Hope Blog

What's new at Hope.

  1. Current Gallery Exhibit: “Intercession : Şefaat”

    HopeArts

    Sunday, September 11, will debut the new Sanctuary Gallery exhibit: “Intercession : Şefaat”.

    In a collaborative effort the Hope Chapel Arts Ministry has partnered with the recent Short-Term Turkey Mission Team to produce an exhibit aimed at drawing our congregational body together in unified and ongoing prayer for our Turkey Mission.

    The show will feature photography by Whitney Crowley, with a newly painted art wall by Micheal Wall. Our newly instated Gallery Manager, Courtney Daniel, has also brought her renowned art cards to the exhibit. Those cards will be found available around the foyer and sanctuary, and they make great prayer reminders and bookmarks.

    The Gallery Manager and Short Term Team would like to recognize the supportive labor of Ceci Proeger, our newly appointed Missions Director, in her enthusiasm for and assistance in hanging the show. Likewise, thanks go out to our Studio Manager, Tildon Humphries, who also has brought his labor and invaluable insights to the hanging efforts.

    Our featured photographer Whitney Crowley’s artist statement is included below, and may be found posted up in the Gallery.

    Whitney Crowley
    Artist Statement

    Intercession : Şefaat

    If a photo is worth a 1000 words, then apparently there’s a lot to be said. I enjoy taking photos and am surprised if I can capture just a tiny amount of the beauty of God’s creation with them. It’s intriguing to me to see color, shading, shape, form, and texture with photos.
    Initially my love of photography began with a point and shoot 35 mm I had in high school. Love of photographs is an untold passion of mine – I just LOVE to take pictures! There’s a thrill that exists in seeing what you experienced after the fact.

    My intent in this collection is to share with the viewer scenes from Turkey in the
    summer of 2016. My largest hope and desire is that these images would inspire
    the viewer to intercede on behalf of the Turks and workers in this land. If these
    photos bring joy then may they also trigger rejoicing to our Creator. Whatever the emotion or thought invoked by these images, may they draw you into intercession.

    I’m the only daughter of Rita and Richard and have both an older and a younger brother (Rick and Alan). I serve the Lord by ministering on the Hope Chapel worship team, being on the Board of Directors at Hope Chapel, teaching musical worship at N2Worship, and teaching band at Murchison Middle School.

    Whitney Crowley

  2. Sanctuary Exhibit : “The Tree and the Forest”

    HopeArts

    A new exhibit opens soon in our sanctuary gallery: Sharyn Richey’s “The Tree and the Forest.”

    In the artist’s words:”Basically it expresses the subconscious need to find meaning (tree) amidst the noise, confusion and fear (forest) of our contemporary world. By using various mediums my working process reflects and symbolizes a search for pathways out of the wilderness and toward new insights and hope.”

    “After years as a parish priest I retired so that I could return to my first calling as an artist. I began my studies in art at the University of Texas and credit professors John Guerin and Loren Mozley with encouraging me into painting. I feel that my time as a priest has given my work greater depth because it now carries an appreciation for the strength of the human spirit in the face of great challenges.”

    A complete artist profile can be accessed on her website, www.sharynrichey.com

  3. World Welcome Furniture Give Away Saturday August 13th

    Community Updates

    World Welcome Family RoomEvery other year, we have the opportunity to welcome Austin’s international students in a very practical way: we make available free furniture and household items!  We focus on the graduate students who come from overseas with nothing but their suitcases.  They don’t go into the dorms on campus, but rather apartment housing that is either lightly furnished or unfurnished.  Of course, it is open to all the international students!

    We are looking for your help and support in 3 ways:

    1. We are looking for donated items!  These can be gently used chairs, tables, bed frames (no mattresses, please), drawers, lamps, desks and bookshelves.  Also we need household goods: lamps, plates, pots and pans, cups, coffee makers, toasters, irons, towels, dish towels, sheets and pillow cases, etc. If you have items to donateplease email Nance Friedman:  worldwelcomeinaustin@gmail.com  
    2. We are looking for volunteers to collect, deliver and help out on the day of the event: Saturday, August 13th from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.  There are lots of places to help, even if you aren’t able to lift!
    3.  We are also looking for volunteers for the Fall Semester.  This would be as an English Conversation Partner (no teaching experience needed!), or a Support Family for the many students who will come for the furniture and then connect with us for friendship, English help, and a chance to be with a family for a meal or holiday.

