Youth and Adult Ministries

SUNDAY SCHOOL

There is Sunday School for children ages 3-10 during the morning church service.  Cadets and GEMS offer Bible study from ages 9-14.  Then there are weekly Catechism classes held on Tuesday nights for high school students in which students are taught about Biblical doctrines.  There are classes for new members and those who wish to make profession of faith.

SUNDAY SCHOOL MANDATE (ages 3 to 10)

OBJECTIVES

1. To nurture the faith of children and leaders within a caring community.
2. To teach children the story of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.
3. To help children understand Biblical/Reformed truths.
4. To challenge children and leaders to live their faith.
5. To equip children to share their faith and serve others in the community.
6. To partner with families in the faith nurture of their children.
7. To encourage children to make the church’s teachings their own.
8. To help children value the rich diversity of people in God’s kingdom.

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CALVINIST CADET CLUB

The organization uses the title "Calvinist" to honor the Protestant reformer, John Calvin, who devoted his life to the religious education of God's children. We meet on average once a week (Wednesday evenings from 7 - 9 p.m.), Sept. through April.

Goal
Luke 2:52 states that "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men." The goal of the Calvinist Cadet Corps, based upon that verse, is to help boys grow spiritually in all areas of life (devotional, mental, physical, and social) by providing Christian men with a uniquely designed structure, program, and materials so that they can mentor boys effectively.

Purpose

1. The Calvinist Cadet Corps is a non-denominational youth ministry whose purpose is to provide a ministry program to effectively share Christ's love with boys from our church and community.       
2. To provide many experiences and opportunities that help fill the gaps in a boy's Christian upbringing and to build strong members of the body of Christ such as:

• Adventure of outdoor activities
• Hands-on projects
• Mentoring role model of a Christian man

What We Believe
The basis of the Calvinist Cadet Corps is the Word of God (the Bible) according to the concept of the same as expressed in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Belgic Confession.

Practical Application of these Beliefs

1. God is revealed in His Word – The cadetting ministry encourages studying the Bible as the guide to life.
2. God is revealed in nature – The cadetting ministry encourages experiencing the presence of the Lord in His glorious creation. Learning the skills of an outdoorsman builds a boy's character, and developing a boy's understanding of his place in God's world helps him to be a faithful steward.
3. Men as God's servants – The Calvinist Cadet Corps is the ministry of men of God who are dedicated to bring boys into a living relationship with their Lord and Savior. These men, understanding their imperfection, hold on to the promise that the Lord will bless their prayers, their example, and their instruction if they rely on God's strength.

Reference: www.calvinistcadets.org
Calvinist Cadet Corps Home Page

The Hope Cadet Club is a member of the Iroquois Council.
To  visit the Iroquois web site, click on its logo:

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(Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior)
 

We meet each Wednesday evening at the church for girls ages 9 - 14. Jesus encouraged His disciples to allow the children to come to Him. At GEMS, we encourage girls everywhere to come to club, learn about Jesus, and grow closer to Him. This ministry is non-denominational with curriculum developed from a Reformed perspective. 

Purpose
Girls Everywhere Meeting the Saviour. To bring girls into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. To help foster this all-important relationship between each girl and Christ, other relationships are nurtured as well — between girls and between girls and their counselor (leader). 

Goals:
GEMS is a relationship building club program created especially for girls. In GEMS, many fun and exciting things happen such as:

• Participating in team building

• Making creative and fun crafts

• Enjoying dynamic singing, creative movement, signing, and dance

• Developing important life skills through badge activities

• Learning how to apply the Bible to their lives

• Participating in service projects that make a difference in other lives

• Finding answers to challenges that face girls today 

Structure:
Girls in GEMS are organized into small groups with one leader or counselor for each group.  It is through these small groups, and the weekly interactions that take place in club that faith is nurtured and developed, and long lasting friendships are made.
 

Reference: www.gemsgc.org
GEMS Home Page

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FRIENDSHIP CLUB

We meet every Thursday evening, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m., a group of 40 to 50 people meet in the church's Fellowship Hall.

