We’ve all had them. Those thoughts that pop into your mind in the middle of the night. Turning them over in our minds in the dark like little luminescent stones. Usually they are worries. Our restless spirits like to attack our peace, especially in the midnight hours. I think the enemy knows that is a time when we are most vulnerable, having nothing to distract ourselves with like we do in the busyness of our days. The question is – what do we do with these thoughts? We must be careful not to ruminate on them, making the spark of a thought into a full-fledged firestorm of fear and anxiety. Nor should we take them with us into the next day, carrying those stones around until they feel like boulders. Proverbs 4:23 GNT issues this warning to us: “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Instead, we can use Philippians 4:8 as a filter to run things through as they enter our minds. “Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Every single thought can be subjected to this check list. We can also “take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 GWT) Finally, we should simply leave it all in God’s hands because if it’s in His hands it can be out of our minds. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Submitting my thoughts to You, Lord… Lois
SPIRITUAL CARE
Building the Feeling | Volunteer Fair
(Phil. 2:3-4, Matt. 14:13-21)
Many people come to Hope and talk about how it feels to come for the first time. We love the feedback that our church feels welcoming and warm. We are thrilled that Hopers own the calling to step towards someone they do not know and try to help them feel like they belong. But this feeling does not happen by accident. It is something we intentionally build. We are going to have a different service today. We will worship as usual. Then we’ll look at some Scripture like we always do. But we’re going to have some time at the end of the service to respond. We want everyone fully involved in serving at Hope. We’re going to talk about what that accomplishes, but we’re also going to invite you to serve at Hope. If you’re not serving, this is your on-ramp to start. If you are serving, but you need to step in more, this is the day for that step. Pray with us that we will all be able to see God lead us into serving exactly how He wants us to!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDIES:
Join us Wednesday nights at 6:30P for coffee & donuts, followed by bible study at 7:00P. HopeKids! Programs are provided for ages 0-5th Grade.
- Interpreting Scripture: In the month of April, Pastor Mark is going to take Wednesday nights and teach on the process of properly understanding and interpreting the Bible. If you’ve struggled to understand what the Bible says or if you’ve notice that people make it say all kinds of different things, this class will be an overview of the principles that guide faithful understanding of God’s Word. (Meeting in the GoZone.)
- Psalms: The Psalms have been a powerful tool for believers for thousands of years. Acting as the worship hymn book for the Israelites, the Psalter remains a powerful book of reflection, devotion, encouragement, and theology for believers today. Join us as we unpack its poetic elements, learn its core message, and apply that message to our personal lives. (Meeting in the auditorium.)
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
We serve over 100 kids in our Sunday morning programs! That said, we go through supplies pretty quickly! If you’d like to support this ministry, stop by the Donation Bulletin Board outside of the GoZone to see what items you could purchase to help our HK teams. Simply grab a tag (or two!) and return your purchased item to the kitchen in the HopeKids! Donation Basket. We’d really appreciate it!
PRAYER PARTNERS FOR HOPE’S MISSION TEAM:
Hope has a Mission Team of 9 people who will be traveling to Restoring Hope Village in Welkom, South Africa to work with missionaries Josh & Jackie Frankeas. We are excited to support our them as they make this trip in August. We are looking for Hopers to become Prayer Partners for our team! What does a prayer partner do? You will be assigned to one of the 9 folks going and commit to praying for them over the next few months and through the trip. If you would like to do this, please contact Bunny Dougherty at bunny.dougherty@gmail for more information.
LADIES CRAFTING EVENT: Sign-Up by May 1st!
Hey Ladies! You’re invited to come out and get your craft on! Please join us on Saturday morning, May 16th from 10:00-noon, where we’ll be creating a wood craft & painting project led by our own Kristina Mulcahy and her family-owned company, “Rooted in Crafts”. The cost for this event is $25 and you’ll need to sign up by May 1st to save your seat. In order for Kristina to plan for supplies and set up, our deadline date is firm and space is limited so don’t delay in filling out the form to register! We’ll have donuts, bagels, coffee, and breakfast snacks to munch on while we craft. You don’t need to bring a thing – just join us for the fun and fellowship! Remember our Women’s Events are open to anyone post-high school and up. Contact Dana Ott with any questions or for more information.
