February 25, 2022

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

March 1^st, 2022 at 5:00pm at Hope Central Campus

It's time for our yearly Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner! The menu will include Pancakes with Maple Syrup (sugar free available), Sausage and Bacon, Warm Cinnamon Apples, and Assorted Desserts. Menu is subject to change.

Reservations will be taken for dining in only. Cost is $6 per person. No Take-outs. Please note that there will be no dinner on Ash Wednesday, March 2^nd.



You may register online using the button below or in person at the church office prior to 12:00pm on Monday, February 28^th. Reservations are not available by telephone.

Ash Wednesday Worship at Hope Lutheran Church

Hope will offer two Ash Wednesday services on March 2^nd at Hope Central Campus.

Join us at 11:00am or 6:00pm to receive ashes and partake in the first of our Easter season services.

Lenten Midweek Services & Soup Suppers Begin March 9^th

After Ash Wednesday, we will begin our season of Lenten Midweek Services. Join us on March 9^th at 6:00pm at Hope Central Campus for the first of these special services.

Lenten Midweek Services are a touching way to center your observation of Lent. Join us for an evening of prayer and reflection every Wednesday throughout Lent.

After Easter, we will switch to Vespers every Wednesday evening at 6:00pm at Hope Central Campus.

During Lent, we will be enjoying our annual Soup & Sandwich meals during our weekly Social Suppers. The first of these suppers will be on March 9^th. You can register for these meals by visiting our website at hope4all.church/register. Please note - There will be no Social Suppers on March 2^nd.

Journey through Lent with your Hope family. Join us for a Soup & Sandwich meal and then stay for Lenten Midweek Services every Wednesday until Easter.

Tenebrae Singers Needed for Annual Easter Program

This April, we will once again convene the Combined Choirs of Hope. On the evening of Good Friday, we will mark the return of Hope Lutheran Church’s annual Tenebrae service.

“In Calvary’s Shadow” is a deeply moving service of penitence and forgiveness. It invites the faithful to experience Jesus’ journey from betrayal through crucifixion with a tightly woven tapestry of dramatic readings, vocal solos, congregational and choral hymns, all accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

We’d love for you to consider joining the choir, again, or for the first time. This solemn service will take place on Friday, April 15^th at 7:30pm.

We ask that interested singers do not call the church office to convey your participation. Digital competency with cloud-based file storage, downloading files, sending and receiving emails is a “must” for us to be able to accommodate everyone equally. Thanks for your understanding. 

The cut-off for RSVP-ing is Monday, March 7^th at 5:00pm. If you’d like to join us in this tradition, please email musicupdate@hope4all.church.

World Hunger Lenten Boxes Available Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday, our Lenten Boxes will be available for you to take home and use throughout Lent. This little box has a big impact on World Hunger by helping us raise money to benefit those suffering from food insecurity around the world.

Our ELCA World Hunger program makes food available to those who are hungry through our donations. Our Lenten Boxes serve as a reminder that hunger is an everyday occurance and you can help those in desperate need.

It's easy to get involved. Simply fill the Lenten box with money or a check during your Lenten journey. Please make checks payable to Hope Lutheran Church and include World Hunger on the memo line.

We will be collecting the boxes starting on Palm Sunday, April 10^th. Thank you for your participation.

Card Drive for Hope Member's Milestone Birthday

On March 20^th, Hope member Tom Langevin will turn 100 years old! We are excited to celebrate this special day with Tom and invite you to individually send him a Happy Birthday card.

Cards can be mailed directly to Tom's address:

Tom Langevin

900 Tamiami Trail S.

Venice, Fl 34285

Thank you for helping us make this birthday special for Tom!

Men of Hope Breakfast Prayer Meeting

Thursday, March 10^th at 8:00am

Please reserve your place online by Monday, March 7^th. Please also register a friend you are bringing.

Doors open at 7:45am. Breakfast is served at 8:00am. Donation is $7 at the door.

