Have you ever noticed how much darker your house is at night when the electric goes out? It wouldn’t seem like those little sources of light like digital clocks and plug in night lights would make such a big difference, but they do! And when there are no outside streetlights to cast ambient light, it’s truly DARK. Even our backyard seems extra dark, giving me an unsettled feeling walking through it. You can’t see what’s out there, and the unknown can be frightening. Flashlights to the rescue!
Many of us are afraid of what we can’t see, whether it’s an uncertain future, an unexpected challenge, or a hidden struggle. But just like those flashlights bring a sense of security, we can find true peace in God’s light in the darkness. His Word is the ultimate source of comfort, guiding us through every shadow we face. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”(Psalm 119:105) Just because the sun is shining doesn’t mean there isn’t some darkness creeping into our lives. Hidden health problems. A betrayal we didn’t know was happening. A layoff at work. However no fear, no unknown, no darkness can stand against the Light of the world. “Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Take comfort and know that darkness cannot prevail when we let the light of God’s Word and of His Son Jesus shine brightly into our fears, worries, and anxieties!
The darkness is no match for His light……LoisSPIRITUAL CARE
Believing What God Says (Luke 1:5-25)
In a scam-filled world, there is a saying learned from hard experience: if something is too good to be true, it probably is. We learn to be skeptical of good news and stay on guard against those who would use our desires or desperation to take advantage of us. So when we come to God’s Word and we read promises that seem too good to be true, we find ourselves struggling to believe. Years of disappointment or pain convince us that we cannot really take God seriously. That’s exactly what Zechariah believed. The very first story that Luke tells is not the birth of Jesus, but the announcement of the birth of his cousin, John the Baptist. In this story, we are reminded that God’s Word should be believed. All others may fail us, but God will never do that. Let’s see how God showed Zechariah, Elizabeth, and His people this truth at the very start of Luke’s Gospel.WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: 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
Easter is just over a month away and we want you to start inviting friends and family to join us now! This year we’ll be having three identical Easter Sunday services: 8:00a, 9:30a, and 11:00a. We’ll also be having a Good Friday service at 7:00P with special music, scripture reading, and communion. (Childcare will be provided for 0-5 year olds.) We hope you and your family with join us for both of these services!HOPE YOUTH 30 HOUR FAMINE:
From the leaders to the teens, Hope Youth wants to thank you for supporting our 30 Hour Famine through Sunday’s bake sale! We raised over $900 thanks to our incredible Hopers. But the fight against world hunger isn’t over yet! After the bake sale, we are about 1/3 of the way to our target donation amount. If you are interested in supporting Hope Youth you can make a donation to our page on World Vision. Our teens will be participating in the 30 Hour Famine fast on March 28th-29th, so be sure to donate before then!
HOPEKIDS! DONATION BOARD:
Looking for an opportunity to support our HopeKids! Ministry? Check out our updated Donation Board outside of the GoZone! This is an easy way to make a big difference in our children’s experience each week. Stop by and “shop” the board — choose an item to donate, grab a slip off the board, and be sure to drop your donation off in the HopeKids! baskets in the kitchen! Check out this donation link for ways to donate directly from Amazon!
DIRECTORY DAY: March 30th
Did you know we have an online directory exclusive to Hopers? This is a great resource to stay connected to one another. There’s even an app you can get for your phone! To be a part of our directory, stop by the kitchen after either service on Sunday, March 30th. We’ll get you registered and even take your photo! For any questions, contact Emily DiLorenzo.
SEEDS OF HOPE: Service Opportunity
We’re looking for six volunteers to serve with Seeds of Hope on Saturday, April 5th. If you are interested please contact Stacy Reid, sreid0905@gmail.com to sign-up. Stacy is also collecting clothing for Seeds of Hope. If you have the following items to donate please contact her: men’s jeans, sweatpants, sweatshirts and women jeans, leggings and sweatshirts.
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.
LADIES BOARD & BRUSH NIGHT: May 2nd at 6:30P
Hey Ladies! It’s time to get crafty! We’re excited to have Board & Brush Studio owners guide us through a fun night of do-it-yourself wood projects right here at Hope! Using this link and access code “HCF25,” you’ll register for the event, choose your project from a gallery of options, and pay. Board & Brush will provide all the materials and instruct us step-by-step to create a beautiful piece for home, office, or for a gift. The cost for your project is $40 regardless of which size/style you choose. Please note that registration is required since we are working with an outside vendor and there is limited seating, so don’t delay in getting registered.* You will receive an email confirmation of your registration & payment which will act as your “ticket” when you show up, so please print it or have it accessible when you arrive! We’ll have snacks & sweets to munch on and cold drinks & coffee too. We hope you’ll join us for this fun Friday night – feel free to bring a friend! This event is for all ladies post-high school and up. *There is no sign-up for this event, your registration serves as your sign-up – all registrations/payment goes directly to Board & Brush, but if you have questions or need help, please see Dana Ott or contact her at danaott@
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!
APRIL 1st: The Fear Trap
How much of your life is touched by reacting to fear? Fear can seem wise. It can seem to promise safety if you listen to it. It can give you a sense of being more aware or more plugged-in than others. But it also brings discouragement and the feeling of being trapped and powerless. At its basic level, fear is supposed to help us survive. But if your goal is simply survival, you probably won’t be very satisfied with your life. Let’s talk about where fear shows up in our lives and how it affects us. Then let’s ask what we can find in the Bible that can show us how knowing Jesus offers a different way – one filled with freedom and even joy!
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