One of my favorite things about my grandson is the way he always sticks up for me. He will staunchly defend me even when it is unwarranted. If he catches even the slightest hint of an offense towards me he immediately jumps in to correct it. He gets so indignant on my behalf and repeatedly tells me, “Don’t worry Grammy, I’ll always ‘stick IN’ for you”. We all get such a good chuckle out of it! For sure he is my biggest defender here on earth.
We all have an even bigger and more powerful defender seated on the throne in heaven. “The LORD protects and defends me; I trust in him.” (Psalm 28:7) His love never ends and neither does His protection and defense of His children. We need not be worn down constantly defending ourselves against injustices, attacks on our character, or situations where we feel unwarranted blame being placed on us. Leave those things in His hands. His protection reaches over all areas of our lives. We don’t need to look to ourselves or to anyone else on earth. “He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender…” (Psalm 62:6) Although I dearly love having my grandson ‘stick in’ for me no matter what, I need to rely on God be my protector, my shelter, my defender, and my Savior. Let Him do that for you!
The tomb is empty!…Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
A Life Out of Control (Luke 2:1-7)
Some of us consider ourselves to be ‘control freaks.’ But all of us actually would prefer to be in control of many of the things that happen in our lives. We’d like to decide if we get the job or don’t, if we’re able to have kids or not, if tragedy skips over us, or if people like us. The list goes on. And each of us have our own. The problem is that we don’t get that kind of control. And as long as we keep assuming we need control to be happy, we’re frustrated and discouraged. We’re going to look at a very familiar passage in Scripture today, but we’re going to look at it more from Luke’s purpose than from the season to which we connect it. The story of the greatest hope of all time starts by showing us that when we are not in control, but we’ve entrusted our lives to God, He is in control to do miraculous good. Let’s see what encouragement we can take from these words today!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: New study begins tonight!
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 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
If you’re new to Hope within the past 6 months, our staff and leadership would love to meet you! Please join us in the kitchen in between services for coffee and a sweet treat. We can’t wait to get to know you and your family!
NEW TO HOPE CLASS:
If you’ve recently visited or started attending Hope, we want to invite you to join us for a Wednesday night designed especially for you. We have a New to Hope Class from 7:00-8:00P on May 7th where we will answer your questions, introduce our ministry, and get you started on knowing your way around Hope. Please sign-up in the lobby to let us know you’re planning to join us. Don’t miss this helpful and fun night!
LADIES BOARD & BRUSH NIGHT: Deadline to register is April 27th!
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 on Friday, May 2nd at 6:30P! 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.
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!
PARTNER CLASS: Starts May 28th
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 May 28th, June 4th, and June 11th 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.
BABY | CHILD DEDICATIONS: Sign-Up Now!
We believe that children are some of the most incredible gifts that God gives to families and to our church. Many parents want to dedicate themselves and their children to the Lord. We are going to start doing this on specific dates throughout the year. The first one will be on Father’s Day, June 15th this year. If you would like to know more about this process or would like to dedicate your child that day, please sign up at the front of the auditorium. There will be a class after the 2nd service on May 25th for all parents participating. If you cannot make that class, please contact Pastor Mark to set up a time to go over the information before that class. We are excited to pray over these families and children and to witness the declaration of parents committed to raising their children as God directs.
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! And starting in May, all high school seniors are invited to join us!
MAY 6TH: What Are You Worried About? + Ice Cream Bar
Life is stressful. For most of us, experience has taught us that we should keep an eye out for problems because they are easier to solve early. But that approach has a side-effect. We become people who are constantly on high alert. We worry and live under the weight of anxiety all the time. Is this healthy? Is it necessary? Does it actually help? Let’s talk about how a Christian can approach an uncertain and dangerous world without facing all the dramatically negative outcomes from constantly worrying.
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.
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.
5th GRADE DINNER:
Pastor Ryan and Pastor Dan are passionate about helping students and families seamlessly make the transition between Go Zone and Hope Kids Hangout to “Big Church” and Hope Youth. That’s why they’re hosting a 5th grade dinner for students and their parents to help shed some light on the process, deliver vital info on making the transition, and encourage the powerful partnership that can make students’ lives at Hope so enriching. We hope you’ll consider joining us from 6-8pm on Friday, June 6th for a Chik-Fil-A dinner and to learn about the next steps in your student’s journey. Please register here so we can get a headcount and be sure to save you a seat!
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