Hope Lutheran Church 8070 Rowan Road

Cranberry Twp, PA 16066 Phone: 724-776-3141

E-mail: info@hlc.church www.hlc.church

OUR MISSION Knowing God. Inspiring People. Transforming Lives.

OUR VISION Growing community through service, learning and worship.

Hope is a Stephen Ministry congregation of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Like us on Facebook Hope Lutheran Church, Cranberry Township

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER If you would like to submit to the Monthly Spirit please use the Communication Request Form found on our website: www.hlc.church. To be sure your submission is included in the Monthly the following deadlines are

listed below to assist you. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@hlc.church. Deadlines:

July 9th for the August Spirit August 13th for the September Spirit

Follow us on Instagram Hope_Cranberry

Service Times Wednesdays at 7pm—in person (until July 8th)

Saturdays at 5pm—in person (starting July 11th)

Sundays at 10 am—live streamed

Prayer Requests will remain on the prayer list for one month. Please resubmit prayer request

for additional prayers and or updates.

Hope’s Shut-Ins Suzann Frishkorn Shirley Graf Ruth Grubb

Entered Church Triumphant Aileen Jim Tricia

Braeden Adam Jocelyn Teri Paul

Rachel Brenda Dave Marlene

Barb Hope’s Staff and Re-Opening Committee

Praises! Josh Marilyn Dave Carter

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Give Plus / Worship

Prayers for Pastors

Youth Stewardship Events Golf Tournament Registration

2020 Hope Lutheran Church: Monthly Spirit of Hope

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single

commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14

Happy 4th of July! I hope you are able to take some time to thank God for the

blessings of this country and for all those who have made our freedoms possible. Let’s

also continue to pray for our nation, especially now, as we continue to strive to do better for all who call this land their home.

Freedom is not necessarily a straight-forward concept, and Christian freedom is no different. As Luther says, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A

Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” While it seems contradictory, it reflects what it means to be a follower of Christ who was in the form

of God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Phil. 2:6-7). What a gift and

what an example to follow. Yet the very freedom we have in Christ means we do not have to worry about

following God perfectly or serving others perfectly. It frees us from the sin, guilt, and selfishness that get in our way, so that we can try. Each day is another opportunity to

try to follow Christ, to love God and to love others. If we don’t do so well with that

on any given day, let us repent and look forward to the next day, another gift from God inviting us to learn from our mistakes, to turn again to God, and to reach out to

others in love. The grace and service of Christian freedom is exactly what we imperfect people need and what the world needs from us.

I thank God for the freedoms we enjoy in this country and I pray for this country. I thank God for the freedom we have in Christ and I pray we might use this freedom to

serve others.

Serving with you in Christ,

Pastor Amy

GIVE PLUS / WORSHIP SERVICES 2

WORSHIP SERVICES AT HOPE We will continue to re-open worship services and activities at Hope , as the task force group meets regularly to determine how to keep everyone safe and healthy. Signups for worship services can be found on our website. It is important that every person attending worship signup online so that Hope can stay in compliance with recommended CDC guidelines. Our last outdoor worship service will be Wednesday, July 8th at 7pm. Indoor worship will begin Saturday, July 11th at 5pm in the Community Hall and continue every Saturday until August 29th. Sunday Services will continue to be Livestreamed on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Hope is in the process on contracting and installing new Audio & Visual Equipment in the sanctuary to allow our Livestream ministry to continue. Requirements and guidelines for attending worship are found on our website, “What to Expect When Returning to Hope”. Please contact the church office if you need help signing up for a service, or if you have any questions.

GOLF TOURNAMENT 7

6 EVENTS

New Cranberry Event Date: Saturday, August 22 from 5 to 9 pm at Cranberry Community Park (tentative)

FAMILY, FRIENDS, CANCER SURVIVORS,

CAREGIVERS, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS...EVERYONE! How can you help?

