Hope Notes 8/21/14

Dear Friends of Hope ~

I do believe our dog Olive is part elephant.  She just never forgets!  ONE time she found a locust on the wall outside, ONE time she saw a chipmunk run up the drain spout, ONE time she saw a squirrel run under the porch……………..and now every time she goes outside to potty she has to run to each of those places and check it out.  After all, you never know when that locust might return or the chipmunk might run down the spout! I guess her little doggie brain isn't crammed full with all the things we humans keep stored in our brains.  For her, only important things (like locusts and squirrels) stay in the forefront of her memory.  This is what WE should do.  I want to live the way God commands us to in Proverbs 3:1 - "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart..."  The things that should be in the front of my mind are the things of God.  I don't want to forget what He's done for me, how He wants me to live, or how much He loves me.  And yet, I often do.  My mind gets cluttered with the things of this world.  The next time I see Olive run right back to her 'important spots', I'm going to use that as a visual reminder to keep MY mind focused on what it should be!

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE  

August 24 – The Good Shepherd (John 10:11-21)

COMMUNION

How can you know how much you love someone?  It is a question that has been written about by poets and songwriters for centuries.  Is it an overwhelming feeling?  Is it a 'can't live without them' realization?  Jesus calls Himself the 'Good Shepherd' and in this description, He talks about what love does.  Love is startlingly sacrificial.  And love is grounded in genuinely knowing and embracing the person who is loved.  Jesus describes His leadership as shepherding – a unique and original way of talking about leading.  But there is so much that we can learn about a relationship with Jesus by understanding that He is our Good Shepherd.

 

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

 

AUGUST CHALLENGE VERSE

Psalm 101:3

"I will not look with approval on anything that is vile; I will hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it."

 

AUGUST WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

August 27 – Church Picnic

Please Note:  Our picnic begins at 6:00!!

Be sure to join us for one last lazy summer night together before the craziness of fall begins!  Hope is providing hot dogs and drinks; there are signup sheets in the lobby for volunteers to bring sides or desserts.  The sheets also let us know how many people to prepare for.  We will have inflatables for the kids as well as all kinds of outdoor games for everyone!  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

Join us for Family Nights (above) through the month of August!

 

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.

Please Note:  There will be NO Young Adults on Labor Day (Sept 1^st).  The next meeting will be September 15^th as usual.

 

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 KICKOFF

September 7^th

It's time to begin our Small Groups again!  Small Groups are a vital part of getting connected with others and forming deeper relationships than a quick 'hello' on Sunday mornings.  Start thinking now about putting together a Small Group or maybe inviting someone to join an existing group.  The first study sheets will be out on September 21^st.  You can contact Damon Briggs at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com with any questions.

 

 

YOUTH NEWS

 

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.

 

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

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

SAFETY ISSUE

For the safety of all our children at Hope, please do not let them climb in the trees out in front of our building.  It has been brought to our attention that those limbs are the kind that can snap without warning.  We don't want anyone getting hurt!

 

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 resume in the fall.

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

 

WORKDAY AUGUST

Saturday, August 30^th

9:00 am

Come on out and help us spruce up our church!  We have a few things that need fixing as well as some odd jobs to make Hope look its best.  Feel free to bring any tools you think might be useful.  Stay for as little or as long as you are able.  Contact Brad Hopkins for more details.

 

YOUNG ADULTS CHILDCARE

Our YA ministry needs help! We are looking for a 1-2 people who would be willing to join our childcare team on a rotating basis. The YA meetings are here at the church on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 7:30-9:00pm, and you would only need to serve once every 6 weeks. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Dana Ott at danaott@hopechristianfellowship.org as soon as possible so we can move forward to serve Hope's young adults in this way!

 

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.

 

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                         Charlotte Zediker, Amy Fleck

Toddlers                        Kara Ott, Amanda Mills, Prisca O.
Pre K – Kindergarten    Kim Lawlor, Megan Foster
1st & 2nd                      Kathleen & Cheyenne Toomin

3rd - 5th                        Kimmi Biglin, Nance Reeves
Counters                        LaTosha Briggs, Melissa McGinness
Greeters                        Ken Blythe

                                      Ellen Boales

                                      Diane Beardsworth

                                      Dolores Baade
                                     

                                                                                               

Wed. Evening Nursery   Family Nights!

 

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

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

 

 

Remembering His Promises,
Lois

 

 

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