I ran into someone I hadn’t seen since high school and one of the first things she asked me was, “how’s your back?” My first thought was how does she know about that? And then I remembered. I missed most of my senior year due to a botched back surgery and all the joy that went along with that. I did some quick math and realize that was 52 years ago (yikes)! It was bothersome that what defined me to her was my back issues. That is the very least of who I am. More so, that is certainly not my identity. My identity comes from the fact that I’m a child of God. I am many things in my daily life, but my most treasured description is that I am loved and known by God. He calls me his child. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3) Who you are is not defined by what you do (or whatever health issues you have), but by Whose you are. We don’t need status or popularity or power. We needn’t feel the obligation to list accomplishments or titles, even those like spouse, parent, friend etc. Calling ourselves children of God is MORE than enough! “God’s Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16) Let us boldly make that declaration out loud and in our hearts.
Declaring Whose I Am ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Jesus Restores a Man (Luke 5:12-16)
We are working our way through the Gospel of Luke. These stories are about the life and work of Jesus. Luke took time to interview eyewitnesses and to investigate times and locations so that he would have an accurate record of what Jesus said and did. In this story, we find a very interesting interaction between Jesus and a man that no one would be even allowed to touch by the Law of Moses. It would seem that this story is about physical restoration and healing. In some sense, that’s true. But this story is near the beginning of Luke’s story of Jesus’ work so it has more to it than just a man with leprosy being healed. In fact, the reaction of the people and Jesus to this event tell us that people missed what Jesus was trying to show them. Let’s take a look at what happened and how that invitation is still available to us today!
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.
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!
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. Check back soon for information about our fall plans!
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
MIDDLE SCHOOLER MADNESS: August 15th
We planned a party made just for our middle schoolers! We’ll have pizza, prizes, and so much more on this chaotic night! We’ll be competing against each other and growing closer together, so don’t miss out on this wild night of fun! It all starts Friday, August 15th from 6-8pm in the GoZone. We are inviting ALL 6-8th graders so come hungry, bring a friend, and be ready to hang. Sign-up here so we can plan for you!
POOL PARTY: August 24th
Join us Sunday, August 24th from 3-6pm for our last pool party of the summer! We’ll be closing out the season right with great grill food, fun yard games, and a pool to dive into. Bring a friend, bring a towel, and come hungry for our final pool party of 2025! It’s all going down at 973 Johnson Rd, Sicklerville, NJ. This party is open to all 6th-12th graders. See you there!
SENIOR SUMMIT: August 29th
Senior year is a big step for many students. Hope Youth wants to celebrate our senior class, as well as invite them to look ahead at their last year and join together in making it the best ever! We want to invite each of them to start thinking now about what their last year will be like, what events or activities they want to do, and how they’ll lead and leave a legacy for the classes to come. We hope that all of our seniors will join us on Friday, August 29th from 6-8pm for this free dinner!
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