New Castle Presbyterian Church August 2024 Newsletter |
|
|
MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND JOIN US IN-PERSON FOR:
Hybrid Worship Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, August 4 - Young-ish Women Gathering @ 12pm Tuesday, August 6 - National Night Out at Battery Park from 6-8pm Saturday, August 10 - Blue Rocks @ 6:05pm Saturday, August 18 - Community Open Mic Night @ 6pm Saturday, August 19 - Men's Gathering at The Legend Restaurant @ 7pm Wednesday, August 28 - Summer Book Discussion at Read House @ 3pm |
|
|
SUNDAY MORNING LEADERSHIP We are in need of ushers and worship leaders throughout July and August!
Take a moment to check your calendars and to sign up today. If you haven't volunteered before, plan to attend one of our fall volunteer orientations (listed below!) |
|
|
FALL VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION We'll offer orientations for new and returning volunteers before Fall programming resumes. All trainings will happen following Sunday morning worship:
Nursery and Sunday School: August 25 Usher Orientation: August 25 Worship Leader Orientation: Sept. 1 Communion Server Orientation: Sept. 1 |
|
|
NCPC SUMMER BOOK CLUB Join us on August 28th at 3 p.m. in the Read House Garden for our NCPC summer read: Anne Lamott's Somehow: Thoughts on Love. Copies are available for purchase through the church office at $20 or through the public library/ your favorite book supplier. RSVPs to Pastor Miriam are appreciated; light refreshments will be provided. |
|
|
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE |
|
|
SUNDAY SCHOOL & NURSERY Nursery care will continue through the summer. If you're interested in serving as a Nursery volunteer, please contact: Molly Shaw Children are welcome in worship; children’s worship materials are available in the entryway to the Meeting House.
Regular Sunday School and Nursery care returns on Sunday, September 8, so keep an eye out for registration forms in the mail. |
|
|
PUT ON LOVE Thank you to all of our participants and volunteers for an amazing Messy Church VBS. And many thanks to everyone for helping clothe students around Delaware through Friendship House's School Uniform Drive! Our Vacation Bible School offering raised $520 to help kids put on love and excel in school. As a new school year begins, may we all clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and above all LOVE! |
|
|
NCPC YOUTH GROUP We're organizing a Middle and High School Youth Group to meet monthly this fall! If you are a youth or know a youth interested in participating, contact Pastor Miriam or Melissa Boris to learn more! Additionally, if you're interested in volunteering and supporting the youth group, let the CE Committee know! |
|
|
ALL AGES SUNDAY SCHOOL This Fall, every Third Sunday from 12-1, we'll offer Sunday School for all ages in the Fellowship Hall! Over lunch, we'll gather for conversation and activities. September 15 - Bible Discovery October 20 and November 17 - The Gospel According to Bluey December 15 - Advent Programming |
|
|
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE COMMITTEE |
|
|
YOUNG-ISH WOMEN'S - AUGUST 4 Our fellowship group for women between the ages of ~25 and 50 will gather next on Sunday, August 4 from 12-2pm. Let Pastor Miriam know if you're able to attend or would like to be included on the list for future gatherings. |
|
|
NIGHT AT THE BLUE ROCKS Saturday, August 10 @ 6:05pm Good news: We once again reserved 20 tickets to a Blue Rocks Game. GREAT NEWS: Our seats are behind third base AND in the shade AND stacked in 4 rows of 5!!! Tickets are $13 each. Please reach out to our resident Ticketmaster Jen Dunham for tickets |
|
|
The City of New Castle has talent galore! Plan on coming to the next Open Mic on August 18 @ 6:00pm and hear it for yourself! |
|
|
NCPC MEN'S GROUP - AUGUST 19 The group's next planned activity will be a gathering at The Legend Restaurant & Bakery on August 19 @ 7:00pm. Please contact Steven Foltz to share ideas and get involved. All ages are invited to attend. |
|
|
GUEST PREACHER - SEPTEMBER 22 New Castle Presbytery has invited Shannon TL Kearns to come for a weekend of events in September. Shannon is a transgender man, priest, author, and performer with lots of wisdom to share. Shannon will be speaking at churches around the Presbytery, but on Sunday, September 22, he will preach at NCPC. We look forward to welcoming Shannon then! |
