Stories of Hope

  Before services and between services there are always joyful noises in the foyer of the church. That’s awesome. Lots of chatter. People grabbing the opportunity to catch up with each other. A happy, hopeful scene!

  I called Emma to get an update on all the clothes and goods that they received from our church family last Sunday for the flood victims in the Philippines, including those in her extended family. When I asked how she was doing she said, “The sun is up and I’m good.”

  The Banner is the Christian Reformed Church’s monthly magazine. It is available free to any Hope Fellowship household that requests it. At this point, sixty-plus households get it directly mailed to their home. Evelyn, our office administrator, chatted with the publishers and they discovered that in Canada it is more economical to ship issues in bulk to the church than it is to ship them to individual homes. Therefore, in the future, this is the way The Banner will make their way to us.

  Three years ago (almost to the day) I had the opportunity to visit Mindanao with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC). I visited projects and met with people that we are supporting with our offering today.

  Eight days before Christmas, on December 17, Tropical Storm Washi dumped a month’s worth of rain on Mindanao Island in the South Philippines in only a few hours. Forests, denuded by logging, could not soak up the water. Surging flash floods combined with a high tide caused widespread flooding. More than twelve hundred people, still asleep in the shantytowns lining the riverbanks, drowned. Many thousands of adults and children were left homeless.

  The next New Members Class is set to start this Wednesday, January 11, from 7-8 p.m. It will run for eight sessions and focus on everything you need to know to be a follower of Jesus and a member of Hope Fellowship Church.   Have you been thinking about taking this class? Do you feel something nudging you to take your faith more seriously? Are you ready to make a public stand for Jesus and to strengthen your sense of belonging at Hope Fellowship Church? If so, this class is for you.

  Angels and demons in hand to hand combat. A red dragon waiting to devour a newborn infant. A standing ovation for Christ’s victory over Satan. Not your typical Christmas Eve service! But those were some of the elements that made Christmas Eve at Hope Fellowship both disturbing and powerful.