New Castle Presbyterian Church March 2023 Newsletter |
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND JOIN US IN-PERSON FOR: Hybrid Worship Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 1 - Ecumenical Lenten Dinner at 6 p.m. hosted by NCPC Wednesday, March 8 - Ecumenical Lenten Dinner at 6 p.m. hosted by Hope Lutheran, 230 Christiana Road Wednesday, March 15 - Ecumenical Lenten Dinner at 6 p.m. hosted by New Castle United Methodist, 510 Delaware Street Wednesday, March 22 - Ecumenical Lenten Dinner at 6 p.m. hosted by St. Peter the Apostle, 515 Harmony Street Thursday, March 23 - Guatemalan Partnership Presentation for the Presbytery via Zoom at 7 p.m., RSVPs required. Wednesday, March 29 - Ecumenical Lenten Dinner at 6 p.m. hosted by Immanuel Episcopal, The Strand and Harmony Street |
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WORSHIP & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES |
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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! We'll welcome guest preachers Rev. Shannon Hanson on March 5 and Connectional Presbyter Rev. Cindy Kohlmann on March 19. |
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ECUMENICAL LENTEN DINNERS - MARCH 1 NCPC and churches around New Castle join together to host ecumenical dinners during the season of Lent. We will host the first gathering on Wednesday, March 1, at 6 PM in our Fellowship Hall. Save the date and contact Beverly Stoudt if you're available to help with set up and/or clean up. For the full schedule of this Lenten series, click below for our flyer. | | |
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PASTORAL COVERAGE THIS SPRING As Pastor Miriam's due date quickly approaches (March 14), Supply Pastors Bill Hathaway and Alison Halsey will serve NCPC beginning the week of March 6 and concluding Sunday June 4. Their contact information is Pastor Alison Halsey: alisonhalsey77@gmail.com, 410-353-3456. and Bill Hathaway: wlhathaway77@gmail.com, 410-353-7765. They will be in the Church Office on Wednesday mornings. | | |
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ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING OFFERING Through the season of Lent, the PCUSA's One Great Hour of Sharing offering supports our ministries of resurrection hope: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and the Self-Development of People Grants. |
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Candy and Amy got to see first-hand in Guatemala the impact of our giving when they visited Utz Pan, a group of 6 young adults who opened a bakery in their church to help their community. A word from Amy: Their initial funding came from a Self-Development of People Grant! The group splits their time between the bakery and school - with proceeds used to support their program, replenish their ingredients, and to support their schooling and families. |
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The group showed us how they make sweet bread and even had us involved by showing us how to make their crescent rolls while we each made a few, too. We were even given our rolls as we left the church later that night. What an impressive group of teens! Support Utz Pan and many other life-giving ministries of the worldwide church by making a donation on Sunday morning through a fish bank or pew envelope, or give online today. |
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CANDLES The Worship Committee gladly welcomes new battery powered candles to the walls of the Meeting House. They are controlled by a remote which offers additional optional effects. The candles are tall, lovely, and can slightly flicker—or not. All of them—even the ones under the balcony—can now easily be illuminated for services, which will make ushering duties smoother. Beeswax candles are still available for use on special occasions like Easter, Christmas, weddings, or funerals. The candles can be exchanged because the holders now accept both types. Come see our Christian love shine. |
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EASTER FLOWERS On Easter Sunday (April 9), the Meeting House is decorated with spring flowers to help us celebrate the joy of Christ's resurrection. If you would like to donate a flower in memory or in honor of a loved one, please return this form by April 2. | | |
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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE COMMITTEE |
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SPRING CAMPING ON THE LAWN AND SUNDAY OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE! NCPC is planning a Spring Camping event to be held on the Church lawn Saturday, April 29 - Sunday, April 30. Set up is Saturday afternoon; we have tents and equipment to share. We’ll have a group meal Saturday evening, play games, have a fire pit, and sleep in tents in the church yard. |
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On Sunday, April 30, breakfast / Coffee Hour is open to everyone and will be at 8:30 am followed by an Outdoor Worship Service at 9:30 am. Bring a chair and/or blanket and let’s enjoy fellowship and worship in God’s creation. For more information and to sign-up for camping, please contact Mike Smith at mikesmithteam@gmail.com or 864.684.2563. (There's no cost to camp, and no rsvp required for Sunday morning!) |
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE |
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EASTER FAIR: EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 9 Join us during Sunday School on Sunday, April 9, for our annual Easter Fair! We are looking forward to the younger members of the church being able to participate in Easter activities, songs, and stories...as well as everyone's favorite Easter Egg Hunt! |
