Connect with Hope

This weekend brings a number of activities and inspiring events to Hope. Here’s what’s coming up:

New sermon series for worship – “Rocky.”
Pastor Mike kicks it off this weekend. Learn more about Simon Peter, the disciple (“the rock”) who Jesus tasked with building his church. Worship times are Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday at 8:00 am (Traditional Communion) and 9:15 and 11:00 am and 5:00 pm for Celebration Services.

Friday – Concert to honor America
Homeland: A Tribute to America. This is a free concert at 7:30 pm in the Chapel to celebrate the U.S. and those who help maintain our freedoms.

Saturday – Hope Writers’ Conference and The Ed Thomas Story
- You can walk in and still attend the Hope Writers’ Conference from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Just show up at 8:30 am to get registered. Cost is now $45 but there’s a deep and varied slate of speakers and topics being discussed. Go here for details.

- “Sacred Acre – The Ed Thomas Story.” This 7:00 pm event is free and open to the public. Spend an evening listening to the family of Ed Thomas and author Mark Tabb. Ed Thomas was the high school football coach in Parkersburg, Iowa, who helped lead the community to recovery after a devastating and deadly tornado in 2008. He was tragically gunned down in 2009. The story doesn’t end there.

Saturday -Sunday – Meals from the Heartland special offering, activities
There will be a team packaging meals in the Atrium to show how this effort is simple but yet so needed to feed hungry people around the world. Meals is taking place with other area organizations Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Hy-Vee Hall. Hope will hold a special offering to benefit this worthwhile mission. Stop by the Mission Center to sign up to help as an event host or learn more.

By Mike Housholder
Senior Pastor

Most of Jesus’ disciples fished for a living. They were not temple priests, religious leaders, or teachers of Scripture. They were fishermen – a fun part-time hobby for some of us, but a difficult, demanding and dangerous occupation for them.

Fishermen in Jesus’ day labored hard, battled the elements, and put in long hours. They were not rich or educated, and they didn’t necessarily have a stellar reputation in the community. Fishermen tended to be tough and colorful personalities, without a lot of polish.

One fisherman/disciple in particular stands out in the stories of the New Testament more than the rest. Simon was a loud, blunt and passionate man with a zest for life. He dared to speak when  others shied away. Sometimes his words were surprisingly wise and visionary. Sometimes they were ignorant and counter-productive.

Yet Jesus chose him … and many of Simon’s fellow fishermen to be a part of his small group of 12 disciples.

Ever wonder why?

Starting this weekend – Aug. 20-21 – at Hope, I’ll be preaching a new series of sermons called “Rocky.” It is all about the fascinating and rather wild adventures of this fisherman named Simon, who Jesus called to lead his church. We’ll go “behind the scenes” and take a closer look at Simon’s adventures, and along the way we will frequently
ponder the call to a more complete and colorful life that God has in mind for each of us, too.

Let’s go fishing ….

Pastor Mike Housholder

By Merv Thompson
Teaching Pastor

All who have been around Lutheran Church of Hope for going on three and one half years or more will immediately remember the unbelievable well project, which took place in the spring of 2008.  Pastor Mike and the leaders of the congregation introduced the idea of funding wells in the African nation of Ghana, wells which could bring fresh water, and indeed, living water to the people of this desperately poor country.

A finished well in a village in Ghana. Pastor Pat was on a trip there earlier this year on the wells project.

At the time the campaign was introduced, a rather audacious goal of seven wells was projected. Seven wells at $8,000 each, for a total of $56,000.  No one was quite sure that such a miracle goal could be reached; after all, Lent is only 40 days long. But as so often is the case, it was a God thing. Seven wells soon turned into 17 and then 30 and 50 and, finall,y when all was said and done (much more done than said), 71 wells were funded.  This meant that 71 villages in Ghana would have fresh water for the very first time, revolutionizing the health and
well-being of the entire village. Continue Reading…

By Mark Brandt
Minister for Children and Student Ministry

Read any good books lately? I have a confession. I am a HUGE Clive Cussler fan. His books are easy reads, and he has fun characters. They aren’t particularly challenging, but they pass the time well. I know you might be saying, but that isn’t a Christian book. Don’t  worry… I picked up a book by Erwin McManus at the Leadership Summit on Thursday to sharpen my skills for ministry. Cussler is like fried food … every once in  a while you just have to eat deep fried butter on a stick.

