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` 120 WEST MAIN STREET, NEW HOLLAND, PA 17557 Church Phone: 717-354-0226 Church Fax: 717-354-7942 Website: http://ignite.nhumc.us/ Pastor: Ray Voran Pastor Email: revoran@gmail.com
JANUARY 2013
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A Brand New Year! It is hard to believe that we are welcoming a brand new year. They say time flies when you are having fun, and my six months here at New Holland UMC have certainly flown by. Now with the start of 2013, I imagine many of us will make New Year’s resolutions. Among the most common New Year’s resolutions are to spend more time with family, lose weight, eat healthier, stop smoking, get out of debt and get more organized. Those are all noble goals – I have a feeling that Val, Vera and several church committee chair people would appreciate it if I was able to become more organized. Of course, the problem with these resolutions is that we rarely keep them. We tend to make a real effort for maybe a month or so, but then mess up a few times and soon we give up and are back to where we started from. Experts say that the real critical period comes when we mess up those first few times. It is unusual for anyone to change their behavior and habits without a few missteps, but the ones who are ultimately successful (who lose the weight, or eat their veggies, or organize their files) are those who face those setbacks without giving up. We don’t like to take 2 steps forward and then step back (let alone one step forward and two steps back), but that is still better than simply giving up altogether on moving forward. It is nice that the experts say that today, but it is nothing new. We find that the Apostle Paul said the same thing in his letter to the Philippians roughly 2000 years ago. In Philippians 3:12 we read “I have not already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” He adds in verse 13, “One thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on to the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” In other words, Paul is saying that he realizes he is not perfect (in fact, in I Timothy 1:15 he calls himself the chief of sinners); but although he messes up, he does not give up. Rather he keeps pressing on to become more like Jesus Christ – after all, He is the one who gives us the strength to walk with Him in the first place. Maybe in the year 2013, we can become healthier, better organized or spend more time with family; but even more importantly, by the grace and power of God, we can become a church family composed of people moving down the road of discipleship (even if that movement is uneven at times). Pastor Ray
Our Worship Service starts at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday. Sunday School is at 10:15 a.m.
Contacting Pastor Ray ~ email: revoran@gmail.com Home: (717) 656-0812 Cell: (717)333-6939 Look for me on facebook: Ray Voran
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Saturday IGNITE service starts at 4:00 p.m. with fellowship; service at 4:30 p.m. 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am excited about our next sermon series. Starting in January we will be studying
the parables that Jesus told. Although I will be away on a youth retreat January 6, Tim Hess will put together a presentation for that Sunday that introduces the parables and explains a bit about the reasons Jesus had for using parables when he taught. We will also hear several reasons to celebrate. January 13 will then be a special Sunday as we experience John Wesley’s Covenant Service and make a special commitment to follow the Lord in the coming year. The sermons on the specific parables will begin January 20. We will look at most of the parables Jesus told, so the series will take us all the way through the month of May (with a couple of deviations for Palm Sunday and Easter). Although I do not have the sermons written, I am sure we will find that these Bible passages are extremely practical and helpful to everyone, regardless of age or amount of Bible knowledge. Please join me in prayer that God will use these services to further ignite His light in us so that we may follow our mission statement and IGNITE THE LIGHT for all to see. Thank you and blessings to all, -- Pastor Ray
LUMINA ministry – Second Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Offering Envelopes Your new offering envelopes will be in your church mailboxes as soon after Christmas as possible so that you have them for the first Sunday in January 2013. Please pick them up as soon as you can. If you cannot pick them up, please contact either Vera in the church office (354-0226) or me at my home phone (3548014) to make arrangements to have them mailed to you or for someone to drop them off. A gentle reminder … the first envelope in the packet is for the initial-cost offering. That offering helps to offset the cost of the envelopes. I hope that by January 15, 2013, I will be able to place your end-of-the-year offering paperwork in your church mailboxes. I will mail the ones not picked up by the end of January or you can let us know (as per the first paragraph) and we can make other arrangements. -- Betty Hostetter, Financial Secretary
“Tithe if you love Jesus – it is easy to honk” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regular Events Knit Wits – Every Saturday, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Knepper Care Group – Every other Monday at 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 a.m., at Wendy’s Restaurant 5
The Call:
An LED Team Update
As with any year, the year 2012 brought us success and failure, joy and sadness, pleasures and pains. Through threats of the “the end of the world”, horrors of the devastation from SuperStorm Sandy, and personal losses of employment, loved ones, and property, we endured with positive attitudes and lasting faith. And, we witnessed the Spirit moving in our midst as we realized growth in our prayerfulness and continued to Trust in His love.
