December 2016 Newsletter

Date December 2016

Shar ing OURFait h New Hope's M onthly Newsletter

CHRISTMASISCOMING 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 3 thr ough 5th Gr ade

10:15AM Sunday School for Adults and Youth Pr aise School for ages 3 thr ough 5th Gr ade

11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship School House Sunday School for Kids

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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

Christmas is coming The goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man's hat.

If you haven't got a penny, A ha'penny will do; And if you haven't got a ha'penny, Then God bless you.

I've sear ched high and low for the spir itual m eaning of this Chr istm as nur ser y song but, as it tur ns out, ther e is none. W hile ther e ar e m any Chr istm as songs that ar en't over tly r eligious, sever al have found cr yptic spir itual m essages in them . (Think "The Tw elve Days of Chr istm as.") Still, the m essage contained in this bit of r hym e isn't lost on m e.

It r em inds us that Chr istm as is indeed a tim e of celebr ation. And, w hile w e celebr ate w ith co-w or ker s at office par ties and neighbor s, fr iends, fam ily and loved ones at our var ious holiday gather ings, I hope w e'll also m ake tim e to celebr ate the tr ue m eaning of Chr istm as - the am azing gift of love w r apped in the baby lying in a m anger , God's ow n son. We have sever al celebr ations planned dur ing this Advent and Chr istm as season that w ill dr aw you tow ar d that gift of love and I hope that you'll join us. M or e im por tantly, I hope that you w ill be over w helm ed and aw ed by the m agnitude of God's love for you in Chr ist.

This r hym e also r em inds us that Chr istm as affor ds us the oppor tunity to be gener ous.

Television has been r em inding us for the past m onth alr eady to be gener ous in spending our r esour ces so that our fam ily and loved ones know how m uch w e car e about them and r etailer s can have a pr ofitable holiday season. I don't w ant to thr ow the Scr ooge blanket on anyone's Chr istm as gift giving. At the sam e tim e, I w ant to encour age us to be gener ous w ith the gifts of tim e and com passion, par ticular ly w ith those w ho m ay not be as for tunate as w e. Sever al year s ago, my w ife Jean gave m e the book "The Pr ecious Pr esent." The stor y is a r em inder that tr ue joy is found not by tr ying to r ecaptur e the past or anticipate the futur e, but by living fully in the pr esent.

One of the m ost m eaningful w ays that w e can live fully in the pr esent is to give the gift of our pr ecious pr esence.

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New Hope's Mission To Reach people for Chr ist, Root people in Chr ist, and Rel ease people to ser ve Chr ist.

As w e enter this season of anticipation and joy, I w ish you the m ost joyous and celebr ative tim e as you w elcom e God's gift of love yet again. And I w ish that all of us w ill be gener ous w ith our gifts that w ill tr uly m ake a differ ence in som eone's life.

FINANCEANDADMINISTRATION Todd Al l es, Ch u r ch Adm i n i st r at or a lles@newhopewor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Administr ation

Ever y Sunday our pastor s stand befor e the congr egation pr ior to the offer ing being taken and r em ind us to give gener ously of our TIM E, our TALENTS, and our FINANCES. I don't know about you, but ther e have been Sundays w hen I've tuned out w hat is being said. I w as sim ply r em inded that it w as tim e to collect the offer ing. Ther e ar e tim es w hen w e hear a m essage over and over and just filter out w hat is being asked for.

On the Sunday w hen I began to consider talking to Pastor Steve about taking the position of chur ch adm inistr ator on an inter im basis, the Spir it m ust have put on my hear t to let the w or d TALENTS enter my ear s and my m ind.

M aybe that is w hy Chr ist said, "He w ho has ear s to hear , let him hear." I knew that I possessed m any of the TALENTS r equir ed to do the job and I definitely had the TIM E. No one w as actively doing the job so that put an extr a bur den on the pastor al staff and Office Adm inistr ator Nancy Gr een. I just felt m aybe it w as tim e to step up to the plate.

I began to pr ay on it. I even dr eam ed about it (the Spir it w or king on m e in my sleep). I discussed it w ith my w ife Kar en. Finally, I called Pastor Steve to ar r ange a lunch m eeting to discuss the possibility. Well, you know the r est of the stor y. The w or d "inter im " didn't stay on that title long and I am now into my sixth m onth in the position.

