Please join us and invite your friends!

Leader: Iain Whitfield, iain@hopechristianchurch.org

 
Small groups have always been important at Hope Christian Church. We encourage every believer to be in a small group environment as a means of discipleship, community and encouragement. Hebrews 10: 25 reminds us to “not neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but to encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching”. There is one dynamic that exists in our Sunday worship gatherings, another in an Adult Sunday School classroom, another when we meet life-on-life and yet another when we meet in a small group setting. One result of meeting together is encouragement – and we all need that – but there are many others. Importantly, small groups can serve as an easier entrance door to the church for those for whom attending a Sunday worship service is too uncomfortable.

This ministry year we want to put greater emphasis on Small Group participation and to use our small groups to keep us focused on “Reaching Out”. In addition to several well-established small groups, we are offering a number of new groups that are open to all, including a few special interest groups, men’s groups and women’s groups.

Full details may be found in the current HCC Small Groups Booklet, available at church or from an elder.

Contact: Cenia Wong (ceniawong@uscm.org)

Contact Cenia to hear about casual lunches or parties held about once a month to hang out and get to know each other better. Single women are invited to contact Cenia at (ceniawong@uscm.org) if they are interested in a regular small group.

Small Groups: Contact Iain Whitfield for more information (781-863-9581)

There are numerous small groups help throughout the week in different geographic locations.  Some are open to all, others are designed for men or women and still others are for special interests.  A newcomer’s small group is made available subject to demand.

Men’s Ministry at Hope Christian Church

The purpose of Journeymen is to:

• help men start or continue their journey to become more like Christ;
• help connect men into relationships with other Christian men who encourage, support, and pray for each other;
• equip men for spiritual service in the home, church (the body of Christ), workplace, and community while finding balance for their commitments to faith, family and work.

If you are a man and you are at Hope Christian Church, we consider you part of the men’s ministry. We pray for your growth in Christ, and we have scheduled a few events this Fall for fellowship, service, and fun.

Bible Studies

• Men’s Evening Bible Study: Wednesday evening from 7-8:30PM at Hope Christian Church. If you are interested, just come or contact Thomas Adams at (781) 641-0495 or Steve Amato at (617) 281-9589 for information.
• Wednesday Morning: Each Wednesday morning we meet at the church from 7-8:00AM for a mid-week Bible study.  We are studying the gospel of Mark.  Contact Todd Cravens (todd@hopechristianchurch.org)for more information.
• Friday Morning Men’s Bible Study: Each Friday from 6:30-8:00AM at Jake Callahan’s Auto Service shop, 278 Salem St. in Woburn. Open discussion format doing verse-by-verse study or using a topical aid. If you are interested, just come. Call Jake at the garage for information, 781-933-3303.

Fellowship

• Men’s Breakfast happens on the 3rd Saturday every month downstairs at the church. We share hearty food and the Lord’s exhortation with each other. As men, the Lord desires to use each of us in other men’s lives for His purpose and His glory. We start cooking at 6:45AM, eat at 7:30, and finish up by 9:00. All men are welcome. Contact Greg Holt for more information at (781) 939-5933.

Service

• Prison Ministry - Every Monday evening, a team of HCC men minister to male prisoners at the Billerica House of Correction through bible study and prayer. If you want to participate or need more information contact Jake Callahan, 781-933-3303.
• Service Day - Saturday,  November 19.  As we did in the Spring, we have asked the town of Winchester and the Jenks Senior Center for a list people that need help cleaning up their yards for the fall. We will meet as many needs as we can with the crew the Lord provides. We will also make this day a day of service to our those from within HCC who need help getting their homes ready for the winter. Let Greg Holt  (781) 939-5933 if you are in need of some help around the house.

Journeymen’s Weekend - Men’s Retreat

Held annually in April or May: Awesome teaching, great fellowship, recreation, time around a bonfire, good food, and most importantly time to be with God. Dates and more details will be posted soon.

Mission: to know Christ and to make Him known. John 17:20-26.