6 We welcome the New Year with a renewed commitment for our growth. The top three New Year’s resolutions from 2012 (according to statisticbrain.com) were to (1) Lose Weight; (2) Get More Organized; and (3) Spend Less & Save More. For many of us, these types of resolutions shine light on the things that we know we should change, but rarely admit. The New Year provides us the opportunity to admit these things, but seldom do these resolutions include a true commitment necessary for change. As we consider the year ahead of us, the LED Team challenges each and every one of us to take stock of our routines, behaviors and habits. What changes could we make that would enable the Spirit to move in our lives? What actions must we stop that are preventing God’s will for our lives? How can we be better stewards of our blessings to honor Him? A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and as a church body, we must first focus on ourselves to ensure that the body is strong together. As an LED Team, we must “get right” with our faith before we can see clearly His will for NHUMC and move into those blessings. In this New Year, we renew our faith and prayerfully submit ourselves to God to ask for his Spirit to fall on us and “Ignite the LIGHT” in all of us. -- Kip Wolf
One Big Day of Serving On December 8, six youth and seven adults met at the church at 5:00 a.m. to drive to Keansburg, NJ, for Group’s One Big Day of Serving for the Hurricane Sandy victims. We arrived at Keansburg at St. John’s UMC church to meet up with over 1,000 other volunteers from all over the country. Our site was a small bungalow that had been under four feet of water during the height of the storm – it was still 6
evident by the level of mold in house on the wall boards up to the four foot mark. The homes around our site were mostly condemned, however, the home we were in had a good foundation. The youth and adults spend the entire morning and afternoon ripping out ceilings, floors and moldy, wet wall boards. All in all, we carried about 24 bags of waste out of the house. I was very proud of the youth and adults for their hard work – they represented our church well and you should all be proud of them! The situation in these areas in New Jersey, as well as in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, are grim. The government has responded. However, many home owners are in denial about their needs – they close the curtains so that the town does not see the conditions they are living in. When they finally determine that they need help, in many cases it is too late to save their homes. We were invited back to NJ for a summer week trip to continue the efforts. They are going to set up smaller one-day trips in the spring as well. I encourage each of you to get involved in some way -- even if it is talking with the youth about the experiences. Thanks again to all who were involved! Youth members: Nick Boisrond, Guy Petitton, Nesta Petit-ton, Neika Boisrond, Arentz Menard, Vanapolie Gauthier. Adults: John Crego, Mark Lennon, Mary Lennon, Jacqueline Lennon, Pat Williams, Sandi Rapp, and me (Liz Lennon)! ---Liz
This is the home where we worked. Imagine 9-foot high water level at this home’s location. Mark and Jackie Lennon stand on the porch.
The youth are ready to “go in.” Front row: Neika Boisrond, Vanapolie Gauthier, Nesta Petit-ton, Jackie Lennon. Back row: Nick Boisrond, Guy Petit-ton.
our wonderful entertainment. More than 40 residents of Garden Spot Village blended their voices to bring us an evening of Christmas carols and secular music. Following the musical program, our marvelous United Methodist women brought together a wide variety of cookies, pretzels, candy, punch, coffee and tea. Leftover cookies were distributed to several of our homebound congregation. Once again we united with our community to celebrate Christmas on Main. Thanks everybody for your help. – Betty Hostetter and Norece Richwine
Nick Boisrond and Arentz Menard ripping down damaged ceiling tiles.
NHUMC Youth Hurricane Sandy Clean-up Day in New Jersey Nesta and Guy bagging and sweeping all day.
Angels,
thank you for your prayers, cards, phone calls and visits, but most of all, for your steady hand to help me with my walking. I am trying to be patient with respect to my chronic vertigo and broken ankle. God is the ultimate Healer.
Arentz Menard working hard all day! Liz Lennon yells, “Mark, we’re ready to spray the mold killer!”
Blessings, Dottie Baer
Carol Angels, when a kindness is given to someone who cannot reciprocate (I will try to pass your kindness on to someone else), you are doubly blessed. I was so blessed to have so many sing for me. The cookies were so.oooo good. Thanks. Blessing to each of you. Love, Dottie Baer
Thank you to Betty Hostetter, Jane Keene, Fred Naval and Ginny Smith for helping with the funeral luncheon for Angel Delgado’s family. I appreciate your willingness to help. Thanks also to Barb Mask and Sara Voran for making the cakes. They were delicious.
Ralph and I wish to thank the carolers for visiting us and singing Christmas songs. It was a refreshing and healing thing, especially for me since I had recently been released from the hospital. Thanks a million. – Ralph and Eileen McComas
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We want to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Christmas Tea Musical a great success. Tim Hess decorated the sanctuary so beautifully for the program presented by the Garden Spot Village Voices. He was able to borrow the chairs from Yoder’s to accommodate
8 -Sincerely, Karen Miller
Birthdays: Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan.
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Roy Schroll Darryl Smith Patti Good Cameron Corrie Yvonne Stoltzfoos Patrick Corrie Nick Boisrond James Trostle Nesta Petit-ton Harry Maclay Dana Neyman Bryan Knepper Elliott Thomas John Baxter Fran Baxter
Anniversaries: Jan. Jan.
8 Joe & Julie Mitton 9 Jim & Regina Boose
Please call the church office (354-0226) so we can update our records if your name was missed.
