Hope Notes 3/9/17

Dear Friends of Hope ~

My family has a nickname for me.  They call me 'the rooster'.  No matter how late I go to bed, I always get up super early.  I WISH I could learn how to sleep in, but I just can't.  In fact, I'm always kind of glad when morning comes and I'm 'allowed' to get up! This morning I was lying in bed waiting for an acceptable time to vacate and I started thinking about how God designed us so that we needed to sleep.  What if we were just always awake?  Would that be weird or nice?  We wouldn't know we were missing sleep; I guess we'd just never be tired.  But then, what about God?  The Bible tells us He never sleeps!  "….He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:3-4)  Of course, when I looked this verse up, I then had to look up the difference between slumber and sleep (curious word nerd that I am).  Slumber is a light state where sleep is a deeper, more restorative state.  And our God does neither!  Isn't that reassuring?  You can call out to Him in prayer any time of day or night.  You never have to wait for him to wake up!  God keeps us, protects us, and cares for us - with no need for rest! It also paints a picture of His infinite power.  We NEED to sleep; we all know what happens if we go without it for an extended period of time.  God doesn't need to sleep.  He just keeps going and going and going. The very thought of this should bring us comfort and allow us to get the sleep we need, instead of lying awake worrying.  We must turn to the One who never sleeps so that we can!

 

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 12 - Asking and Receiving (Luke 11:5-13)

When you're watching an action movie, one of the ways the story creates drama and tension is by placing the hero in a situation that seems hopeless.  No matter what he tries, there seems to be no way to overcome the problem.  And then, in spite of all opposition and with seemingly no answer, the hero finds a way out.  Some of what makes that work as entertainment is that every one of us knows what it feels like to be up against a hopeless situation. If we're honest, we've often given up in these circumstances instead of pressing on.  But the story we watch inspires us to be people that persevere and overcome.  Jesus applies this concept to conversations with our Heavenly Father.  How often do we give up in prayer when it seems like nothing is happening?  Jesus calls us to be people who believe in endurance and faith in our Father's goodness as we pray.

 

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.  See the Announcements section further down…….we have lots of great things planned for the month of March!

 

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

 

WORSHIP NIGHT – THIS WEDNESDAY!

Wednesday, March 15^th

Worship music speaks to the heart and soul in ways that mere words cannot.  There is something about the sound of voices lifted in praise to our Lord and the acoustics of the instruments that provide an added depth of feeling. Come and be treated to an hour of music and praise; it will renew your spirit and remind you how awesome and powerful our God is.

NOTE: We are so excited about Wednesday night and the time we've set aside to worship our great God. During the evening, we'll be having a time of prayer and we'd like to include some specific prayer requests that are on the hearts and minds of our Hopers. If you have a prayer request that you'd like to have us pray over that night, please find a "Prayer Request" slip on the right side of the stage, fill it out, and put it in the basket THIS SUNDAY. We are privileged to pray for YOU!

 

MOVIE NIGHT

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.

 

MISSION TRIP

We are excited to announce our 2017 mission trip to BOSTON! This is open to a limited number of high school students. See Dave Hallahan with any questions.

 

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

 

FUNERAL SERVICE/PRAYER REQUEST

Please keep Steve Jones and his family in prayer as they say goodbye to his mother.  She went home to the Lord this past Tuesday.  Her life here on earth had been severely limited, and so although there is sorrow in her passing, there is also joy in knowing she is healed and whole. There will be a service at Weber Funeral Home (112 East Broad Street, Palmyra, NJ) this coming Saturday, March 11^th.  Visitation is from 2:00 – 3:00 pm, with a short service immediately following.

 

TEXT TO GIVE LAUNCH

Sunday, March 12^th

Did you know that text messaging is now over 20 years old?!  And that the average cell phone user sends about 538 text messages per month?!  We figured that since cell phone users are so comfortable sending text messages, offering text giving as another digital channel for giving made a lot of sense.  All you'll need to do is text an amount to Hope's designated number (609-251-4223)!  Detailed information will be available on an insert in this week's Salt & Light and Damon Briggs will be talking about it at both services.  You can always contact him with any questions at damon.briggs@mitchellandness.com.

 

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.

 

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.

 

PANTRY NEEDS

Our Pantry Freezer is in need of some meats.  Good suggestions are the packaged frozen meatballs, hot dogs, hamburger meat or patties, chicken pieces, ham steaks, pork chops, etc.  We are looking to stock it with meat that can easily be broken down into smaller portions for individuals OR families.  Contact Kathy Cunningham with any questions at ktstackhouse@comcast.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       Bill & Griffin McGinness

Pre-K /K 11:00    Lauren DellaRova, Prisca Ogunkanmi

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          Bob Kerr

Ushers 11:00        Tom Albright

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.

Safe in His Care,

Lois

 

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