Service (Philippines)
I like to ask people what is a delight that they have been experiencing lately. While in the Philippines I asked a lot of the pastors, staff, and teachers this question, and the most common answer I got was “to serve the Lord!” I know they really mean it. They find such joy in serving the Lord; in taking the gospel to the poorest of poor up in the mountains, in teaching kids from sunrise to sunset, in providing food and medicine to those in need. It was super humbling and super inspiring to spend time with these brothers and sisters.
I’m reading a book with the elders of Hope and the last chapter said: “What is the motivational joy in the heart of a true servant? The joy of a true servant is not power; the joy of a true servant is not control; the joy of a true servant is not acclaim; the joy of a true servant is not comfort or ease; and, of course, the joy of a true servant is not position. What gives a servant joy in being a servant is service.” (LEAD, Paul David Tripp).
May we at Hope find this same joy in serving our Lord together.
~Pastor Randy
Thank you for your prayers for our Philippines Team. Check out the video below and see ALL the ways the Lord used them on their trip!
The TeamRandy BrainardJulie BrainardAnthony CervantesJess CervantesElla Cervantes Anthony Cervantes, Jr. Diane Jensen
Eric Kinder
Sally Kinder
Teresa Mote
Chad Schwarz
Melanie Schwarz
Alli Schwarz
Avery Schwarz
Mackenzie Schwarz
Suzanne Shriver
Libbie Turner
Hi, I am Teresa Mote, one of the Philippines mission team that recently returned. First I want to thank everyone at Hope for your support for missions. I was privileged to have this opportunity to serve as God lead. As our team formed, I realized that I was with a very special group of people who really had a heart to serve as the Lord lead. As I spent my time at ACH, I realized that the Lord was Blessing me so much. I loved working with the children. They are so sweet, and they were a beautiful example of praising God for everything... I realized that God has blessed us so much and often we do not give God credit. As I watched the children sing praise songs with heavenly voices and pray with honest heartfelt thanks I realized what it really meant to give thanks for everything, no matter how small. The highlights of my trip are so hard to put into words. I was so overwhelmed by the loving way we were accepted as brothers & sisters in Christ by everyone we met. I enjoyed watching the children and teachers enjoy the VBS and working with children at craft time. Their excitement at Dinosaur Island was infectious. I had the opportunity to serve as a provider for the medical mission and God broke my heart for the young mother & their children as they sought prescriptions for things we would just go to the drug store to get. Others were grateful for any care, medicine and prayer that could be provided. Knowing that so much more was needed, I pray that God will provide for them and protect them daily. Every day the goodness of the Lord was on display. One of the beautiful examples was on Saturday night the power went out, but Jess continued with the evening devotional under the blanket of God's magnificent creations of stars. Then Julie had brought glow sticks and the children had a dance party so many giggles and joy until later in the night, then as things were winding down the power came back on. God is so good. As I mentioned the devotional that night under the lights from phones was about Samuel hearing God's voice as a child reminded me that I had this beautiful opportunity by the grace of God. Overall I feel that the Lord showed me to trust Him and be open to serve wherever He leads. Everyone on our team was sent by the Lord to use their many talents for God's glory. We all became family and left part of our hearts with the children and beautiful people at ACH. I would love to go again if it is God's will, but I want to encourage any of you that might be thinking of missions to listen To God's directions and say send me. I can honestly say I will never see things the same again. I hope that you all get a chance to see everyones beautiful pictures everyday of this magnificent trip and let them touch your hearts like each day touched mine. Thank you all again for your support.
This month's Prayer & Praise Night is Wednesday, November 26! Join us for a special night of worship celebrating Thanksgiving with prayer, praise and FOOD!
Christian Kah
Worship Pastor
ckah@hopetucson.com
Song of the Month: Everlasting God
The song “Everlasting God” is one of my favorites and has been a source of great encouragement to me over the years. The song speaks about, as the title suggests, how our God is everlasting, eternal, creator, deliverer, and sustainer. The song includes lyrics taken directly from scripture. Isaiah 40:28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Now, let those words soak in… the God who created this world and everything in it, who is the eternal LORD of all—He is the one who is with us.
