Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend. Traditionally, it’s a day marketed for ‘couples’; a romantic sort of day. Therefore, it can either be a day that makes you feel loved and treasured, or a day that slaps you in the face because you feel alone. I would encourage anyone who feels alone/unloved to remember this: Proverbs 19:22 tells us, “What a person desires is unfailing love.” So you see, it’s not strange that you feel the way you do. But the good news is this – Our God loves each one of us with an unfailing, unconditional, everlasting love. How do I know this? Take a look at Jeremiah 31:3 – “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (31:3) There you have it. Those words sprinkled across the pages of your Bible are part of God’s love letter to us. Added to that is the fact that God’s love is called ‘agape love’. Agape love is defined as a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love that is considered the highest form of love. Now there is the love that we desire, a love that will truly fulfill us. This is a love you will never find on earth in a human being. None of us are capable of loving the way God loves. I know you won’t be given candy or flowers from God, but what you receive from Him is far more precious and priceless than any token of love here on earth.
May you feel God’s love in a very real way this week…..Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Examine Yourselves (2 Cor. 13:5-10)
How long of a gap is there between the time you get out of bed and your first look in a mirror? Most people probably catch a glimpse pretty soon after waking up. Others may wish to avoid the reflection for as long as possible. Seeing yourself in a completely disheveled state can be unsettling! But of course, that’s just because you haven’t addressed how you look yet. If you still looked like that when you headed out to the day, there could be drama in your day. As Paul sums up this letter and starts to close it, he says basically that the Corinthians should look in the mirror. They should ask themselves if they are actually Christians. He’s not trying to just get them to be uncertain or to live in doubt. He wants them to be honest about whether they’ve truly trusted Jesus. We can take this challenge from Paul as well. So let’s take this morning to examine ourselves.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY:
Putting Wisdom to the Test led by Pastor Mark
We are studying two Old Testament books in the “Wisdom” genre. Some people think that life is all about making right choices so that you don’t face the fallout of bad choices. Reading Proverbs can make it seem that this is Biblically true. But Job and Ecclesiastes examine what we should learn when the foundational ideas of wisdom don’t seem to work. Job is a pretty familiar character to many people, but we’re going to try to sort out the details and dialogue so that we can see the message and purpose of the book as it connects to the teachings of Proverbs. Ecclesiastes is not as long of a book but it has similar connections to the wisdom found in Proverbs. Let’s take a journey together through “real life” and the confusion that derails many people when good people suffer unfairly, or when you seemingly have it all but feel so empty inside. Join us Wednesday evenings at 6:30 for coffee & donuts followed by our study at 7:00. We’ll have HopeKids! and Hope Youth programs for kids 0-12th grades!
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
If you’d like to join, host, or register your current Small Group, visit our updated Small Group webpage to fill out a form and connect with our team! Current Small Groups are also featured on our website, so you can peruse what might be the right fit for you. If you have a Small Group that hasn’t been added please contact us so we can include you!
PARTNER CLASS: Begins Tonight
If God has brought you to Hope and convinced you over time that this is the church for you, we’d love for you to officially join us. This is our way of doing ‘membership’, but we use the word ‘partner’ instead because it connects us to the Biblical idea that we are called to partner together in ministry. We are now offering our partner class on February 12th, 19th, and 26th at 7:00P. The classes will cover the way our church functions as well as what we believe. Current partners are also encouraged to attend! Please sign-up in the lobby. To read more about what it means to become a partner at Hope, click here.
WONDERMOMS: This Thursday
WonderMoms, our group for moms of preschoolers (0-5), meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 10:30-noon for a time of fellowship, study, and prayer. Childcare is provided by our HopeKids! volunteers and there’s always a hot cup of coffee and treat ready for you! Join our Facebook Group for all the details, or contact Emily DiLorenzo with questions.
GALENTINE’S BRUNCH: This Saturday
Calling all Ladies! Our annual Galentine’s Brunch is right around the corner and we’re excited to get “Pretty in Pink” with all the best gals around! Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 15th from 10:00A-noon and plan to join us – feel free to invite your girl gang, too! We’ll have a yummy brunch, some fun games, a photobooth, and we’ll take a few minutes to talk about the unrelenting love of Jesus. Our women’s events are for all women post-high school and up, so look for the event on Facebook and sign up in the front foyer today. If you’d like to bring a sweet treat to share, you’ll see a spot on the sign up sheet for that too! Contact Dana at danaott@hopechristianfellowship.org for more information.
