November 11, 2022

Thank You Veterans

Today we honor and thank all our veterans, especially those who worship with us at Hope Lutheran Church. We deeply appreciate your service to our nation and thank you for your service.

From all of us at Hope, thank you veterans!

Thanksgiving Eve Worship

Wednesday, November 23 at 6:00pm at Hope Central Campus

Celebrate the season of thankfulness with our annual Thanksgiving Eve Worship at Hope Central Campus. We invite you to bring your family and friends for this special time of thankfulness and prayer together.

We also encourage you to make a special effort to invite friends who may be alone for the holidays. Your family at Hope would love the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving Eve with them...and with you!

This year, Hope will be hosting a special Thanksgiving Eve Dessert Reception on Wednesday, November 23 at 5:00pm, before Thanksgiving Eve Worship begins. Enjoy yummy treats and fellowship time in the Fellowship Hall at Hope Central Campus. There is no cost but registration is required so we can have an accurate count for dessert. Registration will open on November 17 and close on November 21.

Hope's Christmas Cantata Registration Open Now

Ring in the Christmas season with Hope's annual Christmas Cantata! Join the Combined Choirs of Hope and special guest Mary Jo Vitale as they present a stunning choral performance.

Registration is $5 per person. All proceeds will benefit hurricane relief. Registration will be completed online, just like our Social Suppers. Please do not call the chuse office for registration. If you need assistance, stop by the office during operating hours and we would be pleased to help.

Please note: The Christmas Cantata will not be livestreamed.

Cantata Volunteers Needed

We need volunteers, specifically people to help verify registration, to help make this year's Christmas Cantata a success! Volunteers have the opportunity to help create a warm and welcoming environment for all Cantata attendees. Volunteers also get free reserved seats for the performance.

To volunteer, contact Jeff Dunfee at jeff@hope4all.church or call (352) 750-2321.

Important Information Regarding Thanksgiving Dinner

Due to the excellent response from our congregation, we anticipate our Thanksgiving Dinner on November 16 will be very popular. To better serve all who join us, we will start serving dinner at 4:30pm to ensure everyone has time to be eat, relax, and get to our Wednesday Evening Prayer Service on time.

Questions? Contact the Hope office at (352) 750-2321.

Capital Campaign Committee Leaders Finalized

Hope is excited to announce that we have chosen leaders for each of our Capital Campaign Committees. The leaders are as follows:

• General Chairpersons - Len and Virginia Robertson
• Information Chairperson - Mary Jo Vitale MacLean
• Inspiration Chairperson - Linda Murphy
• Response Chairpersons - John and Jo Villyard
• Events Chairperson - Gloria Johnson
• Lead Gifts Chairperson - Pat O'Dell

As we move forward with our Making Abundant Life Known campaign, these individuals will be instrumental in organizing and leading our efforts. We thank them for their commitment of time and energy to this campaign!

Women & Men of Hope Combined Monthly Breakfast Meeting

Thursday, November 17 at 9:00am - Hope Central Campus

Special Event! Inviting all men and women to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Join the Men and Women of Hope for a special monthly breakfast featuring guest speaker Irving Locker.

Irving Locker, 98-years-old, is a high-profile WWII veteran who speaks and shares his combat story of D'Day, the Battle of the Bulge, fighting across France and Germany to Berlin and the liberation of concentration camps. He will have memorabilia and a film to highlight his presentation. Mr. Locker and his wife Bernice have been married for 74 years. 

The congregation, including both women and men with their guests, are encouraged to attend this very special program on Thursday, November 17 at 9:00am. The cost for the breakfast is $5.00. Click on the registration button blow. Registration deadline is Monday, November 14 at noon.

Questions? Please contact Margaret Furlong at (352) 430-5092 or Laura Hultmark at (352) 753-9463.

Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse

November 20 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm

Hope Lutheran Church is once again partnering with Texas Roadhouse for a Dine to Donate evening!

If you dine at Texas Roadhouse's Lady Lake location on November 20 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm, they will donate 10% of your total food purchases to Hope Lutheran Church!

Invitations are available at each Hope campus. Click here for the invitation.

