Small Good Deeds
I have been reading a book entitled “Dream Small”, which is about pursuing small-simple obedience acts for God, instead of grand plans for God that bring you fame and notoriety.
In Matthew 10:42 Jesus said: “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus also said: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Worldly success and fame in this lifetime is not the measure of success that should consume us. Instead, we should joyfully take our place serving in God’s grand story – however small our part might be.
The message is clear: the significance of our actions here and now is not at all determined by the wealth and applause they generate. The significance of our actions here and now is always determined by their connection to God and the story He is writing, the eternal kingdom He is building… This means you are free to pursue dreams that the world around you overlooks and measures as small, knowing that your Creator sees and rewards even cups of cold water given in His name. You can know that He is using every act of faithful obedience, big and small, to move the plot forward towards a grand finale far better than any dream you could write for yourself. (Seth Lewis, Dream Small)
Many of you serve the Lord by faithfully serving your family by changing diapers or doing dishes. You encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ with kind words or notes. You give finances anonymously – never receiving credit from the watching world. These are the things that truly matter in the kingdom of God.
In seminary one year, I was required to keep a journal describing my experiences practicing a spiritual discipline. I chose “secrecy” – which at the time I did not understand what that really was, but later found out that “secrecy” is the discipline of keeping every good deed or spiritual growth a “secret” from others. In the words of Jesus, when you do something good, don’t announce it from the street corners. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing! Just keep it between you and God. I was surprised how much of a struggle truly practicing this discipline brought my proudful heart.
Brothers and sisters, give yourself to devotion to Christ in even the smallest of good deeds - the good deeds no one on this planet will know about or write about. This is your calling. This matters to God, and it will not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
~Pastor Randy
The entire church at HOPE Community has been a direct partner in the ministry of the trip we took to the Philippines. Thirteen of our folks were SENT by you to be a blessing to the incredible ministry at “To God Be The Glory” church planting movement and the Aeta Children’s Home (ACH). Our partnership was anchored in 2006 and HCC has had an annual impact of direct support since 2010. This “Partnership” is deep and continuing in a way that all 13 of us return to Tucson with a sense that we have been in the fellowship of saints and heroes of the faith. We were BLESSED by our brothers and sisters in Christ more than we could possibly provide a blessing to them. And yet, their direct statement by Pastor Kingsley who leads the church planting efforts to us was: “Our ministry gets lighter when we know we are not alone.”
So, know this Church, your investment to send a team of 13 to serve in a very small way during 10 days in October 2023, was a blessing that we cannot measure. May God Himself use our very small “fish and bread” in a way that multiplies within His Kingdom!
October Baptisms
Kai Bernard
Tommy Collins
Kayleen Hendricks
Nalia Hendricks
Aireonahh Kuntz
Elias Thiessen
Linda Van Zant
Interested in being baptized, please contact Gina at info@hopetucson.com.
SEND LOVE AND THE GOSPEL TO CHILDREN IN NEED AROUND THE WORLD!
PICK UP YOUR SHOEBOX AT HOPE ON 11/5.
FILL YOUR SHOEBOX WITH TOYS, PERSONAL CARE ITEMS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND ACCESSORIES.
DO NOT INCLUDE FOOD, LIQUIDS, SCARY OR WAR RELATED ITEMS.
GIVE A $10 DONATION ONLINE OR BY MAIL TO COVER SHIPPING AND OTHER PROJECT COSTS.
FOLLOW YOUR BOX BY SCANNING THE CODE ON YOUR LABEL.
DROP OFF YOUR SHOEBOX AT HOPE ON 11/12 OR 11/19.
CHEER ON HOPEKIDS AFTER CHURCH ON 11/19 AS THEY PARADE OUR BOXES OUT TO BE DELIVERED TO A NEARBY DONATION CENTER.
BUILD A SHOEBOX ONLINE BY VISITING SAMARITANSPURSE.ORG/BUILDONLINE. BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO "SEARCH FOR A GOAL PAGE" (HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH). YOUR $25 DONATION COVERS THE COST OF YOUR SHOEBOX, SHIPPING AND ALL THE ITEMS TO FILL YOUR BOX.
PRAY THAT OUR BOXES WILL BE A BLESSING!
THANK YOU,
TAMMI MOORE AND THE OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD TEAM
PICK UP YOUR SHOEBOX AT HOPE ON 11/5.
FILL YOUR SHOEBOX WITH TOYS, PERSONAL CARE ITEMS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND ACCESSORIES.
DO NOT INCLUDE FOOD, LIQUIDS, SCARY OR WAR RELATED ITEMS.
GIVE A $10 DONATION ONLINE OR BY MAIL TO COVER SHIPPING AND OTHER PROJECT COSTS.
FOLLOW YOUR BOX BY SCANNING THE CODE ON YOUR LABEL.
DROP OFF YOUR SHOEBOX AT HOPE ON 11/12 OR 11/19.
CHEER ON HOPEKIDS AFTER CHURCH ON 11/19 AS THEY PARADE OUR BOXES OUT TO BE DELIVERED TO A NEARBY DONATION CENTER.