IRON MEN: February 17th
All fathers of children up through high school age are invited to join this small group with intention to cultivate strong relationships with one another, build trust and grow a robust community of men who are not afraid to be vulnerable and support one another through life’s challenges big and small. We will be navigating through the book and study guide of “The Jesus Style”. We meet on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month. No need to sign-up, just show up! If you have questions, please contact Bob Esser (856-889-7939) or Chris James (856) 693-9061.
WOMEN OF HOPE: February 17th
All ladies post high school are invited to join us for our women’s bible study on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month! Come out at 6:30 for a time of fellowship, discussion, and prayer. Bring your bible and a friend! If you have any questions, contact Mary LeBeau.
YOUNG ADULTS
Meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00P
Here at Hope, our Young Adult group provides a place to connect, serve, apply God’s Word to real life, and live in relationships with others. Hope’s Young Adults is a great way to grow your faith and find help to navigate the big decisions on the horizon. Open to anyone post high school through their 20s!
FEBRUARY 18TH: Our Deal With God + Soft Pretzel Nite!
Let’s say you’re a good person. You live right, you try to be kind and helpful to others, you’re honest and work hard. What does God owe you for all of that? Is there some kind of expected deal with God that should govern the outcomes based on our actions and choices? How does this all work – should life be fair? Most people inherently judge God based on their own ideas of some kind of justice or fairness. And then there are the parts of the Bible that seem to promise if you live right, God will bless you. What are we to make of all of this and how do we get a grip on something true when life seems to turn upside-down?
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
Sundays from 6:00-8:00P
Through varied lessons, small group, worship, and fellowship we teach students 6th-12th to see how much God loves them, how valuable they are, and the peace that a relationship with Jesus can lead them to.
NEW SERIES: Flowing Through Scripture
Every year Hope Youth challenges the world’s tendency to turn Scripture into bite sized sayings by doing a survey of the entire Biblical narrative! This year we’ll be focusing on the theme of water. Whether it’s the parting of the Red Sea or the miracle of Jesus walking on Water, God has used this powerful element to communicate key truths about His character time and again. Join us on Sunday nights starting February 2nd as we journey from Genesis to Revelation, explore key stories along the way, and apply God’s grand message to our own lives!
HOPE YOUTH ON WEDNESDAYS:
The book of Daniel follows a young man who was kidnapped from his home land and exiled to a foreign country. Far from home and surrounded by ungodly influences, Daniel had to find a way to remain true to his faith. Join Hope Youth on Wednesday nights as we study the book of Daniel and see how this young man not only held fast to his faith, but stood out and stood up for what he believed. Most teens struggle with that familiar desire to fit in, but in a world growing further away from God, He seems to be asking us “Are you willing to stand out?” Come find out how at Wednesday Night Bible Study from 6:30-8 and enjoy some complimentary coffee and donuts while you’re at it.
30 HOUR FAMINE:
Every 30 hours roughly 7,000 people die of starvation. We don’t think that’s right, so Hope Youth is teaming up with World Vision to make a change and we need your help! We will be raising money for World Vision by gathering sponsors for our 30 Hour Famine fast taking place March 28th-29th at right here at Hope. Your job will be to reach out to friends, family, and trusted adults and invite them to be a part of this life changing mission by donating to your cause! Use this link to register and join our team! Open to all teens 6th-12th.
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.
HOPEKIDS! HANGOUT: Sundays from 6:00-8:00P
All K-5th graders are invited to join us for special snacks, games and activities that expand upon what we’re learning on Sunday mornings. We’ll continue studying “The Heart of God” to see how we can reflect God in our everyday lives, this year and every year!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS IN WONDERZONE:
Our Nursery 1 team is excited to care for your infants (0-18m) while our Nursery 2 team loves on your toddlers (18m-2yr). As we start a new year, our Preschoolers (3-5yrs) will dive into a brand new “Growing with God” study designed to help preschoolers learn about the reality of God’s love through play and apply it in their daily lives! You won’t want to miss out on this awesome opportunity to prioritize and pour into the foundation of faith for your little ones — we hope to see you there!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS IN GOZONE:
GoZone Remix is back for 2025! K-5th graders will love our fun and exciting midweek program, where we review Sunday morning’s Bible story with new video, new games, and new small group activities to remix the experience. Plus, a WEEKLY Scripture Memory Verse Challenge with prizes to reinforce the Bible story of the week! You don’t want your elementary kiddo to miss out on this opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and fellowship with other HopeKids!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org