E-News for April 10, 2019
Holy Week at New World UMC
Holy Week and New World UMC
This Sunday (Palm Sunday) marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian Church. Sisters and brothers all over the world observe this week as the most holy time of the year. At New World, we are an “Easter” people, believing that the culmination of God’s love was sent, lived, died in the person of Jesus, the Christ. It is easy as contemporary Christians in 2019 to focus only on the post Easter Jesus. We know the story, we celebrate and live in Jesus’ resurrection.

I believe as Easter people, we must allow ourselves to focus on the last week of Jesus’ life in its entirety. For Maundy Thursday, we look at Jesus’ mandate (from the Latin word, mandatum or commandment) as recorded in John's gospel, on his last night before his betrayal and arrest. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then gave them a new commandment to love one another as he had loved them (John 13:34). This is why services on this night generally include the washing of feet or hands as an integral part of the celebration. While John's gospel does not record the institution of the Lord's Supper among the events of this night, the other gospels do. Christians therefore keep this night with celebrations both at the basin (foot/hand washing) and at the Lord's Table (Holy Communion).

On Good Friday, we observe a service called Tenebrae (Latin for “darkness”) . The Tenebrae is an ancient Christian Good Friday service that makes use of gradually diminishing light through the extinguishing of candles to symbolize the events of that week from the triumphant Palm Sunday entry through Jesus' burial. This increasing darkness symbolizes the approaching darkness of Jesus' death and of hopelessness in the world without God. The service concludes in darkness, sometimes with a final candle, the Christ candle, carried out of the sanctuary, symbolizing the death of Jesus. A loud noise may also sound symbolizing the closing of Jesus' tomb. The worshipers then leave in silence to ponder the impact of Christ's death and await the coming Resurrection.

At New World we will celebrate Maundy Thursday service with a Hand/Foot washing service and Holy Communion at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall. It may seem awkward or uncomfortable to have your feet washed, so we offer hand washing as well.

On Good Friday, we will celebrate with a Tenebrae service in the Sanctuary at 7:00. We will hear the traditional scriptures that mark the final hours of Jesus’ life on earth. Between the readings we will reflect with music by the Chancel Choir, soloists, and instrumentalists. In addition to this service, the children will gather in the children’s wing for a Good Friday activity. 

I encourage you to make the Holy Week services part of your Easter Celebration. Remembering Jesus’ mandate to love and remembering the suffering and death makes the resurrection become even more real for us as Christians. 
Manna Bags
Manna Bags (gallon size bags of easy-to-open food, clean socks and encouragement) are a simple way to bless people in need during the week. The Monday night Ladies Bible Study assembled 150 manna bags this month. Please pick up a couple of manna bags in the Fellowship Hall and put them in your car, ready to brighten someone’s day!

Be blessed to be a blessing!

Rev. Erin
Lent Photo Challenge
The Lent Photo Challenge runs from Wednesday, March 6, through Sunday, April 21. Remember to mention @nwumc and to use #nwumclent along with your pictures so we'll know you're participating. There is still room on the wall for your pictures!
SAVE THE DATE!
Please join us as we celebrate the retirement of Becky Hankins
for faithfully serving New World UMC for more than 30 years. Stay tuned for more details.
April 14 Palm Sunday Schedule for Children
ALL Children Are Invited to Participate!
Please remember in dressing your children that we will be outdoors at Gibbins Park for the Easter Egg Hunt and Hot Dog Lunch following worship
 
BRING YOUR
EASTER BASKETS!
 

  • Children need to arrive at church in the Children's Wing by 9:15 am. The Preschool Children will gather in Room 11 - first door on your left as you enter the Children’s Wing. The Elementary children will gather in rooms 8,9,10.
 
(The Connection Team will be serving breakfast in
the Fellowship Hall. If your children would like to
have breakfast,please bring them at 8:45 am) 
 
  • Preschool and Elementary children will lead the Palm Sunday Processional in the 9:30 am and 11:00 am worship Services this Sunday. 
 
  • The Preschool, Joyful Noise, and Good News Choirs will also sing on Sunday in the 9:30 am worship service. The Good News Choir will share a Drama in the 9:30 am worship service.
 
  • Following the Processional in the 9:30 am service, the children will join their parents for the remainder of the worship service. 

  • We have a nursery available for babies - 4 year olds during the 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 worship services.
 
  • After the 9:30 service the children will go to the Children’s wing to gather to prepare to do the Palm Processional for the 11:00 Worship Service. 

  • Following the Processional at 11:00 the children will go to the children’s wing for a snack and to watch a video about Holy Week. 

  • At noon the children (with adult supervision) will walk to Gibbins Park for the Easter Egg Hunt and Hot Dog Lunch. 
 
Moms and Dads are invited to join the Community Sunday school class in the Fellowship Hall. The class will take the items needed for the Easter Egg Hunt and Lunch to the park and set it up.
 
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to sit on and plan to have a great time at the park. 

