WORSHIP DURING the month OF AUGUST will begin at 9:30 AM with Communion every Sunday. Pew Communion will be celebrated the 1st Sundays of July and August, and communion by intinction will be celebrated the other Sundays. Miss Barbara will provide nursery care throughout the summer months in room #4 for children 6 years and under.   

       The summer months at Hope give us the opportunity to try new and different modes of worship. We rearrange the furniture not only because lighter attendance allows us to do so, but also to remind us that God is still speaking and moving among us, calling us out of our ruts and rigid ways. We celebrate communion every Sunday not only to offer the sacrament to those who travel and may miss it otherwise, but also because our biblical forbearers of the faith always celebrated communion whenever they gathered together. May god bless our summer worship.

   
AFTER WORSHIP on august 21 Pastor Ragan will offer an informal gathering with members from Faith UCC and anyone else who is visiting to find out more about Hope Church. Listen for the announcement during fellowship time.

THE OFFERING TODAY and every Sunday until the relationship between Faith and Hope is settled, will go to the respective churches of Hope and Faith, according to the offering envelopes. If you are making an offering for Faith church and do not have your church offering envelope, please use one of the envelopes in the seat back and mark it clearly for Faith UCC.

HELP US SAVE TREES by recycling the July and August worship bulletins. At the end of the service, you are invited to return the worship service portion of your bulletin to be reused for the month. Please remember to remove this announcement insert to take along home with you.

CHURCH SUMMER OFFICE HOURS: Beginning Tuesday, June 21, the Church Office will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. These hours will continue through the month of August. While the hours will be shortened, daily checks of the answering machine will be made in the late afternoon. Please feel free to leave a message, and, in the case of a pastoral emergency, you may call Pastor Ragan on his cell phone at 484-860-4108.

The confirmation program for 2011-2012  is open to all those youth of Hope who are entering eighth grade in the fall. The program will run from September 11, 2011 through June 3, 2012. If you are interested in the program, please contact the church office (610-439-8118). An organizational meeting for parents and confirmands will take place on Sunday, September 11 at 7:00 PM in the Resource room. The confirmands will be paired with mentors who will guide them through the program, and show them what it means to be an adult member of the church and a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you are interested in being a mentor, please contact Pastor Ragan.Where is Jesus in our 21^st Century society?

BIBLE STUDY: If this is a question you have been asking yourself the last couple of months, come to the monthly Bible Study here at Hope Church. Our September meeting date will be September 12, 2011. Our normal meeting date is the first Monday of each month at 6:30PM to 8PM. Our current Study is “Jesus for the 21st Century” which is a Lancaster Theological Seminary Adult Education Series. If you have any questions or would like a copy of our study, please see Beth Sikorsky, Director of Christian Education.

COME JOIN US!  In our desire for good food, fun, fellowship and an opportunity to support recent immigrants who have created a new business, the Hope Church Peace & Justice team will be eating together at a Mexican restaurant, El Cactus Cocina, located at Whitehall Square, 2180 MacArthur Rd. in Whitehall. Join us on Friday, September 16 at 6:00 PM for good food, very reasonably priced. There is a sign up sheet on the cube.

HOPE CHURCH PRAYER CHAIN: Does anyone know of anyone who could use some Tender, Loving, Care? Is there anyone you would like our Hope Church family to pray for? Please contact Barbara Kindt at 610-435-2498 or email her at z4gehnel@verizon.net. Barbara will then pass the message for prayers down the Calling Chain, and the members of the Caring Committee will pray for those who would like prayers. These prayers in turn will be added to the Prayer Request List so that the whole congregation knows about what your concerns are. I believe that God will heal us in some way, whether it be spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, or in whatever way God chooses to heal us. Sometimes it takes awhile, but I believe that God hears all of our prayers. To be sure names are spelled correctly, please spell out names and be sure to let Miss Barbara know how to spell your own name. Thank you! Jackie Billy 

WELCOME TO FALL GOURMET! Saturday, September 10, 2011 @ 6: PM Everyone is welcome to join us for the 2011 - 2012 gourmet adventure. Don't feel intimidated if you're not a gourmet cook. Our recipes are straight forward and you can also purchase whatever you are bringing at the grocery store. This season kick off will include Appetizer - mushroom and stilton galette, entrée - salad Nicoise, bread - purchased French bread, dessert - Pear frangipani tart. Sounds great! Sign up sheet will be posted on the cube. This would be a great opportunity for Faith and Hope members to spend an evening together for some witty repartee. Please sign up by August 28th; menus will be handed out on September 4th.

CHURCH SCHOOL: There are just FOUR (4) weeks left until a new Program Year begins at Hope Church. On September 11, 2011 another program year begins with the traditional Kick-Off Breakfast. After the breakfast there will be teacher introductions. Please see the cube to sign up for items to bring for a wonderful and delicious breakfast.

ALLENTOWN RESCUE MISSION FOR AUGUST:  40- and 60-watt light bulbs and AA, C, and D batteries. The items may be placed in the receptacle provided in the Narthex.