1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Pastor’s Article…………………1-2

Christian Education…………......3

Youth Group

Congregational Life

News from the Pews…….….4

December Festivities……….5

Deacons’ Ministry………………..6

Mission Ministry

Angel Tree & ODB…………....7

2019 Neighborhood House

& Souper Bowl of Caring…...8

Session Highlights………………9

Clerk and Treasurer

Stewardship Ministry………..…10

Vision Task Ministry……………11

Who’s Who at NCPC in 2020….11

Worship Ministry………………..12

Calendar……………………….....13

(includes church activities,

birthdays, anniversaries, and

outside group building use)

New Covenant Connection New Covenant Presbyterian Church

Web: www.newcov-church.org

Email: nccsec2017@gmail.com

Phone: (302)378-4446

January 2020 Volume 59

Dear friends,

As we begin the new calendar year

we enter the church season called

Epiphany. We listen once again to the

story of the wise men coming to honor

Jesus. In the gospel of Matthew we

hear: “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were

overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the

child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him

homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him

gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been

warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own

country by another road.” (Matthew 2: 10-12)

As a church family seeking to be faithful to God with what

God is calling us to BE and DO as New Covenant Presbyterian

Church, I believe the new year holds great promise for us as a

congregation. Of course, great rewards follow dedication, hard

work, and sacrifice. I hope you have been praying for the

guidance of the Holy Spirit as I have. Your leaders have begun

envisioning the future for us and dreaming of new ways of

“being church.” And I hope and pray that, as the Spirit guides

us, WE will have the courage and wisdom to say “YES” to

whatever the Spirit asks of us. The way ahead may not be

easy, but there is no need to hesitate or be afraid. Wherever

we go, God will go with us, and we will walk beside our sisters

and brothers in faith.

Continued on page 2

2

I strongly believe that God called me here for a reason, and the success I think we will enjoy will

come as a result of a strong partnership we form. I thank you for the opportunity to serve with you,

and I pledge to do my best to lead you, together with the officers you elect. I plan on working hard,

but also having some fun with you, as we get to know one another in order to strengthen our bond.

As long as we commit ourselves to work together in a spirit of cooperation and love, nothing will be

impossible.

Of course, the growth we hope will come to us, may come in many forms. First and foremost, we

must build a strong team, strengthen our foundation, and set our priorities. Growth normally

necessitates change, and change doesn’t come easily. And so I would suggest that we all enter into

this season by praying for wisdom and forbearance. I will be working with the Session and Vision

Task Force to set a path for this Body of Christ. Please join in when you can and remember that my

door will always be open to talk with you, and help you find the place where God might be calling you

to serve. Our goals will only be accomplished if they are “of God” and if we seek to serve our God

with all the energy, intelligence, imagination and love we have. There may be times when the

direction the Session chooses will not be our own individual preference, but we must persevere with

Christ as our Leader, trusting that we are being faithful to our calling. Let us place our trust and hope

in God and God’s will for us.

My primary goal is to encourage and enable people to be nurtured on their journey of faith – to

recognize and honor the Spirit at work in the world, and especially in their lives. This is what the

magi, or wise men, who traveled so far to find the baby Jesus did. Their search for the Christ Child

wasn’t easy. It took courage and perseverance. Our journey may be just as challenging, but in

different ways.

As you are thinking about your hopes and dreams for the new year, I ask you to keep the leaders

of this congregation in your prayers. Pray that the Holy Spirit would come upon us mightily, and that

we would know the presence of the Spirit leading us step-by-step in our planning, team building,

strategizing, learning, goal setting and working together. Pray that we would come to appreciate our

differences, each of us sharing our talents for the good of the community. And, most of all, pray that

peace, harmony and vitality would reign

supreme. May 2020 bring with it a renewed

commitment to invest ourselves in the health

and well-being of this church, for then, we will

truly be God’s faithful stewards. Happy New

Year!

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Carol

Continued from page 1

3

Christian Education Ministry

Children continue their

lessons following the Children’s

Message in worship. Their

theme currently is: Amazing

Grace.

Adults are meeting Sunday

mornings at 8:45 a.m. and also

on Tuesday‘s at 9:30 a.m. The

groups are getting close to

finishing up the book - Canoeing

the Mountains. If anyone has a

suggestion for

our next study,

we would love

to hear from

you. You can

speak with

Carol Fisher, Carol McBride or

Donna Casey.

******************** YOUTH GAME NIGHT

JANUARY 19TH

at the McBride Home

Come have some fun with

friends as we play board

games, ping pong and foosball,

also enjoying some great

snacks.

On December 21st at 9:00 p.m. the youth and some friends

took a Christmas Train Ride on the Wilmington & Western

Christmas Light Express. Fun was had by all.

