Date

Recently I attended and par ticipated in my f i r st, and w ishful ly thinking, my last law enfor cement off icer funeral. Off icer Thomas Cottr el l of the Danvi l le, Ohio police depar tment was assassinated the evening of Januar y 17. Those of us in central Ohio and areas adjacent have read many media accounts of this tr agedy. Whi le my incl ination is to comment on the person who committed this atroci ty, decorum encourages my restr aint. I f you want to know what I think, emai l me or pr ivate message me on Facebook.

There is good, in spi te of evi l , that was evident. My dear fr iend and col league Father Leo Connolly, chaplain for the Franklin County (OH) Sher i f f ?s off ice and City of Columbus Police, was absolutely master ful in the ser vice he conducted. My col leagues on the Mid-Ohio Cr i tical Incident Str ess Management Team rendered ser vice that tr uly made a di f ference and was healing. And, I must say that my fai th in the ci tizens of our state and countr y, though not absent, was restored. I was ver y moved by those who l ined the roads and str eets from the auditor ium where the funeral was held to the cemeter y who were f lying f lags and held hands over hear ts as a sign of r espect. As Leo mentioned in his Facebook post, par ticular ly moving was the l i ttle boy who evoked memor ies of JFK junior at his father?s funeral.

These are di f f icult times to be a law enfor cement off icer. Having exper ienced simulation exercises that our law enfor cement per sonnel undergo in tr aining, I cannot castigate law enfor cement per sonnel for decisions that must be made in nano-seconds. I also am keenly aware of the labeling that is applied to an enti r e profession based on the tr ansgressions of the few.

In this moment, I can only say how grateful I am to be a law enfor cement chaplain. In 1990 the leadership of New Hope Church w i l l ingly granted me the oppor tuni ty to ser ve as chaplain for the Dublin, Ohio Division of Police. More r ecently, our leadership has permitted me to ser ve as a Depar tment of Justice Chaplain. Ever y day I am thankful for and pray for my off icer s and fr iends who walk the ?thin blue l ine.? All I can say from your chaplain is, ?God bless, I appreciate and love you, and stay safe.?

February 2016

Shar ing OUR Fait hNew Hope's Monthly Newsletter

Rev. Steve Nor den, Senior Pastornor den@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Pastor Steve

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New Hope's Mission

To Reach people for Chr ist, Root people in Chr ist, and Release people to ser ve Chr ist.

Facebook .com /NewHopePowel l

Tw i t ter .com /NewHopePowel l

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Instagr am .com /NewHopePowel l

Vim eo.com /NewHopePowel l

SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE

9:00AMContemporar y WorshipSunday School for ages 2 through 5th Grade

10:15AMSunday School for Adults and YouthOrange Program for ages 3 through 5th Grade

11:15AMTraditional WorshipChr istian Car toon Club for Kids

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4739 W. Powel l Rd.(Next to the Columbus Zoo)

Powel l , OH 43065

614.766.5445NewHopeWor ship.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GOOD IN SPITE OF EVIL

NEW HOPE CHURCHA Ministry of the Reformed Church in America

Rev. Stephen M. Nor den, Senior PastorRev. Sar ah E. Palsm a, Associate Pastor

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Photo: Jessica Phelps/Gannett Ohio. Used with permission.

Another year comes to a close. Below is our f inancial summar y through December 31, 2015. As you can see our income exceeded expenses by near ly $61,000. We thank you for your continued generosi ty which al lows New Hope Church to Reach, Root , and Release so many for Chr ist, and to fur ther the work of the Kingdom of God.

As we look at 2016, the Consistor y has approved a budget of $1,203,000. A question came up in the December Tow n Hall meeting asking how New Hope accounted for mor tgage expense. This budget r ef lects expensing al l mor tgage cost (pr incipal and interest). I t should be noted that the Deacons have dir ected us to pay an additional $3300 per month to apply towards pr incipal to pay off the mor tgage quicker, and New Hope has been doing this for qui te some time. Right now i t looks l ike the mor tgage w i l l be paid off by 2024!

Text giving continues to be a success and more and more people are using r ecur r ing text giving. For more information on these methods of giving, please visi t NewHopeWor ship.com /Sm ar tGiv ing.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

DECEMBER

Budget Actual %

Total Incom e 82,480 123,031 149.2%

Total Ex pense 82,480 98,061 118.9%

YEAR TO DATE

Budget Actual %

989,756 1,039,192 105.0%

989,756 978,302 98.8%

FINANCIAL REPORT THROUGH DECEMBER 31

Come to our quar ter ly Tow n Hall Meeting onSunday, Februar y 14 at 10:15AM. We'l l be discussing the

plans we believe God has for New Hope Churchin the coming year.

