• WHOA…how can it have been so long since the last thank you letter I sent out! Life has been challenging for us all, but I want to get this out to the most wonderful servants of the Lord…YOU.

 
Thank you so much, again, for your love and care over the years. Your prayers, your tithes and offerings have been used in the harvest work of God (as seen below). Through your generosity, many souls have come to know the Lord. In that, they have been enriched mightily in His truth.
 
This year marks the forty-second year of our little church serving the Tampa Bay area. With your prayerful and financial assistance, we will continue to minister here and to the community beyond our church. Some examples of the harvest work you help provide:

• Weekly Worship Services/Bible Studies/Prayer Meetings at GHCF
• Civil Air Patrol Chaplaincy, a ministry to the emergency responders of the Air Force Auxiliary and the Cadet Training Program, offering Character Development classes, field church services during actual and training missions. In addition, Active Duty, Reserve and Guard military weddings, funerals and events are provided assistance.
• Friends of the Unborn, a ministry that provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women up in the Boston, MA area. We send donations of CVS, Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to them for their personal and infant needs.
• Prison Ministry-occasional collections are made for inmate accounts, allowing them to purchase supplies and snacks
• Veterans’ Ministry-pastoral support at various veteran events
• Piercing the Darkness-community outreach through book publishing, seminars and speaking engagements
• NEW…Veterans Radio Ministry-a radio program designed to touch the hearts of America through the comments and personal stories of our veterans (www.veteransradiominisry.com).

 
Some Member/Attender News:
 
Pastor Mark-

• His business position in our community is a rich avenue to teach, counsel and pray with his customers. His hard work as our Senior Pastor (without remuneration for all of these years!) is a treasure in God’s eyes.

​
Dr. Shirley-

• The Monday night prayer meeting is a specially called group from our church who are in training in the ways of the Holy Spirit. It’s not a “prayer meeting” as such. But anyone who stops by will be richly blessed and tended to with love and prayer.
• Her diligence in pursuing an aggressive prayer ministry, through our church meeting, as well as external prayer meetings and teachings is enhancing the body of Christ.
• She will be homeschooling her grandchild this Fall.
• We are in the prayerful stage of coordinating for seminars on various spiritual teachings, to be presented to the community.

Evangelist Drew-

• He is currently working on spreading the gospel in our local areas and has recently taken on the Sunday School Lead Teaching position.
• Please continue in prayer for him, as he occasionally has to travel to the Middle East as a government contractor.
• So far, three of his five daughters have been married and are on their lives' journeys.

 
Pastor Ted-

• The Lord has led him to start the new radio ministry mentioned previously. He and Carolyn have moved to the Zephyrhills area, so our contact is often the electronic kind.

 
Pastor Linda-

• Continues the position (volunteer) as Southeast Region Chaplain for the USAF Aux/CAP. In that ministry, she guides the chaplains in a five-state area, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
• In addition, she has worked with a chaplain team in completely revising the disaster chaplain training for all of USAF Aux/CAP in United States.
• She continues speaking at different venues on various topics: Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Suicide Awareness seminars. On Veterans Day this year, she will be doing the Invocation for the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, DC.

 
June D.-

• Has been seriously ill and in and out of ICU for a chronic lung disease. She is currently in Hospice Care. Your prayers are appreciated.

 
Ramon A. -

• Continues in his outreach and service to those in the Dominican Republic. He has been living there for the past few months. Continue your prayers for God’s work to be fulfilled. He will be returning to Tampa soon.

 
Lisa F.-

• The last two of her and Drew’s five girls are still at home, one is finishing home school, and the other is in a local Bible School. Lisa briefly returned to work as a home care nurse but has finished that season and is now back at home teaching.

 
Helen G.-

• Remains recuperating at home after a recurring cardiac event.

 
Franny K.-

• Still needs prayer regarding her knees and shoulder issues. God is good to hear our prayers.

 
Clay S-

• Completed his degree in Public Health and his currently working at a local insurance agency.

 
That should do it for now. You all remain in our prayers and we know that God will return His favor upon you. We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.
 
Check us out: www.myghcf.com and www.facebook.com/myghcf
 
 
Your faithful servants in Christ,
Great Hope Christian Fellowship

Well, it’s been awhile and life has been challenging for us all, but I want to get this out to the most wonderful servants of the Lord…YOU.
 
