Sunday's Message
| Pastor Greg's
Sermon Series:
"What Would Jesus Do? - Basics for How We Live"
Sunday's Message: March 13th "Jesus Would Deal with Our Real Struggles" based on
Matthew 4:1-11 |
SCRIP INFO
| DIRECT LINK TO ShopWithScrip.com
CLICK HERE FOR INFO TO SIGN UP FOR SCRIP
Q. How do I reload my BP gas card?
A. A reload icon  appears on each page of the ShopWithScrip.com shopping environment. Click on the icon or choose "Reload Brands" under "Browse by Category". When placing your order on ShopWithScrip.com, choose the reloadable option for your card. A menu will pop up asking for the card number and name. You can then add to your reloadable card. New Hope will only receive credit for those gift cards that are reloaded through ShopWithScrip.com or at the scrip table on Sundays. Stop by to reload your card today.
|
Ongoing Programs
| |
Take the challenge to get involved!
-
Taste & See Women's Bible Study on Angels - Wednesday 9:30 a.m.
-
Heartwarmers - Knitters meet 3rd Wednesday at 7 pm
-
Disciple Bible Study - Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
-
Financial Peace University - Wednesdays at 6:30
- DivorceCare - Wednesdays at 6:45
|
|
JOIN OUR LIST
|
 |
|
|
|
NOISY COLLECTION & DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ARE THIS WEEKEND
| March 10, 2011
|
|
Hello
This is a rather busy week around here for several reasons. Prepping for a weekend retreat, Ash Wednesday worship, working with our wonderful volunteers who are getting started with the many things we need help with, clearing snow from another storm, and the list goes on. I needed to write a prayer for the retreat and I was so caught up in "busy" that I couldn't think clearly to write it. So, I did what any "get-it-done", God loving gal of the 21st century would do. I texted my BFF and asked if she by chance felt inspired to write a prayer about friendship. Oh happy day! She did. And it's awesome. This is going to be an amazing retreat! (Thanks for saving the day, BFF Rose, wish you could be here with us.)
See you in church Sunday, I'll save you a seat!
Patti
|
| The Life of Jesus Bible Study Starts Sunday | |
"I don't know enough about the Bible to be in a Bible study!"
Ever feel like you don't know enough about the Bible to be in a Bible study? Then this class is for you! The Life & Teachings of Jesus, led by Ruth Hunter, starts with the basics as we learn about Jesus' life, what he did while here on earth, and what he had to say. The class is at 9:00 and then afterward stay for the 10:30 worship which is now identical to the 9:00 service. |
| Lenten Worship and Potluck Dinner | |
Wednesdays - Dinner at 5:45; Worship at 6:30
Join us for our Midweek Lenten Dinners at 5:45 p.m. on the next five Wednesdays. This week the meat provided will be roast beef. If you can help provide other food for the meal or help with set up, click here to let us know. Following dinner each week, we are offering a Wednesday Worship at 6:30 p.m. Each worship service is about 35-40 minutes in length. The worship services will include plenty of singing, even an opportunity for you to pick favorite songs. We will hear a different parable of Jesus each week, and then people will be welcome to share "parables" from our own lives. This week we will hear the Parable of the Two Houses, one built on sand and the other on a rock. Have you built anything (a house, a relationship, your faith) that you later realized needed a better foundation? |
| Matching Gift Challenge | |
You Can Help Turn $10,000 into $20,000!
Your gifts in the next month can have a double impact, thanks to a New Hope family that has offered to match every additional dollar given up to $10,000. (Additional to your annual pledge.) For instance, if you give $500, we will receive $1,000! (Patti happens to love this kind of math!)
Mark your gift "Matching Gift Challenge" and just place it in the offering plate. |
| "Nifty-50" Food Drive | |
Great way to celebrate Pastor Greg's 50th (50-WOW!) Birthday
 | | Pastor Greg donning his "50's" attire |
This month Pastor Greg turns 50. (50! Holy schnikees!) We encourage all of you to bring in 50 "something" to donate to the local food pantry, such as 50 ounces of corn, 50 boxes of mac & cheese, 50 carrots, you get the idea. Let's impact the food pantry in celebration of Greg's birthday!
|
| Exploring Prayer During Lent | |
The Prayer Corner
We would like to engage you in a special prayer time as a way of observing lent this year. Each week we will have another opportunity for you to share your prayer life with others. It will be interesting and a great way to increase our prayer habits as we learn the what, why, when, where and how of New Hope's prayer life. No one is required to participate, but we urge you to consider reaching out to others in this manner.
