I can’t decide if I’m more of a sunrise or sunset kind of person. They are both beautiful and, like snowflakes, no two are ever alike. I drive my family crazy with my continual quest for a good sunset shot. I’d probably do the same to them chasing sunrise, but luckily for them it comes along too early in the day. Sunsets and sunrises are one of our simplest and yet most profound gifts. A sunset reminds us that we were blessed to have another day, and a sunrise provides hope of a fresh new day filled with God’s mercy. “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) A sunset is God’s way of saying good night with his own display of majesty and beauty, while the sunrise gives God the chance to say good morning to His creation. I love the fact that our God made the world with such a glorious start and finish to each day. He could have left everything in shades of gray and we’d have never known the difference. However, He chose to grace us with an array of exquisite colors everywhere we look, especially the early morning and evening sky. “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns and where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” (Psalm 65:8) Our God created our world. He holds the seas in place. He sprinkles the sky with stars like diamonds across a piece of velvet. These are all things to remember whenever we might feel overwhelmed with the stresses of life. God is in charge. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all. The Giver of all things beautiful. He will not let us falter. Keep this verse from Jeremiah 31:35 in mind and be assured of His might. “I am the LORD All-Powerful. I command the sun to give light each day, the moon and stars to shine at night, and ocean waves to roar.”
Always admiring His creation, especially sunsets and sunrises……Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
20th Anniversary Service
Hope is turning 20 and we want to take a Sunday to worship the Lord, give thanks, and bear witness to the work God has done in our lives through this body of believers. We’ll have music, testimonies, and even some special treats for the day. We are grateful for God’s Holy Spirit and the way He works in our services, in our serving, and in our relationships with one another. This is a day to celebrate the goodness of God. And it is a day to re-commit ourselves to the work God is doing in our midst. Join us for a special time together as we look back and as we look forward!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Starts September 4th
We’re on hiatus for the remainder of the summer, but you can look forward to restarting this midweek spiritual boost on September 4th! We’ll have HopeKids! and Hope Youth programs, in addition to our studies for adults (see details below). Join us at 6:30 for coffee & a sweet treat before we head into classes at 7:00.
- IDENTITY: Finding The Way To Know You Have Enough Worth Led by Pastor Mark We live out of our value (or our perceived value) all the time. If we are worried that we aren’t a good parent, we live chasing the target of “always doing exactly the right thing” so that the feedback of criticism or blame will never come our way. If we believe that we are a misfit or an outcast, we live pulled back from everyone and everything, or when we do engage, we do it with caution and self-protection. At work, at school, in our relationships, and even in our worship, we bring our own ideas of worth into all that we do. Younger adults often struggle from feeling like a ‘fake’ or ‘fraud’ and run from anything that might expose their façade. Older adults struggle with regret and shame (or with pride and arrogance) based on how they perceive their own accomplishments in life. Every single one of us need to know how to know we have true and lasting worth. We’re going to look at a few of the Satanic traps that wreck people. And we’re going to look at the miraculous way we can find all the value we’ll ever need which can bring stability, contentment, and satisfaction in life.
- MALACHI Led by Pastor Ryan In the book of Malachi we arrive at a point in the Old Testament when God’s people had once again turned away from Him, even though they didn’t quite realize it. God speaks to His people through Malachi and calls them to turn away from their sin – a corrupt priesthood, rote worship, disrespect for the sanctity of marriage, disregard for the social plights of their neighbors, and neglecting to tithe appropriately – so that they can re-enter relationship with their Heavenly Father. It is a small, but powerful, book full of important wisdom for Christians today on how to maintain a healthy relationship with God!
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
For the month of July, we averaged $9485 per week bringing our annual weekly average down to $9528. Both of these averages remain below our target of $9950. We are trusting the Lord to provide for each Hoper in their own financial situations and we are trusting Him to provide for the financial needs of our church as we partner together for His Kingdom. Our Building Fund target for the year is $2000 per week and we averaged $484 per week during July. We know that the Lord has an answer for our need for additional space and we will trust that our faithful giving in this area will be exactly what we need when the time comes to use these funds for a new place of worship!
WONDERMOMS PARK TOUR:
If you’re a mom to a preschooler (0-5) we’d love for you and your kiddos to join us on the last leg of our summer Park Tour! Meet us at Fasola Park splash pad on Thursday, August 8th from 10:30-noon, and be ready to get splashed! We’re going to have so much fun and you won’t want to miss – this is our last meeting before we take a hiatus for the fall! For more info, join our Facebook Group here.
MEN’S BREAKFAST:
All men post high school and up are encouraged to join us on the second Saturday of every month for an amazing time of fellowship, prayer, and of course FREE hot breakfast! We’d love for you to come out on August 10th from 8:00-9:30. Feel free to bring a friend!
