Investing in the Next Generation — A Letter from Pastor Julie
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
May is my second favorite time of the year, coming in just behind Christmas. In many ways, the two seasons feel very similar to me. Both are centered around family, celebration, and togetherness. There is just something especially sweet about these seasons within the family of faith.
What makes May so special at NEW HOPE is that it launches us into a summer filled with mission, ministry, and movement. Summer is a significant season in the lives of our young people — camps, missions, VBS, fellowship, and opportunities to grow in faith and leadership. This year, we are entering a season of expectation. In June we will host VBS. In July we will launch SPARK, a new outreach ministry. We will send students to camps. In August we will reopen our preschool as we celebrate 60 years of loving and teaching. Finally, we will conclude the summer with our first annual Next Gen Conference on August 8th.
Consider this your personal invitation to draw close and bear witness to what the Holy Spirit is doing through the young people of NEW HOPE. The true wealth of a church family is not found in buildings or bank accounts, but in the relationships between generations and the faith we pass on together.
There will be opportunities for you to pray, serve, give, encourage, and participate along the way. You are welcome, needed, and invited to be part of what God is doing here.
Below you will find just a couple of the ways you can connect.
MAY MISSION EMPHASIS: The Legacy Fund
Learn more about the legacy fund here: https://www.findnewhope.com/blog/saying-yes-how-new-hopes-legacy-fund-invests-in-the-next-generation
The Legacy Fund exists to invest in the next generation through leadership development, spiritual growth, missions, internships, conferences, and ministry training. Its purpose is to equip and empower young people to lead the church and grow God's Kingdom.
Throughout the month of May, we place special emphasis on the Legacy Fund and the ways it supports our ministry and mission. However, gifts to the fund can be made at any time throughout the year. These resources are intentionally set aside to be used when opportunities for faith enrichment and leadership development arise.
This summer, the Legacy Fund will help send 6 middle and high school students to camp, where they will build Christ-centered friendships and begin developing a faith they can call their own. The fund will also support summer internships for young adults exploring a call to ministry, providing hands-on opportunities to grow in leadership and step out in obedience to God's calling.
Looking ahead to February 2027, the Legacy Fund will help send 18 young adults to the Passion Conference in Atlanta for a weekend of worship, prayer, teaching, and spiritual renewal. In years past, this conference has sparked deep spiritual growth and ignited a passion for ministry in many of our young leaders.
To find out more about how your generosity can make these opportunities a reality, visit findnewhope.com/give and select Legacy Giving as your fund. If you prefer to give by check, note Legacy Giving in the memo line.
Summer Mission: SPARK
Fill out the volunteer form to get started serving with SPARK.
This summer, we are excited to launch SPARK — Safe, Accepted, Known — a new community outreach ministry created by two of our young adult leaders in partnership with our Pastors and Kids Ministry staff.
Beginning in July after VBS, children ages 3–14 will gather on Friday evenings for games, music, friendships, and Bible stories. SPARK is designed not only to help children in our neighborhood encounter the love of Jesus, but also to give our students and volunteers opportunities to grow as they serve, pray for others, and share their faith.
This ministry is launching through a $10,000 grant from the Lilly Foundation. What we learn will also be shared with churches throughout the Florida Conference of the GMC as we seek effective ways to engage the next generation in Gospel-centered ministry.
On June 5 at 7:30 PM in Logan Hall, our Young Adults will host SENT, our annual commissioning worship night. Together we will worship, pray over this new ministry, and commission the team stepping out in faith to serve our community. We would love for you to join us.
As we prepare to launch, we invite you to pray about how you might serve. Whether through hospitality, mentoring, games, prayer, or simply building relationships, your presence can help make a lasting impact in the life of a child and family. Sign up here to fill out the interest form and a member of our launch team will contact you with more information.
God is big and we work expectantly for His Kingdom.
In His Service and For His Glory,
Julie Hamilton