Hope Notes 11/3/2016

 

 

 

Dear Friends of Hope ~

This is the weekend Daylight Savings Time ends.  We all need to remember to SET OUR CLOCKS BACK one hour before we go to bed Saturday, otherwise we will all wind up at church an hour late!  The upcoming time change made me remember the experience Michael and I had earlier this year when we were in Nevada helping my brother.  We stayed at a little hole-in-the-wall hotel called The Border Inn, rightfully named because it was literally on the border of Utah and Nevada.  This meant their little 'casino' & cafe section was in Nevada (where gambling is legal & rampant), and the row of rooms was in Utah. Now, that shouldn't have been a problem for us except for one thing.  There is a time difference of one hour between the two states.  Every time we drove through the parking lot, our digital clocks would automatically go back or ahead one hour!  Add to this the fact that we were still operating on Jersey time (three hours ahead).  We began to get confused as to what the real time was.  We tried watching the news to see the time onscreen, but realized we didn't know if the newscast was based in Utah or Nevada!  When we had an appointment in Utah, we had to mentally add an extra hour because, as soon as we left the parking lot to head in that direction, we were already an hour behind!  Confused yet? You can imagine how we felt!  We finally just gave up.  I don't think we got ourselves straight until we'd been back home for a week!

Now take a look at this - "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day." (Joshua 10:13)  Did you catch that? God made the sun stand still!!  Talk about a confusing time change!  Can you imagine what those Amorites must have thought?  I'm sure they were quite frightened.  I love that we serve a God who is so powerful and so in control of everything that He can make the sun stand still at His command.  This is a reassuring truth for me to take hold of whenever I feel frightened or confused. God is in control no matter what the circumstances……….or time of day!

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

11/6 – Truly Trusting the Lord (Proverbs 30)

Trust can be a tricky thing.  You may be prone to distrust at this point in your life, but all of us are virtually required to start out life with complete trust.  We are helpless and entirely dependent on those taking care of us.  As life moves on, we experience betrayals of trust and we start to learn the dangers of opening ourselves up to the weaknesses of others.  This can bring doubt into our relationship with God as well.  When He tells us to trust Him, we can find ourselves struggling to get past those other experiences.  Without even fully realizing it, we can talk about trusting Him without fully trusting Him.  Let's look at what Proverbs tells us about a heart that trusts the Lord.

 

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

 

NOVEMBER CHALLENGE VERSE

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

7:00 – 8:15 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.

 

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

 

SMALL GROUPS

We want everyone to be a part of a small group! If you have a small group together, use a REGISTRATION FORM to list the when and where of your group as well as the people who are included.  Give that form to an elder or the pastor, or drop it in the offering slot. If your group needs some more members, post your partially filled group registration form on our 'Small Group" bulletin board so others can sign up for your group. If you don't have a group, you can sign up on one of the groups posted on our Small Group Bulletin Board or start your own! Study sheets are available online at our website under 'Small Groups" (www.hopechristianfellowship. org) and in the Resource Room.

 

GOD'S GIRLS WOMEN'S GROUP

Mondays at 7:00

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.

 

                                                           YOUTH NEWS

 

SUNDAY NIGHT ROOTED YOUTH GROUP

6:30 – 8:30

Our middle school and high school groups meet right here at church! Come out for another amazing year as we grow closer together and closer to God!

Please Note:  Youth Group will NOT be meeting on November 27^th

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT GROW GROUPS

7:00 – 8:15

Our middle school and high school groups meet here at church. We are doing a series called, 'Can I Really Ask That?' where we'll be looking at questions regarding doubt, hell, forgiveness, evil, sex, and more.

Please Note:  Grow Groups will NOT be meeting November 23^rd 

 

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

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

VOLUNTEER POSITION

Kids Alley, a ministry to children and families living in the City of Camden is in need of volunteers for its Saturday program. Our most urgent need is an adult bible teacher and a middle school boy's teacher/mentor. You can volunteer once a month or every other month. 

