Hope Notes 1/8/15

Dear Friends of Hope ~

When our pup Olive goes outside, if something gets caught in her paw or if it steps in something yucky (you know what I mean!), she will go completely still, then fall over on her side with her legs straight out.  It's hysterical!  She will stay like that until I go and 'rescue' her.  She does this no matter what the weather is.  You can imagine that I don't like having to leave the warmth of my house and trudge through the snow to offer the assistance she needs!  She doesn't try to help herself, she doesn't try to forge ahead and make it back to the house on her own power.  She waits for me.  (I know you know what's coming!)  When WE are faced with an obstacle or a problem, how often do we wait on the Lord to help us?  Most times, we try and fix it ourselves or we rush to continue on without stopping and asking for His help.  We usually don't simply 'be still' and wait for Him; we are big on self-reliance.  Now, I'm not saying we should fall over with our legs straight out………….but perhaps we could take a mini lesson in trust from my furry little four legged friend and remember to rely on the One who is always there just waiting for us to turn to Him!

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE 

January 11 – The Servant Jesus (John 13:1-5)

If someone gave you a brand new car, what would you do with it?  Would you say thank you and sell your old car?  Maybe you'd even give your old car away.  But would you give away the new car?  This kind of thinking is not what normally occurs to us.  But when we look at Jesus washing His disciple's feet that is exactly the way Jesus thinks.  He chooses to take His position, authority, power and use it for the benefit of others and to His own loss.  What does Jesus know that we don't?  We believe that Jesus' willingness to give away what was His led to the offer of eternal life and salvation to every person.  Jesus as a servant to each person is a concept that tells us so much about our Lord!

 

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

 

JANUARY BIBLE VERSE

Colossians 4:2

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

1 CORINTHIANS / 7:00 – 8:15 pm

Make sure you set aside time to come and study God's Word mid-week.  This helps keep you rooted in Scripture and connected to each other.  Childcare is provided.

 

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.  Contact Jenn Winstel with any questions at jenwinrn@comcast.net.

 

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

1^st & 3^rd Mondays 7:00 pm – 8:40pm

January 19th & February 2nd - Craft Night, bring scrapbooking supplies to make a devotional.

February 16th - New Study Begins, details coming soon.

All women high school age and up are invited!  Contact Jennifer Nolan at jnolan1962@yahoo.com to be added to our email list for updates and info.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

 

NEW FAMILIES LUNCHEON

Sunday, January 18^th

We will be having a luncheon for those of you who are fairly new to Hope immediately following the morning service.  It's a great time to get a chance to meet each other – Sunday mornings are just too hectic to be able to connect in a meaningful way. Be sure to sign up in the lobby so we know how many to prepare for!

 

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

Small Groups are a vital part of getting connected with others and forming deeper relationships than a quick 'hello' on Sunday mornings. Study sheets can be found in the Resource Room or downloaded right from our website. You can contact Damon Briggs at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com with any questions.

 

YOUTH NEWS

 

ROOTED MIDDLE SCHOOL             

Wednesdays from 7:00 – 8:30

 

ROOTED HIGH SCHOOL

Sundays from 6:30 – 8:30

 

Note:  Over the holidays there will be no Rooted on January 4^th.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

January 31^st – Camden Outreach

 

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

 

 

TODDLER TEACHER/HELPER MEETING

Sunday, January 18^th

All the new curriculum is put together and ready to go!  There will be a short meeting after service for all Toddler Class teachers and helpers.  If anyone is not able to attend the meeting, please contact Kara Ott at karajoellxo@gmail.com so that she can go over the curriculum with you another time.

 

BAPTISM SERVICE

Wednesday, February 11^th

We're planning a baptism service dependent on response.  We'll need a sufficient number of people interested in order to go ahead with the service.  As always, there will be two classes leading up to it.  See Pastor Mark if you have any questions.

