December 2, 2022

Council Position Elections 2023

2023 Council Elections Positions Available:

President - 3 year term

Vice President - 3 year term

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

*If a current council member is elected to fill an open position, an additional vote will be held to fill their unexpired term.

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.

Members of the committee: 

Rolf Moulton, Marsha Lamadrid, and Suzanne Kuebler.

Staff Gift Collection

Christmastime is here again, and it is our custom during the holiday season to show appreciation to our pastors and staff for all their fine work throughout the year.

If you would like to thank our staff, you can do so in one of the following ways: your gift can be included in your offering envelope, identified as a "Staff Gift" on the "Other" line, or you can place your gift in a plain envelope marked as "Staff Gift".

You can also give online via our website www.hope4all.church. Select "Other Offerings" and indicate "Staff Gift". Please give your gift by Sunday, December 16.

New Pavilion Under Construction at Hope Lake Weir Campus

Hope has broken ground on a new pavilion at Hope Lake Weir Campus! The 40 x 60 pavilion will provide ample protected outdoor space for future events and services.

We are looking forward to all the great church and community events we will soon host under our new pavilion!

AED Training at Two Hope Campuses on December 12

Hope is pleased to host Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training at Hope Central Campus and Hope Lake Weir Campus on Monday, December 12.

The Hope Central Campus training will be held at 9:00am. The Hope Lake Weir Campus training will be held at 1:30pm.

There is no cost to attend training. The class is limited to 12 people, so please register online by clicking the link below. Registration ends December 8 at noon.

Annual Christmas Breakfast

December 15 at 9:00am at Hope Central Campus

It is once again time for the Women of Hope Christmas Breakfast! All men and women are invited to join the festivities on Thursday, December 15 at 9:00 am. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you!

This year's program will be A Choral Blessing with Bonnie Andrus, Chris Colegrove, and Susan Blomenberg-Neiman. Their program will include a variety of Christmas hymns and songs to kick off the Christmas season!

The cost is $5 per person for breakfast. Registration deadline is Monday, December 12 at noon. Questions? Contact Margaret Furlong at (352) 430-5092 or Laura Hultmark at (352) 753-9463.

Also, thank you to all who supported Shepherd’s LightHouse at the November Breakfast. This month we are encouraging you to support Camp E-Nini-Hassee in Floral City, Florida. This camp is for troubled teenage girls 12-18 years of age. Items suggested are shampoo/conditioner (regular size), body lotion, sanitary pads/tampons, colored pencils or colored gel pens, adult coloring books, sketch pads, composition books (no rings).

Hope's Annual Blue Christmas Service

Sunday, December 18 at 4:00pm - Hope Central Campus

The holidays put pressure on us to be ho-ho “happy”. But for those of us managing grief, loss, or anxiety during the holidays, this season can be less than jolly.

Hope Lutheran Church will hold our annual Blue Christmas: A Service of Hope and Peace on the Sunday before Christmas, December 18 at 4:00pm. 

This is a dignified service without the giddiness of Christmas Eve. We will sing carols, pass the Christmas fire to the singing of “Silent Night”, and find a comforting message together. This service is open to everyone, especially those who have lost loved ones this year, or who are dealing with loss, loneliness, or grief.

Mark your calendar now and join us for this special event. You are also encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor who may be going through a difficult time this season. This event is intended to serve the entire Villages area, so invite anyone who may be in need of a special service.

A Message from Pastor Pat Broberek: New Small Group Opportunity

Women, Wine and Fellowship 

I am looking to form a small group of Christian Women to gather on a regular basis to study, pray together and generally support each other. It is my idea to meet either once or twice a month on a Friday afternoon.  

I know that we are all busy this time of the year, however, I would like to have our first meeting Friday, December 9 at 2:00pm. This meeting will be a time to get to know each other and make plans for the group. 

I have chosen Max Lucado’s study 'Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World' to start us off.  

We will meet at my house and please call me at (231) 519-5956 if you have any questions. 



Pastor Pat Bromberek - 5793 Zebra Longwing Path, The Village of Fenney 

A Thank You from the Seasonal Decorating Team

The Seasonal Decorating Team and I would like to thank all who helped decorate Hope Central Campus and Hope Lake Weir Campus this week. Your help was appreciated.

Nancy Shephard, Team Leader

Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse

December 18 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 December 18 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.

