Hope Notes 7/17/14

Dear Friends of Hope ~

I cannot believe that Hope is 10 years old.  I don't understand how it's possible that ten years have gone by since we first sat down to worship with the body of Hope.  Our very first service at Hope was one of the 'backyard services'. Needless to say, it was unlike any other church experience we'd ever had!  Our next service at Hope was when they had moved to the Friends of Israel building; we've never looked back since!  I remember so clearly walking in and waiting for the service to begin.  When the worship started, we were looking out that picture window onto God's glorious creation and listening to the team sing their opening song, "Now is the Time to Worship".  I cried tears of joy through the entire set, knowing we were exactly where God had called us to be.  I cannot even begin to list the things God has done for us through Hope and our church family.  But I can say with absolute certainty that not a day goes by where I am not grateful beyond measure that my Creator brought us here.  Thank you Pastor Mark and Dana for seeking God's direction and for having the courage to step out in faith and follow His call.

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

July 20 – 10^th Anniversary Service

Hope is 10 years old!  This weekend marks the anniversary of our very first service and we're going to be taking the morning to give thanks, glory, and praise to God for what He has done among us.  We're grateful for each person who has sacrificed and serve – everyone who has shared in the work God is doing.  God has been amazingly good to our church and we want to take this anniversary and celebrate the journey.  Join us for this unique and special service where we point our attention toward the only One who could have done so much with so little!

 

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

 

JULY CHALLENGE VERSE

Proverbs 10:9

"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."

 

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

Thru July 23^rd

 

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. With the 23rd Psalm as our guide, we'll learn to release some of the burdens we were never intended to carry.

 

I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said That (Steve Timmis)

Led by Mike Hartwell

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. This book helps us to grapple with this concept and accept His verdict on what constitutes the good life. 

 

One Of Us Must Be Crazy…. And I'm Pretty Sure It's You (Tim and Joy Downs)

Led by Steve and Karen Jones

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 ARE FAMILY NIGHTS

Lots of fun for the whole family! Look what's coming up:

August 6 – Circus Night

Join us in the auditorium for jugglers, clowns, circus snacks, etc!

August 13 – Game Night

All kinds of family friendly games!

August 20 – Movie Night

We'll have a selection of movies to choose from – just pick the movie you want and go to that classroom!

August 27 – Picnic

We'll be grillin' and you'll be chillin'! Signup sheets will be forthcoming so that you can let us know how many people to prepare for and also to volunteer to bring sides or desserts.  We will also be needing help with setting up tents, tables, and manning the grill. (See details in Opportunities to Serve)

 

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 – 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

 

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.

 

July 23rd - This will be our last youth group out on the town! We will be meeting at Jim and Anne Jefferson's (128 N. Drexel Dr. Woodbury NJ.)

 

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.

 

Follow HopeKids! Ministries on facebook at:  facebook.com/HCFHopeKids

 

**** SPECIAL VBS 2014 SECTION ****

 

DONATIONS NEEDED!

If you are able provide anything from the needed donations list for VBS (available in the lobby), we need to know by Sunday.   Please contact Matt Russell at mattrussell@hopechristianfellowship.org or 609-417-1111 prior to purchasing so we make sure we don't have duplicates!  They will be returned (if applicable) after church on August 3rd. 

 

FINAL VBS DECORATING DAY

Don't forget to join us Saturday, July 26th, from 9-12 for our final VBS decorating day! We'll be putting everything together and setting everything up so we will need all hands on deck! Thanks for helping turn the church into a Weird Animals' habitat!

 

REGISTRATION

Online pre-registrations are a huge help to us and save you time when you drop your kids off. Go to hopekids.hopechristianfellowship.org to pre-register.  And don't forget to grab some flyers to hand out to your friends! See you at VBS!

 

SPECIAL NEEDS CLASS

The VBS team wanted to try and offer a special needs class this year at VBS.  We had some awesome volunteers that really have a heart for this type of ministry, and I was hoping we could make it happen, but there hasn't been significant interest thus far so we will focus on the rest of VBS for now and keep that idea in our minds for the future.  Everything works out in God's timing and we'll continue to trust Him in that! 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

FROM PASTOR MARK & DANA……..

"We are so excited to celebrate the wedding of our daughter, Kylie and her fiancé, Matt!  We are extending an invitation to everyone in our Hope family for the wedding ceremony this 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 3^rd (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

 

HOPE FOR RECOVERY

Tuesdays at 7:00 pm

Please Note:  We will NOT be meeting during the month of July!

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

NURSERY

We have a need for at least three more people to help in our Nursery.  God has blessed us with so many babies – we just don't have enough hands to give your little ones the attention they deserve.  If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer, please contact Alicia or Don Heverly at lilfeet21@hotmail.com

 

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.

 

AUGUST FAMILY PICNIC

Wednesday August 27th

We will need some help setting up tents and tables for our family picnic as well as volunteers to man the grill!  Contact Kathleen Toomin atjktoomin.98@comcast.net if you are willing to lend a hand or have any questions.

 

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!

FOOD PANTRY

We've been giving out LOTS of food – what a blessing it is to be able to help ease the burden for so many families!  But that means we are in need of a major restocking for our pantry! Any donations would be greatly appreciated!

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                         TBA

Toddlers                        Kara Ott, Jenna Gaventa
Pre K – Kindergarten    Bill McGinness, Isaiah Owens, Angel Nolan
1st & 2nd                      Kathy Porch, Madison Toomin

3rd - 5th                       Patty MacAdams, Lauren Serebransky
Counters                       Kathy Berry, Barb Frazeur
Greeters                        Greg Corrado

                                      Katrina Mariani
                                     

                                                                                               

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

VBS –For all the children and their families to have hearts & lives changed through VBS.  For all our volunteers as they do God's work!

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

 

 

So Grateful for Hope,
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.