Hope Notes 10/1/15

 

 

 

Dear Friends of Hope ~

As I write this, I have a 23 lb. Boston terrier on my lap.  This is not my normal position for typing.  Not to mention it makes it rather difficult.  But she came running in out of the blue, having been scared awake by something.  Who knows what?! Yesterday a large mushroom in the backyard frightened her, so it's anybody's guess as to what horror drove her in here.  But the point is, she knew exactly who to run to.  (Yes, because I'm a sucker and can't shove her off my lap when she's quivering).  My question for us all is do WE know who to run to and do we immediately do so?  When life throws us a curve ball, or tragedy strikes, or our fears get the best of us – where do we turn?  As fleshly beings, often our first impulse is to turn to our spouse or a friend.  We like the gratification of a verbal response or the physical sensation of a warm hug. But our first instinct should be to run to the arms of our Father, our Creator.  He alone is our safe place, our refuge, our shield, our strength, our help, our comforter.  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear….."  (Psalm 46:1-2)  Next time we're face to face with a fear or a difficult situation, let's remember to run straight to our Father and receive the kind of comfort only He can give.

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

FALL SERIES – FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

October 4 – Putting the Pieces Back Together (Psalm 51)

Most laundry detergent commercials focus on their ability to deal with stains.  A shirt is shown with some measure of grass or mud stain on them and the product is able to make it completely white again.  Unfortunately, some stains are impossible to remove.  We think about our failures like that sometimes.  Small failures can be washed away, but big ones are stains that last forever.  Humanly speaking, we cannot go back and undo our mistakes, so in that sense they are permanent. But we're going to take a look at a story of a man who really blew it, but believed that God had the power to restore him – to remove the stain.  Is it time for that kind of power and hope to be unleashed on the stains in your life?

 

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

 

OCTOBER CHALLENGE VERSE

Psalm 55:22

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."

                                                                                   

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.  Come feed your soul!  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

 

GET IN A SMALL GROUP

Many of our small groups are up and running, but we still have room for you!  There are a few groups that have posted on our Small Group Bulletin Board (next to the Prayer Room), and you can sign up if one of those groups fits you. You can also still form or register a group as well, or post a group on the board to invite more members to sign up.  If you've been part of a group before, you know how incredibly God uses them.  More details on Hope's small groups can be found on the yellow info sheets in the Resource Room. Study sheets can be picked up in the Resource Room or downloaded directly from our website. See Damon Briggs with any questions or contact him at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com. 

 

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

Our middle school and high school groups meet 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!

 

CHRISTIAN COLLEGE FAIR

Tuesday, October 20^th @ 7:00 pm

Attention all high schoolers!  There is going to be a Christian College Fair at The King's Christian School in Cherry Hill. Over 20 Christian schools will have representatives available to discuss their programs with you. This is an awesome opportunity for any and all high schoolers and their parents. For additional information see Dave Hallahan.

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

 

UPCOMING HOPE ELECTIONS

It's that time of year again when we need to begin praying about who God would lay on our hearts to serve at Hope.  Purple voting forms are in the Resource Room along with a listing of current officers. Please remember that only partners can vote or be voted for!  Just a reminder – we are VOTING not nominating.  A list of partners is posted on the board by the sound booth.  Every single vote counts; we need your participation!  Forms must be completed and returned to Pastor Mark by Sunday, November 1^st. 

HERSHEY MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

February 12-14, 2016

It isn't too early to be planning to invest in your marriage.  Join Pastor Mark and Dana at Family Life's Weekend to Remember on Valentine's weekend in Hershey, PA.  Cost is $250 per couple plus hotel costs.  While the cost is significant, so is the payoff!  Info sheets are available in the Resource Room.  

 

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.

 

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 by Sunday, October 4^th.  

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

 

LAUREN PUPCHICK - GUATEMALA

Lauren writes:

"I am the child sponsorship director at Saber y Gracia (Wisdom and Grace Christian School). We have 350 students and have also planted a church last year (Pacto de Graci – Covenant of Grace). Rudi Pineda, our principal is also the pastor of our church. The worship and the sermon are in Spanish. I am on the leadership team there and translate the message into English. We are at FULL capacity and had to turn many students and families away this year who are desperate for a quality Christ centered education. God gave us a vision to build a school to reach 1,000 students and we are walking by faith and trusting him in every way to provide all we need!"

 

A few specific prayer requests I have are:

 

·         We are praying for finances to buy a piece of land to build a school for 1000 students. God gave us that number, the first section of land we need and we know he will provide the $80,000 we need too!

 

·         To end the 2015 school year with a sponsor for each student in our program. We only need 10 more sponsors before the end of the year! www.wisdomandgrace.org.

 

·         I will be in the USA between Thanksgiving and New Years and am praying God will open the door for me to share at churches about my ministry in Guatemala.

 

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!

 

MOVING NEEDS

Jeanne Wurst will be moving to National Park, NJ on October 24^th.  Everything will be packed, but she needs some help with the actual move.  Anyone with willing hands and pickup trucks can contact Don Frazeur from our Needs Team at dwfrazfam@verizon.net and he will coordinate things for Jeanne.

 

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                Sara Cartella, Anki Hill

Nursery 11:00               Carole Baumiester, Karla Hopkins

Toddlers 9:00               Amy & Brooke Mariner

Toddlers 11:00             Rebecca & John Jacob, Natalie Mariani
Pre K – K 9:00              Linda Landis, Libby LeBeau

Pre K – K 11:00            Lauren DellaRova, Prisca Ogunkanmi
1^st & 2^nd – 9:00            Rich & Patti Bunnell

1^st & 2^nd – 11:00          Kathy Porch, Madison Toomin

3rd - 5^th   9:00              Deb Caranci, Dana Farrell

3^rd – 5^th   11:00            Kristy Tomasello, Michelle Schmidt
Counters                       LaTosha Briggs & Carole Baumiester

Ushers 9:00                   Bob Kerr

Ushers 11:00                TBD

Greeters                       Paul Hoffman     

                                     Donna Hoffman

                                     Lisa Minner

                                     Mickey Dariano

Wed. Night Nursery         Mary LeBeau, Kristy Tomasello

                              

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.

 

 

Running to His Arms,

Lois

 

 

 

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