|
|
Women plant 15,000 trees in Guatemala By Carol and Bruce Shumway, Trinity Presbyterian Church One morning about two weeks ago, board members of the Association set out from the office at 5:30 am to begin a massive endeavor: deliver 15,000 tree saplings to five groups of women in nearby communities. Each woman was then responsible for planting the 125 trees she received near her home. These women are learning to become true arborists and serve as reminders that we are all called to be environmental stewards within our communities. |
|
|
Guatemala, “The Land of Eternal Spring,” is also know as the “Land of Trees.” Thirty-five percent of the country is covered by forests that foster a very diverse ecosystem. Having visited Guatemala and climbed to 10,000 feet elevation to witness the restoration of forest land first-hand, we have been inspired to encourage our church to continue to fund this environmental stewardship project. Reforestation is essential to Guatemala and all of Central America as forests continue to disappear due to clearing for agriculture, firewood supply, population expansion, and climate change.
Thanks to the support of Trinity Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church this project continues year after year and is literally putting down roots to help reforest the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Both congregations are committed to promoting environmental justice and stewardship around the globe. This partnership is grateful for their ongoing support.
|
|
|
Do You Know the Bible? Women Flourish Reading the Bible with New Eyes In this year 2024, the Association of Mam Christian Women for Development offered a new course to its members called Knowing the Bible. We started with our first group of 20 women who came from many different villages. This four-part diploma course is taught by our partner CEDEPCA and begins with a class called Introduction to the Bible. |
|
|
MEALS ON WHEELS One week each month, NCPC volunteers deliver meals to our homebound neighbors. The route takes about 60-75 minutes and covers just the New Castle area. We are looking for a few additional volunteers to deliver meals one day a month or on a substitute basis. Please give this volunteer opportunity your prayerful consideration; together, we get to do Christ's work of feeding and visiting our homebound neighbors. If you want more information, please contact me at 302-328-7346 or email me at suzieflook@hotmail.com. Thank you! - Susan Flook, Meals on Wheels Coordinator. | | |
|
|
GIFTS OF LOVE In Romans 12:13, Paul urges us to "Share with God's people who are in need”. So far in 2024, we have received donations of $1,468.00 to be dispersed to the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Peter’s church in support of our mutual efforts to assist our New Castle neighbors in need. This donation will go a long way to help relieve the staggering need that is expressed almost daily. We get calls from people having to choose whether to pay the rent or medical bills or car repairs or utility bills. If you can pay yours without having to choose, you are very blessed. Your contributions will absolutely bless others. We also donate food items for the St Peter’s food pantry. The pantry is experiencing an abundance of tuna, peanut butter and dry cereals but not so much mayonnaise, jelly, and powdered milk. So, while all items are appreciated, mayonnaise, jelly and powdered milk are really needed at this time. Thank you NCPC for being such good neighbors. To God be the glory! |
|
|
EPIPHANY HOUSE DINNER SIGN-UP Epiphany House (722 N Union St.) is one of Friendship House's transitional homes for women. NCPC provides a dinner on the second Thursday each month. Two volunteers are asked to arrive with food at 5 and plan to stay for the meal. Dinner is over by 6, and residents clean up! For meal inspiration and dates, the sign up sheet is in the Fellowship Hall. Contact Scott Selheimer with any questions. |
|
|
DEACONS NEWS & MEMBER UPDATES |
|
|
BROWNIE BAKERS Every month, NCPC volunteers prepare a meal for Emmanuel Dining Room in Wilmington. You can help feed our neighbors by baking a batch of brownies! Mixes are available for pickup in the CE Building; please return baked brownies in a sealed ziploc bag.
Brownies are due into the kitchen by August 6. |
|
|
|
|
