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@newhopefulton

Worship at New Hope Community at Worship 10:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Kingdom Kids Worship (Resumes Aug. 23 | Middle School Worship (Rm. 206) 10:30 a.m.

Community Life 2 !!Church Info Session Highlights 3 !Panama Mission Trip 3 !Family Resources 4

connect. serve. grow.

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Today's MessageAre you tired of hearing stories of other people and their relationship with God? Do you ever wonder, "How can I experience that kind of relationship?" This summer, experience a new way to connect with God.  Use the sermon notes inside to follow along during the message.

Welcome Pastor Jason Decena

Worship Through Praise Pastor Jason Decena

Message Pastor Mike Speegle !Community Life Ed Garcia (First Service)

Christian Moore (Second Service)

Closing Thought Pastor Mike Speegle

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July 5: Social Gathering for Young Adults

It all happens at the Gathering Place in Glen Burnie, Md. We'll worship, roast marshmallows, swim and play games. Pick up the address at the Ask-Me Desk. Visit www.facebook.com/newhopeyoungadults, or email info@youngadultsconnect.com for more information.

community life !Welcome to New Hope! We're here to help you grow in your spiritual journey. This page highlights some exciting ways for you and your family to make meaningful connections and grow your relationship with God.  !If there is anything we can do to support you on your journey, let us know. !!Church Office Hours Mon-Thu 9a-5p, Fri 10a-2p !Phone/Text Message 410-541-6394 !Email info@lookingforachurch.org

june july july

28 The food drive continues for residents at Morningside Park Apartments in Jessup, Md. Grocery bags will be available today and through July 12. For more info, contact Angie Bernard at 301-854-0300.

2 Ignite your prayer life and deepen your relationship with God, 7:30 p.m. at the church. Our theme: Running the race with Christ.

5 Women's small group Chadash meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Prayer Room (Room 111). Join other women in a powerful, supportive prayer group. For more info, contact Debbie Howell, info@lookingforachurch.org.

28 Join New Hope Young Adults for miniature golfing at Rocky Gorge in Laurel. You don't want to miss it! Visit www.facebook.com/newhopeyoungadults, or send an email to info@youngadultsconnect.com for more details.

4 The church office will be closed in observance of Independence Day.

19 Power of a Praying Man meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Prayer Room (Room 111). Come join other men in a casual and supportive group. For more information about men’s small groups, contact at info@lookingforachurch.org. !!

CHURCH LIFE Welcome, guests! We’re glad to have you here today. You can find out more about New Hope in Seven Minutes or Less, a brief information session after today’s worship service by coming to the first two rows in the front left of the worship center. Our parents' room is on the second floor for you to hear and watch the service with your little one.

Watch the worship service rebroadcast Sundays (11 a.m.), Wednesdays and Fridays (7 p.m.) at lookingforachurch.org.!

New Hope’s Multimedia Ministry is growing, and we could use your help! Email visualarts@lookingforachurch.org for more info about serving in this rewarding ministry.!

Save the date for New Hope Church Camp, Oct. 17-19, Mt. Aetna Camp and Retreat Center near Hagerstown, Md. Nice cabins with facilities and hotel-style rooms available. Great activities for all ages. Registration starts in August.!

YOUNG ADULTS www.youngadultsconnect.com !

Connect, a Bible study group just for young adults, meets from 11 a.m. to noon in the portable building.

FAMILY MINISTRIES www.newhopelovesfamilies.com!

The children's Bible lesson for today in Jonah 3:10-4:11, “Jonah Complains About God's Compassion and Learns That God Loves Everyone,” even the ones who don't know Him. Fun family resources on the back page, or at the Ask-Me Desk.

Kids Church is on summer hiatus until Aug. 23. Special quiet bags are available with fun children's activities tied to what the kids learn in Sabbath School. Pick one up at the Ask-Me Desk.

It's not too late to join FLAG (Fun Learning About God) Camp, the full-day summer camp at New Hope running June 23-Aug. 1. Grades K-8. Pick up a packet at the table in the lobby for details.

During New Hope’s information session last Saturday, the church unanimously voted to approve the 2014 operating budget and leadership positions. !

The 2014 budget is $625,171, decreased from $665,716 in 2013. Senior Pastor Mike Speegle noted the reduction reflects some cost savings, including a new copier contract, and better matches the funds coming in.!“We’re committed to trying to make New Hope not about this building but about you,” Speegle said. This includes creating more “connect points” for people on Sabbaths and during the week, recognizing that many travel far to attend church.!Other meeting highlights:Kids Church, which is on hiatus for the summer, is in the midst of restructuring, as New Hope casts a new vision for this unique children’s worship service and for Children’s Ministries as a whole. Pastor Ann Roda, our pastor for families, said only 20 percent of children who attend Kids Church go to Sabbath School. Providing a small group component during the children’s worship service would allow these kids to get one-on-one Bible lessons and reinforce (not repeat) what their peers are learning in Sabbath School. Roda also wants to coordinate program content with the adult worship service so that kids feel part of the bigger church.!Roda also announced plans to create ministry teams to train kids in drama, puppetry and praise to get them more involved in church and develop the skills to become future ministry leaders.!Dave Wooster updated the church on our ministry in Haiti. New Hope has sent volunteers to and helped fund several projects at Eden Garden Orphanage, a U.S.-based nonprofit that funds an orphanage in Montrouis, Haiti — also called Eden Garden Orphanage. Wooster, who has served as the U.S. nonprofit’s executive director since 2011, described the “painful road” traveled over the past 18 months. The orphanage has been closed since its founder, Charles LeMorzellec, seized the property in March 2013, hiring men with guns to keep out staff and sending most of the 36 children living there to other orphanages or to their extended families in the area.!The nonprofit has spent more than a year trying to resolve the situation through the Haitian court system, Wooster said. The organization has decided to use its funding to continue supporting the 15 kids from the orphanage it has been able to track down (12 now live in neighboring ones; three others live with former director Jean Claude Monasse and his wife) through high school. Beyond that commitment, the nonprofit plans to dissolve by the end of the year, he added.!New Hope’s funds earmarked for ministry in Haiti have remained untouched during this time. The church’s outreach committee will determine how best to use that money, either exploring other opportunities in that country or contacting donors for permission to use the funds for ministries outside Haiti. For more on our efforts in Haiti and Eden Garden Orphanage, visit sharingourstrength.net/Haiti and edengardenhaiti.org.!For copies of our budget and leadership positions, call the church office at 301-854-1866, or email info@lookingforachurch.org. !

