THE VOICE OF HOPE -DECEMBER 2004
“Equipping God’s people to be His presence in our community”
December’s Church Calendar – Click Here!
Linda Hightower - Gospel Concert
Please mark you calendars for a very special event. On Saturday, December 4, 2004 beginning at 6:30pm, Linda Hightower will bring us a wonderful night of gospel music. At the age of 7, Linda was called by the Lord to sing praises to His name and dedicate her life to that purpose. Linda has been the director of music at Apache Junction, AZ and Essexville, MI. We invite you to bring a friend and share in this evening of music.
Christmas Today
As we prepare for Christmas, I would like to share these thoughts with you from Max Lucado who has captured the quiet and simple nature of Jesus’ birth in the midst of a busy, hectic week in Bethlehem.
"Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. Her pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby-her son-her Lord-His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what God is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly cave. Mary can't take her eyes off the baby. Somehow she knows she is holding God. "So this is he!" she thinks. Mary remembers the words of the angel Gabriel, "His kingdom will never end!" Yet the newborn looks nothing like a King. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon his mother for his well-being."
"Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a cave, through the womb of a teenager, and in the presence of a carpenter. Meanwhile, the city hums along and the people of Bethlehem are completely unaware that God has visited their planet." (Max Lucado, "God Came Near")
Unless we intentionally look for the coming of Jesus, we, too, will be among the people of the city who hum along completely unaware that God has visited our planet. We can increase our awareness by gathering with God’s people for worship. I would also encourage you to take a couple hours this year and spend time personally rereading and reflecting on the birth of Jesus. Read the story for Matthew 1 and 2, read the story from Luke 1 and 2, and then spend time in prayer thanking God for Jesus.
Pastor Doug
Sunday School Returns
For quite a while, our children’s Christian Education has been limited to Tuesday Evenings, however, beginning this advent, Children’s Sunday School will return to Sunday Mornings as well. Rich and Linda Philipp are teaching the class and it is sure to be a blessing for all any who come.
Thank you Rich and Linda for your willingness and may God bless your efforts in this area.
Christmas Eve Service
Our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will held on December 24 at 7:00 pm. The service will be a moving time as we ask the question, “Mary, did you know?” As we reflect on the birth of Jesus, we will look ahead at his life, death, resurrection and promised return. This will be a special evening you will not want to miss.
Following the candlelight service, we will share some Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, so bring a dozen of your favorite and we will celebrate the Birthday of the King!
OASIS OF HOPE
“For it is by grace that you are saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it is the free gift of God.” Eph 2:8, 9
WHAT: Advent at the Oasis
WHEN: Tuesdays in December
WHERE: Oasis of Hope, 7:00 pm
WHO: Everyone!
As we approach Christmas this year, Oasis of Hope will be exploring some of the characters of Christmas, including some you may have never thought about before. What did the shepherd who stayed with the sheep think about all the fuss? What went though the mind of the servant in the caravan that traveled from the East to Jerusalem and then Bethlehem? These are some of the questions we will asking this month.
Oasis of Hope is an informal worship experience that explores our relationships with God and with one another. We hope you will plan to be a part of this interesting study as you join in the uplifting worship of Oasis of Hope.
WANT TO GO DEEPER?
At times I have been asked questions about sermons I have preached. Sometimes there has been an itch created that needs scratched, sometimes people have been convicted and want to study more, and sometimes people are simply confused (most common). If you want to see more about a sermon, you can find the message at Sunday Sermons.
A Voice from the Choir Director/Organist
As everyone may know by now, I have decided to “retire” as your organist/choir director. I have been working for almost 33 years total between Broadway Baptist and New Hope Baptist starting at the tender age of 15. Many of the members have seen me “grow up”, marry, start my family, saw Dave and I through some very tough times, and finally become grandparents! I have enjoyed my time here immensely but I feel it is now time for me to move on and thus allow the music program here at New Hope to maybe move in a new direction. I have grown to love so many of you and I have also enjoyed being able to use to my voice in praise to the Lord. He has truly blessed me with that ability and I thank and praise Him each day for my blessings. I will however continue on as your church secretary as long as I am needed. I enjoy the office work very much. I hope to still see many of you because of my job in the office so please stop by and see me!