Adult Sunday School will not meet on this date; Children's Sunday School, Orange for Kids, and Youth Sunday School will meet at

their regular times.

Phi l Thom pson, Chur ch Adm in i st r atorthompson@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x37 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Administr ation

Call ing All The Messengers! The deadline to apply for the New Hope Endow ment Fund Board's grant of up to $5000 is Sunday, March 6. I f you have a project, program, or ministr y that may fal l under our desir ed funding categor ies of Legacy, Discipleship, or Stewardship, please consider applying for this annual grant oppor tuni ty. For application mater ials please pick up an application in the church nar thex or contact Amy Tibbals.

ASH WEDNESDAYWednesday, Febr uar y 10

The season of Lent, a time in the church's calendar for r ef lection and preparation as we await the joy of Easter, begins Wednesday, Februar y 10. We w i l l offer an Ash Wednesday Ser vice of Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes at 7:00PM in the Sanctuar y.

Come begin this most meaningful season in worship w ith us.

Come join us for dinner on Wednesday evenings throughout the season of Lent. Each week the supper is hosted by one of New Hope's small groups. There w i l l be soup, salad, macaroni and cheese, and desser t. At the end of the meal we w i l l gather in song and one of the Elders w i l l lead us in a time of devotion and prayer.

This year the theme of the devotions are "The Parables of Jesus: Being Taught the Word." Each week we w i l l encounter a parable of Jesus and ref lect on how we can be Recipients of the Word, Active in the Word, Welcoming w ith the Word, Challenged through the Word, and Found by the Word.

Follow ing the soup suppers, join Pastor Steve Norden for a Lenten study on the last week of Jesus? l i fe.

LENTEN SOUP SUPPERSWednesdays at 6:00PM ? Febr uar y 17 thr ough Mar ch 16

ADULT MINISTRYRev. Sar ah Palsm a, Associate Pastorpalsma@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x15 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Adults

Women of al l ages are invi ted to our annual New Hope Women's Retreat on Saturday, Februar y 20 from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at The Countr y Club at Muir f ield Vi l lage in Dublin. Come enjoy a day of r est w i th your sister s in Chr ist as we ref lect on Psalm 62 together and redefine, r ediscover, and re-envision what r esting in the Lord tr uly means.

Register at the church or onl ine at NewHopeWor ship.com /Wom ensRet r eat . Cost is $50 per per son; scholar ships are avai lable.

Meet Our Speaker : Br enda Jank

Brenda is a visionary leader and champion of rest. She has written for Leadership Journal, Focus on the Family, Discipleship Journal, and many Christianity Today publications. She speaks to leaders and people of all ages, both nationally and internationally.

"Run Hard. Rest Well." launched in 2008 to equip leaders to create a culture of work and rest that is biblical, passionate, restorative, and sustainable. Married to Tim for 23 years and the mother of five (ages 14-21), her passion for rest is fueled by a home-grown desire to live, love, and serve with joy and delight. Brenda graduated from Concordia University-Nebraska in 1990 as a Director of Christian Education with a B.A. in psychology.

Br enda Jank

DISCOVERY NEW MEMBER CLASSSundays at 10:15AM, March 6 to May 8Facilitated by Pastor Steve and Pastor Sarah

Are you interested in learning more about New Hope Church and how to become a member? Come to our Discover y Class, an eight-week class which w i l l meet Sunday mornings at 10:15AM. Class begins March 6 and ends May 8, w i th breaks for Easter Sunday and our quar ter ly Tow n Hall meeting. Sign up at the Oppor tuni ties Board in the Nar thex or onl ine at NewHopeWor ship.com /Discover y.

ADULT MINISTRYRev. Sar ah Palsm a, Associate Pastorpalsma@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x15 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Adults

24 HOURS THAT CHANGED THE WORLDSundays at 10:15AM, February 21 to March 20Facilitated by Bonnie Fussner

No single event in human histor y has r eceived more attention than the suffer ing and cruci f ixion of Jesus of Nazareth. In this Lenten journey, author Adam Hamilton guides us through the last twenty-four hours of Jesus' l i fe. Each lesson is designed to exper ience and understand the signi f icance of Jesus' suffer ing and death in a way you have never done before. Whether you'r e a long-time Chr istian or simply cur ious about the stor y of Chr ist's cruci f ixion, you are invi ted to join us as we retr ace the last 24 hours of Jesus' l i fe.

