New Hope Presbyterian Church (USA)

As a church, it is vital that we spend time in prayer.  Prayer is one of our anchors, and it is vital that we make time to do this.  To that end, on April 15 New Hope will begin hosting prayer services every Sunday evening at 6:00.  We’ll rotate services, having a taize-style service some weeks, while other weeks we will focus on services of healing and wholeness or a simple evening prayer service.  Many of these services will have periods of extended silence, as a time of silent prayer as well as listening for God’s voice.  May these prayer services be a gift.  Please come and join us!

New Hope Presbyterian Church is Certified as an Earth Care Congregation

  New Hope Presbyterian Church was certified as an Earth Care Congregation by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Environmental Ministries on January 22, 2012.  This honor speaks to the great commitment that New Hope Presbyterian Church has to caring for God’s earth.

To become an Earth Care Congregation, New Hope Presbyterian Church affirmed the Earth Care Pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into all facets of its church life and completed projects and activities in the fields of worship, education, facilities, and outreach.

The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that make the commitment to take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden.

“It is exciting that New Hope Presbyterian Church is dedicated to intentional care of, and action for, God’s earth.  The congregation’s activities and commitment are an inspiration to people of faith nation-wide who are answering God’s call to care for the earth,” says Rebecca Barnes-Davies, Associate for Environmental Ministries for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The Earth Care Congregations program was started in 2010 by PC(USA) Environmental Ministries.  The goal of the program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all of their church life.  The Earth Care Congregation certification honors churches that make that commitment and encourages others to follow their example.

For more information about New Hope Presbyterian Church’s earth care program contact Rosanne B. Sanislo at NewHope@epbf.com or 423-842-4422.

For more information on the Earth Care Congregations program go to www.pcusa.org/earth-care-congregations.

Current New Hope’s 2012 Earth Care Projects

• Created a Book Share area to recycle several kinds of reading material
• Installed a rain barrel and drip hose
• Create a rain garden to catch stormwater runoff from our parking lot
• Purchase a commercial dishwasher and reuseable dinnerware
• Support for our raised bed Community Garden
• Earth Day and Blessing of the Animals special worship services
• Support Vacation Bible School with Living Waters for the World theme
• Build a larger compost pile
• Host a summer Farmer’s Market
• Upgrade our meditation labyrinth pathways

February 2012 NEWSLETTER

Wednesday Night Suppers are back. Starting Wednesday, September 28 we’ll be back to our weekly routine–supper is at 6:00 ($4/person, $15/family maximum), study is at 6:45. Come and join us for this wonderful evening!