Date December 2015
Shar ing OURFait h New Hope's M onthly Newsletter
GIVINGTHEBEST GIFT Rev. St eve Nor den , Sen i or Past or nor den@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Pa stor Steve
NEWHOPECHURCH A M inistry of the Reformed Church in America
Rev. St eph en M . Nor den , Sen i or Past or Rev. Sar ah E. Pal sm a, Associ at e Past or
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SUNDAYWORSHIPSCHEDULE 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship Sunday School for ages 2 thr ough 5th Gr ade
10:15AM Sunday School for Adults and Youth Or ange Pr ogr am for ages 3 thr ough 5th Gr ade
11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship Chr istian Car toon Club for Kids
......................... 4739 W. Pow el l Rd. (Next to the Columbus Zoo)
Pow el l , OH 43065 614.766.5445 New HopeWor sh i p.com ......................... Facebook .com /New HopePow el l Tw i t t er .com /New HopePow el l Pi n t er est .com /New HopePow el l I n st agr am .com /New HopePow el l Vi m eo.com /New HopePow el l
......................... New Hope's Mission To Reach people for Chr ist, Root people in Chr ist, and Rel ease people to ser ve Chr ist.
I'm beginning to see com m ents on social m edia and in som e of the m ar keting em ails that I r eceive about "Chr easter s." For those of you unfam iliar w ith this ter m , Chr easter s ar e people w ho show up in chur ch once or tw ice a year Chr istm as Eve, Easter or both. M ost of the com m ents on social m edia ar e dispar aging, belittling these individuals for their cultur al Chr istianity, their super ficial spir ituality and w hat is per ceived as the desir e to be "seen" in chur ch at least once, per haps tw ice dur ing the year. Other com m ents expr ess ir r itation, m ostly about how Chr easter s ar e the ones w ho show up ear ly on Chr istm as Eve and Easter, taking the "good" seats. W hile the com m ents that I r ead in em ails ar e m or e char itable, usually they'r e m or e of a m ar keting natur e - how to entice those w ho show up only once or tw ice a year to give us a tr y. Som etim es even pr om otions or gim m icks ar e suggested. I've r eceived em ails suggesting that, if the chur ch w er e to give aw ay a big scr een HD tv or even a new car, ther e w ould be even m or e inter est and gr eater attendance. I'll adm it that it w ould be ver y easy for m e to be cynical about Chr easter s. Still, ther e's som ething w ithin m e that w ants to give thanks for these folks. Yes, their attendance does m ake it necessar y to set up extr a chair s in our nar thex. And I r ealize that, for som e of our m em ber s and r egular attendees, this m eans that you w on't get your "usual" seat on Chr istm as Eve or Easter. But I'm na誰ve enough to look at this as a w onder ful oppor tunity for us to extend our best w elcom e to those w ho visit on these holidays. Even m or e, my pr ayer on Chr istm as Eve is that som ehow the Holy Spir it w ill use Sar ah and m e to pr esent the good new s of our faith in a w ay that just m ight touch som eone's life and cause them to think about Chr ist and his chur ch in a w ay that they m ay not have consider ed befor e. So, as w e head into Advent and Chr istm as, let m e offer a couple of challenges. Fir st, m ake som eone a Chr easter by inviting a per son w ho usually doesn't attend chur ch. Our Chr istm as m usic pr ogr am on the evening of Decem ber 13 is a w onder ful event to w hich to invite som eone. W hat is m or e festive and gets one in the Chr istm as m ood than m usic? And, you m ay w ant to invite som eone to w or ship w ith you on Chr istm as Eve. If you set the table, w e'll do our best to br ing the m eal - m etaphor ically speaking of cour se. Then, I also encour age you to be the best w elcom e that New Hope can offer on Chr istm as Eve. Gr eet those w hom you don't know. Ask if it's their fir st tim e at New Hope. And invite them to join us for w or ship again. In this season of giving, these ar e som e of the m ost w onder ful gifts each of us ar e able to give.
FINANCEANDADMINISTRATION Ph i l Th om pson , Ch u r ch Adm i n i st r at or thompson@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x37 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Administr ation
Text Giving is off to a gr eat star t! In Novem ber, 15% of all tithes and offer ings w er e m ade thr ough Text Giving. Thank you to those w ho have taken advantage of this new and secur e giving m ethod! Gifts can be m ade at any tim e by texting any am ount to 614 467 4464, or by visiting New HopeWor sh i p.com /Sm ar t Gi v i n g and clicking on the online giving button. Com m ents fr om people w ho have used Text Giving include: -
It's so easy and quick I can set up planned giving that fits my budget and w hen I get paid It's sim ple, fast, and secur e It takes less than 30 seconds I can do it on days other than Sunday I don't have to w r ite a check It has m ade my giving w ay easier and m or e tim ely
Year End is quickly appr oaching and now is a gr eat tim e to catch up on your pledge and m axim ize your tax deduction for 2015. Thank you for r em em ber ing New Hope Chur ch in your year end planning and giving, and continuing to suppor t our m ission of Reach i n g, Root i n g, an d Rel easi n g peopl e f or Ch r i st .