How m any tim es had I sat in this chur ch, hear d those w or ds, and sim ply ignor ed them ? How m any Sundays w as the Spir it tr ying to penetr ate my zoned-out m ind and I just let it flow r ight past m e?

Over the past couple of m onths, Financial Adm inistr ator Gail Headlee and I have been w or king ver y har d to build a budget that is r ealistic, and at the sam e tim e w ill not hinder our m ission. In looking for w ays to achieve this, the Spir it w hisper ed those w or ds TALENT and TIM E in my ear s again. THAT'S IT! It doesn't alw ays have to be about M ONEY, though that is the lifeblood of com pleting our m ission. We can't suppor t our m issional engagem ent pr ojects and other benevolences w ithout finances, so how do w e do that w ithout asking for m or e m oney ever y Sunday?

We can SAVE spending m oney by having the people of New Hope Chur ch give of their TIM E and TALENTS. We have an aw esom e congr egation FILLED w ith m any TALENTED people in ever y ar ea know n to m an. We have people w ith tim e on their hands w ho could aid in ar eas of need that w e ar e cur r ently paying for.

As an exam ple, ear lier this fall my gr andson w as playing youth soccer behind Gr ace Br ethr en Chur ch on Liber ty Road. I noticed one cr isp m or ning ther e w er e four gr oups of people spr eading m ulch, pr uning bushes and tr ees, picking up sticks and other debr is, and edging the m ulch beds. I asked a gentlem an standing near by w ho they w er e. He told m e they w er e team s of volunteer s fr om w ithin the congr egation w ho volunteer ever y fall and spr ing to car e for the chur ch gr ounds. He said, "We take a lot of pr ide in our facilities and gr ounds and this has becom e som ething w e do to help the chur ch look beautiful and save m oney at the sam e tim e. We have hundr eds of people using our gr ounds for youth soccer and baseball and w e w ant them to have a good fir st im pr ession."

We have sever al ver y dedicated congr egants w ho spend m any hour s shar ing their tim e and talents pr oviding ser vices that save us m oney. We could use so m any m or e. We have painting that needs done, m ulch beds that need cleaned out, edged, and new m ulch spr ead, air conditioning line insulation that needs r eplaced, and so m any m or e things that need to be done. Can w e at New Hope Chur ch identify TEAM S of people that w ill com m it to handling som e of these tasks? (continued on next page)

FINANCEANDADMINISTRATION(CONT.) Todd Al l es, Ch u r ch Adm i n i st r at or a lles@newhopewor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Administr ation

I pr ay that the next tim e you hear the w or ds TIM E and TALENTS on Sunday m or ning, the Spir it w ill m ove you to jot dow n a TALENT that God has blessed you w ith, add your nam e, and put in the basket. If you have tim e on your hands that you don't know w hat to do w ith, let us know so w e can contact you w hen w e need an extr a set of hands. Think of the savings the chur ch could r ealize if w e had TEAM S of people doing w hat w e pay som e of our outside vendor s to do. And think of the joy you w ould feel having spent your TIM E and TALENTS ser ving God's chur ch so w e can ser ve the gr eater com m unity and m eet our m issional goals.

Don't be sur pr ised if I tap you on the shoulder som e Sunday and ask for your help. Together , w e can be a blessing to so m any individuals and fam ilies in gr eater nor thw est Colum bus. After all, it is our Chr istian duty to feed the hungr y and clothe the poor. To be that light in the dar kness and cup of str ength to suffer ing souls. Can w e count on YOU?

FINANCIAL REPORT THROUGHOCTOBER31 OCTOBER

YEAR TO DATE

Bu dget

Act u al

%

Bu dget

Act u al

%

Tot al I n com e

$97,436

$82,438

84.6%

$1,008,365

$901,942

89.4%

Tot al Ex pen se

$91,534

$84,346

92.1%

$1,006,465

$863,871

85.8%

Com e to our quar ter ly Tow n Hall M eeting on Sunday, Decem ber 11 at 10:15AM . We'll be r eview ing the pr oposed 2017 budget, and confessing m em ber s of New Hope Chur ch w ill have the oppor tunity to vote on the budget.

Adult Sunday School and Children's Sunday School will not meet on this date; Praise School for Kids and Youth Sunday School will meet at their regular times.

