Johnny The Bagger

Where is the fun in all of this?

If you have been around Hope for long and been in a small group you have no doubt heart the phrase

"LIVE/LOVE/LEARN"

In small groups at Hope, the goal is for you to be transformed by the word of God through Community.

LEARN: We do this first by learning through specific studies: the author of a study guides us through a certain passage of scripture or book/s of the bible and we learn the history of that particular story, what it meant then and what it means to us now. Hopefully, we learn to apply this to our life.

LOVE: We also do this by coming together each week to hear what is on one another's hearts. We share our prayer requests, our trials and our praises. We walk along each other as life ebbs and flows. Maybe sharing how the Lord got us through a similar situation or just simply helping one another hand something over to Jesus.

LIVE: We serve together in many ways. This can be taking a new mom or a sick friend a meal. Taking her kids for an afternoon while she has some peace. Helping her find her way around a new town. Maybe even cleaning someone's house or taking her to the doctor if she is too sick to do so herself.

We also do service projects together. The New Bern House, making blankets for little babies, collecting money to send to the Ukraine, sponsoring children - so many.

Ladies, as a collective group we are doing all of this really well. I am excited to see the growth and transformation in many of you and experience it for myself.

What I want to talk about here is this....

Are you ladies having FUN????

When is the last time your group got together for dinner? Bowling? Shopping? A movie? A park date with the kids? Or without the kids? :)

I can hear you laughing in your small groups on Tuesday so I know that you are having fun there. I just think that having fun with each other outside of your time in small group is vitally important to how you bond with each other.

So, I want to encourage you today to make a plan with your small group to get together outside of Tuesday morning for something completely fun. I totally understand how busy each of us are and that this is actually not the easiest thing to do. It may be that only half of you make it this time and the other half next time and that's okay.

But please, just take the time. Make the time for each other. You will be so glad you did!

Here are some fantastic opportunities coming up in March and April:

• Bunco Night!

• Women of Hope Beach Retreat (scholarships are available!)
  

• Women's Breakfast and Mini-Seminar

You can find out all about these events and more at Women Of Hope.com

Women's Link - UPDATED

Women's Link is all fixed! You can now subscribe to Women's Link to receive messages about ALL events related to the Women of Hope. Retreats, service projects, social events and more! Be sure to sign up. See below for more directions.


Want to be in the know with what is happening at Hope for women? Want to know where to direct new women at Hope?

One great place is Women's Link.

Formally known as the ListServ, it is a way to sign up to receive emails from the Women of Hope to keep you in the know of news and events such as Women's Breakfasts, retreats, conferences, fun get togethers, small group news and prayers.

What exactly is a ListServ?



I am so glad you asked!!!!



It is some techy term for an email distribution list. And since it is confusing and too techy for some to really understand we renamed it Women's Link.



Basically, you sign up to receive news and emails from the Women of Hope. This way you can stay connected to what is happening with our community of women at Hope Community Church.



Make sure you don't miss out and sign up today!

Either click here or copy and paste this address in your web browser.
WofH-subscribe@gethope.net

Put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and send. You will start to receive emails from Women's Link.


We are also on Facebook. If you are on facebook, email me and I will send you an invitation or you can just find us. Women of Hope Facebook Group.

Stay connected!

Some Seeds Blog Tips

I had a question about these email messages that you receive and thought the rest of you could benefit from the answer.

The question is why the reader could not see the sidebar that I mentioned in my last email regarding the Spring schedule.

When you subscribe to a website or blog what you receive is a feed or an email message in your inbox. That is how you most likely are viewing this message or as it is called in the blog world, a post.

In order to see everything else on that site, such as the sidebar which includes the upcoming calendar and events, you need to click on the title of the blog, Seeds, or the title of the post.

For instance, the title of this post is Some Seeds Blog Tips. If you move your cursor over that title it should actually be a link that you can click on.

You will then be redirected to the Seeds Blog and be able to view the whole site. Which is so pretty and has a lot of information for you on it!

• Once you are on the site - the sidebar is located on the Right Side of the blog.

