Externally Focused Life
Philippians 2:3-4 states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” One of the things that the Word teaches us is that we are not to try to be served but to serve and to love others. I call this the externally focused life – in other words, not just thinking about myself, but putting others’ needs above my own – Being the Church!
I love the mission spirit and generosity we find at Hope. We have a group of people working hard to impact three foster families a week through CarePortal. For more information and to help deliver and provide needed items, contact Mary Jones at marycbjones@yahoo.com. We also, have ministered to the residents and walk-ins at the Casa Paloma Women's Shelter for years...meeting some of their basic needs. If you have any gently used clothing for women that you can donate, the Shelter is in great need of these (especially sizes small and medium.) Contact Gina Braun at info@hopetucson.com if you can help out here!
Our youth are doing some work around our new Hobbit House acre, and they just returned from a mission trip to inner city Miami. In addition, we had a group in Canada this summer serving native kids and proclaiming the Gospel.
In October, we are sending 18 folks to encourage and serve at the Aeta Children’s Home in the Philippines. This ministry serves poor tribal people called Aetas, through church planting, medical missions, and a school. Please help send the team by attending the Pancake Breakfast on the church property Saturday morning 8:00 -10:00 a.m. (more info below).
In John 13, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, taking the lowest servant position. He ended that time telling the disciples that as He had loved them, they should love one another. The stories I hear of Home Groups at HOPE loving each other sacrificially and kindly is a wonderful example of living that out. I hope you and your family are currently connected to Home Group at Hope.
I wanted to share some of these things because we as a church family are answering God’s call to not only be concerned with our own church and ourselves but to serve God and His Kingdom above ourselves and to serve each other (not perfectly of course). May we keep reaching out to our communities to offer hope, bringing the gospel in words and actions. Let us continue to care about the orphan and the widow (James 1:27), the hungry, naked and the sick (Matthew 25:35-40). Let us continue to put our brothers and sisters above ourselves!
Hey Hope - Shirtember is back! We have some great new designs by Chloe Butler this year! Below are the choices you have. We will have a live link beginning September 2 that you can go to and order your shirt! Check back on Tuesday in the newsletter on that date or go to our website at www.hopetucson.com. If you have any questions, please contact info@hopetucson.com.
Adult T-Shirts
Adult T-Shirts
Kid's T-Shirts
Christian Kah
Worship Pastor
ckah@hopetucson.com
Song of the Month Devo: “Living Hope”
This may be the understatement of the century but… life is HARD sometimes, isn’t it? This world we live in is difficult. It’s full of anxiety, stress, frustrations, and disappointments. As believers in Jesus and readers of the Bible, we know why this life can be hard. We know that sin has entered the world and has affected every aspect of this life. We know that the devil is always scheming and causing chaos and confusion. We know that this earth has been infected with pride, rebellion, and just flat out evil. This is all a bit depressing… so let’s get to the good stuff.
Not only do we have the answer to why this life can be hard, we also have something that combats and ultimately destroys that source of evil. We have hope. Now, this isn’t the kind of hope that typically comes to mind. It isn’t that hope that is defined by culture as “wishful thinking”. It’s not the kind of hope that says, “I hope Arizona wins the football championship” or “I hope I win the lottery” or “I hope I get a raise”. No! The kind of hope we have is a confident expectation or desire. The kind of hope we have is a blessed assurance. The kind of hope we have is “no doubt.” The kind of hope we have is a living hope in Christ!
You may ask, “Why is this hope so special and so sure?”. Well, let’s look at 1 Peter 1:3-4. It says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” Did you catch that? Peter gives us many descriptors in these 2 verses to show us the power and confidence we can have through this “living hope”. First of all, he points out the fact that this “living hope” is sourced through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In other words, the same power and victory that came from Christ’s resurrection and His defeat over death, which is something that is impossible for anyone or anything but God to do, is the same power source by which we have hope! Then, He goes on to further describe this hope of salvation by using these amazing words: imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. This is amazing hope. It is a hope that will not die, will not disappoint, and will not be affected by anything in this world.
I think it’s safe to say that this kind of hope is basically the complete opposite of “wishful thinking”. It is a hope based in our God that is assured, confident, and guarded by Christ. As children of God, we can live in this hope. We don’t have to view this life in terms of “wishful thinking”, where we hope everything turns out okay. No, we get the privilege of living a life of confidence that we have a sovereign God who loves us and is our true source of confident expectation. He has proved His faithfulness time and time again and we can lean into this fact with full confidence that His Word and promises are true. When we live in light of these truths, though life will still be hard at times, we get to live it knowing that we have victory over it all in Christ and that one day, sin, evil, anxiety, stress, frustrations, and disappointments will be no more!
In Christ, Christian
This month's Prayer & Praise Night is Wednesday, September 24!
Nickolas Herndon
Dorian Mitchell
Interested in being baptized? Contact info@hopetucson.com.
Women's Ministry
Suzi King, Director
sking@hopetucson.com
Night of Worship - led by Katie Arellano
Friday, September 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Women's Camp 2025 - Thanks to all the women who joined us this year! We had a great time of fellowship and feasting on God's Word.
We are so excited to share the morning with you all at Hope Community Church on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 am-1:00 p.m. As leaders at Romans 12 Ministries, we have had the chance to work with over 50 couples these past few years and have had front row seats to what God does when a couple lives out God’s priority structure, implements the tools of safety and needs, and walks into the forgiveness process.