NURTURE – OUTREACH - WITNESS We need your help NOW! The NOW committee could use some more people willing to serve on this committee. The NOW committee, as Nurture-Outreach-and-Witness, serves our church, community and world in many capacities. However, we do not have enough people to be as effective as we should. If you love to serve people in these capacities and are able, we would love to have you join us! If interested, please contact Pastor Ray (354-0226) or Loretta Zimmerman (3367706). Or just show up at our first meeting of the year on January 2 at 7:00 p.m. at NHUMC. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Prayer and Praise
• Mary Lou Good, neighbor of Dave and Judy Trost, treatment for cancer • Everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Sandy; recovery efforts in New Jersey and New York • Ruth Hopkins family, on her recent death • Reynolds Williams family, on his death • Scott Hable, friend of Cathy Williams, surgery and treatments for cancer • Linda Escabido, friend of Ginny Smith, financial concerns and health issues • Ethel Ludwig, recovering from foot surgery • Anastasie Edma, Nirva Gauthier’s mother, health concerns • Harry Maclay, recovering from surgery • Abe Klaasen’s family, father-in-law of the Masks’ daughter, on his recent death • Mary Jane Delgado, recuperating from foot surgery • Jane Keene, cancer treatments • Our servicemen and women serving on foreign soil
Hugs It’s wondrous what a hug can do; A hug can cheer you when you’re blue A hug can say, “I love you so”
A hug is “Welcome back again” And, “Great to see you! Where’ve you been?” A hug can soothe a small child’s pain, And bring a rainbow after rain The HUG! There’s just no doubt about it – We scarcely could survive without it. A hug delights and warms and charms It must be why God gave us arms! Hugs are great for fathers and mothers Sweet of sisters, swell for brothers Kittens crave them, puppies love them Heads of state are not above them. A hug can break the language barrier, And make your travels so much merrier No need to fret about your store of ‘em The more you give, the more there’s more of them So stretch those arms without delay And give someone a hug today!! -- anonymous
Free Community Meals 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. January 17, 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)
SUPPORTING THE KIES AND AFRICA UNIVERSITY We have two accounts with our Eastern Pennsylvania Conference for which we occasionally receive donations from our congregation that can easily be confused. I 9
wanted to make sure everyone understood the difference, so you can make clear which account you prefer to make your donations. We have been sponsoring Larry and Jane Kies in Zimbabwe for a number of years. One of the accounts is for the $2,000 we have pledged to them each year. This money supports their family through the year. When you would like to donate towards that pledge you can mark your tithe envelope with “Kies.” In 2012 we will, by the end of the year, be able to meet our commitment to them. Larry and Jane work at Africa University, and the second account is for any donations toward Africa University. Each year the United Methodist Church supports the transformation of Africa by educating 1,200 African students from 25 countries. Here are some of the ways we help to meet Africa’s vital needs: • Sustainable Agriculture • Disease Prevention • Peace • Leadership and Governance • Education • Church Growth and Development • Business Management and Administration • Ethical Leadership Your gifts to the Africa University Fund pay for the general operating costs of the university, but other gifts support scholarships and the endowment fund. When you would like to support this fund, you can mark your tithe envelope with “Africa University.” -- Sandi Rapp
LARRY AND JANE KIES
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AND THEIR FAMILY
SEND CHRISTMAS GREETINGS! FINANCIAL GOOD NEWS FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE At our December Ad board meeting we reviewed and passed the 2013 budget which the Finance Committee had proposed. We have had some changes in our Income and Expenses in 2012, and we are now able to forecast a positive cash flow for 2013. Three of the largest impacts on our church’s financial picture have been changing to gas heat instead of oil, moving to a part-time Pastor and now receiving income from the rental of the parsonage. So, by these positive changes and by keeping our budgetary expenses to a minimum, we have been able to balance our budget. The final numbers for our 2013 budget show we may actually have a surplus of over $17,000! We are still being cautious on expenses and concerned about our income for 2013. We were just happy to thank God for all the ways He has helped us in the past year. God is good … He is helping us make a difference in New Holland through our church. -- Sandi Rapp
SERVER SCHEDULE FOR THIS MONTH Nursery Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan.
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Donna Sandoe & Neika Boisrond Selma Wells & Nick Boisrond Cathy Williams & Beatrice Gauthier Pat Williams & Vanopolie Gauthier Lay Readers
Jan. 6 John Mask Jan. 13 Ray Welk Jan. 20 Selma Wells Jan. 27 Jim Boose
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Save This Date Tuesday, January 1 Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner at Ranck’s United Methodist Church, 700 Ranck Road, New Holland. They will be serving from 12 noon– 4:00 p.m. Adults will be $10; children under 12, $5. All proceeds help support the monthly FREE community meals that are held at NHUMC.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bazaar Update The total collected in Bazaar sales in November was $2,742. With the tables still set up, however, there will be some more money that has yet not been deposited. We will try to keep you updated on this successful Bazaar.
As You Clean Up … Clear Out … As you take down your holiday decorations 2012, please consider donating any things you are thinking of throwing away or getting rid of to the Attic Treasures Christmas Room. They will be featured at the next Bazaar.
If you bring them to the church, mark them to the attention of Cindy White. Thanks to all who may help out. – Cindy White
Please remember to donate to our Mitten Tree. Warm the head, hands, and
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heart of some child this winter!