Winter 2024 Newsletter

WINTER 2024

NEW HOPE Sharing our Faith

New Hope Church A Ministry of the Reformed Church in America

Sunday Schedule 9:00 am | Adult & Youth Discipleship Hour, Kids Club 10:00 am | Worship & Children's Sunday School Evening Youth Activities

Learn more at NewHopeWorship.org and follow us online.

@New Hope Powell @New Hope Church Children's Ministry

@newhopepowell

@newhopepowell @newhope_youth_oh

Staff & Mission OUR MISSION | REACH people for Christ.

ROOT people in Christ.

And RELEASE people to serve Christ.

Staff Directory Rev. Sarah Palsma Co-Pastor Palsma@newhopeworship.com 614-766-5445x115

Rev. Dr. Chris Jacobsen Co-Pastor Jacobsen@newhopeworship.com 614-766-5445x116

Rob Chappell Church Administrator Administrator@newhopeworship.com 614-766-5445x126

Amy Hinton Office Administrator Office@newhopeworship.com 614-766-5445

Rachel Warren Children's Ministry Director Warren@newhopeworship.com NewHopeWorship.org/Children

Emily Dean Communications Manager Dean@newhopeworship.com

Emma Vander Stoep Children's Ministry Program Coordinator VanderStoep@newhopeworship.com Malcolm James Youth Ministry Director James@newhopeworship.com NewHopeWorship.org/Youth Suzie Stalter New Hope Preschool Director Stalter@newhopepreschool.com NewHopePreschool.com 614-766-2446

Christine Loy Music Ministry Director Loy@newhopeworship.com NewHopeWorship.org/Music Michael McGee Tech/Media Ministry Tech@newhopeworship.com Richie Gregory Organist & Music Associate RichieGregory@newhopeworship.com

New Year’s Resolutions Pastor Chris Jacobsen & Pastor Sarah Palsma

Happy New Year from all of us at New Hope Church! A new year brings with it a fresh opportunity to think about our goals and priorities in life.

Many of us make resolutions in the new year for things we hope to accomplish: lose weight, read more books, get a better job that makes more money, etc. That’s why the parking lot at the gym is always full on January 2! But as with most things, the changes we are so intent on making start to wear off as old habits creep their way back into our lives, and by mid-February, we are right back to where we were before.

But what if we approached the new year differently? What if, instead of focusing on all the ways we want to try harder to live a better life, we instead put our focus on watching for ways that God is at work in our lives, and in our world as a whole? Focusing our attention and energy on our faith lives and our relationship with Jesus Christ has a way of bearing the fruit of lasting change in our lives—not necessarily by making us better looking, but by helping us to be better in relationships, more generous with our time and resources, and more content in our life circumstances.

This year, one of the quirks of the church calendar is that by midFebruary, right about the time that our typical New Year’s Resolutions are forgotten, we have a chance to recommit ourselves to Christ in the beginning of the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday (February 14). This season’s newsletter has a wealth of information about worship services, classes, and service opportunities that will help orient our lives to the presence of Jesus Christ in our midst, culminating in our celebration of new life at Easter!

We look forward to you joining us in this new year as we seek to live out our mission together: to Reach people for Christ, to Root people in Christ, and to Release people to serve Christ in mission!

Outreach Ministry The missions and ministries supported by New Hope’s Benevolence Thank you for your generosity! Because of your financial support, New Hope gave over $125,000 in 2023 to these local, national, and global missions. On Sunday, February 11, we will have several of our local mission partners with us to share stories of the impact of New Hope's giving. Furthermore, you'll discover ways you can serve in our local community. Save the date for this mission-focused Sunday.

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*The names of a few global missionaries New Hope supports are left off this list for their protection.