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!”
NEW TO HOPE RECEPTION:
If you are new to Hope within the past year, our staff and leadership team would love to get to know you and your family! Join us in the kitchen in-between services for a hot coffee and sweet treat on Sunday, August 25th. No need to sign-up, just show up!
MEN’S BOWLING LEAGUE:
All men post high school are invited to join Hope’s Bowling League! We play every Monday night beginning September 9th at 6:20 at Bowlero in Deptford. Sign-up in the lobby or contact Bruce Clark (609-820-4858) to join.
PARKING TEAM: New!
More people at Hope means more cars in the parking lot, and if you’ve ever tried to navigate getting in and out between services, you’ve probably experienced some chaos! We are excited to be launching our Parking Team to help guide and streamline our parking lot logistics in between services. Parking lot attendants would serve from 10:00-10:30 rain or shine. If you are interested in being a part of this team, sign-up in the lobby, or contact Mark Buzby (215.485.9494)
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 August 20th at 7:00pm. Plus we are going to have a fun event:
- S’mores & More, Friday 8/9 at 7:00p at Taylor & Sean Ball’s (38 S Columbia St, Woodbury)
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Brian & Wendy Ball at: briwensean@aol.com
HOPE YOUTH
POOL PARTY: August 23rd
Summer is coming to a close and a new school year is just around the corner. Before you pack your lunch box and buy your school supplies though, let’s end the summer with a splash with another Hope Youth pool party! Students who will be attending grades 6-12th are invited for an evening of grill food, games, and of course plenty of pool time. Our last pool party turned out to be one of the biggest Hope Youth events in years so you won’t want to miss our summer closer! Bring a towel, a friend and join us 5:00-8:00pm on at 973 Johnson Road, Sicklerville! See you there!
HOPEKIDS! HANGOUT & HOPE YOUTH KICKOFF: September 8th
All HopeKids! K-5th and Hope Youth (6th-12th) are invited to join us on Sunday, September 8th from 6-8PM for our joint Hangout Kickoff! We will be joining forces for an awesome night of worship, water games (bring a towel!), and ice cream to celebrate the start of the school year. We’ll learn how to continue deepening our relationship with God! If you have a teen or K-5th grader in your family, you won’t want them to miss it!
OCEAN CITY RETREAT: September 27th-29th
Nothing says the start of a new school year quite like the annual Ocean City weekend retreat. And while the new school years *feels* like a million miles away it’s closer than you think! Don’t waste a second in signing-up and being a part of this amazing retreat. It’s a great opportunity for our high school students to connect with other teens, grow deeper in their relationship with God, and kick-off the school year with a bang! We hope that your high schoolers (9th-12th grades) will join us for this great event, bring a friend, and make it a retreat to remember! Click here to register!
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@
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.
WONDERZONE: Midweek Serving Opportunities!
Didn’t seeing our littlest Hopers performing on Sunday morning just light up your heart? If you’re looking for a way to invest in our kids and have midweek availability, we need YOU! On Tuesday mornings and afternoons, we are looking to grow our staff childcare team (Church Nannies!) that serves while our staff meets & works preparing all of our Hope ministries. On Wednesday evenings, we are looking to double the size of our Nursery team to allow for both a Nursery 1 & Nursery 2 room during Bible Study kicking off in September! Being a part of one of these behind-the-scenes teams truly has a massive impact on our church family and supports our ability to serve the continued growth we are seeing! To get plugged in, please reach out to Kara May at karamay@
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS IN GOZONE: Starting September 4th
1st-5th graders will love our fun and exciting midweek program, where we review Sunday morning’s Bible story with new videos, new games, new small group activities, and a WEEKLY Scripture Memory Verse Challenge! You don’t want your elementary schooler to miss out on this weekly opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and fellowship with other HopeKids!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS IN WONDERZONE: Starting September 4th
Our Nursery team is excited to love on your little ones (0-2), while our Preschool team dives back in with our Alphabet Scripture Memory study! Our 3-5 year olds will pick up where we left off, learning a new Bible Verse each week and earning letters to add to their Scripture Sashes from the spring! Your kids will want to join us each Wednesday night to plant God’s Word in their hearts, earn all of their letters, build a foundation of faith, and even have a chance to connect with our Elementary kids every week!
HOPEKIDS! HANGOUT & HOPE YOUTH KICKOFF: September 8th
All HopeKids! K-5th and Hope Youth (6th-12th) are invited to join us on Sunday, September 8th from 6-8PM for our joint Hangout Kickoff! We will be joining forces for an awesome night of worship, water games (bring a towel!), and ice cream to celebrate the start of the school year. We’ll learn how to continue deepening our relationship with God! If you have a teen or K-5th grader in your family, you won’t want them to miss it!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.