4

We are happy to report that we have 2 new members: Fred Noll and Pat Wright. Welcome to you both!

We are also very thankful for those who have agreed to serve as officers during 2020. Check out the updated 2020 Who’s Who at NCPC.

Happy to report that Stacie Bemis got a good report from her cardiologist. She is keeping her condition under control with medication. The Bemis’ will be wintering in Florida at their new second home.

Col. Mark Hetterly was named "2019/2020 Teacher of the Year" at the Smyrna High School.

The Urban’s lost two of their extended family members in the same week. Please pray for them.

Don Bauer's family came for a weekend visit and decorated his home for Christmas.

Susan Pedersen spent a week in Maine visiting her friend Linda. They enjoyed touring the Christmas lights in the area.

Jane and Mike Adams traveled to Florida to visit family.

Carol and Jay Fisher will be travelling to visit their family in VA and NC after Christmas. They are thankful that their travel is not nearly as extended as when they lived in CO.

Scott and Dottie Burkley became grandparents again. Brienne Nancy-Jo joined the family in November. Congratulations to the entire family.

The staff of NCPC thanks you for the support and love

you share with us ALL year, but we want to say a special

THANK YOU for your generosity at Christmas!

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome

to

Fred & Pat

Fred Noll 302-339-1827 6013 Connery Place Middletown, DE 19709

Pat Wright

508-415-0999 pwright4016@yahoo.com

4110 Laughton Lane Middletown, DE 19709

5

Supper Club is Off

to a Good Start!

Two groups enjoyed sharing a

meal with good food and fellowship in

November. Nineteen people have signed up to

be part of a these gatherings, but more are

always welcome.

We plan on hosting 2 more in January. It’s

never too late to join in. Just let us know. The

more, the merrier!

Open House at the Fisher’s Sunday, December 8

Christmas Dinner

Our Christmas Dinner had

a bit of face-lift this year. We

had a potluck with lots of

delicious food. The food and fellowship were

great, as was the singing of Christmas carols

karaoke-style. Stay tuned for our next fellow-

ship. opportunity.

6

The Deacons partnered with Cadia

Healthcare-Broadmeadow and the Governor

Bacon Health Center for the Christmas season

to provide the residents with some Christmas

cheer. It is amazing what we can accomplish

with a little money and some time to shop with

the needs of residents in mind. Sharing love

can make a world of difference to these folks.

Thanks to all who contribute to the Deacons’

Special Offerings on 5th Sundays. We love

sharing our blessings with others!

Please call the church

office, Landa Lindgren,

or the pastor, if you

would like us to pray

for you, receive a visit

or phone call or need

some other form of

assistance from the deacons or the pastor.

The deacons are eager to be of service, but

they are occasionally unaware of who needs

their help, so please let your church family

know when you would appreciate some special

care. Updates are also appreciated!

Deacons’

Ministry

Jane Adams sister and mom - health concerns

The Cooke’s daughter, Connie, - completing chemo/radiation treatments; will be having surgery in 2020

Gail Gill - health issues

Janet Glaser’s friend, Regina - recovery from an accident

Earlene Kelter - health concerns

Pam Kidd’s mom, Ruth - adjusting to her move to Manor Care

Pam Kidd’s husband, Harry

Alice Megonigal - recovery, broken ankle

Melissa Padgett’s father - cancer treatments

Chris, Alan Pedersen’s friend - hospice

Schaefer’s - health struggles; Craig having tests to determine diagnosis

Karen Urban’s friend, Gary - cancer

7

MISSION MINISTRY

AT NCPC

Once again,

NCPC collected

mittens/gloves,

scarves and hats

to help people in

our community

stay warm, 2

scarves, 18 pairs

of gloves and 15

hats were collect-

ed. Many thanks

for this effort at

helping others stay warm this winter! These

items went to Neighborhood House for our

community.

vegetable soup, and chips. Additional volun-

teers are needed to greet the guests and serve

the meal.

ODB serves lunches every Monday,

Wednesday, and Friday, and dinners every

Tuesday and Thursday. Our own Pat Wright

and Pam Leeson are certified as Serve-Safe

Managers, and Paul Willbanks serves as

Treasurer on the ODB Board of Directors. Con-

tact Nancy Carol Willis for more information.

Our Daily Bread Dining Room is a non-profit

corporation formed in 2008. Their Mission is to

feed low income families, individuals, children,

the elderly, and all those in need in the Mid-

dletown, Odessa & Townsend communities,

with nutritious meals in a safe environment.

From 2012-2016 meals were served twice a

month in the Dale United Methodist Church. In

2015 the Town of Middletown began leasing

the former New Castle County Health Building

to ODB. Grant monies and private donations

were used to renovate the building and install a

commercial kitchen and dining room. The first

meal was served in the new building on Sep-

tember 12, 2016.