-Central College in Pella, IA -Grace Covenant Ministries in Kentucky -Hope College in Holland, MI -Missionary Blake Southerland (Intervarsity Campus Ministries in West Virginia) -Missionary Kelly Rudisill (Campus Crusade for Christ, FL - Cru) -New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NJ) -Northwestern College (Orange City, IA) -Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI)

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-The Bethel Bible Series in Southeast Asia -Disaster Relief in Syria -Missionary JJ Ten Clay - Refugee Ministries -Missionaries in Africa -Missionaries Wayne and Miho Jansen in Japan -Missionaries in Oman -Missionaries Felipe and Janelle deWaard-Silva in Romania -Words of Hope

LOCAL MISSIONS -Center Point Hispanic Church in Hilliard -Central Ohio Youth for Christ Tutoring Initiative - Common Ground Free Store -Dublin Food Pantry -Family Promise of Delaware County -Festa -For Columbus -Gracehaven -Habitat for Humanity -Let’s Flamingle for a Cure -New Hope Preschool and Education Center -Northwest Columbus Young Life -Ronald McDonald House -Salvation Army of Central Ohio -Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM) -Youth for Christ - City Life

November

Adult Ministry

New Classes in 2024! On January 7, we began two new class offerings for adults at our 9 am Discipleship Hour. Our next round of classes for the season of Lent will begin on February 18.

Into the Heart of Romans

Led by Mark Dutton Join us for a detailed look at the eighth chapter of Paul's Letter to the Romans.

During this class, we will explore all 39 verses in detail, unpacking many of the spiritual truths that underlie the apostle's message to us.

Parenting: Navigating Everything

Led by J.R. and Heather Kern Kids don’t come with manuals!

Join us to learn how to equip and empower yourself as a parent or grandparent to help kids navigate all aspects of life in the current culture from a Christian perspective.

US Hunger Project

Announcing the Warrior 40 Program at New Hope! Men of all ages are welcome to attend on Saturday, February 3 at 8 am. for the launch event, featuring a workout, breakfast, and devotions led by the creators of the Warrior 40 program. Visit NewHopeWorship.org/Adults for more details, and to learn more about the program, visit Warrior3Project.com.

The Winter Women’s Bible Study has begun! Join Pastor Sarah on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm for fellowship, prayer, and scripture reflection. This winter, we’ll be discussing Galatians. The Apostle Paul had a passion that spills forth in the letter to the people in Galatia. Paul knew a lot was at stake—and he fought for his friends in Galatia for faith, freedom, and truth. This is an open group. Come when you can.

Did you know New Hope is partnering with SpringHaven Counseling Center? Meet Malinda Eberly-Phillips, our in-residence licensed therapist on page 8, and learn more about her involvement here at New Hope and how you can reach her.

Meet Malinda Eberly-Phillips, LSW Malinda has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Fordham University.

She has experience working with adults, teens, group therapy and Plain Communities. She has specialized in trauma research and mental health for religious and underserved Inner-city communities, as well as, Individuals facing church hurt. She worked with a range of concerns for ages 18+ including depression, anxiety, personality and PTSD. Hello! My name is Malinda Eberly-Phillips, and my husband and I are recent transplants to Columbus. In a wonderful, God-directed meeting, I met your pastor, Sarah Palsma, where we discussed the church's mental health series and a potential partnership for counseling services at New Hope. I'm a Licensed Social Worker/Therapist working under SpringHaven Counseling Center, a well-established Christian counseling agency serving Wayne, Holmes, and now, Franklin Counties!

In addition to sitting on the panel discussion on November 5th, I will assist the church team in planning future Mental Health topics and facilitating group sessions for you! At this time, I am currently taking new clients for individual sessions in the community and New Hope on Mondays and Tuesdays. Feel free to sign up to request a free consultation and stay tuned for more information on a "Living Well" group starting in the New Year! I look forward to serving with you all here at New Hope!

To schedule a consultation with Malinda, please scan the QR code or call Lois with SpringHaven at 330.359.6100 and choose option 3. Consultation office hours are available at New Hope on Mondays and Tuesdays between 12-1 pm and 4-5 pm.

Consultation office hours provide a free 20-minute session with Melinda.

Meet our new head usher!

Charlie Bynner was born in central Ohio and grew up on a farm in Jerome Township, northwest of Columbus. He is a graduate of Dublin High School and Ohio State University. He has been living a life of great service, from his time in the Army to working in construction and growing up in the church. During COVID, with many churches closed for an extended time, Charlie and Wendy, his wife of 53 years, joined the New Hope Church when they decided they needed in-person church services. Charlie believes joining New Hope Church

was one of the best decisions he has made. We are excited to have Charlie step into this new role of organizing the friendly and welcoming group of people at New Hope called the Ushers.

Please let us know if you would like to get involved.

