All of us have faced disappointments, setbacks, heartbreaks, and realities that we often feel we must come to accept. We rationalize and reassure ourselves that we are simply being practical or realistic. But Scripture reminds us that God doesn’t always work within the limits we set. “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14) This question that God posed to Abraham is for all of us. It’s about God keeping His promises in ways that feel impossible to us. It’s about how human conclusions don’t cancel divine plans. My very wise daughter once said to me, “Even when your dreams and hopes seem to be crushed, do not despair that God won’t be able to make good on His promises to us. No matter what happens, God’s promises will always be completed. Nothing can get in the way of the power of God.” I find testimony to this very thought in Matthew 19:26 – “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Sometimes, God doesn’t just answer our prayers. He surprises us with outcomes we didn’t even know how to ask for. So many times we give up on something or sit back and gloomily accept a reality when God is at work behind the scenes waiting to give us the most unexpected blessing. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20) How about if, the next time we are ready to toss in the towel and settle for less, we harness the power of prayer to our Almighty Father and give Him room to work. When hope feels fragile or long gone. When outcomes feel uncertain and doors appear closed. These are exactly the times when we need to let Him remind us that He is still writing our story and nothing is too hard for Him.
Tapping into His promises ~ Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Who Is Blessed? (Luke 6:17-26)
We can go to churches or watch online and hear all kinds of ideas about God’s blessings. It seems like most people think that blessings are when God makes your life exactly like what you want. Bills are paid. Loved ones are healthy. Problems are far in the rearview mirror. But Jesus talked about those who are blessed in a very different way. In fact, His description is so shocking, it is hard to really process without the help of the Holy Spirit. Let’s take some time today and open our hearts to what Jesus is teaching His disciples and us in this interaction. And then let’s allow the Lord to shift our mindset about what a blessed life looks like.
NIGHT OF WORSHIP: Tonight!
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.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: Study resumes next week!
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.)
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
Women of Hope is continuing with a new video series by Lisa Harper called “Lyrics of Life – A Psalm for Every Situation.” Join us Monday, February 2nd from 6:30-8:00pm for a time of study, prayer and fellowship. Even if you have never been out to Women of Hope before, you are more than welcome to hop in at anytime! This group is open to women who are post-high school and up. For any questions, contact Mary LeBeau.
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: Next Wednesday!
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!
Do you KNOW Jesus?: New Series
We believe that Christianity, while having some elements of devotion, routine, and sacrifice, is defined by its relationship to Jesus rather than any religiosity. But how do you have a relationship with Jesus? In an increasingly disconnected world it can be hard enough to maintain relationships with people we see on a weekly basis, so how are we supposed to have a flourishing relationship with someone we can’t see? While our relationship with Jesus begins with salvation this series will focus on what comes next. How do we connect with God? How do we speak to him? Hear him speak to us? How do we get to know Jesus better? All students from 6th-12th grade are invited to join us on Sunday nights from 6-8pm as we explore all this and more!
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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