Spiritual Reflection

 “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” 

Philip Yancey, “Disappointment with God”

Alzheimer's Ministry

New Covenant has been the host of Alzheimer’s support group and respite care for many years! As we know, Alzheimer’s Disease can be a very difficult diagnosis for both the one diagnosed and the caregiver. In our support group, caregivers are encouraged to come, listen and share about their experiences. Many have been helped and supported by the Alzheimer’s ministry.

While the caregiver can be in the support group, we offer respite care for the loved ones who suffer from this disease. In the respite group, we offer entertainment by various Villages organizations, but also, we have brain-stimulated games, songs, and activities while they are in our care. Our volunteers are simply amazing as they share their love for God by serving in this ministry!

We are also very blessed to have our own social worker, Jackie Damron, that leads this ministry and ensures the care of all who attend. Jackie is a wonderful resource on services available to those who are caregiving or those who have been diagnosed. 

For more information on this important ministry at New Covenant, please contact Jackie Damron, New Covenant's Social Worker.

Lunch and Learn with Dr. Buck Blodgett

Tuesday, May 5 from 12 – 1 PM in the Fellowship Center

Dr. Blodgett will present his final part of the “F Words” series — “Fortitude.” If you missed the previous three, you are still welcome to join him as he continues to expand on his theme of “The LOVE>hate Project” message. “The F Words” include Forgiveness, Faith, Fruitfulness, and Fortitude. These study sessions are designed for all to hear about the transformative force of love!

All are welcome to join. There is no charge for this event, but we do ask that you preregister. At each session, you're invited to bring a sack lunch.

Dr. Buck’s book will be available for $20, benefitting the LOVE>hate Project.

The Bands of the Villages Ensemble Concert

Wednesday, April 29 at 7 PM



Join us for a delightful evening of music as the Bands of The Villages present a special Ensemble Concert showcasing some of our most talented small groups. Featured ensembles include Flute Fanatics, Clarinet Connextions, Saxsations, Horns a Plenty, and The Villages Flute Choir, each bringing their own unique sound and style to the stage. Enjoy an entertaining and relaxed evening filled with variety, musical color, and the wonderful artistry of these outstanding ensembles. 

First Impressions Ministry: Where Welcome Begins

At New Covenant, our hospitality ministry is known as the First Impressions Ministry – and that name is intentional. Long before a sermon is heard or a song is sung, a simple smile, a warm greeting, or a helping hand can speak volumes. That’s where First Impressions begins.

Whether it’s someone visiting for the very first time or a long-time member returning for another week, we want every person to feel seen, valued, and at home.

None of this would be possible without our incredible volunteers.

Our First Impressions team is made up of friendly faces serving in a variety of roles — ushers who help create a smooth and welcoming environment, greeters who offer that first smile at the door, welcome center volunteers who answer questions and guide next steps, coffee bar volunteers who create a space for connection, and so many others working behind the scenes. Each role plays a vital part in creating a meaningful experience.

A smile, a handshake, or simply being present can make a lasting impact. For many people, the kindness they encounter in those first few moments is what helps them feel comfortable enough to come back again. 

If you’ve ever wanted to get more connected, meet new people, or make a difference in a simple but meaningful way, First Impressions is a wonderful place to start. There’s a role for everyone, and we would love to help you find your fit. Please contact Ashley Hill, First Impressions Manager.

Take My Life and Let it Be

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee

Take my moments and my days

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Take my silver and my gold

Not a mite would I withhold

Take my intellect and use

Every power as thou shalt choose

Every power as thou shalt choose

This hymn is a “giving catalogue.” What can we offer to God? Moments and days, silver and gold, intellect and will.

Legacy Giving

Giving to the Legacy Fund is saving for the future.

If you would like to know more about Legacy Giving, please contact Linda Stubits in our church office or click the link below. Thank you for considering our Legacy Giving Ministry.

Get Your New Covenant Mug!

If you’ve ever thought, “I probably don’t need another mug”…you might be wrong.

For just $5, you can snag a New Covenant — "a place to call home" — mug for your coffee, tea, or whatever gets you through the day. That’s cheaper than one fancy drink – and this one sticks around. Grab yours before your future favorite mug becomes someone else’s. 

