NEW HANOVER UMC

March 2019 Newsletter

Inside this Issue:

Pastor’s ViewPoint

What’s Happening in KidMin

Confirmation Class 2019

Wednesday Worship at Creative Moments

APEX Winter Retreat 2019

People Talk

Nathan Rittenhouse Visits NHUMC

March Calendar

March 1 - KidSit, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

March 1-3 - Women’s Retreat, Sandy Cove, Maryland

March 5/6 - PI Party Night, APEX Student Ministry, 6:30 pm

March 6 - Platter with Chatter, 12:00 pm, Chapel

March 6 - Ash Wednesday Service, 7:00 pm

March 15-16- PRAY24 (24-hour prayer vigil), begins 4:00 pm

March 19 - MUMS Ministry, 6:30 pm, childcare available

March 19/20 - Mission Possible, APEX Student Ministry, 6:30 pm

March 31 - Confirmation Class begins, 9:00 am

24-hour Prayer Vigil by Ana Gallardo

We live in a busy world, making it hard to set aside time to just stop and pray. Join us for an intentional time to come and pray, read scripture, and listen for His still, small voice.

On Friday, March 15th, starting at 4:00 pm until Saturday, March 16, 4:00 pm, New Hanover UMC will be hosting a 24-hour time of prayer for the prayer needs of our Church and Community.

• How can I get involved? We invite youto take time out of your day during this24-hour period and sign up to cometo the church and pray. This is a silent time spent for an hour or more, alone with God, not talking to anyone but God. The purpose of this is to be still and intercede for the prayer concerns of others and ourselves and to listen to anything God wants to say to us.

• Submit any individual prayer requests on the prayer contact form designed forthis PRAY24 vigil. Your request will beplaced in the stack of prayer requests tobe prayed for during this vigil.

• How do I pray? Romans 8:26-28 tellsus “In the same way, the Spirit helps us inour weakness. We do not know what weought to pray for, but the Spirit himselfintercedes for us through wordlessgroans. And he who searches our heartsknows the mind of the Spirit, becausethe Spirit intercedes for God’s people inaccordance with the will of God. Andwe know that in all things God worksfor the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his

purpose.” Even if we don’t know what to say, if we come humbly before God, he will intercede for us and give us the words to say.

Why pray? E p h e s i a n s 6:18 instructs us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be

alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”.

Will you pray with us? Sign-up through our Church Center App or at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0544aeab28a1f94-pray24

If you have never experienced a prayer vigil, we encourage you to try it! There will be leaders available to assist you with ideas and guidance.

For more information or to get involved contact Ana Gallardo, Lay Pastors & Stephen Ministers Coordinator at ana@newhanoverumc.org or 610-323-2353 ext. 320.

Church Center App.New Hanover UMC recently launched a brand new mobile app called Church Center, available for both Android and

Apple devices.

You are now able to fully manage: your individual profile information, give securely and quickly, connect

to a Life Group or Ministry Group and register and see information on upcoming events.

Get started by downloading the app, find, New Hanover UMC, verifying your profile and uploading a picture of yourself.

Pastor’s ViewPoint

Senior Pastor, José “Ricky” Ayala

I want to thank Heather Wallace, Greg Scott, and the Life Groups team for all their hard work in bringing Nathan Rittenhouse from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) to our church on February 9 & 10. Nathan was a great speaker and gave us an introduction to the upcoming Spiritual Growth Campaign series titled, Jesus Among Secular Gods.

During the campaign, the pastors and I will bring sermons that will touch base on the topics, but I really believe it will be in the life group discussions that will help the believer to think and the thinker to believe. So I encourage you to sign up for a Life Group during this Lenten season. Let’s continue to learn together.

As soon as the Christmas season wraps up, KidMin plunges into planning for Vacation Bible School! Mark July 15-19 on your calendar for a week filled with fun, laughter, making new friends and exploring God’s goodness. Join us on an epic African adventure that is sure to engage the whole herd! At ROAR!, kids will explore God’s goodness and celebrate a ferocious faith that powers them through this wild life. Be on the lookout for information on how you can be a part of our KidMin Team for this fun event!

Our 3rd graders are currently learning about the Bible during the 9am Sunday School hour—how it’s divided, who wrote the books, and how to navigate

What’s Happening in KidMin by Amy Bates

Wednesday Worship at Creative Moments by Carol Carroll

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” is just one of the many songs you may hear as you pass through the Chapel on Wednesday mornings. Each week from 9:30 to 10:00 am, six classes from Creative Moments Pre-school and Daycare come together to celebrate Chapel Time.

Led by Pastor Gil Vining, the students use their Beginners Bible received as a gift from the school to read the weekly Bible story. Pastor Gil has students act out the noted Bible story which starts with the book of Genesis and covers important stories

through Revelation. They also learn and present a Bible verse with accompanying hand motions. In total, the classes learn 32 verses from the Old and New Testament!

After the lesson, Praise Time is led by Pre-K teacher Amy DiLabio. She uses Bible songs that incorporate motions to get the students excited to sing and praise God. At the end of Chapel time, teachers and students close with a word of prayer. This is a special time and students look forward to it each week. For most of these children this is the only church service they attend.

their way around it. They will be presented with a new Bible on Sunday, March 24, at the 9am services.

KidMin is always looking for more people to join our team. If you are interested in learning more about what goes on downstairs on Sunday mornings, contact Amy Bates at amyb@newhanoverumc.org.

Confirmation Class 2019

Students in 8, 9 & 10 grades are invited to attend Confirmation Class beginning Sunday, March 31, 9:00-10:00 am in room 312/314.

