November 25, 2022

Hanging of the Greens

December 7 at 5:00pm - Hope Lake Weir Campus

Kick off the Christmas season with the first of our special Advent events. We will bless the traditional evergreens at Hope Lake Weir Campus – a symbol of the everlasting Word made flesh! Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. No registration is necessary.

Chrismons: Decorating with Tradition

December 14 at 5:00pm - Hope Central Campus

How much do you know about the classic sights and symbols of Christmas? Christmons are the symbols and monograms of the ancient and historic Christian Church that confess the Holy Trinity, the atoning salvation achieved by Christ, and the central doctrines of the one true Christian faith. This Christmas, we will explore Christmons together and dive into the imagery that makes this season so special. No registration is necessary.

Lessons & Carols

December 21 at 5:00pm - Hope South Campus Property on Meggison Road

Get ready to sing and celebrate during Hope’s Lessons & Carols service on our Hope South Campus property! Enjoy classic Christmas songs and hymns along with readings from the Christmas story. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served beginning at 4:30pm. Come join the celebration on the Hope South Campus property on Meggison Road, located directly across from the Ruby Villas in the Village of St. Johns. No registration is necessary.

Hope's Christmas Cantata Registration Open Now

Ring in the Christmas season with Hope's annual Christmas Cantata! Join the Combined Choirs of Hope and special guest Mary Jo Vitale as they present a stunning choral performance.

Registration is $5 per person. All proceeds will benefit hurricane relief. Registration will be completed online, just like our Social Suppers. Please do not call the church office for registration. If you need assistance, stop by the office during operating hours and we would be pleased to help.

Please note: The Cantata show on December 4 at 3:00pm is SOLD OUT. You will need to select one of the other two showtimes.

Shuttle service will be available during the Cantata. There is limited parking at Hope Central Campus, so we ask our members that are able to please park at the Santa Fe Shopping Center just down the road on County Road 466. The physical address is 8630 E County Road 46, The Villages. A free shuttle will transport you to the church.

On Saturday, the shuttle will begin at about 6:00pm and end at about 9:30pm. On Sunday, the shuttle will begin at about 1:30pm and end about 8:00pm. The shuttle will run continuously between the services.

Staff Gift Collection

Christmastime is here again, and it is our custom during the holiday season to show appreciation to our pastors and staff for all their fine work throughout the year.

If you would like to thank our staff, you can do so in one of the following ways: your gift can be included in your offering envelope, identified as a "Staff Gift" on the "Other" line, or you can place your gift in a plain envelope marked as "Staff Gift".

You can also give online via our website www.hope4all.church. Select "Other Offerings" and indicate "Staff Gift". Please give your gift by Sunday, December 16.

AED Training at Two Hope Campuses on December 12

Hope is pleased to host Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training at Hope Central Campus and Hope Lake Weir Campus on Monday, December 12.

The Hope Central Campus training will be held at 9:00am. The Hope Lake Weir Campus training will be held at 1:30pm.

There is no cost to attend training. The class is limited to 12 people, so please register online by clicking the link below. Registration ends December 8 at noon.

Food Pantry Christmas Collection

Help Hope share the joy of Christmas with those in need in our local community. This year, our Hope Lake Weir Campus Food Pantry will be collecting special items to help provide Christmas dinners.

Items needed include:

• Money donations to purchase hams (4 to 6 pounds)
• Packaged dessert boxes (i.e. Hostess, Lil' Debbie, etc.)

Donations can be brought to the donation bins at Hope Central Campus Monday through Friday from December 5 to 16.

Thank you for your generosity!

A Message from the Capital Campaign Committee

It is truly an exciting privilege to be joined with other members of Hope in planning the launch of our Making Abundant Life Know capital campaign. There’s a sense of mission, purpose and drive that is uplifting and inspirational. Your participation will enhance the expansion of ministry across the Villages.

The campaign will launch after the first of the year, but some early gifts have already started coming in because we are so ready for this expansion.

You may be invited to join a team where all responsibilities are short-term, but high value. Some opportunities are less than a 2-hour expectation. Our teams include:

• Information (led by Mary Jo MacLean)
• Inspiration (led by Linda Murphy)
• Special events (led by Gloria Johnson)
• Response (led by John and Jo Villiard)
• Leadership Gifts (led by Pat O’Dell)

This project will be a blessing as we each discern how we can participate. I look forward to hearing how you would like to join me in me as we do this together. Thanks!