You can purchase before and after worship services this weekend at the Welcome Center. After this weekend, you may purchase during the week at the Discipleship Office.

LOL (Ladies of Light) Begin New Bible Study

Begins Monday, May 4 from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM in Classroom 6/7

“Keep It Shut,” by Karen Ehman is a six-week Bible study that teaches our words have the power to build others up or to tear them down, and it encourages readers to speak with wisdom, kindness, and self-control. Using biblical principles, personal stories, and practical advice, Ehman explains how to avoid harmful habits like gossip, harsh responses, and people-pleasing. She emphasizes learning when to speak, how to speak with grace, and when it is better to stay silent, ultimately helping improve relationships and grow spiritually.

“Keep It Shut” can be purchased online from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Christianbook.com, and Thrift books. Be sure to buy the book and not the study guide.  No registration is required. Please contact Pat Hill, Care Coordinator - Discipleship, if you have questions. All ladies are welcome.

Upcoming Change in Golf Cart Traffic Pattern

Wednesday, May 6 – Friday, May 8

New Covenant is partnering with The Villages as they are repairing their golf cart paths throughout the community. During the first week of May, the traffic pattern of the golf cart path will temporarily be redirected through the New Covenant parking lot. If you are here during these times of business, please be aware of this pattern.

The Chosen Season 3

Wednesdays from 2 PM – 4 PM in the Chapel

The next season of The Chosen will run for 8 weeks – one episode per week. Each session starts in the Chapel where we watch the episode together and then continues in breakout sessions where we discuss the messages we glean from the program. Each episode stands alone, so feel free to drop in and join us as you are able. 

Season 3 of “The Chosen” explores transformative encounters with Jesus, focusing on themes of forgiveness, faith, and community, while following the disciples’ growth and challenges. The third season portrays the increasing popularity of Jesus, which troubled different societal and political groups, including the Romans and the Pharisees. Following the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus sends His Twelve Apostles, two by two, to preach and perform miracles, leading to the disciples facing their greatest challenge. Jesus then returns to His hometown, Nazareth, which results in a shift to the ministry in the year of His popularity. After multiple miraculous occurrences, the season closes at the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus feeds thousands with loaves and fish and then walks on the water.

If you have any questions, please contact Randy Cooke, Teaching Pastor.

Bridging Gaps Field Trip

Thursday, April 30, from 8 AM to 4 PM

Bridging Gaps through Conversation will participate in an educational tour of the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune home and grave site in Daytona Beach. This is a unique opportunity to discuss topics such as race, religion, and politics with others in our community. We will stop for lunch (at your own cost).

Dr. Bethune is the founder of Bethune-Cookman University and was an avid daily reader of the Upper Room. Her home which was built in 1905 by A.B. Raddick, a black architect and builder is also listed as an United Methodist Historic Site.

Registration is required. For more information, please contact Janine Rogers, Mission & Outreach Director.

Visit Our ZOE Groups in Africa

If you are planning to go on the trip, all names of individuals must be submitted by May 1.

ZOE Empowers has a trip scheduled to Zimbabwe, Africa, September 9–18, 2026. The purpose of the trip is to visit our ZOE groups that are in various stages of their three-year training program. The training includes basic healthcare, food security, and information on how to move out of poverty. This is a trip not for building homes or a church, but to provide encouragement to the group of orphans that we support.

For more information, please contact Janine Rogers, Director of Missions & Outreach.

The Choralettes

Tuesday, May 5 at 6 PM

Join The Choralettes for an uplifting evening of music as they present “Broadway Revue,” a lively celebration of beloved Broadway hits.

Featuring special guest, Janice Swartz, and the returning chorus, The Wonderlands, this entertaining program invites audiences on a nostalgic journey through favorite musical selections, with opportunities to sing along to some of the most cherished songs.

This free concert offers a joyful community experience, with a love offering collected to support church missions.

The Epic of Eden: Ruth (May 2026)

Wednesday, May 6 from 10 AM – 11:30 AM in Classroom 6/7

 Ruth is a 6-week video-based study set during one of the most corrupt eras of Isralite history and is a story about three compelling characters. Naomi is an elderly widow who has lost everything and returns to her homeland empty and bitter just hoping to survive. Ruth is Noami’s young daughter- in -law, also a widow, and a foreigner, who at great personal sacrifice refuses to let Noami face the future alone. Boaz, a man of wealth and influence is given the opportunity to do the right thing, even though the right thing may not be the obvious thing. In Epic of Eden, Ruth, each of these characters comes alive. Here is real life, lived out by real people with real fears, real struggles, real hope, and real faith.

