` 120 WEST MAIN STREET, NEW HOLLAND, PA 17557 Church Phone: 717-354-0226 Church Fax: 717-354-7942 Website: http://nhumc.us/ Pastor: Ray Voran Pastor Email: revoran@gmail.com
DECEMBER 2013
Pastor Ray and Val want to wish everyone in our church family a Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday season. We are fortunate to be blessed with the opportunity to serve God with all of you here at New Holland United Methodist Church and look forward to ministering in the name of Jesus Christ, the newborn King, in the coming year.
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Our Worship Service starts at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday. Sunday School is at 10:15 a.m. ~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday IGNITE service starts at 6:00 p.m.
Contacting Pastor Ray ~ email: revoran@gmail.com Home: (717) 656-0812 Cell: (717)333-6939 Look for me on Facebook: Ray Voran
LUMINA ministry – Second Thursday Knit-Wits – Every Saturday, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special December Events Christmas on Main – December 7 Christmas Tea – December 7 Christmas Caroling – December 14 Christmas Eve Service – December 24, 7 pm Celebration of Christ’s Birth - December 25 Haitian Meal – December 28, 5:30 p.m.
Regular Events Knepper Care Group – Every other Monday, 7:00 p.m. (Check calendar) Naval Care Group – Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. Community Senior Center – Second Thursday, 10:00 a.m. Seniors meet at Yoder’s Restaurant – Third Saturday, 11:15 a.m. Burgers-n-Bibles –First Thursday, 11:30 am, at Wendy’s Restaurant 2
Free Community Meals 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. December 19, 2013 Third Thursday of every month Ranck’s United Methodist Church at the New Holland United Methodist Church
Dinner is served with all ages welcome. -- Dee Kopicz, Outreach Chair at Ranck’s United Methodist Church (610-223-8207)
NOTES FROM THE PASTOR Thank you to everyone who attended and/or prepared reports for our Charge Conference on October 29. It was an encouraging evening. The following is the State of the Church Report that I submitted at that meeting: Although I have only been at New Holland UMC for a short time, I continue to be impressed with what I have found and feel blessed to have the privilege of leading this church. God has told us that we, as the church, are to be His body, shining His light in the darkness. We have come to realize that this is our mission- we exist to Ignite the Light of God! What a tremendous honor! I continue to believe that New Holland UMC possesses great potential. God has blessed us with the gifts and resources necessary to accomplish the tasks He places before us. The strengths of the church include a congregation that is racially diverse and includes a number of children and youth, a solid core of committed volunteer leaders, dedicated staff members, a hardworking group of trustees, two diverse worship services, an impressive and growing music ministry for a church our size, and an ideal location -- in the heart of New Holland close to many folks to whom we may minister. It is good to remember that there are many folks who currently do not attend church and live within a several mile radius of our building. Of course, we face challenges as well. We continue to struggle to meet all our financial 3
obligations though things in this area are much better than they were a few short years ago -- it is our goal to be able to pay 100% of our conference bill. There are very few young adults and families within the church. At times, we focus on personalities or past offenses -- it is easy to hold on to hurts and get sidetracked from our mission to Ignite the Light. Attendance has risen slightly at the Sunday morning service but the church has spent a decade or more in decline, making it is easy to focus on the “good old days� rather than see what God is doing today and the greater things that He can accomplish in us and through us in the future. But good things are happening. We added one member (a number we hope increases by the end of this year and during the next year). Thanks to the efforts of the Trustees, we were able to address several issues regarding the church building (emergency lighting, door repairs), not to mention the huge project of replacing the roof (the capital campaign continues but we are able to borrow the money from our own endowment fund which is another blessing). We continue to be involved with Rancks and Evangelical UM Churches for the community meals that are served monthly at the church. The New Holland Senior citizens as well as AA and Al-Anon groups meet at the church (These are the only AA or Al-Anon meetings in Eastern Lancaster County School District). The youth and children of the church have joined with EUMC to have more active age-group ministries. The Saturday evening IGNITE service continues to include monthly service/outreach events which will hopefully include the larger church family. We are exploring ways we can work with the other UMC churches in our Connexion in joint ministry efforts. And the LED team is helping in many areas of ministry including starting a visitation team that will make it a point to visit newcomers and those who leave the congregation.
