March 2015 Elder Blog

The past week of warm sunny weather has been a welcome relief from a cold February. On the shore of Lake Michigan the first sign of spring is a weather forecast that includes “cooler by the lake” and we have had that. It is amazing how quickly the landscape has changed from snow covered and frozen to signs of new life. Tulips are peaking out of the ground on the south side of our house, the geese are paired up and migratory birds such as Red Wing Blackbirds have returned.

With Pastor John’s announcement that he will be retiring at the end of the year, Hope Church is facing a big change. The selection of a new senior pastor is a major undertaking that will have lasting impact on our church. The pastoral search committee has been reformed and will be led by Brian LaLiberte. Over the next few months the PSC will be working to identify our churches strengths and weaknesses to help determine what characteristics we need in our next senior pastor. The first step was the survey in last Sunday’s bulletin. Most importantly you have been called to unite in daily prayer at 8:15AM or 8:15PM as we seek God’s will for Hope Church, ask for his guidance of the PSC and pray for our next senior pastor.

Also every Sunday morning about 20 people gather in the adult classroom from 8:15-8:40 to pray for the morning service, needs of Hope Church and community as well as each other. If you are not used to praying this can be a bit intimidating but there is no requirement that you pray out loud and it is a great chance to experience different styles of prayer. The only way to become more comfortable at praying is by practicing. Hopefully you will join us at one or both of these times.

Sincerely

Mike Bauman Elder

December 2014 Elder Blog

Do you feel broken right now?  Have you ever felt that way?  As elders, we recently

considered this concept as we discussed themes for updating Hope’s mission statement.

It has been awhile since we revisited our prior mission statement of “Reaching the

Lakeshore area and the world to become fully alive in Christ.”  As a result, the pastors

and elders have been working on ideas for a revised statement that better reflects our

focus at Hope.  After a lot of prayer and consideration, we are happy to present you our

updated mission statement:

Hope Church:

“Broken people being made whole through Christ.”

Scripture teaches us that because of our sinful nature, we are all broken and have fallen

away from God’s holiness.  Even if we don’t always feel broken we always need God’s

grace and restoration in order to achieve what God created us to do-glorify Him above

all.  At Hope, we consider it our mission to help everyone through this process by using

Christ as our great example.  As Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that they may

have life, and have it to the full.”  It is a process for sure, and one that will continue for

the rest of our lives.  Community, teaching, worship, and prayer with other believers are

great tools as we work through this process, and at Hope we consider it our mission to

provide God’s children with those tools.

There is a lot going on at Hope to achieve this mission.  Please give prayerful

consideration to what you need to take the next step in being made whole, and we pray

that we can help you with this journey.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “ May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and

through.  May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ.”

Scott Voskuil, elder

September 2014 Elder Blog

Dear Hope Church,

I love the onset of the fall season. It helps me appreciate how God designs things and how he colorfully changes the landscape! It's a wonderful picture in nature that represents the beauty that our Lord brings to things in its due time. With that in mind I was just thinking through and thanking God for all that he has done and is now doing in our church. Wasn't baptism Sunday just amazing! I'm so proud of all of you brave ones for showing the world that you have decided to follow Jesus! It was a treat for all of us to watch our four pastors out there in the water having a blast helping those under their care take a great step in faith. Thanks for reminding the rest of us that we all need to continue demonstrating to the world our love and obedience for Jesus.

And how about our very special senior pastor John Aitken and his most amazing wife May!  They have been faithfully shepherding at Hope Church for over 16 years, and now we are so blessed to able to send them on a well-deserved sabbatical rest. With a strong staff and ministry team in place and a full line up of great classes (Family Night, The Marriage Course, Financial Peace, Alpha Courses), small groups (Behold Your God), and youth programs (Inspiration Island, Wired / Amped), it’s easy to see that there’s a lot of momentum being generated in our local church. I ask you to pray expectantly, that in all these things Jesus would be at the forefront as the Holy Spirit develops great beauty in the lives of the people we minister to and serve for the glory of our Father God! So if that sounds like a lot of stuff then hold on to your socks! Because I can hardly imagine all that God has in store for us when PJ returns in November all supercharged, excited, and ready to go!

