Hope Notes 7/7/16

 

 

Dear Friends of Hope ~

I'm going to be completely honest with you all.  My heart is a little weary and a little broken as I write this. My brother did die in that little clinic I told you about last week.  Over 2400 miles away and in the middle of nowhere. But here's God's graciousness and mercy again.  Although I was literally across the country from him, I felt like I was there with him.  His nurse had the thoughtfulness to call and give me the heads up that she believed he would die before the night was over.  However, while we were talking, she watched as his heart rate suddenly begin to drop on the monitor.  She called out the numbers to me as she tried to put the phone to his ear.  So she was right there with him and able to reassure me that he died peacefully. A coincidence?  I don't believe so - God's goodness.  My family (Michael, Emily, and Drew) 'just happened' to be here for dinner, so we were all together and I was able to find comfort simply in their presence - God's provision.  Satan wants us to be crushed, in despair, abandoned, and destroyed by things like this.  However, God may allow us to be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down but He is always with us providing His grace, mercy, love, comfort, and peace. {"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…"  (2Corinthians 4:8-9)} He told us that we would have trouble in this world, but that we are to take heart because He has overcome the world!! (John 16:33).  So although I am feeling a little sad, I am mostly overwhelmed by all the ways God has shown me His love these last few weeks.  We need not fear these difficult times because we have His assurance that He is with us, He will never leave us, and He offers us a peace the world just cannot give.

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

7/10 – Life's A Mess (Proverbs 14)

COMMUNION

People are dreamers…. We love to dream.  We talk about dreaming big, about our dream home, our dream job, and some of us even daydream. When we imagine the future, we generally wish for the pleasant and the good.  But life is often uncooperative.  We get sick, we lose our job, we fight with those we love, and some days we just feel blue.  In fact, real life differs from our dreams because we don't dream messy, but life is messy.  The question is not whether you can attain your dreams, it is how you will deal with the messes that show up in life.  Proverbs has something to say to us about responding to the mess.

 

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

8:30 in Pastor Mark's Office
Do you have a heart for prayer? Our Sunday morning prayer time is open to everyone. We pray for the services that morning and for the needs in the church. If you would like to participate, just show up!  Questions?  See Bob Baumiester.  "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

 

JULY CHALLENGE VERSE

Colossians 3:1-2

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

7:00 pm

Join us as we dig into 1Corinthians and gain a deeper understanding of God's Word and its application to our daily lives.  Childcare is available.

Please Note:  We are taking a break from our regular Bible Study during the month of July.  You are welcome to come out and help decorate for VBS instead!  See Matt Russell for further information.

 

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.  Contact Dave or Leah Hallahan at dmhallahan5@gmail.com.  Childcare is provided.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP

 

ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC

Sunday, July 31^st

5:00

What better way to spend a summer Sunday than a morning of worship and then an evening of family fun at our church picnic?!  Make sure you come back with the whole family.  We'll have games and inflatables and, of course, lots of food!  We provide the hot dogs and drinks – you can sign up to bring sides and desserts.  Signup sheets are in the lobby.

 

UPCOMING FAMILY NIGHT ACTIVITIES

We're making Sundays our Family Nights this summer!  It's a great time to get together as a church family and enjoy some summertime activities.  More details to follow……

Sunday, August 7^th – Movie Night

Sunday, August 14^th – Summer Café

 

GOD'S GIRLS WOMEN'S GROUP

Mondays at 7:00

The Bible tells us we are wonderfully made - but why do our emotions seem so complicated? That's what we'll be talking about as we resume meeting this Monday.  We will begin studying Patsy Clairmont's book, "I Second That Emotion." Join us as we learn what makes us tick, and how God would like us to respond to the crazy emotions we all share. Signup sheets are in the lobby, or contact Mary Lebeau (316-6301/marylebeau@verizon.com) for information.

 

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.

*Please Note:  For the month of July, we are pushing the breakfast back to July 16^th.

 

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!

 

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEWS

 

GO ZONE

Go Zone is our Sunday Morning kid's service, planned especially for 1^st - 5^th graders.  Our goal is to encourage the kids to live with their focus on "GOing for GOD, GOing for GROWTH, and GOing FOREVER!" This service includes worship, games, and exploring important biblical truths in fun and creative ways before heading off to Sunday school.