Statement of Purpose:

1. We are part of Friendship Groups Canada, a Christian ministry dedicated to sharing God's love with individuals who are intellectually disabled (formerly referred to as mentally handicapped).
2. Friendship Groups Canada’s mission is to encourage and support individuals, churches or organizations who desire to reach out in their community and share God's love with those with intellectual disabilities, through training and program resources.
3. Mentors and friends alike learn and grow from the Friendship Group experience and so the church grows in love and acceptance.

Objectives:

1. That the church and its members will grow in love and acceptance of persons with intellectual disabilities.
2. That they will grow in their knowledge of God and His world and will experience that they are a valued member of Christ’s body, committing themselves to Christ.

 Beliefs:
We believe that:

1. everyone is created in God’s image
2. everyone is an integral part of God’s family
3. everyone deserves an opportunity to learn about God’s love
4. everyone should have the opportunity to become active members of God’s family
5. redemption is a gift from God, not dependent on any level of human intellect

 Structure

1. The group gathers to share stories of the week, to sing, to pray, and to listen to a group leader teach a bible story.
2. Each person with an intellectual disability meets for a time with a mentor-friend to further explore the lesson at a level they can understand.
3. There is a time of socializing including snacks, games, conversation, and crafts.

 Why are we called Friendship?
At Friendship, we help members minister with people who have intellectual disabilities, not to them. We believe that we serve each other, and by learning and spending time with each other friendships are formed. 

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Lots of activities for young people. Biweekly Bible studies and youth events. College and Careers are for the 18-25 year olds. The youth have their own website.
 

Click here to visit their Connecting Youth website.

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SMALL GROUPS

There are many small groups that meet weekly or bi-weekly for Bible study, prayer and fellowship.  Some groups are made up of people in the same age group while others have a variety of ages.  There is always room for new members.  For more information, please contact the church.

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PRAYER MINISTRY

Prayer is a vital part of Hope's ministries. A prayer group meets weekly on Wednesday evenings to pray for the church, both its ministries and its individual members.  Before the morning service, there is prayer in the prayer room, and after the service prayer team members are available to pray with people.

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MISSION OUTREACH

Hope Church is involved in various mission activities such as:

• The Alpha program
• The "Why Not" street mission in downtown Brantford
• Evening devotions at Tranquility Place
• Growing Hearts program at the Blessing Centre
• "Out of the Cold" program with the YES church
• Crossroads Bible Institute (Prison Ministry)
• Vacation Bible School which aims to reach unchurched children for Christ
• Coffee Break
• Friendship Club

To be implemented in 2008

• Family Movie Night
• Youth Street Hockey

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COFFEE BREAK

Coffee Break is a ministry for women and preschool children held every Tuesday morning from September to April.  It is intended as an outreach ministry to the community.  This ministry offers small group Bible study, a time of fellowship, and occasionally invites speakers to give presentations.  Little Lambs and Story Hour are programs for the children.  Nursery is also provided.  Ladies, if you would like a break, check it out!

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PASTORAL CARE

Pastoral care is provided by the pastors, elders and deacons, and well as many volunteers who do visits and provide other services such as meals.  Church members strive to act as members of Christ's body, helping each other with spiritual and physical needs.

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LIBRARY

The church library is open after the Sunday morning church service.  The collection includes many books, videos, and books on tape.  Sermon tapes are also available to borrow. 

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 

1. The purpose of the Hope CRC Library Resource Centre is to provide the members of this church with as much Christian devotional, denominational, reference, teaching resource, life enrichment and pleasure reading materials as possible within the limits of its financial ability.

2. The Library is primarily a Christian education service to be used:

• As a resource for individual members as well as church groups.
• To help create greater understanding of the Bible and the Christian life.
• To fill a hunger created by the lack of easily accessible and affordable Christian reading material.

3. This ministry is to be free of any membership fees to all members of this congregation.

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