Spiritual Reflection

 “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Easter Weekend Invitation — Let’s be Welcoming!

As we approach Holy Week, we are excited to welcome many friends and guests who may not attend regularly. We want every person who walks through our doors to feel seen, valued, and warmly welcomed. Here are a few simple ways our church family can help create the best possible experience for everyone.

Our guest parking areas are intentionally located near the west entrance to make visiting as easy and convenient as possible. Because our campus is large, this small gesture makes a big difference for those who may already feel a bit unsure about visiting a new church. We kindly ask our regular attendees to leave guest and handicap parking spaces available for those who truly need them.

We know holidays are special times to sit with friends and family, and fellowship is an important part of worship. However, offering our guests easy access to comfortable seating helps them feel prepared to fully participate in worship and encourages them to return again. This includes leaving aisle seats open to our guests coming in so they don’t feel disruptive or uncomfortable.

Finally, one of the most meaningful ways to welcome someone is through personal connection. When you see a new face at New Covenant, take a moment to introduce yourself and share a friendly greeting. A simple conversation can make a lasting impression and may be the reason someone chooses to return.

Thank you for helping us create a warm and welcoming Holy Week for all.

Bargains & Blessings Truck

Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12

The Bargains & Blessings truck will be on the church campus to accept donations next month on the second weekend before worship services, due to Easter services the first weekend. We appreciate your ongoing support of this important ministry. Each item donated and sold helps to support children and families in our local community. 

If you are interested in volunteering or have large items to donate, please call the Bargains & Blessings Store at (352) 330-3333 for information about donation pick-up.

The Villages Symphonic Winds

Sunday, April 12 at 6 PM

The Villages Symphonic Winds presents “The Vibrant Colors of Wind Music” featuring some of the finest works ever written for concert band, and two beautiful pieces originally written for other groups first and later transcribed for band including conductor Lewis Buckley’s own transcription for the band of a new Carmen Suite. This will be a classic concert band concert, made up of both original band music and transcriptions from other media, and it will beautifully display the remarkable talents of the musicians who make up the Symphonic Winds.

Blessing of the Animals

A Special Morning for Our Furry Friends

Saturday, April 18 from 9 AM – 10:30 AM

Join us for one of our newest heartwarming traditions – the Blessing of the Animals! This special event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy our pets bring to our lives and to ask God’s blessing over them. Our pastors will be present to offer individual blessings for your beloved pets.

Who’s Invited? All pets — and their humans!

Come enjoy a relaxed and joyful atmosphere as we gather together. We’ll have pigs in blankets, donut holes, beverages and other tasty treats for everyone to enjoy. Furry or not!

Be sure to bring a chair so you can sit comfortably, visit with friends, and watch all the adorable pets receive their blessings. 

Whether your companion has fur, feathers, or whiskers, we can’t wait to celebrate them with you. Invite a friend or neighbor to join us for this sweet time of fellowship and gratitude of God’s creation!

We ask that you please bring an item for a local shelter to help out our other furry friends in need. 

Registration is not required. We look forward to seeing you, and your pets!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all

This Holy Week hymn offers one of the most poignant and eloquent expressions of Christian stewardship ever composed: “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Legacy Giving

Over 50% of people die without a will. Do you have one?

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.

Fifth Sunday for Residing Hope Children's Home

Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29

Residing Hope is now operating as a holistic organization to provide unique services for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. These services include:

• Therapeutic Residential Care (80 children served)
• Foster Care (135 children served)
• Outpatient Counseling (7,757 total hours received by children in this program)
• Independent Living (22 children served)
• Childhood Education-Montessori (220 children served)

We can help them continue to provide the support systems needed by these children. Please donate by writing your check out to New Covenant with Residing Hope in the memo line. 

Easter Plants

Help us prepare a beautiful Chancel for Easter weekend by purchasing a flowering plant in memory of or in honor of someone special.

Plants are $15 each and will include a variety of tulips, daffodils, Easter lilies, and hydrangeas. Your purchase helps offset the cost of decorating the Chancel for Easter and adds beauty and celebration to this sacred weekend.

Plants may be purchased this weekend before all services at the kiosk or you may place your order online. To place an order online, please use the button below.

Order deadline is Monday, March 30 at 11 AM. Plants may be picked up after the 11 AM Easter Sunday worship service on April 5.

Spring Choir Concert

Saturday, March 28 at 5 PM in the Christian Life Center

Joel Raney’s Blessed: A Holy Week Journey Through the Beatitudes, featuring The Chancel Choir and Chamber Orchestra.

You’re invited to a Holy Week experience that reaches deeper than a typical concert. This contemporary work weaves the Beatitudes, the "Blesseds" Jesus proclaims in the Gospel, into the emotional and spiritual arc of Christ’s final days. Set in the present tense, it feels less like a retelling and more like we’re standing inside the story as it unfolds: blessing and cost, grace and sorrow, courage and love on the road to the cross.