Thoughts from our Parish Nurse:
Recently several people have challenged me with various forms of the same question. The first person asked "How can prayer help me with weight loss?" The second person asked "Why do I need someone to pray for me? I'm doing well. They should give their prayers to someone who needs it". The third question I hear every Sunday morning when I ask the children to pray before we start Sunday school class. "Why do we need to pray?" they ask. "We just prayed in church!"
Why do we need to pray? Do we pray only in times of crisis, when there is nothing left to do but pray? Would the God of mercy who hears the cries of those who have no food care to hear my whimper when I struggle to choose the crunchy carrot over the creamy Cadbury egg...especially when I don't like carrots? Would the God of miracles who hears the songs of praise from those who were rescued from a Chilean mine care to hear my whispered thanks when the dog, for the first time in a week, did not tear apart the garbage when left alone in the house? Would the God of all creation, maker of heaven and earth, want to hear from me more than once a week...once a day...every couple of hours?
Why do we need to pray? Because when we reveal ourselves to God, God is able to reveal himself to us. We learn about God through Bible study, we worship God through church services, but our own, personal relationship with God (no matter how incredible or incredibly mundane) is made stronger when we pray.
Each week you will be invited to thoughtfully (and prayerfully) share with others the what, why, when, where and how's of your prayer life. Watch for the bulletin inserts that can be filled out and placed in the offering plate or on a back table. You'll also have the opportunity to respond via email, Facebook, our website or through our weekly ENews. Through this opportunity we hope that you're prayer life will be enriched.
Prayer does not change God, but changes the one who prays. The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays. -Soren Keirkegaard. |
| Health Kits for Haiti | |
Monthly Mission for March
The mission committee's Monthly Mission for March will be collecting Health Kits for Haiti. Please refer to the following very specific list of items for each kit and how it should be packaged. After you've compiled your kit, just bring it to church and place it in the basket located by the mission bulletin board. Thanks!
Health Kits: All NEW items in wrapper.
1 hand towel
1 wash cloth
1 comb (regular size)
1 fingernail clipper
1 bar of soap (3 oz or larger)
1 toothbrush
1 4.5 oz or larger toothpaste
6 plain plastic adhesive bandage strips
Wrap items inside hand towel and put inside a 1 gallon plastic zipper bag.
Include $1 inside the bag for shipping
The kits will then be taken to the Conference office in Sun Prairie for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) who will ship them to Haiti for us.
|
| Be a "Bible Mentor" for a child | |
To date we have collected $80 for Bibles for our 1st and 2nd graders. Together with monies in our budget we are about half way to our goal. If you are interested in sponsoring a Bible(s) just put your donation in the offering plate and indicate "Bible Mentor" on it. If you'd like to order scrip from Lighthouse Christian Bookstore to use toward the purchases, just ask the Scrip volunteers for help.
|
| Buy Your Gas with Scrip Dollars |
Christy Aniol is a "scrip-user-guru" and it's great! This energetic woman has thought of mega-uses for her family to use scrip and I laugh when I hear her talk about it. Gas, groceries, Subway, DQ, movies, clothing, even Joe, their son at UW-Madison gets his groceries and gas using scrip cards. We were chatting about encouraging more of you to use the scrip program and came up with a great idea!
Christy is challenging all of you to use New Hope scrip to buy your gasoline for the month of March!
The prices of gas are rising, that we cannot change. Therefore you'll definitely want to take advantage of a tax deduction totaling 1.5 - 10% of what you spend on that gas!
Here's the math. You buy $100 KwikTrip gas card from New Hope scrip. You have $100 to spend on gasoline or other KwikTrip products. KwikTrip gives (10%) or $10 to New Hope. You get a $10 tax deduction on your 2011 taxes. EVERYONE WINS! (Note: Kwik Trip just upped their refund from 6% to 10% this week!)
Don't know how to get started? Sheryl Mielke and Christy Aniol will be available before and after the 9:00 worship service to get you signed up, help you log on and show you how to place an order online. Don't need their help? Click here for detailed info to get started. Just give it a shot, you'll find it's easier than you think!
By the way, the Scrip program has some "cash and carry" gas cards available for you this week in case you haven't ordered any yet, you can pick them up at church on Sunday.
|
| Come with us to the hockey game - April 3rd |
Plan to come with us to watch the Green Bay Gamblers play Cedar Rapids on Sunday, April 3rd at 3:05. More details will follow - but mark your calendar now for a fun afternoon cheering the team on to victory at their last home game of the season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