The Year In Review Rob Chappell, Church Administrator Looking back on 2023, it’s amazing to see the visual transformation that took place at New Hope. It's been a busy year, from new carpet and paint to landscaping. Looking forward to 2024 is no different; New Hope is on the move! Our aging organ is being upgraded to an amazing Walker organ that will replicate the sound of a true pipe organ at a fraction of the cost. We will also take the next step in upgrading our audio/video quality, both in-house and live stream, by adding a permanent, dedicated space for livestream production. In the Narthex and Youth Room, you can expect to see some new furniture and lighting as we wrap up the transformation of those spaces.

Outside, you have probably noticed some landscaping changes in the parking lot. Many of the burning bushes are nearing the end of their life expectancy and need to be replaced. Thanks to the Garden Club, led by Jeanne Skinner, we could renew six islands in the fall and plan to continue in 2024.

Financially, New Hope closed out 2023 in a strong position.

Early in the year, we were able to take advantage of highinterest rates to earn significantly more income from our savings. The rental income generated by the pavilion continues to grow, up 60% above last year. These gains and strategic cost control have helped offset the small 5% decline in giving. For 2024, even with all the upcoming projects, the total expenditures are budgeted to be down from the prior year.

Thanks to the gifts of time, money, and sweat from the congregation, we are able to upgrade our facilities to live out our mission;

To reach people in Christ, root people in Christ, and release people to serve Christ.

Club 45 Kiddos

Children's Ministry Rachel Warren, NewHopeworship.org/children

Program Spotlight: Club 45 is New Hope’s 4th and 5th-grade service group, which meets monthly to work on a project that blesses others. The kids get to be the hands and feet of Jesus, changing the community (and world!) one project at a time. So far this year, they have prepared hygiene kits for the Ronald McDonald House so that when families check-in, especially when it’s an unexpected stay, they can have access to their own toothbrush or toiletry items. Club 45 partnered with New Hope elders to help collect hundreds of coats to provide warmth to local children this winter. Our 4th and 5th graders also made blankets for families that are staying at the Ronald McDonald House because they have a child being treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The blankets provide a comfort when they need it the most. The kids work hard each month on service projects and are truly making an impact!

Youth Ministry Malcolm James, NewHopeworship.org/Youth Moving into the New Year the Youth Ministry will continue to focus on building/deepening our relationship with Christ. I believe that young people learning the importance of a relationship with Christ is a central piece to learning about our own brokenness. My hope for this year is for us to build on the foundation that we need Jesus. Using scripture to paint clear pictures about where we are as humanity and where we hope to be on our Spiritual Journey. We will discuss what are the basic attributes or tendencies in any relationship and how we can apply those to our relationship with Christ.

The Youth Group schedule will remain the same with Small Groups happening on the first of the month, with the exception of January as it will be at the end of the month. We have some great events for you to Save-The-Date:

Youth Sunday FEBRUARY 4

Fundraiser

FEBRUARY 4

Superbowl Party

10:00 am Worship

11:15 am (after worship)

Time TBD

FEBRUARY 11

Cantata 2023

Music Ministry Christine Loy, Newhopeworship.org/music Every Sunday, you likely recognize the regular, out-front faces of our Music Ministry staff like Christine and Richard, but there are a few new faces that joyously lead us in worship that you may not know! We are so grateful and excited to add these talented people to our team. They are only a few of the fabulous people who make worshipping at New Hope Church possible. We could not function without all our volunteers who consistently offer their time & talents. It is such a joy to serve among them. Please “get to know” these amazing volunteers on the next page.

Organ Update

Our new Walker organ is being built, but we still need your help!

Fortunately, we still have a gift-match offer, making it ideal to have funds in hand as soon as possible. Thank you to all who have joined us on this journey and supported our new instrument build. We are very excited to share this unique addition with you this summer.

Drew Beck on Guitar

If we ever needed someone to sing some harmony and help everyone sound finished, it’s Drew! Drew started singing and playing the guitar on the worship team as part of a guitar duo with his friend Mark Dean this year. But Drew has been helping lead worship for churches, youth groups, and campus ministries for over 20 years. Drew shares that Jesus’ parables of the servant and the coins (translate...talents) resonate with him. Sure, there are people with more ‘talents’ and less ‘talents’, but Drew feels strongly that God expects us to DO something with what He gives us!

So, you’ll see him on the platform helping where he can.

