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 Hope Free Church
Our vision is to be a church whose passion for God gives rise to a heart for the lost and is demonstrated by our love for |
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Helpful Links
click on our website links at
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 Thursday, May 7th
Opportunities to Pray:
(1) The sanctuary will be open from 9am to 5pm for anyone who would like to come in and pray during the day.
(2)There will be a prayer meeting at the Rockton Village Park at noon.
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THANK YOU
To the men who helped us move...With warmest thanks, grateful hearts, and deep appreciation for your thoughtfulness...
Thank you so much, Richard and Sharon Holtfreter
To my dear church family, Thank you so much for your prayers and for the beautiful flowers sent to me at the time of my sisters passing.
I appreciate your compassion and concern more than you know.
I am so happy to be a part of the family of God at Hope Church.
My sister is now in the presence of God and free of suffering and pain and I am at peace.
Thanks again,
Love in Christ,
Sharon Holmin
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White Cross Update
From Sharon Vinson & Connie Ruden
In the month of May, you have two opportunities to attend work sessions to create more items to send abroad or to be used nearby. Come on May 12 and/or 26 from 8:30 am to noon or whatever part of that time you can donate. We meet in Drake Hall.
Through the efforts of many helpers, we should be able to send rolled bandages and layettes abroad and prepare warm, colorful quilts for clients at Rockford Rescue Mission, MELD, and Boone County Pantry.
When you join us, our projects will include tying quilts, packaging layettes, cutting materials for kimonos, receiving blankets and quilt tops, etc. Just bring your scissors and come enjoy some fellowship with other willing workers for Jesus.
Our needs this month include:
- Old blankets & mattress pads for quilt insides (Check the garage sales!!!!!!)
- Lightweight flannel for receiving blankets (1 sq. yd. each blanket)
- Single- or double-fold bias tape for kimonos (any color)
- Gallon storage bags (ziploc style) for dress kits and layettes
- Any color or size of sheet for bandages (URGENT)
- Sheets, sheets, & more sheets for quilt backs (flat, double or larger, any color)
- Campbell's labels for education & Boxtops for Education (for local schools)
We look forward to seeing many workers make a difference in God's kingdom.
AWLS Gathering
(Awesome, wise, lively singles support group)
at
Hope Evangelical
Free Church
Fireside Room
May 9
at 12:30 pm
Menu: Sub sandwiches, salad, & dessert
Come join the fellowship and fun!
Questions & RSVP: Call Sharon Vinson
815-623-6857 or 815-543-5644
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Stateline Pregnancy Center
Your change can FILL a bottle...FOR LIFE!
Our teens will be handing out bottles on Mother's Day, May 10...
Won't you take one ~ fill it with spare change, cash or even a check and return to church by Father's Day June, 21.
Stateline Pregnancy Clinic exists to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ by providing practical help and loving support to those facing an unplanned pregnancy. Thus, your participation in the Baby Bottle Campaign will benefit literally thousands of women, children and men in the coming years.
Please place the baby bottle you have been given in a visible location as a reminder to pray for the safety and salvation of mothers and their unborn children. Put your pocket change (dollars and checks are good too!) in the bottle as an offering to help those families. Return you bottle to Hope by Father's Day.
One client stated on an intake form that she was going to terminate her pregnancy, she changed her mind after receiving our counseling and information. Her comment was, "I had no idea my baby had a heart beat and looked like a baby at 7 weeks until I saw the ultrasound. I didn't know what an abortion did. The counseling really helped, too!"
Another young mother made a commitment to Jesus Christ and decided to walk in sexual integrity and abstinence after her pregnancy test came back negative. Men learn how to be a 24/7 DAD, and the trauma of the post abortive person is healed through Christ-centered bible studies.
Thank you for your willingness to participate and support Stateline Pregnancy Clinic and our community.
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A Note From Pastor Mickey
Dear Hope Church family,
This week we are introducing to our church family the candidate for the newly revised pastoral position we have entitled Associate Pastor of Congregational Care and Mission. You can read about Fana Timoti and his family below, and we encourage you to be as involved as you can be with the candidating weekend on May 16-17.
