Mount Hope Church He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 From Pastor Kevin & Renee Berry Dear Friend, Thank you for joining us in Growth Track! We are excited that you desire to be in a constant state of growth in Christ. When God designed you, He had growth in mind —growth in the way you pray, love, and serve. May this be the start of a new season in your spiritual journey—a journey that will be the ride of a lifetime! Just as Jesus prayed for His disciples, and those who would be His disciples in the future, we have been praying for you and your spiritual journey. We are thrilled that you are taking this next step in becoming a vital part of the family here at Mount Hope Church. Together, we will pray, coming before God’s throne of grace. We will love others with a love that is supernatural, and we will serve side-by-side, seeing lives changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. Your Friends and Pastors, Kevin and Renee Berry growthtrack Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 1 2 3 4 9 The Mount Hope Story 11 Introduction To Growth Track 13 Step 1: Pray 21 Step 2: Love 29 Step 3: Serve 37 Step 4: Activate 47 Mount Hope Official Membership 55 Answer Key 56 Mount Hope Serving Teams 58 Serving Team Descriptions growthtrack Church service in 1988. The Mount Hope Story Mount Hope Church began when a newly saved Hungarian man wanted to see every Hungarian household in the Lansing area come to Jesus. In 1939, they formed Mount Hope Assembly to see that desire become a reality. The church grew significantly and larger facilities were built and expanded under the leadership of Pastor Dave Williams. The vision to see the lost saved and discipled ex- panded as well; from the initial desire to see “almost the whole city gathered together to hear the Word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44) to a 50-mile radius around Mount Hope Church, affectionately called “The Soul Zone.” Mount Hope began planting new churches across the state of Michigan and across the world, with many in the Philippines, Zimbabwe, and the Ivory Coast. It’s our desire to plant additional campus churches in the surrounding area and across the state, placing graduates from the Mount Hope Leadership School into full- time ministry. We continue to train and equip leaders and support missions work at home and around the world. From our humble beginnings to churches around the world, the Mount Hope family continues to help people know and follow Jesus. growthtrack 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Mount Hope Growth Track is the starting point to help you grow and develop as a follower of Jesus with the support of a church family. Growth Track is made up of four simple steps that will empower you to: 1 2 3 Pray:4 Know God Explore the importance of a relationship with God and spending time with Him in the secret place of prayer. 1 2 3 4 Love: Make Him Known Why do we love? Because He first loved us! Examine how Jesus loves you and why it is vitally important that we love like He did. Serve: Use Your Gifts Discover how God has uniquely designed and gifted you, and see how to serve others in a way that fits who you are. Activate Change people’s lives as you partner with the Holy Spirit to continue Jesus’ mission to pray, love, and serve others. growthtrack 12 | Pray. Love. Serve. 1 2 3 4 Step One Pray: Know God I. It’s important to know who you are. We want to help you discover who God is and who you are in Christ. We want you to know the family He has paid for you to be in, how you can connect with God, connect with your purpose, and reach your full potential as a child of the King. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 God has a spiritual family, of which He is the good Father to all His children who have been reborn by placing their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. You were made to , and you have a to play in that. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 14 | Pray. Love. Serve. How do we grow in God’s family? • Connect with — Pray • Connect with — Love • Connect with your — Serve The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multi- tude of sins. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:7-8,10 Speaking to the Church and the urgency of the moment, Peter said to pray—connect with God, love—connect with others, and serve—connect with your purpose. Each of these areas represent environments that will nurture growth in you. Over our four weeks together, we will take a look at each of these a little closer. II. Pray: Know . You were created to know God personally. God is about His relationship with you. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. Isaiah 43:10 The God of all creation wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to show you what He is like and how He does things so you can become like Him and succeed in every way. How can you connect with God? Let’s see how Jesus connected with His Father. growthtrack A. Rise early in the . Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Mark 1:35 There’s not a more life-changing thing you could add to your schedule than this appointment. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 You will eventually catch whatever your heart pursues. In those early hours, something is happening. His is wrapping around your . (Isaiah 40:31) B. Leave the noise and . Jesus took time to get alone and pray. Sometimes just getting in a quiet place and ex- pecting God to speak to you can make all the difference in your day. Let’s be like Jesus! I’m talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father. John 8:38, MSG Imagine what would happen in your life if you cleared out some noise and listened more? One conversation with God can change the rest of your life! C. There you . Herein lies the secret to growth. What you do daily determines what you are becom- ing permanently. My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8 16 | Pray. Love. Serve. III. Be water baptized. Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 Water baptism is the spiritually significant action of burying your old life of sin and rising up out of the water as a new person to follow Jesus. When can I be water baptized? • The first Sunday of each month during the morning service • The first Sunday of each month at the end of Growth Track • On the fifth Wednesday during the Wednesday Night Prayer Gathering And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heav- en and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:18–19, NKJV growthtrack IV. For you to reach your potential, be with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 8:26-27 Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a gift from God to you as His son or daughter. This gift will aid you in prayer, exercising gifts of the Holy Spirit, understanding spiritual things, and living boldly for Jesus.