Your Elder,
Gary Siegfried (Ziggy)

July 2014 Elder Blog

InDependence Day

On behalf of the Elder team, we hope that you had a great Independence Day! Can you imagine what it would have required of you to join the United States Army back in the late 1700’s, and risk everything in order to “possibly” become free from the rule of an overseas king?  If you were father, husband, and dad, and had a farm, how were things to go if you did not come back?  If you were his wife, how would you view your husband’s decision to serve? 

Having read up on a number of wars, and being a veteran, what really interests me  is that there are (and always have been) veterans who have lifestyles that we might not approve of, who may not have served for all the best reasons, BUT who ended up doing more than their share to keep our country intact.  My feeling is that should we ever run into an active-duty member or veteran (and they don’t appear how we might like), I think the goal is to see them as Jesus saw the woman at the well— someone that God wants in His Kingdom— and to thank them for their service.   They matter.  We all do.

Pastor Jed and I have been teamed up to do Pastor / Elder visits.  How wonderful it has been.  One of the things we have heard from folks is the idea that should Hope get more involved with you, or less (we tend to be at “less” currently).  Having been a minister’s son, I can tell you first hand that I like “less.”  This is not to say that we will stay this way, this is my having seen what churches who are more involved sometimes do.  Example: [Phone call] “Hello, you were not in church today, is there a  reason for your absence?” 

I am also aware of church-goers who would try to manipulate such churches by not attending and then having a complaint session ready when the church representative would call.

Does hearing about this make you ill, as it does me?  I am very thankful that Hope does not try to guilt us into being here. We are all volunteers, and “Yes! you have independence at Hope!”  . . . or do you?

Well . . . God does not want our independence from Him.  He wants our Dependence on Him and on His Word.  He wants us to acknowledge His Son and His sacrifice for our sins.  He would like us to choose to come to one of His houses of worship and really worship Him.  He would like us to praise Him for His blessings, even those that the world would term “bad.”  He would like us to serve Him and to grow the Kingdom of Heaven.  He would like us to know that we need not be great in money, status, or anything else, to do the work.  He knows that we are wonderfully made (and in His own image) and well equipped.  We just need a little faith in the form of our Dependence on Him to see us through this thing we call life.                                             

                                                     Tad Nelson, Elder

April 2014 Elder Blog

I’m always encouraged by spending time together in small group and wanted to take this opportunity to share a few of our realizations from the recent church-wide study, A Place at the Table.  This particular study reminded me how very blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for.  We certainly have plenty to fast from, whether it be dietary, digital, media, etc.  I hope for you, reducing some of this excess has been challenging and rewarding in the sense of having a more simple and clear vision as to what is important in your life.  When we really think about all that we have, it makes me wonder if our instant access and abundance of food, water and other conveniences are really are a blessing to us--or is it a distraction that consumes us and takes us away from dealing with what really matters.  

Giving up some of our excess was a challenge in itself, but as a small group we found that it is what we do with that sacrifice that makes an even bigger impact.  Hopefully you had a chance to put your excess to good use.  Maybe that meant offering excess food to someone in need or offering your excess time away from television to prayer instead.  Let’s practice how to “live lean” in order to take ground for God and deepen in our faith.  

Small groups are a great way to help each other work through challenging topics and challenging times while allowing us to grow closer together and closer to God.   I’m encouraged with the commitment you have shown in taking the time to do life together in small groups.  At Hope Church we want you to be connected and we plan to make small groups an accessible and convenient way to connect to others as well as to deepen your relationship with God.  Please let us know if there is a particular area of interest that you would like to spend time in small group study.  There may already be a group for you to tap into or there may be others waiting to make the same connection.  