I want to briefly summarize the search process. In accordance with our church's bylaws (13.F and 14.D), a pastoral search committee was composed of one member that represented each of the various church boards/committees, along with two members from the congregation at large. The committee was made up of the following people: Deb Borcean, Stan Burruss, Mike Butts, Julie Clarke, Ruth Kipp, Mickey Klink, Sandra Mathews, Josh Nordgren, and Ed Titcomb. These men and women served our entire church by meeting over a period of about six months, often numerous times per month, to evaluate the 30+ resumes we received. This included reading in detail lengthy questionnaires received by our six semi-finalists, and then interviewing in person or via Skype our three finalists. I want to thank Josh Nordgren for serving as the committee chairperson, and each search committee member for giving time and energy to this very important, and at times burdensome, task. In the providence of God the search committee and the elders were unanimous in their selection of Fana Timoti to be presented to and voted on by the congregation. Please plan on participating in the candidating weekend, and commit to praying for the Timoti family and the remainder of the process.
The excitement of this news also brings with it some bittersweetness. For nearly two years God has provided for our church body a gifted and humble servant, Pastor Kevin Dick, who along with his wife, Peggy, have superbly ministered to our congregation. In accordance with the contract agreed to with IPM (Interim Pastor Ministries), Pastor Kevin and the leadership of our church knew all along that his role as the interim pastor automatically excluded him from applying or being considered for the open pastoral position. I cannot imagine how Pastor Kevin could have given more fully of himself, having served almost every age group in our church - from Senior Saints to Awana. Just as we trusted God to provide for our church at the departure of Pastor Ken Bergstedt, so also must we trust that God will provide for Pastor Kevin as he departs. Please be praying for the Dicks as they begin looking for the next assignment God has for them. And let me encourage you to show your appreciation of Pastor Kevin's ministry here at Hope Church.
-Pastor Mickey
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Our candidate for
Associate Pastor of
Congregational Life and Mission
Fana Timoti and Family
Fana Timoti was born in Samoa. He is married to a New Zealander, Elizabeth whom he met at Bible College. They have three children; Liam (19) Peter (17) and Laura (15). In 2005, they left New Zealand for the USA to go to Seminary. He graduated from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA with a Masters of Divinity in 2012. He currently serves as Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Garden Grove, Orange County, California.
Beside ministry life, as a hobby, he enjoys helping others with their building projects because of his background as a Registered Builder. Also, he loves smoking meat for family and friends. His favorite sports teams: All Blacks for Rugby and the Chicago Bears for American Football.
Pastor Fana will be in Roscoe May 15-17 to candidate.
The congregation will have an opportunity to meet and greet him Saturday night, May 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 in the sanctuary and hear him preach at both services Sunday, May 17. Members will gather at 5 pm to vote on his candidacy.
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 Senior Saints Luncheon
Tuesday, May 12
at 12 Noon
The month of May marks the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer. All of us have a growing anticipation of outdoor activities and seeing family and friends during the summer months.
The last Senior Saints' Luncheon, before taking the summer months off, will be Tuesday, May 12, at 12:00 noon, in the Fellowship Hall of Hope Church.
Deb Borcean and her crew look forward to preparing the meal this month. The menu for the meal is ham loaf, twice baked potatoes, corn casserole, and a strawberry spinach salad. Lori Atz will prepare the dessert. Unfortunately, Doug Gearhart, the regular Senior Saints' chef, has been struggling with back pain the past few months. This has limited his ability to shop for the groceries and cooking.
Charmel Jacobs will return to Senior Saints to bring the program. Pastor Kevin will bring the after lunch devotional.
In other news for Seniors, Pastor Kevin will extend the Winter/Spring Seniors' Bible Study for another three sessions. He will continue the previous study from the Book of Acts. The dates are on the following Wednesdays: May 6, May 20, and June 3. The start time and location will remain the same - 2:00 pm in the Hope Church Fireside Room.
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Kids of Hope
Elementary Sunday School
During the summer months we will be taking a hiatus f rom the Gospel Project curriculum to do a themed study with the Elementary Kids. Our regular teachers will also be taking a break so we need several members who are willing to teach 3 - 4 Sundays during the summer. If you are willing to be part of the teaching team please contact Julie Glenn at 815-389-1983 or Vera Juhlin at 815-623-6545.
Timber-Lee 
It's not too late to register for camp and to get a scholarship from Hope Church. Camp catalogs and Hope Church Scholarship forms are in the lobby.