Confirmation, in the Christian tradition, is an important stepping stone on the

road to spiritual maturity. Students will be expected to learn the books of the Bible, some Bible verses and truths about Christianity that every disciple should know. Students will also be required to attend a service project on Saturday, April 13. The cost is $25, scholarship assistance is available.

Confirmation Sunday is June 9. Students will join at the 10:30 am service. Register on the Church Center App or contact Pastor Todd Pearage at toddp@newhanoverumc.org for more information.

People Talk

Joy in the birth of Aven Devin, on February 8, to Alex & Jackie Moyer, big sister Emalyn & big brother Lucas.

Joy in the birth of Carson John, on February 27, to Michael & Caitlin Miller & big brother Peyton.

Thank you to the SOUPer Bowl Team that helped us field another very successful party! We had a soup contest, and the top three soups won gift cards;

First, Donna Swavely Second, Keith Price Third, Bridgette Scheckenbach

We were all winners because so many people brought soup to share and they were all delicious. Over 200 people attended this event. There were games and contests that gathered a rather large crowd, one of the highlights was the touchdown celebration dance. Kids from all ages were given a “sick beat” and 15 seconds to strut their stuff. Needless to say there was a lot of laughter and a good time was had by all. A successful can good food drive benefited Boyertown Multi-service & Pottstown Cluster.

APEX Winter Retreat Recap by Jen Krause

Nathan Rittenhouse Visits NHUMC by Heather Wallace

We had an awesome response to Nathan Rittenhouse, our guest speaker from author Ravi Zacharias I n t e r n a t i o n a l Speaking Team, who visited New Hanover UMC and inspired us to dive more deeply

into Christian Apologetics with our church-wide Bible study, Jesus Among Secular Gods.

In addition to engaging in the Bible study with a Life Group, many congregants expressed an interest in learning more from Nathan. He is a brilliant speaker, writer, and podcast host who frequently addresses topics on science and religion, church history, and systematic theology. You can visit www.rzim.org/speakers/nathan-

rittenhouse to hear Nathan’s podcasts as he discusses current events through the lens of Christian hope. In his many podcasts, Nathan discusses a variety of topics ranging from how we decipher today’s news, wrestling with changing abortion laws, why does Christmas matter, what addictions say about us, physician assisted suicide, the New Age spirituality, and many other topics.

1 Peter 3:15: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

This year, we took 90 students and 18 leaders to Rock Mountain Bible Camp located in South Gibson, PA. The weather wasn’t as cold as previous years; so unfortunately there wasn’t any snow, but that didn’t stop us from making the most out of the weekend. We had Restore Syracuse lead worship and had the privilege of hearing from Matt Dawson for the weekend. His message was to love others well. He shared many Bible passages that explained what that looks like through the lens of Jesus. When students weren’t in session they were taking advantage of the gym sports: volleyball, basketball, and gaga. They also enjoyed the zip line, laser tag, black light dodgeball and of course the never ending snack shop.

This weekend is one we truly look forward to. It is a chance for our students to not only grow together in relationship with one another but also to grow in their relationships with the Lord. We look forward to seeing how God will be working in their lives after this retreat.

Thank you to all the leaders and students for making this weekend a success!

New Hanover UMC

New Hanover UMC2211 Swamp PikeGilbertsville, PA 19525

Address Service Requested

610-323-2353 - Church 610-327-9096 - Creative Moments

610-327-9207 - FaxE-mail: info@newhanoverumc.org

Web Site: www.newhanoverumc.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/

NewHanoverUMC

José “Ricky” Ayala, Pastor

Gil Vining, Pastor for Outreach

Todd Pearage, Pastor for Students& Their Families

Jake Marshall, Pastor for Worship

Rob Petro, Pastor for Congregational Care

Curt Erb, Coordinator of Human & Financial Resources

Amy Bates, KidMin Director

Heather Wallace, Director of Life Groups

Kristin Schmidt, Creative Moments Director

Ana Gallardo, Coordinator of Lay Pastor & Stephen Ministers

Liz Buckwalter, Administrative Manager, SeedSower Editor

Join us on Monday, April 1 from 2:00 - 7:00 pm in the Chapel as we kick-off our first blood drive of 2019! Register on the Church Center App or online at giveapint.org. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information contact the church office at 610-323-2353.

Donation Items are being Accepted! by Jen Krause

Our 10:30 am service is Interpreted for the Deaf. For more information about Grace Deaf Ministries contact, Kathryn Midgley at deafmin@newhanoverumc.org

For years, New Hanover UMC has proudly held its very own Missions Auction with items including cars, vacation homes, date night packages, gift baskets, and more! Our eighteenth-annual auction will be held on Saturday, April 27 with the silent auction starting at 4:30 pm and the live auction beginning at 6:00 pm. All the money raised from this event directly supports New Hanover UMC’s vision to be a church that values missions. The funds raised will support four of our student trips this summer to Pottstown, South Carolina, Costa Rica and Honduras.

We are currently in the process of

gathering items for the auction. Small and large donation items are being accepted. We can use smaller items including gift baskets, certificates, service hours, and sports memorabilia. Large items could include, but are not limited to, landscaping equipment, cars or new car parts, furniture, vacation rentals and sporting event tickets. This is by no means an exclusive list. Please feel free to bring your creativity to whatever you donate. All donations should be submitted by Monday, April 22. If you have any questions about donations, please contact Jenna Krause at 610-323-2353 or at Jennak@newhanoverumc.org. Thank you for your generosity!