THE FAITH AND PRACTICE OF THE EARLIEST CHRISTIANSSundays at 10:15AM, February 21 to March 20Facilitated by Barb and Tom Lewis

Come explore what some of the ear l iest Chr istians l ived and taught and how they helped to lay the foundation of the church today. In this class we w i l l consider :

- What is The Way of Jesus?- How impor tant are Baptism and Holy Communion?- What does i t mean to Be Church?- When is i t good to Look to the Future?- Why is i t impor tant for Chr istians to look Back to the

Roots of Faith?

HOME GROWN: HANDBOOK FOR CHRISTIAN PARENTINGSundays at 10:15AM, February 21 to April 24Facilitated by Brian & Heather DiMasi and Kara & Trent Hartranft

For a Chr istian parent, some battles aren't wor th f ighting - l ike whether your three-year -old can wear her plastic tiara to church. But other questions might keep you up at night:

- How can I help my kids tr ust God when they'r e wor r ied or bad things happen?- How do I explain tough things l ike death and divor ce?- Is i t OK that we don't have family devotions?- How can I make our home a place where my kids' fai th w i l l grow ?

This handbook gives you practical, r eal-wor ld advice about how to help your kids know and love God - and how to bui ld a home where you can grow in fai th together.

newsunday bibl e

st udies

ADULT MINISTRYRev. Sar ah Palsm a, Associate Pastorpalsma@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x15 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Adults

SOUL KEEPINGSundays at 10:15AM through February 28Facilitated by Kathy Dunkin

When is the last time you thought about the state of your soul? The health of your soul isn't just a matter of saved or unsaved. I t 's the hinge on which the r est of your l i fe hangs. I t 's the di f ference between deep, satisf ied spir i tual i ty and a r estless, dispassionate fai th. In an age of mater ial ism and consumer ism that tr ies to buy i ts way to happiness,

many souls are star ved and unhealthy, unsatisf ied by false promises of status and wealth. We've neglected the eternal par t of our selves, focusing instead on the temporal concerns of the wor ld.

This class is for those who long to discover their spir i tual center and grow deeper in their r elationship w ith God.

GODS AT WAR: DEFEATING THE IDOLS THAT BATTLE FOR YOUR HEARTWednesdays at 7:00PM, February 17 to March 16Facilitated by Dave Summers

The Bible teaches us that false gods have no place in our l ives and, on f i r st glance, that doesn't seem to be our problem today. But these idols can take many di f ferent forms: success, money, sex, food, self-image, and others. By asking insightful questions, Kyle Idleman reveals which false gods most often take the place of the one tr ue God. Then, using power ful testimonies of those who have str uggled w ith each area, he i l lustr ates a clear path away from the hear tache of twenty-f i r st-centur y idolatr y and back to the hear t of God.

adul tsundayschool

men'sbibl est udy

THE EASTER EXPERIENCEWednesdays at 12:30PM, February 17 to March 30Facilitated by Pastor Sarah

What i f what happened then changes ever ything now ? Once you exper ience the stor y of Easter, absolutely ever ything in your l i fe changes. This study br ings the passion and resur rection of Jesus to l i fe through dramatic stor ytel l ing and challenging teaching.

WOmen'sbibl est udy

YOUTH MINISTRYBob Cl i ne, Di r ector of Youth Min i st r ycline@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Youth

This March, the high school youth w i l l be headed to Genesis 2016, a r egional youth conference at The Grand Traverse Resor t in Traverse City, Michigan. Genesis is an event where students can worship honestly, connect r elationally, grow spir i tual ly, ser ve intentionally, and play!

Guest speaker Judy Peter son w i l l challenge us to not just talk the talk , but r eal ly walk the walk. For her, this took the form of walking across the United States. Judy w i l l show us how to put feet to our fai th. Whi le the walk across the United States is how Judy f i r st r eceived the name ?Walking Pastor,? i t is her day-to-day desir e to walk into the l ives of other s that continues to make the ti tle well deser ved.

Youth w i l l also par ticipate in ser vice activi ties making thousands of sandw iches for local ministr ies. Genesis 2016 is tr uly a weekend set aside for spir i tual grow th, r ef lection, and fel lowship w ith other Chr istian teens.

