This Sunday: 

"Hope in the Waiting"

Isaiah 9:2,6

In-person and Live Stream to Facebook and YouTube at 10:30 AM

We as a church staff want to wish everyone of you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his faithfulness endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1) At family chapel this week, our theme was thanksgiving. During chapel I was thinking of how I have learned to be thankful for the hard times, crazy as that seems. And the last few years have been very hard times for us as a church. During these difficult times, there is fear and loss and uncertainty, and we individually and corporately have all experienced this to some degree. But the reason I give thanks is not for difficulties that we face, but for the assurance that I have that we have never been alone. God has walked with us every step of the way, even when we may not have felt his presence. And God will walk with us into the future. We will always have hard times. And more importantly, we will always have Jesus with us by our side. Let’s give thanks for that promise this year!

We are spending a delightful week with all our grandchildren, and we are so grateful for every little laugh, every smile and even every little tear. It is such a joy to share in the lives of our children and grandchildren! I hope that you have friends and family to be with on this Thanksgiving. And we offer our prayers for those who will be alone. Sadly, there are many who are without family and for some Thanksgiving tables, there will be an empty chair this year.  My thanksgiving prayer is that all who experience this emptiness will experience even more profoundly, the presence of Christ Jesus.

This Sunday, join us for all kinds of fun and festivities! We will celebrate 4^th Sunday and “Deck the Hall,” and hear form our “Itty Bitty Choir!” The scripture will be taken from Isaiah 9:2,6 and our theme for the day is “Hope in the Waiting.” After worship we will have pizza and salad, we will decorate the church. There will be a tutorial on how to make an Advent Wreath so that any family or any person who would like to make an advent wreath will be able to do so. All the materials for the Advent wreaths will be provided. Bring your family and join us as we kick off our celebration of Advent and Christmas at New Covenant!

Blessings!

Pastor Steve

• Prayers for healing for Jennifer Coughenour's mom, Lavita Costley, as she is currently hospitalized.
• Prayers for comfort and healing for Sharon Dalbke, niece of Ron and Phyllis Ostrand, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
• Prayers for continued health and improvement for Jan.
• Prayers for a speedy recovery for a friend of Lynne and Paul Harper, Allen Roth as he recovers from a recent surgery.
• Prayers for comfort for Laurie Gerlach's friend, Linda, following the death of her husband Carl from pancreatic cancer.
• Prayers for comfort and peace for Marilyn, Annie Duarte's great aunt, as she is in hospice care.
• Prayers for continued improvement for Carol McNulty, Aurien Preiss' mom, following a fall and fractured pelvis.
• Kent, a friend of Jeff Clarke and Debbie Campouris, is in need of continued prayers as he navigates his diagnosis.
• Dana Engstrom, the preschool director, is battling long COVID. Prayers for complete healing for her.
• Prayers for Bonnie Straley’s brother, Larry, who has Parkinsons; Len with diabetes, blood clots and depression; and Daphne and Cassidy who need God’s guidance.