NEW HOPE ANNUAL OPERATI NG BUDGET Jan u ar y 1, 2017 - Decem ber 31, 2017

Nam e (please pr int): _______________________________________________________________ Giving Code (if know n): ____________________________________________________________ M y/our faith com m itm ent to New Hope's Gener al Fund is $________________________ (total for the year)

The Lord has instructed us that "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35

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.

2017 pledge car ds ar e available at the chur ch, or you can com plete and r etur n the car d on the left to the chur ch, 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 5 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.

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

Invite a guest to join us Sunday, Decem ber 4 at 9:00AM or 11:15AM as w e usher in the Chr istm as season w ith a festive m or ning of m usic! Our Chr istm as Choir , Or chestr a, and Wor ship Band w ill lead us in joyful w or ship and song at both ser vices as w e pr epar e to Ador e the new bor n king, Jesus!

Don't m iss this gift to our New Hope congr egation - br ing your fam ily and fr iends to celebr ate the season w ith us!

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY Rach el Tat e, Ch i l dr en 's M i n i st r y Team Leader tate@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x11 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Childr en

Hello Fr iends! The Childr en's M inistr y Team is so ver y thankful for the oppor tunities w e've had to inter act w ith New Hope's youngest disciples thr ough our m any pr ogr am s!

We gr eatly appr eciate all of you w ho have suppor ted the Childr en's M inistr y Team and our young disciples.

We'r e alw ays looking for m or e helper s! Please see w her e your talents fit into our pr ogr am s by visiting New HopeWor sh i p.com /Ch i l dr en sVol u n t eer s. Rem em ber , you do not need to have childr en in the pr ogr am s to suppor t our m ission of r ooting New Hope's childr en in Chr ist.

nur ser y news Jennif er Willison, Coor dinat or

New Hope's Nur ser y has had thr ee new w onder ful ladies join our nur ser y team r ecently and w e ar e excited to have them . Our dear Bethany Skaff has m oved on to the next chapter in her jour ney and w ill no longer be w ith us in the nur ser y...she enjoyed her tim e w ith us the past thr ee year s and w ill be m issed. We w ish her all the best life has to offer and ar e ver y gr ateful for all the love and kindness she shar ed w ith our childr en over the year s.

The Advent season is alw ays a pr ecious tim e in the nur ser y w ith the m agical excitem ent of young childr en. Fr om all of us in the nur ser y, w e w ish you all a joyous Advent and a ver y M er r y Chr istm as.

In Education, w e have 65 childr en tr aveling to Egypt w ith us each Wednesday night for Fall WOW and w e all have been having so m uch fun! We w ill conclude this session of WOW on Wednesday, Decem ber 14 w ith a Bir thday Par ty for Jesus.

Thank you to our m any Adult and Youth suppor t for all of your help each w eek!

We look for w ar d to kicking off the W inter Session of Sunday School on Decem ber 4. Please note ther e w ill be no Sunday School on Decem ber 11 since the childr en w ill be pr esenting their Childr en's Chr istm as Offer ing dur ing w or ship, but please join us for Pr aise School at 10:15AM . Also, ther e w ill be no Childr en's Pr ogr am s on Sunday, Decem ber 25 or Sunday, Januar y 1. Childr en ar e invited to attend w or ship w ith their fam ilies.

chil dr en's educat ion Rachel War r en, Coor dinat or

Inter ested in teaching our youngest disciples on Sunday m or nings? Si gn u p on l i n e at New HopeWor sh i p.com /Ch i l dr en sVol u n t eer s.

pr aise school Rachel Tat e, Coor dinat or

In M atthew , Jesus com m issioned His disciples: "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. W hen they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' " - M atthew 28:16-20 Each w eek in Pr aise School, w e send our young disciples out w ith the sam e call. "Go. M ake Disciples of all nations." It's our duty and our blessing.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY Rach el Tat e, Ch i l dr en 's M i n i st r y Team Leader tate@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x11 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Childr en

chil dr en's out r each

In Outr each our kids par ticipated in the Oper ation Chr istm as Child shoe box m ission. It w as ver y successful...thank you for giving!

