2018 NEW HORIZON NEWS A UNITED METHODIST CONGREGATION

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1 New Horizon Church January 2018 NEW HORIZON NEWS A UNITED METHODIST CONGREGATION And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:18-20 Happy New Year! 2018 is our opportunity to do something new. This is a time when many of us create New Year's resolutions, set new goals, and devise new ministry plans. However, if you are like me, every year I make new promises to myself and God. I start out with so much zeal and enthusiasm but within two months, I abandon my objectives and all their hopes in light of my need for convenience and comfort. But this year will be different, because I am asking you to help me and hold me accountable in reaching these goals this year. As the primary spiritual leader of our congregation, I would like to focus on helping individuals, groups and committees draw nearer to God, to stay focused on God in their lives and to work together on Christ s mission in the world. In other words, I would like for every member of our church to have a more intimate relationship with God and to make real our commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of Northeast Polk County. Our congregation carries out this mission through the core process as stated in The Book of Discipline: We make disciples as we: proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather into the body of Christ; lead person to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ (we only had 1 last year); nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, regular participation in Holy Communion, and other means of grace, such as Wesley s Christian conferencing (we have an area of opportunity in regard to small groups); send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry (we do this well at House Blest), caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming a compassionate, caring presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel (our lay servants are working toward these ends but we all must strive to fulfill this goal); and continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the body of Christ (the Contemporary service is one way we do this) To better remember and understand the above core process, the Office of UMC Discipleship asks us to think in terms of H.O.P.E. Hospitality, Opportunity, Purpose, and Engagement. Through shaping our discipleship through paths of H.O.P.E., we can become and make new disciples who can be sent out to reach even more people to bring into the body of Christ. We present hospitality to our fellow disciples and those who do not yet know Christ or his body which is the church. We offer Christ by proving opportunities for people to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and Spirit and profession of faith. We nurture people in Christian living to help them find their purpose in life by learning what it means to live out their beliefs through acts of piety and acts of mercy, participation in small groups, regular participation in the sacrament of Holy communion and other means of grace. Through engagement, we send out the grace filled followers of Jesus Christ who are putting their faith into action, helping to transform the surrounding community and offering Christ. Therefore, H.O.P.E. comes around full circle. To help us offer H.O.PE., I am planning to offer new discipleship curriculums that will be offered depending on each participant s walk of faith. It will be offered like a menu where you pick and choose where you would like to improve in any area. The class options are Evangelism 101 & 201, Methodism 101/201, Art of Marriage/Oneness, Financial Peace, Discipleship, and Walk to Emmaus. Sign up for these classes will begin this month and be offered when class reach a minimum class size. If you think we need to offer any other classes to our existing and new members of our church, please feel free to call me. Remember, everything we do should be all about offering hope! 1

2 New Horizon Church Report from House Blest By Judy Fournier and Jim Summers November 2017 Report: Total families served = 645 New families registered = 67 Total people in families served = 2479 Total lbs. of food distributed (est.) = Number of days open = 8 For the past eight or so years Agape, a service by Catholic Charities, has served the many food banks in Polk county They have been our primary source of low cost food. As of December 31 they are ceasing this service. As a result all of the food banks in our county are now going to be served by Feeding Tampa Bay, an affiliate of Feeding America. As a result on this abrupt change, we are scrambling to get ready to serve our clients in January. Feeding Tampa Bay is working hard to fill the new gap, but the time frame and holidays have made things a bit more difficult. It appears that changes to our basic structure may be necessary. One large change will be in the number of days and times we pick up food. This means that addition truck drivers and helpers are a must!! Please consider volunteering. From the Desk of Ron Lacey Foundation The small amount of information I know about a foundation is that if it is not in order, the building will not stand. Prayer is the foundation of the church. If you feel a call to prayer, then please come to the 9:00 AM Wednesday Prayer Group. This is a group that brings needs to God and the needs stay in the group. Should you have a need, write it on a piece of paper and drop it in the offering plate; or you can call it into the church office. We all grow closer as needs are met. Blessings! During the past month there have been many Christmas songs heard. One such song is Rudolph. Suggest you make the following your prayer request daily: Pray for Jesus to guide you With His Light So Bright! Have a Blessed Year! Reminder: Muffin Monday is scheduled for Monday, January 8. Please bring in those wonder baked good on Sunday, January 7. 2