FINANCIALREPORT THROUGHOCTOBER31 OCTOBER
YEAR TO DATE
Bu dget
Act u al
%
Bu dget
Act u al
%
Tot al I n com e
82,480
69,454
84.2%
824,797
840,102
101.9%
Tot al Ex pen se
82,480
67,533
81.9%
824,797
808,484
98.0%
Each year w e ask that you pr ayer fully consider your financial com m itm ent to New Hope for the com ing year and offer your pledge. 2016 pledge car ds ar e available at the chur ch, or you can com plete and r etur n the car d to the left, or you can m ake your pledge online at New HopeWor sh i p.com /Pl edge. Thank you!
CHRISTMASAT NEWHOPE New HopeWor sh i p.com /Ch r i st m as
On M onday, Decem ber 7 at 7:00PM ther e w ill be a special pr ayer ser vice of com for t and hope in the Nar thex. W hile w e m ay sing ?tis the season to be jolly,? w e also know that it is not a jolly season for all. At this ser vice w e w ill acknow ledge our pain, gr ief, and loss am idst all the yuletide celebr ations. We w ill light candles in m em or y of those w e love and m iss, and w e w ill r em em ber that the tr ue joy of Chr istm as com es fr om the One w ho cam e to heal our w ounds and gr ant us His peace.
Ch ri stmas Cel eb rati on You ar e i n v i t ed t o an ex t en ded Fel l ow sh i p h ou r on Su n day, Decem ber 20 at 10:15AM . We w i l l cel ebr at e t h e bi r t h of Ch r i st w i t h cof f ee, cocoa, an d f ood, j oi n i n a sh or t devot i on l ed by Past or Sar ah , an d en d by si n gi n g som e of ou r f avor i t e Ch r i st m as car ol s.
MUSICMINISTRY Ch r i st i n e Loy, Di r ect or of M u si c M i n i st r y loy@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x14 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/M usic
We?d like to invite you to celebr ate one of our favor ite Chr istm as tr aditions her e at New Hope Chur ch as the M usic M inistr y pr esents a fabulous Chr istm as Concer t on Sunday, Decem ber 13 at 6:00PM ! Featur ing our adult and childr en?s choir s, or chestr a, w or ship band, and soloists, com e to hear the joyous sounds of Chr istm as. Sing along to "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer !" But m ost of all, com e to hear the stor y of the bir th of Jesus r etold thr ough our m ost beloved Chr istm as car ols. This is a fr ee concer t and nur ser y car e is pr ovided thr ough pr eschool age. Don?t m iss this gift to our New Hope congr egation - br ing your fam ily and fr iends to celebr ate Chr istm as w ith us!
Com e to our quar ter ly Tow n Hall M eeting on Sunday, Decem ber 13 at 10:15AM . We'll be discussing the plans w e believe God has for New Hope Chur ch in 2016. Adult Sunday School will not meet on this date; Children's Sunday School, Orange for Kids, and Youth Sunday School will meet at their regular times.
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY Josh Bar n a, Di r ect or of Ch i l dr en 's M i n i st r y ba r na @NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x13 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Childr en
sunday school
In Novem ber, m ost of our Sunday School classes lear ned how God is alw ays faithful to his pr om ises r egar dless of the cir cum stances. The quar r eling tw ins, Jacob and Esau, plotted and planned their ow n w ays, but at the end of the day, God?s w ill cam e to pass. In Decem ber, our Deep Blue cur r iculum w ill have us lear ning about the bir th of Jesus and how the tr uth of Chr istm as still changes the w or ld today. Ther e w ill be no Sunday School on Decem ber 27; all kids ar e invited to attend w or ship w ith their fam ilies.
Dur ing Novem ber, "Pr incess Captain Adm ir al Stephanie" (Ver m eer ) fear lessly led our Or ange space cr ew on a jour ney w her e w e lear ned about ser vice each w eek . The stor ies of Elijah set the backgr ound for discover ing how w e could "lend a hand to those in need." In Decem ber w e w ill begin lear ning about a new vir tue. Due to the holidays, Or ange w ill not m eet on Decem ber 20 and 27.