Sarah Bar t ula, Coor dinat or

Club 45 is so excited to announce that the final num ber of coats collected for the childr en of W hitehall w as over 315! This w ould never have been possible had our congr egation not com e together in m ighty w ays to love those in need. So thank you! Thank you on behalf of our am azing Club 45 childr en and Elder s for being the hands and feet of Jesus in a w or ld that desper ately needs to exper ience His love.

cl ub 45 Lindsey Allen, Coor dinat or

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 "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." - Daniel 2:21 (ESV)

W hen I fir st talked w ith Pastor Steve about my r etir em ent, he shar ed w ith m e Ecclesiastes 3:1. It added r eassur ance and com for t about my decision. In a season of change, this ver se offer ed per spective.

I love Ohio because of the change in seasons. We have four distinct seasons. Fall is pr obably my favor ite, but each has its ow n unique char acter istics. I especially enjoy r unning dur ing the differ ent seasons. Running has alw ays been a par t of my life. It is som ething that br ings m e joy. Running gives m e tim e to think and tim e to pr ocess the w eek . Running outside year -r ound for m s a special connection w ith the seasons. As soon as I get the call for a snow day, I gr ab my r unning shoes and head for a long r un. I love the solitude of a long w inter r un. Ther e's also som ething special about a r un dur ing a good spr ing r ain. It's cleansing in m or e w ays than one. Sum m er r uns ar e usually in the ear ly m or ning to beat the heat. Getting to see the sunr ise and finishing a long r un befor e m ost hom es have a light on has its ow n unique r ew ar ds. The changing of fall is my favor ite; that change fr om the oppr essive heat of sum m er to the cooler days. The changing color s of the leaves. Fall r uns ar e a tim e of r eflection and contem plation. Fall is a tim e to enjoy the fr uits of sum m er r unning. Sever al w eekends ago, I enjoyed an ear ly m or ning long r un com plete w ith shooting star s, fog r ising off the fields in fr ont of m e, the r ising sun w aking up the sky in a w ar m blue, and a r un thr ough a tunnel of or ange fall foliage. Each season has its ow n unique char acter istics to be em br aced. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has m ade ever ything beautiful "for its ow n tim e."

As I face a season of change, I am excited for the new possibilities this next season br ings. I am excited for my fam ily and the new possibilities that change br ings. I am excited for New Hope and the new possibilities that change br ings. Each season br ings about new life, and each season is beautiful.

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

W HEN GOD COM ES DOW N - W OM EN'S BI BLE STUDY Wednesdays at 12:30PM , through December 14 Led by Pastor Sarah Advent is the season in w hich w e w atch, w ait, and pr epar e to bear w itness to the com ing of the tr ue light of God's pr esence in Jesus Chr ist. Thr ough songs, scr iptur e, and pr ayer w e aw aken our selves to see God's pr esence so that in the hubbub of the holidays, w e ar e pr epar ed to celebr ate the day w hen God cam e dow n in hum an flesh.

In this shor t study, w e'll explor e the lives of people w ho w itnessed the m ir acle of God com ing dow n to dw ell w ith us.

OUTREACHMINISTRY An n e Ku n t z-Far l ey, Team Leader NewHopeWor ship.com/Outr ea ch

The Outr each Com m ittee expr esses sincer e appr eciation for your gener ous suppor t of Oper ation Chr istm as Child. 182 shoeboxes boxes w er e collected. The shoeboxes com bined w ith financial donations helped to pr ovide a var iety of gifts that w er e shipped to Native Am er ican r eser vations as w ell as countr ies ar ound the w or ld. The online tr acking show ed the var ious destinations of the boxes as they w er e shipped. They ar e a pow er ful tool for shar ing the life changing m essage of Jesus Chr ist. Thank you for your faithful suppor t in helping childr en in under ser ved ar eas. Ever y box that w as packed r epr esents one m or e child w ho w ill have the oppor tunity to hear the good new s of God's love.

NEWHOPEPRESCHOOL Lyn n Ri l ey, Di r ect or pr eschool@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.2446 ? NewHopePr eschool.com

It is har d to believe Novem ber has com e and gone so quickly! We star ted our m onth w ith a visit fr om Colum bus Speech and Hear ing to conduct speech scr eenings on the childr en. This is a w onder ful r esour ce to our par ents and the school to identify any childr en w ho m ay need som e extr a assistance. We also enjoyed our annual Tur key Tr ot that w e hold each year as our annual fundr aiser. M any of our fam ilies sponsor ed their "little tur keys," as they str utted and gobbled thr ough an obstacle cour se ar ound school w ear ing their special tur key hats that they m ade in class. This is alw ays a fun day for the kids! Finally, w e ended our m onth w ith our fir st par ent-teacher confer ences. Com m unication is alw ays a pr ior ity at New Hope Pr eschool and Education Center !