• Everyone is invited to donate toward our team’s efforts via this link: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR/RelayForLife/RFLCY20NER?

team_id=2495308&pg=team&fr_id=95851 • Register at www.hlc.church for Hope’s Team

• Your prayer matters. • Watch the monthly Spirit and join our next team meeting.

• Register for the 12th Annual Tournament of Hope (form on Hope’s website) • Consider purchasing a sponsorship for the Tournament of Hope

Thank you for considering supporting our team’s efforts in some way. Your donations are needed now

more than ever—if we don’t fight cancer, then who will?

NEW PACKING DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 30TH 12:15 TO 2:15 PM

AT HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH

You can register yourself and your family now at the following link: https://rah.secure.force.com/events/homepage?id=7013Z000002zqlVQAQ

COVID—19 guidelines will be followed during this event.

Donations are being received for this event through Hope Lutheran Church and on the above link.

Thanks for your continues prayers and your faith put into action for all those that are hungry and are facing an even greater challenge during this difficult time. Watch for updates in your weekly email blasts

and at www.hlc.church as they become available.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” Matthew 25:35

WOMEN IN THE WORD

Please join us for a 3 week study on Esther. We are hoping to have this study outside around the firepit starting

Tuesday, July 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Please be sure to sign up online to confirm your book order.

Books will be ordered June 30th. If you missed the deadline, you may still join the study but you will need to

purchase a book from Amazon. ISBN # 10:0578561093 or 13:978-057-8560197

PRAYER FOR OUR PASTORS 3

A Prayer for Our Pastors

Gracious Heavenly Father, We lift our prayer to you,

To watch over our dear Pastors, Guide them in everything they do.

Fill them with your joy,

Let laughter be a daily gift, Your compassion and your comfort,

Their spirits you’ll uplift.

Where there is uncertainty, Grant them your wisdom.

Where there is restlessness, Help them to feel your peace.

When anxious thoughts come creeping in, Please put their mind at ease.

Touch them with your grace and mercy,

Protect them, guide them; Allow your Word to show the way, Let them always feel your presence, As they go about their busy days.

Do they know how much we love them?

Do they know how much we care? Do they know how much they are appreciated?

Lord, show us how to share.

Thank you, Lord, for our dear pastors, We’re praising you today!

Shower them with your love and many blessings, Let them know we care in every way.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

YOUTH 4

News from the DYFM…. Happy Summer!!! July is here and we have all kinds of fun events and projects planned for all ages at

Hope Church! Please be sure to check out our website www.hlc.church to sign-up for any event and to find out the latest details!! You can always email me as well dyfm@hlc.church with any questions you may have. This is a different time for us here at Hope (and in our world!) but we are really trying to share some fun and learning experiences with our youth. I hope everyone will take this opportunity to

spend some time with their Hope friends (and bring some new friends along as well!!!)