4 John Wesley, with words and actions, emphasized that we are to worship God with our heads, our hearts and our hands. This is our duty and privilege as well. New Holland UMC must be known as a place where people can feel the presence of God during worship services and events. We must all strive to know God more through our corporate and individual Bible study and meditation. We must also take advantage of opportunities God gives us to minister to the needs of those in our community -- including many who live within sight of the church building. I’m sure that many in the church continue to adjust to having a part-time Pastor. It is a learning experience for me as well. Obviously it is true that, since I have other responsibilities at EUMC, I am not always physically present at our church and cannot do everything I would like to. This requires some patience, but it does not have to be a negative. In fact it is good to see laypeople within the congregation take on expanded roles in ministry, and I certainly hope it is never interpreted as a lack of care and concern. I am available at any time for those facing troubles or in need of Pastoral care and request your assistance in being made aware of those needs as I continue to simply get to know all the members of the church family. I will do my best to model servant leadership and am happy to have the privilege to serve as the shepherd of this flock. Along with my wife, Valerie, and daughter, Sara, I thank you for welcoming us into the congregation and for all of your prayers and support. I am excited about what God has in store for New Holland United Methodist Church and believe that we witness Him doing great things as we place our trust in Him and worship with hearts, heads and hands. Thank you, Pastor Ray Voran
CHRISTMAS CAROLING The IGNITE service will once again be taking a Saturday evening to go Christmas Caroling to the shut-ins of our church family. We will meet at the church on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 AT 6:00 P.M. and then travel to the various homes. Last year we had a great turn out and it was a real blessing for everyone. All are invited again this year – we hope to see you there!
DECEMBER 7, 2013
MUSICAL FAMILY TO PRESENT CHRISTMAS TEA ENTERTAINMENT Thanksgiving is over and now it is time to concentrate on the coming Christmas season.
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The church is decorated for the holidays, and we are frantically preparing for the communitywide Christmas on Main program on Saturday, December 7. This year New Holland UMC will welcome into our sanctuary the Jon Sneller Family Musicians. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by our traditional Christmas Tea with all the delicious holiday goodies prepared by members of the congregation. Between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. the children of the church will be ready to welcome children of the community and show them holiday crafts. Items from the annual Bazaar will also be available for sale in the narthex all afternoon. Please mark your calendars! New Holland will be bustling with activities throughout the day, so come out and support your community and your church. -- Betty Hostetter and Joyce Wilbur
envelopes will still be in the same type of booklet we have had in the past. -- Sandi Rapp, Finance Chair
SERVER SCHEDULE FOR THIS MONTH Nursery
Dec. 1 Dec. 8 Dec. 15 Dec. 22 Dec. 29
Barb Mask & Guy Petit-ton Donna Sandoe & Sharma Menard Selma Wells & Nesta Petit-ton Cathy Williams & Neika Boisrond Pat Williams & Nick Boisrond Lay Readers
Dec. 1 Dec. 8 Dec. 15 Dec. 22 Dec. 29
Jim Boose Hank Wells Sandi Rapp Shirley Givler Marie Boisrond Tellers
2014 Tithe Envelopes With our 2014 tithe envelopes the Finance Committee decided to make a minor change. We currently have one of our giving choices on the front of the envelope as the Building Fund. Since we are not involved in a building campaign, we decided to remove the Building Fund option and replace it with Mortgage Fund. We understand some determine where to budget their giving according to the Unified Budget and our Mortgage payment. So, for the coming year, we will still have three options to designate our giving. It will be the Unified Budget, Mortgage Fund, and any Special offering you would like to make. Our 5
Dec. 1 Dec. 8 Dec. 15 Dec. 22 Dec. 29
Tim Hess & Jim Boose Selma Wells & Karen Miller Tim Hess & Michael Bressi Selma Wells & Cathy Williams Tim Hess & Karen Miller
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HAITI MISSION PROJECT Two members of our church family, Dr. Jean Boisrond and Dr. Arrios Menard, stay busy with a ministry they founded in Haiti in 1999 called GRAICO (in French, the word, GRAICO, stands for Support Group for Community Initiatives). GRAICO works primarily with needy people in the Artibonite region (an area that is poor even by Haiti’s standards). In fact the lack of infrastructure in the mountains of Artibonite (primarily lacking clean water and plumbing) is the cause of many cases and outbreaks of the disease, cholera. One of GRIAICO’S ministries is to provide latrines and also clean drinking water for the schools and community centers of this area in order to combat the spread of cholera. When they drill a well or provide a cistern for drinking water at a school, GRAICO also gives them a supply of Aquatabs-water purification tablets. When this initial supply runs out, however, it is up to the school to purchase additional tablets to keep the water pure. The sad fact is that most of the time the schools (or community centers) are unable to raise sufficient funds to purchase the tablets and the work that has been done may be in vain. We do not want to see that happen and, of course, we want to support the ministries of our brothers and sisters of New Holland UMC. The finance committee and church council voted in 6
November to pledge $250.00/month starting in January of 2014 to supply water purification tablets for the facilities that have received the drinking water systems from GRAICO. We will use money from the church’s general fund if necessary, but you may give to this project simply by noting the amount on the line marked “other” on your offering envelope. You should also expect to hear about special fundraisers dedicated to this effort. And with that in mind, Marie Boisrond, along with many helpers, is planning a Haitian meal in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, December 28 from 5:30- 7:00. All donations will go the water purification tablet ministry. We encourage everyone to be there and to invite your friends and neighbors as well. Jesus said that giving a cup of water in his name is an act of service that will not be forgotten. This is an exciting opportunity to do exactly that.
