Type

to

August 02, 2014Type to enter text

@newhopefulton

Worship at New Hope Community at Worship 10:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Kingdom Kids Worship (Resumes Aug. 23) | Middle School Worship (Rm. 206) 10:30 a.m.

Community Life 2 !!Social Media @ New Hope 3 !Family Resources 4

connect. serve. grow.

W

RSH

IP

Today, We Receive CommunionThis significant moment is open to all believing Christians. No matter what your challenge is, communion reminds us that there is hope, and we can stand on the victory we have through Christ! Rooms 215 and 218 are set up for foot washing.

Welcome Pastor Jason Decena

Worship Through Praise Pastor Jason Decena

Message Pastor Mike Speegle !Community Life

Melanie Cruz (First Service) Ruthie Vasconcellos (Second Service)

Closing Thought Pastor Mike Speegle

!!

!2

Last Summer Food Drive for

Low-Income Seniors The last summer food drive for residents at Morningside Park Apartments is Aug. 9. Pick up your grocery bag with the shopping list in the hallway and bring it back that day. !For more info, contact Angie Bernard at 301-254-0300.

community life !Welcome to New Hope! We're here to help you grow in your spiritual journey. This page highlights some exciting ways for you and your family to make meaningful connections and grow your relationship with God.  !If there is anything we can do to support you on your journey, let us know. !!Church Office Hours Mon-Thu 9a-5p, Fri 10a-2p !Phone/Text Message 410-541-6394 !Email info@lookingforachurch.org

august august august

3 Our Garden of Hope needs your help! Come out tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to help build the greenhouse on campus. All are welcome; no experience required. For more info, contact Lindsey Kerr at 828-423-8257.

16 Power of a Praying Man meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Prayer Room (Room 111). Come join other men in a casual and supportive group. For more information about men’s small groups, contact info@lookingforachurch.org

23 New Hope Young Adults come together for their monthly potluck. If you are 18-35, you won't want to miss this amazing time of fellowship and good eats. For more info, email info@youngadultsconnect.com.

6 Ignite your prayer life and deepen your relationship with God at 7:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room. Our theme: Running the race with Christ.

16 Connect with our community and help serve a meal to homeless, men, women and children at Grassroots, a homeless shelter in Columbia, Md., 4-6 p.m. All are welcome! For more info, contact Nathan Taylor at 478-737-4224. !

30 Make a life-saving donation during our summer blood drive. For more info, email info@lookingforachurch.org.

CHURCH LIFE Welcome, guests! We’re glad to have you here today. You can find out more about New Hope in Seven Minutes or Less, a brief information session after today’s worship service by coming to the first two rows in the front left of the worship center. Our parents' room is on the second floor for you to hear and watch the service with your little one.

Watch the worship service rebroadcast Sundays (11 a.m.), Wednesdays and Fridays (7 p.m.) at lookingforachurch.org.

SAVE THE DATE for New Hope Church Camp, Oct. 17-19, Mt. Aetna Camp and Retreat Center near Hagerstown, Md. Registration opens later this month.!

YOUNG ADULTS www.youngadultsconnect.com !

Connect, a Bible study group just for young adults, meets from 11 a.m. to noon in the portable building. Come, join us as we study God’s word together in an informal, non-judgmental way.

FAMILY MINISTRIES www.newhopelovesfamilies.com!

The children's Bible lesson for today is found in Jeremiah 29:4-14, "God Promises to Restore Israel After the Exile." Children will learn that God has good plans for us. Family resources on the back page and at the Ask-Me Desk.

Kids Church resumes Aug. 23 at 10:30 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room, with a special guest performance from the Puppet & Story Works called "Those Amazing Miracles" — a series of sketches bases on Jesus' miracles. This is a great time for kids to bring their friends.

Do you enjoy meeting new people? Serve in Kids Church registration and greeting once monthly. For more info, email info@lookingforachurch.org.

POSTPONED: Middle School Open House and Orientation, September (Date TBD). Do you have a middle school student? Don’t miss this important session for families with students in grades 6-8. More info at the Ask-Me Desk.

Tell us about New Hope's social media ministry. Where are we present?Our ministry focuses on the most widely used social media networks — namely, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We are a small (and almost large enough) team of two. I manage the content on the church’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, and Jared Anderson handles our Twitter account. We are still looking for someone to help out with Instagram and other networks as we grow in the future.!Why are you involved in this ministry?I strongly believe that this ministry is another means toward fulfilling the great commission. To be part of this is a responsibility that I feel tremendously blessed to be part of.!Why do you think this kind of online ministry is important?Social media channels reach far more people than any other medium — more than our website, weekly bulletin and e-newsletter combined. They offer something the others lack: immediacy. This comes in the form of shared videos, infographics, photos, inspirational messages and responses to prayer requests and specific inquiries, to name a few things. New Hope Church is an exciting place to be, and people share information about us all the time. With the speed at which information spreads, it is important that New Hope not only participate in but shape the narrative of Who and what we represent. We clearly are reaching more than our church membership through these channels, which makes for an excellent outreach opportunity — and a ready-made platform for anyone who wants to get the word out far and wide about a New Hope ministry, event or program. !What do you hope people get out of this ministry?We are very intentional about what we share. Everything is filtered through the expectation or desire to draw others to Christ. My hope is that what is shared provides a means by which our audience can connect, serve and grow, while fulfilling the mission and vision of New Hope Church.!To what do you attribute our reaching this big milestone — 4,000 Likes — on Facebook?Our reaching (and crossing) 4,000 largely has to do with how active the New Hope community is. There is hardly a shortage of content to share. To that point, we consistently publish content at specific times each day. Social media experts say the best means to grow this type of ministry is to keep a consistent flow of fresh and compelling content. Reaching 4,000 —and still growing— is the result of us sticking to that strategy. !Do we have any sense of who these 4,000 people are?Our audience is global, with 60 percent living in countries other than the United States. Of that 60 percent, the highest numbers come from the Philippines, South America and Africa. The New Hope (local) congregation, I’ve found, is a microcosm of our Facebook community.!What are your goals for our Facebook page and this ministry overall? Where do you see them going? I believe that the sky is the limit, and, to put it biblically, the field is ripe for harvest. There is so much potential for growth. My prayer is that our social networks keep growing, not only numerically but in spiritual depth.!How can people contribute to our social media efforts?Sharing compelling content is what has driven up the numbers for our social media networks. If you’re involved in a ministry effort, send pictures or videos while it’s happening to 301-806-1624 or colinjeffers@lookingforachurch.org. You can also tag us using @newhopefulton on your personal profile.

