‘Offended by everything, ashamed of nothing.’ Am I the only one who has never heard that? It’s such a perfect example of the world we live in. I’d like to look at it from a biblical standpoint. As a believer, there are things I’m not ashamed of. God’s Word for one. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) I admit it took me awhile to get over my fear of sharing from Scripture, but now it is so much a part of who I am and how I live that it comes naturally. I’ve had to ‘suffer’ insults, belittlement, and loss of relationships because of my beliefs. But I take comfort in this verse on not being ashamed about it: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4:16)
As for not taking offense so easily, God’s Word has advice on that as well. “A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 BSB) Hear that? It’s a virtue to be able to ignore an offense. We need to heed the words of Paul in Colossians 3:13 NLT – “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.”
Every one of us is different; which is easier for you? Living boldly as a believer in today’s world or easily overlooking/forgiving offenses? I’ll tell you mine – definitely the latter!
Before the Cross ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Faith Far Beyond Belief
(Hebrews 11:1-13, 32-40; 12:1-2)
Faith is a mysterious thing. There’s an element of belief in it, but also trusting in things that never happen, and seeking to know things that can’t be known. If we look back at the giants of faith in the Bible, as the author of Hebrews does in chapter 11, we can see that their lives reveal a faith that goes far beyond belief—a faith that calls to action, to sacrifice, to fearlessness and even recklessness! Let’s meditate together on the great examples of faith throughout Scripture, and how we can walk that same path in our own lives.
FAMILY NIGHTS: Coming September!
We’re so excited to announce that starting Wednesday, September 3rd we’ll be having fall Family Nights here at Hope! Join us at 6:15 for FREE dinner for the whole family before we head into our classes at 7:00. We know weekdays can be hectic with school and work – so consider your Wednesdays taken care of! Come feed your stomach and your soul! We’ll have HopeKids! Programs for all our our little ones, starting from nursery up through 5th grade. Hope Youth will also have a class for our teens. Even if you can’t make it to dinner, join us for bible study for adults at 7:00.
BIBLE STUDY: New September Series!
Forgiveness: Finding Freedom From Hurt
As Christians, we are forgiven. It is a fundamental truth that defines our relationship with God. But we also are called to forgive. When faced with the unforgivable, this can feel like a duty that we aren’t sure we want to fulfill. In fact, it can feel like it minimizes the damage done to us and makes us vulnerable again to the same kind of pain we faced before. But what if it isn’t really any of those things? What if forgiveness is freedom? We’re going to take four weeks and look at some of the main passages on forgiveness to see what we can learn. If you are struggling with knowing how to let go of wounds and the fear it brings (or if you just want to learn more about this vital truth), join us as we learn together what it means to forgive and how we can do it.
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
With Pastor Ryan Moreno taking a position at another church much closer to his home in Philadelphia, we are in need of an Elementary Children’s Director. We are thankful for the four years he has been with us, and excited to see what God has next! Please continue to pray with us as our Leadership Team seeks the Lord’s direction in our next director. As that process moves deliberately and prayerfully forward, the Leadership Team has appointed Kara May as our Interim HopeKids Director. She currently is our Preschool Director, so we are overwhelmingly appreciative to her for taking on this additional responsibility and help keep our ministries to our kids running well. Please pray for Kara as she steps into this interim role!
WONDERMOMS PARK TOUR: Thursday!
Our WonderMoms have come to the final leg of our park & playdate tour! If you’re a mom of preschoolers (0-5), join us on Thursday, August 14th at Red Bank park from 10:30-noon. This will be our last meeting before fall hiatus. We always have so much fun at Red Bank – visiting the playground, walking down to the river, and checking out the butterflies. Join us for fun and fellowship before the summer is over! Contact Emily DiLorenzo with any questions.
FELLA-SHIP FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE:
We’re having our 4th annual Hope fantasy football league! All guys high school and up are invited to join us – whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro. Our draft will take place August 28th at 7:00p and it’s FREE. Even if you can’t make the draft in person, you can still participate! Just let Dylan Ott know. Sign-up at the Connection Center!
FUNERAL TEAM:
Do you have a heart for those who are grieving? We are looking to bolster our Funeral Team. Be a part of our volunteers who help set-up and host memorial services here at Hope. If you are interested, or have questions, contact Pat Keith!
AUGUST COLLECTION:
Hope is partnering with Rowan’s Chi Alpha Campus Ministries for their 3rd annual “Mug Shots Outreach” on September 5th. Each year, this event welcomes 250–300 college students with a fun, relaxed environment where they receive a mug, enjoy a root beer float, and connect with the Chi Alpha community and share Jesus with them. We’re helping by collecting gently used or new mugs for the students. Fun, colorful, or unique mugs are especially encouraged—they’re a great conversation starter! While we’d love to avoid overly business-branded mugs, we’ll gladly take whatever you’re willing to donate. Please drop off your mug donations in the collection bin located in the front and back of the church by Sunday, August 24th.