 

MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

February 13^th – 15^{th ♥}

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your spouse than to get away to the Hershey Lodge for a weekend!  Family Life puts on this event and it is an awesome opportunity to focus on each other.  The leaders share lots of personal stories and plenty of Bible based teaching on God's design for marriage.  Whether your marriage is amazing or facing some struggles, don't miss this chance to build what God has given you.  Rooms fill up quickly, so don't wait - register and reserve a room today!

Cost - $99.99 per couple (regular registration is $99.99 per person, but using the promotional code BOGO gets you half off through Jan. 26th!) plus $119 per night for Hershey Lodge accommodations.

Conference begins Friday night at 7 pm and ends on Sunday at 1 pm.

Register on ww.familylife.com

Group Code is HopeWoodbury

Call Hershey Lodge to reserve a room at 800-437-7439

See Dave Hallahan or Matt Russell for more info.

 

HOPE FOR RECOVERY

Tuesdays at 7:00 pm

Are you ready to let go of strongholds?  Have you tried and tried on your own with no success? Hope for Recovery is a weekly group where we learn to let go, step by step.

 

There is no greater practical guide than the Bible to lead us out of darkness.  Based on the Word of God, The Twelve Steps for Christians are a spiritual pilgrimage that we use as a way out of self-destructive behaviors.  Many of us have learned these behaviors in childhood or have developed them along the way through unhealthy situations.  This biblically based journey teaches us to learn new, edifying ways to think and act, leading to a closer relationship with God.

 

It's not about the habit, it's about the heart, and God wants to restore you to wholeness.  So whether you struggle with addictions, co-dependency, habits, hang-ups or are just plain "stuck" in your spiritual walk; Hope For Recovery is a safe and confidential meeting place to take off your mask and break down your walls.

We meet in the 1^st/2^nd grade room, Tuesday nights at 7pm.  Enter through the rear doors.  COME AS YOU ARE!!!! Contact Hope4Recovery@yahoo.com with any questions.

 

 

 

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

 

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEEDS

With the upcoming addition of a second service, we will be needing more help in our classrooms.  Please contact Matt Russell at mruss800@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.

 

The 3^rd – 5^th grade class is in immediate need of teachers and helpers.  Contact Mary LeBeau at marylebeau@verizon.net if you can help!

The Toddler class is in immediate need of a teacher. Contact Kara Ott at karajoellxo@gmail.com if you can help.

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Our Building Team is looking ahead to winter and hoping to put together a list of volunteers to come clear our sidewalks when it snows.  If you would be willing to do that, please contact Brad Hopkins at 609-502-0510 or Bob Baumiester at 609-458-7777.

 

NURSERY HELP

Our nursery is overflowing with babies!  We need to add more helpers in order to provide adequate care for our little ones.  If you can rock a baby, we need you!  Contact Don or Alicia Heverly if you would like to volunteer – lilfeet21@hotmail.com.

 

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.

 

FOOD PANTRY

During the holiday season, we have been getting extra requests for food.  This has left us with a shortage for baby food, freezer items, tuna fish, canned goods, soup, pasta and sauce, etc.

Any donations would be 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                        Nicole Babli, Lisa Landis, Christina Landis, Nina Abate

Toddlers                       Kara Ott, Amanda Mills, Prisca O.
Pre K – Kindergarten   Lauren & Elizabeth DellaRova
1st & 2nd                     TBA

3rd - 5th                       Mary LeBeau, Angel Nolan
Counters                       Kathy Berry, Carole Baumiester
Greeters                        Greg Corrado

                                      Sharon Sambucci

                                      Georgia Perrong

                                      Katrina Mariani

Wed. Evening Nursery  TBA

 

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

Second Service – We're targeting March 1, 2015 as the Sunday to begin having two services.  Lots of planning and work to do to make this possible.  Please pray for God's leading, provision, and strength!

Financial Projects – We have two big needs for 2015.  Looking at approximately a $15,000 cost to change from oil to gas in order to save thousands of dollars each year.  We also need to replenish our emergency fund of $10,000 (we used almost all of that to address vandalism and theft issues this past year).  Please pray as we ask the Lord to provide funding in both of these areas.

 

"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

 

Relying on Him,
Lois

 

 

 

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