KIDSWOW
Our Wednesday night pr ogr am , Kids WOW, continued its jour ney back to Nazar eth w her e w e kept lear ning that our lives, in som e w ays, ar e not that differ ent fr om the life of our Savior. In Novem ber w e lear ned that Jesus w ent to chur ch, w as baptized, and w as tem pted? and w e ar e too. This year, WOW par ticipants and their fam ilies ar e invited to celebr ate our "Bir thday Par ty for Jesus" on Wednesday, Decem ber 16 at 5:30PM . The kids m usical is on Sunday, Decem ber 13 at 6:00PM .
W ith your help our Club 45 4th and 5th gr ader s exceeded their goal of 200 new coats to deliver to kids in the Colum bus School Distr ict. Thanks for helping us ser ve our God in this w ay! In Decem ber w e w ill be m aking hand-tied fleece blankets for those w ho m ay be cold this w inter as a r em inder of Chr ist's love. Each blanket r equir es tw o pieces of fleece, 2½ yar ds each, in coor dinating color s. We need lots of fleece to m ake this a successful m ission! If you'd like to help, please leave your fleece donations in the tub in the Nar thex by Sunday m or ning, Decem ber 6.
NEWHOPEPRESCHOOL Lyn n Ri l ey, Di r ect or pr eschool@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.2446 ? NewHopePr eschool.com
The pr eschool continues to evolve and change to pr ovide a Chr istian pr ogr am to the com m unity. W hen I becam e the dir ector of the pr eschool ther e w er e four classr oom s and just over 100 students enr olled. In 2009 w e added a classr oom and our enr ollm ent incr eased. By 2011, w e had w aiting lists again and it w as tim e to add another classr oom , as w ell as a Kinder gar ten enr ichm ent pr ogr am for fam ilies. This w as another w ay for us to r each m or e fam ilies in the com m unity. Once again w e ar e using our space to capacity and w ant to use our r esour ces to r each m or e fam ilies. In 2016-17 w e w ill begin using the Nippa Room for a Kinder gar ten Pr ogr am . We ar e ver y excited to offer a M onday thr ough Thur sday 9:00AM to 3:00PM Kinder gar ten pr ogr am to the com m unity. As the dir ector of the pr eschool one of the m ost r ew ar ding and im por tant aspects of my position is the r elationship that the pr eschool has w ith the chur ch. I value how w e w or k together to suppor t each other 's pr ogr am s. We all have such a positive im pact on the com m unity. Together w e ar e m aking a differ ence! New Hope Pr eschool and Education Center w ill begin enr olling for the 2016-17 school year in Januar y. On M onday, Januar y 4 at 8:00AM r etur ning pr eschool fam ilies and chur ch m em ber s w ill be given the oppor tunity to enr oll befor e r egistr ation opens to the public on Tuesday, Januar y 19. Registr ation for m s can be found on our w ebsite at New HopePr esch ool .com in our for m s libr ar y. Please feel fr ee to contact m e if you have any questions or concer ns. Have a joyful and safe holiday w ith your fam ilies!
YOUTHMINISTRY Bob Cl i n e, Di r ect or of You t h M i n i st r y cline@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Youth
This M ar ch, High School youth ar e invited to attend Genesis 2016, a r egional youth confer ence w hich takes place ever y other year at The Gr and Tr aver se Resor t in Tr aver se City, M ichigan. By com bining gr eat speaker s, ener getic m usic, and thousands of ar ea youth, Genesis is an event w her e leader s and students can w or ship honestly and gr ow spir itually. Students w ill be given an oppor tunity to play and to ser ve w hile they connect and gr ow together. Guest speaker Judy Peter son w ill challenge us to not just talk the talk , but r eally w alk the w alk . For her, this took the for m of w alking acr oss the United States. "About A M ile," a band of br other s fr om the w or king-class tow n of Butler, Pennsylvania, w ill lead us in w or ship for the w eekend. The band's nam e com es fr om the distance Jesus car r ied his cr oss, "about a m ile." Cost for New Hope youth is $50. New Hope cover s the $179 r egistr ation fee and tr anspor tation costs. If you w ould like to sponsor a youth to attend Genesis, please m ar k "Genesis" on the m em o line of your check or see Bob Cl i n e. For m or e infor m ation and to r egister please visit Gen esi sEven t .or g.
