Hope Notes 2/19/15

Dear Friends of Hope ~

One thing I like to do during worship at church is to close my eyes and listen to the sound all our voices joined together as one.  While I can't hear each person individually, I know that I am listening to the voices of so many people I know and love. That God would place me in a church where its people would truly become my family fills me with overwhelming gratitude.  And to be given the privilege of raising our voices together in praise is such an added blessing.  I love to hear our worship team play the songs I know so well.  In fact, they have 'ruined' some of those songs for me – I prefer hearing them played by our team as opposed to the original artist, lol!  (Dana Ott stop reading now)  I get the cds and play them over and over in my car!  It's made all the more special because I know the people who are doing the song.  I don't personally know Chris Tomlin or Paul Baloche, etc.  It's just the best kind of wonderful to have my favorite people doing my favorite songs and being surrounded by my favorite church family as we sing them!

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE 

February 22 – Love Does (John 14:12-24)

The age old question: what is love?  Defining such a powerful and multifaceted idea has always been challenging.  Most people by default identify love with a feeling, a great, wonderful feeling.  Of course, it is more than that, but love is almost always connected to an emotional experience.  But Jesus says that love is active – specifically active.  Love is not something that comes and overwhelms us.  It's something we do.  Something we're called to do!  Do you love God?  Do you love others?  The best way to know is to look at how you choose to act.  Jesus tells us what kind of actions define love for Him and love for the Father

 

COUNTDOWN TO TWO SERVICES

March 1^st 2015

This is our big day – we begin having two worship services!  We'll have one at 9:00 and one at 11:00. We're excited to see where God leads in this new venture.  Here's a brief rundown of the new times for our basic pre-service activities:

Ø  Prayer Huddle (for both services) 8:40-8:45 am Sundays

Ø  Prayer Time - 8:30 in prayer room

Ø  Teachers in Class/ Greeters at Posts - 1st service 8:45, 2nd service 10:45

Ø  Worship Team Morning Run Through - 8:15 am

 

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

 

FEBRUARY BIBLE VERSE

Psalm 118:5-6

"When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

 

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 GROUP

1^st & 3^rd Mondays 7:00 pm – 8:40pm

Studying "Not a Fan-Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus"

God's Girls Group is a warm welcoming place where women are cared for and loved. It is a place to grow closer to the Lord and one another. We offer Bible Studies, Special Events, Retreats, Outings, and Outreaches. All women at Hope are welcome; feel free to bring a friend! Childcare is provided. Contact Jennifer Nolan at jnolan1962@yahoo.com to be added to our email list for updates and info.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 22: (Sunday 2:30pm) 9th Annual Mall Walk for the Homeless!  Flyers with more info are in the resource room or contact Michelle Schmidt at LegalShell@yahoo.com.

 

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 "STARTER GROUPS"

Every Thursday Night thru February @ 7:00 pm

Small Groups are a vital part of getting connected with others and forming deeper relationships than a quick 'hello' on Sunday mornings.  If you are new to Hope or you've been coming to Hope for some time now and haven't been able to get plugged into a small group, then the Small Group "Starter Group" is the opportunity you've been waiting for! This group will give you an introduction to small groups in terms of how they work, and hopefully after the four weeks, you will feel empowered to connect with others attending the starter group to multiply and start your own small group. If you have any questions, please contact Damon Briggs at

 damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com.

 

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

 

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEWS

 

GO ZONE

Go Zone is our Sunday Morning kid's 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

CHOICES OF THE HEART BABY BOTTLES

The Choices of the Heart baby bottles are here! Simply take home a baby bottle as a reminder to pray for the unborn and fill the bottle with spare change or a check made out to Choices of the Heart. Choices is a local crisis pregnancy center that supports women who choose to keep their babies through free pregnancy tests and  Ultrasounds, with ongoing counseling & group support. They also offer post-abortion services, help for male partners, and high school prevention education. All bottles are due back March 8^th.

 

HOPE CO-ED SOFTBALL TEAM

§  Must be 15 years old before the close of the season (middle of July)

§  Teams with Pitman Methodist

§  Season runs from April through July

§  Games are played on week nights with the exception of Wednesdays (6:30/8:00/or/9:30)

§  Sign Up is on the Sign Up table in the lobby

§  See Lenny Little with any questions

 

GREETER MEETING – THIS SUNDAY

Sunday, February 22^nd

There will be a short Greeters' meeting immediately following worship.  See Deb Caranci with any questions.

 

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 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.  We meet in the 1^st/2^nd grade classroom.  Enter through the rear doors. Contact Hope4Recovery@yahoo.com with any questions.

 

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

 

WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY TEACHERS WANTED 

Have you been thinking about leading a small group of adults in a short-term Bible study?  The elders are looking for teachers who are interested in doing month-long Wednesday night workshops.  The door is wide open for a variety of topics.  If you're interested, get a summary of your curriculum / study to Pastor Mark by Easter.  The elders will seek God's direction for which classes to include for our next round of workshops in May!

 

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 following classes are in immediate need of teachers & helpers:

1^st & 2^nd grade / Lisa Fiorile at Lfiorile@hotmail.com

3^rd – 5^th grade / Mary LeBeau at marylebeau@verizon.net  

Pre-K & Kindergarten / Lauren DellaRova dellarova@verizon.net

Toddler class / Kara Ott at karajoellxo@gmail.com

 

FOOD PANTRY

We have a shortage of 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 Carole Baumiester with any questions or if you are interested in helping with our pantry. Thank you!

 

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery                        Melissa McGinness, Lesley Russell, Faith DeWalt, Lorraine Roch

Toddlers                       Kit & Emily Foster
Pre K – Kindergarten   Karen & Amanda Merriell
1st & 2nd                     Rich & Patty Bunnell

3rd - 5th                       Brittany Bley, Michelle Schmidt
Counters                      Lois Hartwell, Barb Frazeur
Greeters                       Ken Blythe

                                     Delores Baade

                                     Ellen Boales

                                     Lorraine Koch

Wed. Evening Nursery Mary LeBeau

 

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

 

Lifting my Heart in Song,
Lois

 

 

 

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