Here’s some encouraging news – I just found out that Daylight Savings begins on March 9th and the first day of spring is March 20th. Those dates are so close! I’ve never been so ready to see the first bits of green poking up from the ground with their promise of flowers soon to come. Thinking ahead to those gloriously warm days and the beautiful blooms made me curious about the mention of flowers in the Bible. In our daily lives, flowers are often how we greet the ones we love and say goodbye to those we’ve lost. But what about in Scripture? I think one of the most popular ones is found in Luke 12:27. “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” The reference is to reassure us we need not worry about provision. But there is another verse that has always been one of my favorites. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” I love the assurance that God’s Word is complete and eternal. We don’t have to wonder if someone will come along and change it or if it will lose its relevance. Thankful that God created flowers to bring beauty to the world we live in for their and for their pertinence in His Word!
Spring is coming……Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
The Difference Between Almost and All-In
(Acts 26: 1-28) A Word from Jim Jefferson
When I was young, I often heard people in church use the phrase “on fire for the Lord.” It gave the impression that there are times in life when the desire to live for Jesus burns more strongly than others. In this passage, the Apostle Paul stands trial and gives testimony to what Jesus has done in his life and how his life has been forever changed. As we look at this Scripture together, let’s see how we can learn from Paul’s testimony, reflect on how Jesus has transformed our lives, and be encouraged to face the road ahead.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Tonight!
Anyone Can Read the Bible
Join us as Pastor Dan leads this one night study. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, an autobiographical account of the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty Judge, our Savior. And if God has prepared, preserved, and presented His Word to us, then we ought to read it, right? Whether you are new to Bible Study, or have been doing it for decades, there’s always the temptation to feel ill-equipped or unqualified to unwrap God’s Word. But don’t lose heart, Anyone Can Read the Bible! In this short single-session-series pastor Dan hopes to demystify the process of Biblical study while providing encouragement and some simple tips for diving deep into God’s Word. 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!
COMING SOON: Biblical Doctrines
Beginning March 5th, Pastor Mark will start a new 4 week series on biblical doctrines. Have you ever thought that you really don’t know what the Bible teaches? While we all can probably learn more about the Bible, there are some main doctrines in Scripture that are basic. We’re going to take the month of March and go through about 8 of them. We’ll look at the Bibliology, Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology and even Angelology. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize those names – we’ll actually learn what they each talk about. Join us to be better equipped to know some of the systematic doctrines in the Bible!
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
Year-end statements have been mailed and emailed out. If you donated to Hope in 2024 and have not received your giving report for tax purposes, please contact Emily DiLorenzo.
BABY BOTTLE FUNDRAISER:
BAPTISM:
Baptism is an important symbolic opportunity to declare your testimony, and decision to follow Christ, in front of the church body! We’d love you to participate if this is something you’ve yet to do in your journey of faith. The baptism service will be held on Wednesday, April 9th at 7:00. To participate, you’ll need to attend two classes – each will be held after the second service on Sundays March 30th & April 6th. Sign-up and grab a booklet at the front of the auditorium! Any questions can be directed to Pastor Mark.
COFFEE HOUSE:
We’re getting ready for the upcoming Easter & spring season and we want to kick it off with a Coffee House right here at Hope! This evening will be filled with curated live musical performances on Wednesday, April 2nd 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. You don’t need to bring anything, but it would be so helpful if you’d sign up at the Connection Center so we can be sure to save you a seat. Feel free to bring the whole family, or leave the kids home and make it a date night! There will be no HopeKids! programs (or nursery) for this event, but nurseries will be open for those who may need to use them. Pease plan to join us for a fun night and feel free to reach out to Dana Ott with any questions.
MEN’S RESURRECTION BREAKFAST:
Men of all ages are invited to attend the 27th annual Men’s Resurrection Breakfast happening on April 12th at 8:00 at Masso’s Catering in Glassboro. Tickets are $35 and include a hot breakfast, and an opportunity to hear top athletes share their journey of faith. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend and have an encouraging morning of fellowship! For questions, contact Bob Kerr at 856-362-0378. Purchase tickets here — seating is limited.
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!
MARCH 4TH: Wisdom Quest – Proverbs
The Bible is a guidebook for Christians. But is it possible to understand it for yourself? We’re meeting this time to see for ourselves. Over the past few weeks, many of our Young Adults have been reading some of the book of Proverbs on their own and jotting down a note each day. At this meeting, we’ll take time to share what we’ve learned and how we can use that information in our lives. We’ll also talk about the challenges of reading the Bible and how we can overcome the obstacles of normal life to intentionally and faithfully read God’s Word and learn from it.
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.
CURRENT 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 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
HOPEKIDS!
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 EASTER JAM:
We’re excited for this year’s egg-stra special WonderZone Easter Jam event on Saturday, April 5th from 10:00-Noon! This year, we’ll be hosting all of our WonderZone-aged children (infants-PreK) and their grown-ups for songs, games, the Easter story, the Easter Bunny, and an Easter egg hunt (weather-permitting). You won’t want to miss the fun! Click here to sign-up today!
GOZONE EGG-STRAVAGANZA:
Sign up to join us for a special Easter celebration at HopeKids! Hangout on Sunday, April 6th from 6PM-8PM. Our GoZone kids (K-5) are getting eggstravagant this Easter with an all-new event including intense competition, energetic music, delicious snacks, and lots of candy-filled Easter eggs as we dig into the story of how Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death itself! Register here!
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