Follow HopeKids! Ministries on Facebook at:  facebook.com/HCFHopeKids

 

CAVE QUEST VBS

July 25^th – 29^th

We are so excited for VBS!  Get ready for an over-the-top underground adventure with CAVE QUEST VBS!  Your children will come away grounded in the rock solid foundation of God's love.  This year, we are having two sessions – our 3-5 year olds will meet from 9:30 – 12:00, and our elementary kids will meet from 6:00 – 8:30pm. 

 

                                                                          ANNOUNCEMENTS 

 

FIRST RESPONDERS SECURITY TEAM

We are in the beginning stages of establishing a Security Team here at Hope in the (unlikely) event of an emergency situation taking place during the service.  We want to be proactive and have people and a system set in place so that we are prepared to handle whatever circumstance may arise.  If you are a 'First Responder' (police, security, EMT, doctor, nurse, etc.) and are interested in being a part of this team, please sign up on the sheet in the lobby.  You may also contact Mike Hartwell @ mhredeemed@gmail.com for more information.

 

PRISON MINISTRY SUPPORT

Once again, we have two of our very own (Jim Jefferson & Bill McGinness) participating in this unique prison ministry that reaches inmates with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through athletics. Statistics show that the vast majority of prisoners will not attend a traditional religious program such as a chapel service or Bible study. However, inmates will gladly attend sporting events at which a gospel message is shared.

The commitment to serve in this ministry requires many sacrifices on their part, not just the personal time spent away from their families, but a financial sacrifice as well.  We can help them through prayer and through giving donations as we feel the Lord's leading.  If you would like to contribute, please see Bill or Jim and they will give you the details on how best to give.

 

ENVELOPES FOR DESIGNATED GIVING

If God has laid it on your heart to give a little something extra for His kingdom, we have provided envelopes for you to do so!  These are not for your usual Sunday offering; they are for you to use if you'd like to give to a special project or ministry.  The envelopes are in a wall mounted bin next to our regular offering slot.

 

ONLINE GIVING TO SUPPORT HOPE

It's easy and convenient!  Simply go to our website at www.hopechristianfellowship.org  and click Online Giving.  Text to Give is coming soon!  More information will follow.  Contact Damon (damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com) or LaTosha (usafinancial2000@hotmail.com) Briggs with questions.

 

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.

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!

 

MISSIONARY COMMUNICATION TEAM

Do you have a heart for missions but don't want to travel the globe?  Or maybe you're good on social media, or have a knack for writing.  We could really use someone like YOU!  We are trying to establish regular communication with each of our missionaries.  Ideally, we'd like for each one to have an assigned person who would be their liaison.  We'd also like to put out a quarterly newsletter with current updates on our missionaries.  This is one of those projects where not much effort on your part yields big results!  Contact Barb Frazeur for more information at dwfrazfam@verizon.net or 609-970-8314.

 

TRASH TEAM

We are looking for 6 to 8 good men to make sure the trash cans go out on Wednesday evening before or after Bible Study. On your scheduled dates you simply put the cans out Wednesday evening to the designated area.  If you are unable to do so on your day, you need to contact Bob or Ken before 7:00 pm that day.  There will be a rotation schedule posted on the side of the Sound Booth. Please contact Bob Baumiester or Ken Blythe if you're interested.

 

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEEDS

Our elementary age Sunday School classes are looking for both teachers and helpers to serve. Please contact Matt Russell for more information.

                                             

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery 9:00        Paige Thomson, Lesley Russell

Nursery 11:00      Melissa McGinness, Bethany Pineda

Toddlers 9:00       Kim Haines, Leah Aureli, Katherine DellaRova

Toddlers 11:00     Rebecca & John Jacob, Natalie Mariani
Pre K – K 9:00      Pat & Elisabeth DellaRova, Libby LeBeau

Pre K – K 11:00    Kim Lawlor, Prisca Ogunkanmi
1^st & 2^nd – 9:00     Nina Mattera, Michelle Abate

1^st & 2^nd – 11:00   Anne Schweigart, Debbie Davis

3rd - 5^th   9:00      Mary LeBeau

3^rd – 5^th   11:00    Nance Reeves, Lauren Serebransky

Ushers 9:00          Rick Ayusa

Ushers 11:00        Bill Berry

Wed. Nursery       N/A

Counters              Kathy Berry, Wendy Devereaux

Greeters               Pat Keith

                             Sharon Sambucci

                             Katrina Mariani

                             Greg Corrado

                                    

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.

 

 

In the Shelter of His Wings,

Lois

 

 

 

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