*We are still in need of filled Easter Eggs. We are a little short of our goal and want to make sure everyone we've invited leaves with a basket full of eggs!  
Arlington Urban Ministry Lent Project
We have had a wonderful response for our Lent project for Arlington Urban Ministries. On Palm Sunday if you would like to make an extra monetary donation to Arlington Urban Ministries you can indicate that on your check or on an offering envelope. 
 
We will take the items to AUM on Wednesday, April 17 at 4:00 pm. All of our children are invited to come help with the delivery. This will be a lot of fun for the children to see where the items go and meet some of the people at work for AUM.
We will gather at Gibbins Park at noon for a 
Church Family Picnic of Hot Dogs and Fixins.  

We will need lots of filled Easter Eggs for the children to hunt.  
 The Hot Dog Lunch will be provided by the church. 
Bring your lawn chairs & blankets to sit on  
and plan to have a great time with friends and family!
Invite your friends, co-workers, and
family to join us!   
Important Youth Dates

April 14
Easter Egg Hunt ~ 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Meet at the church at 11:00 so we can walk over and help
hide the eggs!
No Hands & Feet or Shine

April 21
Happy Easter!
No Hands & Feet or Shine
Calling All Graduates
Are you graduating from high school, college, or from getting your bachelors, masters, GED, etc? The New World Stitchers quilt ministry is making quilts to honor those who are graduating, and these will be given out on Senior Sunday May 19 th . If you are graduating and would like to be honored, please email Sarah Bush at sarah@nwumc.org  by April 21.
Verse of the Week
“  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord ” 
Romans 8:37-39
SURPRISED AND THEN AMAZED

When I turned the page of my calendar to April, I was surprised to see that my article for the church newsletter was due in a couple of days. It was a very busy week and I didn’t know if I’d have time to write, even if I had some inspiration. My mind was blank; think and pray, don’t worry, God will provide, I told myself. Then I opened the newspaper and an article about fossils and dinosaurs caught my eye. My grandson, who is now an adult, was a dinosaur "expert” when he was 5 years old, and I thought he'd like to read the story. Before I took my scissors to the paper, I checked to see if I would be destroying anything important. Low on the page was the word "AMAZING!”, which was the caption for the following bit of history.

"The Greyhound had been trashing about in the north Atlantic storm for over a week. Its canvas sails were ripped and the wood on one side of the ship had been torn away and splintered. 
         
"The sailors had little hope of survival, but they manually worked the pumps, trying to keep the vessel afloat. On the eleventh day of the storm, sailor John Newton was too exhausted to pump, so he was tied to the helm and tried to hold the ship to its course. From one o’clock until midnight he was at the helm.
         
"With the storm raging fiercely, Newton had time to think. His life seemed ruined and wrecked. The battered ship he was trying to steer through the storm seemed gone. Since the age of eleven, he had lived a life at sea. Sailors were not noted for the refinement of their manners, and Newton had a reputation for profanity, coarseness and debauchery which even shocked many a sailor.
         
"John Newton survived that day at the helm. That day, March 21, 1748, was a turning point in his life. It was a day that he would never forget, for he believed that ‘on that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.’ On that day he began to turn to the Christ that he had ignored since childhood when his mother had tried to teach him the Scriptures.
         
“Newton went on to write the words of the following beloved hymn:
“Amazing grace! 
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found.
Was blind but now I see.”
         
"Newton lived to be eighty-two years old. Even then, he never ceased to be amazed by God’s grace. He told his friends, “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.”

Adapted from Stan Mitchell in House to House

Thankful for God’s guidance,       
Audrey Koepp

New World Intercessory Prayer Ministry
If you have a prayer article that you would like to
share, please send it to  communications@nwumc.org.
Lord, Hear Our Prayers...

Recuperating At Home
Catherine Covington, Terry Dunklin, Jim Freeman,
Richard Noren, Evelyn Tatom, Nancy Tyson's husband, Paul,
Linda Connor's daughter, Susan Prochaska

Those Facing Cancer and its Treatment
Lynda Arnold’s sister, Jonda
Amanda Heathcott
Todd Milam 

Hospice Care
Ruth Savage: Meadowbrook Memory Care, Arlington

Chronic Condition
Leigh Jamieson   
Tradel Harris, Darlus Schoonover’s granddaughter
Our Gifts and Our Presence
Text To Give:
817-789-4129
Worship Attendance:
Sunday, April 7 - 239
Adult Sunday School - 69
Pastors & Staff
Mike Alexander
Senior Pastor

Erin Sloan Jackson
Associate Pastor of Missions

Gena Anderson
Associate Pastor of Discipleship

Steven Couch
Director of Worship & Music
 
Jin Ah Kwon
Organist/Music Assistant

Kathy Alexander
Director of Children’s Ministries

Sarah Bush
Director of Student Ministries

Heather James
Business Administrator
Becky Hankins
Executive Administrator

Gail Hall
Communications
 
Francisco Adon
Facilities

Amber Walter
Preschool Director
 
Newsletter Submissions: communications@nwumc.org