ODB CODE PURPLE A Code Purple alert in the MOT area is called

whenever temperatures fall below 20 degrees,

placing people without shelter in peril. ODB has

put in place several teams to provide an even-

ing meal and bag breakfast during Code Purple

alerts. One happened on 12/18 with 8 guests.

Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen 2020 Every First Friday of the month, NCPC volun-

teers serve lunch at Our Daily Bread on Broad

Street behind the old Academy building. We

have a dedicated core of volunteers, but would

welcome new faces. Volunteers are needed to

purchase and drop off groceries (you will re-

ceive reimbursement) and to prepare the meal

of chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad or

8

2019 NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE DONATIONS

In 2019, New Covenant Presbyterian Church donated

to Neighborhood House:

78 bags of non-perishable groceries

4 cases of canned vegetables

4 cases of ramen noodles

4 bags toiletries

2 frozen turkeys

2 hams

A HUGE THANK YOU to the NCPC family for supporting this local mission!

IT’S ALMOST SUPER BOWL,

NO, MEANT - SOUPER BOWL TIME?

During January and February, we’ll be

“celebrating” the Super Bowl for Neighborhood

House.

We will be collecting soups of ALL types and kinds and jars, cans, dried mix, etc.

Please leave soups in the

large tote bin in the rear of the

sanctuary under the coat rack.

Thanks a million,

Jane Adams

9

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

Monthly Contributions

(Pledges, Non-Pledge

and Open Plate)

11,517

All Other Income 509

Total Income 12,026

Missions 185

Buildings & Grounds 533

Finance/Operations 408

Personnel 9.530

Total Expenses 10,656

Net Income/Difference +1,370

November

Financial

Report

Cyndi Daniels

November showed a $1,370 gain for the month. This is the second month in a row to show a gain! Due to everyone’s generosity, the expense of relocating our pastor to DE, which was covered by our reserves, has now been repaid! Thanks to all for helping out.

Hope your holiday is going well. It is with mixed emotions that I write this. As of Jan. 1, 2020, I am retiring as your Clerk of Session. My emotions are mixed because I will miss being

on the inside of the NCPC’s future, but at 75, Pam and I will get to really enjoy travelling in our motor home. We will be gone at least 6 months next year. Brian Lindgren has agreed to serve as your Clerk of Session. I certainly thank him and wish him well. As for what is going on, your leaders have been actively planning a program for next year. We ALL need to be committed to support it, that we may grow spiritually and numerically. We hope to attract new members which may positively impact all of our programs. Please be active in your efforts at Outreach and invite friends, neighbors, and those who don’t have a church home to join us. With that, It has been a joy to serve God and the Church. I hope to increase the impact of the Bethel program in our area.

A Grateful Heart

is Generous!

January 19 Installation & Ordination of Officers

during worship

Annual Congregational Meeting

following worship

March 7 Progressive Dinner

10

STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY AT NCPC

We learn how to be good stewards of all

the blessings we have from God -

TIME

TALENT

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Our Stewardship Campaign to support our ministry in 2020 is in process. If you have not yet returned your pledge card, please try to do so as soon as possible, so we can plan our 2020 budget accordingly. Everyone should have also received a Time and Talent Survey. We are asking each individual to fill it out, not merely one per family. This way, we will be able to easily identify indi-viduals who can help with particular tasks. If you need addi-tional surveys, you can pick up them up from the table located in the back of the sanctuary. A demonstration of the software used to search the results of the survey will be given during worship in late January 2020. Budget-wise, for the 2020 Budget 32 pledging units (aka families) have pledged $107,084. That covers just over 69% of the $153,420 projected budget. Current estimation of addi-tional giving (unpledged income, loose plate giving and build-ing use income) brings the total anticipated income at approxi-mately $123,000. This leaves us with a shortage of approximately $30,000. As you know from your personal household budget, some expenses are fixed and cannot be adjusted, whereas other expenses are discretionary; our budget, however, is pretty tight with no fluff. When we called Carol as our Pastor, we knew that our budget would need to increase by just over 6%. This information was shared with the congregation several times during the first half of 2019. And, the narrative budget describes how we use the money in our budget. Options from which to get the additional $30,000:

1. Pray/Hope that various members will increase their pledges for 2020 and share this infor-mation with the Stewardship Committee, and/or commit to give one-time additional gift toward the 2020 budget.

2. Increase the number of families pledging and/or increase our membership (and indirectly pledges/weekly offering). Of course, this is an important goal, but it can’t help immediately.