I will make a point to come back and visit with you all of you once in awhile on a Sunday morning. Who knows, you may all look up on a Sunday morning and see me “filling in” at the organ once in awhile! This decision to retire will now make it possible for my husband, Dave, and I to become more involved once again in our own church, St. John Lutheran, Amelith. In fact he has been elected to serve as a Trustee for the 2005 year and I have been asked by our music minister to return to our music program and once again offer whatever abilities God as given me.
I will continue on as your organist until the end of the year, with Sunday, December 26, 2004 being my last Sunday.
I will pray each day that the Lord will continue to bless everyone here at New Hope and with His help see this congregation continue to grow and flourish.
In Christ,
Debra Hines
Some Thoughts from the Pastor
This holiday season has been especially exciting for us as a family. At Thanksgiving dinner we had students from 7 different countries, including the United States. The global ministry that God has given us in this way is a true blessing. To hear of blessings from India and Germany and Canada and Taiwan and Japan and Korea was so encouraging. That was the first of the excitement (and it was exciting to have 11 people the parsonage for 5 days).
Then on December 11 we are excited to be going to Steve’s graduation. It is hard to believe that the 6th grader who moved with us in 1992 is graduating from college. It has been such a blessing to see what God is doing in his life, I am excited to see what is next! It will be a great Christmas present to participate in his graduation ceremony.
The final excitement will be to celebrate Christmas with our Michigan family. The group in our house will be smaller, but the fellowship of the New Hope Family will fill the void that would otherwise be there.
Then, I want to thank you for the generous gift that you shared with me as a gift of appreciation and my birthday. I am awaiting the arrival of the notebook computer that I was told I was to buy. This should be a great help as we try to juggle machines in the office and at home.
That is a little update on us here as we close 12 years of ministry in Bay City. Where God will lead us as a congregation from here, is known only to Him, but the future is as big as our Lord. Continue to pray for me and my family and we will continue to pray for you as well.
Doug
CIRCLE NEWS
Rachel Circle - We will be meeting on Monday, December 6, 2004 at 6:00pm at Krzysiak’s
Restaurant for our “Secret Pal” Dinner. See you there!
Dorcas Circle - We are blanketing Bay City with Quilts - yet - we could give so much more if YOU would join us and HELP! We meet on the second Tuesdays of each month in the “elevator room”, with the next meeting to be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at New Hope at 9:30a.m. If you enjoy sewing and would like to become a part of our circle, please call Molly Lopez at 686-3424 or Vi Schlitt at 684-6700. We need more cheerful, willing helpers!
Won’t you join us?
MINISTRY OF HELPING HANDS
The Membership Care Team has begun a new ministry called, “MINISTRY OF HELPNG HANDS.” The purpose of our ministry is to help families in need such as: hospital visits, transporting to appointments and/or shopping, yard work, housework, or child care.
If you haven’t yet received a brochure and are interested in any of the above areas, please ask an usher for a brochure, or you may contact Lois Didier at 686-3512 for more information.
MEN’S BREAKFAST - The Men’s Breakfast this month will be on Saturday, December 11,
2004 at 8:30 am, at the Texan Restaurant. This is a good time of conversation where we can get to know one another better. Mark your calendar for this time and plan to be a part of it.
Boar’s Head Festival - December 2nd and 4th at 7:30pm & December 5th at 4:00pm & 7:30pm
At Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 808 Weiss, Saginaw, MI. The Drama of Man’s glad response to God’s great gift of His Son will be enacted before you again, as you join with the singers...the players...the musicians...in this great pageant of song and celebration! Free will donation.