Seasonal Decorating Team Seeking Help

The Seasonal Decorating Team needs help decorating both Hope Central Campus and Hope Lake Weir Campus for the holiday season! The team will assist you and the tasks are easy. We will decorate Hope Central Campus on Tuesday, November 29 and Hope Lake Weir Campus on Friday, December 2. Please arrive at 9:00am and stay as long as you can until the decorating is completed. 

Ready to join the fun? Please inform Team Leader Nancy Shephard of your interest. You can call Nancy at (352) 750-9642 or text or call her cellphone at (269) 598-0445. You may also email at kpandnan@comcast.net.

Tax free giving from an IRA/401k

As we approach the end of the year, many of us are thinking about our planned giving. For those of us 70.5 years old or older, there is a special tax advantage offered to give directly from our traditional IRA, 401k, or 403b accounts.

If you are age 70.5 years old or older and have a traditional IRA, 401k, or 403b, you are eligible to make a contribution directly from your retirement account to the church and have it count as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). This will result in no income tax due on this distribution as you won’t be taking it as a distribution to yourself. So, you avoid income taxes, get to make a gift to the church, and have it count as your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for the year. This is almost always the best way to give to the church if you are in this age range and have one of these retirement accounts.

If eligible, you are allowed to give up to $100,000 per year this way. You don’t get a charitable tax deduction, but since you don’t have to pay taxes on it, that is usually very much worth it. We encourage you to check with your tax advisor about this.

If you would like to make an early gift to the campaign with a QCD or any other way, contact Pam Caudill at pamc@hope4all.church or (352) 750-2321.

Vacation Bible School Coming in 2023!

Hope is pleased to announce that we are making plans for Vacation Bible School 2023! VBS will be held at Hope Lake Weir Campus from July 17 to 21 at 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

To make our VBS a success, we are seeking volunteers! Please contact our VBS leader Diane Parette or Pastor John LeCain if you are interested in volunteering. If you completed an application last year, we have retained it and you will not need a further application.

Our insurance company requires specific training to be able to interact with children, as well as a background check. There is a training scheduled for January 11, 2023 at 3:00pm at Hope Central Campus.  

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Pastor John at pastorjohn@hope4all.church or Diane Parette at dianep6@verizon.net.

Questions & Answers About Stewardship

It’s that time of year…Or is it?

Question: "It’s November and I haven’t heard anything about the Annual Stewardship Campaign. Did I miss it?"

Answer: No, you haven’t missed it. We are going to be asking for annual pledges in early 2023 in conjunction with our Capital Campaign.

Question: "I give my annual gift in December from my retirement account. Can I still do this?"



Answer: Of course! Annual gifts can be made at any time. Please make Pam Caudill aware that a check will be coming from your retirement account and that it should be considered your annual stewardship gift for 2023. Contact Pam at pamc@hope4all.church or (352) 750-2321.

New Creations at Hope Lutheran Church

Get ready for a brand new experience at your church!

H.O.P.E. University presents "New Creations," a multi-generational one-day Vacation Bible School at Hope Lake Weir Campus!

Remember enjoying VBS as a child? Now you have the opportunity to connect with new friends of all ages for a day of learning, service, and fun!

New Creations will include food, games, a time of holiness, and a service project - creating a new Painted Rock Garden and a Butterfly Garden at Hope Lake Weir Campus.

It all happens on February 11 from 9:00am to 3:00pm at Hope Lake Weir Campus. Additional details, including registration, will be available soon.

Council Nominating Committee 2023

Members of the committee: 

Rolf Moulton, Marsha Lamadrid, and Suzanne Kuebler.

2023 Council Elections Positions Available:

President - 3 year term

Vice President - 3 year term

Council Member-At-Large - 3 year term (1 position available)

All nominees must turn in a completed Council Nomination Bio Form no later than December 6, 2022 to the church office. Forms are available at the church office or by clicking here.

List of nominees and positions nominated for will be published in the church newsletter prior to the Annual Meeting. If a petition from the congregation is forthcoming after publication of the nominees, it must be signed by at least one hundred (100) voting members of the congregation and submitted to the Council Secretary no later than 21 days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Christmas Blessings at Love INC

Looking for a way to share the joy of Christmas with local families this year?

