October 8, 2021

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Upcoming Events

Blessing of the Animals

October 9th at 8:30am to 11:00am at Hope Central Campus

Angel Tree Volunteer Meeting

October 11th at 9:30am to 10:30am at Hope Central Campus

Men of Hope Breakfast

October 14th at 8:00am at Hope Central Campus

Town Hall Meeting

October 17th at 12:30pm at Hope Central Campus

Women of Hope Breakfast

October 21st at 9:00am at Hope Central Campus

New Member Orientation & Breakfast

October 23rd at 9:00pm at Hope Central Campus

To access the full calendar, click here!

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Blessing of the Animals at Hope Lutheran Church


TOMORROW!

Saturday, October 9th from 8:30am to 11:00am


Pet registration begins at 8:30am. The blessing will begin at 10:00am.


There will be opportunities for photos with your pets! Vendors will also be on site. On the day of the event, we will be accepting donations of dog and cat food to be distributed by the Hope Lake Weir Campus Food Pantry. Cash donations will benefit YOUR Humane Society SPCA.


Invite Your Friends:


The yearly Blessing of the Animals is a great way to invite your animal-loving friends to enjoy your church in a casual way. Know someone with a pet who could benefit from a new church? Invite them to join you!

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Town Hall Meeting on October 17th

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There will be a Town Hall Meeting on October 17th at 12:30pm at Hope Central Campus.


Join your family of Hope for a chance to hear about important updates in church leaders. There will also be a time for dialogue. All are encouraged to attend!


The meeting will also be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person.


See you on October 17th!

Southern Congregation Social Night

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Do you worship at Hope at the Everglades Rec Center or live in the southern Villages?


There is a social group meeting regularly at Everglades Rec Center on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, beginning October 12th.


There will be a special meet-and-greet on October 12th for anyone interested. Attendees will need to show a Villages ID.


For more information, please contact Jane Stephens at jstephensrn@aol.com.

H.O.P.E. University Cancelled For This Week

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H.O.P.E. University has been cancelled for this Wednesday, October 13th.


Updates about the current H.O.P.E. University series will be announced weekly. Please stay tuned to your Digital News in the Pews and the Pastors’ weekend announcements for information.


We will keep you updated on all upcoming H.O.P.E. University opportunities, including exciting new classes throughout the fall.


Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Disciples’ Faith Grows


In September, 69 members were recognized for being over 90 years old. Cards and cupcakes were delivered to those living locally and cards were sent to those out of the area. This simple act is just another example of our church at work.


The Disciples’ faith grew with each contact made. The thoughts and prayers that went into preparing the items for the individuals as well as the opportunity to deliver the items had a lasting effect on the team members. The recipients were thrilled to receive the items, and many took the opportunity to visit a while with the team member. Others wrote beautiful thank you notes. A simple act means so much and reminds them that their church family cares about them. Their faith continues to grow as did that of the team members.


Praising the Lord through song is another example of opportunity to grow our faith. Since we were children, hymns have been both an assurance of God’s love as well as directing us how to live as disciples. The music department has made it possible to have hymns during all services, whether video recordings or live. This summer they provided a choral reading at all 3 campuses, with an average of 65 participants. Along with several new Hope members, an additional 32 people from the community attended. One of the guests shared that they received comfort and assurance from the event, and it reinforced their faith. Another stated it stirred fond memories of worshiping with their family and living as a disciple.


These are examples of ways we are touched by God and our faith grows. Hope Lutheran Church gives us a platform from which we can do this. Your support of “Disciples’ Faith Grows” stewardship campaign provides this basic platform.

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Men of Hope Monthly Breakfast Prayer Meeting

Thursday, October 14th at 8:00am


Please reserve your place online before Monday, October 11th.


Please also register a friend you are bringing.


Doors open at 7:45am. Breakfast is served at 8:00am. Donation is $7 at the door.


Menu: Belgian Waffles with syrup, choice of cinnamon apple or blueberry topping, Sausage links, Home fries, Eggs, Yogurt, and Assorted pastries.


Reserve the second Thursday of every month through November on your calendar for future Men of Hope Breakfast Meetings.

Click Here to Register
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Women of Hope Monthly Breakfast

Thursday, October 21st at 9:00am


The October Breakfast will highlight CAMP E-NINI-Hassee with Chief Jo Lynn Smith, Director as our guest speaker. Chief Jo will share with all of us information about this extraordinary alternative Camp for young girls.


All women are encouraged to attend and bring a friend. Please register by noon on Monday, October 18th. $4.00 will be collected the morning of the breakfast.