As w e jum p into Decem ber , it w ill begin to look a lot like Chr istm as ar ound NHPE. As w e pr epar e for this blessed holiday, the kids w ill be busy pr epar ing those special gifts for M om & Dad, and pr acticing for our Chr istm as pr ogr am . They w ill also have fun w r iting those special letter s to Santa to place in the "m agical" m ailbox that appear s at our w elcom e center each year. It is w onder ful to see the sm iles and excitem ent on their faces as the big day appr oaches. This w ill be a shor t m onth, as our Chr istm as br eak begins Decem ber 22. W hen w e r etur n fr om br eak, w e w ill begin r egistr ation for the 2017-18 school year. We have m ade som e changes to our r egistr ation pr ocedur e, so please check New HopePr esch ool .com for details. Our r egistr ation dates w ill be spr ead out over thr ee days this year (Januar y 4 thr ough 6) to tr y and alleviate any long lines. You can go to our w ebsite to pr int the r egistr ation for m , w hich w ill list each class and its r egistr ation date.

W hile pr epar ing for the futur e of our school, w e also w ant to r eflect on all of our blessings this Chr istm as season.

We ar e gr ateful for all of our fam ilies at New Hope, and w ish ever yone a w onder ful and blessed Chr istm as!

M on day, Decem ber 5 7:30PM Follow ing the Blue Chr istm as ser vice, you'r e invited to stay for our m onthly pr ayer m eeting.

All w ho need pr ayer or ar e led to pr ay for other s ar e w elcom e.

DECEMBERCHURCHCALENDAR For mor e deta ils plea se see NewHopeWor ship.com/Ca lenda r Th u r sday, Decem ber 1 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA m eeting

Tu esday, Decem ber 13 6:00PM Deacon and Elder M eetings 7:00PM Consistor y M eeting

Sat u r day, Decem ber 3 9:00AM Chr istm as Cantata Rehear sal

Wedn esday, Decem ber 14 12:30PM Wom en's Bible Study 5:30PM Kids WOW - Bir thday Par ty for Jesus 7:00PM The Jour ney Discipleship Study 7:00PM Way of Life Discipleship Study

Su n day, Decem ber 4 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 9:00AM Childr en's Sunday School 10:15AM Discover y Class 10:15AM Adult and Youth Sunday School 10:15AM Pr aise School for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 11:15AM School House Sunday School for Kids 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 7:00PM High School Youth Gr oup M on day, Decem ber 5 7:00PM Blue Chr istm as Ser vice 7:30PM Inter cessor y Pr ayer M eeting Wedn esday, Decem ber 7 12:30PM Wom en's Bible Study 5:30PM Kids WOW 7:00PM The Jour ney Discipleship Study 7:00PM Way of Life Discipleship Study Th u r sday, Decem ber 8 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA m eeting Sat u r day, Decem ber 10 Salvation Ar my Bell Ringing Su n day, Decem ber 11 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 10:15AM Tow n Hall M eeting 10:15AM Pr aise School for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 7:30PM High School Youth Gr oup

Th u r sday, Decem ber 15 7:00PM Choir Rehear sal 7:30PM AA m eeting Su n day, Decem ber 18 9:00AM Contem por ar y Wor ship 9:00AM Childr en's Sunday School 10:15AM Chr istm as Fellow ship Tim e 10:15AM Pr aise School for Kids 11:15AM Tr aditional Wor ship 11:15AM School House Sunday School for Kids 5:15PM M iddle School Youth Gr oup 7:00PM High School Youth Gr oup Wedn esday, Decem ber 21 5:30PM His Place Com m unity Dinner Th u r sday, Decem ber 22 7:30PM AA M eeting Sat u r day, Decem ber 24 - Ch r i st m as Eve 5:00PM Fam ily Wor ship Ser vice 7:00PM Candlelight Wor ship Ser vice 9:00PM Candlelight Wor ship Ser vice 11:00PM Candlelight Wor ship Ser vice w ith Com m union Su n day, Decem ber 25 - Ch r i st m as Day 10:00AM Com bined Wor ship Ser vice