The Good News Hope Presbyterian Church

March News 2014

The Mission of Hope Church is to love and serve Jesus Christ,

one another, and our neighbors. March 1, 2014

Volume 17, Issue 2

A PASTORAL WORD

By: Reverend Laura C. Kelsey

MY PAPA GOD

Friends and Family of Hope,

Sometimes days seem so hard. This week my sister-in-law

had surgery on her spine for legions and we were reminded

again how quickly life can change. I’m not talking about a

physical change but a mental one. Life is different. It feels

different. Looks different.

This isn’t a new realization for us. My brother Ben had

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage 3 at 19 and has had a bone

marrow transplant and been cancer free since 2002. My

mother had Breast Cancer and been cancer free since 2005. I

had thyroid cancer and been cancer free since 2000. Each of

us knows that life is so fragile and so precious.

I love my family so much. We all fit together so well. Of

course, sometimes they drive me crazy but that is what makes

them so endearing. I know that together we can handle

anything as long as our Big Papa is with us – Papa God.

Sometimes we experience a brother or sister in life going

through a difficult time and we grieve for and with them. We

grieve for the life that was, not that it will be physically different,

but it feels different. This is a feeling that I don’t wish on

anyone, to know in your heart that you are finite, that

something has a hold on you that you can’t shake on your

own, that you are not invincible and cannot do it all by yourself.

Yet we are not alone, we have a team working with us for

healing – God, us, doctors, nurses, the church family, our

friends and community --

- - all working together using their God-given gifts to prevail

against evil, disease, situations, inequality, injustice or

whatever else needs healing and change.

God reminds us over and over again in Scripture to choose

life. How will we live, really live? Not just go through the

motions, but embrace life in Christ.

We are about to begin our journey through Lent. Lent is a

time to remember that on our own we can never be all that we

can be with Christ nor demonstrate God’s love as well as

when we live it out as Christ has shown.

How has living a Christian life changed you and caused you to

see life in a new and fresh way? Life can be so wonderful

and it is so wonderful. May we see the wonders and powers

of God with open eyes. Some of our naivety has been wiped

away. May we see life a little more clearly.

I pray that you see what the world offers and choose God’s

way of living by choosing LIFE! And as you go through the

trials of life may you always know that you are not alone but

you have Papa God by your side loving you and embracing

you with the comfort that only God can bring.

Many Blessings,

Laura Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

The Good News

March Birthdays and Anniversaries

3/3 Gay Gentry 3/19 Elden & Elsie Catt

3/5 Selwyn & Tara Lutchman 3/21 Dave Thompson

3/8 Trevor Boing 3/25 Jeffrey Blanding

3/9 Scott Boing 3/27 Ray & Natalie Overweg

3/10 John Abramo 3/29 Sara Spencer Holt

3/11 Ian Fisher 3/30 Joan Baron

3/13 Amy Dormois 3/31 Helen Porter

Upcoming Fellowship Events

PERKINS DINNERS — 5:30 PM on the First Saturday of each month for fellowship at the Perkins Restaurant on Gulf to

Bay. Hope also enjoys a 20% contribution from Perkins on receipts turned in by the Fellowship Ministry during the month.

MEN’S BREAKFAST — Each month the Men of Hope Presbyterian meet for Breakfast, Bible Study and Fellowship and

are joined by the Men of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist every other month. The Men of Hope look forward to this time

together at 9 AM on the 2nd Saturday. See Bob Stevens with any questions you may have.

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY — Meets Mon evenings at 7 pm and is studying Romans.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNERS — The 1st Wed of the month is potluck, so please

remember to bring a dish to share. Join us at 5:45pm in Hambley Hall for a great dinner

followed by an awesome bible study. March’s Study is titled “Forgiveness” and is led by Rev.

Kelsey. Come have fun with us!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS — Hope’s Annual Pigroast at Cedarkirk is just around the

corner! Memorial Day weekend is May 25—26th this year, so get ready for fun!