ADULT MINISTRY Rev. Sar ah Pal sm a, Associ at e Past or pa lsma @NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x15 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Adults
THE W OM EN OF CHRI STM AS: Ex per i en ce t h e Season Af r esh w i t h El i zabet h , M ar y, an d An n a by Li z Cu r t i s Hi ggs
Past or Sar ah Pal sm a, Faci l i t at or Wednesdays at 12:30PM thr ough December 16 ? M eets in the Libr a r y
M eet the w om en w ho played pivotal r oles in Chr ist's bir th! Elizabeth is bar r en, yet tr usts God's pr om ise. M ar y is a vir gin, but says yes w hen God asks her to bear his Son. And pr ophetess Anna pr oclaim s the M essiah's ar r ival. Unpacking each ver se fr om the Gospel of Luke, author Liz Cur tis Higgs illum inates their love, faithfulness, and obedience to God. Sign up at the chur ch or online at New HopeWor sh i p.com /Bi bl eSt u dy.
SAVE THE DATE 2016 Wom en?s Retr eat Satur day, Febr uar y 20, 2016 M uir field Countr y Club "Run Hard. Rest Well." Speaker: Brenda Jank
Br enda Jank
Senior s of all ages ar e invited to join us on the second Tuesday of ever y m onth for lunch and fellow ship. Our next luncheon is Tuesday, Decem ber 8 at noon at J.Liu Restaur ant in Dublin. If you'd like to par ticipate in our tr aditional Chr istm as gift exchange, please br ing a sm all gift that costs $10 or less. RSVP by calling the chur ch office at 614.766.5445, or see Jen n y Tyr ee for m or e info.
A num ber of the khaki color ed cloth napkins disappear ed after the Spr ing Tea. We think these m ay have been "put aw ay" som ew her e dur ing the clean up. If you com e acr oss these dur ing your chur ch activities, please contact Jean n e Han i gan at 614.313.4244 or Nan cy Gr een in the chur ch office at 614.766.5445. Thank you for your help.
OUTREACHMINISTRY An n e Ku n t z-Far l ey, Team Leader NewHopeWor ship.com/Outr ea ch
After m any year s of outstanding ser vice as New Hope's Outr each Team Leader, Wal t Bu ss is now shar ing his tim e and talent as the leader of our Welcom e Team , continuing the good w or k begun by Ken M cNu t t . We ar e gr ateful for Walt's leader ship on the Outr each Team , and know he w ill continue to ser ve New Hope w ell as our new Welcom e Team Leader. We ar e pleased to announce that An n e Ku n t z-Far l ey has agr eed to ser ve as New Hope's new Outr each Team Leader. Anne and her husband Rick have been m em ber s of New Hope Chur ch for about 3 year s, and Anne has ser ved on the Outr each Team for a little over a year. She is the Dir ector of Com m unity Relations for the Ganzhor n Suites of Pow ell, an assisted living facility dedicated solely to people w ith dem entia and Alzheim er ?s disease. Anne is a licensed social w or ker and a licensed funer al dir ector. One of Anne?s gr eatest passions is for anim als. She has been involved in anim al r escue and w elfar e for over 30 year s. She is looking for w ar d to continuing on w ith the am azing w or k that the Outr each Team has done so far. We extend our sincer e and hear tfelt thanks to both Walt and Anne for their leader ship in helping New Hope shar e the love of Chr ist w ith our com m unity and beyond. Inter ested in being par t of this team ? Com e to any Outr each Team m eeting, or contact Anne at an n i e0927@h ot m ai l .com .
Thank you to all w ho par ticipated in our Fall Outr each pr oject supplying w ar m coats for childr en in Colum bus! Sponsor ed by our chur ch Elder s and our Club 45 4th and 5th gr ader s, New Hope par tner ed w ith Coats4Childr en and the Colum bus Public Schools to supply over 200 br and new w inter coats to childr en in 11 schools!
OUTREACHMINISTRY An n e Ku n t z-Far l ey, Team Leader NewHopeWor ship.com/Outr ea ch
New Hope is one of sever al chur ches suppor ting His Place, a com m unity dinner at St. John?s Episcopal Chur ch near dow ntow n Colum bus, by ser ving hot m eals to those in need.
WednesdaY, December 16 5:30PM
Volunteer s ar e needed on Wednesday, Decem ber 16 to help ser ve the food and clean up after dinner. Sign up online at New HopeWor sh i p.com /Hi sPl ace, or by contacting LeAn n e Si ddel l or the chur ch office at 614.766.5445.