Along with his wife, Brittany, the Beck family consists of Sophie (8) and Noah (4), who keep their lives full at this stage of the game. They love to be outside, travel, and play!

jamie Giannantonio on vocals

Talk to Jamie for a quick minute, and you can easily hear her Tennessee roots, where she has been singing in church since she was 10 years old. She sang as part of a trio called “Christian Cousins” that traveled to various churches and revivals, singing God’s praise. Before coming to NHC, she served as lead vocalist at Indian Run UMC for about five years. We asked Jamie why she loves to lead people in worship. She replied, “I have always felt God’s calling on my life to serve and thank Him through praise and worship. I yearn to feel the Holy Spirit move among His people through song. There is nothing like it. I always pray for God to let the song I am singing touch just 1 person.”

Jamie is always running as a wonderful wife and mother to her husband, Michael, and kids, Hope and Matthew (teenagers), as well as her own successful business among the generous time spent at Church!

jacob banker on piano

Jacob has been singing in church all his life and helping lead worship for about 30 years. In college, he pursued a pastoral ministry degree and served in multiple churches as a worship leader, music director, and associate pastor.

He’s served in churches large and small, pentecostal and traditional with his last formal ministry as Music Director at Indian Run UMC. Jacob shares that he feels most connected to leading worship in a church setting when he has personal time to worship privately, bringing true authenticity to this unique art form. He looks forward to playing soft music during a prayer moment and is exhilarated when joining others who are passionately worshipping. He’s been fortunate to play in large venues with some talented and awardwinning artists and feels just as honored playing in small churches with just him at the piano.

Jacob lives in Dublin with his wife, Disa, and adopted son, Brydon. We are thankful the Banker family has found a place at New Hope and look forward to what God has in store!

New Hope Preschool & Education Center Suzie Stalter, newhopepreschool.com Our December was full of celebrating Jesus’ birth by creating and sending out cards to older members of New Hope Church, learning songs and lines for plays for our Christmas programs, hearing stories, and doing crafts to remind us of the miracle of Christmas. We enjoyed pizza and pajama day and dressed up on Crazy Christmas Day to have extra fun with the children.

The classrooms decorated Gingerbread houses to match our hallway decoration and to play in the houses during indoor large muscle time. It is always an extra special time in our program.

January starts out busy for us with our 2024-2025 school year registration. In the first week of January, our current families, church members, and returning families have the opportunity to register for next year’s classes. On January 10th, new families may register. We look forward to enrolling our current families into their next preschool classroom and welcoming new families to our program. Our 2024-2025 Kindergarten registration began in November, and our class is full, with 14 children registered. In addition, our Kindergarten Enrichment programs had a great response to early registration, which will allow us to serve many families as their children attend Kindergarten in the various elementary schools in our area.

We are happy to offer monthly Parent Information Sessions for our school families this year.

These sessions offer valuable ways to support children at home through their early years of learning. After the presentation, time is reserved to review the topics, and helpful handouts are given to take home. Some topics include fine motor/prewriting, multi-sensory learning, socialemotional learning, phonemic awareness, and executive function. Childcare is provided for families to have the opportunity to attend.

Finally, our annual Family Night outreach will occur at the end of February. We will be raising funds to benefit Common Ground Free Store. We look forward to a fun evening of fellowship, activities, a silent auction, and basket raffles with our families. Our staff and families will gather many donations from local businesses for the silent auction. Please contact the preschool if you would like to donate an item or a service that you would like to be added to the silent auction.

Preschool Christmas Play

Save the Date

Behind the Scenes with the Media Team

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March 24: Palm Sunday & Easter Egg Hunt March 28: Maundy Thursday Worship March 29: Cross Walk March 31: Easter Sunday

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April 6: Women’s Retreat May 12: Bethel Bible Series Graduation May 19: Confirmation Sunday

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June 17-21: VBS July 6-12: Mission Trip Middle School Summer Camp: TBD

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February 4: Youth Sunday & Pancake Breakfast February 11: Missional Engagement Sunday February 14: Ash Wednesday Worship February 21: Lenten Soup Suppers Begin

New Hope Church 4739 W. Powell Road Powell, OH 43065

Lenten

p u o S ! s r e p p u S WEDNESDAYS AT 6 PM | FEBRUARY 21 - MARCH 20