` 120 WEST MAIN STREET, NEW HOLLAND, PA 17557 Church Phone: 717-354-0226 Website: http://nhumc.us/ Pastor: Ray Voran Pastor Email: revoran@gmail.com
DECEMBER 2015 It is the Christmas season already! New Holland United Methodist Church will celebrate this season with a service of special music on Saturday, December 19 and our Christmas Eve service which will be at 9 PM on December 24 th. And don’t forget all the activities at the church during New Holland’s Christmas on Main celebration December 5 th, including a concert by the Garden Spot Village Bell Choir at 6 PM followed by the Christmas Tea. And of course, we will be lighting the Advent Candles during Sunday morning services as we approach Christmas Day. It is all good! But as I probably say every year, in the midst of all the services and decorations and Christmas music and presents, we don’t want to miss out on the real gift of Christmas. I know it can be frustrating when our beliefs do not seem to be taken seriously. It can certainly hurt when cherished traditions are no longer followed by society -- it might feel like we are losing ground. But we want to be careful how we react -- especially at this time of year. I don’t think, as Christians, we want to be known as the people who really care about the drawing on a coffee cup or the words that are used as a greeting by store salespeople. It does not feel to me that joining in these arguments brings glory to God or that it really honors the wonderful news of the season -- the glad tidings that Christmas brings. Of course as we light the advent candles each Sunday, we will recognize that the baby Jesus (God in a human body) brings peace, (It is so easy to feel like the world is defined by conflict -- from the personal level to the international level -- but He offers peace with God and with other humans!) joy, (In a world full of sorrow and disappointments, we are offered joy -not because there are no problems, but because we can be filled with the One who carries us through the difficulties!) and of course love. (Jesus entering our world to offer Himself as our sacrifice is the ultimate example of love -- we may doubt many things but Christmas has taken away any doubt that God loves us!) This advent season though we will focus on hope. Without hope, our lives are miserable and meaningless (unfortunately, we may see that in those around us) but the presence of Jesus Christ in our world and in our lives brings hope. Hope that the problems and difficulties of this world are not the final word; hope that our imperfections will be forgiven, our debt paid off, our illness healed. Hope that we will one day live in a place of perfect peace, joy and fellowship. Hope as we experience that joy, peace and fellowship today (though not completely). Hope that there is something absolutely wonderful awaiting those who have
2
accepted the forgiveness He offers and have placed their lives in His hands. Hope for today and hope for eternity. We will talking about these things this Advent and Christmas season. And this hope that is apparent in Christmas morning is much better than a decoration on a coffee cup, a nativity scene in the yard or a sales clerk saying Merry Christmas. May we share this hope (along with the joy, peace and love of Jesus) this season and throughout the year. -- PASTOR RAY
Our Worship Service starts at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday. 10:00 a.m. Time of Fellowship 10:30 a.m. Sunday School
Thursday, December 24 – 9:00 p.m., Candlelight Christmas Eve Service
Contacting Pastor Ray ~ email: revoran@gmail.com Home: (717) 656-0812 Cell: (717)333-6939 Look for me on Facebook: Ray Voran
Regular Events Knepper Care Group – Second and Fourth Mondays, 7:00 p.m.
Naval Care Group – Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m.
Community Senior Center – Second Thursday, 10:00 a.m. Community Meal – Third Thursday, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Coming Events Saturday, December 5 – Christmas on Main, all day 6:00 p.m. – Musical at NHUMC 7:00 p.m. – Christmas Tea Saturday, December 12 & 19 – 10 a.m. Bible Study Saturday, December 19 – 7:00 p.m. Contemporary Christmas Program 2
Special Guests The Franck family will be sharing with us during the worship service on Sunday, December 6. They are currently preparing for service as missionaries in Germany and will talk about their calling from God and the vision that God has placed upon their hearts. You will certainly want to attend!
Christmas Eve We will have a traditional Christmas Eve Service (including a candle lighting ceremony) on Dec. 24 at 9 P.M. (note the time change!)
Saturday Morning Bible Study Our Saturday morning Bible Study group will be meeting at 10 AM on the following dates: December 12 and December 19. We will then look at the 2016 calendar to determine the dates in January and February. Talk to Pastor Ray if you are interested in attending!
Thursday Evening Book Club A Thursday evening “book club” is meeting at 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome but we especially hope to reach those outside the church including those who may feel like they have been hurt by the church in the past. We will be discussing a number of good books that discuss God and spiritual things. Contact Pastor Ray with questions or if you are interested.
Christmas Tea December 5 New Holland United Methodist Church will hold their annual Christmas Tea on Saturday, December 5. It will be held in conjunction with the Christmas on Main event which was begun several years ago by the New Holland Business Association. This all day event is scheduled throughout the borough and gets bigger and bigger every year with more and more businesses and groups joining in the celebration. Members of the youth Sunday school classes of NHUMC will be working with the youth of the community on craft projects. The children can drop in at the church any time from 2 to 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., the musical entertainment for the evening will 3
feature hand bell ringers from Garden Spot Village. The group was organized two years ago by Garden Spot Village Resident, Fran Rapp. Knowing Mr. Rapp had previous experience with hand bells, several residents asked him to consider starting a choir here. An unused set of bells was located at a church that was willing to lend the bells to GSV for a two year mission trip. Two choirs make up the Village Ringers….The Varsity, which is a group of 11 “more experienced” ringers, and the Junior Varsity, which is a group of 8 beginners. Approximately 25 people are ringing at various times since the beginning. They have rung bells at several church services at GSV, as well as several special events. The group will play a variety of music for the whole family. Immediately following the entertainment, the traditional annual Christmas Tea will be held in the church fellowship hall and will feature coffee, tea, punch, with a large variety of Christmas cookies and candy made by our own talented bakers. The public is invited to attend. The church is handicapped accessible. -- Betty Hostetter, Publicity
Mitten Tree Time!
