Hope Notes 9/17/15

 

Dear Friends of Hope ~

Is it sad for me to admit that our pup Olive has given me a lesson in trust?  Every morning she wakes up deliriously happy.  And I mean crazy happy!  You know why? Because that doggie doesn't have a care in the world.  You know why?  Because she trusts me completely to meet all her needs and to do what's best for her.  Somehow she knows that, even when I'm doing something unpleasant to her, I am loving and caring for her.  So she willingly submits to the 'torture' of having me clip her nails clipped, give her a bath, or administer medicine. I can tell that she doesn't like it, but she is completely surrendered.  And the moment I'm done, she is back to being deliriously happy.  Now, why can't I do that with our Lord?!  Of course, I WANT to live a life that is free from any cares or worries.  So why don't I just entrust them all to Him?  I try, and sometimes I succeed.  But often the altar on which I place them is tilted, and before I know it they just roll back onto me.  I've found that faith & trust is sometimes a moment by moment decision.  Each time I find those worries weighing me down, I need to make the choice to surrender them to my Creator.  When I see Olive wiggling her little stump of a tail, confident that I won't allow anything bad to happen to her, I am going to remind myself to do the same.  God is for me.  He wants the best for me, even when His best means I am uncomfortable for a time.  I can be at peace no matter the situation if I keep my trust in Him. "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

FALL SERIES – FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

September 20 – Forgiving Yourself (John 21:15-25)

Famous people get caught in scandals all the time.  Some of the biggest names of our time find themselves in legal or personal battles because of their own actions. It reminds us that no matter how talented or powerful or popular someone is, we all fail.  Even Christians fail.  And some of the biggest names have failed in spectacular ways.  Peter is the leader of Jesus' disciples, but he failed spectacularly the night Jesus was on trial. And as many of us do, it seems Peter had some difficulty forgiving himself.  He seems to have believed that his failure meant that he no longer had a right to serve Jesus or to even say he loved Jesus.  Let's look at how Jesus addresses that in a private moment between the two of them by the side of a lake.

 

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

 

SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE VERSE

Psalm 32:8

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you"

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

7:00 pm

Study on 1Corinthians

Join us in the auditorium for a mid-week spiritual boost.  Studying God's Word and connecting with each other is vital to our Christian growth.  Childcare is provided.

 

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 GROUP KICKOFF MONTH!

September is the time for us to jump back into small groups. Our first study sheet (the questions that get discussed at small group) will be out on September 27^th.  If you've been a part of a group before, you know how incredibly God uses them. And if you haven't, we encourage you to get in a group!  If you're already in a group, add some new members.  Or split your group and multiply by adding new members to each part of your group. If you're not in a group, there's good news: anyone can form a group.  Just gather up a bunch of friends or meet some new ones and you're a group!  More details on Hope's small groups can be found on the yellow info sheets in the Resource Room.

 

HOW TO START/JOIN A SMALL GROUP 

Once you have a group (or the start of one), fill out a registration form.  If you're full (with 8-12 adults), give the form to Damon Briggs to register your group. BUT if you still have space in your group, we're inviting you to post your registration form on the Small Group Bulletin Board in the hallway next to the prayer room. You'll need at least a facilitator, a host and location, with a date and time so people know when and where you'll meet.  This will be a great resource for those who are looking for a group to join.  Everyone can simply take a look at the board throughout the month and find a group that fits you! If you're having any trouble finding a group, or if you have any questions, contact Damon Briggs at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com. 

 

SMALL GROUPS FACILITATOR / HOST MEETING – THIS SUNDAY

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

 

YOUTH GROUP KICK OFF

September 20th

This Sunday marks 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!

 

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

 

TRUNK OR TREAT IS BACK

Saturday, October 31^st from 4:00 – 7:00

For the second year in a row we will be opening up our church and our car's trunks to the neighborhood as we offer candy and refreshments on Halloween night in the church parking lot.  We are once again asking everyone to come up with a theme for their car and correlating costumers for their group. We had a blast last year and can't wait to do it again! Make sure to save the date and keep an eye out for more information to come. 

 

                                                         ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS COMING!

From October 28 through November 18 we will be breaking out into workshops at church for Wednesday nights.  If you are interested in teaching a workshop for these 4 weeks, please get your topic and a description to Pastor Mark ASAP.  

NOTE:  We will be having Christmas Choir rehearsals at church concurrently - all teens and adults are invited to join us for a workshop or for choir.

 

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

 

JEFF AND LISA SICKLER – WEST VIRGINIA

The following is an excerpt from their most recent newsletter:

A lot has been happening here in West Virginia.  We have hosted several mission teams this spring and summer.  A lot of home repair went on, but most importantly relationships were built and the love of Jesus was shared. We also had a church collect pennies during their VBS and are sending us a check for almost $2,000!  We are going to purchase some firewood for some of our families to keep warm this winter.

 

PRAYER REQUESTS:

·         For future planning of where the organization is going to go. They need ways to increase their income.

 

·         Personally, they would like prayer for their future also.  Who does God want them to reach out to and who will come and be His hands and feet.  They would like wisdom to balance ministry with farming and personal time. Wisdom also with their finances.

 

KIDS ALLEY CONVOY OF HOPE – THIS SATURDAY

Local Mission Outreach

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

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. Contact Brenda Hallahan at bhallahan@verizon.net.

 

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!

 

MEDIA TEAM

Our Media Team is currently looking for someone interested in helping with the projection portion of the service.  You know……the words and pictures we show up front on the screen!  If you think you'd like to help out just stop by the Sound Booth and let any one of our people know.  And don't worry – they will make sure you get the training you need!

 

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

Helpers needed 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                Melissa McGinness, Lesley Russell

Nursery 11:00               Lisa Landis, Christina Landis

Toddlers 9:00               Karen Blythe, Julia Schmidt

Toddlers 11:00             Amanda Mills, Madison Winstel
Pre K – K 9:00              Bill & Griffin McGinness, Libby LeBeau

Pre K – K 11:00            Karen & Amanda Merriell
1^st & 2^nd – 9:00            Lisa Fiorile, Charlotte Zediker

1^st & 2^nd – 11:00          Kelly Louis, Lucy Muhlbaier

3rd - 5^th   9:00              Mary LeBeau, Nance Reeves

3^rd – 5^th   11:00            Anne & Jim Jefferson
Counters                       TBA

Ushers 9:00                   Mike Hartwell

Ushers 11:00                 Brad Hopkins

Greeters                        Art Muhlbaier      

                                      Lucy Muhlbaier

                                      Charlotte Zediker

                                      Jeanne Wurst

                              

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.

 

 

Trusting Him,

Lois

 

 

 

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