Are there any two more glorious words in the Bible than ‘But God’? They usually come after a statement of some seemingly hopeless situation. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) I’ve come to realize that lately I am constantly circling those two little words. I find them scattered all throughout Scripture. It’s like when you buy a blue car and then you see blue cars all over the road. Two such small words that are such big beacons of hope. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26) I would venture to say that, while Scripture always uses that phrase as a message of hope, we sometimes turn it around another way. But God, I don’t want to. But God, why? But God, that isn’t fair. Thankfully, even when our flesh gets the better of us and we offer up those peevish prayers, He doesn’t turn a deaf ear. That’s often when one of those Scriptural “But Gods” will pop up in our Bible reading. He is always listening, always merciful, always loving. “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT)
His Word Brings Hope…….Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Morning of Worship | Communion
Our focus will be on Christ’s return and the comfort and mystery of our eternal home in Heaven. As believers, we’ve been given the gift of eternal life so we don’t have to wait to experience God’s presence and His kingdom here on earth. But we look forward to the day of Jesus’ return when every eye will see Him for who He is and every knee will bow in worship – what a day that will be! Revelation 5:13 says, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” Our Morning of Worship will be a full service of praise, worship, and a time of communion as we lift up King Jesus, the One who sits on the throne!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Biblical Doctrines
Tonight Pastor Mark will begin a 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! Come out 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
For the month of February, we averaged $9334 per week, bringing our annual average significantly down to $10,308. Our target for the year is $9700, so we remain above that target after 2 months, but did not hit that target in February. Our Building Fund averaged $448 per week as well. Please join us in praying for God’s continued and abundant provision for our growing church. Our target for the year is something we need to exceed to be able to address the many needs that come from growth. And please follow the Spirit’s leading by faith to sacrificially, faithfully, and generously support God’s work at Hope.
2024 GIVING STATEMENTS:
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:
This March, we are supporting True Women’s Center (formerly Choices of the Heart) with our annual Baby Bottle Fundraiser! Pick up a baby bottle from the back of the auditorium on Sunday and fill it with loose change — return it by the end of the month. Every donation helps provide vital resources for mothers and families in need and saves lives. To learn more about True Women’s Center we encourage you to watch this video.
SEEDS OF HOPE RUN FOR A LIFE:
We love to partner with Seeds of Hope! They are holding a 5K to raise funds and awareness for those battling addition and wanted to extend the invitation to our Hopers! The run will take place on April 12th at 9:00 at the Camden Athletic Complex. To register and learn more about the event, visit their site here.
MEN’S BREAKFAST: This Saturday
Men 18 years of age and older are invited to our monthly Men’s Breakfast. We feature prayer, full participation study—all enjoyed with a great breakfast and terrific fellowship. Join us Saturday morning from 8:00-9:30.
WONDERMOMS:
Our group for moms of preschoolers (0-5) meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday 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! At our next study we’ll be debunking the myth that “Good moms don’t get angry!” Join our Facebook Group for all the details, or contact Emily DiLorenzo with questions.
BAPTISM: Sign-Up to Participate
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: Sign-Up to Attend
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 18TH: The Dating Game
We have all kinds of relationship statuses in Young Adults. We have single people, couples who are dating, and married folks. That reality gives us such an advantage to talk about dating. Those who are not currently dating have a unique and important perspective on the topic as well as a chance to make decisions with a clear head about how they will approach their next relationship. Those who are dating can give a report from the field about the real-time challenges and choices that come while dating. And those who are married can look back with 20/20 vision and assess what they learned (or wish they had learned) in the process. There’s also the truth that all of us probably will have to help our children navigate these waters someday. So this is an important discussion that will help us all see more clearly as we look at it together. Join us and help us sort out this important topic!
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.
LAUNCH EVENT:
Jump into Spring with us at the annual Hope Youth Launch event! In place of our normal youth group, we’ll meet at the Deptford Launch Trampoline park for a night of frantic fun! Trampoline basketball, foam pits, arcade, and so much more! Fill out the sign-up here and meet us at Launch Trampoline park of Deptford on April 6th from 6-8pm!
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