How do you feel when you pray for something and it seems like God just isn’t ‘answering’? Take heart, my friends, because I want to reassure you that God’s silence is not evidence of His absence. Did you get that? His silence does not mean He is not listening, or is not with you! That’s a really important truth to hold on to. I know it can feel that way, but just keep repeating the above to yourself. In Deuteronomy we are told God will never leave us or forsake us. Scripture is also filled with verses regarding God hearing our prayers. Here’s just a couple: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24) and “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.” (1 Peter 3:12) There are many different reasons why God may not ‘answer’ our prayers right away or just as we want. But we can rest assured that He will answer, all in His good and perfect timing with nothing but what’s best for us. Let’s be comforted with the knowledge that our heavenly Father is always listening, always present, and always loving.
Trusting His Timing ~ LoisSPIRITUAL CARE
Fishers of Men (Luke 5:1-11)
If you know someone who loves to fish, you realize how much it takes to be successful at fishing. Some days, it seems like “the fish are biting” and others days it seems like all the fish have vanished. Jesus’ calls some disciples – including the three in His inner circle – from this career. And He uses that imagery to describe what He wants to ask them to do. Instead of fishing for fish, He wants them to become fishers of men. But before He says that in Luke’s Gospel, we get a story that demonstrates some things about how it works. These truths are still valid today. As we get ready to share Jesus with hundreds of people, let’s remember how all of this works!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
Pastor Mark is looking to establish a CLEANING TEAM here at Hope. This team would handle doing light spot cleaning at church, simple maintenance like lightbulbs and vacuums, cleaning the kitchen, Christmas decorating, and would help us put together semi-annual cleaning days. Volunteers would serve on rotation, and can serve in one or multiple areas. If you are interested in joining, please sign-up at the Connection Center. There will be a meeting on Sunday, September 14th following the second service to plan and discuss.TRADE SKILLS NEEDED:
In addition to our Cleaning Team, our elder Mike Hartwell is looking to gather the names & contact info of any Hoper who has handyman or trade skills (carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, electric, etc.) that they would be willing to use here at church. Please respond to Mike with this information as well as what skills you have.
WELCOME NEW PARTNERS:
We are excited to welcome Shannon Benedetto, Mark Suloff, Robert Phelps, Annmarie Bilbow, and Sean & Taylor Ball to the Hope family as our latest partners! 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 become a partner. 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 (Philippians 1:3-6). As partners, we share the burdens and work of the ministry together, and we serve our Lord as a team. Learn how to become a partner here!
LADIES SIP N’ DIP:
Hey Ladies! Summer is around the corner and what’s more fun than a poolside picnic lunch with friends? We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, August 2nd from 11:00am–2:00pm. This will be at the Baumiester’s home (750 Fairview Ave. Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097). There are two sign up sheets in the front lobby – one is to let us know that you can attend and the other is if you’d like to bring a dish to share! We’ll supply the cold drinks but we’ll need a headcount for set up and supplies. Remember your bathing suit and towel if you’d like to swim – and by the way, the pool is amazing! This is an event for all our ladies post high school and up and feel free to invite a friend. Contact Dana at danaott@hopechristianfellowship.org for more info and plan to join us!
NEW TO HOPE RECEPTION:
If you’re new to Hope within the past 6 months, our leadership team and staff would love to get to know you and your family! Meet us in the kitchen in-between services for a sweet treat and cup of coffee on Sunday, August 3rd. Can’t wait to see you there!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
CHILD REGISTRATION:
This year’s VBS is from July 21st-25th and the theme is TRUE NORTH – where you will discover how you can trust Jesus in a wild world! Our Preschool VBS for potty-trained 3-5 year olds takes place in the mornings (9:30am-12:00pm). Our Elementary VBS for K-5th graders runs in the evenings (6:00pm-8:30pm). Your child will participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, and learn amazing lessons about how putting your trust in Jesus will help you navigate all that life throws at you. It will be an unforgettable week celebrating God with one-of-a-kind Bible Adventures, collecting Bible Memory Buddies, and exploring the wonders of God’s creation. Your family won’t want to miss it, so register now!
DECORATING DAYS:
Help us transform our church into an Alaskan frontier! We’ll have a decorating afternoon this Thursday, July 17th from noon until 5:00P, Saturday, July 19th from 9:00A-3:00P, and Sunday, July 20th after the second service. Even if you aren’t able to help out with VBS the week-of, you can join us for any of our decorating events!
YOUNG ADULTS
REGULAR MEETINGS ON HIATUS FOR JULY & AUGUST
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!
YOUNG ADULTS BBQ: This Friday!
You’re invited to a Backyard BBQ & Swim Night at Pastor Mark and Dana’s house on Friday, July 18th at 5:00pm! We’ll grill burgers, hot dogs, and provide drinks and side dishes too. Be sure to throw in your bathing suit and towel and come ready for some backyard games, plenty of food, and the opportunity to hang out with each other! Ott home address is: 6 East Avenue, Clayton, NJ 08312. Contact Dana with any questions!
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
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.
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org