Thank you so much again for your love and care over the years. Your prayers, your tithes and offerings have been used in the harvest work of God (as seen below). Through your generosity, many souls have come to know the Lord. In that, they have been enriched mightily in His truth.
 
This year marks the 41st year of our little church serving the Tampa Bay area. With your prayerful and financial assistance, we will continue to minister here and to the community beyond our church. Some examples of the harvest work you help provide:

• Civil Air Patrol Chaplaincy – a ministry to the emergency responders of the Air Force Auxiliary and the Cadet Training Program, offering character development classes and field church services during actual and training missions. In addition, Active Duty, Reserve and Guard military weddings, funerals and events are provided assistance.
• Friends of the Unborn – a ministry that provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women in the Boston, MA area. We send donations of CVS, Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to them for their personal and infant needs.
• Prison Ministry – occasional collections are made for inmate accounts, allowing them to purchase supplies and snacks.
• Veterans’ Ministry – pastoral support at various veteran events.
• Piercing the Darkness – community outreach through book publishing, seminars and speaking engagements.
• NEW…American Veterans Radio Ministry – a radio program designed to touch the hearts of America through the comments and personal stories of our veterans.

 
Some Member/Attender News:
 
Pastor Mark-

• His business position in our community is a rich avenue to teach, counsel and pray with his customers. His hard work as our Senior Pastor (without remuneration for all these years!) is a treasure in God’s eyes.

Dr. Shirley-

• The Monday night prayer meeting is at 7:30 pm at the church and all are welcome. Hearts are changing and being blessed in these sessions.
• Her diligence in pursuing an aggressive prayer ministry, through our church meeting, as well as external prayer meetings and teachings, is enhancing the body of Christ.

 Evangelist Drew-

• He is currently working on spreading the gospel in our local areas and has recently taken on the Sunday School lead teaching position.
• Please continue in prayer for him, as he will soon be leaving again for the Middle East as a government contractor and is encouraged through our prayers.
• This year, three of his five daughters were married and are on their life’s journey.

 Pastor Ted-

• The Lord has led him to start the new radio ministry mentioned previously. He and Carolyn have moved to the Zephyrhills area, so our contact is often the electronic kind.

Pastor Linda-

• Continues the position (volunteer) as Southeast Region Chaplain for the USAF Aux/CAP. In that ministry, she guides the chaplains in a five-state area, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
• In addition, she has worked with a chaplain team in completely revising the disaster chaplain training for all of USAF Aux/CAP in United States.
• She continues speaking at different venues on various topics: Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and as the keynote speaker at a conference for the families of military personnel who have committed suicide.

June D.-

• Continues her walking regimen.
• She is a cancer survivor and praises the Lord with each step. Faithfully going along with her each step of the way is her daughter, Cathy.
• She does admit, though, that her walking has decreased a bit since her family recently gave her a car.

Ramon -

• Continues in his outreach and service to those in the Dominican Republic. He has been living there for the past few months. Continue your prayers for God’s work to be fulfilled.

Lisa F.-

• The last two of her and Drew’s five girls are still at home finishing school. Lisa has also returned to work as a home care nurse, being mightily blessed in that service. She considers it a true mission of love in the Lord.

Helen G.-

• Remains recuperating at home after a recurring cardiac event.

Franny K.-

• Still needs prayer regarding her knees and shoulder issues. God is good to hear our prayers.

Clay S.-

• Will be completing his degree in Public Health and taking a new job at the local VA hospital.

 
That should do it for now. We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.
 
Check us out: www.myghcf.com and www.facebook.com/myghcf
 
Your faithful servants in Christ,
Great Hope Christian Fellowship

Well, it’s been awhile and life has been challenging for us all, but I want to get this out to the most wonderful servants of the Lord…YOU.
 
Thank you so much again for your love and care over the years. Your prayers, your tithes and offerings have been used in the harvest work of God, and through that many souls have come to know the Lord and been enriched in His truth.

• Civil Air Patrol Chaplaincy – a ministry to the emergency responders of the Air Force Auxiliary and the Cadet Training Program, offering Character Development classes and field church services during actual and training missions.
  
• Friends of the Unborn – a ministry that provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women in the Boston, MA area. We send quarterly donations of CVS, Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to them for their personal and infant needs.
  