    If you can help out in any way, please email Nance Friedman:  worldwelcomeinaustin@gmail.com  
    Thank you!

  4. Family Night Starts

    Community Updates

    Hi everyone,

    I wanted to remind you all that Family Night starts for another year tomorrow night September 9th and will run on Wednesday evenings through the fall!  Below you will find a list of groups that will be meeting.  Please consider coming and finding a group.  As I said from the pulpit the a few weeks ago; at Hope Chapel we believe strongly that it is in the context of small groups that we really live out our faith in Christ and grow to become all that God dreams for us.  

    Supper is available from 5:30 – 6:15 pm.  A donation basket is there if you want to chip in to help defray the cost but the meal is offered free of charge.  At 6:15 pm childcare begins and we do a quick clean up  of the family room and kitchen.  Groups begin at 6:30 pm and end at 8 pm.  

    Here are the groups currently set to meet:

    • McCharen Hope Group – a group for anyone but mainly consisting of families with kids
    • Tompkins Hope Group – a group for anyone but will be particularly helpful for those who are new to small group life and are not sure where to start or for those jumping back into small group life and are not sure what they want in a small group yet.  Think of this group as a wonderful entryway into small group life 
    • Dooldeynia Hope Group – a group primarily for couples which focuses on marriage and family issues
    • Good and Beautiful discipleship group – a group that meets for the purpose of going through the three book “Good and Beautiful” discipleship series beginning this semester with book one, Good and Beautiful God. This group is mostly full already but if there is enough interest we will offer a second group.  Please let me know if you are interested.
    • Hope Arts Studio group – this group meets in our own Hope Chapel art studio and “does” art while connecting relationally.
    • Hope Arts Writers’ group – this group meets for the purpose of helping its participants become better writers of prose, poetry, or whatever. 

    Finally, if you would like to start a Family Night group or you have an existing group that would like to move to Family Night please let me know and we can talk.

    Once again, I am thrilled to be kicking off this boisterous, full of life evening once again and I hope you will consider coming!

    Thanks,

    Brett

  5. Family Night is about to begin!!

    Community Updates

    At Hope Chapel we value small groups and we have lots of them of all sorts of sizes, configurations, times, and locations.  In fact, we believe that it is in small groups that we really live out our faith.  So, I encourage you to get involved in a small group if you are not already.

    But, this morning, I wanted to let you know about a special collection of small groups that meet here at the church on Wednesday nights during the school year.  We call the evening Family Night and I think you should come check it out!  The evening starts with a shared meal in the Family Room available from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.  From 6:30 to 8:00 pm a variety of groups meet in rooms all over our campus.  There are arts groups, family and marriage oriented groups, discipleship oriented groups, and more. This is also when our Junior High youth group meets.   Fun activities are planned for the children as well.    We start on Wednesday September 9th and I hope to see you all there!

  6. Soliciting Congregant Submissions

    HopeArts

    “Feast”: Call for Submissions
    Writers, visual artists, laity! You are invited to submit work for the next edition of Feast, our Hope community art magazine publication. Deadline for submissions is 9 p.m. Thursday, August 20th.

    Currently soliciting the congregation to look over past issues and past sermons and write some small reflection of any length (two sentences to a whole page worth even).

    How has that sermon played out in your life since hearing that sermon? How have you seen it played out in the lives of your various communities (small groups, tribes, cliques, various ministry communities)?

    What is the Lord speaking to you (and your communities) on that subject currently?

    This project actually blesses your community, and is a way (quite literally) to give of your “talents”.

    Send them in rtf, or (preferably) Google Doc format  by 9pm on Thursday, August 20st, 2015. 

    Visual art and photography on the same general themes. Jpeg and PDF formats, your choice of pixel size.

    See www.Hopearts.org for earliest past issues of “Feast”.