I saw a funny meme on social media regarding the time change. It said, “Don’t forget to set your clocks from sunshine & happiness back to misery & despair this weekend!” However, dare I say I like this time of year when the clocks have been turned back and night settles softly on our homes a little bit sooner. The early darkness beckons us to turn on our buttery yellow lights and settle down inside. I like serving dinner in the quietness and coziness of a warm kitchen while twilight wraps around the windows. It makes me feel content, safely tucked away inside. On the other hand, this early darkness makes my husband feel trapped. Add to that the fact that it also turns cold once the clocks are turned back and he is not a happy camper. Most of what he enjoys doing involves being outside and a bitter cold, black night is not conducive to any of that! Although, he did set up a complicated golf swing analysis contraption in the garage and it won’t be long until I can hear him happily whacking away out there. So maybe this winter won’t find him feeling as held hostage by the cold and dark! I know God is not the creator of this time change, but He IS the one who created the darkness and the light. “I form the light and create darkness…” (Isaiah 45:7) So…..what is YOUR preference? Do you embrace the time change or fight against it? No matter your choice, remember all 24 hours belong to Him! “The day is yours, and yours also the night…” (Psalm 74:16)
Darkness is as light to Him (Psalm 139:12)…….Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
An Angel of Light (2 Cor. 11:5-15)
Camouflage was first officially invented in France in 1914. Of course, armies have been using some form of it since warfare began. The concept is pretty simple: if your enemy doesn’t know you are there, they cannot attack you. And they cannot effectively defend themselves. Paul talks about our spiritual enemy, Satan, using the same tactic. In fact, Paul says that Satan disguises himself as an ‘angel of light.’ That seems like that would make it pretty difficult to identify him as an enemy. And these stakes are so much higher than life and death. Eternity is at stake. Make no mistake; we are in a spiritual war. But it often feels like just moving through life, choosing whatever seems good, and never realizing that we are being deceived. Today, we’ll look at what we can learn from Paul’s words on our camouflaged enemy.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: On Hiatus
Our Wednesday night studies are on hiatus for the months of November and December, but make sure to check out the announcements below to see the other Wednesday evening events we have planned!
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 October, we averaged $8685 per week bringing our annual average down to $9429. Both of these numbers remain well behind our annual giving target of $9950. We are praying that the final two months of the year are strong giving months to make up for the current giving deficit. Please pray with us for the Lord’s provision for our growing ministry! We also averaged $381 per week towards our building fund. We talked in May about needing to begin aggressively saving toward our current and near future space needs as a church. Again, we are asking the Lord to move our church family to be faithful and generous in their sacrifice towards God’s work at Hope!
2025 BUDGET & BUSINESS MEETING:
Our proposed budget for 2025 is now available in the lobby. Please pick-up a copy to review, and direct any questions you have to Pastor Mark or our Leadership Team. Voting for the budget will take place at our Annual Business Meeting on Sunday, November 24th following the second service. All Hopers are welcome to attend, but only partners will be able to vote.
COFFEE HOUSE: Tonight!
We’re ready for this upcoming season of thanksgiving & celebration and we want to kick it off with our 2nd annual “Coffee House” right here at Hope! This evening will be filled with curated live musical performances on Wednesday, November 6th at 7:00pm. We’ll have a coffee bar with lattes, hot cocoa, and cold drinks along with some yummy treats for you to enjoy. Feel free to bring the whole family, or leave the kids home and make it a date night! There will be no HopeKids! programs for this event, but nurseries will be open for parents who may need to use them.
MEN’S BREAKFAST:
All men post high school are invited to join us on the second Saturday of the month for delicious hot breakfast. This free event is a great time for fellowship and includes bible study and prayer. Come join us this Saturday from 8:00-9:30!
BAPTISM SERVICE: November 13th
Join us for one of the most special services of the year! You will be moved and encouraged as you hear the testimonies of fellow Hopers. Come out and support your brothers & sisters in Christ as they make this public declaration of faith! HopeKids! will have programs for our infants through preschoolers; GoZone students can sit with their families for this service! We’ll have hot coffee & donuts ready at 6:30P, and the service will begin at 7:00P.
DIRECTORY DAY: November 17th
Did you know that Hope has an online directory where you can access the contact information of other Hopers? Our directory is password protected and available to Hopers only. This tool is a great way to stay connected to one another – there’s even a mobile app! To be a part, join us on Sunday, November 17th for Directory Day. We will be registering new folks in the kitchen after each service. You’ll even get your photo taken for the site! Any questions, contact Emily DiLorenzo.
