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May 24, 2014Type to enter text

@newhopefulton

Praise and Worship Isabelle Gama

Message Pastor Jason Decena

!Community Life

Nathan Krause (First Service) Christian Moore (Second Service)

Closing Thought Pastor Jason Decena

Worship at New Hope Community at Worship 10:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. | Kingdom Kids Worship (Rm. 121) 10:30 a.m. | Middle School Worship (Rm. 206) 10:30 a.m.

Community Life 2 !!!Wanted: Garden Volunteers 3 !!Family Resources 4

connect. serve. grow.

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Today's MessageLast week we began to talk about prayer and the power of praying into the moments we find ourselves in. Today, we take a moment to learn from Jesus Himself about how to pray. Use the sermon notes inside to follow along during the message!

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Today: Fifth Sabbath Celebration and

Graduation !Don't miss this celebration of what your kids have learned this year from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room. You can also enjoy a smashing breakfast, meet new families and participate in crafts and activities.

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

may may june

24 Join New Hope Young Adults for potluck TODAY after second service (rooms 121 and 122) — then close the Sabbath with them at the Gathering Place in Glen Burnie, Md. We'll roast hot dogs and marshmallows, go swimming and relax. Pick up the address at the Ask-Me Desk.

28 Ignite your prayer life and deepen your relationship with God, 7:30 p.m. at the church. Our focus: What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey is the theme. 

14 Join the New Hope Church community on June 14th! Come to the Entrance to New Hope class, after second service. Lunch and childcare provided. Register at lookingforachurch.org/membership, text “membership” and your email address to 410 541 6394 or call Lynne at 301 854 1866

26 The church office will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

31 Family Worship Sabbath! Children will worship together with their parents during the 10:30 a.m. service. There will be no Kids Church.

14 Deadline for applications for the Adventist school tuition differential. Forms are available at the Ask-Me Desk and lookingforachurch.org. We’re happy to help support parents in choosing an Adventist education; the weekly offering that our kids collect also goes toward this.

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.!

The senior food drive for residents at Morningside Apartments in Jessup, Md., starts June 14. Grocery bags will be passed out May 31 and June 7. For more info, contact Angie Bernard at 301-254-0300.!

YOUNG ADULTS www.youngadultsconnect.com !

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

FAMILY MINISTRIES www.newhopelovesfamilies.com!

The children's Bible lesson for today is in Acts 17:16-31, “Paul Teaches in Athens.” Children will learn that God is the one true God who created heaven and earth. Find additional family resources on the back page.

Sharing Our Strength (S.O.S.) Family Mission Trip: What is your family doing this Thanksgiving? Consider a mission trip to Panama! S.O.S. is joining the Chesapeake Conference’s Panama Project, which is building schools and churches in that country’s Chiriquí Province. There are spots open for five families on this Nov. 23-30 trip. More details will be posted on our website soon. You can also request info by email: info@sharingourstrength.net.

FLAG (Fun Learning About God) Camp at New Hope runs June 23-Aug. 1. For children in grades K-8. For more details and to register, pick up a packet at the information table in the lobby or newhopelovesfamilies.com/flagcamp.

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Garden Volunteers

This Monday, amid all the sales and cookouts, let's not forget the reason for Memorial Day: It's a time when our nation pauses to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving our country — and acknowledge their sacrifice.!Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day goes back to the years

following the Civil War, when people would decorate the graves of those who died in that conflict. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. !In the spirit of the holiday, we'd also like to recognize all the current and former service members among us: Thank you for your service!

Not Just Another Holiday

Spring is now in full swing — and New Hope's gardening season along with it. Earlier this month, the Little Hawks Adventurer Club (the co-ed scouting group for young children) helped move new mulch into our Garden of Hope, a plot of land behind the portable building on the church grounds. Now in its third year, the garden provides the vegetables we give to Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, a walk-in shelter in Columbia, Md., and are incorporated into the monthly meals we prepare and serve monthly meals for homeless individuals.!In addition to getting their hands dirty, the children created signs for the various plants growing there. Last year's harvest includedtomatoes, onions, green beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, blueberries and flowers; the gardening team — Lindsay Kerr, Nathan Taylor and Carl Harris — planned to plant much of the same this season.

