Stories of Hope

Buzz Words :    For an entire year, the Administration Board took the first thirty minutes of each monthly meeting to discuss Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw’s book, The Externally Focused Quest. Hope Fellowship’s leadership came away from this study with three words and two phrases that we want everyone to embrace. The purpose of this column is to introduce these new (at least to us) buzz words and phrases to you.

  Did you know that we have a Safe Church Volunteer Data Base? It is a list of the 110-120 persons who volunteer with our children and youth and it helps us make sure that every person’s police check is current.

  My wife, Krista, and I started Lent this year in the Central American country of Guatemala. We spent a week in and around the capital, Guatemala City, serving as part of a Medical Team with the Christian relief organization Speroway. While there, we were able to provide basic medical and dental care to nearly 5,000 people while leaving behind medication, food and a few comforts such as clothes and toiletries.

  We were well into the new VeggieTales Movie, Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry-Men, when one character said to another, “What’s the matter? Your face is as long as a boring sermon!” There was a burst of laughter around me and I felt many adult and young faces turn my way. Ah, the peculiar burden of being a preacher!

  Last Wednesday, eight people – five women and three men – met with our pastoral elders to profess or re-affirm their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was an amazing evening as they praised God for leading them through some very difficult situations to a more hopeful place. I wish you could have been there to hear each story.

   On Wednesday, March 14, at 10 a.m., Hope Fellowship will offer a morning movie event aimed at families looking for something to do during March Break. It will feature the newly released VeggieTales movie, Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men. Popcorn and drinks will be served in the foyer after the movie. Admission is FREE! And we encourage you to get the news out far and wide!

   Have you ever been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness? It’s a wonderful experience, as Hope Fellowship’s staff discovered on Thursday when we walked into the Prayer Room for our weekly prayer time. There, on the couch, beside two batches of muffins, was a large, hand-made poster that shouted, “Thank you, Hope Fellowship staff!”

  On Jan. 20, we joined eight people from Bowmanville and were privileged to experience a world just beyond the resorts of Dominican Republic. There are far too many stories to tell, but we hope to give you a glimpse of what we experienced.

   Hope Fellowship is privileged to partner with Sheila Dykstra, Education Consultant/Specialist in West Africa in her mission work through Christian Reformed World Missions. Sheila expressed how she feels about her mission in an article written by Marie Cooper:   “Christian schools acknowledge Jesus as Lord over all creation”, says Sheila Dykstra. “Every corner of creation belongs to Him and our entire school curriculum is a study of God’s creation, be it science, math, English or music.”

   On Sat. Feb. 11, several people from Hope Fellowship travelled to Brighton for a GO! Missions conference. For Rebecca, one of the women who attended, a global mission conference proved to be a setting in which she gained some deeper insights into herself and how God wants her to relate to those he places in her path.