Merry Christmas | Message from Pastor Harold | WeeklyWord

Message in a Minute

Click the image above to hear from Pastor Harold!

Christmas Eve Candlelight Services

We invite you to join us on Friday, December 24 at 4:30 PM and 7 PM for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Services with the Chancel Choir, brass, and organ as well as a special message from Pastor Harold.

Holy Communion will be served from 5:45 PM - 6:45 PM in the Chapel, with guided meditation and reflection.

Nursery will be offered during Christmas Eve services for children 5 years old and younger. We have activity bags for older students at the Welcome Center that your child can keep! Orchard will return on Sunday, December 26 at the 11 AM service.

Please note: there will be NO Saturday service on Christmas Day (December 25). However, we will have our regular Sunday services at 9 AM and 11 AM on December 26.

Christmas Eve Love Offering will benefit New Covenant’s Wildwood Middle High School Mentor Program

The Love Offering collected on Christmas Eve at all services will go towards a scholarship program established for our Wildwood Middle High School mentees. We currently have over 50 students in our program who work with mentors from New Covenant United Methodist Church and the community. These mentors visit their mentees weekly and provide ongoing support for their students. The goal of our program has been to create a partnership between local churches and students at Wildwood Middle High School by providing an ongoing Mentor Program for identified students, which provides ongoing encouragement, support, and love.

This year, we will have eight students graduating. These students have been within the Mentor Program for the past four or five years. Students begin in 8th grade, and their mentor moves up with them through graduation. Your generosity is funding scholarships for each graduating class. We are proud of our upcoming graduates and their commitment to their education.

For more information on this program, please contact Anne Foote Hill, Director of Administration and Mentor Program, by email or phone (352-750-4529).

Spiritual Reflection

“Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”

C.S. Lewis

Attend Online

Ministry Focus

Mike Williams Dinner and Performance

We’re excited to announce the upcoming Mike Williams Dinner and Performance on Wednesday, January 19! Mike Williams is a talented Christian comedian who has brought laughter to church platforms for three decades, toured with the most memorable names in the Christian music industry, written comedy for some of the biggest names on comedy television, and more. His stories make people laugh, make people cry, and make people think.

Doors will open at 4:45 PM for the dinner at 5 PM in the Fellowship Center. The performance will follow at 6 PM in the Christian Life Center. Registration is required.

Menu: Garden Salad with Roasted Carrots & Arugula, Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, Walnut Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Glaze, Creamed New Potatoes, Whole Green Beans, Roll & Butter, and Carrot Layer Cake

Cost: $12 for dinner and performance. There is no cost for Mike Williams’s comedy performance only; however, there is a suggested donation of $10. The offering will support Youth Missions as well as Mike Williams's ministry, Cups of Cold Water, that feeds children in need in the Dominican Republic.

Key Announcements

Don Piper - Men's Ministry Retreat 2022

New Covenant is looking forward to welcoming to Don Piper, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, for a Men's Retreat on Monday, January 24 from 9 AM - 2:15 PM. His inspirational story has touched millions around the globe, helping many to find hope following tragedy and loss. This retreat will include lunch. Please join us in welcoming Don and listening to his inspirational story.

Registration is required and costs $20.

Menu: Herb-crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Red Grapes & Cabbage, Greek Salad with Olives & Feta, Roll & Butter, and Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce.

New Year, New Sermon Series

Pastor Harold will be starting a new sermon series for the new year. It’s based on Max Lucado’s new book entitled: Begin Again: Your Hope and Renewal Start Today. The upcoming messages will be addressing these helpful themes which seem very appropriate for our times:

Trust that God is the author of new beginnings
Rely on God’s love and protection
Hold on to enduring hope
Make a difference in the lives of others
Set our sights on our eternal home

We hope you will plan to worship with us during January as Pastor Harold presents these messages. In addition, during worship on Saturday, January 22 and Sunday, January 23, we look forward to hearing Don Piper’s sermon about hope. With the new year comes great promise and new opportunities to worship and serve the Lord.

Food Outreaches

New Covenant, in partnership with Lake Panasoffkee United Methodist Church, Farm Share, and the Society of St. Andrew - hosted three separate food outreach events in October, November, and December of 2021. Through these events, we've served 2,169 individuals (representing 816 households) in Sumter County experiencing food insecurity.

We're partnering with the City of Wildwood for additional food outreach events scheduled for January 27, February 24 and March 22. We always need volunteers to bag and distribute food from 8 AM to 12 PM on the day of the event.

If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Janine Rogers, Director Missions and Outreach, or Glenna Traina, Ministry Assistant, at (352) 750-4529.

General Announcements

From your Finance Committee

The New Covenant Finance Committee wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a big THANK YOU for all the financial support that you have given your church during this second unforgettable year.

As a result of your generosity, your church remains financially healthy and continues to be an extension of Christ into the community.

As we move into 2022, it is important that our church continues to be out in the community, so we look forward to your continued support.

In January, be looking for our Ministry Impact Video. The video will highlight some of New Covenant’s missional accomplishments from 2021 and how your generous offerings have impacted thousands of lives. We want to celebrate the wins!

Make a Gift

Michele Pillar — The Clothesline Lady

New Covenant is excited to welcome Michele Pillar, also known as “The Clothesline Lady”, to our campus on Saturday, February 5 from 9 AM - 12:30 PM in the Christian Life Center for a Women's Retreat.

Michele is a singer, author, and speaker who focuses on God’s redeeming work in broken people in a broken world. You will be blessed by her message and her journey!

Coffee and snacks will be served! Registration is required for this event.

Cost: $20

Bargains & Blessings Holiday Closing

The Bargains & Blessings store will be closed from Thursday, December 23, 2021 - Monday, January 3, 2022. The store will not be taking any drop-off donations, and there will not be any pick-up donations during this time. Please do not leave donations at the door during the closure. We are thankful for everyone who has supported Bargains & Blessings this year.

New Members Class

Thinking of becoming a member of New Covenant? Our next in-person new members class is coming up on Thursday, February 10 from 1 PM - 2:30 PM. Register Here.

Three Types of Membership

Full Membership: Profess their faith in this church as their home church.
Affiliate Membership: You are temporarily far from your home church, a United Methodist Church, and wish to attend a United Methodist Church near your seasonal home address.
Associate Member: You are temporarily far from your home church, another Christian denomination, and wish to join a United Methodist Church near your seasonal home address.

For more information, please contact Barb Prindle.

Faith, Race, and Justice Class

Our Faith, Race, and Justice Class led by Vicki Southworth will resume on Sunday, January 9 at 10:15 AM.

Using the Bible and United Methodist Church resources, we will examine and discuss ways to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus in expanding God’s love and justice in our community.

GriefShare Support Ministry

Registration is open for our winter session of GriefShare. GriefShare features Biblical, Christ-centered teaching that focuses on grief topics associated with the death of a loved one. Participants learn how to go through a healthy season of grieving and then begin transitioning to emotional and spiritual wholeness through videos, workbooks, and discussions.

GriefShare will meet on Mondays from 10 AM to 12 PM in the Fellowship Center from January 10 to April 11. Registration is required and costs $25.

For questions, please call the Congregational Care Office (352-750-4529).