The menu will be fresh fruit tray, muffins, cinnamon rolls, bagels, pastries, yogurt in varied flavors, quiche and egg dish, coffee, tea, water and OJ.


We also are asking and encouraging everyone to share the following with the girls at the Camp: shampoo (full size only), conditioner (full size only), body wash (full size only), body lotion (full size only), bug spray, sanitary pads and tampons, adult coloring books, toothbrushes and toothpaste, composition books (no rings) blank note cards (with animals/scenery).

Click Here to Register

Additional News regarding Camp E-Nini-Hassee: Over the months of October through December, we will have a raffle of a specially made quilt, with all proceeds donated to Camp E-Nini-Hassee in Floral City, FL. This camp was established by the Eckerd Family in 1969 for the purpose of helping troubled young girls, ages 12-18.


Tickets are available for both men and women to purchase. The quilt will be on display at future Women of Hope Breakfasts on October 21st, November 18th, and December 2nd. Raffle tickets are $5 for one ticket or $10 for 3 tickets.


Questions: Please contact Barb Campo at bcampo84@gmail.com or (571) 389-2676, or Marianne Gillespie at mariannewgill@yahoo.com or (302) 438-4133.

New Member Orientation & Breakfast

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Calling all folks who have become members recently or plan to become members of Hope! We are excited that you have decided to make Hope Lutheran your church home and want to celebrate with you.


You are invited to take the next step of your membership process at our next New Member Orientation Breakfast on Saturday, October 23rd from 9:00am to 11:00am at Hope Central Campus. This is also the weekend you will be received by the congregation.


Orientation will include a light breakfast, new member photos, and a chance to meet pastors and office staff, as well as the opportunity to learn about fellowship and ministry groups.


Please RSVP to the church office by Friday October 15th, 2021.


In addition to this message, you also should have received a phone call or email from our church office inviting you to the orientation. If you did not, it may mean that we do not have your information on our list. If you joined Hope recently and did not receive a invitation, or if you have any questions, please contact the church office at

(352) 750-2321 or email Jeff at jeff@hope4all.church.

On Our Own Resumes Meeting & Collections

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Hope’s On Our Own group has re-started and is meeting on the second Wednesday of every month in the Fellowship Hall at Hope Central Campus beginning at 10:30am. All singles, widows, widowers, or caregivers are welcome and encouraged to join us. We try to have a program at each meeting, and also gather for activities outside the church when available.


We have also resumed our “Snack Pack” program, delivering 80 gallon-size zipper bags filled with food to school children at Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School every month. The school gives the bags to needy children on Fridays, so that they have food over the weekend. We welcome donations of small food items (I.e. individual size pudding, applesauce, cookies, cheese crackers, Vienna sausages, Pop-tarts and raisins, as well as small jars of peanut butter and jelly {no glass jars permitted}). Of course, monetary donations are always welcome, if you prefer to have us do the shopping.


Please contact Ginny Wilson at (352) 430-3326 or randy572@msn.com with any questions.

The Lord’s Prayer


This is a prayer that we pray or sing with millions of others on Saturdays and Sundays in worship. We often pray it during funeral celebrations


Many of us pray this prayer frequently outside of church. We know it by heart. We memorized it decades ago.


But do we understand it?


Beginning October 14th at 11:00am, we will be studying this teaching of Jesus. This

6-week course will dive into this prayer and give us a deeper understanding of what we are saying. We will meet either in R at Hope Central Campus or on Zoom at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84611820600?pwd=LzJGSk95TnBQVmRHT2dFRFkwTmVoUT09


You will need to contact Pastor John to register if you are not already a part of the year long prayer study now being conducted. Your contact information is needed so that Pastor John can forward the weekly study guide to you. 


Signing up for this portion of our journey into does not mean you have to continue on at the conclusion of this 6-week study, but you can! Join us!


Pastor John - Email PastorJohn@hope4all.church or call or text at (352) 425-2776.

Angel Tree Volunteers Needed

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Interested in volunteering for our Christmas Angel Tree Drive!


The Angel Tree Team will need roughly ten volunteers spread throughout our three Hope campuses on November 13th and 14th to assign angels. We estimate we will need 6 volunteers for Hope Central Campus and 2 volunteers at both Hope Lake Weir Campus and Hope at Everglades.

 

We will also need between 10 to 12 volunteers for the weekend of December 11th and 12th to receive gifts at all three campuses.


There will be a Volunteer Meeting on October 11th at 9:30am to 10:30am at Hope Central Campus regarding the Angel tree and operations.


To sign up, or if you have any questions, contact Lenea Carnes at lenea@hope4all.church or Gloria Johnson at gigi529ga@gmail.com.

