Hope Notes 3/16/17

Dear Friends of Hope ~

A year ago this time we had just returned from a 'mission of mercy' journey to Nevada where we helped my brother get his affairs in order. Enough time has passed so that the difficulties of the trip have receded from my memory, and I'm left with the bittersweet recollections of my brother and the region where he spent the last years of his life.  The landscape out there was like nothing I'd ever seen.  It was just desert surrounded by mountains; wide sweeping horizons the likes of which you'd never see out here.  It made me feel so small, standing there with nothing to break the view as far as my eyes could see.  The vastness of this earth that God created was more evident there than it is here in our urban setting.  Sometimes now, when the clouds hang low in the distance, I'm able to imagine them as the mountains.  It gives me a pang in my heart and I wonder – how can I be homesick for a place I've only been to one time?  Perhaps the true source of my ache is the fact that my brother is no longer here on earth.  His being is so tied to those mountains and desert terrain that it is difficult to separate the two.

So……..if I can be homesick for a place I've only been to once, how about a place I've never been?  Like heaven.  Paul tells us how we long to be in heaven. "……….Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling." (2 Cor. 5:2)  And guess what?!  It was God Himself who created us with that longing/homesickness for heaven!  "Now the one who fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Cor. 5:5)  Isn't that cool?!  God put that desire for heaven into our hearts in part perhaps to remind us that this earth is not our home.  And if we are not IN our home, then it makes perfect sense that we would be homesick!  Makes me feel not so crazy about being homesick for that desolate yet majestic landscape of Nevada.

 

SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE

THE WORDS OF JESUS SERIES

(A Study from Luke)

Because we trust and follow Jesus, we thought it would be a great idea to take a walk through the gospel of Luke and dig into the words of Jesus Himself.  We'll find them challenging and full of insight.  And with open hearts, we'll allow the Spirit to instruct us on how we should walk as Christians in this world.

March 19 - The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

Have you ever been called a 'fool'?  If you haven't, many of us can report that it does not feel good. Sometimes you know you're acting foolish, so you're not overly surprised when you get that feedback. But when you're making decisions and choices that you think are good and that anyone else would make, getting called a 'fool' can be hard to take.  In this passage, we have this exact scenario.  And what makes it even more shocking is that God Himself calls this person a 'fool'. What would someone do or think that would be so extreme as to have this feedback from God?  Let's dive into a topic on which many people today are completely blind and then let's ask ourselves where this kind of foolishness has taken hold in our lives.

 

MESSAGES AVAILABLE 

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 in the Youth Room 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!  "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)  Bob Baumiester leads this prayer time – feel free to contact him with any questions at rbaumiester@gmail.com.

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

 

MARCH CHALLENGE VERSE

Psalm 16:8

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

A Study on 1Corinthians

7:00 – 8:15 pm

Please Note:  Our regular Bible Study is on hiatus until April 5^th

 

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

 

MOVIE NIGHT – THIS COMING WEDNESDAY

March 22^nd

Movie Night is always such a fun time!  What's not to love about free movies, popcorn, candy, drinks, and snacks?! We've even got the Red Carpet!!  The adults will be watching Risen in the auditorium and the kids will be watching Trolls in the Youth Room. Don't miss out on this entertaining family night!

 

HOPE'S CO-ED SOFTBALL TEAM

It's that time of year again!  Softball season runs from April to June on weeknights.  You must be 15 before the end of the season to play.  Signup sheet is in the lobby.  See Lenny Little with any questions (littlemanlenny@yahoo.com).

 

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 (www.hopechristianfellowship. org) under 'Small Groups" and in the Resource Room.

 

GOD'S GIRLS WOMEN'S GROUP

1^st & 3^rd Mondays at 7:00

Contact Mary Lebeau for more information

856-316-6301 or marylebeau@verizon.net

 

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!

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT GROW GROUPS

7:00 – 8:15

Grow Groups is an opportunity for our middle and high school students to dig deeper into Gods word and the issues that are relevant to their lives. 

We are on hiatus and will return April 5^th.  We will be going through The Gospel According to Pixar.

 

CHICK-fil-A SPIRIT NIGHT

Monday, March 27^th

4:30 – 7:00 pm

Join Rooted Youth Group at the Chick-fil-A on Clements Bridge Road - be sure to bring a flier with you (available in lobby) and a portion of your order will go to support this summer's Boston Mission Trip! For further questions contact Dave Hallahan.

 

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

 

DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONALS

For those of you who have been watching and waiting…………..the new Our Daily Bread devotionals are now in the Resource Room!  Thank you Connie for your faithfulness in supplying these for us!

 

WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS – TEACHERS WANTED

From time to time, Hope changes gears on Wednesday nights and breaks into smaller groups.  The focus of these groups are different topics of interest that can help us take real steps forward in our walk with God. We're going to be holding these workshops for the month of June (and September) this year.  The elders are inviting anyone with teaching gifts who would like to lead a 4 week workshop to contact Pastor Mark and get an outline and topic to him by the end of April. That way, our Leadership Team can review and approve the teachers and topics and have a signup list available through May for participants in each workshop. For more info or questions, see Pastor Mark.

 

HOPE HAS A PHONE NUMBER!        

Many of you have been asking about this, and now we are happy to announce that we have a phone number connected directly with our church!  It will be displayed on our website, Google Maps, etc. and will make it easier for people to connect with us.  Our number is 856-537-1165.  Run and write it down in your directory, add it to your phone, and spread the news!

 

HOPE SHARE

DON'T THROW IT OUT – SHARE IT!

Make sure to check out Hope Share on our website – it's place to share things we no longer use and to look for things we need!  It's easy to upload photos of items you'd like to give away and to search for that special item you just might need!

 

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.  Contact Damon (damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com) or LaTosha (usafinancial2000@hotmail.com) Briggs with questions.

 

TEXT TO GIVE

Given the sheer amount of cell phones users and text messages sent, we decided that offering text giving as another digital channel for giving made a lot of sense.  All you need to do is text an amount to Hope's designated number (609-251-4223).  For more details on how to give, simply go to our website (hopechristianfellowship.org),click on 'About' and then 'Online Giving'.  You'll find instructions at the bottom of that page.  Contact Damon Briggs with any questions at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com.

 

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. There truly IS 'something for everyone' and we want to make it easy for you to know all the different options!  You can check out our Ministry and Service Opportunities brochure (on the glass tables and in the Resource Room) and also keep your eye on this section as we post any pressing needs.

 

IMMEDIATE HOUSING NEED

We have a need for a single man here at Hope looking for a room to rent.  If anyone has information on a possible solution, please contact Barb Frazeur at dwfrazfam@verizon.net.

 

THIS WEEK'S WORKERS

Nursery 9:00        Amy Fleck, Lynn Shute, Ryan Winstel

Nursery 11:00      Lorraine Koch, Bethany Pineda

Toddler 9:00        Karen Blythe, Jackie DeCrosta, Eva Owens

Toddler 11:00      Briana Abate, Madison Winstel, Julia Neff

Pre-K/K 9:00       Pat & Elisabeth DellaRova

Pre-K /K 11:00    Jennifer, Samantha, and Ryan Edwards

1^st & 2^nd 9:00        TBA

1^st & 2^nd 11:00      TBA

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

3^rd – 5^th 11:00       Lauren Serebra, Need Helper

Ushers 9:00          Rick Ayusa

Ushers 11:00        Damon Briggs

Wed. Nursery       N/A

Counters              Lois & Mike Hartwell

Greeters               Irene Riddell

                             Pat Keith

                             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 Hap Cunningham at hapcunn01@gmail.com.

Longing for my Home,

Lois

 

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