4
donations and $5,000 from the matching gift.
December is Mitten Tree Time, which means you have an opportunity to donate mittens, gloves, scarves, and hats for children and adults. You may hang the items on the tree set up outside of the sanctuary. In January they will be given to the Welsh Mountain Medical Center for distribution to those in need.
Matching Funds Campaign Report Thank you for your generous support! Many thanks for your continued support of our Matching Funds Campaign to pay off our church loan debt! As I write this in the middle of November we are less than $500 short from making our second extra $10,000 payment on the church loan. The total received as of November 15, 2015, is $9,403. Once we reach the $10,000 in donations we can then make the 2nd matching payment of $5,000 from 4
It is our goal to reach this milestone yet in November which would result in $20,000 extra payments made on the loan since our campaign started in September 2015. Woohoo! These extra payments are subtracted directly from the principal. In looking at an amortization table, these extra payments result in a savings of about $19,000 in interest! That is a HUGE savings! PLUS, our statement dated 11/15/015 from the bank indicates that the balance of the loan is now $99,283.47. Our church debt is now under the $100,000 mark. Our church has been blessed greatly with a supportive congregation! Additional "special offering" envelopes are available at the church on the table at the bottom of the stairs. Don't forget you can use this Church Loan Repayment Fund drive to be your Christmas gift to our church. In your packet of offering envelopes is a Christmas envelope dated December 25th. This envelope can be used to contribute to the Church Loan Debt Campaign or use one of the "special offering" envelopes.
Contributions of any amount are deeply appreciated as we strive to Ignite His Light. -- Finance Committee
Crop Walk: God bless all those folks that made a contribution to this effort. Our final figure was $905. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give you a Total for New Holland community until later in the year. Usually by mid-December we will have that figure. – God’s Blessings, Roy Schroll
Looking For the 2016 Offering Envelopes The offering envelopes for 2016 will be in mail boxes or on the counter in front of the mail boxes on Sunday, December 20. If you do not receive an envelope, please contact Hank Wells at 717-354-7857
Thanks and Cheers
Crop Walk Report Final Report for NHUMC, New Holland 5
A special thanks to all my church friends for the cards, prayers and visits. I really appreciated all of them. I’m doing much better. Thanks so much again! -- Bets Wright Thank you to all who contributed items for the food table at our November 14th Holiday Bazaar, and thank you to those who purchased them. Selections included a variety of cookies, cakes, pies, breads, candy, snacks, homemade applesauce and garden vegetables. Thank you to Fred Naval and Mike Bressi who set up our tables, and to Carolyn Middleton, Liz Lennon and Anne Williams who baked, priced, arranged items for presentation, and helped customers with their purchases. We made a great team and had fun
6
working together. -- Cathy Williams A big thank-you to the Bazaar Craft Team for your many hours of “crafting” to prepare for the bazaar. Special thanks to our church members who cannot come to the workshops, but faithfully support us with your talents by crafting and sewing at home. May you and your families enjoy a wonderful holiday season. -- Jane Frybarger and Judy Trost A huge “Thank You” to all of those who crafted, baked, donated, priced, cooked, purchased and served the community at our Holiday Bazaar. You were a blessing to our Church and our Community. I would name all those who helped, but would need to include the entire congregation plus their loved ones! So, God Bless you one and all. –Pat Williams, Bazaar Chairperson
SERVER SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER Nursery 6 Loretta Zimmerman and Beatrice Gauthier Dec. 13 Jane Keene, Vanapolie Gauthier Dec. 20 Liz & Mark Lennon and Arentz Menard Dec. 27 Barb Mask and Marvin Mondesir Dec.
Lay Readers Dec. 6 Pat Williams Dec. 13 Joyce Wilbur Dec. 20 Hank Wells Dec. 27 John Mask Dec. 6
Tellers 6 Win Hall and Selma Wells
Dec. 13 Tim Hess and Julie Mitton Dec. 20 Karen Miller and Norece Richwine Dec. 27 Tim Hess and Julie Mitton
• • • • • •
Prayer and Praise James Ennis, cousin of Virginia Meck, not doing well after open heart surgery Christians in the United States to continually reflect the love of Christ and to stand firm in their faith Pastor Ray’s family at the loss of his mother Judy McLean as she continues to receive chemotherapy treatments Family and friends of those who lost their lives in the situation in France. Wisdom for our leaders as we move forward Joyce Good, friend of Dolly Blessing, recovering from surgery due to a fall
Happy Birthday December December December December December December December December December December December December December
1 2 4 5 5 7 8 12 13 16 19 19 19
Ryan Miller Alida Gauthier Juliet Mitton Jennifer Bell Kira Corrie Peg Cessna Richard “Win” Hall Millie Grubb Brian Corrie Loretta Zimmerman Megan Riehl Conner Brendle Joyce Wilbur
December December December December December
25 25 27 28 29
Beth Anne Knepper Deb Smith Larry Knepper Tim Arment Jane Keene
Happy Anniversary December 14 Charlie & Christine Whiteman December 19 Gary & Loretta
7
December 27
Zimmerman Lew & Ethel Davis
Free Community Meals 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. December 17, 2015 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).