FUNDS DEVELOPMENT UPCOMING EVENTS

Join us March 16th following Worship for the Meet Your Deacon Luncheon, the Funds Development

team will be there serving delicious Sloppy Joes and chips for a great price and the funds will go

towards budget shortcomings! Come help your church and have a great lunch with your Hope family!

UPCOMING EVENTS

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS has a work day this month on Saturday, March 29th from 9am til Noon! Bring some yard

tools and come help us keep the church clean and lovely. Talk to Pete Ingram if you have any questions.

REGIONAL PRESBYTERY MEETING is coming up on March 15th from 8:45am—11:00am at St. Andrews Presbyterian

in Dunedin. If you are interested in coming or carpooling please contact the office.

HOPE’S EASTER CARNIVAL is coming up and it is going to be a blast! Join us April 19th from 1pm—3pm! We will have

games, eggs , candy, food, and a bouncy house! We need helpers, so call the office if you are interested! See you there!

Sunday School for All Ages returns to its Fall Schedule

Sunday Mornings at 9:00 am Children’s and Youth Sunday School Ages 3—12th Grade are officially in full fun mode. Children and Youth will enjoy a Bible-based curriculum designed to meet their age-appropriate needs and have lots of fun along the way.

While our children are learning about Jesus, Hope Adults are also learning through two Bible Classes:

Wired Word Led by: Martha Huntley, Bob Stevens

A week by week class based on current events and how they relate to scripture. Timely topics from a Christian perspective.

Proverbs Bible Study Led by: Mark Abdo

Come and take part in learning about God and asking questions together.

Volume 17, Issue 2

CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY

(CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS) KIDS FOR CHRIST (K.F.C.) & W.N.A.

Join us for a great time! We usually meet 2nd & 4th Sundays following Worship from noon

until 2pm. programs are for elementary aged kids. Bring a friend and come have fun! We will

be learning about Lent and having fun together.

(YOUTH GROUP PROGRAM) CHRISTIAN STUDENTS IN ACTION (C.S.I.A.) & W.N.A.

This is our fun program for 6th grade—12th grade youth! We usually meet 1st & 3rd Sundays from 4pm—

5:30pm. Bring a friend and don’t miss out on the fun time! Wednesday nights we have unstructured hangout time

from 7-7:30! We are finishing up on our study with You-tube & ReThink Curriculum that is an awesome adven-

ture into living out your faith in 2014…. We are looking forward to a in town Mission Project with RCS Grace

House too!

Questions? Talk to Mrs. Lyndsay or contact the office. We would love to have you here with us!

Presbyterian Women

Janice Catron invites us to explore Exodus and

Deuteronomy with her and see together the promise of

what our relationship with God can be and the realities of

what that relationship often becomes.

We have three circle options for you to chose from! The

1st Thurs. circle will meet March

6th. The 2nd Sat. circle will

meet March 8th. The 2nd Wed.

circle will meet March 12th.

Please join us and

bring a friend!

RCS Food Bank

Religious Community Services Food Bank (off of Druid Road in Clearwater) continues to need our support. The Winter Season can be especially hard on families in need.

Please continue to join with us in keeping those who are hungry in our thoughts and prayers. A non perishable collection cart can be found year round in our Narthex.

REGIONAL COMMISSION MEETING Interested in knowing more about what goes on at Presbytery Meetings? You are welcome to attend... Tampa Bay Presbytery is now split up by region, Hope is in the West Region. The mtg. will be March 15, 2014, from 8:45am—11:00am at St. Andrews Pres. in Dunedin.

The Good News

Wednesday Night Alive Each Wednesday evening we gather for dinner and

prayer prior to the evening activities. Our children’s

education time is split between study/class time and

choir.

First timers receive a free dinner. Others are asked to

make a $4 donation on Non-Potluck weeks for the cost of

the meal or $12 a month. First Wednesday of each

month is traditionally a potluck dinner.