SMALL GROUP INFO & TRAINING MEETING:
Community is an essential part of our spiritual walk with Christ. Small Groups are an important way we fight the battle isolation and build an everlasting community here at Hope! In order to have Small Groups we need Small Group Coordinators, (formerly known as Leaders/Hosts), who are open to coordinating a group for the next season (Fall through Spring). Coordinators must be believers in Christ, attending Hope on a regular basis, and be willing to be the point of contact for a single Group. If you meet the above criteria and you want to plug-in to the church in a simple, but impactful way, the Small Group Leadership Team will be holding a Coordinator Information & Training Session lunch on Sunday, September 21st following the second service. The goal of this session will be to answer questions about Small Group Coordination and to equip those qualified to kick off their first group. Lunch is free, we just need you to register so we know you are coming! Sign-up here no later than September 14th.
NEW TO HOPE CLASS:
If you’re new to Hope within the past year, you’ll want to join us for a special evening just for you on September 24th at 7:00! Come learn how we do things (and why we do them!) here at Hope. This class will be taught by one of our Elders. Sign-up at the Connection Center to attend!
YOUNG ADULTS
FALL KICKOFF: Coming Soon!
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. We meet the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00P in the GoZone starting September!
WHY WAIT: September 2nd
Waiting is the worst! As we get older, time feels like it starts moving faster. It took forever to get through a year of school back in high school, but now the seasons start flying by. Waiting feels like wasting the precious time we have. And no one really likes to wait. But patience is a big theme in Scripture. Is waiting something we are supposed to like? How do we know the difference between when we are supposed to press forward in action and when we need to hold back and wait? Let’s talk about what the Bible says about patience and how we can learn to navigate the inevitable waiting that comes with life. Plus we’ll enjoy fellowship & ice cream sundaes!
Follow us on Instagram here!
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
HOPE YOUTH KICKOFF:
It’s heartbreaking to see summer wind down, but you know what that means… HOPE YOUTH IS BACK! All 6th through 12th graders are invited to join us on Sundays beginning September 7th from 6-8pm for a brand new year full of adventure and the unexpected! Our kickoff night will be especially exciting with a massive outdoor game, plenty of prizes to win, and snow cones to close out the night! We’ll also be starting off the school year with a new series called Into the Unknown. Maybe you’ve just moved to a new town, are looking ahead to life after school, or are joining youth group for the first time! Or maybe you’re going through a tough transition in life and you just don’t know what the future holds. Whatever the case, growing up is about stepping out into the unknown. New relationships, responsibilities, and risks. Thankfully you don’t have to alone. In this series we’ll be exploring how we can step into the unknown with confidence, and how Jesus walks right beside us as we do. So whether it’s your first year at youth group or your last, we hope you’ll join us!
HOPE YOUTH ON WEDNESDAYS:
Family nights are returning and Hope Youth’s Bible Study is BACK! Join us on Wednesday nights from 6:15-8:00P starting September 3rd! We’ll have food for your body and your soul as we enjoy a meal together and dive into God’s Word as a Youth Group. Our teens will be exploring the narrative of Joseph in the Old Testament and seeing how his journey of slavery, imprisonment, and rejection is a reflection of Jesus Christ and how we can reflect Jesus in our own lives! You won’t want to miss one or morsel or one moment! See you then!
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!
OCEAN CITY RETREAT:
Join us for one of the biggest events of the year as we spend the weekend at Ocean City for our Senior High retreat! If you or a friend are in 9th-12th grade, you’re invited to be a part of this fun and uplifting retreat being held from September 26-28th! Aside from plenty of games and fun on the boards we will be worshipping together, diving into God’s Word, and growing closer as a group. Fill out our OC Retreat Permission Slip and turn it in to Pastor Dan NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 12TH. The cost for the trip is $100 and can be paid via cash, a check made out to “Hope Christian Fellowship”, or through our Paypal link. If you have questions about payment or are in need of a retreat sponsorship, please contact Pastor Dan ASAP.
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.
WONDERZONE ON WEDNESDAYS:
Wednesday nights at Hope are BACK, and we are so excited to have our WonderZone programs up and running again, kicking off on September 3rd! We can’t wait to snuggle and care for your infants (0-18m) in our Nursery 1 class, while our Nursery 2 team builds connections with your toddlers (18m-2yr) through lots of playtime! As we jump back into our normal midweek programs, our Preschoolers (3-5yrs) will continue our “Growing with God” study, designed to help preschoolers 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!
GOZONE ON WEDNESDAYS:
The GoZone team is excited and ready to launch into Wednesday nights with your 1st-5th graders! We’ll have a chance to review Sunday morning’s Bible lesson in a new way — new lesson videos, new games, and new small group activities will help to reinforce these important Bible truths! You don’t want your elementary kiddos to miss out on this opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and fellowship with other HopeKids!
HOPEKIDS HANGOUT:
Our Sunday evening program for elementary aged children is taking a hiatus in for fall, with updates to come in January. However, our GoZone kiddos will still GO for God, GO for growth and GO forever during our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening programs made just for them! See you there!
Check out our social media (and more) here!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org