Be ready to laugh, hear stories, open God’s Word, be engaged, and learn together the pillars of Priorities, Safety, Needs, and Forgiveness.
Questions that we will explore together include:
What is God’s priority structure and have we been living it out?
What do you need to be emotionally safe with your spouse?
How does your spouse hear love from you and what do they need to thrive emotionally?
Is it really possible to forgive and not to remember the past without pain?
David & Sophia lead Romans 12 Ministries where the mission is to refresh and restore ministry leaders and their families. They have been trained to come alongside marriages through a two-year program at Shepherd’s Hearts Ministries. David spent almost 30 years as an educational leader in public, private, and charter schools. Sophia currently is the Director of Women’s Ministries at Romans 12 Ministries. They have 4 adult children, 4 grandchildren, and have been married over 40 years.
Interested in watching the video of the August mini conference on, "Follow Me As I Follow Christ."
The video will be available on Monday, September 1.
It's Not too Late to Sign-Up for This Class!!!
Ever wonder how we begin to follow Christ? Hope Elders, Chad Schwarz and Scott Haffner want to help you discover crucial Biblical truths that inform us about these first steps to following Jesus:
1. Sunday, September 7 - The Conversion Experience
2. Sunday, September 14 - What Must I Do to Be Saved
3. Sunday, September 21 - The Significance of Baptism
4. Sunday, September 28 - Growing in the Church
Chad and Scott will lead interactive discussions as we learn from and inspire one another. Join us on these 4 exciting Sunday mornings.
All classes on Sundays at Wilson School from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Sign-up below.
Lynne Hooge, HopeKids Director
lhooge@hopetucson.com
Hello Hope Families!
We had a BLAST at Nerf Night! A big thank you to Ernie & Timarie Phillips, who helped organize and run the event. Thank you to their sons and the dads that helped too!
This month we have a wonderful learning opportunity for our parents and volunteers. The Child Discipleship Forum is organized by Awana International each year but is geared for anyone working with or raising kids or youth. To find out more information, you can check out their website on the link below.
You can attend all or part of each day. It is FREE and we will provide lunch.
We will be streaming the following schedule (More detailed schedule available closer to the event):
Thursday, Sept. 25
8:30 a.m. — Session 1
10:45 a.m. — Session 2
12:00 p.m. — Lunch
1:20 p.m. — Session 3
3:05 p.m. — Session 4
5:00 p.m. — Day 1 Ends
Friday, Sept. 26
8:30 a.m. — Session 5
11:00 a.m. — Session 6
12:10 p.m. — Lunch
1:30 p.m. — Session 7
3:30 p.m. —Day 2 Ends
Nerf Night Fun!!
Our Key Passage This Month:
Ephesians 1:7-8 - “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.
Beginning 9/28 - Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.”
Big Picture Question:
What is grace? Grace is when God gives us something good even when we do not deserve it.
What We’re Learning:
September 7 (Family Sunday): God Made a Covenant with David; 2 Samuel 6-7
September 14: David Sinned and was Forgiven; 2 Samuel 11-12
September 21: God is Good to Give Grace; Psalm 51
September 28: God Gave Solomon Wisdom; 1 Kings 2-3
September Birthdays
Jack Brown 9/2
Alexandra Kelly 9/8
Keaton Klein 9/9
Emma Croft 9/12
Melody Croft 9/12
Willem Ruark 9/12
Madison Nall 9/21
Maverick Alexander 9/23
Jesse Jones 9/27
Izzy Abrams 9/28
Awana begins Wednesday, September 3 for boys and girls 4 years old through 6th grade. We meet at Summit Ridge Church, 505 W. Hardy, 5:45-7:45 pm. It is a fun time of Bible teaching, Scripture memorization and games. Bring your boys and girls. And bring the neighborhood kids that need to hear about Jesus and what He's done for us.
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. Note: If you are on a wait list, many groups are on break during the summer, so expect more information this month.
HG Leaders, our next leader meeting is this 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.
Home Group Leaders Meeting in August!
Men's Bible Study: Fridays of September 5th and 19th from 8:00 a.m. - 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.
No Men’s Breakfasts in September. Instead, we will have a fundraiser breakfast for Hope’s Mission trip to the Philippines on Saturday, September 20th in the Community Room.
Men’s Camp is happening! Friday & Saturday, October 24th-25th from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Southern Pines Baptist Camp on Mt. Lemmon. For Men and Teens. Save the date on your calendars and sign up today on the link below! To assure that you receive a properly sized t-shirt, please sign up before October 7th! Cost of camp is $70.00.
Men's August Breakfast
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!
We meet every other week! Below are our September dates:
Tuesday, September 9th – 7:00 p.m. at the Braeutigam’s Home
Tuesday, September 23rd – 7:00 p.m. at the Braeutigam’s Home
Contact me at gjones@hopetucson.com if you have any questions.
Kevin Mason, Family Pastor
kmason@hopetucson.com
September Calendar for Youth Group
Youth Group every Sunday in September from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room.
On Sundays, August 14 & 28 dinner will be provided!
Youth join us Thursday, September 4th for NFL Kickoff Night - starts at 5:20 p.m. in the Community Room. Bring a snack to share!
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.
