Have you ever confused hope with a wish? A lot of people do, and it’s easy to see why. Both involve wanting something good, but they’re not the same thing. Hope is rooted in the belief that something positive will happen, especially when it’s grounded in faith. The empty tomb is the single most powerful symbol of hope in human history. It proves that Jesus kept His promise, conquered death, and opened the door to eternal life for all who believe. The empty tomb is the ultimate proof that God has fulfilled his promises and that we can trust him completely. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19) As believers, we are not throwing out empty wishes and blindly hoping something will happen. Our hope carries the weight of faith and expectation. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) In the Bible, hope isn’t wishy-washy or uncertain. It’s a confident expectation rooted in God’s promises. He is the source of our hope and strength. “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.” (Psalm 71:5) Because Jesus lives, we have a living hope. Not a wishful, maybe someday kind of hope, but a deep, unshakable confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.
The tomb is empty!…Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Outsiders Are Invited | Communion
(Luke 2:8-20)
For most of us, the social dynamics of middle school and high school are really hard to navigate when you’re living through them. Trying to fit in when you don’t even really know who you are is an experience of real struggle and trial. There are few things more painful than being left out of a group to which you’ve tried to connect. It tends to send the message that you are unworthy and that you always will be. But the Gospel invites the outsiders to come in and belong. Churches are actually supposed to do that too! We’ll see this message directly from God from the very beginning of Jesus’ story. And we’ll celebrate HOW God made it possible for even the most isolated or rejected person to become a part of God’s family.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Habakkuk
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
Thank you to every Hoper who participated in our baby bottle drive for True Women’s Center. We raised $2,808.96! If you forgot to bring back your bottle please return it to the Connection Center so we can give them to True! Every penny counts, so bring your bottles back now!
MAY COLLECTION: Seeds of Hope
We love the work Seeds of Hope Ministries is doing, and so for the month of May, we’re collecting items to support them! Please bring women and men’s t-shirts and shorts and place them in the donation bins near each entrance at church. Items will be used to help those in need in Camden. To learn more about Seeds of Hope, you can visit their website here.
NEW TO HOPE CLASS: May 7th
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!
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.
SANDY COVE WOMEN’S RETREAT:
Hey Ladies! It’s time to mark your calendars for our “Fear Not” Fall Women’s Retreat! This year we’re headed to Sandy Cove Retreat Center in North End, Maryland on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Save the dates for November 14-16th (Friday evening – Sunday morning) for an awesome weekend. Your room and meals are included in the registration fee of $270. This cost is for 3 (or 4) in a private room with 1 bathroom and each guest will have her own bed. Aside from the benefits of a getaway with friends, we’ll spend time learning how to face anxiety and worry and sense God’s peace in the chaos and pain of this life. Registration and first payment of $135 are required by May 31st (2nd payment is due August 15th) so start planning to attend NOW – you don’t want to miss this opportunity! For complete details, a bio on our guest speaker, and registration information just click here. As always, this event is open to all ladies who are post-high school and up. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dana Ott.
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.
NEW SERIES: Don’t Panic!
Papers for school due tomorrow, you’ve got a new song to learn for band, and you’re already late for your shift at work. Between 40 hours a week at school, homework, extra curricular activities and part time jobs, teens might be living some of the busiest lives in our culture. Maybe that’s why 1/3 teens are being diagnosed with anxiety disorders while roughly 70% of teens are reporting stress and depression as major issues among them and their peers. While we can blame social media, the contentious state of our world, or Tik Tok all we want, the reality is the blame game won’t help our teens handle anything. That’s why Hope Youth is inviting all students from 6th-12th grade to join us for our new series called Don’t Panic where we explore what Jesus has to say about worry and anxiety and how we can apply His teachings in ways that will really change our lives for the better. Join us, invite a friend, and help us change the statistics on stress starting Sunday May 4th from 6-8pm!
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