For the Steering Committee,

Len and Virginia Robertson, General Campaign Chairs

Hope's Annual Blue Christmas Service

Sunday, December 18 at 4:00pm - Hope Central Campus

The holidays put pressure on us to be ho-ho “happy”. But for those of us managing grief, loss, or anxiety during the holidays, this season can be less than jolly.

Hope Lutheran Church will hold our annual Blue Christmas: A Service of Hope and Peace on the Sunday before Christmas, December 18 at 4:00pm. 

This is a dignified service without the giddiness of Christmas Eve. We will sing carols, pass the Christmas fire to the singing of “Silent Night”, and find a comforting message together. This service is open to everyone, especially those who have lost loved ones this year, or who are dealing with loss, loneliness, or grief.

Mark your calendar now and join us for this special event. You are also encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor who may be going through a difficult time this season. This event is intended to serve the entire Villages area, so invite anyone who may be in need of a special service.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast Tickets

Tickets for the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast on Saturday, January 14, 2023 are available at the front desk of Hope Central Campus.

Hope Lutheran Church, along with other churches in The Villages, has been a regular supporter of the scholarship program that has been providing scholarships to students from the high schools in the tri-county area.

In addition to providing money for scholarships, Hope has a table available for members to purchase.

Monthly Men's Breakfast

The December Men's Breakfast and Bible Study will be held in the Fellowship Hall at Hope Central Campus on Thursday, December 8, 2022 beginning at 8:30am.

The cost of the breakfast is $7. During this breakfast, attendees will enjoy an exciting Bible study titled "Journey of Love" led by Gary Miller.

To register, please visit our website and pay online. If you need assistance, please contact the church office at (352) 750-2321.

Join the A/V Ministry!

The A/V ministry here at Hope Lutheran Church is an important part of our Worship Service. We want to enhance everyone’s worship experience, and not be a distraction. For us to do that each week we need your help. Here are some areas that we need volunteers.

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

• Computer/Clicker: Running the slides on the computer, all you need to do is follow along. No experience required training will be available. 

Hope at Everglades Rec Center:  

• Set up crew: 6:30am Sunday mornings to unload the truck and set up the Sound and Video Systems. No experience required all training will be done on the job. Time volunteered each Sunday 30 minutes.
• Computer/Clicker: Running the slides on the computer, all you need to do is follow along. No experience required training will be available. 
• Load out crew: After the 10:00am service on Sundays take down and load the sound and video system on the truck. No experience required all training will be done on the job. Time volunteered each Sunday 20 minutes.

A Message from Pastor Pat Broberek: New Small Group Opportunity

Women, Wine and Fellowship 

I am looking to form a small group of Christian Women to gather on a regular basis to study, pray together and generally support each other. It is my idea to meet either once or twice a month on a Friday afternoon.  

I know that we are all busy this time of the year, however, I would like to have our first meeting Friday, December 9 at 2:00pm. This meeting will be a time to get to know each other and make plans for the group. 

I have chosen Max Lucado’s study 'Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World' to start us off.  

We will meet at my house and please call if you have any questions. 



Pastor Pat Bromberek - 5793 Zebra Longwing Path, The Village of Fenney 

The Story of Our Legacy, by Carol & Gary Forrester 

Before Carol and I were married, we knew a widowed elderly lady in our church whose name was Isabel Swank. Mrs. Swank was a delightful person to know. Everyone in church loved and admired her. Upon her death we found that she had left a sum of money to the church with stipulations as to how it was to be spent. It was to be called the “Swank Seminary Fund” and was to be used to help seminary students who were members of our church to pay their tuition.

To the best of my knowledge, we had never had a member attend seminary before. However, in the years following, four members arose to the challenge, and, with additional funds donated to the fund, all graduated from seminary. All became ordained pastors in the Lutheran church. What an amazing legacy Mrs. Swank left for us. 

Now, many years later, Carol and I were discussing what we would like our legacy to be. Mrs. Swank came to mind and we decided such a fund would be most appropriate. So, after discussions with Pastor Marc, Peg Piper (chair of the Hope Endowment Fund), Pastor Ana Lugo from the ELCA Foundation, the Endowment Committee, and the Church Council, it has been decided that such a fund, the “Hope Theological Education Fund” should be created and an effort made to endow the fund with donations from the membership of Hope and other interested parties. 