VBS Summer 2015
At the amazing SonSpark Labs, children will explore God's life-changing plan as they find out the answers to life's most important questions. They will discover that God loves them and that through Jesus they can be members of God's family and personally experience God's plan for each of us-GP4U=J!
WHAT: Vacation Bible School
WHEN: July 13th - 17th
TIME: 9:00am - 11:45am
WHO: Kids 3 yrs (and potty trained) thru 5th grade (entering 6th)
COST: $16 per child, $40 family max
Teens and adults, please consider serving in this awesome ministry if you are available in the mornings during VBS week. We also have service opportunities leading up to VBS in the evenings and on some weekends (craft prep work, and decorating team). Our VBS ministry is a great opportunity for spiritual growth for the kids in our church family, AND is an awesome outreach ministry for the unchurched and unsaved kids in our community. Be thinking about who you can invite.....friends, neighbors, cousins, grandkids, etc.
AWANA
Congratulations to all clubbers for finishing the Awana year strong! Because you invited so many visitors to hear about how much God loves them and because so many of them wanted to keep coming back, our club hit an all time high of 235 clubbers registered. The number of verses learned is just astounding!
Thank you to the 68 volunteers who worked with the clubbers to learn and understand God's word. Without your faithful participation some of these children would not have had the opportunity to hear about God's free gift of salvation.
Also, many thanks are due to Roger Glenn, Joe Kaderly, Jamie Anderson and Dawn Schreier. These four people put in many, many hours of behind the scenes work in order to make Monday nights run smoothly. We are sad to be losing Jamie Anderson as an Awana Director but thankful that Jessica Zimbleman is willing to take over for the time being and will help train another Sparky Director.
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Missions Update
Princess Project Report 
Brian and Lori Rowe, formerly members of Hope EFC, have been working as full time Missionaries with In Faith (formerly American Missionary Fellowship) in White Lake, WI for six years. Before going on the field, Lori was a Hospice Nurse and Brian was a Hospice Chaplin after graduating from Moody Bible Institute. The mission agency asked the Rowe's to go to White Lake because there was no Bible Church or teaching going on in the area. Also, White Lake is an economically depressed area.
The Rowe's have reached out to their neighbors in many ways including Bible Studies, Fellowship meals with Worship, Back to School Fairs providing supplies, etc. and counseling. Last spring, when it was Prom time, their oldest daughter Sara noticed that many girls did not attend. She was told that it was because the girls could not afford a dress and sadly had to forgo this big high school event. This winter, Lori got to wondering - were there used Prom/Homecoming and Brides Maid dresses hanging in closets. She contacted Hope Church and the response was tremendous!
During the month of March, Hope girls and women donated 105 dresses! There were also many accessories including stoles, purses, jewelry and shoes. Twenty percent of the dresses were street length suitable for award ceremonies, sports banquets and other dressy school events. The rest of the dresses were Prom types with 80 percent floor length. About 20 dresses do need updating but Lori has gotten a volunteer who is transforming those. 
Most of the dresses were transferred onto slip free hangers and all were put into new see-through dry cleaning bags. In the Lord's timing, Brian had to be in Madison on April 6 and came to pick up the dresses the next day. He brought his van, minus the seats, and it was full of dresses when he left.
Word has gotten out in the community that the Rowe's have organized the Princess Project and girls can visit the loft and "check out" (borrow) a dress for the big event. Lori is using this effort to show the love of Jesus and gaining the interest of the girls and their families in why they would do such a thing. Since White Lake High School is so small, 9th through 12th can attend the prom. This gives the Rowe's friendships in a large portion of the community and people are talking.
Click here for Rowes' Newsletter
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Resource Center News
Looking for something to do with the extra time between services? Come check out the Resource Center! We have a huge selection of books and DVD's for all ages. We are located in the north-west corner of the church building - just follow the signs to the library.