• Prison Ministry – occasional collections are made for inmate accounts, allowing them to purchase supplies and snacks.
  
• Veterans’ Ministry – pastoral support at various veteran events.
  
• Piercing the Darkness – community outreach through book publishing, seminars and speaking engagements.
  
• NEW…American Veterans Radio Ministry – a radio program designed to touch the hearts of America through the comments and personal stories of our veterans.

Some Member/Attender News:
​
Dr. Shirley

• The Monday night prayer meeting is at 7:30 pm at the church and all are welcome. Hearts are changing and being blessed in these sessions.
• She will be traveling soon to Washington, DC area to help her son with the new baby girl that is soon expected.
• She continues in diligence to homeschool her granddaughter Adelyn…both are thriving in that endeavor.

Evangelist Drew – he is currently working in Afghanistan as a government contractor and is encouraged through our prayers.
Pastor Ted – the Lord has led him to start the new radio ministry mentioned previously. 
Pastor Linda – has recently taken the position (volunteer) as Southeast Region Chaplain for the USAF Aux/CAP. In that ministry, she will be guiding the chaplains in a five state area, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In addition, she has worked with a chaplain team in completely revising the disaster chaplain training for all of USAF Aux/CAP in United States. 
June D. – continues her walking regimen. She is a cancer survivor and praises the Lord with each step. Faithfully going along with her each step of the way is her daughter, Cathy. We see them on the road all the time.
Carolyn M. – she and Ted are in the process of buying a new home. Prayers are appreciated. Also, recently, her mother, Margaret, has gone on to be with the Lord. No more suffering now as she dances on the streets of gold!
Teresa and Ramon – continue in their outreach and service to those in the Dominican Republic.
Lisa F. – the last two of her and Drew’s five girls are still at home finishing school. Three will soon be marrying. Where has the time gone! Lisa has also returned to work as a home care nurse, being mightily blessed in that service. She considers it a true mission of love in the Lord.
Helen G. – remains recuperating at home after a cardiac event some months ago.
Frannie K. – still needs prayer regarding her knees and shoulder issues. God is good to hear our prayers.

That should do it for now. We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.

​
​Dr. Shirley --

• Meets at the church with other prayer warriors every Monday night at 7:30pm. Hearts are changing and being blessed in these sessions. All are welcome.
• Made her annual “sibling” trip and had a grand time with them up in the Atlanta area.
• Traveled to and returned safely from New Orleans. She had a great time visiting with her baby grandson, and took the challenge of having her granddaughter accompany her.

 
Evangelist Drew — Completed his month-long business trip and has returned safely. He is currently fighting a bad dose of the flu, and your continued prayers are appreciated.
 
Pastor Ted — Ted is very serious about his exercise program and continues to swim 2-3 miles daily at one of the local City pools. With just five more miles to go, he has almost completed his first major challenge of swimming the length of the Hillsborough River in the pool. Go Ted!
 
Pastor Linda — Took the “plunge” (literally) and went on a whitewater rafting trip in South Carolina with Mark and Shirley’s daughter, Shem, and her husband, David. After being thrown into the rapids, the next day the intrepid band went zip lining, cruising sometimes at 40mph. What was she thinking! All have returned safely with many stories to tell.
 
June D. — Continues her walking regimen. She is a cancer survivor and praises the Lord with every step. Faithfully going along with her each step of the way is her daughter, Cathy. Way to go, girls!
 
Carolyn M. — Her mother, Margaret, is in a nursing home and prayers are appreciated for her health and comfort. Margaret continues praising the Lord and communicates via the internet now. What a humble Christian example she is…no complaints and all praise!
 
That should do it for now. We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.

Because of your love and care through your donations and prayers (hey, that rhymes!), we continue to serve our community through church services, teaching, home, hospital and prison visitations, food distribution, youth ministries, etc. Those are the common things of service and we gladly do so.

