Due to scheduling conflicts the 30 Hour Famine Car Wash will be held on May 12 instead of April 28, from 9am to 1pm. Bring your car to get the winter grime and spring pollen removed inside and out and surprise Mom for Mother’s Day. All donations will go to support the 30 Hour Famine and help save the 11,000 children who die daily from hunger. For more information about 30 Hour Famine go to www.30hourfamine.org.

The Purpose of the Porch Call ministry is to thank our visitors and encourage them to return to worship with us again—a first step in fulfilling the Great Commission. A gift bag filled with the message of Hope, includes information about our church along with small items such as pencils, pens, note pads, bookmarks, candies and Portals of Prayer. It is delivered to our first time visitors. It has been proven that visitors are more likely to return upon receiving a porch call.

Are you willing to take some time to thank a visitor for worshiping with us? Can you take ½ hour after church once a month to deliver a gift bag? The Porch Call Ministry needs volunteers from late service. Thank you gifts are delivered to our visitors each Sunday after the 11am service. For those with a desire to help, but cannot deliver, volunteers are also needed to collect the attendance sheets, and put together the porch call information. Do you have one Sunday a month to offer? Sign up on the porch call volunteer sign up sheet located on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Contact Kathryn Wacker (424-4848) to help with this ministry or for more information.

The Knights of Hope is our church men’s group. We meet the second Saturday morning of each month here at church for devotion, breakfast and fellowship from 8 to 9am.  All men, 18 & older, are invited to join. For more information see Steve Plummer or a member of the Knights.

The congregation is invited to Thrivent Night at the Tides Baseball game on Saturday, May 19.  Tickets are $5 and need to be paid to Linda Muth by May 6.  Sign up on the bulletin board in the narthex.  You do not have to be a member of Thrivent to come.

BODY and TRUTH will meet at Hope at 5:30 to ride together.  Anyone else interested in carpooling can join us at Hope or just meet at the Harbor Park. There will be fireworks after the game.

Truth will participate in the 30 Hour Famine on May 11-12.  Please note that because of scheduling conflicts it was moved from April 27-28. This is an awesome event that you don’t want to miss. We will have a lock-in from 8pm Friday night to 7pm Saturday night. During the lock-in we will have time to play and fellowship, but we will also learn about those in our world who are in extreme need of food and clean water. We will spend time in Bible study and will hold a car wash on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.  All donations will go to the 30 Hour Famine.  We will also sleep, so bring your sleeping bag and pillow!  Your last meal will be lunch on Friday and we will break our fast with communion on Saturday at 6pm followed by dinner together. Please pick up your Famine kit and start collecting money now. You can make a big difference in the life of a starving child.

BODY and TRUTH will go to Thrivent Night at the Tides Baseball game on Saturday, May 19.  Tickets are $5 and need to be paid to Linda Muth by May 6.  Sign up in your classroom or on the bulletin board in the narthex. You do not have to be a member of Thrivent to come. We will meet at Hope at 5:30 to ride together.  Parents are encouraged to join in the fun of a night of baseball and fireworks.

May is a very exciting time for our Confirmation III students. They have been learning much in their three years of Confirmation classes and now it is time for them to publicly affirm their faith. On Wednesday, May 23, there will be a Night of Witness practice from 6:30pm to 8pm.  It is very important that all Confirmation III students attend. The Night of Witness service will be Saturday, May 26, starting at 4:30pm.  The congregation is encouraged to attend.  Confirmation III students should be there no later than 4pm in order to get a class picture.  Confirmation II students need to be there by 4:15pm to prepare for the passing of the light portion of the service.  After the service there will be a picnic for the Confirmation III students, their families, and guests.  Our tradition here at Hope is for the Confirmation I class parents to help with this picnic. If you are interested in helping with the picnic, please contact Linda Muth. The Rite of Confirmation will be held during the 11:00 service on May 27. Please keep these youth in your prayers that they will continue to grow in their faith.

