Why is it so hard to let go of things that aren’t ours to hold? We hold on to worry because at least it feels productive. We hold on to control because uncertainty feels unsafe. We hold on to old hurts because letting go feels like saying they didn’t matter. We hold on to plans because trusting God feels like free-falling. And yet Scripture reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5) Leaning not on our own understanding is hard when our understanding is the very thing we’re gripping for stability! I picture my hand, closed tightly around a worry or a plan or an expectation. I know I need to surrender it to the Lord so I imagine opening clenched fingers one by one until my hands are open enough to release it to the Lord’s care. After all, He can’t take control of what I refuse to let go of. Not only that, but I believe if we all could just loosen our grips enough we would discover that He’s been holding us all along! God isn’t asking us to let go so we’ll fall. He’s asking us to let go so He can carry what we were never meant to carry in the first place. ”Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”(Psalm 55:22)
Trying to hold loosely to things that are fleeting, and hold on to Jesus for life ~ LoisSPIRITUAL CARE
Practice These Things (2 Peter 1:3-10)
If you were ever on a sports team growing up, you probably know what it means to practice. Some teams take it very seriously, while others take it easy. But either way, the evidence always shows up in the game. If you don’t practice or you skip it, you aren’t really ready for what you need to do. As believers, God tells us that He has given us EVERYTHING we need for our lives. But He does not force us to pick those things up. Instead, He invites us to choose them. We must practice these things if we want to know and experience all that God has given to us. Let’s take this day to think about the strategy that we can embrace. We want Hope to be a place where people know the love of God and where we live out the reality of our togetherness in Christ.WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Tonight!
Pastor Mark will be continuing in the 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. (HopeKids! Programs will be provided for infants through 5th grade, and Hope Youth will meet for 6th-12th grades.)
NIGHT OF WORSHIP: Next Wednesday
Join us for a Night of Worship on January 28th at 7:00P! Life can sometimes feel dreary, dark, and cold in the dead of winter, so we choose to worship and praise God even while we’re waiting for signs of life to return. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” No matter what things look like right now, we know God is faithful to His promise to bring life, hope, healing, and freedom as we put our trust in Him! There will be HopeKids programs for our WonderZone kids (infants – preschoolers) and we’ll have donuts & coffee out at 6:30P before the service begins.
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
Hope’s staff is keeping a watchful eye on the weather as we look ahead to this weekend. We will make a game plan for our Sunday services by noon on Saturday. We will post to social media as well as send out a Hope Notes announcement. Be on the lookout for that information!MEN’S SOFTBALL LEAGUE:
Hope is joining a church softball league! Men, if you’re looking for a great way to get active and connect with your brothers here at Hope, this is it! The season will start after Easter, but we’ll need you to register and attend a meeting on February 15th following the second service so we can get a headcount and order jerseys (cost is $20.) Sign-up and find more information using this link. Open to all men 18 and up. For questions contact Dylan Ott.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! Come learn how we do things (and why we do them!) here at Hope. This class will be taught on Wednesday, February 4th at 7:00 by one of our Elders. Sign-up at the Connection Center to attend!
PARTNER CLASSES:
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. Our Partner Classes will cover the way our church functions as well as what we believe. Join us on Wednesdays at 7:00 on February 11th, 18th, and 25th. Sign-up at Connection Center!
BABY | CHILD DEDICATIONS:
We believe that children are some of the most incredible gifts that God gives to families and to our church. Many parents want to dedicate themselves and their children to the Lord. Our next Child Dedication Service will be on February 22nd. There will be a class after the 2nd service on February 15th for all parents participating. Please sign-up at Connection Center and grab a book to participate! If you cannot make that class, please contact Pastor Mark to set up a time to go over the information before that class. We are excited to pray over these families and children and to witness the declaration of parents committed to raising their children as God directs.
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!
GUARD YOUR HEART: Feb 3rd
We hear about a broken heart all the time. We usually mean that some romantic relationship has crashed and burned. But the Bible uses “heart” to symbolize more than just romance. In fact, the heart has a central role in our spiritual life and is used to talk about our souls. There are many warnings and encouragements in Scripture about how our spiritual well-being is something to which we should pay close attention. Let’s see what God as to say about what happens in our hearts.
SKI TRIP:
Our Young Adults are hitting the slopes at Bear Creek Mountain on Sunday, February 22nd from 4:00-9:00P and we’d love to have you join us! Whether you’re a regular part of YA or not, if you’re in your 20’s, you’re invited to come skiing, snowboarding, or even to just hang out in the ski lodge! The lift ticket is between $40-60 depending on a group rate (does not include rental of equipment). Please sign up at Connection Center and you’ll be contacted with more details and information! Feel free to email Dana Ott or Dustin Ott with any questions – hope you can join us!
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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!
CURRENT SERIES: New Year, New Me
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 Hope Youth is going to explore what that key component is in our series “New Year, New Me.” Join us as we walk through the New Testament and explore the theme of rejuvenation from Jesus to Paul.
BIG GAME BASH: February 8th
The playoffs are upon us and you know what that means, time for Hope Youth’s annual Big Game Bash! This year all students from 6th-12th grade are invited to join us from1-3pm on Sunday, February 8th in the auditorium for an afternoon of football fun! There will be outdoor flag football, prizes galore, and did I mention free lunch? All happening before the Big Game so you won’t have to miss a minute! Bring a friend and bring your appetite, we will see you there! (Please note: this will be in place of our regular Sunday evening youth group!)
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!
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!
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For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org
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