Hope Notes 8/27/15

Dear Friends of Hope ~

Have you seen it? Do you feel it? Fall is coming.  For a few weeks now I've been seeing the subtle changes around us.  Our yard has the slightest sprinkling of leaves scattered across the lawn.  The foliage along the sides have bits of red and yellow dotted among the greenery.  The trees have lost their lush, green luster and are beginning to look just a little faded.  Sometimes now, in the early morning or late evening, I can feel the cooler breezes which offer a taste of what's to come.  There is nothing we can do to stop the seasons from changing.  Neither can we halt the many changes which affect our lives – sometimes from moment to moment.  This COULD make us feel as though everything around us is spinning out of control.  But this is far from the truth.  Our God holds the world and our lives in His hands.  And the good news is………HE never changes! Malachi 3:6 assures us, "I the Lord do not change".  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever".  So hang on to these truths and enjoy the changing of the seasons with the peace and assurance that God is on His Throne and He is in control.

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

The Power of God

Want to know how to access the power that God has available for us?  It's simpler than you think!  Come hear Mike Hartwell (one of our elders) as he talks about putting our faith and trust in God.  There are many examples in Scripture of those who did just that and had amazing results.  We can look at these illustrations and learn how to go about putting everything in God's hands and trusting Him completely.  What happens when we do that is life changing.

 

FALL SERIES – FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

Starting this September, we will be doing a series on failure.

In our 'go-getter' world, this is our mantra.  We cannot allow for failure.  Somehow, winners find a way to succeed no matter what happens.  But we're going to take a look at how real life gets in the way of that idea.  For Christians, failure isn't an option either.  But why?  And what do we do when we fail?

 

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

8:40 – 8:45 for Both Services

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 8:40 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 at 8:30 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

Proverbs 16:25

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

Please Note:  We'll be starting regular Bible study on 9/9

There will be no activities at church on 9/2.

 

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.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

 

SMALL GROUPS

September will be upon us before you know it and now is the time to begin thinking about Small Groups!  Let's take the month of August to pray about starting or joining a Small Group.  Think about who to ask, along with where and when to meet. It's so easy – you can facilitate the group or just offer your house as a hosting site. Contact Damon Briggs for further information at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com.  First study sheet will be going out on 9/27.

 

SMALL GROUPS FACILITATOR / HOST MEETING

In preparation for the kickoff of our small groups, we want every facilitator and host to join us for a meeting on September 20th.  We will be holding the meeting twice, once after each service that morning in the kitchen.  Pastor Mark will be talking about how we want small groups to run and answer any questions you have.  We want this vital ministry in our church to get off to a great start and for every host and facilitator to have all the info they need.

 

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.

 

YOUTH NEWS

 

HIGH SCHOOL RETREAT

September 4^th – 6th

Please Note the Change of Date

We will be going to Ocean City, NJ for our annual High School Retreat. Registration forms are available outside of the youth room or on our website. The retreat center we are staying at double booked on us so we've had to move the retreat up a week. The good news is the cost is now $20.Be sure to kick off the new school year blues with another awesome retreat in Ocean City!

 

YOUTH GROUP KICK OFF

MARK YOU CALENDARS!!!!

September 20th will the official start to our new year. Our middle school and high school groups will be meeting at the church on Sundays from 6:30-8:30 all year long! Come out for another amazing year as we grow closer together and closer to God!

 

UGANDA MISSION TRIP

July 2016

In July 2016, we have the opportunity to bring a team of Hopers to Uganda to work alongside the Hallahan family. As a church, we have supported Josh, Kelly, and their family through our prayers and finances but we are very excited to be able to get our feet on the ground with them in Uganda.
For those interested in going, your deposit is due by August 30th to reserve your spot. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for another meeting in September!  See Dave Hallahan for further information.

 

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/HCFHope

                              

                                                                                                                ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

KID'S ALLEY CONVOY OF HOPE MEETING – THIS SUNDAY

Sunday, August 30^th @ 10:20

Have you been reading and hearing about the Convoy of Hope kid's event coming on September 19^th?  Well, we now have the details and it's going to be even fun than we thought!

Hoping you all will join us THIS SUNDAY the 30^th at 10:20 (between services) to learn lots more of what is going on that day to see where you might fit.  PLEASE come out and be a part of this event – we really NEED you.  Remember to sign up on the signup sheet in the lobby so we know that we can count on you!  Contact Wendy Devereaux @ robwendydevereaux@comcast.net or Brenda Hallahan @ bhallahan@verizon.net.

