A Plan For Conflict
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4–9)
Philippians 4 has always been one of my favorite passages, but recently a book I was reading pointed out that these exhortations come immediately after Paul encourages two ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, to resolve a conflict that they are having. They are sisters in Christ, but they are having a disagreement and Paul is hoping that they would become united in mind. I never observed before that these exhortations follow this conflict in the church.
So if you are walking through a conflict with someone in the family of Christ, consider these exhortations from Philippians.
1. Rejoice in the Lord always. Think upon God’s lavish goodness to you even in the midst of the conflict; think upon His patience, kindness and goodness to you. Be ready to offer that to another.
2. Let your gentleness be evident to all. In a conflict, we can speak and answer harshly, but gentleness will bring grace to the situation.
3. Replace anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving. Ask God to assist you in this conflict and remember his faithfulness in the past. If you do this, the passage tells us that the peace of God that transcends understanding will come over you.
4. Think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely… Conflict can cause you to think bitter thoughts towards another and exaggerate their faults. Counterbalance those thoughts with what you know to be true and good in a brother/sister. This may allow you to overlook a minor offense.
5. Learn from others. The last thing Paul tells the Philippians is to practice what they have seen Paul doing - how he himself has been treating others. If they do, he tells them the God of Peace will be with them. What a sweet promise. If you know someone who is loving through conflict, follow their example. (Find more helpful ways to process conflict in The Peace Maker by Ken Sande)
On this side of Heaven, we will have to navigate these challenges with our fellow believers. It is one of the reasons we have these epistles in our Bible. Hopefully, Philippians 4 can give you a good plan for conflict.
~Pastor Randy
Join us for HopeServes on Saturday, September 28. We will have service projects to reach out to our community. Check with your home group leaders to see if they have signed up for a project. If you are not in a home group you can jump into a project! Contact Kendra Kuntz at kkuntz@hopetucson.com for more information.
This year we have a new way of ordering shirts (and hats) for Shirtember. Below is the link to order and pay for your custom Hope t-shirt and hat. We will close down the order form on Monday, September 30. So purchase your items as soon as you can. Don't miss out!
If you have any questions regarding our new handy dandy web-shop order form, please contact Gina at info@hopetucson.com or 520-400-1483.
Our next baptism is Sunday, October 6 following the worship service. If you are interested in being baptized, please contact info@hopetucson.com.
Women's Ministry
Suzi King, Director
sking@hopetucson.com
Ladies, come join us on Saturday, September 14 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. in the Community Room as we put together baby baskets and notes of encouragement for families thru CarePortal ministry. Below is a list of items needed for the baskets ...
New:
crib sheets
small receiving blankets
baby shampoo and lotion
clothes ages 0-3 months and 3-6 months
bibs
teething toys
board books
Snacks and drinks will be provided!
Women's Camp 2024!
Welcome Jones Family!
Hey family! We are excited to be in Tucson and share life with you all at Hope.
A little about us. I’m originally from the mid-west and southern U.S. and Paty moved to the U.S. from Venezuela when she was a girl. We have been married for about 10 years now and we have two children - Jesse (3) and Norah (1). Paty and I met in Tucson during our time at the U of A in a collegiate ministry called the Navigators, and we served with them for several years as students. Shortly after college, I started to serve in the Dominican Republic with a Christian clean water organization. In 2015, Paty and I officially moved to the Dominican Republic to serve as missionaries. We lived and served there until 2024. While in the DR, we decided to shift our focus from relief ministry to focus more on discipleship and outreach with local churches with an organization called Centers for Church Based Training (CCBT). We feel privileged to have been able to serve in the DR all those years, to have had our children there, to have served in various areas of ministries, and to have been able to share life with so many amazing people there.
God really opened up the door for us to be here now at Hope, and we are excited to see what unfolds in this next chapter serving alongside all of you!
We look forward to getting to know you all.
¡Dios les bendiga! (God bless you all!)
~Pastor Gary
The goal of parenting children in a God honoring way has always had its unique difficulties for every generation. In this conference we will explore some of the bad counsel (both towards parents and children) that has filled every aspect of our culture; as well as the unique psychological and sociological difficulties that have severely disrupted the adolescence of the current generation through social media and screen based childhoods. We will then take a look at the various ways that parents within the church can respond effectively to these problems and help each other to raise children with the best opportunity to serve God within their own lives.
If you are interested in this mini conference, please sign-up below.
Lynne Hooge, HopeKids Director
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Hello Hope Families!
Look what’s happening this month!
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT MOVIE NIGHT! We will be watching the movie, “Migration.”
Our new Kindergarteners
move up to the K/1st class
on Sunday, September 8th!
Sunday Morning Classroom Changes: We are moving three of our classrooms in the south hallway. These changes are due to how the classroom furniture is being used during the school week. Nursery will now meet in Room 664 (across the hallway from where it used to be). Pre-School will meet in Room 663 (where nursery was). The 4th/5th grade class will meet in Room 669 (where Pre-School was).
Parents and HopeKids’ volunteers! You are invited to join us for the Child Discipleship Forum Recap on September 21st. We will be watching some of the top sessions from the forum. Feel free to join us for all or part of the day. Please RSVP by September 16th.
