This past Sunday during our special Morning of Worship service, Kylie read Psalm 34:4-5. “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” I couldn’t believe it. Just a little bit earlier that morning, I had a conversation with someone who was feeling so disgusted with who they were before they became a believer. They listed all their ‘bad’ qualities and literally hung their head in shame. What a merciful God we serve that He put those verses out there for us all to hear! I’m certain that this particular person was not the only one who needed so desperately to hear it. We all have stories about who we were before we met Christ, and they often invoke feelings of shame. One of the most beautiful things about our transformation is that we are NOT the people we once were! We are redeemed, covered by His blood and washed clean. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” God not only has forgiven us, He doesn’t even remember our sins. In Isaiah 43:25 we hear God declare of Himself, “I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” It’s so much harder for us to forget and forgive ourselves! Friends, if you find that thoughts about your past plague you, remember the verses shown above and let them sink into your soul. The enemy would like nothing more than to steal the peace, joy, and comfort that comes from knowing you are loved, forgiven, and made new by our glorious God! Don’t let him.
Made New…..Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Why We VBS… | VBS Kickoff
(Acts 26:9-18)
Every summer, Hope comes together to pour our hearts into Vacation Bible School. We see dozens of workers and scores of kids come out each morning and night to learn about Jesus. What is it that makes this week worth it? Why would a church spend their time, resources, and energy to put on a huge program like this? This morning, as we kickoff VBS, we’re going to read one of Paul’s accounts about his own life. He explains why he tells people about Jesus. As we head into this amazing week, let’s remember together what this is all about and why we do it!
SUMMER BIBLE STUDY: Tonight at 7:00
Join us as we finish our series in the book of Philippians! While we can’t exactly put ourselves in the shoes of the Philippians we can sympathize with a church that is being overrun by a worldly culture and ridiculed for its belief. Though they may not manifest in the same way, we can feel many of the same pressures that the Philippine Christians felt. In this way Paul’s message of encouragement, his directions to evangelize by living out loud for Jesus, and warnings against false teachings ring loudly in our ears. Through this Bible study our goal will be to read Philippians plainly, interpret its original meaning to its original audience, and apply the principles present within the text to our daily walk. Please note: there will not be Hope Youth or HopeKids! programs for this series.
FALL BIBLE STUDY: Teachers Wanted!
Do you have a heart for teaching and want to lead a Wednesday Night class? We are looking for interested teachers who would like to head up a study in the fall! Send your class topic, outline, and description to Pastor Mark at markott@hopechristianfellowship.org by July 21st.
PRAYER HUDDLE:
If you’re volunteering on a Sunday morning, whether its greeting, HopeKids!, in the sound booth, etc., please join us for a team prayer huddle! We want to gather together everyone who is serving to pray for the services. Meet at 8:40 in the GoZone!
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER:
Anyone can join us Sunday mornings at 8:30 in Pastor Mark’s office to pray for that morning’s services. Contact Bob Baumiester for more information (rbaumiester@gmail.com).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
July 18th is the 20th anniversary of the start of Hope! We’ll be having a special celebration during Sunday services on August 11th. We’d love to hear how Hope has changed your life – whether you’ve been here from the start, or just joined us! Send your favorite Hope memory, testimony, or even funny story here.
VBS: Decorating Times
We’re less than a week away from our biggest week of the summer and we could still use some help making SCUBA come to life! Your participation is vital in enabling us to spread the good news of God’s love to our kids all through the week of VBS. To help us accomplish this mission, we are looking for willing hearts and helpful hands to help us transform the church!
- Join us Thursday, July 18th any time from noon – 5:00
- Join us Saturday, July 20th any time between 9:00 – 5:00
- Join us Sunday, July 21st after church to finish the transformation!
Many hands make light work, and we’d love your help setting up our big tents for VBS & the church picnic! Join us on Saturday, July 20th at 8:30 for a quick set-up that will make a BIG impact on the kids and volunteers coming through Hope over the next week! Contact Drew DiLorenzo to help.
ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC: July 28th at 3:00
We’ll be closing out VBS week with a bang! We’ll have games, waterslides and more – plus dinner at 5:00 for the whole family! But we need your help to make this tremendous event possible! Make sure to sign-up in the lobby to bring a dish to share, or to help with set-up. You don’t want to miss out on participating in this amazing tradition at Hope!
LADIES LUAU:
“Aloha”, Ladies of Hope! You’re invited for a backyard luau with some yummy island appetizers & sweets, fun games, and lots of great fellowship with friends – old& new! The date is Friday night, August 16th from 7:00-9:00pm at the Ott’s house (6 East Ave. Clayton, NJ, 08312). Feel free to don some fun Hawaiian attire and we’ll do our best to help you feel like you’ve stepped out of New Jersey onto the islands! All you need to do is sign-up in the front foyer so we can get a headcount for set-up and snacks. Feel free to invite a guest, just be sure to sign them up as well! If you have questions or need more information, see Dana Ott. “Mahalo!”
SUMMER SCHEDULE & SERIES:
The Young Adults ministry at Hope is a group of post-high school through their twenties adults truly seeking to explore life, engage culture, and empower change while remaining ground in the Word of God. We’ll be diving into “10 Questions Jesus Asked” on the 3rd Tuesday and August. Plus we are going to have a fun event each month! Save the dates (see below) and stay tuned for the details!
- Park & Games, Sunday 7/21 at 12:00p at Red Bank Battlefield
- S’mores & More, Friday 8/9 at 6:00p
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Brian & Wendy Ball at: briwensean@aol.com
HOPE YOUTH
VBS VOLUNTEER EVENT:
We know many of our teens are working hard this summer to help make VBS special for all the little ones who come through our doors. That’s why we want to celebrate you with a special event! Any student who serves on 5 or more days in the Hope Scuba VBS will be invited to a free night of pizza, party, and bowling on August 8th! I know many of you have already started serving, but if for whatever reason you haven’t jumped in yet, what are you waiting for?! VBS is always a blast and students find their time spent to be valuable and rewarding. Not only do we get to serve God in a powerful way, there is really no replacement for the energy, camaraderie, and fellowship that comes from a big team effort like VBS. If you haven’t signed up I encourage you to find a spot to plug in here! And don’t forget to clear your calendar for bowling on August 8th! Any Hope Youth students who sign-up will receive a special punch card which will help them track their progress for the bowling party!
HOPE YOUTH CALENDAR:
Parents, stay up to date with everything happening on our calendar here!
JOIN OUR TEXT THREAD:
Stay in the loop for all of the most important notifications! Text “”hopeyouth” to (856) 420-6078 to start receiving updates this week!
For any questions about Hope Youth contact Pastor Dan at: danlein@hopechristianfellowship.org
HOPE KIDS
SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAMS:
We offer childcare and classes from our littlest Hopers to our 5th graders every Sunday morning at both services. Each classroom is staffed with friendly, enthusiastic, background-checked team members to ensure your child’s safety. Our WonderZone! serves our youngest children from infants through Pre-K, who are full of wonder about who God is! K-5th graders gather in the GoZone! where we GO for God, GO for growth and GO forever.
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org