LEADERSHIP AMA: November 20th
Have you ever wondered why a certain decision was made at Hope or had questions you wanted to ask about our direction? Whether you are an official partner or simply a Hoper, we’d love to invite you to join us for a conversation with our Leadership Team on Wednesday, November 20th at 7:00P. Our entire Leadership Team is planning to be there to answer any questions you may have. We’ll do it in a public format, and we’ll answer what we can to the best of our knowledge and without breaking any confidences. We may have to have follow-up conversations afterwards to give more specifics, or to come back with answers after we research a little, but we’ll do our best to use that evening wisely for all who attend. There’s always an invitation to “ask us anything,” but we set this night aside to do that as a large group. Please be a part of this conversation as the Lord continues to lead Hope forward into the coming year.
LADIES CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA:
Christmas is just around the corner, so mark your calendars now and save the date for Friday, December 6th at 6:30pm. All ladies (post high-school and up) are invited to our “Think Pink Christmas” Extravaganza and Ornament Exchange! We’re so excited for this opportunity for our ladies to get together for some holiday games, fun, food, and friendship! Please sign up in the front lobby and indicate if you’re able to bring a snack or dessert to share. Also, bring a wrapped Christmas tree ornament ($10 or less) for a fun exchange! See Dana Ott with any questions or reach her at danaott@
YOUNG ADULTS
FALL SCHEDULE: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00P
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. Join us as we start a new study in the book of James! And as always, we’ll have plenty of snacks and fun fellowship at each meeting!
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Brian & Wendy Ball at: briwensean@aol.com
HOPE YOUTH
HOPE YOUTH: Sundays from 6:00-8:00P
All teens (6th-12th) are invited to join us every Sunday from 6-8PM for youth group! Tired, exhausted, stressed-out, afraid? Peace can be hard to come by in the lightning quick pace of teen life, but God has a plan that not only provides peace but also guides us in holding on to it when life gets tough. Join us in our new series, Quiet Waters, as we explore God’s plan for peace through the lens of Psalm 23 on Sunday evenings.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NERF WAR:
Duck, dodge, and blast your way to victory on Saturday, November 16th at our Middle School Hope Youth Nerf War! Invite a friend and join us for an afternoon of fun, pizza, and prizes! All students from 6-8th grade are invited, even if they’ve never been to a youth group before! Event starts at 12:45pm and ends at 2:30. Don’t miss out! The event is free but we still need you to Sign-up here so we can get an accurate head count for the event!
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 JINGLE JAM:
As we continue gearing up for the Christmas season, we’re excited to be hosting our second annual Jingle Jam event for our WonderZone children and their families! Save the date for this special event on Saturday, December 14th from 10:30am-noon. We’ll build gingerbread houses, make Christmas crafts, hear the real Christmas story, enjoy a hot drinks bar, and even take pictures with Santa! Sign your preschooler up today! Contact Kara May for more information.
GOZONE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM:
It’s time for Christmas in the GoZone! Our Christmas Program is Jingle Bell Beach, an exciting musical about a beach Christmas singing competition where the competitors end up learning the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus! The program is going to be here before you know it, so mark your calendar for December 22nd at both services! Program practices are officially getting started, so look out for the parent info letter and make sure your kiddos start listening to their songs. Click here to access the GoZone Christmas music! If you have any questions, reach out to Pastor Ryan.
WONDERZONE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM:
This year, our little ones will share the good news and celebrate by putting on an “Incredible, Gigantic, Humongous VeggieTales Christmas Show!” Practices will continue every Sunday morning through Dec. 1st. Be sure to have your little ones in their regular Sunday morning classroom on time and ready to go so they don’t miss out on practicing our songs and lines each week! Listen to the songs on Google Drive and watch Miss Kara’s Motion Videos on YouTube to practice at home today! Contact Kara May with any questions.
HOPEKIDS! HANGOUT: Sundays from 6:00-8:00P
All K-5th graders are invited to attend HopeKids! Hangout on Sunday nights from 6-8PM! This program is designed to give our elementary schoolers space for extra fellowship, Bible study, and exciting games/activities with other believers their age. We’ll be digging deep into the Bible by continuing through our series “The Heart of God” and discovering what Scripture teaches us about the character and nature of our Creator!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.