February 11, 2022

Hope Lutheran Church Supports Family Displaced by Fire

Last month, a local single mother named Angel and her five children woke in the night to a terrifying house fire. The family was able to flee to safety, but their home and all their belongings were lost. The disaster was devastating and left the family of six with few resources and little hope for recovery.

By the grace of God, the family was connected with the Hope Food Pantry and with The Rock at Lake Weir Middle School, as well as our partners at Love INC. One of the family's young children attends Lake Weir Middle School, and through your generous donations to The Rock, was able to take food and clothing home to her family. They also received food and gift cards from Hope members who heard about their struggles.

Angel took the time to write a thank you note to our congregation on behalf of her family. It reads:

"To the entire body of Hope Lutheran,

My family and I would love to take this time and say THANK YOU! For all you've done, are doing, and will do! You all have been nothing short of a blessing to us in our time of need and we will forever be thankful!! God makes no mistakes and places people in our paths for such a time as this, and for your obedience and helping hands and hearts, I pray He continues to bless and keep each and everyone of you.

With love and thanks, Angel & family."

If you would like to support this family and other families in need, please consider a donation of money, clothing, or food items to the Hope Food Pantry or The Rock at Lake Weir Middle School. Donation lists are available at Hope Central Campus.

Women of Hope Monthly Breakfast

Thursday, February 17^th at 9:00am

Hope Central Campus

The February breakfast will highlight Abundance of Love (formerly Angel Snugs) presented by Jennifer Smith. AOL is a non-profit that focuses on hand-making items needed by various charitable organizations to satisfy the needs of their clients. Jennifer will describe AOL’s goals, organization, and the creation and distribution of their many products. 

All women are encourage to attend and bring a friend. Registration is opened until noon on Monday, February 14^th. The cost of breakfast is $4.00 and can be paid at the door. 

The menu will include fresh fruit tray, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pastries, yogurt in varied flavors, quiche and egg dish, coffee, tea, water, and OJ. 

Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse

Hope Lutheran Church is once again partnering with Texas Roadhouse for a Dine to Donate afternoon!

If you dine at Texas Roadhouse's Lady Lake location on February 20^th from 12:00pm to 4:00pm, they will donate 10% of your total food purchases to Hope Lutheran Church!

Invitations are available at each Hope campus. You can also print a copy by clicking here. You must have your invitation at the restaurant in order for your donation to count!

Come on out and enjoy some great food for a good cause! Proceeds from our Hope Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse will benefit Palms Deaf Church.

Additionally, Texas Roadhouse has asked us to share that they are now open for lunch on Fridays!

Timothy & Hosanna Noble at

Hope Central Campus

Friday, February 25^th at 7:00pm

Join us at Hope Central Campus for a night of entertainment with Timothy and Hosanna Noble!

You won't want to miss the powerfully-moving presentation of "The Tomb Stands Empty" by this young couple that have been playing their respective instruments and singing from an early age. They are a favorite in this area and are returning for their 6^th year for a concert here at Hope Lutheran Church.

Invite your friends and be sure to join us on February 25^th!

The concert is FREE and no tickets are required. A love offering will be taken.

New Member Orientation

New members are invited to participate in the next step of the membership process by attending Hope's New Member Orientation. All new members should have received an email inviting you to orientation.

Orientation will be held on two consecutive Thursdays in the Hope Central Campus Fellowship Hall from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. 

February 17^th - Day One of orientation - light snacks will be served.

February 24^th - Day Two of orientation - this will be a potluck. We ask that you bring a dish to share. Fried chicken and beverages will be provided. 

You may direct all questions and RSVP to Jeff Dunfee at (352) 750-2321 or via email at jeff@hope4all.church.

Hope Supports Palms Deaf Church

We are excited to share that Hope was able to make a gift of $6,000 to support the new Palms Deaf Church in Palm Coast. The donation funds were offered from our Christmas Cantata collection.

Palms Deaf Church is a new worshiping community being developed in conjunction with St. Mark’s by the Sea Lutheran Church and the Florida-Bahamas Synod. It was established in 2021 by Pastor Lori Fuller, who is Deaf. The mission of the new church is to experience and share the Love of Christ through American Sign Language.

The church says, "God’s Word is for all people regardless of race, creed or abilities. For too long Deaf people have not had access to God’s word and the community of a Church due to language barriers. Palms Deaf Church will be an ASL worshiping community for all."

Proceeds from our Hope Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse will also benefit Palms Deaf Church.

For more information, please click the button below to visit their website.

Get to Know Christians in Action

Who is the CIA?

Meet Christians in Action (CIA). We are a ministry of men and women of the congregation whose goals and objectives are to encourage, motivate, and increase involvement, actions, and activity at all three (3) Hope campuses. CIA plans new activities, outreach opportunities, and ways to become more engaged in Hope Lutheran Church.

Hope will be a place where faith and love come together to reach beyond the walls of the church and out into the community. Discipleship also takes place through socialization and fellowship.

Are you interested in being part of this exciting ministry? Think about becoming part of the CIA. We are a fun group doing a lot of fun things. When we give of ourselves, we become more fully open to life.

If you would like to be part of this ministry or would like more information, please contact: Len Robertson at lvrobertson@aol.com or (612) 669-5680.

H.O.P.E. University - Wednesdays at 10:00am

Come join us this Wednesday at 10:00am at Hope Central Campus as H.O.P.E. University continues Pastor Bruce's series on Martin Luther's "The Freedom of a Christian."

Class will resume on Wednesday, February 16^th with Session 11 on “The Freedom of a Christian,” paragraphs #92-114 titled “Free to Serve.”

