May 31, 2024

Respite Ministry Team Meeting

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at 3:00pm - Hope Central Campus

In case you missed it...

Lead Pastor Jon-Marc MacLean invites YOU to be part of an exciting new ministry at Hope Lutheran Church! In the coming weeks, we will be developing a respite care ministry to better serve those in need, including people who are homebound or in local care facilities.

We are seeking volunteers who want to positively impact lives and share the love of Christ with those in our community.

Interested? Please watch the video message above and then make a plan to join us for our Respite Ministry Team Meeting on Wednesday, June 5 at 3:00pm at Hope Central Campus. To watch Pastor Jon-Marc's special video message, please click the link above.

Special Presentation from Dr. John Hurtgen, Dean of Theology at Campbellsville University

Saturday, June 8 at 9:00am - Hope Central Campus

Hope Lutheran Church and the Society of the Holy Trinity are excited to welcome Dr. John Hurtgen to Hope Central Campus.

Dr. Hurtgen will give a special presentation on the Names and Titles of God in the Early Church, using the Gospel of Mark. This is Dr. Hurtgen's second visit to Hope Lutheran Church, and his presentation is sure to be a wonderful time of learning for all!

Dr. Hurtgen is the Dean of Theology at Campbellsville University and is a Professor of New Testament and Greek. He has served as the second dean since the founding of the School of Theology in 1998. He also serves as director of the Master of Theology program.

This event is free! Light refreshments will be served. No registration necessary.

Women of Hope Out to Lunch Bunch

Welcome to the Out to Lunch Bunch! Each summer during the months of June, July, and August, the Women of Hope host a luncheon at area restaurants for all women of Hope Lutheran Church. We also encourage you to invite your neighbors and friends.

The first luncheon of the summer will be on June 20 at 11:30am at Cody’s in Brownwood, 3731 Meggison Rd., The Villages, FL.

To reserve a spot, please register online by clicking the link below. Registration deadline is Monday, June 17 at Noon. For more information, please contact June Cook at (352) 430-5025.

Future locations and dates are as follows:

• July 18 - Cane Garden Country Club
• August 15 - Nancy Lopez Country Club

25 Years of Hope Lutheran Church

As we look toward our 25^th Anniversary in October 2024, we are also remembering our history! We will look back on years' past and remember some important moments in the life of our church.

Back in 2002...

Hope was building, building, building in 2002! Construction on the Hope Lutheran Church building was well underway, and tours were being conducted on the property.

Hope's leadership also decided to offer two Sunday worship services beginning Fall 2002 to better accommodate our growing church.

Hope continued to raise money for charitable causes, raising $2,095 to be shared between ELCA World Hunger and the Pigs for Pastors Program for Haiti, and our sweater-knitters knitted more than 200 sweaters for children in Russia, Romania, and Rwanda, as well as for Native American children in North Dakota. That same year, the Women of Hope raised $9,038 for Hospice House.

During Christmas 2002, Hope's Carolers visited shut-ins for the first time, spreading Christmas spirit throughout The Villages. And Hope received a Christmas gift of our own, when we officially moved into our new offices in the Hope Lutheran Church building on December 19, 2002.

Prayers for Hope

A Message from Pastor John LeCain:

I am sure that all of you who read News in the Pews all the way to the last entry have seen this statement: Submit a Prayer Request.

Have you wondered what happens when you send a prayer request to Hope? Upon receipt of that request, Sara Lush makes an entry of the request and then forwards the request to the pastors, the Council, and a group of your fellow Hope members called Prayers for Hope.

This group of approximately 65 people receives a weekly update to the prayer list by email. They pray for and over that list frequently during the week. Then, each Thursday morning at 10:00am, the group gathers together on Zoom for an approximate hour of prayer time. During that time, we share how it is with each of our souls, discuss briefly a prayer topic, practice breath prayer, go into a time of contemplation, and then lift the joys and concerns of the church including its members, its friends and family, and worldwide concerns for the body of Christ.

If you have an interest in being a part of this group and wish to pray over the concerns of the church family, we would love to have you.

Why? Prayer is the language of the Christian community. We do not pray to each other, but together we pray to God, who calls us and makes us into a new people. Praying is not one of the many things that the community does. Rather, it is it's very being.