Winners of the 2022 Chili Cook-Off

The Hope community really came together for the First Annual Chili Cook-Off and Stuff the Truck event. It was a great evening of fellowship and included so many great chili recipes - mild, medium, and hot! Over 247 guest and volunteers came to support the event.

The Hope Lake Weir Campus Food Pantry trailer was full of food items and various other needed supplies. We thank you for your generous donations and we thank our competitors for their participation!

There are no losers when we all enjoyed delicious chili together, but here are the winners of the 2022 Chili Cook-Off:

Randi Brown - Mild 

Darlene Smith - Medium 

Jeff Dunfee - Spicy 

All of the Chili entries were wonderful, and it was a close vote. Thank you for sharing your homemade recipes with us.

We would especially like to thank the volunteers that made this event possible: The Kitchen Team, The CIA (Christians in Action), the Hope Lake Weir Campus Food Pantry, and of course, everyone who attended.

Stay tuned to your newsletters for our next big events!

Pinelands Conference WELCA Spring Gathering

March 19^th from 8:00am to 2:00pm - Hope Central Campus

All ladies are invited to the annual Pinelands Conference WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Spring Gathering on March 19^th from 8:00am to 2:00pm at Hope Lutheran Church Central Campus.

The Women of Hope will host 7 other regional ELCA churches for fellowship, worship, and sharing of information and ideas. The cost for this conference is $10.00 per person, which includes breakfast, lunch, materials, and a donation for the Synodical Women's Organization (SWO).  

Sozo Kids, a charity that supports the children living in the Ocala National Forest, has been selected as the Love Offering recipient for all WELCA Units in the whole Florida Bahamas Synod for 2022-23. Pastor Dave Houck, the CEO of Sozo Kids, will be the guest speaker at the WELCA Spring Gathering. He and his family reside and minister in the Ocala National Forest.

Ann Storan, the new SWO President, will bring us all up-to-date on the current projects and initiatives for our Synod's umbrella organization for WELCA Units.

Sign-in will begin at 8:00am on March 19^th. The conference will conclude with a communion worship service in the sanctuary. For more information, contact Annie Schaedel at annielou1113@gmail.com or (352) 259-8683. 

Come to learn more about Sozo Kids, who literally "live in our backyard," and to enjoy a day of fellowship and sharing with our sisters in Christ! Click on the button below to register today. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 9^th at noon.

Hope Singles Social Time

We are looking forward to beginning a "Singles Social Time" for members of Hope Lutheran Church. The purpose is for those who are interested in meeting together for fellowship, luncheons, breakfasts, games (such as bocci, shuffleboard, corn toss, etc.) at least once a month.

Interested? Want to share your ideas? Please contact Emilia Colageo at ecolageo@hotmail.com or (352) 399-6315.

H.O.P.E. University - Wednesdays at 10:00am

Pastor John LeCain will lead us on a Lenten educational series covering the Book of Acts and following Paul’s footsteps through some major historical sites. The class begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2^nd at 10:00am at Hope Central Campus.

Acts Odyssey, using the book written by Rene Schlaepfer, will retrace the journeys of the apostles as told in the Book of Acts. As he visits ancient sites in Israel, Greece, Italy and several Aegean Islands, Rene meets with archaeological experts - and encounters modern thieves, rioting mobs, and nests of serpents. His adventures are enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.

The special Lenten class will cover one chapter per week and will include videos. Books are necessary for class. No registration is required. To receive a physical book at no cost, please contact the church office at (352) 750-2321. You can also find the book available for purchase on your Amazon Kindle device. Simply search for ‘Acts Odyssey’ by Rene Schlaepfer.

On Our Own Snack Pack Ministry

Did You Know? On Our Own spent $3099 on Snack Packs in 2021. $1000 of this was received from Thrivent, thanks to several members of Hope earmarking their Thrivent grants to On Our Own.