While Keith Blair is leading the high school kids on this

summer’s mission trip to Panama, New

Hope’s Sharing Our Strength International team

is planning another trip there for families this Thanksgiving. Both groups are traveling under the umbrella of the Chesapeake Conference, which is building several churches and schools in Western Panama over the next few years.!Because of its stable government, Panamá has a strong national police force and infrastructure, which make it much safer than most of the surrounding countries. But beyond the skyscrapers and wideavenues of the city, many people are still suffering. Among them are Ngöbe-Buglé Indians, nomadic Indians who live on a reservation that covers a huge area of the mountainous Chiriquí province, who have not been able to make the transition into a modern, business and agriculturally based economy. The poorest of the poor, they live in shacks, wear used clothing and usually eat only once daily.!The Thanksgiving trip, which takes place Nov. 23-30, is an opportunity for families to serve together and includes time built in for relaxation and some sightseeing. The trip project involves finishing the building of one of the churches, painting and constructing a baptistry. A Vacation Bible School program for local children also will be offered. The cost is $800 per person (plus airfare), which covers trip insurance, in-country transportation, lodging at a beach resort, meals at the worksite and a PanamaCanal tour.!About 20 spots remain open for the trip. Reservations will close July 15 to allow enough time to secure tickets and start planning the details. Don’t miss out on a Thanksgiving vacation you will never forget as you serve the people of Panama along with your church family! For more details and a trip application, visit  sharingourstrength.net/panama, or email info@sharingourstrength.net. !

!Panama

Mission Trip for Families

by Caryn Wooster

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A number of years ago, I was involved in a team-building exercise involving a scenario designed to help the team make decisions together. These activities efficiently teach the behaviors and skills of successful group problem solving and decision making, all in a safe and controlled environment.

The simulation scenario assigned to our group was called the Cascades Survival Situation. The description said, “On the way back from a weekend retreat, the helicopter carrying you and your group crashes in a small clearing high in the Cascades Mountains. Your task is to rank 12 items salvaged from the crash in the order of their importance to your team’s survival.” We finished our task in about 1.5 hours and were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for having such great team spirit.

But things changed when we were given the second part of the exercise. The scenario changed from making decisions regarding our survival as a team to making decisions about the lives and value of each team member. We had to determine which person on the team was worth saving and which person to sacrifice.

The discussion now became personal. We had to reflect on our private desires and worth yet try not to cast judgment on each other. We were initially polite and cautious, but as the exercise progressed, it became increasingly difficult and challenging to be honest with each other. On a personal level, I was conflicted, my thoughts judgmental and selfish, yet feeling compassion for others. By the end of the session, we were completely exhausted and unable to come to any decision. It was just too difficult to have to

make judgment calls about another person’s life, let alone our own.

Jonah was sent to Nineveh to warn the people of the destruction to come if they did not turn back to God. The Ninevites turned from their wicked ways, and Nineveh was not destroyed. Jonah was upset. He would have been glad to see Nineveh destroyed. He hadn’t really wanted the Ninevites to be saved. They were rebellious, difficult-to-love kind of people who openly pursued sinful pleasures. But God saved them anyway because He sees people through eyes of love and compassion.

I often wonder why Jonah was so upset that people were saved from God’s punishment. Was it because they should have gotten what they deserved but didn’t? Or because God gave them another chance? Was it because they did not have to suffer the consequences of their actions? Or because God gave them a free pass? Or because they just didn’t work hard enough for the grace they were given?

Perhaps it is best that judgment is left to God and not human beings. God’s judgment is always saturated in compassion.

“The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8-9).

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!The Back Page follows the Bible lessons that children and youth are studying and serves to help kids and adults continue the spiritual discussion at home and establish patterns of a devotional life.

Thought for the Week !God’s Daily Word Use the following passages to explore biblical insights into God’s compassion.

SUNDAY Psalm 103:13-14

MONDAY Isaiah 49:15-16

TUESDAY Psalm 40:1-2

WEDNESDAY Lamentations 3:22-23

THURSDAY Psalm 51:1-2

FRIDAY Isaiah 30:18; Jeremiah 42:12

Ann Roda

Pastor for Families

annroda@lookingforachurch.org

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Weekly Challenge When you begin to get frustrated or feel negatively toward someone, consider the hurt that may be behind that person’s actions. Maybe he or she acts that way because he or she feels unloved. Ask God to help you see that person through His eyes.!

For the Family 1. Designate the next week as Random Acts of Kindness Week for your family. Go to

www.randomactsofkindness.org for ideas on how to practice kindness and compassion and pass it on to others.

2. As a family, read the story of Jonah. Note all the ways God was compassionate toward Jonah and the people of Nineveh.

Find us: 12350 Hall Shop Road, Fulton, MD 20759 !Call us/ send a text message: 410-541-NEWH (6394) !

Email us: info@lookingforachurch.org !Visit us online: www.lookingforachurch.org More info: give@mynewhopechurch.com

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