Date
February 2018
Shar ing OURFait h New Hope's M onthly Newsletter
WHEREGLADNESS MEETSHUNGER Rev. St eve Nor den , Sen i or Past or nor den@NewHopeWor ship.com - 614.766.5445x15 - 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
......................... 4739 W. Pow el l Rd. (Next to the Columbus Zoo)
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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.
W hat gets you out of bed in the m or ning? That?s a question I occasionally ask other s and fr equently ask myself. I r ecognize that for m any of us it?s the alar m clock and for som e of us it?s the pet w ho has to be let out. But, at a deeper level, w hat gets us out of bed in the m or ning is som ething m uch m or e significant.
calling has been to ser ve Chr ist by ser ving other s in His nam e and w ith His love, and conviction and exper ience have tr uly confir m ed that the Holy Spir it is the one w ho effects ultim ate, significant change.
The sad tr agedy, tr avesty even, is that for m uch of the w or ld it?s pur ely about sur vival. Even in our countr y, the w ealthiest nation in histor y, ther e ar e som e w hose sole focus is on finding and doing w hat it takes to stay alive for another day. I believe that w e, the Chur ch, ar e called to addr ess this need and ar e far better equipped than gover nm ent to do so.
One of the author s w ho I?ve long appr eciated, Fr eder ick Buechner , w r ites this in W ishful Thinking: A Theological ABC that I bought near ly 40 year s ago: ?The place God calls you to is w her e your deep gladness and the w or ld?s deep hunger m eet.? So, as you ask your self w hat gets you out of bed in the m or ning, I invite you to ponder w her e your deep gladness and the w or ld?s deep hunger m eet and ask, ?God, could you possibly be calling m e to ser ve you in the place w her e those tw o m eet??
But, that?s not w hy I asked the question ?w hat gets you out of bed in the m or ning?? I tr uly am inter ested in lear ning about a per son?s passion, w hat fuels the fir e of their im agination and m akes life m eaningful for them . For m e, it is the hum bling pr ivilege of investing in another ?s life and w atching how God can use that investm ent to change a per son?s life. It?s a hum bling pr ivilege because that per son is inviting m e into their ?inner space? w her e their hopes, their aspir ations and dr eam s live alongside their fear s, their questions and even their pain. It?s so m eaningful for m e because my life?s
Addendum ; The old adage says that ?all good things m ust com e to an end.? For the past 33 year s, I?ve sent a hand-w r itten car d to ever y adult and ever y child at New Hope on their bir thday and ever y couple on their w edding anniver sar y (if w e have those dates in our r ecor ds). One of my values w as that ever yone at New Hope Chur ch should get a car d fr om their pastor on their bir thday or anniver sar y. It is a standing joke w ith som e of my fr iends at New Hope that w hen a car d ar r ives at their hom e, the challenge am ong fam ily m em ber s is to