With your prayerful and financial assistance, we continue to minister to the community beyond our church:

• Friends of the Unborn, a ministry that provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women up in the Boston, MA area. We send quarterly donations of CVS, Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to them for their personal and infant needs
• Prison Ministry-occasional collections are made for inmate accounts, allowing them to purchase supplies and snacks
• Veterans’ Ministry-pastoral support at various veteran events
• Piercing the Darkness-community outreach through book publishing, seminars, speaking engagements, Civil Air Patrol and Veterans/Chaplaincy duty

• Dr. Shirley has begun a Monday night “Prayer Altar” at 7:30 pm at the church and all are welcome. Hearts are changing and being blessed in these sessions.
• Dr. Shirley will be traveling to New Orleans soon with her granddaughter to see her baby grandson. Prayers are appreciated.
• Pastor Mark was given a miracle! He was rushed to the ER a few nights ago with Atrial Fibrillation (erratic heart palpitations). His heart would not readjust on its own. After much testing, they were all set to do a cardioversion (shock his heart!), but just as they were getting ready to do the procedure, God stepped in and Mark’s heart went back into regular rhythm without any assistance. Whew! He is doing well and praising God.
• Evangelist Drew just returned from a month-long business trip, but continues to share the Lord and pray with the many people he meets. His daughter Vanessa accompanied him on this adventure.
• Pastor Ted traveled to Arkansas to participate as chaplain to a group of security personnel that were assisting a church with defining and setting up their security needs. During the “mission”, he was interviewed on a local radio station and had the opportunity to praise the Lord to a larger audience.
• June D. continues her walking regimen. She is a cancer survivor and praises the Lord with each step. Faithfully going along with her each step of the way is her daughter, Cathy. Way to go girls!
• Carolyn M.'s mother, Margaret, is in a nursing home and prayers are appreciated for her health and comfort. Margaret continues praising the Lord and communicates via the internet now. What a humble Christian example she is…no complaints and all praise!
• Pastor Linda completed a 5K run a few weekends ago. Unbeknownst to her, it was a cross-country run…meaning it was in the woods with all the dirt and the mud. She said it was more walking and crawling than running, but she finished!

That should do it for now. We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.

Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/myghcf.

Your faithful servants in Christ,

Great Hope Christian Fellowship

Lots of news to report since last time, so I'll jump right in.

• NEW MAILING ADDRESS! Great Hope Christian Fellowship Church has a new mailing address. Our physical address is still the same, but if you need to send "snail mail" please send it here: P.O. Box 82609, Tampa, FL, 33682-2609
• BOOK TALK AND SIGNING FOR DMR-5! On January 29, 2014, from 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Dr. (Pastor) Linda Pugsley will be presenting her new book, DMR-5, The Next Generation, at the North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33604 (click link for map). The presentation will be in the library's Community Room. Please invite your friends and be sure to attend. Pastor Pugsley will be available afterwards to sell copies of her book and sign them if you like. If you want to bring your own copy to be signed, you can get one ahead of time at these locations:  Xulon Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble in paperback and Nook or Kindle format.
• Dr. Shirley completed her annual “Sibling Trip” with her sisters and brother. They were blessed with hiking and adventures way out West
  
• Pastor Linda safely completed a multi-purpose trip to the Boston area where she was able to celebrate the wedding of one of her numerous nephews as well as attend her 50th High School Reunion (did I just say 50th!)
  
• Akarion C. had a successful yard sale…yay…now there’s room for a whole new bunch of toys for her little one!
  
• Pastors’ Appreciation Luncheon – Pastors Ted and Linda and Ted’s wife, Carolyn, attended a local gathering with Dr. David Jeremiah as the featured speaker. They were blessed with the fellowship of other pastors in the community, each with so many different calls of God in their lives. A true template for the tapestry of the Lord.
  
• Blood drive – Pastor Linda, Akarion C. and Shemie P. all donated blood at the drive sponsored by Bracken Engineering
  
• Shugar G. recently was released from the hospital after an extremely serious blood infection. She is resting at home and we continue to pray for her recovery. She is on reverse isolation precautions – translation…do not visit her at this time. Calls and cards would be nice.
  
• Christy M. continues in excellence in her radiology tech studies…you go girl!
  
• June D. and Lisa T. are rejoicing that Debbie S. has been transferred to a faith-based prison that is located in Brooksville. What a wonderful favor from God, as her original location was in Miami!
  
• Mike, one of our new young attenders has graciously agreed to help out with the computer and IT needs at the church. Gracias mucho, mucho!
  
• The Farkas family (Pastor Mark refers to them as the “Farki”) have purchased a new home and appreciate your prayers for God’s direction in it.
  
• ‘Dem bones, ‘dem bones, ‘dem dry bones – Helen, Frances, June, Pastor Linda and PastorTed continue with some mobility challenges. Please keep them in your prayers, also.
  

