How was your Thanksgiving? Sometimes it looks exactly the way we want it to. Other years we may face empty places at the table or perhaps a heart that doesn’t feel prepared to ‘count our blessings.’ It might help to remember that the blessings are still there – they’re just arranged a little differently. Life doesn’t stop handing out disappointments and curve balls just because the calendar has flipped to November. But God doesn’t stop handing out blessings either; His blessings are available year round! Two big ones for me come to mind: His peace and His faithfulness. Philippians 4:6-7 offers us a recipe for peace. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I know, I know… this is often easier said than done. But if we make a conscious effort to follow this formula, we will find our hearts less consumed with anxiety and filled more with peace. God’s faithfulness is another blessing that we can count on, no matter what is going on in our lives. “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 145:17) When we make a list of our blessings, there are many things on there that could disappear tomorrow, but the Lord’s faithfulness will not. He carries us when we’re strong and He carries us even closer when we’re not. He forgives our complaining, comforts our hearts, and never leaves us stranded. Every day won’t be perfect and every holiday won’t feel the same. So even when we feel we don’t have any blessings to count, if we can remember just these two (and there are many more from our heavenly Father), we will always have blessings that count more than anything else!
Undeserving yet blessed beyond measure ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
NEW SERIES: The Other Christmas Stories
Christmas season is full of stories. We watch our favorite movies. We tell some of our favorite family stories of past Christmases. And of course, we read the actual Christmas story in the Gospels. We certainly will do that at our Christmas Eve services. But there are other places in the Bible that describe what happened when Jesus was born. They give us a bigger picture than just a Silent Night and a baby in a manger. We’re going to take a look at just a few of these that were written before Jesus was even born. God speaks through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah to explain why Jesus would be born and what it would mean.
God With Us | Toddler Program
(Matt. 1:18-23; Is. 7:14)
When we are little, we struggle with the fear of noises in the dark and the monsters we imagine. Almost always, the thing that calms the fears of children is the presence of a parent. We grow up and we grow past our childish fears. But life still brings us plenty of reason to worry, stress, and fear. What we thought was a reason to be afraid as a kid gives way to the real-life experiences of betrayal, frustration, loss, and struggle. Some mask it while others build their identity on it. But no one really solves it on their own. In fact, Christmas is the story of our Creator both seeing our troubles and coming to be with us in the middle of them. Part of the story we read at Christmas refers back to something said hundreds of years before Jesus was born. We’re going to look at this prophecy that gave hope to God’s people for all of those centuries. And we’re going to see that its fulfillment was better than they ever imagined.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: On Hiatus
Our Wednesday evening programs are on break for the month of December. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming January study, “Finding Rest” led by Pastor Mark!
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
For the month of November, we averaged $8585 per week for our general giving and $343 per week for our building fund. This brings our annual average down to $10,006 per week which remains well above our target of $9700 but well below what our growing church needs both now and in the coming year. As we discussed at our business meeting on Sunday, Hope has grown by 12% in 2025 alone and we are praying for God’s provision specifically for a new home and an assistant pastor. Our target for 2026 is set at $10,500 and we are trusting the Lord and all of our Hopers to step into faithful, sacrificial, and generous giving. Please pray with us for our weekly giving to increase to our target and even beyond it in the coming months.
HOPE CHRISTMAS CARDS:
The church is decorated, December is here, and Hope is officially ready for Christmas! We have many special programs coming up over the next month that are excellent opportunities to invite friends & family out to church. Our prayer is that one of these services will make an eternal difference in the hearts of our visitors! So be sure to pick up a stack of our “Christmas Cards” from Connection Center. They list all of our program dates & times and make the perfect card to hand out at school, work, or around the neighborhood!
BIBLE READING PLANS:
A daily essential in any believer’s walk with God is time in His word. That’s why Hope has curated two special bible reading plans for you to choose from to start in the new year! You can grab our “Bible In A Year” plan or pick up one of our bookmarks that will give you a sampling of the entire bible over the course of 2 years. All options are available at the Connection Center!
FOOD PANTRY:
We know the holidays can be a difficult time financially. Did you know Hope offers a free food pantry after each Sunday morning service? Stop by the kitchen and one of our friendly volunteers will help you bag up some groceries to take home! For more questions about our Food Pantry, email our Needs Team!