MUSIC MINISTRYChr i st i ne Loy, Di r ector of Music Min i st r yloy@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x14 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Music

Join us this month as we prepare selections from Handel 's Messiah as par t of our Easter Choir this year. I f you sang the Messiah in high school or col lege, or would l ike to sing the Lenten and Easter por tions of this work, please consider joining r ehearsals beginning Thursday, Februar y 4 at 7:00PM as we prepare these pieces and other Easter selections. The choir w i l l sing at the Maundy Thursday ser vice (March 24) and Easter morning ser vices (March 27).

CHILDREN'S MINISTRYJosh Bar na, Di r ector of Chi l dr en 's Min i st r ybar na@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x13 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Childr en

In Januar y's Sunday School classes we focused on the ear ly ministr y of Jesus. Through lessons on Jesus? baptism and how he was able to overcome temptation, we continued to learn and exper ience how much God loves us! This month, our Deep Blue cur r iculum?s ?Anchor Point? focuses on how ?Jesus cal ls us to fol low him.?

Ever y Sunday, you can get more information on the weekly lesson by going to DeepBlueKids.com /This_Sunday and cl icking on the l ink to your chi ld?s age group. Another useful and fr ee tool to br ing the week?s tr uth into your home is the Deep Blue app, which is avai lable by searching ?Deep Blue? in your app store.

Sunday School is for al l kids ages 2 through 5th grade, and meets dur ing the Living Water Worship ser vice at 9:00AM.

sunday school

?Self-Control? was the vir tue of the month for Januar y dur ing Orange. Through a video game theme we learned how words do matter and how we ought to pause before we speak. An object lesson compar ing toothpaste squeezed out into bow ls to words was a power ful r eminder that once something comes out, i t is di f f icult, i f not impossible, to put back in!

In Februar y, we sw itch our attention to ?Co-operation.? Parents, please check out ThePar entCue.or g ever y month for ar ticles and tips about teaching the monthly vir tue in your home.

Orange is for kids age preschool through 5th grade and meets Sundays at 10:15AM.

This w inter our WOW programming w i l l center around our spr ing musical, ?Rock Solid.? Ever y week, we'l l feature one of the songs from the musical and base our bible lesson and craft or game around i t. The musical is going to be amazing...mark your calendars for Apr i l 10 at 4:00PM!

The kids enjoyed fol low ing in the footsteps of the prophet Samuel and creating their ver y ow n ?Ebenezers,? or ?helper stones,? which help us r emember God?s fai thfulness.

Kids WOW (Worship on Wednesday) is for kids in Kindergar ten through 5th grade. Learn more at NewHopeWor ship.com /WOW .

KIDS WOW

SPORTS CAMP: June 6-10VBS: July 25-29

mar k your

cal endar s

Januar y was a busy month at New Hope Pr eschool ! We star ted our new year off by enrol l ing over 200 students for the 2016-17 school year. Space is sti l l avai lable in our AM 3's, PM 3.5/4's, PM PreK, Enr ichment, and Kindergar ten. We are ver y exci ted to be offer ing a four day ful l-day Kindergar ten w ith an amazing student to teacher r atio. Please help us spread the word so that we can reach out to more famil ies!

In Februar y the chi ldren invi te their moms to "Valentines w ith Moms" where we plan special activi ties and have a great time together. Februar y is also Dental month and we w i l l have a visi t from a dental off ice to learn about dental health.

One of the most impor tant r esponsibi l i t ies we have is to keep the chi ldren in our care safe. Whi le we have a great secur i ty system, we need to always stay up to date on safety, so in Februar y we've scheduled an "intr uder tr aining" as a safety r efr esher for the preschool staff . We never take for granted the tr ust our fami l ies place in us to keep their chi ldren safe.

NEW HOPE PRESCHOOLLynn Ri l ey, Di r ectorpr eschool@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.2446 ? NewHopePr eschool.com

CHILDREN'S MINISTRYJosh Bar na, Di r ector of Chi l dr en 's Min i st r ybar na@NewHopeWor ship.com ? 614.766.5445 x13 ? NewHopeWor ship.com/Childr en

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt outr each is on March 20! We w i l l be making edible Easter crafts, playing games, jumping on a bouncy obstacle course, and of course hunting for eggs as we celebrate the r esur rection of our Savior ! Invi te your fr iends and register onl ine at NewHopeWor ship.com /Easter EggHunt to be a par t of this fun activi ty!

As we plan for the 600-700 people who w i l l attend this outr each, we are col lecting donations of candy and other i tems. I f you would l ike to contr ibute please visi t our VolunteerSpot l ink at vols.pt /6GhTMn to sign up, or you can drop off peanut-fr ee candy in Josh Barna?s off ice at any time.