If you qualify, you are entitled to two $250 grants per year to a charity of your choice. Please consider our Snack Pack program for this. These Snack Packs consist of 11-12 food items packed into a gallon size freezer bag (e.g. peanut butter, jelly, juice box, applesauce, raisins, etc.)

We give 80 of these packs per month to Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School for the teachers to distribute to needy children on Friday afternoons, so that they have some food to hold them over for the weekend. We also have a bin in the hallway at Hope if you would like to donate a few items to pack for the children. We are always grateful for any donations.

If you would like more information on the On Our Own ministry, please check the Hope website under Outreach & Fellowship Ministries.

Come to the Music



Presented by Brothers in Song, The Villages Men’s Chorus

Friday, March 25^th at 6:00pm

Hope Central Campus

Join the Brothers in song for their annual Spring concert at Hope Lutheran Church!

Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online at brothersinsong.eventbrite.com. Tickets may also be purchased from any Brothers in Song member. Please note: The church office does not have tickets.

A Love Story from Hope Partner Love INC

Hope Lutheran Church has partnered with Love In The Name of Christ for many years to help reach those most in need in our local community. Love INC recently shared this Love Story with us, about a successful story at their Journey INC program.

When Marie told the staff of Journey INC she was pregnant, she was about four months along. 

She had been attending Journey INC classes for a few months, and was noticeably withdrawn. It was clear she was carrying a heavy burden, but it wasn’t clear what that burden was. She worked long hours, tending to the needs of her family. She was trying hard to provide the best possible life for them. 

Marie was full of uncertainty. In the midst of the uncertainty God showed up the way He often does, big and generous. He met her needs and surrounded her with support. Using the relationships that had been cultivated within the Journey INC program, Marie’s classmates put together a beautiful baby shower. She and the baby received a crib, stroller, clothing, diapers, wipes, and other items she would need. This shower was instrumental in providing for her physical needs. However, the power of seeing this group of people who actually cared about her and her family’s well being was a huge encouragement to them.

As the time grew near for her little girl to arrive, she needed a name. She decided on using the same name as the program where she was beginning to find true friendship and true life change - Journey. Baby Journey arrived whole and healthy at the end of January. As Marie said in the hospital, “Prayer works.”

YOU made this possible. Your partnership with Love INC ensures that Journey INC is able to make the space that was needed for these relationships to form.

To learn more about Love INC and Journey INC, contact Love INC at (352) 245-8774.

Walk to Emmaus Dates for 2022

Do you seek...

Spiritual Renewal; New understanding of God's grace and love; Worship and community with other believers?

THE WALK TO EMMAUS IS FOR YOU!

It has been way too long since our last Emmaus Walk. We are happy to announce the Walk dates for 2022.

For Information about this life-changing opportunity, please contact Kathy Langley at (352-753-8557) or cklanglely97@embarqmail.com.

Men's Walk #157

January 27-30

Men's Walk #158

March 3-6



Men's Walk #159

October 6-9

Women's Walk #158

March 10-13

Women's Walk #159 

October 13-16

Worship Attendance for February 19-20, 2022

Central Campus:

4:00pm = 204

6:00pm = 58

8:00am = 192

10:00am = 385

Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 90

Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 74

10:00am = 111

In Memoriam

We mourn the loss of our member, Carol Furlong. Carol died on Sunday, February 20. She was born on November 11, 1929. She joined Hope Lutheran Church on June 25, 2017. Carol was widowed. 

A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 11, at 11:00am at Hope Central Campus. Pastor Jon-Marc will preside. Please keep Carol’s family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.

We mourn the loss of our member John Roberts of Longwood, FL, who died on February 19. John was born on December 16, 1945. He and his wife, Monica, were married on March 23, 1974. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on June 25, 2006.

A memorial service is being planned for Saturday, March 5, at 10:30am at Hope Central Campus. Pr. Jon-Marc will preside.

Please keep Monica and their family in your hearts and prayers during their time of grief.