• A blog is a web log of events that are happening in someone's life. In this case I am posting videos, news and stories that relate to Seeds so be sure to scroll down to catch up on those.

• Also, some items like, Bible Gateway and Blue Letter Bible are at the bottom of the page. This way you can look up scripture quickly and easily. I also have other fun links on the page. Be sure to scroll down the site to see everything.

• You are able to leave comments on any post that come directly to me and others can see. If you have something you want to share, please do so. If you have a question, I would love to help you out.

Email me at kbunten@nc.rr.com if you have any more questions.

Happy Day,
Janel

If We are the Body

I heard this song yesterday and it reminded me that as I get so busy in my own life, I often forget to reach out to others in a real way.

I think we might listen to this song and naturally assume it is a stranger that we are to reach out to. Of course, Jesus calls us to do this, but I wonder if more often it is not the woman I'm sitting next to each week in small group or the one I wave to in my neighborhood each morning as I rush out.

I can tell you from experience that sometimes you can sit among a group of people for months, even years and still feel like you don't have a friend you can count on. Many women come in to a group and just live on the fray of that group. Watching and just waiting for someone to reach out to them in a meaningful way.

Will you reach out today?

And if someone reaches out, will you receive them?

New Schedule and Spring Study

Hello ladies,

Please note the updated schedule in the sidebar.
Our next study will be:

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed - A Study of David

"Taped at the 2007 Deeper Still event, three women explored their lives and the life of David. Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David contains the audio and video portions of the Deeper Still conference featuring Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur.

You’ll laugh with them, cry with them, and learn to love God with them. These authors' messages are divided into three segments, two lessons each. Each segment focuses on the life of David at a different stage of his life: as a young man (by Priscilla Shirer), as a middle-aged man (by Beth Moore), and as a man facing the final third of his life (by Kay Arthur)."

Update on CAR generators

From Jeff Shaeffer....

Update on Africa: The generators have been released and are on the way to the C.A.R. Mike and the gang arrived at their site and did everything they could to set it up so that when the generators arrive they just have to plug them in. Unfortunately they will not be there to see it all come together. Thank you for your prayers!

Prayer Now, Please

Please Pray TODAY.

Our team in the CAR needs your prayer right now.

Just a recap for those of you that don't go to Hope...

In 2008, our church raised funds to dig 10 wells which provide enough clean water for 5,000 people. (Read more about how clean water can change lives HERE.) Not to mention, sponsoring hundreds of orphans so they can have homes, food and an education.

So, this year in addition to more funds for wells, a company in which a church member is involved has donated three very powerful generators. They will provide much needed power to the orphan care center, radio station, offices of ICDI and the base camp for the drillers.

The generators have been stuck in a container in port for months. Very frustrating.

They need these generators to be released and delivered to them TODAY. That is one of the main reasons they are on this trip so that they can get them all set up. So, they just need lots of prayer.

The team is excited about the children and the work that has been done so far. They are also tired and frustrated over these containers. Please pray for them!

Here is the link to their blog. Please go there and leave them an encouraging word.

Thanks a bunch, ladies!
Janel

Hope for C.A.R and other Prayer

Please be praying for our team in the Central African Republic. Pray for their families and for the people of C.A.R.

Follow Pastor Mike, Karl and the team from Hope at this blog they have set up. Please leave them comments of encouragement and prayer. They will love hearing from you!

Go HERE to read the updates or click the box above.

Remember we are spending time praying for our pastors wives and families the next 6 weeks.

Laura Lee (Mike Lee, Senior Pastor)
Kara Patchin (Dave Patchin, Executive Pastor)
Sandy Roberts (Joe Roberts, Young Adults Pastor)
Myra Ellis (Steve Ellis, Discipleship Pastor)
Beth Darr (Donnie Darr, Missions and Care Pastor)
Jen Hankins (Chris Hankins, Middle School Pastor)
Laura Peters (Donnie Peters, High School Pastor)
Siobhan Moraski (Karl Moraski, Worship Director)

If you would like to write a note of encouragement to one of these ladies and bring it next Tuesday, I will make sure it is mailed to them.