New Castle Presbyterian Church May 2023 Newsletter |
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND JOIN US IN-PERSON FOR: Hybrid Worship Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 14 - Mother's Day! Sunday, May 28 - Pentecost Sunday - wear red! |
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WORSHIP & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES |
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PASTORAL COVERAGE THIS SPRING We enjoyed both the Holy Week-Easter journey in worship with you and the chance to meet many. We are now a bit more than half way through our three month sojourn as your fill-in pastors and look forward to the month of May (then concluding on the first Sunday of June prior to Miriam's return). We appreciate the support and cooperative spirit of the staff and congregation. |
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May's worship will include special events - the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the 7th and the celebration of Pentecost on the 28th. Yes, wear red on Pentecost! We will continue our schedule of alternating preaching - Alison on the 7th and 21st with Bill on the 14th and 28th. Please be reminded that we are available for conversation, support or pastoral emergencies. Alison can be reached at 410-353-3456 or alisonhalsey77@gmail.com and Bill at 410-353-7765 or wlhathaway77@gmail.com. Blessings for this Easter season! Alison and Bill |
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SUNDAY MORNING LEADERSHIP We are in need of ushers and worship leaders in the coming months. Take a moment to sign up today! |
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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE COMMITTEE |
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FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH - FALL RETREAT 2023 |
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Come enjoy and worship in God's beautiful creation with NCPC at Pecometh Camp from Friday, September 22 through Sunday, September 24. (Join us for part of the time or the whole weekend; read the brochure below for more details!) Congregational Life has reserved space for tent camping, a pavilion for group meals, and worship space for Sunday morning. Cabins and nearby hotels are available for personal reservation too! RSVP by June 11 by filling out this form. |
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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME – FRIDAY, JUNE 16 @ 6:35 PM Group tickets are all reserved for our Blue Rocks game on Disaster Preparedness Night. If you’re interested in purchasing tickets at $14 each, email Jen Dunham for more information about where our group tickets are located. Look forward to seeing you there! |
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DAY IN OLD NEW CASTLE Our Meeting House will be open for “Day in Old New Castle” on Saturday, May 20. Anyone interested in volunteering for a two hour period of time to be a docent/guide at our sanctuary please get in touch with Lynn Smith at 864-684-2564 or email. |
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE |
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BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES IN MAY - THURSDAYS AT 1:00 PM The weekly Bible study will continue this month with a virtual weekly meeting at 1:00 pm on Thursdays. Alison and Bill will rotate leadership and the text will most likely be the preaching text for the coming Sunday. Yes, you can influence the sermon! Let the church office know if you'd like to be included in the Zoom invitation. |
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Every June during Pride month we decorate the walkway with the rainbow flags as an outward sign of our support and love for the broader LGBTQIA+ community, but there is still so much more we can do throughout the year! We would love for you to join us in creating new events, reaching out to our friends in the community; and becoming a part of this fun, yet important ministry! If you are interested in being a part of the LGBTQIA+ Task Force please contact the office. Here is a link to the More Light Presbyterian website. |
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MISSION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE |
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Special Delivery: 760 Chickens!
Your generosity in action. Thanks to your generous giving during our Advent campaign, we raised enough money to purchase 2,240 chickens for the Association's new Chicken Project in Guatemala! This means that 112 Mam women will each receive 20 chicks, plus feed and training in 2023. The Association plans to roll this program out in several stages during the coming months, with the first installment of 760 chickens already delivered to 38 women! |
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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. |
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DEACONS NEWS & MEMBER UPDATES |
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GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING REMINDER Springtime is upon us. And besides all the lovely flowers and budding trees, the insect population is also coming out of hibernation. If you are scheduled to do a coffee hour or other special event during the upcoming months, please remember to take home any leftover food and make sure trash is thrown out and counters are clean before you leave. Thank you in advance for your understanding. |
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BROWNIES Open call for brownie bakers for Emmanuel Dining Room! Ten batches of brownies needed in the church’s freezer by Friday, May 5. Boxes of mix are available in the church kitchen. Thank you! - Liz Toto |
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GIFTS OF LOVE What a way to start the year!! Thanks to the good hearts here at NCPC, we donated $3080 to St. Peter’s St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) to benefit our neighbors who are facing a financial crisis. Since the moratoriums have been removed, landlords and utility providers are taking action against delinquent parties. With your benevolence, St. Peter’s SVdP will be able to help more people with more assistance. |
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Last year, the Deacons decided to turn over our program of assistance to St Peter’s SVdP. Our system did not allow for any inquiry regarding the callers’ circumstances. We simply granted $50.00 to each of the first 6-10 callers who reached us on the first business day of the month with the provision that they live in the 19720 zip code and would only be helped by our program once in 12 months, The St. Peter’s SVdP system allows for a more comprehensive intake process and for assistance with rent/mortgage, utility bills, purchase of oil and, if the circumstances justify, other emergency expenses. Knowing more about the caller’s situation allows the SVdP volunteers to suggest additional resources that may be helpful. We had hoped to make an annual contribution of $3,600 to St. Peter’s and exceeded that goal last year. Our first quarterly 2023 donation of $3080 gives us quite a good start toward overachieving our goal this year also. Other donors have also been generous and the extra money has allowed SVdP to increase the normal grant for utility assistance from $200 to $300 and to handle the price increase for oil. Look for the white Gifts of Love envelopes in the pews and give whatever you can. “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up. |
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RECOGNIZING OUR 2023 GRADUATES Submit graduation announcements for our June newsletter by emailing the church office. |
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BEAR MINISTRY Do you know someone who couldn't bear without one of these comforting friends? | | |
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WELCOME BABY FOLTZ! It was brought to my attention that I didn't add this announcement in the April Newsletter. Well he has arrived! Micah Moore Foltz arrived on Thursday, March 2, at around 7:15pm weighing 7lbs 6 oz and 21 inches long. Miriam, Steven and big brother Parker are all doing well! |
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EVENTS HAPPENING IN THE AREA |
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MAY MARKET Find unexpected plants, treasures, treats and bargains at Arasapha's May Market! Market Street, behind New Castle Town Hall 201 Delaware Street, Historic New Castle DE May 5, 2023 - 10am-5pm May 6, 2023 - 9am-3pm |
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DELAWARE PRIDE FEST Volunteers are needed but if you can't volunteer you should definitely plan to attend this event. | | |
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HEALTH AMBASSADORS HEALTHY BABIES, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Health Ambassadors works with mothers before, during and after pregnancy to ensure they have access to resources and education to support their newborn, and family. This includes information on breast feeding, developmental milestones and safe sleep. |
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