Dave Portmann

Elder

November 2013 Elder Blog

In November we recognize that we have much to be thankful for. We just celebrated Veterans Day remembering the men and women who gave up much to protect the incredible freedoms that we enjoy. We go to church without any fear of persecution. Soon we will observe Thanksgiving, celebrating the incredible wealth that this country enjoys. But these observances last just a single day and are quickly forgotten.

Personally I have much to be thankful for: As a son I am thankful for the example my parents continue to set. As a husband I am thankful for my beautiful loving wife. As a parent I am thankful for the blessing my children have been.  As an Elder I am thankful for the men on the elder board who have humbly accepted the responsibility of serving God’s church and count the time spent with them as a blessing.

 As a Church we have much to be thankful for: The privilege of supporting missions in Guatemala, Ecuador and India, a dedicated pastoral staff that is faithful to the scriptures, vibrant Sunday school and youth programs as well as the many volunteers that make Sunday service and other programs possible. Yet our greatest joy is that through the grace of Christ we can be called sons and daughters of the living God.

A great opportunity to give thanks with fellow believers is the Prayers of Hope meeting Sunday mornings from 8:15 to 8:40 in the adult classroom. It is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for worship at the morning service. There is no requirement to pray out loud and the only way we become better at praying is by practicing. Each week there is a card with suggested prayer topics. I hope to see you there soon.

Please keep the Pastoral Search Committee and our future associate pastor in your prayers.

Yours in Christ

Mike Bauman - Elder

October 2013 Elder Blog

I spied the leaf-raker. Organized, yet gentle; hardworking, yet at peace; diligent, yet  introspective: Totally in communion with God and the beauty of His sanctuary. The sight made me want to rake them in, too. There were many different colors and varieties. It did not matter, just to be in communion with God while raking them in:  imperfect, yet beautiful... wonderfully made. Oh, to be a leaf-raker, too.

I wrote this based on how leaf-raking has helped me become closest to God throughout my life.  Sadly, I have often hurt my back in doing so, using my back to rake  after my legs and arms have become exhausted.  I now mow our leaves into the mower bag instead, while finding other projects to do outside that allow me to be in God's theater where it becomes very easy to carry out the first commandment. 

Fortunately, our Father did not create us to go dormant. In fact, now is a good time to help grow our church. Can you volunteer to do one or two things (your choice) for Hope Church, if you have not already?  If you feel  somehow inadequate, does that make you any different than the fishermen, among others, that Jesus chose to bring the Gospel to the entire world?  He could have looked to the wealthy, the priesthood, and business owners. Instead, he chose those who knew they were inadequate, were sinners, and thus were humble and grateful.  Therefore, we at Hope, will gladly find a place for you —who are created in His image — to serve.  Talk to an elder, an usher, a pastor, staff member or your "neighbor" in church.

Getting back to Fall, Hope has beautiful grounds. Talk to Bo  if you would like to volunteer to help with a project or perhaps claim a spot to care-take.  I walked some of our extensive grounds recently.  How beautiful!  Come here and take a walk some evening.  I saw a whitetail deer jump into the cornfield.  And how about our own "field of dreams" - our volleyball courts! 

Please pray for our pastoral search committee, Elder board, and staff, that God leads them all to who He wants for us. We know that He has someone for us.  Please pray to God,  in the name of Jesus (the Christ), and through the Holy Spirit.  We will then not fail.

Pastor John and team are back from Ecuador, and PJ is  in his usual good spirits.  Talk about a pastor who exemplifies  WWJD!  He reported to us that the mission ministry that Gary Waack started is wonderful and worthy.  A church has been built.  It is nothing to look at by our country's standards, but it is in place, is loved, and it brings Hope.  What a work Gary participated in!  What a welcome he must have received in God's kingdom.  

Remember that you matter.  Our goal is to fulfill the commandments— and that the first two are all that we really need to know (Mark 12:30-31). 

We have a relationship with God through Jesus, and He provides us with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of perfect communication with Him and with others.    

Tad Nelson, Elder