Vision: to become a healthy body made of many parts, each expressing his or her gifts as God appoints and without division showing equal concern for each other, suffering, honoring and rejoicing together – now you are the body of Christ! 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

Sunday School (NOT HELD DURING THE SUMMER SCHEDULE)

Our primary teaching and discipleship time is led by Herb Wiebe. All students’ grades 6-12 spend time together in the youth center downstairs. We are adopting a curriculum which will take students through fourteen books of the Bible over two years.  Strong emphasis is placed on group discussion and real-life application.

Kinship

Friday nights from 7:00 - 9:00 PM, every young person 6-12th grade is welcome! Join us as we carry out the mission and vision God has given us! The first half of this year will focus on equipping us for ministry and evangelism. After Christmas we plan to have separate sessions for Junior High and High School to explore life issues that are appropriate to each age group.  Periodically we enjoy fun activities such as Laser tag, Paintball, etc. Several events coming up this year include: Deep Freeze at Camp Berea in January, End of the school year party in June, and more throughout the remainder of the year!   We are exploring the possibility of a missions trip in summer 2012

For more information, please contact Herb Wiebe at herb@hopechristianchurch.org or call him at (303) 990-3728.

Contact: Sandy Butters (sandybutters@gmail.com)

The Women’s Ministry at HCC is committed to bringing women of all ages together for times of spiritual growth, fellowship and encouragement. This year’s events include:

• October 8: First monthly breakfast meeting of the year, to be held the second Saturday of each month and  coordinated by Elaine Holt. Location to be determined. Watch Sunday bulletins for announcements.
• October 22: Leadership Transformation Inc. will host a Women’s Soul Care Retreat at HCC from 9am-2pm. The cost is $35. To register: http://cometothewaters.eventbrite.com/
• November 5: Discussion on the book “One Hundred Gifts:Living fully right where you are” by Ann Voskamp. 9am-11am at the church. (Note: Not necessary to read the book to participate in the discussion)
• March 10: Half-day retreat at the church with local author Jo Kadlecek.
• May 12: Book club at the church - book tbd

Contact: Iain Whitfield (iain@hopechristianchurch.org)

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15

Prayer Ministry Mission

To cry out to the Lord for a spiritual outpouring at HCC so that we, his people are empowered to walk in fullness of life & fulfill our God ordained purpose as the body of Christ – so that HCC will be transformed from “a church that prays to a praying church” through His Holy Spirit.

The prayer ministry functions in numerous ways to promote prayer as one of the essential elements in the life of Christ’s body of believers here at Hope Christian Church.

• The Prayer Team meets every Sunday morning before our Sunday school time and worship service to pray for all events of the morning, specific church concerns and needs of specific people in our church community that have requested prayer. We are also available, along with elders at Hope, after the morning service to offer ministering prayer to individuals.
• Prayer Watches are scheduled events, usually bi-monthly, when individuals, teams or small groups can gather together during a selected time slot of one or more hours over a 24 hour period so that continuous prayer is happening here in the church. This time can be used for personal intimacy with the Lord or you may pray for the church or others. This has been both a very powerful and meaningful element of our church life. Sign up sheets are distributed in the service prior to the scheduled prayer watch or you can call Patty Flemming at the church office (781-729-5494).
• Corporate Prayer Gatherings: It is obvious that a great deal of corporate prayer takes place in small groups and ministry teams. The prayer team will offer scheduled monthly gatherings inviting the entire community to come together to offer up our praises and adoration, confession, thanksgiving and requests to our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ His Son and His Holy Spirit. The dates of these gatherings will be announced on Sunday mornings and via email before the scheduled time.

“Prayer changes the heart and actually makes the person. It takes away our impatience, harshness, selfishness, and cluelessness, and replaces them with patience, gentleness, loving-kindness, and understanding. It takes away our blindness and replaces it with fresh vision and clarity”
Stormie Omartian commenting on the words of E.M. Bounds, author of ‘Power through Prayer.”