3 New Horizon Church Children s Ministry By Trish Ames Happy New year everyone, How exciting to start a new year with new experiences and a lot of wonderful things to learn and do!! Pastoral Counseling and Care Ministry By B.J. Coryer pray for each other and our friends and family. Anyone willing to help are always welcome to come sit in on a class to see what we do. We do need help in the nursery there are 3 shifts 9:00-10:00 during traditional service, 10:00-11:00 during adult/children s Sunday school classes and 11:15-12:15pm during Awakening Service. Awakening Service needs assistance during the Chil- Our classroom is making a move this year. We are moving into the Den (the room just to the right of the dren s church the kindergarten-5 th grade class. If either sanctuary) and the Spanish Service is moving into the of these sound like something you would be willing to Sonshine room. So, make sure to look for us in our new help with see Trish or Pastor Frank. A simple background check is required. space. The children are really enjoying Sunday school. The are We are looking forward to learning more about the Bible so excited to come in and see what we are doing each and being disciples of Jesus Christ!! week. We have a lot of fun learning about Jesus and how Blessings from Children s Ministry to find the books of the bible, the chapter and verse. We Hello: For the next couple of months, I would like to discuss with you the situation of ABUSE. Abuse knows no boundaries neither racial, nor gender, nor age, nor economics. The damage resulting from abuse cuts a broad swath of destruction spanning every culture. Within each of the categories of abuse physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and spiritual people can and are victimized in a myriad of ways. It should be noted that the body, souls, and spirit are all impacted. It matters not what abuse, one common thread that ties all victims together is their feeling of powerlessness. Please note that after the abuse has occurred, the victim lies long after with this feeling of powerlessness. ABUSE is the severe misuse or mistreatment that injuries or damages a person. A direct effect of all forms of ABUSE is the damage to people s sense of dignity and God-given worth. It is also important to note that abuse is intentional and not accidental. It has been discovered that ABUSE can be covert or overt. We will begin with the discussion of EMOTIONAL ABUSE. As we begin, we find that EMOTIONAL ABUSE is the fallout from all other forms of ABUSE. This ABUSE strikes at the very core of who we are, whittling away our sense of worth, suffocating our spirits, and crushing our confidence. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones Proverbs 17:22 EMOTIONAL ABUSE is any ongoing, negative behavior used to control or hurt another person. We can state that the damage from EMOTIONAL ABUSE can and often does last far longer that damage from any other kind of ABUSE. It is important to get out from under the effects of EMO- TIONAL ABUSE and begin to live the life that God has intended for you. We at NHC s Pastoral Counseling and Care Ministry are here to help those of you who are suffering from EMO- TIONAL ABUSE to recover from the abuse and regain your self-confidence and God-given worth. Call for a confidential and free appointment. God Bless 3

4 Joyous Sonseekers Adult Class By Eddie and Wanda Downey et al New Horizon Church The Adult class had special plans for Christmas Sunday. On Dec. 24th five of the class each gave 5-minute talks on some of the important symbols of Christmas. Joyce Christiansen spoke about Candles Edith McMullin commented on Carols Mercy Flowers shared about Angels Dr. David Burry talked about the importance of Christmas cards Wanda Downey explained the meaning of Manger scenes Sunday School starts right after Church and lasts till 11:00 A.M. Come and meet a group of adults who love the Lord and love each other. A huge thank you for everyone who supported the candle sale. It ended with a profit of $ Also, a really big thanks and praise to all of the donor's, either of money or gifts for the local kids, in our Angel Heart Ministry. (Darin said for me to better explain) We ended up with 32 kids. That is a record and we are so Blessed to have such great support from our Church family. Kari and Darin Script Program By Joyce Christenson Just because Christmas giving is over doesn't mean SCRIP is finished too. Get use to using scrip for your everyday needs and our church will continue to do Gods work. Please continue to support our church in our immediate need of a shed. That is what we are aiming for using scrip as the means to supply the funds. I still have three Manny cards, and starting in January we will again have a full supply of Sonny's. We have a continual supply of over $8, worth of scrip in stock. Stop by the scrip table and pick up a order sheet. Come see what is new! Trustee s Committee Report By Darin Larson Thank You Joyce Christenson SCRIP Coordinator The Courtesy golf cart for transporting members to and from the church to their cars is now in operation. The trustees are meeting with the School district regarding the land out back. We are also working on getting lighting on the building to help in the parking lot at night time. 4

5 New Horizon Church New Horizon Church - A United Methodist Congregation 400 Orchid Drive Haines City, Florida Phone: Editor: jsum@tampabay.rr.com 5

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