JANUARY 21 | 9AM WORSHIP. What can you do when you feel overwhelmed by the chaos around? On Sunday, January 7, we discovered Jesus’ guidance in 1 Peter 1:1-2 to meditate on God’s grace and peace. Join us this Sunday as we discover a second insight to help us remain peaceful within and gentle toward others from 1 Peter 1:3-25! Pastor Dean will continue our study Gentleness – A Beautiful Way in a Chaotic World with a message titled Bless God for His Great Mercy. If you are unable to join us in person, please visit the 9 a.m. livestream or view the sermon recording here. As a reminder, all past sermon recordings are available online.
MEMBERSHIP CLASS | NEXT SUNDAY. Not an official member with Hope Church? Interested in becoming one or just learning more about Hope’s history and theology? You are warmly invited to join us next Sunday, January 28, after the service for a short, informal Membership Class led by Lead Pastor, Dean Wertz! To RSVP, there will be a sign-up sheet in the back of the Sanctuary this Sunday or email Pastor Dean.
HOPE GROUPS. We are so thankful for all the Sunday service assistance from our wonderful Hope Groups. This Sunday, we thank the Harvard Gulch Hope Group for helping! Hope Groups are an amazing way to connect to others, deepen your relationship with God, and discover there is a family here for you at Hope. If this sounds like something you are interested in, we’d love to have you join us! Click here for more information on all our Hope Groups.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Children’s Church – Kids, ages 3 yrs old – 5th grade are invited to join us in Children’s Church following worship. This 3rd Sunday of January, we continue in the book of 1 Peter, learning what mercy is and why God’s mercy is something to greatly rejoice in!
Nursery – The nursery is available this week, and every 1st and 3rd Sunday, for younger children, 0-2 yrs old.
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR PAULINE HAINES. In addition to praying for Woody and his family considering Pauline’s passing into Jesus’ presence in December, please save the date to bless Woody and his family with your presence on Friday, February 16 at 11 a.m. for a service to thank God for Pauline at Hope Church followed by a reception in the Reception Hall downstairs.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR ELDER BOARD CHAIR, DAN KASKUBAR. Starting next month, our Lead Pastor Dean Wertz will be taking a 6-week sabbatical: from February 5 to March 17. Rebecca will be joining him for much of this time. This is short notice and some of you may be thinking, “Didn’t Dean take a sabbatical in the fall of 2022?” And you’d be right! Hope’s employee handbook clearly states that the Lead Pastor should receive the benefit of a 6-week sabbatical in each 5-year period. Yet, Dean did not take one between 2015-2019. So in 2022 as a board we repented of not honoring this Sabbath commitment and made the decision, in obedience to God, for Dean to do a “make-up” sabbatical that year. This was especially important considering the time and energy that went into pastoring our community through COVID.
There are many reasons for the timing for this one, some of which have recently manifested. The first and most straightforward one is that 2020-2024 is the current 5-year sabbatical period for him, and we’re in the final year of that period! Another is that since Dean is taking this year as a bi-vocational experiment, we have shifted our staffing model and are better equipped than ever for others to step in. Hope staff are unanimously supportive of this sabbatical, and in his Executive Pastor role, Arik Stewart has been taking on more responsibilities and is ready and able to lead all staff during this time. Please join me in celebrating our talented staff!
Other than officiating Pauline Hayes’ memorial service alongside Jay Oertli on February 16, Dean will be tucked away and unavailable, and this is by design. He’s happy to share his plans for those who are curious. He will be back in time to lead Hope through Holy Week, including the services on Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. We believe this time and space is good for both him and Hope for the long-term, and we anticipate him being rested and refreshed to lead with renewed strength. Please approach me or another elder if you have any confusion or lingering concerns or questions. Thank you, Hope Church! – Dan Kaskubar
FINANCIAL UPDATE. Thank you so much to the households who gave generous year-end gifts in addition to those who give regularly. We continue to be in a cash-positive position this ministry year. Thank you, Lord for continuing to provide financial peace! If you have any questions about Hope’s financials, please contact Arik Stewart.
GIVING. We thank God for the many households who give generously and consistently to Hope Church, resourcing us to fulfill Christ’s mission and vision in our community and around the world! You can give online here, by mailing a check to 1801 S. Logan St. Denver, CO 80210, or by using the offering boxes in the sanctuary.
FOOD BANK. The Community Ministry is in need of the following items: Canned Tomato Sauce, Cereal, Jelly, Soup, Diced Tomatoes, Warm Jackets for Adults. Please consider donating these items by placing them in the collection basket in the foyer. Thank you, Hope!
HAVE A NEED? Your Hope family is here for you. If you need financial assistance, please contact Pastor Arik. For prayer or help in any other way, reach out to Tara Farrell.
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