Now, there are many things in this life that we like to put our trust in. We like to be comfortable, right? We often depend on our finances, our insurance, our spouses, our boyfriends and girlfriends, or our family and friends for our sense of security and source of strength and assurance. As good as it is to have stability in these areas, they all fall short. They will never truly supply you with what you need in totality. Our finances may or may not flounder through time and our relationships are with broken humans who grow weary and at times, disappoint.
But listen… God is not going to grow weary. He will not disappoint, he will not fail, he will not give way. As the lyrics say, “Our God, you reign forever, our hope, our strong Deliverer. You do not faint, You won’t grow weary.” Our strength, our hope, our joy, our identity, our comfort, our defense, our confidence, our foundation, our victory are found and only found in the Everlasting God. Are you setting your eyes on him today? Are you asking Him for strength? Are you surrendering to and relying on Him? Or are you looking to things of this world as a source of strength and hope?
As believers, we have access to a God who loves us so much. He desires that we call upon Him for our renewal, our strength, and our comfort. We ought to be reminding ourselves daily of these truths! The fact that we don’t have to rely on our own strength or depend on things of this world is such a blessing. So, why don’t we access this blessing more often? Let’s stop turning to the world or ourselves for renewal. Rather, let’s look to our Sustainer, who never grows weary and whose strength is everlasting and never fails.
In Christ,
Pastor Christian
Interested in being baptized? Contact info@hopetucson.com.
Women's Ministry
Suzi King, Director
sking@hopetucson.com
Come join us as we serve the women at Life Care Center. We will be singing hymns and providing manicures. Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to BE THE CHURCH! Also, this is a great chance for students to earn community service hours. Sign up below!
A HUGE thank you to all the women who came to our Hymns & Hands outreach at Life Care Center. It was an amazing time!
Send love and the Gospel to children in need around the World!
Pick up your shoebox at Hope on 11/9 & 11/16.
Fill your shoebox with toys, personal care items, school supplies and accessories.
Please do not include food, liquids, scary or war related items.
Give a $10.00 donation online or by mail to cover shipping and other related items.
Follow your box by scanning the code on your label.
Drop off your shoebox at Hope on 11/23.
Cheer on our HopeKids after church on 11/23 as they parade our boxes out to be delivered to a nearby donation center.
You can also build a shoebox online. Check out the button below!
Pray that our boxes will be a blessing!
Thank you, Tammi Moore and the Operation Christmas Child Team
Hi, I’m Glen Elliott. I’ve had the joy of doing a couple of mini-conferences with the Hope family. and I now want to invite you to join us on Saturday, November 22. Here’s why.
Are there some things in your life that you wish were different, or better? Is there a gap between who you wish you were and who you are? Are there some things in your life that you wish would go away? Is there an area inside that needs healing or transformation? Maybe you wish you didn’t get angry so easily, or speak words that wound, or minimize fear or anxiety. Maybe you struggle with an addiction like porn, shopping, eating or binging. Is there a behavior that you hate but you can’t seem to make go away? Do you feel stuck?
Most of us want to change. But how? How do we stop sinning? How do we live in a way that is more like Jesus? What Jesus teaches is that we have to look below the surface into our heart.
For Jesus, the heart is the heart of everything. It’s the core of who we are. So, if we want to change our words and actions, our heart has to change.
To better understand our heart and life we have to look back into our story that shaped our heart. As we understand our stories, we’re able to invite the Spirit to change our hearts.
Here’s the deal. What’s seen won’t change until what’s unseen does. During this mini-conference, we’ll find ways to begin to explore our story and thus, our heart.
I’m confident that this mini-conference will be life-changing. If you want to grow, be more like Jesus, get unstuck, don’t miss our time together on Saturday, November 22.
Interested in watching the video of the September mini conference on, "Marriage Tune Up"? Click on the link below!
Mark your calendars for this important outreach. Sign-ups and more information to come.
We had a great time at the New to Hope Lunch. Consider coming to the next one!
Lynne Hooge, HopeKids Discipleship Director
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Hello Hope Families!
It was great to see so many of you at our HopeKids Family Fall Fest! A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make it a such a fun success.