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! Join us on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00P. 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!
MEN’S WIFFLEBALL TOURNAMENT:
Hey men! Our 5th Annual Wiffleball Tournament is happening on May 30th! You won’t want to miss this awesome time of fellowship, competition, and free food! Whether you’re a pro or a rookie, we’d love for you to join us. We’re hoping to have our biggest year yet – with additional awards and prizes, alongside the champion’s trophy! Sign up by May 24th as a team (3-5 guys), or as a free agent and we’ll find you a team! Open to all men, high school and older. If you have any questions, see Dylan Ott or email him at dylan.ott.11@live.com.
MEN’S SOFTBALL LEAGUE: Come Support!
We have a team of Hopers in the local church league and we’d love if you’d come cheer them on! All games are played at Atkinson Park, Field A2. All games are double headers, with the first starting at 6:30P and the second game at 8:00P: May 1, May 4, May 15, May 18, June 5. Show your support and wear our team colors – white and blue!
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!
CONTENTMENT: May 5th
It has been said, “The key to life is not getting what you want, but wanting what you already have.” But what if what you have doesn’t seem like enough? Or doesn’t seem very good? What if every day you are reminded of how far away you are from what seems like an enjoyable life? A believer is called to something radical by faith: contentment. If you’ve discovered the secret to being content, come and share your thoughts with us because we’d love to learn. And if you’re still working out how to be content with your life, come and share your struggle because it’s highly likely that we all share it.
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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!
COLOR NIGHTS:
We’ve noticed the flowers blooming, the trees beginning to explode with the colors of spring, and we want in on the action! Join Hope Youth as we celebrate this explosion of color with our first ever Color Nights series! For the next three weeks we’ll be theming each night around a different color: green for April 26th, then blue for May 3rd! Come decked out in the right color and you’ll earn a shot to win a prize, bring a friend and you’ll earn a second chance! We’ll also be chowing down on color coded snacks and competing in games to match! All this while diving into a literary analysis of each color and how it’s used in Scripture! It all kicks off April 19th, you won’t want to miss a minute of the action!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: Psalms
Hope Youth will be diving into something new on Wednesday nights as we join the adult Bible study for deep look into the Psalms. Ancient and powerful, the psalms have been a source of reflection, devotion, encouragement, and truth for believers for thousands of years. Join us Wednesdays at 7:00pm beginning April 8th as we take a look at a new psalm each week, unpacking its poetic elements, core message, and applying it to our personal lives.
LAUNCH TRAMPOLINE EVENT:
Jump into Spring at our annual Hope Youth Launch event! We’ll be heading over to the Deptford Launch Trampoline park for a night of frantic fun! Trampoline basketball, foam pit, arcade, and so much more! Fill out the sign-up and meet us at the park on Friday night, May 1st from 6:00-8:00pm! Open to all 6th-12th graders.
GIRLS & GUYS NIGHTS: Friday, May 22nd 6:00-8:00P
Hope Youth’s annual Girls & Guys night is fast approaching and here’s all you need to know! Brothers can bond with brothers through fierce competition in our Bounce Championship! All male students from 6th-12th grade are invited to hang out, enjoy free pizza, and compete to have their name engraved on the coveted Championship Paddle. Last year was an epic turnout and an intense showdown, so bring a friend and don’t miss out on this free time of fellowship! It all goes down here at the church! Meanwhile, our girls will also get an awesome night out as they join Mackenzie and our female leaders for special crafts and ice cream! All the youth group girls from 6th-12th grade are invited to Pastor Dan and Mackenzie’s house (309 West Ave, Pitman NJ) for a night of fun and fellowship as Mack leads meaningful conversation, fun crafts, and a pleasant stroll through downtown Pitman for some ice cream! All students please register here, and feel free to bring a friend!
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:
Our WonderZone and GoZone teams are excited to continue sharing Jesus with all of our infants-5th graders alongside of our adult Bible Study on Wednesday nights! Classes open at 6:45pm for all of our HopeKids! Our team can’t wait to continue cultivating relationships, diving into Scripture, and establishing a foundation of faith with all of our little ones!
Check out our social media (and more) here!
For any questions about HopeKids! Ministry contact us at: kids@hopechristianfellowship.org
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