ANNUAL LADIES CHRISTMAS PARTY: Sign-Up Now!
Christmas is just around the corner, so mark your calendars now and save the date for Friday, December 12th at 6:30pm. All ladies (post high-school and up) are invited to our “Winter Wonderland” Party & Ornament Exchange! We’re so excited for this opportunity for our ladies to get together for some holiday games, fun, food, and an encouraging word for every season, even the winter blues! Please sign up at Connection Center and indicate if you’re able to bring a snack or dessert to share. Also, bring a wrapped Christmas tree ornament ($10 or less) for a fun exchange! This year we are collecting donations of winter scarves, hats, and gloves/mittens to take to Jeannette’s Closet (which is part of the GWCM) giving out clothes to those in need. If you want to donate, please bring any of the above for women, men, and children! Dana Ott with any questions. Feel free to invite friends or family – the more the merrier!
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES:
This year we will be offering two identical services at 3:30P & 5:00P. We’ll have scripture reading, special music, and candle lighting. There will be HopeKids! Programs for our WonderZone (ages 0-5.) We’ll also have hot coffee ready! This year’s Christmas Eve offering will be designated to go to Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries in support of the increasing need in our community. Invite your family and friends and join us for one of these special services!
YOUNG ADULTS
If you are post high school through your 20s, our Young Adult group provides a place to connect, 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. We meet the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00P in the GoZone! We are currently on hiatus for the month of December. Stay tuned for details on our January kickoff!
Follow us on Instagram here!
For any questions about Hope’s Young Adults contact Mark & Dana Ott.
HOPE YOUTH
All 6th through 12th graders are invited to join us on Sundays from 6-8pm for games, bible study, worship, and more!
CHRISTMAS SERIES:
With so many distractions during the Christmas season it can be easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. While classic Christmas movies may promote the family, giving generously, or forgiveness, Scripture presents a different story and we’ll be turning to its pages to see what it says and how that story should impact us not just on Christmas, but 365 days a year.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Hope Youth is celebrating with our annual Christmas party! We’ll be gathering together on Sunday Night, December 14th from 6-8pm, for a festive night full of fun holiday themed games and Christ centered fellowship! Come dressed in your favorite Christmas PJs as we sip and snack on holiday favorites, compete for Christmas prizes, and conclude our Christmas series! We will even be doing a white elephant gift exchange ($10 maximum) so grab a friend and join the fun before we take our winter break!
WINTER RETREAT:
Hope Youth is going on another retreat and we are inviting ALL STUDENTS! If you or someone you know is in 6th-12th grade they are invited to join us for our 2026 Winter Retreat at America’s Keswick happening January 23rd-25th! Their “Beyond the Weekend” retreat is a powerful weekend of worship, fellowship, and spiritual formation. With moving sessions, an environment of praise, tons of fun activities (like a volleyball tournament, an indoor swimming pool, video game competitions and so much MORE) it’s no wonder Beyond the Weekend is packed every year with youth groups from all over the tri-state area. Hope Youth is PUMPED to be a part of this awesome event and we want you to join us, so complete the permission slip and turn it in to Pastor Dan no later than December 14th! You can pay the $100 fee by cash, check, or PayPal. Spaces are filling up fast so don’t wait!
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!
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM PRACTICES:
This year we have THREE HopeKids! Christmas Programs to look forward to! Rehearsals are currently happening during Sunday morning services, in addition to these special practices for each age group:
- Toddlers (2-3 yr olds) only on-stage practice is Sat, Dec. 6th from 10am-11am
- Pre-K (4-5 yr olds) only on-stage practice is Sat, Dec. 13th from 10am-11am
- GoZone (K-6th graders) first on-stage practice is Wed, Dec. 17th from 6:30-8:00pm
- GoZone (K-6th graders) second on-stage practice is Sat, Dec. 20th from 10am-12pm
For more information, click here for the Toddler Parent Letter, Pre-K Parent Letter, and GoZone Parent Letter. Additionally, your children can practice at home with all songs and motion videos here! If you have any questions, please contact Kara May.
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.
Check out our social media (and more) here!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org
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