I thank God for each of our HopeKids, their families and for our HopeKids’ Team members! It is a blessing to serve as your HopeKids Discipleship Director. I was recently inspired to add Discipleship to my title when reading the book Forming Faith, because our focus in HopeKids is to come alongside our Hope Families to help disciple our HopeKids to become lifelong followers of Jesus.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)
~Lynne
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Our Key Passage This Month:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Big Picture Question:
What is idolatry? Idolatry is a sin of the heart in which we love and value something else above God.
What We’re Learning:
November 2 (Family Sunday): God is Good to Give Mercy; Luke 18
November 9: Jeroboam Disobeyed God; 1 Kings 12-13
November 16: Elijah Served as a Prophet; 1 Kings 16-18
November 23: Elisha Served as a Prophet; 2 Kings 2
November 30: Elisha Performed Miracles; 2 Kings 4-6
FUN AT HOPEKIDS FAMILY FALL FEST!
November Birthdays
Oliver Silva 11/1
Sierra Seay 11/1
Sammi Grosso 11/2
Maisy Harrison 11/9
Kaylin Crom11/17
Awana is for boys and girls kindergarten through 6th grade and meets on Wednesday evenings, 5:45 - 7:45 p.m. at Summit Ridge Church.
AWANA is going strong! We have so much fun and learn so many good things about Jesus! We have been loving new children joining us, so come one and all.
Contact Tim Tolson at timtolson@comcast.net if you have any questions.
Gary Jones, Discipleship Pastor
gjones@hopetucson.com
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
Do you desire to be in a Home Group? Home Groups are a great way for us to grow in community and in our walk with Jesus. We desire to see everyone connected to a Home Group, so if you are interested in getting plugged in, please contact me.
HG Leaders, our next leader meeting is Friday, November 21st at Steam Pump Ranch from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. It will be more of an appreciation dinner – thanking you all for your service to our Hope HGs.
Contact me at gjones@hopetucson.com if you have any questions.
Men's Bible Study: Friday, November 14 from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. in the Community Room. This Bible Study is a great time to dive into God’s Word, pray, and build relationships with other men. This study is for men of all ages.
Men’s Breakfast: Saturday, November 15 in the Community Room at 7:30 a.m. Men and teens of all ages are welcome to join us for some great food, fellowship, and an engaging message and discussion time. Join us!
Men’s Golf Outing: Friday, December 12, we will have a foursome golf scramble competition and tee times will start around 12:00 p.m. Please contact Eric Kinder to reserve your spot (kindereric266@gmail.com).
HopeLife is our young adult ministry for ages 18-29. If you are a young adult, we’d love for you to get connected with others in a similar season of life. We spend time together to grow in community, study God’s Word, pray, eat, and have fun. Join us!
Below are our get-together dates for the rest of the year:
Tuesday, November 4 – at the Braeutigam’s home from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 18 – Friendsgiving at the Braeutigam’s home from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 2 – Special outing TBA.
Tuesday, December 16 – Christmas Party at the Braeutigam’s home 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Contact me at gjones@hopetucson.com if you have any questions.
Kevin Mason, Family Pastor
kmason@hopetucson.com
November Calendar for Youth Group
Youth Group on Sundays, November 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room.
On Sundays, November 2, 16 & 23 dinner will be provided!
NO Youth Group on Sunday, November 30 - enjoy Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 26: Pickleball at Riverfront Park at 5:00 p.m. Dinner afterwards.
Saturday, December 13: Winterhaven! Dinner at Chick-fil-a (Tucson Mall location) at 4:45 p.m. Then meet at Winterhaven at 6:00 p.m.
Bob & Merrillee Whren, Directors
Interested in our Seniors' Ministry? Contact Bob Whren at bwhren@gmail.com.
Our goal is to grow a community of support and encouragement for all families at Hope Community Church who wish to educate their students at home. All are welcome to participate in the activities regardless of what type of school they attend. Children that are not school age are also welcome.
For more details and information on this group, please contact Bre McCabe at bmambros@gmail.com or Tina Edgin at tsedgin@gmail.com.