Potluck nights will also be Hope Cookbook Recipe

Round-Up nights. Please bring a Dish to Share that will

feed 8-12 people. Funds Development really appreciates

folks bringing recipes that could be part of the cookbook

if able along with that dish’s recipe card.

The schedule is as follows:

5:45 p.m. Dinner

6:30 p.m. Bible Study (Adults) and Bible Study and

Activities (Children and Youth)

7:00 p.m. Rejoice Children’s Choir Practice

7:30 p.m. Activities Conclude

WNA Adult Study

March Study led by Rev. Kelsey

Lent Study— “Forgiveness” by Marjorie Thompson

March 5th— Ash Wednesday Service @ 6:30pm

following dinner.

March 12th— Part #2 in Forgiveness Study

March 19th— Part #3 in Forgiveness Study

March 26th— Part #4 in Forgiveness Study

Thank you to all who will be joining us for WNA and

the Monthly Recipe Round-Up potlucks coming up.

Hope to See you There!

Men of Hope Study Opportunities

Men of Hope Monday Night Study @ 7 PM

Men of Hope Breakfast (with breakfast, fellowship and study) — 2nd Saturday @ 9 p.m.

CHALLENGE SUNDAY Each 3rd Sunday of the month has been named Challenge Sunday in order to remind each of us of the Session’s action to encourage extra-mile giving each month. Please consider this Challenge that greatly helps meet Hope’s ministry and mission needs.

Young at Heart

This month we will be meeting on March 13th in

Hambley Hall at Noon for our usual Potluck Luncheon.

Afterwards we will enjoy an amazing presentation by

Hope’s very own Captain Kirk Hinrichs, son of Don and

Nancy Hinrichs. After lunch he will be sharing about his

experience in the United States Coast Guard. It should be

a great time and very interesting! Join us and bring a

friend and a dish to share!

We will also meet Thursday, March 27th for lunch our at

a local restaurant (yet to be determined) at Noon for a

lunch out on the town. If you have any questions please

contact Elsie Catt at 536-8827

or Sue Morrill at 204-4581.

Bring a friend & come ready for fun & fellowship!

MEET YOUR DEACON SUNDAY

Join your Deacon and fellowship with others in your

care-group while you update your info and we have lunch

together on Sunday, March 16th, following Worship.

Hope’s 2014 Financials January

Income $12,458.02

Expenses $14,454.78

Total ($1,996.76)

7.25% of Pledges Completed

We want to announce

Debbie Larance will be our

new Financial Secretary

for 2014. Thank you to

Heather Villafranca for

your years of dedication.

Volume 17, Issue 2

The Good News March 2014 Worship Schedule

Sunday, March 2, 2014 Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday @ 10:15 a.m.

Scripture: John 6:48-58

Message: “Broken Bread”

Sermon Series: Restored in Christ

Preaching: Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

Special Focus: Holy Communion; Transfiguration

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Ash Wednesday @ 6:30 p.m.

Scripture: Joel 2:12-14

Message: “Broken Hearts”

Sermon Series: Restored in Christ

Preaching: Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

Special Focus: Imposition of Ashes

Sunday, March 9, 2014 1st Sunday in Lent @ 10:15a.m.

Scripture: Mark 14:1-9

Message: “Broken Vessel”

Sermon Series: Restored in Christ

Preaching: Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

Sunday, March 16, 2014 2nd Sunday in Lent @ 10:15a.m.

Scripture: Matthew 26:14-25

Message: “Broken Trust”

Sermon Series: Restored in Christ

Preaching: Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

Sunday, March 23, 2014 3rd Sunday in Lent @ 10:15 a.m.

Scripture: Matthew 26:69-75

Message: “Broken Promises”

Sermon Series: Restored in Christ

Preaching: Rev. Laura C. Kelsey

Sunday, March 30, 2014 4th Sunday in Lent @ 10:15 a.m.

Scripture: TBA

Message: TBA

Preaching: TBA

Calling all 7th –12th graders

interested in participating in a

confirmation class!

We are working out a tentative

schedule and would like your

input, it will be a 6 week class

(meeting weekly) beginning in

April and ending in June. Please

Have pictures of Fellowship or

Church Events?