What he does: Manages New Hope's Twitter account, succeeding Michelle Bernard, who oversaw it for almost a year.!

Why he does it: "I do this ministry because I feel like there's room for God in both our online and offline lives."!Why he enjoys it: "Working with the social media team has helped me feel more invested in the church. I feel a great sense of purpose in service."!See for yourself: twitter.com/newhopefulton

Meet Jared Anderson

@ne

whop

efulton

@ne

whop

efulton

Last week, New Hope hit a major milestone — 4,000 Likes on its Facebook page — and is closing in on 1,000 followers on Twitter. What exactly does all this mean? Find out, and learn more about our social media ministry and how you can help support it, in this Q&A with Colin Jeffers, who has helped grow the ministry since its inception about five years ago.

…

!3

Colin Jeffers

@ne

whop

efulton

…

I recently embarked on a major do-it-yourself project to regrout our shower stall. I spent hours reading and watching tutorials. I realized it was going to be hard and was looking for the easiest solutions. Armed with all this information, I bought the necessary equipment and products and got started.

Immediately, things did not go well. The process of removing the old grout was agonizingly difficult. I had the best grout removal tool intended to “make your life easier.” But one rotary tool, one oscillating multitool, countless broken drill bits and several cracked tiles later, I abandoned the easy methods and went back to a basic tool.

Three days later, with the old grout removed and our bathroom looking like a construction zone, I started to apply the new grout mix. The package promised a quick and easy process, but the product did not live up that. I returned to Home Depot, deciding to abandon fast and easy solutions. A sales associate, now very familiar with me, pulled me aside and said, “You need to go to the experts. They have the best products and can teach you what you need to do.” He referred me to a specialty tile store nearby.

As soon as I walked into the shop, I knew it was where I should have gone from the beginning. They showed me the products and tools I needed and how to mix and use them. But they also warned me it was a lot of hard work. Hard work! The results could be beautiful and extremely satisfying, but I would have to be willing to work hard.

Ten days later, I stepped into a fresh and gleaming shower. The grout was a brilliant white, making the entire bathroom look new. The sales clerk was right; I was brimming with satisfaction. It was a lot of hard work, but it paid off. If I had gone directly to the experts for advice, I could have eliminated days of backbreaking labor and trial and error. I had been tempted by the claims of “fast and easy,” which doubled my cost estimate. I wanted the best results with the least amount of effort.

Let’s not fool ourselves: Restoration projects are never easy. Taking shortcuts, rushing the process and avoiding the hard stuff often ends up requiring more effort and resulting in less satisfaction and poor quality.

The children of Israel went into captivity for more than 70 years because of their sin. They rejected God in spite of His outpouring of grace and mercy. God tried to prevent this severe consequence, to no avail. The restoration process would be harsh but necessary. If the people would call upon God and seek Him with all their hearts and humble themselves, turning from the evils of idol worship, then the Lord would restore them to their land. Israel’s restoration was difficult. An entire generation lived and died in exile. But there could be no shortcuts or easy way.

Still, God provided Israel a glimmer of hope. He said, “I will keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem. I say this because I know what I am planning for you. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future” (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

God’s wants us to live restored lives. Lives restored from brokenness, addictions, broken relationships and perpetual bad habits; from negative emotions and low self-esteem; from helplessness and despair. Sometimes the restoration is hard and harsh, but it’s much more difficult if we try shortcuts and seek fast and easy solutions.

God has amazing plans and a good future for us all. Allow Him to take you where you need to go to be fully restored. “‘I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:17).

!

!4

!The Back Page follows the Bible lessons that children and youth are studying and serves to help kids and adults continue the spiritual discussion at home and establish patterns of a devotional life.

Thought for the Week !God’s Daily Word Use these passages to explore more biblical insights on God’s power to restore our lives.

SUNDAY Jeremiah 29:11-14

MONDAY Deuteronomy 30:3-5

TUESDAY Deuteronomy 30:6-7

WEDNESDAY Deuteronomy 30:8-10

THURSDAY Psalm 71:20-21

FRIDAY 2 Chron. 7:14; Jeremiah 24:7

Ann Roda

Pastor for Families

annroda@lookingforachurch.org

!!!!!!

Weekly Challenge Is there something in your life that needs restoring? Courageously seek God this week by listening through prayer and through His Word. Allow Him to reveal to you a part of your life that needs to be restored.!

For the Family 1. Look up the definition of restore. As a family, spend time discussing the meaning of the

word. Discuss the different ways in which God restores our lives.2. As a family, memorize Jeremiah 29:11.

Find us: 12350 Hall Shop Road, Fulton, MD 20759 !Call us/ send a text message: 410-541-NEWH (6394) !

Email us: info@lookingforachurch.org !Visit us online: www.lookingforachurch.org

!4

More info: give@mynewhopechurch.com

Enjoyed today’s worship music? Scan the code to enjoy our Spotify playlist.