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everyone! -- Pastor Ray
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On November 9, 2013, the food table at the Bazaar was filled with delectable items from the many kitchens of our parishioners. Thank you to those who contributed the mouth-watering treats and to those who purchased them. Thank you, too, for pricing your edibles and for the beautiful ways in which you presented them for sale. In these ways you helped to make the 2013 Bazaar a success. – Cathy Williams, Carolyn Middleton, Liz Lennon, Lisa Helms and Anne Williams
Thank you to everyone who helped with the Community Thanksgiving Service. It was a great blessing for all who attended. What a wonderful church family! -- Pastor Ray
Thank you to everyone who helped with the Christmas Bazaar this year. Of course, we had many individuals who helped during the Bazaar and others who have been working all year making crafts and other items. Not only were we able to raise money for missions projects and the new roof, but it is always a positive thing when folks from the community see that we are involved as a church family. Thanks again to
Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec. Dec.
1 2 4 5 5 7 8 12 13 16 17 19 19 25 25 27 28 29
Ryan Miller Alida Gauthier Juliet Mitton Jennifer Bell Kira Corrie Peg Cessna Richard Hall Millie Grubb Brian Corrie Loretta Zimmerman Laura McLean Conner Brendle Joyce Wilbur Beth Anne Knepper Deb Smith Larry Knepper Tim Arment Jane Keene
Anniversaries Dec. 19 Gary & Loretta Zimmerman Dec. 27 Lew & Ethel Davis
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The Call:
An LED Team Update By Kip Wolf
Evidence of Fertile Soil Each day presents us with choices: choices as individuals; choices as families or coworkers; and, choices as members of the body of Christ. Every choice we make has a result or consequence – a “fruit” of our efforts; and, these consequences often directly reflect the intent and nature of our hearts. The consequences may be positive or negative, but offer insight to our faith both in the consequences themselves, and in our response to the consequences. We have an opportunity at this time to look back at our plans, our actions, our decisions and the consequences to consider what we’ve sown in New Holland. Starting in 2011, we developed at New Holland UMC a Strategic Ministry Plan that was directly aligned to our mission and vision. With prayerful intention and disciplined action we have seen by 2013 the health of our personal, interpersonal and corporate faith become so much stronger, which is having very positive results both directly and indirectly on 8
the fruits that we bear at NHUMC. With the plan listing short-term, mid-term and long-term objectives, our prayerful intention and disciplined action has required perseverance for success: “the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:15, NAS). January 2013 saw the 5th edition of the Strategic Ministry Plan that had been first defined and documented by the LED Team in June 2011. Most of the original goals and objectives were targeted to complete by 2012 and 2013. We met all of our 2012 objectives and continue to meet our 2013 objectives, having revised the Strategic Ministry Plan in June 2013 adding more objectives along the way. While the objectives themselves certainly have direct and tangible results, there are additional, sustainable results that are the real test of the alignment with His will and our purpose at NHUMC. Having posted bulletin boards, or started a Budgeting Class, or created additional communications mechanisms are all certainly noteworthy; but, seeing results in the improved personal connections and healthy relationships is a real, long-lasting benefit and blessing. Another example of the unintended but very positive consequences of working in His will is indicated by the response to the Visitation Team’s efforts this year. The original intent and objective of the team was to ensure that every member of NHUMC is visited by another member at least two times within a 12 month period. As this team has prepared for visiting new and inactive members alike, they have been met with very kind response and positive perception of the church. In fact, in many cases the preparations for the visit produce such a positive phone response that no physical visitation is needed! This thankfully represents the positive personal connections and healthy relationships at New Holland.
As we saw and heard during the Celebration Sunday service, there are many blessings that we have experienced recently at NHUMC. From building a strong relationship with a new pastor, to improving our financial position at the church, to planning and completing capital improvements like the parsonage renovations, and new boiler and roof for the church; we are realizing such positive and healthy consequences of our actions as they align with His will for New Holland. These are proof positive that we are walking in His will as we continue to take disciplined action with prayerful intention. The increase in faith and additional blessing cannot be overlooked. Looking back at this past year, we see a very healthy crop. We have enjoyed a great harvest, and we continue to be fertile soil that is sure to bring a wonderful season in 2014! Reading: Luke 8, Parable of the Sower
Prayer and Praise
• Family of Diane and Francesca Artus, at the passing of a nephew/cousin, Mitch • Kelly, granddaughter of Jane Frybarger, recovering from surgery • Dottie Baer, recovering from hospital stay • Terry Schaffer’s ex-mother-in-law, broken hip • Eileen McComas, decisions about heart • Judy McLean family, on death of her mother, Tessie Hurley, on July 28 • Robert Johnson family, Mary Jane Delgado’s nephew, on death of his son-inlaw • Bob McLean, health issues • Bill Aaron, Barbara Lyman’s brother, death of his wife in July
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• Alice Weiler, for health and continued recovery
There’s one Christmas carol that’s suitable for my voice. The one where the dogs bark “Jingle Bells.”
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