Throughout this sermon series we have been hearing “Hope Stories” about people who have encountered God through being involved at Hope.

The stories have been great! If we aren’t careful, we might think, “my story isn’t  as good as that one …” or “I wish I had that story …” or even worse, “I don’t  really even think I have a story.” If your response is any of these or something  similar, you might be wondering: Where are you God in my story? Where is it written that you have to have certain prescribed events in order for your story  to be “approved” by God? Too many people base their level of faith on an interpretation of their story compared to someone else’s. As if to have faith, you have to go through something traumatic or earth-shattering to “wake you up.”

Today
The early registration cost of $35 for the Hope Writers’ Conference ends today. But you can still register after today for $45. See the schedule for  Saturday’s event and details of speakers and register here.

- Hope Orchestra practices tonight and every Monday at 6:30. This group is  open to high students and adults. If you want to share your love of music in
singing, you can go to the Praise Choir rehearsal on Wednesday, Aug. 31, or the  Adoration Choir on Aug. 24. No auditions are required.

Thursday
- Community night at Hope includes: 5:30 pm dinner; The Landing (for teens  who are hurting and stressed), Celebrate Recovery (for those battling hangups  and bad habits) and GraceSpace healing prayer service; and 7:30 pm re:vive, a  worship community for young adults.

- Five Wishes is held the third Thursday of every month. It is a class that  addressed how you or family members would like to be cared for in case of a  serious illness.

- Thursday Night Singles meets at a new time, 6:00 pm, and is studying “Crazy  Love.”

Friday
Homeland: A Celebration of America concert. The Choralaires visit Hope and bring music saluting the U.S. The concert is at 7:30 pm. This is free and open to the public.

Saturday
- Hope Writers’ Conference is from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. See details here.

- “The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story.” Spend an evening with the Ed Thomas  family and author Mark Tabb. Ed Thomas was the Parkersburg High School football coach who became a community leader after a tornado devastated the city in 2008. He was tragically gunned down  by a former troubled player in 2009. But the story doesn’t end there.

Sunday
- New sermon series begins – Rocky. The first sermon in this series is “Rocky  I: Fisher(of)men.”

- Hope Johnston Grimes team meeting at 6:30-8:30 pm, The Well. It’s not too late to get involved to launch this satellite campus. Its start is only weeks away.

Special Congregational Meeting

Sunday, Aug. 14, 12:15 pm, (following the 11:00 am service), The Bridge

Purpose: To call Grant and Nicole Woodley to serve as associate pastors at Hope.

The Woodleys would serve primarily in the areas of pastoral care, teaching and preaching at Hope West Des Moines. Nicole would serve full time and Grant would serve part-time. The couple served as intern pastors at Hope from 2007-2008 and were a vital part of the Hope community then.

Because of changes in Hope’s pastoral team this year with Pastor Molly’s departure and the continued growth the church is experiencing, Hope has an opportunity to call both Grant and Nicole.

Grant, originally from Clarion, and Nicole, originally from Newton, met while attending Simpson College in Indianola. After graduating in 2002, the couple moved to Durham, N.C., to attend Duke University. They have served as interns in Methodist churches in urban and rural areas and have ministered in hospitals and non-profit organizations. They completed studies at Luther Seminary.

Since serving at Hope, Grant has been associate pastor at St. Peter Lutheran in Grimes while the couple has lived out their call as foster and adoptive parents. They have three children, Dietrich (4), Samuel (3), and Junia (2).

By Pastor Caroline Boehnke-Becker
Hope Teaching Pastor

Whether or not you like Harry Potter, you have to be impressed by the fact JK Rowling’s books have been translated into more languages than the complete works of Shakespeare have been. And no one can deny both Rowling and Shakespeare are consummate storytellers.

So whether you prefer the musings of Dumbledore or those of Hamlet, we all love being drawn into a compelling narrative.

Which is why the “Hope Stories” sermon series are recurring favorites. From stories about the twenty-somethings in Des Moines (whose dilemmas are not confined to young adults or to those who live in our city) to the stories about people confronting their hurts, habits, and hang-ups (which we all have) it is always good to learn – or be reminded – that God’s story is one to which we are all invited to discover and join.