The purpose of the fund would be to provide tuition assistance to seminary students who; 

1. Expressed a desire to become an ordained Christian minister in the Lutheran faith. 
2. Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. 
3. Have the backing and support of the congregation of Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages through the grant process of the Endowment Committee. 
4. Have selected, applied to and been accepted to attend an accredited theological school or seminary, Lutheran or otherwise, that is acceptable to the candidacy requirements of the ELCA. 
5. Priority shall be given PRIMARILY to applicants who are related to current members of Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages. 
6. Considerations for possible postgraduate awards are to assist students enrolled in postgraduate and/or continued education studies in areas leading to a career in ministry or adding to a minister’s knowledge and abilities which Hope Lutheran Church currently supports. 

As is currently the policy with the Hope Endowment Fund, the Hope Theological Education Fund would be held by and invested with the ELCA Foundation. As it is intended to be an endowment, only growth would be available for the scholarships. No principal would ever be given. The principal would grow as donations are received. Monies available for scholarships will grow as the principal grows. Pastor Ana Lugo stated that the current tuition cost averages $17,000 per year at a seminary in the United States. Hopefully, we can help with some of that cost. She also stated that the ELCA Foundation requires a minimum of $25,000 to start such a fund, a sum which at 5% growth would provide $1,250 per year in scholarships. So, it is easy to see the need for additional principal. 

I can say that with discussions among just the few people already conversant with the fund, enthusiasm has resulted in 40% of the initial requirement being provided upon the fund being fully authorized which was approved by Hope’s council on September 20, 2022. 

Perhaps you, too, might be interested in such a legacy being part of your future plans. Perhaps, you, too, might be wanting to set up a way that you can be a part of the future of the growth of the Lutheran Church. Perhaps you, too, might want to help ensure that Christ is the center of life. 

Do you want to help people seek through learning “To Know Christ” and then to go out into the world “To Make Christ Known”?

New Creations at Hope Lutheran Church

Get ready for a brand new experience at your church!

H.O.P.E. University presents "New Creations," a multi-generational one-day Vacation Bible School at Hope Lake Weir Campus!

Remember enjoying VBS as a child? Now you have the opportunity to connect with new friends of all ages for a day of learning, service, and fun!

New Creations will include food, games, a time of holiness, and a service project - creating a new Painted Rock Garden and a Butterfly Garden at Hope Lake Weir Campus.

It all happens on February 11 from 9:00am to 3:00pm at Hope Lake Weir Campus. Additional details, including registration, will be available soon.

Council Nominating Committee 2023

Members of the committee: 

Rolf Moulton, Marsha Lamadrid, and Suzanne Kuebler.

2023 Council Elections Positions Available:

President - 3 year term

Vice President - 3 year term

Council Member-At-Large - 3 year term (1 position available)

*If a current council member is elected to fill an open position, an additional vote will be held to fill their unexpired term.

All nominees must turn in a completed Council Nomination Bio Form no later than December 6, 2022 to the church office. Forms are available at the church office or by clicking here.

List of nominees and positions nominated for will be published in the church newsletter prior to the Annual Meeting. If a petition from the congregation is forthcoming after publication of the nominees, it must be signed by at least one hundred (100) voting members of the congregation and submitted to the Council Secretary no later than 21 days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Augsburg Confession Class Beginning in November

Pastor Bruce invites you to a 9-week class on Martin Luther's "Augsburg Confession" each Wednesday at 10:00am at Hope Central Campus now through December 28.

The topic of the November 30 class will be "Good Order." Pastor Bruce asks everyone to read Articles XIV to XVII (14-17) of the Augsburg Confession in preparation for the class.

The Augsburg Confession is the central confessional document of all Lutherans, not just the ELCA. This class will dive deep into Luther's work and a discussion guide called "A Reading and Discussion Study of The Augsburg Confession." This book is published by Sola Publishing as part of their Book of Concord Series.

The discussion guide will be available for all who register for the class. $5 will be collected at the first class. Questions? Email pastorbruce@hope4all.church. You can also view the Augsburg Confession online for free by clicking the button below.

Worship Attendance for November 19-20 2022

Hope Central Campus:

4:00pm = 210

6:00pm = 63

8:00am = 155

10:00am = 387

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 101

Hope at the Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 97

10:00am = 142

Flowers for This Weekend Given By...

Roy & Rigmor Swenson in honor of their 56^th wedding anniversary.

In Memoriam

Verna M. Bubbenmoyer passed away on Monday, November 21, 2022. Verna was born on March 29, 1928. She was widowed. Verna joined Hope Lutheran Church on July 21, 2013.

At this time, arrangements are pending.

Please keep Verna’s family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

Mary Carlson, wife of our member Russ Carlson, passed away on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.

At this time, arrangements are pending.

Please keep Russ and their family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

Submit a Prayer Request

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