PRAYER CHAIN - Anyone who would like to be on the prayer chain, either E-mail or phone, please contact Membership Care (Lois Didier, Chairman) at 686-3512. Thank you
DIAL-A-DEVOTION – A NEW MINISTRY IN TOWN – Essexville Baptist Community Church has just introduced a new outreach ministry. Each day two new devotional messages are available at their Dial-a-Devotion Prayer Line. One is especially for youth, and one is for adults. In addition, if you would like to leave a prayer request, option three will let you do just that. The prayer line number, 892-2198, is available 24 hours a day.
Our next Membership Care Meeting will be held on Monday, December 20, 2004 at 11:15a.m. at New Hope.
ATTENTION! We will now be offering a Children’s Sunday School at 9:30am. All ages are invited and encouraged to attend. This will begin Sunday, December 5th. Also, we have Adult Sunday School classes as well. All are welcome. Come and learn in more depth what the Lord has to teach us and how we can adapt that to our every day lives.
WORSHIP & CELEBRATION - We will meet on Monday, December 27th at 7:00 p.m., at Vi Schlitt’s home. Please remember that we could use more lay worship leaders and more volunteers on sound. If interested, please let Linda Philipp or Pastor Doug know. Thanks!
EDUCATION & NURTURE - We will be collecting returnable cans and bottles to raise money for camp next year. The more we raise, the more kids we can send!! Please consider helping with this most important endeavor. There will be a container available in the narthex for you to drop your cans off. Thank you all for your support!
ADVENTURES BAY PRE-SCHOOL NEWS - We will be having a Puppet Show on Friday, December 17th at 10:00am. All church members are invited to attend. If you like, please bring a friend. We hope to see you there!
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for your love and support. Sheryl and I are constantly grateful for the encouragement we receive from our New Hope family. The gift you gave me for my Birthday and Pastor Appreciation has been used to purchase a laptop computer that will help make things run much more smoothly. Thank you for your gift, but even more, thank you for your love and support.
Pastor Doug
Bay Area Emergency Food Pantry Network
So far in the 48 weeks of 2004 New Hope and the Food Pantry (along with Hidden Harvest, Christ United Methodist, and multiple food drives throughout the year) have fed 160 adults and 165 children. Serving 117 Families altogether. That’s 7623 meals since the beginning of the year. Because you care, our branch of the Network is one of the most active pantries in the network. Thank you for your generosity. In order to continue this ministry, we need your help!
In addition, we were privileged to share Thanksgiving Dinner with 50 families! That extends this year’s outreach to well over 8,000 meals. Thank You!
FOOD PANTRY NEEDS - The following items are especially needed for the Christmas baskets we will be filling. There will be a total of 35 families served for Christmas, so we need your help! 2 lb. or 4 lb. Sugar, 5 lb. Flour, Canned Baked Beans, Fruit Cocktail, Jello, Cake mixes, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Pie Fillings (Apple, Cherry), Canned Sweet Potatoes, and Cranberries. Thank you for all of your donations and support.
Christmas Basket Set-Up - We are sharing Christmas Baskets with 35 families this year. We will be putting together these Christmas Baskets on Friday, December 17th beginning at 1:00pm here at New Hope. The Baskets will be then be ready to be picked up the next day between 10:00am-12:00noon. All help is appreciated. Thanks!
AGLOW INTERNATIONAL - A Community Lighthouse for Women
Coming December 3, 2004, 11:00am at Lindenhof, 201 N. Euclid Ave. Bay City, MI.
Living Truth 2 of CARO, MI. Living Truth 2 is a husband and wife ministry team composed
of Elroy and Tammie Kosters, from Caro, Michigan. The two combined play many antique and contemporary instruments, including acoustic guitar, bass guitar, guitar zither, mandolin guitar, marxaphone, keyboard, melodica, psaltry, wooden flute, recorder, soprano saxophone and the Appalachian dulcimer. Together they travel throughout Michigan presenting their ministry of music and occasional drama sketch in combination with their testimonies of a vital, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Have you ever wanted to help a sick child? Here’s your chance! C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor collects pop tabs. When they have enough pounds of tabs, they take them to a recycling center to convert them into funds for their programs.
