All of us go through dark times. It may be situational, relational, or spiritual in nature. It can be sin generated. But there’s no getting around it – these things will enter our lives every now and then. Although the darkness may be painful, it’s the perfect setting for His Light. Alone in the darkness, His Light becomes all the more obvious. What a comfort to know that Light ALWAYS overcomes the dark. (‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ John 1:5) Darkness must always succumb to light. You can’t turn a flashlight on in a dark room and have no illumination. It’s impossible. The only remedy to the blackness of night is light. What’s important to remember is the SOURCE of our light. (‘You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.’ Psalm 18:28) God alone can dispel the darkness we face. When things are at the bleakest, whether because of a situation or because of our own sin, we must turn the eyes of our heart to Jesus, the Light of the world. Scriptures paint the picture of Jesus face ‘shining like the sun in all its brilliance’ (Rev 1:16) and tells us how His face ‘shone like the sun’ (Matthew 17:2). I can just feel the warmth in my soul when I think of this! There is no better way to dispel our darkness – we need just remember to do it.
Basking in His brilliance…Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Raising Jesus (Luke 2:40-52)
So often, we think we know what God is doing (or what He should be doing) in the situations we face. Most of our misunderstanding about God’s plan comes down to thinking that the story unfolding in our lives is all about us or all about ‘right now.’ Luke includes a story – the only one we have – from Jesus’ childhood. In these events, you might be surprised to see that Mary and Joseph had normal parental jobs in raising Jesus, and even normal panic attacks. But as Mary recounts this story to Luke many years later, she has a different perspective about what God was doing. It turns out that God was doing something bigger and more long term than what they saw in this moment. It wasn’t about them, it was about God’s plan. And in that plan, everyone could take their role without trying to make themselves more important or central than God’s calling in their lives.
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
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.
WOMEN OF HOPE:
All ladies post high school and up are invited to join us Monday, May 19th at 6:30P. We’ll be finishing up our spring study as well as having time for fellowship and prayer. Our last meeting of the spring will be June 2nd and we’ll be having a picnic to celebrate! Come on out and invite a friend!
IRON MEN: Last meeting of the spring!
All dads of infants through high schoolers are invited to join us as we close out our spring session on Monday, May 19th at 7:00P. This group is a time of fellowship, bible study, and prayer. We believe we can encourage each other to be better leaders, “as iron sharpens iron.” See you there!
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 20TH: I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
A treadmill is a diabolical device. People trying to get exercise use them all the time, and many see good and desirable results from them. But if you think about it, they get on, expend a lot of energy that should help them move from one place to another, and then get off in exactly the same spot as where they started. It is like they wasted that energy because they made exactly zero progress. Many of us face the prospects of living life the same way: always chasing, but never getting anything that satisfies. If you chase the wrong thing, you can spend a lot of your life chasing something that you’ll regret down the road. If you don’t chase anything, you just stay where you are and never make any progress. So what do we do? The key is understanding how to read the map for life. Let’s look at the chase that most people start in their 20s and decide to navigate these decisions in a way that will bring actual satisfaction!
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: 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.
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.
GIRLS & GUYS NIGHT: May 23rd at 7:00P
The long awaited Guys’/Girls’ Night is here! If you’re a lad, join us for a night of tacos and serious competition in our annual Bounce tournament! Haven’t played before? Then you’re a contender to win Rookie of the Year along with plenty of other prizes throughout this fun filled night! If you’re a lady then you can be a part of a night of ice cream sundaes with your spiritual sisters! You’ll be making custom charm bracelets, enjoying some fun fellowship, and of course devouring some ice cream! Both events are happening on Friday, May 23rd from 6-8pm. Our guys will be meeting here at Hope, while our girls will be meeting at one of our female leader’s houses (833 Hardingville Road, Monroeville)! Click here to sign-up!
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