The ELCA provided the webpage elca500.org, a 12-week study guide, and a link to a free PDF of the document. You may access a link to the document here. If you choose, you can also purchase the book from Augsburg Fortress for $14.99.

H.O.P.E. University Lenten Series

Pastor John LeCain will lead us on a Lenten educational series covering the Book of Acts and following Paul’s footsteps through some major historical sites.

The class begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2^nd.

Acts Odyssey, using the book written by Rene Schlaepfer, will retrace the journeys of the apostles as told in the Book of Acts. As he visits ancient sites in Israel, Greece, Italy and several Aegean Islands, Rene meets with archaeological experts - and encounters modern thieves, rioting mobs, and nests of serpents. His adventures are enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.

The special Lenten class will cover one chapter per week and will include videos. Books are necessary for class. To receive a physical book at no cost, please contact the church office at (352) 750-2321. You can also find the book available for purchase on your Amazon Kindle device. Simply search for ‘Acts Odyssey’ by Rene Schlaepfer.

Learning & Doing Christian Contemplation

Beginning March 3^rd at Hope Central Campus

Pastor John LeCain will lead a new Prayer Study on Thursdays at 11:00am by zoom and in person.

The study will begin with learning about breath prayer and build as we learn about lectio divina, release prayer, and centering prayer. 

Weekly topics will include: Preparing for prayer, Breath Prayer, Lectio Divina, Release Prayer, The Prayer of Examen, Contemplative Healing Prayer, Praying with Icons, Centering Prayer, and Silent Prayer.

Stay tuned for an updated Zoom link in the coming weeks.

Hands of Hope Volunteers Needed

Hands of Hope is a group of men and women who volunteer their time to the church upgrading church buildings and property. Over the past 2 years, COVID-19 has prevented us from completing some needed projects. We have projects at both the Hope Lake Weir Campus and Hope Central Campus which need to be completed.

This invitation is for those new church members who may not have heard of us and also to let existing members know there is work to be done.

The new projects include:

Hope Central Campus:

1.    Repair sidewalks in parking lot

2.    Clean up around building

3.    Repair wood fence along cart path

4.    Clean up dumpster area

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

1.    Install window openings in the new pole building

2.    Finish organizing all three (3) pole barn interiors

3.    Clean up around pole barns outside

4.    Repair floor in Sacristy

If you are interested in helping with any of the new projects, please contact Mike Slating, Leader of Hands of Hope, at michaelslating@yahoo.com or (352) 552-3991.

A Message from Our Global Mission Team

The following is an update on our companions in Cuba from Fred Heller, Hope Representative to the Florida-Bahamas Synod's Global Mission Table:

The Mission Outreach team at Hope is a part of the Florida-Bahamas Synod's (FBS) Global Mission Table, which works with our five companion synods. The FBS is one of 65 synods in the United States and each synod has at least one companion synod, which is a Lutheran synod outside the US accompanied by a synod from the ELCA.

Here in Florida, we have five companion synods with which we partner and accompany on their faith evangelical missions to their congregations. Our two largest companions are Haiti and Cuba, each with a population of over 11,000,000 people.

We also are companions to Guyana and Suriname, on the northern coast of South America, previously known as British Guiana and Dutch Guiana. Our fifth companion synod is the The United Theological College of the West Indies, a primary training facility for Lutheran clergy in the Caribbean, located in Kingston, Jamaica.

This year we will be focusing on Cuba, the Lutheran Church of Cuba, Lutheran Synod, the IEU-SL (Iglesia Evangélica Unida - Sínodo Luterano). They have been led by Bishop Ismael Laborde Figueras for the past seventeen years. In 2018, the ELCA requested a working relationship with the Cuban church. In the same year, they joined the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) about which Bishop Laborde said, “For IEU-SL, to join the LWF meant the certainty that we are now part of the international Lutheran community. We are no longer alone. Now we can begin to take united steps with our brothers and sisters of faith.” 

We in the FBS are pleased to be able to accompany the Cuban people in their faith journey. As recently as December 2019, right before Covid-19 hit, a group of members from the Global Mission Table made a personal visit to Santiago, Cuba, the home of Bishop Laborde and the headquarters of the IEU-SL. The political struggles between the governments have made it difficult to get assistance through to Bishop Laborde, because of the blockade on shipping and banking interactions. But a recent delivery of money and medicines was made through a personal visit from a Cuban-American living in Miami, who helped start the Lutheran Church in Cuba. I will have more to say about our companion church in Cuba throughout the year.

Walk to Emmaus Dates for 2022

Do you seek...

Spiritual Renewal; New understanding of God's grace and love; Worship and community with other believers?

THE WALK TO EMMAUS IS FOR YOU!

It has been way too long since our last Emmaus Walk. We are happy to announce the Walk dates for 2022.

For Information about this life-changing opportunity, please contact Kathy Langley at (352-753-8557) or cklanglely97@embarqmail.com.

Men's Walk #157

January 27-30

Men's Walk #158

March 3-6



Men's Walk #159

October 6-9

Women's Walk #158

March 10-13

Women's Walk #159 

October 13-16

Worship Attendance for February 5-6, 2022

Central Campus:

4:00pm = 163

6:00pm = 68

8:00am = 136

10:00am = 341

Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 59

Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 71

10:00am = 90

Flowers For This Weekend Given By...

Bonnie Stolper, in memory of Dick's birthday

In Memoriam

Carole R. Ropel passed away on February 3^rd. She was born on March 5, 1937. She and her husband Ron were married on December 17, 1955. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on November 20, 2016. A memorial service is pending at this time.  

Please keep Ron and their family in your hearts and prayers.