Registration is required.  Class size is limited to 20. Book available through Amazon.  Facilitator Charlene English.

If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact Pat Hill, Care Coordinator - Discipleship.

Women’s Monthly Gathering (May 2026)

Thursday, May 21 from 10 AM – 11:30 AM (with lunch to follow)

HOPE – what would we do without hope? Hope is an expectation with certainty that God will do what He has said. It gives us the ability to look at any situation and know that regardless of how it may appear God is going to come through.

Join us for our May Women’s Gathering, our last gathering until the fall season, where we will learn about the United Methodist sponsored Africa University. We will hear from Penny Williams, who recently visited the University to interact with students and see the memorial established in her father’s name. At Africa University, the mission is "Changing Africa - Learning here. Living here. Leading here."  And Hope.

We will also hear about the ZOE Empowers mission that gives hope to orphaned children and youth-led, vulnerable families to overcome poverty, move beyond charity, and experience meaningful lives.

And there’s more… Develop Habits of Hope. What are they? Start by “Looking for It” and….Join Cindy Kane to experience hands on learning and practical “easy” ways to nurture hope and strengthen our trust in God.

This month's mission will be ZOE Empowers.

Menu: Chicken salad wrap, pasta salad and dessert

Registration is required ($12) and closes at 12 noon on Monday, May 18. If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact Pat Hill, Care Coordinator - Discipleship.

Upcoming Holy Land Tours

Pastor Harold will lead two trips to the Holy Land. One is scheduled for this fall (October 5–14, 2026) and another is next spring (March 8–17, 2027).

If you are interested in knowing more about these tours and “walking in Jesus’s footsteps,” Pastor Harold will lead an Information Meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 9 AM in the Chapel. If you can’t attend the meeting in person, it will also be live streamed for your convenience on our website.

You can download either brochure by clicking on a link below.

Bargains & Blessings Volunteers

Bargains & Blessings has over 250 volunteers who perform a number of very vital work duties in the Main Store, Annex, Boutique, Intake Building, or Family Outreach by sorting, processing items, greeting customers, hanging clothing, creating displays, etc. We are blessed by their dedication, hard work, and support of the ministry. Even with such a large support base, additional volunteers are needed to ensure that the ministry can continue to support our local community.

For additional information, please contact Tina Lander, Assistant Manager for Administration.

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is here for you! Stephen Ministers are specially trained laypeople who have completed over 50 hours of specialized education to walk alongside someone who needs a listening ear. Stephen Ministers are completely confidential and are able to help others on their journey of faith during a specific season in life - grief and loss, health issues, divorce and relational concerns, and more. Stephen Ministers are trained to be extensions of the pastoral staff, and all referrals come from a pastor to the Stephen Ministry team.

If a Stephen Minister might be of help to you or to someone you know well, please contact Pastor Ellen for a referral.

Weekly Prayer Concerns

Prayer Quilts

The prayer quilts on the altar this week are for our graduating mentees from our Wildwood Middle High School Mentor Program.

We ask for prayers of guidance, wisdom, safety, and "seeds that have been planted" by their mentors as they transition into this next phase of life.

A’dejah

Alaina

Alexanderia

Brien

Garrett

Ja’tonyan

Keyoni

Sandarian

Terrell

Prayer quilts are made by a dedicated group in our church and throughout our community who envision the quilts being a special gift of love for people facing difficult situations. If you would like to order a prayer quilt, please click the button below.

Our prayers, love, and sympathy are extended to...

Geri Berglund (mother), Kim & Greg Hanson (sister & brother-in-law), family and friends on the passing of Monica Berglund.

The family & friends of Norma Evelyn Martin on her passing.

Chancel Flowers

To place an order for Chancel flowers, please use the button below. For any questions about Chancel flowers, please contact Sharon Weimert, Care Coordinator. Flower orders must be received by noon on Monday for flowers to be delivered that weekend.

Rev. Harold Hendren, Senior Pastor

Rev. Ellen Pollock, Associate Pastor