Come ready to listen, reflect, and be moved. This is music that doesn’t just describe Holy Week; it helps you enter it. Bring a friend to this meaningful worship concert.

This is a free concert; no tickets are required. A Love Offering will be accepted.

Please note: Due to our beautiful concert, there will be no Contemporary Worship Service on Saturday. The concert will be livestreamed for you to share with friends and family.

Holy Week Worship Services

One of our “Bring Weekends”

"Bring Weekends" are extra special weekends where we are making it easy for you to invite your friends, neighbors, family to worship services. We encourage you to invite people year-round; but we hope that you will focus on these weekends throughout the year!

Palm Sunday, March 29 at 9 AM & 11 AM

Begin Holy Week with worship and praise as we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem — waving palms, lifting our voices, and preparing our hearts for the journey to the cross and the joy of Easter.

Maundy Thursday, April 2 at 6 PM

Holy Communion with Rev. Ellen Pollock and the Chancel Choir

Good Friday, April 3 at 12 PM

Service of Darkness — readings and music

Contemporary Easter Worship, Saturday, April 4 at 5 PM

Worship Band with Rev. Harold Hendren

Easter Sunrise Worship, Sunday, April 5 at 6:30 AM

Simple outdoor worship with Rev. Harold Hendren

Easter Sunday Worship, Sunday, April 5 at 9 AM & 11 AM

Festival Worship — Chancel Choir, Praise Ringers, Brass & Organ with Rev. Harold Hendren

Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 5 at 9 AM and 11 AM

On our playground for children 4^th grade and under

Easter Sunday Education Classes

All Sunday School Classes will be cancelled on Easter Sunday so we can all enjoy our wonderful Easter Services together as a church family.

Lunch and Learn with Dr. Buck Blodgett

Tuesday, April 7 from 12 – 1 PM in the Fellowship Center

Dr. Blodgett will present part three of his “F Words” series on “Fruitfulness” at this month's Lunch and Learn. He returns for part four the first Tuesday of May. If you missed part one and two, you are still welcome to join him. 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 groups 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.

Our final date will be May 5 and will require a separate registration.

“The Great Awakening”

Wednesday, April 8 at either 11 AM or 1:45 PM

Old Mill Playhouse Theater at Lake Sumter Landing

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had a more famous contemporary pastor in the United States — George Whitefield. Whitefield played a key role in the American Revolution through his evangelical movement.

With the colonies on the brink of collapse, the Reverend George Whitefield sparks the first Great Awakening, uniting an entire generation with his thundering proclamation of liberty in Christ. In a miraculous turn of events, one of Whitefield’s closest friends and greatest promoters becomes none other than Benjamin Franklin. With the nation’s freedom hanging in the balance, Franklin discovers true liberty cannot only be written into law — it must be awakened in the hearts of the people.

The film, “The Great Awakening,” produced by Sight and Sound Theaters, will be playing just before and after Easter. The Men’s Ministry is inviting all who are interested to join us and watch the movie together.

For more information, please contact Randy Cooke, Teaching Pastor.

The Villages Concert Band

Friday, April 10 at 7 PM in the Christian Life Center

The Villages Concert Band closes its season with a thrilling musical adventure that spans nearly seven decades of exploration and imagination. JOURNEY – From Sputnik to SpaceX traces humanity’s fascination with the skies—from the historic 1957 launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, to the groundbreaking innovations of SpaceX, which continue to redefine space travel today.

It’s a concert filled with imagination, nostalgia, adventure, and heart —celebrating both where we’ve been and where we’re headed next. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare for liftoff. Come fly with us on a journey that reaches for the stars!

New Bible Study — Starting Point, A Conversation About Faith

Begins Saturday, April 11 from 3:30 – 4:45 PM

Welcome to “Starting Point” – an 8-session video-based study by Andy Stanley based on conversations about faith. Whether you’re new or old to faith, curious about God, or coming back to God after sometime away, it’s a place where your opinions and beliefs are valued, and no question is off limits.

Everything has a starting point – your life, your relationships, your education, your career — and sometimes we forget that faith has a starting point as well.

For some of us, our faith journey begins in childhood, or maybe you developed a framework of faith based on personal experience…or maybe you have no faith at all. But what if you could find a new starting point for faith?

Come as you are and build relationships with others as you discover your “starting point.” This class will be facilitated by Lee Williams.

Registration is required, but there is no cost for the class. We ask that you prepurchase the book. If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact Pat Hill, Care Coordinator - Discipleship.

Love Your Neighbor Day

Sunday, April 12 from 11 AM – 12 PM at Banyan Residence 

We are excited to offer a Love Your Neighbor Day to all students fifth grade and older to volunteer at our Banyan Resident neighbors on County Rd 101. Please arrive at the church by 11 AM. Donna Hendren, Fresh Expressions Pastor, will lead an engaging and meaningful activity with the residents. 