Although the Child Discipleship Forum is a ministry of AWANA, it is geared towards discipling children and is beneficial for parents or anyone involved in Children’s Ministry. Here’s what they say about the forum: “At CDF, you’ll learn how to develop a culture of child discipleship in your church. You don’t want to miss hearing from our 16 biblically sound leaders who work, lead and think deeply in the areas of theology, apologetics, gender/sexuality, ecclesiology, technology, anthropology, ministry and more. We curate these voices to help you lead and disciple the next generation to form lasting faith in Jesus, no matter the culture or context”.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Lynne Hooge
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Our Key Verses this Month:
Numbers 23:19 God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Big Picture Question:
Does God keep His promises? Yes, God always keeps His promises because He is faithful.
What We’re Learning:
September 1 (Family Sunday): God Controls Everything; Job
September 8: God Called Moses; Exodus 1-4 (KINDERS MOVE UP TO THE K/1ST CLASS!)
September 15: God Delivered His People; Exodus 5-12
September 22: God Parted the Red Sea; Exodus 13-15
September 29: Special 5th Sunday HopeKids Worship with special guests from the Győri family, missionaries in Hungary
September Birthdays
Jack Brown 9/2
Alexandra Kelly 9/8
Keaton Klein 9/9
Madison Nall 9/21
Maverick Alexander 9/23
Jesse Jones 9/27
September 4, 2024 - First meeting of 2024-25 Awana Ministry Year.
Awana is for kids 4yrs. to 6th grade. Interested in serving or having your children attend Awana? Contact Tim Tolson at timtolson@comcast.net.
HCC FAMILY CAMP AT PEPPERSAUCE CAMPGROUNDS
COME FRIDAY WHENEVER YOU CAN. THE PHILLIPS FAMILY WILL PROVIDE HOT DOGS AND CHILI! PLEASE BRING A SIDE TO SHARE.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO CAMP OVERNIGHT, COME FOR CAMPING DAY ADVENTURES
ON SATURDAY THE 19TH - 8:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M. WE WILL HAVE GAMES, A HIKE, AND A GROUP WILL
TRAVERSE THE CAVES SPELUNKING.
CAMPGROUNDS HAVE VAULT TOILETS AND POTABLE WATER FOR WASHING.
PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY FOR AMPLE DRINKING WATER, BREAKFAST AND
LUNCH OPTIONS FOR YOUR FAMILY SATURDAY, AND WARM CLOTHES FOR THE
HIGHER ELEVATION! THE DRIVE TO CAMPGROUNDS IS A DIRT ROAD AND TO THE GROUP
SITE IS LOW CLEARANCE FOR SMALLER CARS. IT'S DO-ABLE BUT LOW. LET TIMARIE KNOW IF
YOU HAVE CONCERNS. THERE ARE ABOUT 6-8 SPOTS FOR TENTS ON THE GROUP
SITE WE RENTED, AND LOTS OF TABLES. BUT, THERE ARE MANY FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
CAMPSITES NEXT TO IT, IF YOU WANT TO RENT YOUR OWN NEARBY AND HAVE MORE
SPACE FEEL FREE!
EMAIL, CALL, OR TEXT TIMARIE IF YOU PLAN TO JOIN AT TIMARIE05@GMAIL.COM OR
520-780-3544.
Church-Wide Prayer and Praise – September 25
“Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that He will provide the help we need. Prayer humbles us as needy and exalts God as wealthy.” (John Piper)
“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” (Oswald Chambers)
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)
At Hope we want to grow in community. Therefore, we desire all Hopers to be involved in home groups. Thank you for signing up this past month. We are excited to connect you with a home group.
If you are new to Hope and looking for a home group, please contact Pastor Kevin at kmason@hopetucson.com.
Important Date: Home Groups will be serving together for HopeServes on Saturday, September 28. Check with your home group leader to see where you will be serving.
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 Dates:
Men's Breakfast - Saturday, September 21 from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. in the Community Room
Men's Bible Study - Friday, September 6 & 20 from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. in the Community Room
Hi HopeLife,
August has been such a delight as we have worked through the end of Romans. What a great time of chewing on and digesting the Word of God together! As we jump back into school and September, we can look forward to more fun, testimonies, and diving into a new book of the Bible. Come on over to the Community Room and join in! We are praying for each and every one of you.
September 7: Bible Study @7:00 p.m.
September 14: Testimony time with the Lowes @7:00 p.m.
September 21: Bible Study @7:00 p.m.
September 28: BYOPT (Bring Your Own Pizza Toppings) and The Game Show @7:00 p.m.
Contact Carl Vereen at carlvereen@gmail.com if you have any questions about HopeLife!
September Calendar for Youth Group:
Sunday, September 1: Workday at Wilson School from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Bring a pair of gloves and gardening tools (hoes, shovels, etc.) - followed by dinner at In-N-Out (11545 N. Oracle Road).
Parents and families are welcome!
Sundays, September 8, 15, 22 & 29: Youth Group from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room.
ECMI Luncheon
Sunday, September 29 at noon in the Community Room
Come join us as we hear from Tamas Gyori and family as they share about their new church plant in Budapest, Hungary.
Sign-up below for the luncheon!
Bob & Merrillee Whren, Directors
Interested in our Seniors' Ministry? Contact Bob Whren at bwhren@gmail.com.
Mark your calendars for HopeSeniors Lunch on Sunday, September 8th. Contact Bob Whren bwhren@gmail.com for more information.
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.
Thursday, September 26 - Meet at Tangerine Sky Community Park (4411 W. Tangerine Road) at 11:00 a.m. Bring a snack to share and kids can play and parents can plan field trips for the year!
For more details and information on this group, please contact Bre McCabe at bmambros@gmail.com or Tina Edgin at tsedgin@gmail.com.
