This Sunday, June 27, is a great day to invite a friend to worship at New Hope. We will have special rodeo guests and participants with pony rides for the kids. Immediately following our worship service come to the RAC and enjoy a free BBQ meal. Remember to wear your western attire.
Join us 10:00 AM at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Springdale.
Sunday, June 27, we will offer B.A.S.E. 101 at the RAC from 3:30 PM-5:30 PM. This class is designed to tell you everything about our church, our beliefs and our priorities. Each participant receives a binder that serves as a church handbook. Completion of this class is required for church membership. Please sign up at the information table on Sunday morning or online at www.newhopefellowship.com.
Last night we sent a team of 12 students from our youth ministry to Montana. They are ready for God to do great things; they are open to being used by Him. I ask you to join me in prayer each day this week.
June 10
Let’s pray for safe travel as students drive to their hotel in Rapid City, SD and have the chance to see Mt. Rushmore.
June 11
As students and workers arrive in Haugan, MT late in the evening, may they find rest and recuperation. May God prepare the hearts of the people of Haugan and the people of St. Regis, that they might be open to the Gospel.
June 12
The first full day of work will start strong. May the students feel energized and prepared, and may God provide direction and mission. As students invite members of these communities to the church, may their hearts be open and receptive.
June 13
May God bring just the right people to the three worship services this day. May our students sing, speak, and pray for God’s glory.
June 14
May Alan and Sarah be strengthened and encouraged, may their continuing work receive God’s greatest blessing. As student’s complete outside work projects, may they be safe and productive.
June 15
Bring someone to you, Lord. May someone recognize their need for a Savior as the Spirit calls them to Himself. May they accept the sacrifice Christ made for their freedom.
June 16
May our students receive strength for their final day, may they be encouraged when reflecting back on the work God has used them to accomplish. May they encourage Alan, Sarah, and the people of Haugan in their final full day there.
June 17
May our students have safe travel back to Rapid City, and may our workers receive a second wind of energy to finish this great work they’ve led.
June 18
May our students enjoy ‘Holy Exhaustion’ – knowing they’ve served the Will of God. May students and workers have patience with each other on this long day of travel. May our students be filled with the Glory of God as they return home.
Part 4 of 5
I love my DVR! I like to set it to record my favorite shows, and then I can watch them whenever I want to. I also skip the commercials. My television shows revolve around me. I also like Starbucks – where I can order a double grande skinny vanilla latte in a venti cup. Starbucks is known for making coffee-drinks any way you want them. My coffee shop revolves around me. Using iTunes and an iPod, I can buy and listen to virtually any song ever published, within seconds of clicking a button. My music revolves around me. When I open up the Amazon Online Store, it recognizes that I’ve purchased things from them before, and immediately customizes their site to feature similar things that I might like to buy. My bookstore revolves around me. I certainly take advantage of these conveniences, but the Bible cautions me not to become overly concerned with them.
“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” (Galatians 5:25, NLT)
It’s easy for me to forget that the world doesn’t really revolve around me. I’m not here to chase my own happiness or custom-build a perfect life. When Jesus walked on earth, he didn’t seek easy experiences. Instead he confronted the establishment, rescued us from sin, carried his cross, and died in agony from the world’s sinful choices. In everything, Jesus brought glory to God the Father.
No matter how much I can customize my life on earth, no matter how much happiness or convenience I pursue, it’s all meaningless and empty. For God’s purpose is so much larger. It’s not about me; His purpose is all about Him: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NLT)
As we walk through our sinful world, may we reject the world’s idea of happiness through selfishness, and embrace a life that seeks but one sole purpose: the glory of God.
Part 3 of 5
We love a good story. We know that television drama isn’t real. We are aware that medical doctors don’t actually narrate sappy summations at the beginning and end of their workday. We are aware that Dancing With The Stars should really just be called “Dancing” since no real “star” has ever appeared on the show. We are aware that the bachelor’s rose was purchased by a stage hand at the local grocery store a few hours before the taping started. When we engage with the story, however, we don’t let those realities get in the way.
One commonality among this type of entertainment is self-centeredness. The dramas, especially, focus on the personal problems of characters. An entire show can be about one character’s ever-evolving “love life”.
More and more technology shares this self-centeredness everyday. Just before writing this, I quickly glanced at Facebook. Of the hundred or so “updates” I could see, all of them were about the person who posted it. One person had posted: “Make me feel better i wanna feel better. You make me feel better… put me back together.”
I’ve watched as so many young people engage in a constant stream of communication with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Whether through Facebook or through text messaging, the conversation never stops. It takes brief periods off for sleep, but otherwise there is a constant, never ending conversation happening between these two people at every waking hour. So what is the problem?
