Hope Notes 6/26/14
Dear Friends of Hope ~
"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Eph 6:16
Ephesians 6 includes the famous passage about putting on the armor of God. But my favorite part of the armor is, without a doubt, the shield of faith. I remember when I first learned that the 'flaming arrows' were representative of doubts and troubling thoughts. It was an 'aha' moment! I pictured Satan shooting these arrows of worry, doubt, and fear at me. With the shield of faith in place, they can bounce right off! I recently read another component to this concept in my devotions. It said that if God's Word is firmly etched into our minds (and hearts); it is like carrying a concealed weapon against the enemy. God knew how many battles would originate in our minds and so he gave us the tools to combat them! Each morning I am determined to put on my armor and saturate my mind with God's Word. There could be no better preparation for the day ahead!
SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE
June 29 – Crazy Claims (John 8:48-59)
What is it about death that is so overwhelming? We live aware that it is a reality for us all – we lose people we love and we face it in our own future. It seems that we would be equipped for such a universal reality. But our heart aches for life to go on – we struggle to digest the end of life. Perhaps this is because we weren't meant to die. Jesus speaks to this universal desire by promising to bring final victory over death. His claim seems crazy to many who listen – and to many today. But Jesus is spectacularly clear that He is working and living on a completely different level than we do. Do you find it hard to believe who Jesus claims to be or what He promises to do?
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
7:00 – 8:15
For the next five weeks, we'll be stepping out of our normal Bible study in the book of 1 Corinthians to attend Workshop Wednesdays. Childcare is provided.
WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS
June 25th thru July 23rd
Traveling Light (Max Lucado)
Led by Bob Baumiester
We all lug loads we were never intended to carry. Fear. Worry. Discontent. Guilt. Anxiety. Grief. Perfectionism. Loneliness. No wonder we get so weary. We are worn out from carrying that excess baggage. Wouldn't it be nice to lose some of those bags? That's the invitation of Max Lucado, in his book, Traveling Light. With the 23rd Psalm as our guide, we'll learn to release some of the burdens we were never intended to carry. Let's travel together and hand over our baggage to The BEST Baggage Handler!
I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said That (Steve Timmis)
Finding Joy in the Inconvenience of Discipleship
Led by Mike Hartwell
Think about some of the things Jesus said: "Love your enemies", You cannot serve both God and money", "Take up your cross and follow me". We may believe them, but can we live them? This book calls believers to consider ten saying of Jesus that reveal where our affections lie. We are reminded that Christians are called to abandon, not cherish, the ways of the world and to reject, not pursue, the things that give us status and pleasure. Being a follower of Jesus is terribly inconvenient because it cuts across our natural desires. This book helps us to grapple with this concept and accept His verdict on what constitutes the good life. Doing so will powerfully reorient our hearts.
One Of Us Must Be Crazy…. And I'm Pretty Sure It's You (Tim and Joy Downs)
Led by Steve and Karen Jones
Are there recurring areas of conflict in your marriage that you seem to come back to over and over again? You're not alone. All of us have conflict in marriage, but what we don't have is a blueprint for resolving it. This short, funny book by Tim and Joy Downs (Frequent Family Life Weekend to Remember speakers) describes seven underlying issues that are really at the root of most marital conflicts, and offers advice on what to do about them.
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 – ON HIATUS FOR THE SUMMER
Women's Bible Study
For women high school age and up.
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
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
WET 'N WILD WEDNESDAY
July 2nd
Come prepared to get wet as we'll spend the night outside playing various water games.
SWIM TIME
July 9th
We will meet at the Nolan's (203 Kings Hwy Mount Royal NJ 08061) from 6:30 - 9:00. They do have a pool so bring a towel and modest bathing suit.
GAME NIGHT
July 16th
We will meet at the DellaRova's (559 Park Drive Woodbury NJ 08096) NOTE: their driveway is actually on High St, look for the balloons. Come ready to play some outdoor games!
ROOTED WEDNESDAYS
Wednesday evenings at the church.
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
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
**** SPECIAL VBS 2014 SECTION ****
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.
SPREADING THE WORD FOR VBS – THIS SATURDAY
Saturday, June 28th
We'll be handing out flyers in our surrounding neighborhood from 10am-12pm to invite people to our VBS this summer. Come on out and help us reach out to our neighbors!
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.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FROM PASTOR MARK & DANA……..
"We are so excited to celebrate the wedding of our daughter, Kylie and her fiancé, Matt in just a few short weeks! We are extending an invitation to everyone in our Hope family for the wedding ceremony on Friday, July 18th at 5:30pm right here at church. As much as we would love to have everyone join us for the reception as well, the limited space and budget make that impossible. Thanks for your grace and understanding in that. We are looking forward to seeing Matt and Kylie begin their life together and would love to share our joy with you!"
BUSINESS MEETING
August 10
We will have a quick business meeting after church to vote on the amendment to the constitution (copies available in the resource room). Should be a very short meeting with just a simple vote. If you have any concerns regarding this amendment, please discuss with an elder right away!
BAPTISMAL SERVICE
September 3rd (Wed night)
If you are interested in being baptized, please see Pastor Mark. We'll have two classes in the weeks leading up to this baptismal service
PARKING LOT
We'll be taking an offering on June 29th to try to help us bridge the gap on our parking lot project. We still need about $6000 to completely pay for this project. Please pray about this and give as God blesses and leads. We're really thankful that God has opened this incredible opportunity to fix our parking lot at such a tremendous discount, and we're confident that He will provide!
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.
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
Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
A Christian based, 12-step approach for those struggling with addictions of any kind. The group is a safe and confidential place for men and women to find strength and HOPE through sharing and fellowship. Contact Liz McCool with any questions at irelandjim@netscape.com.
OPPORTUNITES TO SERVE
MOVING DAY
Saturday June 28th
Anyone who could help Jess St.Petery move from her current home in Woodbury Heights to Marlton, please contact Jess at jstpetery@yahoo.com or 856-889-0182.
GREETERS
We have an immediate need for Greeters! We have five openings to fill! This is a great way to make everyone who walks in the door to Hope feel welcome! If you can smile and say hello – you would make a great Greeter! Contact Deb Caranci at fcaranci@comcast.net if you can help.
MEALS MINISTRY
Here at Hope we like to take care of our people! When we know someone who recently had a baby, has an illness in the family, or any other occasion where having the burden of preparing a family dinner removed would be a big help – we like to take care of that for them! If you would be interested in occasionally making or delivering a meal, contact Pat Nolan at pationolan@comcast.net.
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!
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 Nicole Babli, Lisa Landis
Toddlers John & Dawn Brazelis, Tori Shute
Pre K – Kindergarten Karen & Amanda Merriel
1st & 2nd Kelly Louis
3rd - 5th Anne Jefferson, Michelle Schmidt
Counters Damon Briggs, Don Frazeur
Greeters Tony Dariano
Mickey Dariano
John Brazelis
Lisa Fiorile
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 Bill Berry directly at billandkathyberry@comcast.net.
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
Protected by His Shield,
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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