Bulletin – Week of March 22, 2020

Glorifying God by Knowing, Living and Proclaiming Our Hope in Christ

March 22, 2020

Sunday morning online worship service

The worship service will be online at hopeinchristchurch.org for you to watch on Sunday morning. We are so thankful for our worship team and technical/computer helpers!

Order of Worship

Sovereign

Forever

Call to Worship   Psalm 91

Lord I Need You

As the Deer

Prayer

Message

Psalm 62

Living Hope

SUNDAY SCHOOL MEMORY VERSES

• • • • • Wonder:  Matthew 28:5-6
        • Marvel:  Matthew 28:1-7
        • Dive:  Philippians 4:6-7 and challenge verses Matthew 6:25-34

PRAYER MINISTRY RESOURCES

• CRC efforts around the world: crcna.org/pray
• Join 6,500 pray-ers supporting ReFrame listeners and readers by receiving weekly     requests: prayer.reframemedia.com
• Resonate Global Mission’s Prayer Points: resonateglobalmission.org/pray

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The offering this week is for the Kingdom Advancement Fund.

Save the Date: Tena’s Coming Back! October 2 & 3, 2020. Questions?  Vitality Team has all of the answers!

HCC Seeking to Fill these Positions: Education Ministries Director to work approximately 8 hours per week, and Outreach Pastor with part-time hours. Job descriptions are available at hopeinchristchurch.org/jobs

ENVISION MISSION SEEKING POSITION: Envision Mission is hiring for a ministry director for its Summit House program. The position would work with Whatcom County churches to disciple disenfranchised men and women in one- to three-year housing programs, and help them thrive in local churches and vocations. The job will include fundraising and communicating with churches, and working closely with Envision Mission. To apply or for more information, including a full job description, call (360) 392-0289 or e-mail mitchsenti@hotmail.com.

SENTI FAMILY CONCERT NOW ON YOUTUBE: Join the Senti family for a family concert on YouTube (www.youtube/UCi7jvqFoUZqzHkg6Vj9nWkg) on April 17 at 7 p.m. It will be filmed from the Over Easy Restaurant in Bellingham (a breakfast place with deliveries available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and will be available for viewing by 7 that evening. The Senti family’s new CD, “Our Eyes Are On You,” also will be available for download on their website www.envisionmission.org/media. For more information, call (360) 392-0289 or e-mail mitchsenti@hotmail.com.

CLASSIS NEEDS POSITIONS FILLED: Classis North Cascades is looking to fill several positions, including a classis finance committee member and a World Renew board member. You need not be an office-bearer for either position. If you would like to fill one of these positions or for more information, please contact Steve Van Noort at (360) 603-1074 or pastorsteve@bethelcrc.org.

LATEST GROUNDWORK: Why can we trust God when bad things happen? Study Psalm 19:1-6, Job 28:34-41, and Psalm 104:27-30 with Groundwork to discover why we can believe in the creator God and His providence, and why this belief gives us comfort. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork’s weekly e-mails for future episodes.

LATEST KIDS CORNER: Check out our children’s programs at www.kidscorner.net. In this week’s episode, “Purloined Pie,” pie baking for the Terrene Pies R Round Festival is interrupted when someone steals one of the pies. Liz and Lucille are reminded that stealing is a sin. Listen now at kidscorner.net and subscribe to KC’s weekly e-mails for future episodes. Download this month’s Kid Corner Easter puzzle and game giveaway, “The Bible Challenge Activity Book Five.” kidscorner.net/activities.

AT-HOME FAITH FORMATION TIP: As Holy Week nears, create a worship space — a table or corner of a room where you can be intentional about spending time with God this week. For now, decorate it with purple or black cloth, a cross, and other symbols. Then on Easter morning, decorate this space with flowers, butterflies, white and gold cloth, etc. Talk with kids about what these symbols mean. This space can continue as a worship area even after Easter is finished. (Tip from Faith Formation Ministries; crcna.org/FaithFormation)

BIBLE STUDY PODCAST: “Words From The Cross” is a seven-part Bible study podcast from Groundwork. In the season of Lent, dig deep into the significance and resonance of Christ’s words from the cross and let them focus your heart on our salvation through His death and resurrection. Get it when you subscribe to Groundwork at groundworkonline.com/words.

MISSIONAL MARKER

The congregation of Hope in Christ Church has made the Spirit-filled decision to move forward and become a healthy missional church. This week’s Missional Marker is:  Transforming Communities Through Active Compassion, Mercy and Justice Ministries (Micah 6:8)

• We are burdened for the hurting people in our community and beyond.
• We have identifiable pathways for compassion, mercy and justice ministries to take place.
• Our people are equipped and growing in their ability to see and address the hurts and the causes of hurt in our community and beyond.

PRAYERS

Each week we pray for members of our church family. Suggested prayers are for their spiritual growth, opportunities to see Christ in their everyday lives, and anything else that God puts on your mind for them. This week please pray for:

• • • Debra R
    • Mona R
    • Don & Darlys R
    • David & Ida R
    • Pastor Scott and Jen Roberts:  Ellie, Morgan, Bekah, Zeke, Caleb, Grace, Faith, ElishaPray for Persecuted Christians in India:

      HYDERABAD, India, March 18, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka are disrupting Christian worship based on mistaken notions that churches need prior permission for services, sources said.

      There is no law requiring registration of worship places in Sri Lanka, but in 2017 the country’s Supreme Court upheld a 2008 circular demanding all newly constructed places of worship obtain prior approval. That circular, issued by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religion Affairs, exempts “traditional religions” but does not define them, leaving local authorities to discriminate against non-Buddhist faiths and block their right to worship, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed wrote in a Feb. 28 report.

      “Evangelical Christian churches in particular continue to report pressure and harassment by local authorities to close down places of worship because they were not registered,” Shaheed reported. “Their prayer meetings and worship activities are also routinely denied permission to take place. Moreover, intimidation and attacks against clergy and church members, desecration of evangelical churches and interference with religious activities are also perpetrated by local villagers and Buddhist monks.”