Please register your student for this event. This is a wonderful opportunity to help our neighbors and be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus.

Women’s Gathering (April) with Pastor Marilyn Anell and the Strummin’ Sisters Ukulele Group

Thursday, April 16 from 10 AM – 11:30 AM (with lunch to follow)

If someone tells you about a problem, you can offer to pray later, or you can pray right now, out loud!  Which is better? Both! If you are not comfortable praying out loud, Pastor Marilyn will teach you a technique designed as an easy way to help you do this — using your hand! 

With the help of a diagram, prayer examples, scripture, and jokes, you will leave with concrete knowledge of how to pray out loud. In the future, you will be very comfortable doing this with friends, or even strangers.

Praising God can happen in two ways: prayer and singing. Following Pastor Marilyn’s prayer message, we will sing and praise God with a “Singspiration.”

We will sing the songs you choose, accompanied by Cheryl Steinborn, pianist and the Strummin’ Sisters ukulele group. Harmony Sisters will also share a song and there will be a fun surprise for everyone. It will be a great time for all.

This month's mission will be Beds & Blankets presented by Pam Brown, Ministry Leader.

Menu: Chicken Parmesan, Pasta with Marinara Sauce, Tossed Salad, Roll and Dessert

Registration is required ($12) and closes at 12 noon on Monday, April 13. If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact Pat Hill, Care Coordinator - Discipleship.

Horns Aplenty

Thursday April 16 at 6 PM

Horns Aplenty present a concert celebrating the noble, golden voice of the French horn in all its warmth, brilliance, and depth. This exciting program will feature music written especially for horns alongside beautifully crafted arrangements that showcase the instrument’s extraordinary range and character. Audiences will enjoy selections by composers from both Europe and the United States, highlighting the horn’s rich heritage and global artistry. We’re especially proud to present an arrangement by our very own Don Daily, adding a personal and homegrown touch to the evening. As a special highlight, Cornucopia — a horn quartet that grew out of Horns Aplenty, will return to the stage promising an unforgettable evening celebrating the rich, dynamic, and unmistakable sound of the French horn.

New Sunday Morning Study on Artificial Intelligence

Begins Sunday, April 19 at 8 AM and 10:10 AM in the Chapel

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved quickly from a novelty to something that shows up in nearly every part of our lives. What once felt like small conveniences now shapes how we work, connect, learn, and even worship. For many Christians, AI can still feel like something out of a sci-fi movie, stirring up worry, confusion, or distrust.

We are called to examine our faith as our world changes yet again. We will be using a study titled, “God and the Machine.” God and the Machine speaks to anyone who is unsure, curious, or somewhere in between. Ignoring AI is no longer an option, yet we are still called to approach every new tool with care and discernment. United Methodist pastor, Nathan Webb, guides readers through what AI means for the church — offering clarity, honesty, and hope. Along the way, you will explore how to welcome new possibilities without letting go of your values and how God may be opening surprising, grace-filled opportunities in this emerging world.

This six-week study Bible study will be led by Randy Cooke, Teaching Pastor. All who are interested are welcome to attend. If he does not know the answer to your question, Randy may be able to ask AI.

The Village Ringers

Sunday, April 19 at 6 PM in the Fellowship Center

Village Ringers, under the direction of Bonnie Fisher, and Village Ringers TOO, directed by Cathy Bullock invite you to an unforgettable evening of music with their concert, “Ringing Reflections.”

Experience the shimmering sound of handbells paired with stunning visuals as you journey through iconic hits by The Beatles, thrilling music from Star Wars by John Williams, beloved American classics celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday, the electric joy of Mr. Blue Sky, the sly charm of The Pink Panther, and so much more. Join us for an evening of nostalgia, celebration, and breathtaking musical color — where every ring tells a story.

The Villages Flute Choir

Tuesday, April 21 at 7 PM

The Villages Flute Choir invites you to “Animals, Legends and Whimsy,” a delightful concert celebrating music inspired by imagination, storytelling, and the natural world. This enchanting program brings together elegance, humor, and a touch of mystery as the beautiful voices of the flute family bring beloved favorites to life. Join us for a captivating musical journey filled with color, character, and whimsical sound. 

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. 

Visit Our ZOE Groups in Africa

September 9 to 18, 2026

ZOE Empowers has a trip available to Zimbabwe, Africa, in September. 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. 

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

Weekly Prayer Concerns

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

Steve Ashburn, family and friends on the passing of his parents, Ron & Pat Ashburn.

Ike Beasley, family and friends on the passing of his wife, Harolyn Beasley.

Our Chancel Flowers have been provided by:

Darol Stroman and family in memory of his wife, Karen Stroman.

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.