We are grateful for your continued prayerful and financial support to Great Hope Christian Fellowship (GHCF) and the outreach of Piercing the Darkness Ministries (PDM). You honor God with your generosity and kindness to us.

Pastor Linda's second book, DMR-5, The Next Generation, continues to receive wonderful comments from those who have been deeply touched by the spiritual insights and story line. If you have also been encouraged by reading this book, please let us know by leaving your comments on the Amazon book site, here on our website or on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you.

If you haven't had an opportunity to view the trailer for DMR-5, The Next Generation, please check it out. We encourage you to purchase your copy and delve into this unique Christian fiction, and please do pass it on! It is now available at Xulon Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble in paperback and Nook or Kindle format.

Even though we are a small portion in the vineyard of the Lord, we have much to do. We often serve those who may not "fit in", so to speak, in a larger congregation and your support allows us to continue that labor of love. Many are hurting because of the poor life decisions they have made, but they are still valuable souls to our loving and merciful God. Our hands will stay at the plow in His field, and we cherish your prayers in that regard.

We continue to assist the Friends of the Unborn ministry which provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women up in the Boston, MA area. Quarterly, we send donations of gift cards to CVS, Target and Wal-Mart. We also sporadically help the Francis House (with canned goods collections), which provides meals for the homeless who suffer with HIV/AIDS. Your support helps us help them.

We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.

We are grateful for your continued prayerful and financial support to Great Hope Christian Fellowship (GHCF) and the outreach of Piercing the Darkness Ministries (PDM). We serve a God full of mercy and wisdom and we ask that He shower that and His many blessings back upon you.

Pastor Linda's second book, DMR-5, The Next Generation, has been published. We encourage you to purchase your copy and delve into this unique Christian fiction. It is now available at Xulon Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble in paperback and Nook or Kindle format. View the awesome trailer of DMR-5, The Next Generation. Check out the many comments from those who have been deeply touched by the spiritual insights and story line of DMR-5. Comments can be found on the Amazon book site.

Even thought we are a small portion in the vineyard of the Lord, we have much to do. We often serve those who may not "fit in", so to speak, in a larger congregation and your support allows us to continue that labor of love. Many are hurting because of the poor life decisions they have made, but they are still valuable souls to our loving and merciful God. Currently, five of our attenders are incarcerated (one just released until court date). Our hands will stay at the plow in His field and we cherish your prayers in that regard.

We continue to assist (with gift cards for the women and their newborns) the Friends of the Unborn ministry which provides housing and training for homeless pregnant women. We also sporadically help the Francis House (with canned goods collections), which provides meals for the homeless who suffer with HIV/AIDS. Your support helps us help them.

We love and cherish each one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.

As we remember our “day of infamy” and the World Trade Center attacks that occurred on 9-11-01, may we reflect on the greatness of God and not just the evil of mankind! The broken Adam nature is full of disastrous ways which will manifest with heinous acts such as those we witnessed on that fateful day. Our counteraction to all of that is to maintain an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and be salt and light in an often tasteless and dark world. That we can do and with diligence!

We now would like to thank you again for your continued prayerful and financial support to Great Hope Christian Fellowship (GHCF) and the GHCF outreach of Piercing the Darkness Ministries (PDM). We serve a God full of mercy and wisdom and we ask that He shower that back upon you.

Your prayers are also valued for Pastor Linda’s research and book writing completion, as well as the many teaching, speaking and military event engagements that are frequently requested.

Even though we are a small portion in the vineyard of the Lord, we have much to do. We often serve those who may not “fit in”, so to speak, in a larger congregation and your support allows us to continue that labor of love. Many are hurting because of the poor life decisions they have made, but they are still valuable souls to our loving and merciful God. Our hands will stay at the plow in His field and we cherish your prayers in that regard.

Thank you again for your continued prayerful and financial support to Great Hope Christian Fellowship (GHCF) and the GHCF outreach of Piercing the Darkness Ministries (PDM). We serve a God full of mercy and wisdom and we ask that He shower that back upon you.

Your prayers are valued for Pastor Linda’s research and book writing completion, as well as the many teaching, speaking and military event engagements that are frequently requested.

We love and cherish each and every one of you and humbly thank you for your participation with us in this portion of His vineyard. Well done good and faithful servants.