While Kerr, Taylor and Harris faithfully (and lovingly!) tend the plot, they could use some willing, reliable hands to help

with maintenance and other tasks on a regular basis. “We would like more of the church community to

be involved in the caring and growing of the garden this year,” Kerr said. Specifically, Kerr added that they hope for some volunteers to make a weekly commitment to the garden, coming to water, weed, harvest and take

produce to Grassroots.!The team welcomes any experience level, so don't

worry if yours isn't the greenest of thumbs; they can find a job for you — and perhaps help improve your

gardening skills along the way.!To volunteer as a garden keeper or to learn more about the Garden of Hope, email Lindsay at garden@sharingourstrength.net.

The team welcomes any

experience level.

Sarah’s House is a shelter in Anne Arundel County that provides emergency housing for families, predominantly women and children. Many are there because they are fleeing a violent domestic situation. You can see the stress and strain on the faces of these women and mothers as they struggle to leave behind their pasts and rebuild their lives.

New Hope ministers to Sarah’s House residents by making and serving dinner the first Saturdays of each month. During one of these times, I met a little boy named Osage. He was 4 years old, and he and his mother had been living at the shelter for two weeks. The weekend coordinator told me they had left an extremely violent home. Osage had large bruises on his arms, and his mother had two black eyes and a line of stitches across her cheek. For their safety, they were living at Sarah’s House anonymously.

Osage had an abundance of curly hair, chubby cheeks and big sad eyes that spoke of the trauma he had experienced. Yet he had a happy disposition and a smile that lit up the room. He bounded into the dining room and squealed with delight when he was told macaroni and cheese was on the menu. He was even excited about the broccoli. As other residents began to eat, Osage would run to them and remind them to thank God for the food because “it’s umm-umm, umm-umm good!” He spoke in a singing tone, one hand on his hip and the other waving in the air as if he were praising God. Everyone broke out into big smiles, and each person gave him a big hug. When he finished with everyone in the dining room, he sat down to eat his own meal. But before doing so, he clasped his hands, bowed his head and shouted out loud, “Thank you, Jee-zuz, for mac and cheese. Amen!” Throughout the

meal Osage would raise up both hands and shout, “Thank you, Jee-zuz!”

I stood in the kitchen watching Osage and realized I was not just seeing a cute little boy; I was seeing God in action. I saw God, through Osage, bring joy into a room that had an atmosphere of hopelessness. Every resident had his or her own sad and desperate story; each had experienced some kind of trauma, loss and pain; each was laboring under the burden of failure and bad choices. Yet God broke through their despair in the person of a little boy named Osage, reminding them that in the food before them and in the safe shelter of Sarah’s House, He was present and taking care of them.

God is continually present and in the moment of our daily lives. God can be seen in a kind gesture from a stranger; the sun that appears after a rainstorm; a song on the radio that lifts our mood; or a hug from a friend who has no idea of the discouragement behind our smile. God sometimes breaks into our moment through the most unlikely person — a 4-year-old homeless boy with bruises on his arms.

We often are so busy looking for the big God things that we miss these tender God interjections in our daily lives. God is big and small; gentle and fierce; a crack of thunder and a soft whisper. He is always present, near us and beside us. How many times have you seen God today?

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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 what it means that Jesus is alive!

SUNDAY Deut. 31:6; Isaiah 41:10

MONDAY Matthew 6:25-34

TUESDAY Psalm 139:7-10

WEDNESDAY Exodus 33:15; John 14:16-17

THURSDAY Jeremiah 23:23-24

FRIDAY Zephaniah 3:17; John 1:14

Ann Roda

Pastor for Families

annroda@lookingforachurch.org

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Weekly Challenge If you’re having a tough time seeing who God is in your own life, set aside time each day to talk to God about it. Ask God for the eyes to see Him. Let God surprise you!!

For the Family Have a discussion with your children about what it means to see God in everyday life. Click on the QR code for a resource with ideas, or pick it up at the Ask-Me Desk. Helping children see God in everyday life can help them develop a life-changing connection with God.

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

Tools to Help Kids See God in Everyday Life.

More info: give@mynewhopechurch.com