Here’s how you do your part... Before you recycle your aluminum soda cans, pull off the pop tab. Bring the tabs to church. A collection jar will be in the narthex for your tabs. When the jar is full, it will be sent to Connie Kemner who will make sure it gets to Ann Arbor.
BAY AREA WOMEN’S CENTER - As you may already know, The Bay Area Women’s Center provides residential and non-residential emergency and supportive services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and their families. We are inviting you to join us in our efforts to end domestic and sexual violence through volunteering. Volunteers are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and are clearly the backbone of our agency. Without them we could not provide the many services that we do. While volunteering at BAWC, you will experience the joy and satisfaction of knowing that you are needed and are making a difference in our community. Volunteers keep the future bright, are partners in tomorrow and are the key to success. Training is provided in two fashions:
*Participate in one-on-one training in the area(s) of interest and attend our 20-hour volunteer training program each time it is offered.
*On-going training is also provided through in-services conducted during volunteer committee meetings, held every other month, and during our quarterly Professional Development series.
Being part of our team and volunteering your time to assist victims in rebuilding their lives is a very rewarding way to spend your spare time and give back to your community! If you are interested in joining our team, please feel free to contact Rosanna Wellner at (989) 686-4551 or rosebawc@yahoo.com at your convenience. We look forward to working with you soon!
MEIJER COMMUNITY REWARDS
Meijer Community Rewards was developed to meet their guests’ growing desire to support K-12 schools and religious groups in ways that won’t stretch their budget...or their time. Now, every time you shop at Meijer, you can earn rewards for New Hope Baptist Church. Through the use of the Meijer Credit Card or Meijer Guest Card, these contributions cost you nothing. The more you shop, the more you earn!
How does it work? 1-Join Meijer Community Rewards in one of three ways: In-Store; Internet; Paper Application; 2-Earn more rewards by encouraging your family and friends to join the program. If requested, their rewards can go to your account, using our Family & Friends linking feature; 3-Meijer will mail your Guest Cards directly to you within 2-3 weeks. You can begin earning rewards after you receive your Guest Cards; 4-Shop at Meijer, scan your Card, and earn rewards for qualified purchases; 5-New Hope receives a check.
Please check with Sheryl Stratton for more information!
Choir Clinic & Ecumenical Worshipful Concert - The renowned composer, Pepper Choplin, will be here at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2405 Bay St., Saginaw, MI., on Saturday, January 29, 2005. We invite you to attend the clinic and participate in the ecumenical Unity Choir, the highlight of that evening’s worship!
Faith congregation has sponsored an ecumenical worship service every January since 1998 to celebrate Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year we are excited to be able to combine that ecumenical worship with the Pepper Choplin choir clinic. More details and registration materials will be sent in early fall, but we invite you to reserve the date of January 29, 2005 on your calendar and plan to attend this instructional and praiseworthy event!
Birthdays for December - 5-Seth LeFevre, 6-Tammy Miller, 7-Fred Girou, Roger Perkins, 10-Carolyn Harman, Linda Philipp, Alexander Thorne, 11-Jason Hines, 13-Garnetta Barrett, 14-Vi Schlitt, David Robinson, 17-Chuck Henson, 19-Monica Girou, 22-Walter Eckerd, Leona Kaczmarek, 23-Amy Morey, Amy Perkins, 31-Joshua Harman
Anniversaries for December - 14-James & Sherry Proderut, 17-Tom & Marge Stevenson, 24-Duke & Wilma Green
Communion Servers - December 5th - Betty and Jack McClelland, and Prudy & Ken Bannick
Shut-In Ministry forDecember -5-Lena Horner, 12-Toyo Hill, 19-Ila Drabble, 26-Eleanor Stringer
Worship Assistants for December -5-Howard Perkins, 12-Mark Dewitt, 19–George Barrett, 26-Kitty Perkins
Nursery Workers for December - 5-Andrea Harman, 12-Kay Murphy, 19-Lois Didier, 26-Kathy Perkins
Sound System for December - 5-Matt Perry, 12-Diana Perry, 19-Mark Dewitt, 26-Matt Perry