Love INC is once again seeking volunteers to shop with families from December 13 to 15. This will be similar to the Clothe-A-Kid opportunity held every September.

If you are interested in getting involved, please click the button below to get started.

Sunday School Coming to Hope Lake Weir Campus

Remember Sunday School? For many, it was the beginning of your journey as a disciple of Christ. Do you remember one of the elders of the church leading your group? Maybe you even helped lead a Sunday School class.

If you have recently driven to the Hope Lake Weir Campus, you've seen a new housing development under construction. There will be approximately 250 homes created for families in that development. There is another development that also will be located near the church and that will have in excess of 150 homes. 

That means that we will need to provide a Sunday School program soon at Hope Lake Weir Campus if we are going to continue to address the needs of the community there and “Make Christ Known”! 

Please consider volunteering for this ministry. Many of us came from churches where youth programs were the basis for a living and vibrant church. We know how important, challenging, and rewarding these programs can be for students.

To volunteer, contact Pastor John at pastorjohn@hope4all.church.

Augsburg Confession Class Beginning in November

Pastor Bruce invites you to a 9-week class on Martin Luther's "Augsburg Confession" each Wednesday at 10:00am at Hope Central Campus now through December 28.

The topic of the November 16 class will be "Gathered in Faith." Pastor Bruce asks everyone to read Articles I-IV (1-4) of the Augsburg Confession in preparation for the class.

The Augsburg Confession is the central confessional document of all Lutherans, not just the ELCA. This class will dive deep into Luther's work and a discussion guide called "A Reading and Discussion Study of The Augsburg Confession." This book is published by Sola Publishing as part of their Book of Concord Series.

The discussion guide will be available for all who register for the class. $5 will be collected at the first class. Questions? Email pastorbruce@hope4all.church. You can also view the Augsburg Confession online for free by clicking the button below.

New Fall Studies with H.O.P.E. University

As we move into second portion of our fall curriculum, the H.O.P.E. University Education Team would like to let you know about new courses beginning soon!

Pastor John is leading a study on the Book of Proverbs at Hope Lake Weir Campus. The group will meet at each Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall at 3:00pm for 13 consecutive weeks. The only requirement is that you bring your Bible to the class. 

Pastor John is also lead a 6-week study on Sabbath Rest. There is much discussion of “rest” in what we call the first testament of scripture. God rests on the seventh day after creation. In the 10 Commandments, God commands his people to remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy, and do no work. So, what is Sabbath rest for us today; and how will taking that rest prepare us for the greater rest yet to come? Answer Jesus' invitation to, “Come!”, and join in this study.” Please note that the original advertised date for this course was changed because of Ian. 

On Wednesday evenings beginning November 16 at 6:30pm (following dinner and Vespers), Pastor John will be leading a 3-week discussion called “I want to know Church”, covering topics that may help you understand some of the things we do at and around services at the three Hope Campuses. For example: What is the Lectionary? What’s ….(that called)... and why? What are vestments and why the different colors? What’s a Council? ...And many more!

Worship Attendance for November 5-6 2022

Hope Central Campus:

4:00pm = 207

6:00pm = 68

8:00am = 202

10:00am = 411

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 105

Hope at the Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 112

10:00am = 140

Flowers for This Weekend Given By...

Sharon Keil, in memory of Jerry Keil.

Sally Jorgensen, in memory of Elmer Jorgensen.

Donald & Kristine Hyland, in honor of their 58^th wedding anniversary.



Craig & Judy Darrington, in honor of their 55^th wedding anniversary.

In Memoriam

Jerald (Jerry) Greco passed away on Sunday, November 6, 2022. Jerry was born on March 12, 1944. He and his wife, Teri Lea, were married on June 21, 2002. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on July 31, 2016.

Arrangements are pending at this time.

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

Edward (Ed) Naylor passed away earlier this morning, November 11, 2022. Ed was born on January 25, 1945. He and his wife, Pam, were married on November 8, 1968. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on February 28, 2021.

Arrangements for Ed’s service are being planned to be held in their hometown.

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

Submit a Prayer Request

Need Prayer? Submit a prayer request via our hope4all.church website.