Email them to the office!

Here are some fun we’ve had this winter...

Presbytery Per Capita

Per capita is a set amt. of money per

member that congregations pay to share

in the expenses associated with

coordinating and performing the functions

required by the Presbytery, the Synod, and

the General Assembly. Per Capita is an

opportunity for Presbyterian Members to

participate responsibly and equally in the

cost of the ecclesiastical, judicial,

legislative, and administrative work of the

Presbytery, the Synod, and the General

Assembly.

Presbytery of Tampa Bay Per Capita $15.75

Synod of South Atlantic Per Capita $1.45

General Assembly Per Capita $7.02

Total Due $24.22

Please consider paying your Per Capita for the

adults in your family, and note it in the memo line.

March 2014 fSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

March 30

9am: Sunday School

10:15am: Worship

31

7pm Men of

Hope Study

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Buildings and

Grounds Workday

9am—Noon

Perkins

Fellowship

Dinner at 5:30 pm

9am Prayer Group

5:45pm Wednesday

Night Alive Dinner

6:30pm Bible Study

7pm Rejoice Choir

7:45pm Worship

Choir Practice

7pm Handbell

Choir

8pm NA mtg

7pm Men of

Hope Study

10am PW Circle

7pm Outreach

Mtg

7pm AA mtg

9am: Sunday School

10:15am: Worship w/

Communion

Transfiguration of the

Lord Sunday

Following Worship:

B&G Min Mtg

3pm: CSIA

9am: Sunday School

10:15am: Worship

Following Worship:

Meet Your

Mission Min Mtg

4:00pm: CSIA

9am: Sunday School

10:15am: Worship

Following Worship:

Worship Min Mtg

Noon—2pm: KFC

2pm: Tierra Pines

9am: Sunday School

10:15am: Worship

Following Worship:

Fellowship Min Mtg

2pm: Tierra Pines

Noon—2pm: KFC

6:30 pm Adm.

Finance

7pm Men of

Hope Study

7pm Men of

Hope Study

7pm Men of

Hope Study

7pm Bible Study

@ Kelseys

7pm Handbell

Choir

8pm NA mtg

6:30pm Deacon

Mtg

7pm Handbell

Choir

8pm NA mtg

7pm Handbell

Choir

8pm NA mtg

9am Prayer Group

5:45pm Wednesday

Night Alive Dinner

6:30pm Bible Study

7pm Rejoice Choir

7:45pm Worship

Choir Practice

9am Prayer Group

5:45pm Wednesday

Night Alive Dinner

6:30pm Bible Study

7pm Rejoice Choir

7:45pm Worship

Choir Practice

9am Prayer Group

5:45pm Wednesday

Night Alive Dinner

6:30pm Bible Study

PW Circle

7pm Rejoice Choir

7:45pm Worship

Choir Practice

Noon Young

@ Heart

7pm AA mtg

CE Mtg

7pm AA mtg

6:30pm

Session Mtg

7pm AA mtg

9am PW Circle

9am Men’s

Breakfast

Hope Presbyterian Church

1698 S. Belcher Rd.

Clearwater, FL

33764

www.hopefamily.com

Office Hours

Monday—Friday:

10:00a.m.—2:00p.m.

Phone: 727-531-3200

Fax: 727-535-1200

E-mail: Office@HopeFamily.com

Rev. Laura C. Kelsey, Pastor rev.kelsey@gmail.com

Sunday School 9:00 a.m.

Worship 10:15 a.m.

Awakening Hope Worship 5:30 p.m.

Pastoral emergency (727) 748-2691

GOOD NEWS OF HOPE March News 2014

Deadline: 20th of each month

The Mission of Hope Church is to love and serve

Jesus Christ, one another, and our neighbors.

Join us March 23rd for BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH DAY! Invite your friends and share with them what life with a little Hope is like!! Worship with us and make new friends as well. Help us share the Good News of God’s Amazing Love with your friends and family…