BUILD A SHOEBOX ONLINE BY VISITING SAMARITANSPURSE.ORG/BUILDONLINE. BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO "SEARCH FOR A GOAL PAGE" (HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH). YOUR $25 DONATION COVERS THE COST OF YOUR SHOEBOX, SHIPPING AND ALL THE ITEMS TO FILL YOUR BOX.
PRAY THAT OUR BOXES WILL BE A BLESSING!
THANK YOU,
TAMMI MOORE AND THE OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD TEAM
Women's Ministry
Suzi King, Director
sking@hopetucson.com
Ladies join us for a Night of Worship - led by Katie Arellano and Breanna Loveland. We will serve desserts and drinks. Bring a friend!
Thanks to all the women who joined us for our October brunch and a big thank you to Breanna Loveland who shared her testimony!
Arguing: Constructive or Destructive?
A look into healthy conflict. A workshop style conference exploring the nuances of marital communication, with the goal of establishing a lifestyle of confession and forgiveness.
Dinner will be included on Friday evening and a light breakfast and lunch included on Saturday.
Thanks to all who came out to our October Intentional Christian Grandparenting Conference and big thank you to David & Dawn Lowe for facilitating the conference!
Lynne Hooge, HopeKids Director
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Hello Hope Families!
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3-5)
It is such a blessing to spend time with your HopeKids each week. We are so thankful for all our amazing volunteers that are serving and teaching our HopeKids the love of Jesus.
We hope to see you at the Family Fall Fest on November 4th!
Mark your calendars! Our Preschool through 5th Grade HopeKids will be singing in the December 17th service. More information, coming soon.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family!
~Lynne
Our verse this month: 1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal
life to which you were called when you made your good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.
What We’re Learning:
November 5 (Family Sunday): Paul Gave Hope; 1 & 2 Thessalonians
November 12: Paul’s Third Journey; Acts 18-21
November 19: Paul Was Arrested; Acts 21-23
November 26: Together in Jesus; Ephesians 2-3
Oliver Silva 11/1
Zara Smith 11/1
Zane Vereen 11/2
Zella Salcido 11/7
Teagan McCabe 11/13
Jett Parrish 11/11
William Woodford 11/13
Ethan Alexander 11/15
Kaylin Crom 11/17
Oona O’Brien 11/20
Liam Vereen 11/24
Hope’s AWANA ministry for children 4 years old through 6th grade meets every Wednesday night from 5:45 - 7:45 p.m. Contact timtolson@comcast.net if you have questions.
Ellory Behrends
Alexandra Kelly
Quinn Loveland
Kevin Mason, Associate & Youth Pastor
kmason@hopetucson.com
“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:28-29)
It is our prayer that everyone at Hope stays connected with the body of believers, so we can all grow in maturity and live lives worthy of the Lord. If you would like to get connected with a home group please contact me at kmason@hopetucson.com.
Our vision in Men’s Ministry is to train and build up men in godly masculinity. We desire all men at Hope to be rooted in a Biblical identity and to embrace their role as leaders in the Kingdom.
Important Date:
No Men's Breakfast this Month - Please attend the Marriage Matters Conference if you can!
Men's Camp 2023
Hey Hope Life, October was a busy month! What a joy to spend time with you all and grow together as brothers and sisters in Christ. November is going to be a great month of togetherness! We are praying for each of you!
Saturday, November 4: Fall Festival at the Overton property 5:00-7:30 p.m. (if you can help, let us know) and 8:00 -9:00 p.m. in our Romans Study
Saturday, November 11: Romans Study 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the Community Room
Saturday, November 18: Friendsgiving at Northwest Bible Church 6:00 p.m. (be watching for sign up sheet)
Saturday, November 25: No Meeting
Questions? Contact Carl Vereen at carlvereen@gmail.com for more info!
In November we will still be working through the Discovery Series. Please pray that this would be something that would truly build up our students and help them build a solid foundation in their faith.
November Calendar for Youth Group:
Sundays, November 5, 12, 19: HopeYouth from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room.
Sunday, November 26: NO Youth Group. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend with your family!
Bob & Merrillee Whren, Directors
Merrillee and I were invited to meet with the young adults group that is led by Carl & Ashley Vereen on the Saturday night before the Hope Senior's lunch. It was truly inspiring to us that the young adults were meeting on a weekend night to discuss God’s Word. What surprised us is that the young adults are comprised of members of our church and other churches. How refreshing that churches are working together. The Hope Seniors had invited the young adults to our senior lunch. Each of the seniors provided their work background and several presented how God led and influenced their lives. Some of the young adults commented to me it was amazing hearing how many seniors thank God for His guidance in their lives. The seniors felt wonderful about the interactions at their table talking to the young adults. The day was filled with laughter.
"Old folks are really goofy and playful and it’s fantastic how much wisdom they are willing to share. It’s incredibly valuable having them around to ask for guidance. They understand our (young people’s) perspectives better than one might expect." Sarah Stewart
"We always look forward to the Senior Adults' Lunch held at the Community Room. This time we got the added treat of having several young adult guests join us who are not able to claim the title of senior adult. It is always a good thing to be reminded that the body of Christ comes in all sizes, colors, shapes and ages. We were blessed by the sharing of life experiences, as well as the variety of delicious foods." (Doug & Sheree Dennee)
