Worship This Sunday

Now (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment. When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God." Luke 13:10-13

Jesus' healing of the bent over woman on the sabbath caused quite a fuss that day. The sight of her in this condition moved him, and he stopped what he was doing and freed her. An angered synagogue leader yelled, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days to be cured." Join us on Sunday to hear more about Jesus' liberating act of love.

See you on Sunday, August 25, from 3-6pm, for this year's Parking Lot Party! Celebrate with our congregation, our neighbors, and the congregations who share our building. There will be free food, live music, a bounce house, gaga ball, raffle prizes, face painting, games, crafts, giant obstacle course, slacklining, cake walk, and of course the ever-popular dunk tank - this year featuring pastors, City Council members, School Board members, and more! Invite all your friends and neighbors! Contact Pastor Ben at [email protected] with questions.

Calling all cake bakers! We'd love a few more cakes for the Parking Lot Party Cake Walk on Sunday, August 25. Bake your favorite cake and drop it off on Sunday morning in the office conference room or bring it with you when you come to the party at 3pm that Sunday. Please bring it in a box or pan that does not need to be returned and indicate if your cake contains nuts or is gluten-free. The more cakes we have the more rounds we can play! Contact Cara Wright at 612-866-8471 / [email protected] with questions. 

Each year at the Parking Lot Party we have various baskets that are raffled off to attendees. The raffle tickets are free, and are drawn throughout the afternoon to announce the winners. It is a very popular part of the Parking Lot Party, and the baskets are amazing! We need your help to donate items to create these baskets. Some ideas that have been popular in past years include; baking baskets, holiday baskets (Halloween, Christmas, etc.), art baskets, craft baskets, baby baskets, back to school baskets; the possibilities are endless! The best part is that many of these items can be found at the Dollar Tree! We will gladly accept cash donations as well to offset the cost of the baskets. Please bring your completed basket to the Parking Lot Party by 3pm on Sunday, August 25. Contact Jill Larson at [email protected] or Gretchen Swenson at [email protected] for more information.

The HOP Fantasy Football League is about to begin again. The live draft will be Tues., Sept 2, at 6:30 pm in the conference room. The league is a free and friendly league and is open to players of all levels of experience. Contact Pastor Ben  [email protected] if you would like to play!

Pastor Ben is leading a bible study on 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians on Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm through September 4. This study will focus on the historical, theological, and ethical issues surrounding the people of Corinth and how to apply it for life today. Contact Pastor Ben at  [email protected] with questions.

Wednesday Night Simple Suppers are starting Sept.11th. Our Simple Supper Coordinator, DuAnn Thompson and her team of dedicated volunteers, are already planning their tasty menus, sure to delight your palette! On Sept 11th, there will be mini sliders (ham and cheese and burgers), broccoli salad, tater tots, brownies, cookies, and beverages. Plan on joining us each Wednesday night in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 for food, fellowship, and fun! Contact DuAnn at [email protected] if you would like to help serve.

September 8th and 11th are when we restart weekly Sunday School and Youth Group and we hope you join us! All children age 4 to 12th grade are encouraged to come be part of what God is doing in and through our youth. You can sign up online at www.hoplc.org or talk to Ben Whalen ( [email protected] or 612-500-9523) to get a paper registration form. Ben is also happy to answer any questions you might have about our programs.

House of Prayer Preschool opens September 10th! We are looking for any donations of the following: Crayola Colored Pencils, glue sticks, gallon size Ziplock bags, applesauce cups or squeezes, raisins, veggie straw snacks, graham crackers, and Target or Dollar Store gift cards. Please drop off your donation in the church office. Thank you! Contact Nicole Olson at [email protected] with questions.

On September 9th, 2019, registration starts for House of Prayer's Citizenship Class Fall Session. Students and tutors will spent 10 weeks studying for the United States Citizenship Test and Interview.  Classes will be on Monday nights from 6:30-8:00pm.  The Class is open to anyone who is interested in preparing for their Citizenship Test.  We also have opportunities for those interested in being a tutor for a student studying for their test.  If you are interested please contact Paula Hall 612-413-1214 or Heidi Thomas 612-865-1230.

The HOP Foundation will meet on Monday, October 14th at 7:10 pm to discuss business and review funding requests. At the end of July 2019, the Foundation had total assets of around $600,000. We will be discussing funding requests at this meeting. If you'd like to make a request, CLICK HERE for the funding request form. The HOP Foundation meets quarterly the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:10pm (January, April, July, October) and takes funding requests at the April and October meetings. Current board members are: Ernie Lindstrom, Charles Hatfield, Jill Johnson, Steve Pierson, Charles Robbins, Sandy Williams, Zack Olson and Scott Wright. 

Thursday; September 12, 2019
9:00 am; HOP Fellowship Hall
All brothers and sisters are invited for fellowship - devotion, speaker, meet, greet, chit-chat, and refreshments. Speaker- Minister Deanna Bassett - Life Story History and More. She will share comments and reflections on her life story and history, Christian ministry, and ELCA experiences. She will include her collaborative ministry experiences with the Richfield Churches - Oak Grove, Wood Lake, and House of Prayer. Thank you Deanna Bassett and God Bless you, and your ministry. Contact Noel Sagness at 612-866-0833 with questions.

Come one, come all to the first SALT event of the programming year on September 21, 2019 5:00pm in Woodlake's Fireside Room. We will have a potluck and games, as well as plan our events for the year. The group gets together about once a month for a social event or service project. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun! Please RSVP to Cheryl at 612-270-0371.

The Richfield Social Justice Community is sponsoring a donation drive to get school supplies to the students of Centennial Elementary. The full supply list is available on the school's website but all grades need things like: 24-packs of crayola crayons, dry-erase markers and whiteboard erasers, 24-packs of #2 pencils, solid color packet folders, and wide-ruled spiral notebooks (70 pages, not perforated). All donations can be brought to Local Roots Coffee Shop on 66th and Elliot Ave by September 22nd. Thank you in advance for supporting Richfield students!

The VEAP Collaboration Team, with a VEAP representative from each church - Oak Grove, House of Prayer, and Woodlake - asks you to bring diapers from now until the end of September. The diapers can be any size and quantity. If you would prefer they be purchased by others, please contribute with a check made out to House of Prayer and designate "VEAP Donate & Do" in the memo line.  We will pick a Saturday in October for volunteers to meet at the VEAP warehouse to repackage the diapers for distribution. During this repackaging, VEAP gives the volunteers a tour of their facilities so we can see the whole operation and how they serve our neighbors in need. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, so plan to bring your whole family. Thank you for your continued support of this awesome organization.

The back of our weekly attendance card gives you the opportunity to request prayers for yourself and/or someone else each week. Please check the "Prayer Chain" and/or "Staff Prayer Chain" on the prayer concerns side of the yellow "Welcome," card. If you are attending ReFuel worship please check the box on the green card under "How Can We Pray For You".  If you would like to be in the prayer chain email to pray for others please write your email address on the card and include "Add me to the Prayer Chain Email List." For ongoing prayer requests, please fill out a new card as prayer emails are updated each week.