“How you do anything is how you do everything.” Have you heard this phrase before? I never had; I heard someone casually toss it out there and move on to their next thought. I immediately had to go look it up to see if it was an actual saying; it was so good that I couldn’t believe I’d never run across it before! Its origin is not clear; it has been attributed to many different authors, even the Dali Llama. It highlights the idea that how you handle small tasks or situations can reveal how you approach bigger, more important things in life. Of course, my very next thought turned to the verse in Luke 16:10 – “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” God knows our hearts; He sees what we do and do not do. He knows when we are not giving our best and our all. “I am the LORD who searches the heart, who tests the inner depths to give to each person according to what he deserves, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10 ISV) He absolutely knows whether or not we can be trusted with ‘little’ or if we can’t even manage to accomplish that for His kingdom. If we consistently do ‘just enough’ to get by, never actually finish the job we’ve been given, or regularly take the easiest road we can be sure we will never be given the opportunity to do ‘much’ for His Kingdom. Doesn’t it make sense then, that anything we do should be done wholeheartedly? “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord….” (Colossians 3:23) As Proverbs 29:19 puts it, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” Let’s make sure we understand the importance of integrity; let the way we approach any task reflect our character and how we serve God and others.
Serving Him……Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
What God Does with Faith (Luke 1:39-56)
Faith is a word that gets thrown around a lot in church. Sometimes, that familiarity can lessen our appreciation for the miracles that God offers through faith. By faith, we can know Him and have a relationship with our amazing Creator. By faith, we can find salvation and healing and hope and peace in this life. It is faith that navigates us out of the traps of discouragement and despair. It is faith that teaches us what God is truly like. Faith is a powerful tool and yet it is available to every single person. From the youngest to the oldest, from the smartest and richest to the most challenged and destitute. In the beginning of Jesus’ story, we see Mary and her cousin Elizabeth celebrating what faith can do.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: New study begins April 23rd
Have you ever wondered why God isn’t doing something about the evil in the world or in your own life? Why the wicked grow in wealth? Why the innocent are oppressed? Why your own life seems unfair or why injustice permeates the world? We aren’t the first to wonder these questions – and questioning, or even complaining, to God isn’t out of the ordinary. In fact, the prophet Habakkuk dedicated an entire book of the Bible to His complaint to God as well as the Almighty’s response. Join us on Wednesday nights starting April 23rd as we study the book of Habakkuk and see how this ancient gem remains valuable and applicable to believers today. 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 under 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. HopeKids! programs will be available for all ages! Spread the word on social media, or grab a stack of flyers from the lobby!
COFFEE HOUSE: Tonight at 7:00!
We’re getting ready for the upcoming Easter & spring season and we want to kick it off with a free Coffee House right here at Hope! This evening will be filled with live musical performances from Bethany Gabriel, Dylan Ott & Emily DiLorenzo, and special piano selections from Rich Bunnell. 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 (or nursery) for this event, but nurseries will be open for those who may need to use them.
BAPTISM SERVICE: Next Wednesday
Come out to support your brothers and sisters in Christ as they take this next step of faith! You’ll hear powerful testimonies, as well as participate in worship. Our baptism services are always so encouraging! We’ll have donuts and coffee ready at 6:30P and our service will begin at 7:00P. There will be HopeKids programs for our preschoolers (0-5.)
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@hopechristianfellowship.org. Deadline to register is April 27th.
MEN’S WIFFLEBALL TOURNAMENT:
Hey men! Wiffleball is back for our 4th year, and we want YOU to be a part of it! All guys post high school are invited to join us on Saturday, May 17th from 10:00A-2:00P. Whether you’ve played before, or it’s your first time picking up a plastic bat, we know you’ll have a great time of fellowship, competition, and free lunch! Also, this year we’re looking for a couple guys to help out as rules officials! Officials won’t be asked to play if they don’t want to, just to help run the tournament and facilitate the games. Register to play here. If you have questions, see Dylan Ott or email him at dylan.ott.11@live.com. See you on the field!
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 15th: Make Something Of Yourself
As Young Adults, we’re at the very beginning of building our adult lives. It is easy to understand that where we are now is not where we want to be for the rest of our lives. The natural understanding is that we need ‘goals’. Another way to talk about it is ‘ambition’. What is good about this and what is dangerous? Can ambitious people miss out on important things in life? Can unambitious people miss out as well? How do we as Christians navigate the need to move forward in life without coming under the problems that come from human ambition? And what does the Bible say about the topic?
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
Sundays from 6:00-8:00P
Please Note: This Sunday’s Youth Group will take place at Launch Trampoline Park in Deptford
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.
LAUNCH EVENT: This Sunday!
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!
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.
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). Our Preschoolers (3-5yrs) are doing a “Growing with God” study designed to help them 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