Bible Verse: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Ephesians 1:3

Tuesday, July 7th from 6:00-7:30pm CHAOS/HSYG Outdoor Scavenger Hunt at Hope!!! Come to the church and be prepared to search! We will break up into teams, have a set time to hunt, and crown some winners! This is going to be fun….bring a friend or two to search with you!!! Thursday, July 9th from 6:00-7:00pm Kidz Klub and M&M’s Music with Mr. Chase!! What a special evening we have planned for you all! Please come to the church where we will spend some time getting to know Mr. Chase while he shares some of his awesome musical talents with us! Monday, July 13th from 12noon-2:00pm Kidz Klub and M&M’s Day at Fun Fore All Let’s meet at Fun Fore All in Cranberry for an afternoon of FUN!!! We’ll share lunch together and play lots of games! Maybe a round of miniature golf, too? It will be a super fun day together! Cost is $20 per student. Siblings and parents are welcome, but please sign-up on the website for everyone who will be attending!!! Wednesday, July 15th from 10:00am-11:00am Little Lambs Game Day!!! Calling all preschool friends! This morning is just for you! Come to Hope Church for Game Day!!! We will be outside (weather permitting!) for so much fun!!! Bring your parent to share in the fun with you! Siblings are welcome to attend, too! (Please make sure that you sign-up for everyone from your family who will be attending!) Wednesday, July 22nd from 8:15am-1:00pm CHAOS and HSYG Mission Day at Light of Life I am so excited that we are going to spend time with this special mission project. Light of Life was one of the locations for our Stay at Home Mission Trip, so this is super cool that we still can have this opportunity to volunteer. Please wear closed toed shoes and be at Hope by 8:15am. We will travel down to Pittsburgh together. We will be volunteering in their sorting center from 9:00am until 12noon. Please wear lightweight clothes (the building is not air conditioned!) and bring a lunch…we will have coolers to store them in. Please also bring a refillable water bottle. After our time in the sorting center, we will find a spot in the shade to enjoy our lunches and talk about our time of volunteering together. *A release form is required to be filled out prior to attending Light of Life day trip. You can find this form on the website under “Forms”. Friday, July 24th at 8:45pm Drive-in Movie Theater at Hope!!! It’s back!!! We had such a great time last month that we decided to bring it back again this month!!! Everyone is welcome to come to Hope Church, park your car in the back of the parking lot, then find a space for your family to watch the movie! Bring chairs, blankets, snacks….we will provide the movie and sidewalk chalk to mark your space (and to make it fancy, of course!!!) Tuesday, July 28th from 6:00pm-7:00pm Kidz Klub and M&M’s Outdoor Scavenger Hunt at Hope! Come to the church and be prepared to search for all kinds of stuff! We will have different teams searching all over Hope’s lawn and outside area! Bring a friend to share in the search!

More on next page...

YOUTH / STEWARDSHIP 5

What is Stewardship?

When you think of Stewardship, what comes to mind? Is it about Money and our Annual Pledge Appeal? Well that is certainly a part of what we do as a Congregation to formalize our commitment. It does encourage all of us to think about how we give back to God for what has been entrusted to us. And it provides discipline to having a gauge for the resources we will have to operate our church as a Body of Christ.

What else is Stewardship about? Could it be about Love? Stewardship is a response to the Love that God first showed to us, and the response we make to that Love through giving back to him. We hear about Time, Talent and Treasures, and it is about all of those. Time – how we use our time each day to give something back or help our neighbor, and there are many simple ways to do that; Talents – God gave us those and would like us to use them; Treasures – God entrusts us to be faithful and responsible in how we use our money.

Another way we can think about Stewardship is “Directionally” – Down, In and Out:

Down – We start with how God came down to us. All began with God from the formation of human-kind as described in Genesis. We are really “receivers” and not givers, and simply (or not so simply) steward the resources God has given to us.

In – Here we look at everything God has entrusted to our care. Take account of all we have and consider how we use our time. Think about the talents God gave us, how each of us are unique and how we purposefully put our talents into action.

Out – Now that we’ve taken stock of what God gave us, we continue the practice of Stewardship by loving our neighbors both near and far. It is putting what God entrusted to us into action. This might be through supporting someone that lives in another country through contributions or by picking up a friend or someone we don’t know who is down and out.

Let’s take this next year to consider reforming the way we think of Stewardship.

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”

– when you now have it with you.

Proverbs 3:27-28.

Wednesday, July 30th from 9:15am-3:00pm CHAOS and HSYG Day at Lutherlyn!!! That’s right friends….we are headed to camp for the day!!! We’ll meet at the church at 9:15…..be prepared and dressed to work and play for the day! Lutherlyn will be providing lunch…please let me know if you have any food allergies (and will not be able to eat the lunch provided.) I will also provide an afternoon snack! Please bring a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, and tennis shoes, too! I hope to see you at lots of events this summer! We are so excited to be back together again, and we will

maintain social distancing and make our very best effort to keep everyone safe! If you have any questions about any event, please don’t hesitate to call me or send me an email.

Blessings,

Ms. Jill