Activities at a Glance

May 11-12 30 Hour Famine and car wash (TRUTH)

May 19 Tides baseball game (BODY and TRUTH)

May 23 Night of Witness rehearsal (Conf. III)

May 26-27 Confirmation weekend (Conf III)

May 3, 2012

Hope Lutheran Sanctuary

will be open for prayer

9am to 4pm

“April showers bring May flowers.  April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided for them by the April showers”  (According to Wiktionary—a wiki-based Open Content Dictionary).  In many parts of our country this old idiom still rings true.  Proper amounts of rain and sunshine combine to produce beautiful flowers.  It is a kind of “action/reaction” thing.

There is an application for our lives as God’s stewards and managers of all of life and life’s resources for His purposes.  Dr. Martin Luther’s explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed states it so well when it credits God with being our Maker and Provider. God richly provides us with all that we need to support this body and life. All is used nine times in Luther’s explanation. Our Almighty Father in heaven has made us and all creatures, gives us all we need and defends us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil.

The clincher for us as God’s stewards comes in the closing paragraph of Luther’s explanation of the First Article as he writes:  “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.  For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”

The truth of the matter is that our Heavenly Father provides everything that we need in this life. His greatest gift is His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who came willingly to this sinful world to offer up His holy life for the sins of the world—yours and mine included. That takes care of our spiritual welfare. That is the most important gift, but God also lavishes all kinds of physical gifts upon us as His people.

God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17b), but He also wants us to use all these blessings in unselfish ways to bring glory to His holy name and blessings to those people around us, just like April showers bring May flowers.  Our faithful management and use of God’s gifts makes life more beautiful and fragrant for us and others.

How we use our time, abilities and financial resources makes a big difference for us and others.  How we manage our relationships, God’s creation, our own bodies and the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus also makes a big difference for us and others.

We give thanks to God for calling us to be His maturing stewards who are privileged to manage all of life and life’s resources for His purposes!  May God’s Holy Spirit work richly in, with and among us so that we live each day as God’s redeemed children who are growing in the divine traits of loving and giving!

After a busy year, we will have our May meeting and luncheon on Saturday, May 19, at 11:00am. We will dine at Dock Side just off Shore Drive. The cost of lunch is $16 and there is a sign-up sheet on the LWML bulletin board in the narthex. If you have any mites you may bring them along or just put them in the mite box in the narthex.

There are wonderful new plants, insects, animals, seashells, and so much more available at nearby parks, the zoo, and of course, the beaches. Walking with your child in a family friendly place is a good activity that can include using the senses…looking, smelling, touching and tasting!

As our children grow, healthy physical development is important for them during all stages. Regular physical activity helps to maintain a balanced healthy life with increased energy, reduced stress, strong heart and lungs, healthy muscle and bone development, increased flexibility and coordination, and ideal body weight.

Running, dancing, jumping, climbing, and exercising are gross motor activities that can be done indoors and outdoors.  Just make sure you choose a safe playground for swings, slides and climbing equipment. Age appropriate toys and equipment that help young children use their creativity while being physical is a plus!  Making up an obstacle course so your child can ride his or her tricycle/bicycle will provide a fun challenge while gaining confidence in abilities.

Don’t forget that we have a WONDERFUL SUMMER CAMP right here at Hope! Children ages 2 1/2 – age 8 are welcome to attend our camp from June 18-August 17. To get started, our campers will attend our Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme is, “SonRise National Park”, the best destination of the summer!!

Every week after VBS, Jennifer Rauch, our coordinator, will introduce a new weekly theme that will include indoor and outdoor games and activities, special visitors who will come to teach the campers more about the theme, outside water play, fun treats and snacks, and of course, time to refresh our learning skills. Parents can pick and choose which week(s) to send their child. We open early at 7:30am and remain open until 6pm. The schedule is very flexible and the rates are very affordable!

So, no matter what you do this summer, set your intentions ahead of time to keep it fun, exciting, safe and healthy.  If we can be of service to you and your family, please call us and let us know.  We will be happy to help!

All who are interested and willing to assist during our worship services whether new or experienced are encouraged to use the sign-up sheets posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex.

Worship service volunteer opportunities are: Ushers, Greeters, Communion Assistants, Communion Preparers, Lay Readers, Audio/Visual workers, Acolytes and Porch Callers.

These volunteers provide the congregation with a worship environment that is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, welcoming, encouraging, and free of distractions.