This weekend, the stories continue. We’ll hear the stories of people who have experienced God’s story and their own intersecting through the Alpha Course.  We’ll find how the four movements of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving epitomize not only the story of Jesus, but also the stories coming out of Alpha.

So grab some coffee, pull up a chair, and let me tell you a story …

By Wendy Liskey
Missions Ministry

Hope’s focus for 2011 is on missions – “Hope 4 the World.” Here’s a summary of how God has worked through the church – that means you — this year:

13 trips – the number of mission trips completed through July
331 people – the number of short-term missionaries Hope has sent across the globe through July
13 months – age of the youngest ever mission trip participant
8 years – the amount of time Hope has sent teams to Mission Jamaica and Mission Appalachia (the longest-running mission trips)
136 people – the number of people who participated in Spring Break family mission trips (the largest number ever)
37 pantries – the number of local food pantries who benefited from February’s Souper Bowl Food Drive
500 people – the number of people who volunteered during the Souper Bowl Food Drive
120,000 pounds – the amount of food donated during the Souper Bowl Food Drive
250 people – the number of Hopesters who volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity Rock the Block event in May
136 people – the number of Hopesters who participated in the 2011 AIDS Walk/Run in April (84 of those ran the 5k race)
800+ items – the number of personal hygiene products donated during the May collection
11 agencies – the number of local agencies who received the hygiene drive donations
$570,000 – amount donated to the Water for Life effort during Lent to provide clean water to wells in Ghana, Africa
71 wells – the number of wells that will be drilled as a result of the Water for Life effort
$21,000 – amount donated to the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund for the tornado victims in the U.S.
3,240 sandwiches – number sent out through July in weekly lunches prepared by the Shelter Sandwich Team for delivery to homeless shelters in Des Moines
58 – Number of high school students who participated in the 30-Hour Famine in April to raise $3,344.88 and awareness of the AIDS epidemic (sponsored by World Vision)
3 – Number of months of the Summer of Love when hundreds of Hopesters went out as individuals, families, small groups and groups of friends to really serve the community.

Here’s a Summer of Love story shared by Krisanne Myers about how her family is reaching out to share God’s love.

She writes:

“We have had an awesome summer so far. Our family went on Mission Navajo for the second time this year and had a great time reconnecting with friends we made down there.  We helped put on a roof, built a fire pit, built a playground, and put on VBS at the churches. It was awesome to see all the kids who would not even stand up to sing on the first day of VBS dancing and singing to God at the front of church on the last day of VBS.

Back here in Iowa we have provided lunches for the kids at Freedom for Youth. We participated in the teen fair they had there and look forward to getting more involved in that ministry.

I had a great time being a shepherd at VBS and my husband and I  had a great time driving the Hopemobiles around for Taste of Hope! We are going to volunteer to do that more because it was just fun driving those little cars around.

We are so excited to be able to do all these things and share the experiences with our kids, teaching them that it is all about helping others.  We are so happy to
be involved in a church that is reaching out locally and around the world,  it is wonderful to be a part of spreading and sharing God’s love.

We hope your week is off to a good start, Hope. Here are some things happening at the church this week:

Monday
- Hope@Work, a group for those who are unemployed, underemployed or wanting a change professionally, now meets at 6:00 pm.
- Gluten-free Newbies, a support and information group for those in the first year of going gluten-free in their diets, meets at 7:00 pm.

Tuesday
- Hope Johnston-Grimes ministry teams meet at 6:30 pm. It’s not too late to still get involved if you want to help launch this satellite church in the fall.

Wednesday
- Craze. See the big image for details.

Thursday
- The Global Leadership Summit is live via satellite from Willow Creek Community Church. It is 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and features noted Christian leaders. This is for anyone who volunteers or feels called to be a servant leader. Cost is $105. Use Hope discount code 2011summit. Register here.
- Thursday nights at Hope include the following (52 weeks out of the year):
5:30 pm: Dinner
6:30 pm: Celebrate Recovery (for those hurting or with hang-ups and stresses), The Landing (for teens), GraceSpace healing prayer service (for all ages)
7:30 pm: re:vive (worship community for young adults)

Friday
- The Global Leadership Summit is live via satellite from Willow Creek Community Church. It is 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and features noted Christian leaders.

Saturday
- Singles Movie Night for single adults of all ages is at 6:30 pm.