Hope Notes 8/7/14

Dear Friends of Hope ~

I have this verse hanging in my bathroom. (Sorry for saying 'bathroom' in the Hope Notes, lol!) 

"…….my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27   It helps me to remember that only God can give true peace.  We are so cavalier with His gift of peace.  It is there for us through every trial, every day, every hour.  He gives it freely and we give it back.  We continue to try and find peace on our own through things the world has to offer.  I know I am guilty of turning to my husband or a friend in order to hear some words of wisdom that will bring me 'peace'.  Then I toss and turn at night, wondering why I can't sleep.  It's in those moments that I hear God calling me to turn to HIM first; He has pulled me out of slumber so that I will pour my heart out to Him. Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28 If we want to experience God's most precious gift of peace, we must turn to Him, accept the gift, and hold onto it with all our heart!

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE  

August 10 – Sight and Blindness (John 9:26-41)

If you have ever been on a serious hiking trail, you probably know from experience that the trail is marked.  Walking with your head down can get you lost – you need to be paying attention to the markings or you could easily wander off the trail.  Let's say a hiker did just that (wandered off the trail) and they realized it.  How foolish would it be to press forward in spite of the fact that there was no longer any trail.  As we finish the story of Jesus' healing of the blind man, we see this type of response.  One man sees clearly, and the others are lost and yet they keep insisting that they aren't.  Jesus talks about those who are blind, those who see, and those who claim to see but act like they are blind.

 

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 vial; I will hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it."

 

AUGUST WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ARE FAMILY NIGHT

7:00 – 8:15 pm

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

 

August 13 – Movie Night

God's Not Dead (http://www.godsnotdeadthemovie.com/synopsis)

To Save a Life   (http://www.tosavealifemovie.com/index.php)

The Lego Movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/)

You can take your pick of which movie you'd like to see!  More details to follow.

 

August 20 – Game Night

All kinds of family friendly games!

 

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

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

JULY GIVING REPORT

The weekly average giving for the month of July was $4804.  This is well below our annual average weekly giving target of $5600 and brings our current year to date average to $5563.  We're praying for the faithfulness of God's people through the summer to keep us on track and for our finances to never be a hindrance to what God is doing at Hope!

 

NEEDS MINISTRY CARDS

We know that sometimes it's hard to come and ask for help.  So our Needs Team now has some yellow cards where you can request help (financial, food, physical, etc) for yourself or for someone else.  Just pick up a card in the Resource Room, fill it out, and drop it in the Prayer Box.

 

BUSINESS MEETING – THIS SUNDAY

August 10

Partners, we need you here!

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

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.

 

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                         Sara Cartella, Anki Hill

Toddlers                        Karen Blythe, Jenna Gaventa, Madison Winstel
Pre K – Kindergarten    Craig & Tina Campana
1st & 2nd                      Patty & Rich Bunnell

3rd - 5th                        Deb Caranci, Dana Farrell
Counters                        Bill Berry, Mike Hartwell
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

 

 

Covered by His Peace,
Lois

 

 

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