Summer Sundays, by Jeff Bills

We are going to be having a great summer series on Sunday mornings throughout July and August that I want to tell you about. The series title is “Heroes,” and it kicks off Sunday, July 6th.
In this series we will be looking at men and women in the Bible who were ordinary in every sense of the word. They came from all walks of life, different economic conditions, different countries, languages, and lived at various periods of history. What is so inspiring about these everyday heroes is that the only thing that makes them distinctive is their willingness to trust God: When faced with a God-sized challenge, they choose to trust God and act.
One of the traits of a true hero is they don’t view themselves in that way. When they are asked about what made them take the risk and act in such a courageous way, the typical response is “Anyone in my place would have done the same thing,” or “Something needed to be done, so I just did it.” That kind of strength and humility inspires and challenges those of us who hear their story. I believe that you will find inspiration as we look at the everyday heroes of the Bible this summer.
As is always the case, each Sunday will have its own wonderful worship features beyond the Message, but there are two in particular I want to highlight. The first is happening on Sunday, August 3rd. That week will be what we are calling a “blowout” worship time! This service will be similar to one we did last summer, as it will be led by and filled with HOPE’s worship artists. There will be high-energy music, drama, dance and communion all connected to the theme “Bold and Courageous.” Last summer a similar type of service saw over 500 people attend and the experience was so powerful we knew that it would be well worth repeating. You will want to make arrangements to be here for this very special time of worshipping together.
The other service I wanted to highlight will take place on Sunday. August 17th. On that week our Youth Mission Team will be involved in various aspects of the worship service and sharing some of their experiences working among the poor of Orlando, Florida. (It ain’t all Disney World for that city.) This will also be the first time that our youth pastor, Dave Falcone will be bringing the Message. For those of you who have not gotten to know Dave yet, come find out why increasing numbers of youth are connecting with our student ministries.
One other thing you will notice in July and August will be a different format for our weekly bulletin. It will be a slimmed down piece that will be a nice change for the summer and something that you could share with a friend who might be interested in HOPE Church. We always see lots of visitors in the summertime