Drama…It’s self-centered, attention-seeking, demanding, unattractive drama. When you have constant contact with someone twenty-four hours per day, you run out of valuable things to say. Instead you cling to this person and create the problems, situations, and traps that give you something to talk about. You start testing just how much they love you. You demand from the other person something they simply cannot give you: your own happiness.
No matter how frequently you can communicate with someone, no matter how special they seem, and no matter how much time you spend together, it will never be enough. A person will never fill that void. There is a void inside each one of us that yearns to be filled by God. As long as we try to fill that emptiness with other people — as long as we seek self-worth through selfish means — we are failing to accept the perfect solution, Jesus Christ.
May we accept our love and complete fulfillment from Christ alone, and relate to each other in love, without manufactured drama or self-focused living.
June 21-24
9:00 AM – Noon
1003 Century Street
For children 4 years old – 5th grade.
Pick up a registration form this Sunday in your child’s class or at the information table.
I’m encouraged each week that I attend services at New Hope, and I hope that you are too. As the summer schedule gets packed with vacations and activity, remember to carve out time to worship together with New Hope, your local church. Hebrews 10:25 remind us “…let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” I know I am always encouraged through worshiping each week with the people of New Hope, and I hope you are too.
As we head into the summertime, there is a lot of activity happening at the church. We’re preparing for a great Vacation Bible School, as well as several mission trips. Summer is a very busy time for your church, with a lot of ministry activity. Although summer is a very active time for the church, it is also a time when many families miss services while traveling. It’s important for the people of New Hope to remember that ministry to our community and within our fellowship continues at full-speed, even through the summer months.
I’ll be looking for YOU at worship this Sunday!
Sunday, June 27, will be a great day to invite a friend to worship. We will have special rodeo guests and participants with pony rides for the kids. Remember to wear your western attire.
Join us 10:00 AM at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Springdale.
Building My Faith
We just completed a preaching series entitled “Ordinary Lives of Extraordinary Faith.” The question arises, “How do I build my faith?” I believe the best way to build your faith is to get to know the Lord better. This means that we should all be in His Word on a daily basis so He can speak to us. It also means that we should make it a daily practice to pray daily so we might present our petitions to Him. The more you get to know God, the more you learn to trust Him in every segment of your life. Building your faith is simply learning to trust the Lord in every situation. How well do you know Him? Are you getting to know Him better every day? Are you building an extraordinary faith?
Building His Kingdom
New Day Ministries in Montana is alive and well under the direction of our Mission Evangelists Alan and Sarah Damron. The Damrons have restarted one church and have started another in a town 15 miles away. God is at work in the Western Valley of Montana.
New Hope Amazon Ministries continues to reach out and move forward. Our Mission Evangelist Brandon Carroll has been instrumental in starting a house church in Iquitos and continues to lead his staff to reach out to the surrounding villages on the Amazon River.
Jehovah Jireh Baptist Church, our Hispanic Mission, has started meeting on Sunday mornings at the RAC. Pastor Avelino Berroa is working very hard and building a local church designed for our hispanic brothers.
We are sending a group of our young people and their sponsors to Guatemala once again this year. God is doing a work in the ministry of CASA as they raise and train children in a Christian environment. There are many churches working to support this vital mission and we are honored to be among the churches involved.
For the past two years we have sent a group to Reynosa, Mexico during the Christmas holidays. These voluteers have made a significant impact in the lives of the people living near the border.
I want to ask you to consider your place in our mission trips and plans for this year.
Building His Church
Great days lie ahead at New Hope Fellowship. Our 15th Anniversary celebration is planned for the weekend of August 14-15. Our Youth Group will be serving in Montana, Guatemala, and Oklahoma City. VBS will be wonderful this year. Rodeo Round-up Sunday is upon us. We hope to double the number of Lifebuilder groups for the fall. Our building fund continues to grow positioning us to move forward toward our own “planting place.” We are seeing people saved and baptized. Fifty people have been discipled through our Tuesday night disciple’s class. Our crowd on Sunday mornings continue to grow. God is good!
Be a part of what God is doing at New Hope!
This past Sunday we celebrated one year of the house church ministry. We had more than 200 people on Sunday night and a lot of them were first time visitors. We had about 40 people who came from Carbajal, the river village that our house church sends missionaries to. God has truly blessed the work and we are seeing great results. There is a lot of work yet to be done. Please pray for more leaders to open their homes for house church ministry.
Billy (the atheist I told you about last month) and his family came Saturday and Sunday night. We meet with his family on Wednesday and Friday nights. God is doing an amazing work in him and in his family.
Jackeline, Tylor, and I will be in NWA from the 22nd of July till the 11th of August. We look forward to spending time with our New Hope Family.
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