I was thinking about the remnants of all the gifts under the Christmas tree. By now, most have been put away; but there are probably some stragglers left. Sadly, those are most likely the ones we didn’t care for so much. Then I thought about how God is the perfect gift giver. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights…” (James 1:17). He knows exactly what gift you need the most – the gift of salvation. Not only does He offer us this gift of eternal life, He gives us ‘good and perfect’ gifts every day. Let’s start with the most fundamental gift of all – life. “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4) Every single breath is a divine gift, not to be taken for granted, making us dependent on God. If you’re ever wondering about the majesty and heart of our God, just take a look around you. There is so much beauty in our world. He could have made it all in black and white; we’d have never known the difference. Instead we have the green pastures, the azure seas, golden wheat fields and skies filled with the fiery shades of sunrise and sunset. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NLT) We have the gifts of family, friends, church… the list goes on and on. Surely none of His gifts would ever be stragglers left behind. Or would they? Think about everything God has given you and be careful not to treat His gifts carelessly; be sure to give them the regard and care they deserve. Don’t leave our Father’s precious presents/presence thoughtlessly ‘under the tree’.
Wishing you all a blessed 2026 ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
New Wineskins | Communion
(Luke 5:33-39)
“This is the way we’ve always done it.” How often have you heard something like that to reject a new idea? It can be frustrating if you are the person most affected by the unwillingness to consider change. Of course, all of us get stuck in old ways. This is true even in religion and in church. Jesus came to Israel with the Good News, but many of them saw it as something to fear or to silence. They were not ready for something “different”. Jesus makes that point in this passage and Luke uses it to sum up the events of this chapter. Jesus has included those who would normally be excluded because of the presumption of their sinfulness. Instead, Jesus talks about bringing sinners to repentance. The grace of God is amazing, but sometimes it is also scary. Can we allow God to change the way we’ve always done it?
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Returns January 7th!
Starting next Wednesday, Pastor Mark will be leading a new series, “Find Rest.” We all know the frustration of misplacing something and not being able to find it. We try to remember the last time we saw it, but it seems like every time we look somewhere new, it just isn’t there. Most of us live our lives chasing a thing that our soul needs, but that seems impossibly lost. We all need rest. In fact, Jesus tells us that we are called to it and that He gives it to us when we come to Him. So why do so many of us struggle to find it? Let’s see what may be stopping us from the kind of renewing rest that Jesus gives. Join us at 6:30P for coffee & donuts, and 7:00P for study.
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
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!
WOMEN OF HOPE: Resumes January 5th
Women of Hope is back from our holiday break and we’re excited to jump into 2026 with a new video series by Lisa Harper called “Lyrics of Life – A Psalm for Every Situation.” Our first meeting is Monday, January 5th from 6:30-8:00pm and we’ll have hot beverages and a snack to enjoy as we fellowship and study the Psalms together. This group is open to women who are post-high school and up – hope to see you there!
MEN’S BREAKFAST: January 10th
We meet on the 2nd Saturday morning of each month from 8:00-9:30 for a time of fellowship, bible study, prayer, and of course – breakfast! Join us for delicious hot and FREE breakfast and a time to be with brothers in Christ. Invite a friend and we hope to see you there.
NEW TO HOPE RECEPTION:
If you are new to Hope within the past six months, our leadership and staff would love to get to know you more! Stop by our kitchen in-between services on Sunday, January 11th for a sweet treat and a hot cup of coffee. Bring your family, we can’t wait to meet them!
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!
JANUARY 6TH: Coffee & Cocoa Kickoff!
New Years is a time that reminds us all that we have authority over our own lives and decisions. As people make resolutions, it is a reflection of the fact that each of us get to choose what we will and will not do. But what makes something important enough to be your “New Year’s Resolution”? How do you know which things are most important? How can you tell what things you’ve made most important in your life? We’re going to take a night and talk about priorities. Let’s not leave this discussion in the ‘theoretical’ realm. Let’s talk about real-life, how we can choose the right priorities, and how we can live our lives built around those priorities. We’ll have hot cocoa, lattes, and even specialty Mexican coffee! Of course, we’ll have something to munch on as well, so don’t miss the first meeting of 2026!
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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!
NEW YEAR, NEW ME: Pizza Party Kickoff
New diets, new habits, new year, new me. The New year is a time for reflection and rejuvenation, looking with renewed confidence at a new year full of possibilities. As such it’s no wonder that every year people look to make resolutions; promises to themselves about what bad habits they’ll break and what self-improvement disciplines they’ll take on. By now though most people have caught on to the fact that these resolutions don’t normally last longer than a month, while less than 10% ever achieve their goals. Sometimes we can treat our walk with God the same way we treat New Year’s resolutions. We feel convicted to make a change, stop sinning in one way or start pursuing Jesus in another, but we rarely keep these habits going. There’s a key component that we are missing and in the New Year Hope Youth is going to explore what that key component is in our new series “New Year, New Me.” Join us as we walk through the New Testament and explore the theme of rejuvenation from Jesus to Paul. We’ll also be kicking the year off with a pizza party so bring a friend and don’t miss out on the fun! It all kicks off Sunday January 4th from 6-8pm, see you there!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: Exodus, Our God Saves
Exodus begins with a genocide and only ramps up from there. The parting of the Red Sea, the 10 Plagues of Egypt, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Exodus and in our Hope Youth Wednesday Night Bible Study we will be diving so much deeper. As we read through the classic Exodus narrative we will be looking at what the story says about God, how we can apply it to our own lives, and see how the whole Exodus story points to a baby boy who would be born in Bethlehem. Join us on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8pm for our new series “Exodus, Our God Saves.”
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!
MOVE-UP SUNDAY:
Our 6th graders will officially move up into the main auditorium for Sunday morning services on January 4th! It has been our joy to serve these incredible kids. We’re excited for all the fun they’ll have as they get connected in Hope Youth, and grow deeper in their faith in the main service!
WONDERZONE SNOWFLAKE SPECTACULAR:
Sign-up to be a part of the fun happening on Saturday, January 17th from 10:30am-noon for our first ever WonderZone Snowflake Spectacular – a celebration for preschoolers (infants through Pre-K) and their parents! We’ll make snowflake crafts, play games, sing preschool worship songs, hear a snowy story, and more!! We can’t wait to see you and your preschooler(s) there!
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.
WEDNESDAY EVENING PROGRAMS:
We are excited to welcome back all of our HopeKids! on Wednesday nights in both the WonderZone and GoZone! We’ll have classes opening at 6:45pm for all infants through 5th graders beginning on January 7th alongside our regular adult Bible Study sessions. Our team can’t wait to spend time cultivating relationships, diving into Scripture, and establishing a foundation of faith with all of our little ones as we head into the new year!
Check out our social media (and more) here!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org
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