GET FIT - Try Chair Yoga and/or Walking


If you would like a nice, quiet meditative start to the day and an opportunity to gain more strength and flexibility, join us on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for Chair Yoga in room 204 from 9:00am to 10:00am at Hope Central Campus. Questions? Contact Gracia Luoma at (330) 752-3323 or galuoma@aol.com.


If you want something more aerobic try “Walk Away the Pounds” (WATP) in the Fellowship Hall (Central Campus) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00am to 9:00am. Please direct any questions to Ginny Wilson at (352) 430-3326 or Randy572@msn.com.


Starting on October 11th at Hope Lake Weir Campus, we will also offer a walking class called “Walk 2 Be Fit” (W2BF) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00am to 10:00am. Contact Gracia for more information.

An Update from The Rock at Lake Weir Middle School


This week, one of our volunteers was explaining to a young boy how easy it is to make Mac and Cheese in the microwave. He replied that his family does all their cooking over a campfire. Though this statement seemed shocking, it was not uncommon. Many of the children we serve do not even have the basic luxuries we often take for granted.

When you hear these stories and take the time to interact with these children, you realize how much of a difference we are making in their lives.


We give a big Thank You to Hope's members who have used their Thrivent Dollars to buy items for The Rock. We received a large supply of sweatshirts, hoodies, socks and leggings. If one of our young ladies wears a skirt, dress, or shorts that are too short or has too many holes, leggings underneath make the difference between staying in school for the day or being sent home. We have been giving away around 30 pair of leggings a week. We always put the items they wore to The Rock in a separate bag with the new clothes and have them wear new clothes when they leave.


While volunteers dress in summer-weight clothes and are still warm, many of the learners wear hoodies and sweatshirts because they say the class rooms are cold. We have been giving away about 20 hoodies and sweatshirts per week.


Councilors continue to bring us students who need clothes. Many are able to take a couple outfits home.


I wish you all could experience the joy and gratitude volunteers experience. It is like Christmas morning every week! Volunteers are still needed for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in November and December 11:00am to 1:00pm.


You can contact Fred O'Brien at fobrien@gate.net or (352) 2503814 if you would like to sign up for a day to check us out. Thank you for your support.

Wednesday Evening

Prayer Bulletin

Hope is excited to offer Wednesday Evening Prayer, also known as Vespers, every Wednesday at 6:00pm at Hope Central Campus.


Our Evening Prayer is a quiet, meditative way to end your day and bring peace to the middle of your week. The Wednesday Evening Prayer bulletin for this week is now available!

Click Here to Access the Bulletin

Faith & Fellowship


Faith & Fellowship has returned to in-person gathering every Monday at 9:30am at Hope Central Campus. The Zoom link is also active, so those who cannot attend in person can use the link below to join the conversations online.


Meeting ID: 952 5901 4615.


Join by phone: (929) 205-6099.


ID: 95259014615# 

Click Here to Access the Zoom Link
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Sanctuary Flower Donations


Flowers this week were given by...


Fred & Karen O'Brien in honor of the 90+ year old members of Hope Lutheran Church and in memory of Fred's mother, Ruth Smith


Roger & Bev Sherman in honor of their 59th wedding anniversary

In Memoriam...

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We mourn the death of Sydney Gerrey on October 1. Sydney was born on January 7, 1950. She and her husband, Don Pindell, were married on October 15, 2011. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on November 18, 2018. There are no plans to have a service at Hope.


Please keep Sydney's family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

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We mourn the death of Stanley Schult on October 3. Stanley was born on July 27, 1936. He and his wife Nena were married on March 16, 1963. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on December 9, 2001. A service was held on October 7.


Please keep Stanley's family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

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We mourn the death of Joe Marino on October 7. Joe and his wife Suzie joined Hope Lutheran Church on November 17, 2013. A service will be held on October 15 at 10:30am at Hope Central Campus.


Please keep Joe's family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

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We mourn the death of Barbara Harju on October 8. Barbara was born on October 25, 1941. She and her husband George Allmann were married in 2004 and joined Hope in 2015. A service will be held on November 9 at 1:00pm at Hope Central Campus.


Please keep Barbara's family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

Worship Attendance for October 2-3, 2021

Central Campus:

4:00pm = 156

6:00pm = 69

8:00am = 126

10:00am = 250

Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 62

Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 61

10:00am = 80

Scripture Reading for

October 9-10


Exodus 16:1-18

John 6:44-51

Scripture Reading for

October 16-17


1 Samuel 3:1-21

John 20:21-23

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