Look for these resources on the New Arrivals shelf in May:
Non-Fiction:
- Answering Your Kids' Toughest Questions: Helping them Understand... by Elyse Fitzpatrick
- Wounded by God's People: Discovering How God's Love Heals Our Hearts by Anne Graham Lotz
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi
- Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef
Fiction:
- The Patmos Deception by Davis Bunn
- The Sparrow in Terezin (Hidden Masterpiece #2) by Kristy Cambron
- Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden
- Echoes of the Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark
- The Inn at Ocean's Edge (Sunset Cove #1) by Colleen Coble
- Chasing Sunsets (Angels Walking #2) by Karen Kingsbury
- The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis
- Dying to Read (Cate Kinkaid Files #1) by Lorena McCourtney
- Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser
- For Every Season (Amish Vines & Orchards #3) by Cindy Woodsmall
Youth:
- A Horse for Kate (Horses & Friends #1) by Miralee Ferrell (ages 8-12)
- Mindwar Trilogy #'s 1-2 by Andrew Klavan (ages 13+)
- Dauntless (Valiant Hearts #1) by Dina Sleiman
- One Last Thing by Rebecca St. James (ages 13+)
DVD:
- Forgiveness (Iesodo)
- God Speaks! (What's in the Bible? #9)
- Unbroken: Legacy of Faith Edition
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Men of Hope
Men's Softball Season has begun and
we have 4 teams
for their Thursday night schedules.
Be sure to come cheer them on!!
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CONGRATULATIONS to ALL the graduates ~~
High School, College, Grad School! WELL DONE!!
If you have a graduate - please call 815.623.6545 and let the office know!
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES:
Tiffany Fosler
Brett Ott
John Poirier
Maddie Steege
Olivia Stevens
COLLEGE GRADUATES:
Kaitlynn VanderWaal, Illinois State University,
Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Spanish
Kyle Platzbecker
Iowa State University, Bachelors Degree of Science in Aerospace
Graduation Open Houses:
Olivia Stevens, Saturday, May 16th from 4-7 pm at
11901 Deacon Drive in Rockton
Tiffany Fosler, Saturday, May 22 from 2-5pm
at Hope Free Church in Fellowship Hall
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Women of Hope's Front Porch
Picnic on the Porch
Co  me gather on the front porch in Fellowship Hall Friday, May 1 from 7-9 pm. Join us on the porch; make new friends; put the cares of the day behind; kick back and relax; bring a friend.
Won't you and your friend come sit on the FRONT PORCH with us??
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GAMECHANGERS
There are times in life when everything you thought you knew and trusted changes. It can all happen in one moment, or in my case with one phone call.
On Monday April 20th I was excited to hear back from CIY (Christ in Youth) regarding the hotel arrangements for our summer mission trip - Mission Rockford. Instead they proceeded to tell me that a couple larger groups were backing out of the event so they decided to cancel it entirely. I was stunned and didn't know how to respond.
Only a few months prior I had been praying for God to give us a good organization to partner with as I knew that planning a trip on our own like this would take some incredible energy for the amount of work that it would take. When I found CIY I thought they were the answer to the call to serve our neighbors in Rockford. Now I've gone back to the drawing board - and that's not a bad thing. I believe that God still desires us to minister in Rockford. It was confirmed by so many of you who supported this effort already through the Silent Auction and through those in our community who rallied around us also.
So, our team has decided to hold true to our resolve to serve in Rockford by organizing our own trip. This trip will be different in many ways, but we are establishing partnerships with various ministries that serve the greater Rockford area such as Salvation Army, Rockford Rescue Mission, Carpenter's Place, and more. It is exciting to see how God is assembling these opportunities and how He will use us this summer. What gives us even greater confidence is that we know we can count on your help to pray for us and for the plans for this trip to come together.
Mission Rockford isn't the only game changing aspect of this summer. We are also trying a new format for youth group. We are having one central time for both Junior and Senior High. Starting June 7th we will start a new schedule for youth group starting with a shared worship time at 6pm and then dividing for the other aspects of the evening. It promises to be an exciting new arrangement. A couple advantages this new time will allow us are; the central drop off time for parents with Junior and Senior High teens, and also for the group to have a greater critical mass which can be a draw for even more teens to find their home at Hope. This will be a bit of adjustment so, as with anything else, we need your support in prayer.
There are a lot more interesting events coming up too, please keep checking out the website and reading the weekly bulletins for updates regarding these events.
UPDATED YOUTH MINISTRY EVENTS
Some details are subject to change (but we'll keep you posted!)
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| Hope Evangelical Free Church
5656 Elevator Rd, Roscoe, IL 61073
815-623-6545 www. hefc.net |
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