Message in a Minute

Click the image above to hear from Pastor Harold and to learn about the three Key Announcements for this week!

Spiritual Reflection

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Anne Frank

Summer Food Drive for Wildwood Food Pantry

Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21

Due to the high costs for food and rising inflation, the number of families who sign up to receive food at the Wildwood Food Pantry has increased. Your help is needed to support these families. Bags will be placed on each car/golf cart during services this weekend. 

Please fill the bags with the needed food pantry items, and leave them beside your car/golf cart the next weekend (Saturday, July 20 or Sunday, July 21).

Volunteers will be on hand to gather your food donations. You may also drop off your donations at the church anytime during the week. Bins are conveniently located at the west entrance to the church and in the East and West Narthexes.

Current needs include: canned fruit, canned soups, canned tuna and chicken, canned vegetables, cereal, flavored pastas (Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Rona, Pasta Sides), macaroni & cheese, peanut butter & jelly, SpagettiOs, RavioliOs, etc., and spaghetti sauce.

Thank you to everyone who participates in helping the food pantry provide food supplements to families experiencing food insecurity in Sumter County and surrounding communities.

Thank You for Supporting Backpacks4Kids

We are thrilled to announce the incredible success of the Celebrate America 2024 concert! Thanks to your generous support and attendance, we raised an astounding $12,000 for Backpacks4Kids. This achievement highlights the power of our community coming together to support children in need.

But we’re not stopping here! We have an additional goal to raise $5,000 more to ensure every child has the supplies they need for the upcoming school year. To help us reach this goal, we are excited to host a special concert on Sunday, August 11 at 6 PM in the Christian Life Center. Join us for “Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein,” featuring the renowned tenor Mark Steven Schmidt and the talented pianist Gary Powell. While admission is free, we suggest a $20 donation to Backpacks4Kids. Your contributions will make a significant impact, providing essential supplies to children as they prepare for the new school year.

Please mark your calendars for this extraordinary evening of music and community spirit. Together, we can make a difference and ensure every child is equipped for success. Thank you once again for your unwavering support. We look forward to seeing you at the concert!

Coffee Bar Volunteers

The Coffee Bar is an important part of the New Covenant First Impressions Ministry. The Coffee Bar is a place where coffee, food, and fellowship help members and guests feel welcome on our campus.

We are currently seeking individuals who would like to serve in this key hospitality role on Sunday mornings. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Ashley Hill, First Impressions Manager.

Online Giving Highlight

Online Giving is a secure and convenient way to support your church, even while traveling. To make a gift online, simply go to the Giving tab of the church website, select “Give Online,” and follow the prompts to make your donation — or click the button below.

In addition, there is also a “Text to Give” option with a step-by-step guide in our Giving Brochure for those who might wish to take advantage of that opportunity.

For questions on any online giving, please download the Giving Brochure, stop by the Computer Center in the Narthex before worship services, or contact the Administration Office weekdays during regular business hours.

Giving is an Investment in the Kingdom of God

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 

(2 Corinthians 9:11)

Tithing verses show us that giving is an act of worship and should be done cheerfully as directed by the Holy Spirit. It also comes with a return blessing and it’s an investment in the kingdom of God. We are called to give generously and have an eternal perspective!

Legacy Giving

Re-evaluate your insurance needs – life insurance beneficiaries can be changed to include your church.

Revealed Small Group New Study

Thursdays, July 25 through August 29, from 1 PM – 2:15 PM

“Lessons I Learned in the Dark: Steps to Walking by Faith, Not by Sight” is the theme for the next Revealed Study Group led by Sherry and Pastor Gary Eldred.  The author, Jennifer Rothschild, explains her book is not about blindness, although she herself is blind, but rather a book about learning how to really see: to move with freedom, even in confining circumstances, to hear echoes of hope, even in heartache, to be empowered, even when you don’t feel strong.

For more information, please contact Sherry and Pastor Gary Eldred.

New Small Group Study

Mondays, Beginning July 25 from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

LOL (Ladies of Light) will begin a new study of “The Chosen – Part 4” an 8-week DVD study. With clashing kingdoms and rival rulers, the enemies of Jesus close in while His struggling followers leave Him to carry the burden alone.

No registration required and all ladies are welcome. For more information, please contact Pat Hill. 

Community Bible Study

Mondays, August 26, 2024 – April 28, 2025, from 3 PM – 5 PM

The Villages Community Bible Study (CBS) will be offering a small group Bible Study for men and women. Both in-person and online options are available.

CBS is an interdenominational Bible study that brings people together around God’s word. We offer a 30-week, in-depth study through the five essentials of CBS: Individual Study, Encouraging Discussion, Effective Teaching, Insightful Commentary, and a Caring Community.

For 2024–2025 season, we will study the Gospel of Matthew. Small groups will meet at New Covenant. Workbooks will be available for pick up on Monday, August 5 from 10 AM – 12 PM in the West Narthex.

The registration fee is $35. Scholarships are available by request. Register on the CBS website. Space is limited for this class. For more information, please contact Susan Hayes.

“Many Hands Make Light Work”

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, serve our community, and connect with our church. New Covenant has many different areas to get involved. Whether it is serving during the weekend services or volunteering within one of our missions, you are a necessary part of this church. No role is unimportant, and we need many volunteers to continue to live into the vision of being Christ’s hands, feet, and voice in the world.

Below are just a few positions with immediate needs, but many more are listed on our Volunteer Central webpage. We invite you to explore these great opportunities!

• Bargains & Blessings Store
• Bus Drivers
• Coffee Bar on Sundays
• Fresh Expressions
• Production Crew for Saturday Worship Services
• Quilters
• Wildwood Middle High School Mentor Program

For information on any volunteer position, please click the button below, visit the Volunteer Central webpage (located under the Ministries tab; then select First Impressions), or call the church office.

Holy Land Trip 2025

Monday, March 31 – Tuesday, April 9, 2025

Pastor Harold will lead another Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land next year. The tour will include Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Jacob’s Well, Samaria, Emmaus, Megiddo, Mount Carmel, Jericho, Qumran, Masada, and the Dead Sea.

Click the button below to read the full brochure. Brochures are also located at the “Welcome Center” in the East Narthex. To register, please visit the EO website. 

We “Care”

Recently we have had several hospitalizations or procedures that we found out about after the event. Our Care department truly wants to care for our congregants and extended community, but we cannot do that without your help! Please contact the church if you or someone in your household is having a procedure, surgery, or hospitalization. We would also appreciate you having a good friend or neighbor designated if you encounter an emergency.

Lyn Baumuller

Donna James

Gavin Kinney

Logan (mom) and James (unborn infant)

Jean McGrath

Jess Miller

Bob Rugg, Jr.

The prayer quilt on the altar is for...

Kelly, who needs healing from a stroke.

Prayer quilts are made by a dedicated group in our church 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...

Robert and Judy Fitzgerald on the passing of his uncle, Steve Matthews.

Our Altar Flowers have been provided by...

Josy Budzen in memory of my beloved husband, Len Budzen.

Flower orders must be received by noon on Tuesday for flowers to be delivered that weekend. To place an order for altar flowers, please contact Ginny Davis using the button below.