The Saturday Live program runs every Saturday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church at 18 White Horse Pike in Haddon Heights.  Volunteers are asked to arrive at 9:00 for a meeting and preparation and stay till 100 pm to help clean up. The actual program time is 10:45 am - 12:45 pm. For more info contact Brenda Hallahan @ 856-546-1098 or brendah@kidsalley.org. 

 

MUSIC MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY

Looking for an opportunity to 'sing and make music unto the Lord'? If so, we would love to explore the possibility of finding a fit for you in the music ministry here at Hope. There are lots of places to serve besides our Sunday morning worship team such as Wednesday night Bible Study, Kid's Ministry in the GoZone, and even with our teens in Youth Group! If you are a gifted singer and/or instrumentalist, we want to invite you to come out for an informational meeting and audition on Thursday, Nov.10th at 7:00pm. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer so you'll need to start there, then contact Dana Ott (danaott@hopechristianfellowship.org) for more information or with any questions.

 

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 coming in January. 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.

 

*******CHRISTMAS ANNOUNCEMENTS*******

 

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD – SHOEBOXES

Thanks to all who took home our 200 shoeboxes!  (If you did not receive one of the free shoeboxes, you can use your own or pick one up at a Dollar Store.)  Extra labels are on the OCC table at Hope.

Here's how to make this easy & fun:  CHOOSE a boy or girl and the age category.  FILL WITH a quality 'wow' item, then add other fun toys, hygiene items, and school supplies. PRAY for the child who will receive your gifts; you can include a personal note & photo.  If you'd like, you can donate $7 online and receive a tracking label to discover the destination of your shoebox.  www.smaritanspurse.org/operation-chirstmas-child/follow-your-box

Finished shoeboxes are due back at Hope by Sunday, November 13^th.

 

CHRISTMAS CHOIR

Calling ALL singers!! Christmas Choir is back!! It's time again to gather up and gauge the interest for our Adult Christmas Cantata (9th grade and up). The performance date will be Dec.11th for the both the 9 and 11 o'clock services and choir practice will be Wednesday nights starting at the end of October (definite date TBA). There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer and we need you to start signing up NOW!  The chorus books are here and in the front of the auditorium.  If you take a book, please be sure to sign your name and what part you will be singing.  See Dana Ott with questions.

 

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Christmas will soon be upon us, and come November, HopeKids will be gearing up for another great year of celebrating Jesus' birth, through a musical program!  We need volunteers who are willing to help with all of the preparation including teaching the songs and script, supervising practices and putting the program together.  Please contact Matt Russell if you are interested. 

 

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

Do you enjoy the announcements that play up front on our screens?  Or how about being able to see the words to our worship songs?  That's our Media Team's doing!  They could use some volunteers.  They will gladly teach you exactly what you need to know………..they promise it's not hard!  Contact Rick Mounce (rick861@mac.com) if you are interested, or just see one of the guys up in the sound booth!

 

PANTRY NEEDS

Our pantry is pretty well stocked with food items, however there are some things that we don't have!  We are looking for those personal hygiene items such as toilet paper, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, etc.  These donations would be greatly appreciated by those families in need!  Thank you.

         

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery 9:00        Sara Cartella, Anki Hill

Nursery 11:00      Leah Hallahan, Lauren Czyzewski

Toddlers 9:00       Elizabeth Staley, Yesenia Marquez, Julia Schmidt

Toddlers 11:00     Jeanne Wurst, Shelley Udinski, Leah Riddell
Pre K – K 9:00      Bill & Griffin McGinness

Pre K – K 11:00    Lauren DellaRova, Prisca Ogunkanmi
1^st & 2^nd – 9:00     Christmas Program Practice

1^st & 2^nd – 11:00   Christmas Program Practice

3rd - 5^th   9:00      Christmas Program Practice

3^rd – 5^th   11:00     Christmas Program Practice

Ushers 9:00          Mike Hartwell

Ushers 11:00        Tom Albright

Wed. Nursery       TBA

Counters              Kathy Berry, Wendy Devereaux

Greeters               Paul Hoffman

                             Donna Hoffman

                             Lisa Minner

                             Patti Tomasetti

 

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.

 

 

He is My Refuge,

Lois

 

 

 

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