will also be going miniature golfing afterwards (free for all who help make sandwiches).
MIDDLE SCHOOL / SENIOR HIGH SPLIT
Beginning September 2014
Over the past two years God has done some amazing things in the life of our youth group. In order to cultivate an environment where God can continue to work and grow, we are seriously considering splitting into two separate programs. Beginning this September, our Senior Highers will meet on Sunday nights with our Middle Schoolers continuing to meet on Wednesday. Please keep the youth ministry, its leaders, and students in prayer as we enter this exciting period of transition!
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.
NEW SPECIAL NEEDS CLASS AT THIS YEAR'S VBS!!!
We've been thinking about offering a special needs class for this year's VBS. We have some very experienced people willing to serve these children. We'd like to know what kind of interest or need there is for this in order to offer it. Please let Matt Russell know if you know anyone who would be interested at 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
MAY GIVING REPORT
We averaged $5310 per week for the month of May. This is somewhat below our annual average giving target of $5600 per week. Our current annual average remains above this number at $5961. With all that is coming this summer, please pray that we are able to reach our target each month!
PARKING LOT
After much prayer, our elders have come to the conclusion that we need to move forward with this project. We'll give an update on where we stand on the finances for this project when we're ready to get underway. Meanwhile, we are asking that each of you would consider getting behind this project by giving as the Lord has blessed you.
BAPTISIMAL NEWS
We have some exciting news - we now have a baptismal and will be planning a baptism service in the near future! Look for updates in the coming weeks on dates and info.
CHURCH DIRECTORIES
Our directories are here at last! Now you can finally connect some of those names & faces you've been wondering about. Feel free to pick up a directory in the Resource Room. One per family, please.
HOPE'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY
We will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary as a church on July 20, 2014. We would love everyone to join us for this special day of giving thanks and praise to our amazing Lord. Do you have a story you could share about how you came to Hope and about God's work in your life through our church? If so, please write it down for us; we'd love to read what God has done and maybe compile a booklet of testimonies. It doesn't need to be a literary masterpiece - just some simple words straight from your heart! Just respond to the Hope Notes (or send a separate email to hopenotes@hopechristianfellowship.org). You can also hand it to Lois Hartwell in person if that is better for you. Deadline is Sunday, June 29th.
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.
OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE
MOVING HELP NEEDED
John and Dawn Brazelis will be moving to their new home this Saturday, May 31st. They are in need of some pickup trucks and willing bodies to help them move. If you are able to help, please contact them directly. dawnbrazelis@yahoo.com or 856-896-9480
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER GROUP
We'd love to have people come and pray with us for the needs of the church and for God's power to be at work in our morning service. You don't have to commit to coming every week, but our elders are asking those who are able come and join us!
MEDIA TEAM
Our Media Team could use some help! Pastor Mark needs several volunteers right away to help out with this important and powerful ministry. It takes some basic computer knowledge and attention to detail. Teens and young adults would be ideally suited to lend a hand. See Pastor Mark for more info
MEALS MINISTRY COORDINATOR
We are looking for someone to take over as lead on our Meals Ministry. This involves contacting those who are on the list for meal preparation/delivery when there is a need to provide a meal for a family in times of sickness or a new baby. Contact Carole Baumiester at needsministry@gmail.com if you would like some more information.
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
It's time for some pantry staples! We are in need of peanut butter, jelly, canned or packaged soup, and cereal.
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 Don & Alicia Heverly, Kristy Straub
Toddlers John & Rebecca Jacob, Natalie Mariani
Pre K – Kindergarten Craig & Tina Campana
1st & 2nd Patty & Rich Bunnell
3rd - 5th Kim Biglin, Nancy Reeves
Counters Lois Hartwell, Barb Frazeur
Greeters Rick Ayusa
Patty Bunnell
Frank Caranci
Helen Mastalski
Wed. Evening TBD
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.
Middle School/Sr. High Split – Prayers for our youth and their leaders as they prepare to transition to this new format coming in September.
"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 Paid the Price,
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.
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