 

ONLINE GIVING OPTION

It's easy and convenient!  Simply go to our website and click 'Online Giving'.  You have the options to set up recurring donations (like automatic bill pay), or give one time donations as well.  The amount and frequency are up to you.  This will allow many of us to be intentional and faithful in our support of Hope.  Contact Damon or LaTosha Briggs with any questions.

 

ENVELOPES FOR DESIGNATED GIVING

Sometimes, God lays it on our heart to give a little extra for His kingdom.  He may have provided the financial means for it or just the nudge in our hearts.  In order to help make this easier for you as the giver and Hope as the receiver, we have some envelopes in a wall mounted bin next to our regular offering slot.  If you'd like to give to a special project or ministry, just use one of these envelope and check off the correct category.  Please note that these envelopes are not for your usual Sunday offering. 

 

HAVE OUR ELDERS PRAY WITH YOU

The New Testament has this wonderful ministry for the elders of a church - PRAYER.  And we'd like to offer it to anyone who is in need of healing (physical or otherwise) or who needs the power of God to be at work in their lives in a special way.  If you or anyone you know would like to take advantage of this ministry, contact Pastor Mark to set up a time after one of our Sunday services for the elders to pray over you.

 

MISSIONARY MOMENT

KIDS ALLEY CONVOY OF HOPE

Saturday, September 19^th from 12:00-4:00pm

Local Kids Alley Outreach Mission Event

HCF is joining with several other local churches for a fun event with the youth of Camden. Sponsored by Kid's Alley, the event is called the Convoy of Hope. It will be held at Whitman Park in Camden.  We need about 20 volunteers total so we can set-up and run 4 carnival games for the event.  Kids Alley is responsible for the "Kids Zone" which will include the following:

Craft table, face painting, temporary tattoos, clowns and a carnival type game. Signup sheets for volunteers are in the lobby.  Contact Brenda Hallahan at bhallahan@verizon.net.

Some links about their amazing year around program:

http://kidsalley.org/

https://www.facebook.com/kidsalley?ref=search

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

 

CONNECTING AND SERVING AT HOPE

There are so many places to connect and serve here at Hope.  Keep your eyes on this section to be aware of all the different opportunities for you to effectively serve at Hope. There truly IS 'something for everyone' and we want to make it easy for you to know all the different options!

 

KIDS ALLEY CONVOY OF HOPE

Saturday, September 19^th from 12:00 – 4:00

Just a reminder to SAVE THE DATE to help with the carnival games. There is now a signup sheet in the lobby for possible volunteers and an informational meeting to be held on Sunday, August 30^th between services to learn more details. Contact Brenda Hallahan @ bhallahan@verizon.net.

 

CLEAN UP CREW

Looking for a few volunteers that attend 2nd service on Sunday to pick up trash after the service. See Ken Blythe for details at kblythe99@gmail.com.

 

COFFEE MINISTRY

We need at least two helpers to set up and take down the coffee station on Sunday mornings.  Contact Karen Blythe at kblythe99@gmail.com if you can help.

 

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery 9:00                Faith, Jeanne, and Katherine

Nursery 11:00               Don & Alicia Heverly

Toddlers 9:00               Karen Blythe, Julia Schmidt

Toddlers 11:00             Amanda Mills, Madison Winstel
Pre K – K 9:00              Craig & Tina Campana

Pre K – K 11:00            Jennifer & Samantha Edwards
1^st & 2^nd – 9:00            Lisa Fiorile, Charlotte Zediker

1^st & 2^nd – 11:00          Ann Schweigart, Charlotte Zediker

3rd - 5^th   9:00              Mary LeBeau, Chelsea DeWalt

3^rd – 5^th   11:00            Kimmi Biglin, Kristy Tomasello
Counters                        Mike & Lois Hartwell

Ushers 9:00                   Bob Baumiester

Ushers 11:00                Brad Hopkins

Greeters                       Ken Blythe      

                                     Delores Baade

                                     Ellen Boales

                                     Lorraine Koch

                              

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 Contact Us Form on our website.  http://www.hopechristianfellowship.org/contact/.  If you have any questions or would like to join the Prayer Team, please contact Bill Berry directly at billandkathyberry@comcast.net.

 

 

Serving an Unchanging God,

Lois

 

 

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