3. Tap into our reserves and cover what does not come from #1 or #2 above. Option #1 is the best plan. It is the plan we feel most confident in so that we may plan our budget accordingly. Please prayerfully consider if you can increase your pledge by about 7%, or make an additional one-time gift with the memo of “2020 budget gift;” Either of these options would be very helpful and allow us to continue our ministry. Option #2 is an important goal of course, but it is really a long term goal, and not an immediate solution. Option #3 of dipping into our reserves is always a possibility for emergencies. but not really one on which we can rely for regular budget expenses.

As of the end of November our income is $6,000 below expected income and our expenses are $17,630 above expected expenses. As a church family, we all need to pull together to further God’s plan for us. Please pray about how God may be calling you to help, Then follow His direction for you. “Blessed to be a Blessing” (Genesis 12:2-3) If you have Questions, Comments or Concerns, please feel free to reach out to me: Ben Urban, Stewardship Elder, 908-500-9705 (m) or johnbenurban@gmail.com.

11

Vision

Task

Force

NCPC’s Vision Task Force continues to re-

flect on the duties and responsibilities of each

committee. We hope to come to Session with

some recommendations for more effective ways

we can work together. We are always open to

suggestions or input that you would like to

share. Task Force Members

Sandy Boyce Bill Shields

Cyndi Daniels Nancy Carol Willis

Brian Lindgren Carol Fisher

Joan Sabbato (ex officio)

We are committed to have a

heart for God and the world.

We plan on taking a serious

look at our community and its

needs and discerning how we

might help them.

Please pray for NCPC as we

envision God’s call for us.

2020 NCPC LEADERSHIP

SESSION

Class of 2020

Carol A. McBride Christian Education

Barbara Montazella Worship

Class of 2021

John Hetterly Congregational Life

Nancy Carol Willis Mission

Arts Ministry

Class of 2022

Donna Casey Christian Education

Joan Sabbato Personnel

Ben Urban Stewardship

Clerk/Asst. Clerk

Brian Lindgren Clerk

Chuck Boyce Evangelism & Assistant Clerk

DEACONS

Kathy Henry and Laura Pedersen Class of 2020

Don Bauer and Ken Hudson Class of 2021

Karen Urban and Janet Glaser Class of 2022 TRUSTEES

Alan Pedersen, Projects Class of 2020

Al Grimminger, Buildings & Grounds Class of 2021

Paul Willbanks, Finance Class of 2022

12

January 5 2nd Sunday after Christmas,

Communion

January 6 Epiphany

January 12 Baptism of the Lord Sunday

January 19 Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 26 Third Sunday after Epiphany

WORSHIP

MINISTRY

Epiphany - What’s It All About?

January 6th is called the Epiphany of the Lord on the Chris-

tian calendar, and it is a celebration that completes the Christ-

mas season. The word “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word

which means “manifestation” or “showing forth.” The day

gathers a number of traditional themes: The birth of Jesus as

God’s incarnation - the coming of the Magi - Christ’s baptism

in the Jordan - and Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding at Cana.

All of these “show forth” Jesus as being the Christ, God with

us, and the Light of the world.

The Eastern Orthodox branch of the Church follows the older Georgian calendar and celebrates

the Birth of Christ on January 6th. In the Appalachian Mountains, the day is called “Old Christmas”

and the celebration there often goes on into January with much feasting, dancing and fellowship.

Some churches choose to celebrate Epiphany with a Twelfth Night Dinner. These are old Eng-

lish customs celebrated on the last day of the Christmas season. They can be a time of feasting,

music, and fellowship to celebrate the completion of the Christmas season. May each of us find

ways to personally experience the manifestation of Jesus Christ in fresh new ways.

13

Red: Church Activities

Blue: Birthdays

Green: Anniversaries

Purple: Outside Groups

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1

Choir

7:00pm

2

Girl Scouts

6:00pm to

7:00pm

3 4

5

6

Bell Choir

7:00pm

7

Bible Study

9:30am

Girl Scouts

5:30pm to

9:00pm

8

Choir

7:00pm

9 10

Ivan Sawyer

11

Jacob Hollick

Girl Scouts

8:30am to

4:30pm

12

Trustee

Meeting

7:00pm

13

Bell Choir

7:00pm

14

Bible Study

9:30am

Girl Scouts

5:30pm to

9:00pm

15

Choir

7:00pm

16

Jacqueline

Easter

Girl Scouts

6:00pm to

7:00pm

17

18

19

Deacon

Meeting after

Worship

Airmont

Meeting 7:00pm

20

Bell Choir

7:00pm

21

Bible Study

9:30am

22

Choir

7:00pm

23

24 25

26

Session

Meeting after

Worship

27

Bell Choir

7:00pm

28

Bible Study

9:30am

29

Choir

7:00pm

30

Summit Pond

Meeting 7:00pm

31

RED….…...…..Church activities

PURPLE...…....Outside groups

ORANGE……..Birthdays

GREEN …...….Anniversaries