Our 4th and 5th graders ser ved God and others by making ki ts to create 100 shoes for chi ldren in Afr ica to protect their feet from jiggers (sand f leas). Our mater ials were sent to SoleHope who w i l l distr ibute them to kids in need.

In Februar y, we w i l l cr eate Valentine care packages for our ver y ow n New Hope col lege kids! You can help out by visi ting our VolunteerSpot l ink at vols.pt /Xcucyd and signing up to donate i tems for these packages.

Club 45 is open to al l students in 4th or 5th grade. Em ai l Josh Bar na or cal l 614.766.5445 x13 for more information.

Monday, Febr uar y 17:00PM Prayer Meeting7:00PM Women's Bible Study

Seamless

Tuesday, Febr uar y 26:00PM Deacon and Elder Meetings7:30PM Consistor y Meeting

Wednesday, Febr uar y 312:30PM Women's Bible Study

Mocha on the Mount5:30PM Kids WOW5:30PM His Place7:00PM Adult Bible Study

Wandering the Wilderness7:00PM The Journey Discipleship Study

Thur sday, Febr uar y 49:30AM Women's Bible Study

Seamless7:00PM Choir Rehearsal7:30PM AA 12 step meeting

Sunday, Febr uar y 7Souper Bow l of Car ing Sunday9:00AM Contemporar y Worship9:00AM Chi ldren's Sunday School10:15AM Adult Sunday School

Toxic Charity, In Christ, Soul Keeping, When God's People Pray

10:15AM Middle School Sunday School10:15AM High School Sunday School10:15AM Orange for Kids11:15AM Traditional Worship11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club5:15PM Middle School Youth Group7:00PM High School Youth Group

Monday, Febr uar y 87:00PM Women's Bible Study

Seamless7:00PM Endow ment Fund Board Meeting

Wednesday, Febr uar y 1012:30PM Women's Bible Study

Mocha on the Mount5:30PM Kids WOW7:00PM Ash Wednesday Ser vice7:00PM The Journey Discipleship Study

Thur sday, Febr uar y 119:30AM Women's Bible Study

Seamless7:00PM Choir Rehearsal7:30PM AA 12 step meeting

Sunday, Febr uar y 149:00AM Contemporar y Worship9:00AM Chi ldren's Sunday School10:15AM Tow n Hall Meeting10:15AM Middle School Sunday School10:15AM High School Sunday School10:15AM Orange for Kids11:15AM Traditional Worship11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club5:15PM Middle School Youth Group7:00PM High School Youth Group

Monday, Febr uar y 157:00PM Women's Bible Study

Seamless

Tuesday, Febr uar y 1612:00PM Senior Sages Luncheon

Wednesday, Febr uar y 1712:30PM Women's Bible Study

The Easter Experience6:00PM Lenten Soup Supper7:00PM Lenten Bible Study7:00PM Men's Bible Study7:00PM The Journey Discipleship Study

Thur sday, Febr uar y 189:30AM Women's Bible Study

Seamless7:00PM Choir Rehearsal7:30PM AA 12 step meeting

Satur day, Febr uar y 209:00AM Women's Retreat

Sunday, Febr uar y 219:00AM Contemporar y Worship9:00AM Chi ldren's Sunday School10:15AM Adult Sunday School

Soul Keeping, Faith and Practice, 24 Hours, Home Grown10:15AM Middle School Sunday School10:15AM High School Sunday School10:15AM Orange for Kids11:15AM Traditional Worship11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club5:15PM Middle School Youth Group7:00PM High School Youth Group

Wednesday, Febr uar y 246:00PM Lenten Soup Supper7:00PM Lenten Bible Study7:00PM Men's Bible Study7:00PM The Journey Discipleship Study

Thur sday, Febr uar y 257:00PM Choir Rehearsal7:30PM AA 12 step meeting

Sunday, Febr uar y 289:00AM Contemporar y Worship9:00AM Chi ldren's Sunday School10:15AM Adult Sunday School

Soul Keeping, Faith and Practice, 24 Hours, Home Grown10:15AM Middle School Sunday School10:15AM High School Sunday School10:15AM Orange for Kids11:15AM Traditional Worship11:15AM Chr istian Car toon Club5:15PM Middle School Youth Group7:00PM High School Youth Group

FEBRUARY CHURCH CALENDARFor mor e details please see NewHopeWor ship.com/Calendar