Become a part of this group and help us to pray over the joys and concerns of our family. Attendance at the weekly meeting is optional. Lifting prayers together as a community is all that is required. To become a part of the team or learn more, contact Pastor John at pastorjohn@hope4all.church. If you would like to try a meeting, join us by clicking the link below.

Love INC Volunteer Opportunities

Our Mission Partners at Love INC have some volunteer opportunities that may fit your talents and interests:

Christmas in July Set-Up – Friday, June 28, 2024 – Would you and some friends like to volunteer to decorate a Christmas Tree for Centsible Furniture (Love INC’s thrift store) Christmas in July sale? Love INC provides the tree and decorations. All proceeds from the Christmas in July sale will go to support local missions.

Volunteer at Centsible Furniture for the Christmas in July sale – You pick a time and day that fits your schedule.

Clothe-A-Kid – July 24 or 25 at Kohl’s – Volunteers are needed to shop for back-to-school clothing with a needy family. People are donating money, but shoppers are needed to help children pick out outfits and share the love of Christ with participants. Time required: 1 to 2 hours.

Volunteer to be a mentor or helper at Journey INC – Journey INC meets Tuesday evenings at Hope Central Campus. The purpose is to break the cycle of poverty by educating families and sharing the love of Christ. Mentors and volunteers to help with children’s activities are needed.

Trivia Night fundraiser at North Lake Presbyterian – September 30 – Put a team together and play trivia to help local missions. $10 per person or $80 per table.

If you would like to volunteer or get more information on one of these opportunities, please contact Dana Parker or Julia Coppock at (352) 693-2601.

Get to Know Hope's Ministries... Christians in Action (CIA)

In honor of our 25^th Anniversary, we are highlighting some of Hope's ministries and sharing the stories of mission, fellowship, and ministry from their members.

This week, we are highlighting Hope's Christians in Action, also known as the CIA. The CIA had their first meeting on July 15, 2021. At this meeting, the mission was established and talked about. As a result, a mission statement was prepared on how the ministry would be involved and the meaning of this ministry. Parts of the statement are to further instill to the people of Hope Lutheran Church that we are one church with three campuses. To initiate and have Hope meet the needs of the church and the surrounding community. To create a clear path of action: Who, What, and How. To be a place where faith and community come together – evangelism. Over time the mission included supporting other ministries of Hope Lutheran Church.

On April 18, 2024, CIA hosted a Comedy Night at Everglades Rec Center Campus and Hope Central Campus. Net proceeds benefited the Hope Lake Weir Campus Food Pantry. Over 500 attended this event.

On May 10, 2024 at Hope Lake Weir Campus, a Low Country Boil was held. Together with the Hospitality Team, this was an adventure for all who participated, since this was the first time a supper of this kind was held. Over 300 people attended. The proceeds benefited The Rock, a ministry at Lake Weir Middle School.

The next event that CIA will promote is a Spaghetti Dinner on June 12, 2024 at Hope Central Campus. This will be another joint event with the Hospitality Team to promote Camp E-Nini-Hassee. This camp has been around since 1969. It is a therapeutic camp for at-risk teen girls 12-18. Hope is a longtime partner of this program.

To sum it up, the CIA is a ministry working to share our evangelism with the church and the community. All this would not be possible without you, the people of Hope Lutheran Church. Thank you for your continued support for this ministry and the many other ministries of our church.

Worship Attendance for May 25-26, 2024

Hope Central Campus:

4:00pm - 199

6:00pm - 43

8:00am - 160

10:00am - 276

Online:

4:00pm - 145

10:00am - 205

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am - 107

Hope at the Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am - 77

10:00am - 154

Flowers on the Altar Given By...

• John & Carol Yoss in honor of their 60^th wedding anniversary.

In Memoriam

Judith (Judy) Myers passed away on May 29, 2024. Judy was born on August 8, 1938. She and her husband, Bill, were married on October 3, 1959. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on June 1, 2023.

Arrangements are pending at this time.

Please keep Judy’s family in your hearts and prayers during this difficult time.

This Weekend's Worship Bulletin

Click the button to view this weekend's worship bulletin for traditional services.

Inform the Church of Visitation Needs

Do you know of someone who needs a visit from a Hope pastor? Please call the church office at (352) 750-2321 and let us know. Our Pastoral Care Team would love to visit with you or your loved one.

Submit a Prayer Request

Need Prayer? Submit a prayer request via our hope4all.church website.