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BIBLE STUDY WITH THE PASTOR Gather with the pastor and other NCPC members via Zoom on Thursdays at 1 p.m. each week to discuss our Lenten Devotional - Inward Work for Outward Living. Email the church office for the weekly zoom link and learn more below about our devotional. |
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LENTEN DEVOTIONALS Journey through the Lenten season with Presbyterian Outlook's Lenten Devotions. Written by Outlook editor Teri McDowell Ott, these daily devotionals offer inspiring and accessible reflections that explore the connection between internal contemplation and outward action. Printed copies are available in the CE Building entryway. |
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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 Diana Reilly. Here is a link to the More Light Presbyterian website. |
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MISSION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE |
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UNDIE SUNDAY The Mission & Outreach Committee (Candy Dunson, Gail Seitz, Cynthia Robbins, Phee Price, and Scott Selheimer) would like to thank the congregation for once again going above and beyond in support of our annual Undie Sunday project. This annual event, held during February and commencing around Valentine's Day, collects new underwear, socks, etc. that is then donated to Friendship House and the Delaware Clothing Bank. |
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We are happy to report that we received an incredible 621 donated items - including 362 pairs of socks, 103 mens/boys underwear, 102 womens/girls underwear, 44 t-shirts, 7 bras, 2 sweatshirts, and 1 robe. Special thanks to Diana and Tony Reilly who provided many of the socks! Thanks again to all who contributed. Looking forward to another incredible event in 2024! |
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WHAT'S "COOKING" IN GUATEMALA? Literally and figuratively, there's chicken soup, hot chocolate, reforestation projects, and more to share from our recent trip to Guatemala. Tune in on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m. via zoom for an hour-long virtual journey showcasing how our partners are using the projects we support to feed their families. We will also share recent updates from our partners and the hope in this fascinating and challenging country. |
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The event is free and all are welcome. Please register in advance so we know how many places to "set at the table." See you there!
**Please note that this virtual event will be different from the in-person trip presentation by Amy and Candy that will be offered at NCPC on April 23 during coffee hour. We hope you will attend both! |
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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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FIRST SUNDAY COFFEE HOURS Coffee Hour is a great time for fellowship with our congregation and visitors. There is always great food and a chance to "meet and greet" with new members and cherished friends after the service. Our three boards take turns providing coffee hour treats on the second, third and fourth Sunday of every month. If you are not currently serving on a board and want to do a coffee hour on the first Sunday of the month, there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Christian Education Building. |
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The Deacons have also provided a "How to do Coffee Hour" print out for you to take home ahead of time to give you some idea of what is expected. (This "How To" guide is also provided in the kitchen) This is just a guideline, so feel free to be creative. We have had Ray Snyder's soup, the Mayhew's Ice Cream Social, a Guatemalan coffee hour, scones with our "Doc Martin" event with Sandy Wilson ,and our annual NCPC June picnic to name a few. To help reduce our carbon footprint, we encourage the use of our corelle plates, ceramic coffee mugs, and silverware. Napkins and cups for cold drinks are also available. The Deacons keep a small supply of salty and sweet snacks, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, ice tea and lemonade mixes. Containers of half and half are found in the refrigerator. We do encourage a team of two or more to set up coffee hour. If you have any questions, please check the bulletin for the list of current deacons and ask for help. |
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GIFTS OF LOVE Thank you so much for your generosity and hospitality in over-achieving our goal to contribute to $3,600 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Peter’s Church. In 2022, we donated $4080 to pay for overdue utility bills, oil deliveries, rent and mortgage payments for our neighbors in need. Not ones to rest on our laurels, we will continue to support those who are in need through our Gifts of Love contributions during 2023 with special collections on April 2nd, September 10th and December 3rd. Know that you are helping to provide heat for families without oil, reprieves for families about to have their electricity turned off, and housing for neighbors about to be evicted. | | |
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SYMPATHY OF THE CONGREGATION - BARBARA ELIASON On Tuesday, February 14, family of Barbara Eliason gathered in the NCPC Cemetery for a graveside committal service. While Barbara was a member of Christ Church Episcopal, the extended Eliason family were previously active members of NCPC. Barbara's obituary is available here: https://www.delawareonline.com/obituaries/wnj129470/ Our prayers are with Barbara's family, including her children, Pamela, Louise, and Dean, as they mourn her death, celebrate the gift of her life, and hold fast to the hope of the resurrection. |
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BEAR MINISTRY Do you know someone who couldn't bear without one of these comforting friends? | | |
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