The Story of Our Legacy, by Carol & Gary Forrester 

Before Carol and I were married, we knew a widowed elderly lady in our church whose name was Isabel Swank. Mrs. Swank was a delightful person to know. Everyone in church loved and admired her. Upon her death we found that she had left a sum of money to the church with stipulations as to how it was to be spent. It was to be called the “Swank Seminary Fund” and was to be used to help seminary students who were members of our church to pay their tuition.

To the best of my knowledge, we had never had a member attend seminary before. However, in the years following, four members arose to the challenge, and, with additional funds donated to the fund, all graduated from seminary. All became ordained pastors in the Lutheran church. What an amazing legacy Mrs. Swank left for us. 

Now, many years later, Carol and I were discussing what we would like our legacy to be. Mrs. Swank came to mind and we decided such a fund would be most appropriate. So, after discussions with Pastor Marc, Peg Piper (chair of the Hope Endowment Fund), Pastor Ana Lugo from the ELCA Foundation, the Endowment Committee, and the Church Council, it has been decided that such a fund, the “Hope Theological Education Fund” should be created and an effort made to endow the fund with donations from the membership of Hope and other interested parties. 

The purpose of the fund would be to provide tuition assistance to seminary students who; 

1. Expressed a desire to become an ordained Christian minister in the Lutheran faith. 
2. Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. 
3. Have the backing and support of the congregation of Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages through the grant process of the Endowment Committee. 
4. Have selected, applied to and been accepted to attend an accredited theological school or seminary, Lutheran or otherwise, that is acceptable to the candidacy requirements of the ELCA. 
5. Priority shall be given PRIMARILY to applicants who are related to current members of Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages. 
6. Considerations for possible postgraduate awards are to assist students enrolled in postgraduate and/or continued education studies in areas leading to a career in ministry or adding to a minister’s knowledge and abilities which Hope Lutheran Church currently supports. 

As is currently the policy with the Hope Endowment Fund, the Hope Theological Education Fund would be held by and invested with the ELCA Foundation. As it is intended to be an endowment, only growth would be available for the scholarships. No principal would ever be given. The principal would grow as donations are received. Monies available for scholarships will grow as the principal grows. Pastor Ana Lugo stated that the current tuition cost averages $17,000 per year at a seminary in the United States. Hopefully, we can help with some of that cost. She also stated that the ELCA Foundation requires a minimum of $25,000 to start such a fund, a sum which at 5% growth would provide $1,250 per year in scholarships. So, it is easy to see the need for additional principal. 

I can say that with discussions among just the few people already conversant with the fund, enthusiasm has resulted in 40% of the initial requirement being provided upon the fund being fully authorized which was approved by Hope’s council on September 20, 2022. 

Perhaps you, too, might be interested in such a legacy being part of your future plans. Perhaps, you, too, might be wanting to set up a way that you can be a part of the future of the growth of the Lutheran Church. Perhaps you, too, might want to help ensure that Christ is the center of life. 

Do you want to help people seek through learning “To Know Christ” and then to go out into the world “To Make Christ Known”?

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 December 7 class will be "Do’s, Don’ts and Can’ts." Pastor Bruce asks everyone to read Articles XVIII-XX (18-20) 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.

Worship Attendance for November 26-27 2022

Thanksgiving Eve Worship:

November 23 at 6:00pm = 174

Hope Central Campus:

4:00pm = 188

6:00pm = 65

8:00am = 156

10:00am = 372

Hope Lake Weir Campus:

10:00am = 88

Hope at the Everglades Rec Center:

8:00am = 91

10:00am = 124

Flowers for This Weekend Given By...

Karl & Lydia Weiss, in honor of their 66^th wedding anniversary

Len & Virginia Robertson, in honor of their 45^th wedding anniversary

In Memoriam

Charter Member Judith (Judy) Anne Wold died on Tuesday, November 29. Judy was born on August 14, 1945. She was widowed in June of this year. She and her husband, Dave, joined Hope Lutheran Church on October 31, 1999.

Arrangements are pending.

Please keep Judy’s friends and her church family in your hearts and prayers.

Candice (Candy) Nickrand passed away on Thursday, November 24, 2022. Candy was born on March 15, 1947. She was widowed in May of 2021. Arrangements are pending at this time.

Please keep Candy’s family and friends in your prayers during this time of grief.

Larry Luebben passed away on Sunday, November 20. Larry was born on January 1, 1935. He was married to his wife, Darlene, on April 6, 1963. They joined Hope Lutheran Church on April 28, 2002.  

A service is being planned in January (to be determined) at Beyers Funeral Home; interment will follow at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Please keep Darlene 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.