Th e h ol i days r em i n d u s h ow f or t u n at e an d bl essed w e ar e. I n an ef f or t t o sh ar e God?s bl essi n g t h i s h ol i day season , t h e M i ssi on of M er cy Team h as adopt ed f ost er ch i l dr en f r om Del aw ar e Cou n t y Ch i l dr en 's Ser v i ces. We ar e r equ est i n g you r h el p t o gi ve t h ese ch i l dr en a Ch r i st m as f i l l ed w i t h God?s l ove. Pl ease v i si t t h e Ch r i st m as Tr ee n ear t h e Oppor t u n i t i es bu l l et i n boar d i n t h e Nar t h ex an d sel ect a gi f t t o don at e f or a f am i l y i n n eed. Gi f t s n eed t o be back t o t h e ch u r ch by Su n day, Decem ber 6. Th an k you f or you r gen er ou s par t i ci pat i on i n ou r Ch r i st m as Ou t r each . - The Ta mmy A. Eva ns M ission of M er cy Tea m
New Hope has a w onder ful oppor tunity to help The Fam ily M entor Foundation, a local non-pr ofit or ganization, supply "Buddy Bags" filled w ith shelf-stable, easily pr epar ed food to kids in Nor thw est Colum bus each w eekend. These childr en often have no other food to eat w hen they'r e not in school, either because their pantr ies ar e bar e or because ther e is no adult available to pr epar e m eals for them . Ther e ar e cur r ently 1,200 childr en on the w aiting list to r eceive Buddy Bags. Tw elve hundr ed childr en seeking food, r ight her e in Nor thw est Colum bus. Your financial gifts can help get this food to the childr en w ho need it m ost. Please visit the tr ee in the chur ch Nar thex to pick up an or nam ent w ith a suggested dollar am ount w hich w ill pr ovide a specific num ber of m eals, and a w ebsite link w her e you can m ake your donation. Ever y dollar helps! M or e infor m ation about The Fam ily M entor Foundation can be found at Fam i l yM en t or Fou n dat i on .or g. Thank you for shar ing your gifts this Chr istm as season.
DECEMBERCHURCHCALENDAR For mor e deta ils plea se see NewHopeWor ship.com/Ca lenda r Wedn esday, Decem ber 2 12:30PM Wom en's Bible Study 5:30PM Kids WOW 5:30PM His Place Com m unity Dinner 7:00PM The Jour ney Discipleship Study Th u r sday, Decem ber 3 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA 12 step m eeting Su n day, Decem ber 6 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 9:00AM Childr en's Sunday School 10:15AM Adult Sunday School The Call (The Life of Paul), Discovery Class, Financial Peace 10:15AM M iddle School Sunday School 10:15AM High School Sunday School 10:15AM Or ange for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 7:00PM High School Youth Gr oup M on day, Decem ber 7 7:00PM Blue Chr istm as Ser vice 7:30PM Pr ayer M eeting Tu esday, Decem ber 8 12:00PM Senior Sages Luncheon 6:00PM Deacon and Elder M eetings 7:30PM Consistor y M eeting Wedn esday, Decem ber 9 12:30PM Wom en's Bible Study 5:30PM Kids WOW 7:00PM The Jour ney Discipleship Study Th u r sday, Decem ber 10 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA 12 step m eeting Sat u r day, Decem ber 12 9:00PM Chr istm as Cantata Dr ess Rehear sal Su n day, Decem ber 13 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 9:00AM Childr en's Sunday School 10:15AM Tow n Hall M eeting 10:15AM M iddle School Sunday School 10:15AM High School Sunday School 10:15AM Or ange for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 6:00PM Chr istm as Cantata 7:00PM High School Youth Gr oup
Wedn esday, Decem ber 16 12:30PM Wom en's Bible Study 5:30PM Bir thday Par ty for Jesus 5:30PM His Place Com m unity Dinner Th u r sday, Decem ber 17 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA 12 step m eeting Su n day, Decem ber 20 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 9:00AM Childr en's Sunday School 10:15AM Chr istm as Fellow ship Hour 10:15AM M iddle School Sunday School 10:15AM High School Sunday School 10:15AM Or ange for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 7:00PM High School Youth Gr oup M on day, Decem ber 21 7:00PM Outr each Team M eeting Tu esday, Decem ber 22 7:00PM Adult M inistr y Team M eeting Th u r sday, Decem ber 24 5:00PM Fam ily Chr istm as Eve Ser vice 7:00PM Candlelight Chr istm as Eve Ser vice 7:30PM AA 12 Step M eeting 9:00PM Candlelight Chr istm as Eve Ser vice 11:00PM Candlelight Chr istm as Eve Ser vice w ith Com m union Su n day, Decem ber 27 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship Th u r sday, Decem ber 31 7:30PM AA 12 Step M eeting