New Horizons Christian Church

Preaching in an empty sanctuary, Elders meeting via phone and computer, Attending worship while watching YouTube at home, Mailing your offering check to the church

These are just a few examples of the “New Normal” at New Horizons Christian Church in the final full week of March 2020. It wasn’t what we had expected  to be doing, but I have appreciated how we have adjusted and been open to trying some new things. I am grateful for all the technology and software at our disposal from I Phone cameras, to laptops, from Zoom to YouTube and Facebook, from texting to email, and even “old fashioned” telephone calls and snail mail.

Though many of our usual ministries are being done in different ways and “in person” contact with one another is very limited, New Horizons Christian Church is still very much at work – not just waiting for the current situation to pass but actively reaching out to our members and our neighbors. And I have no doubt that we will be continuing to adjust what we are doing in the days and weeks to come.

Our Elders discussed the fact that returning to business as usual for our church looks to be some time away, and certainly not in the next few weeks.

Here are a few of the business as unusual things I want to highlight:

1. Adam Seger continues to record and edit our mini-worship services and makes them available on our YouTube channel at 9am on Sundays. If you are unfamiliar with YouTube, Adam has put a link to it on our church’s website newhorizonschristian.org. I am trying to add a bit more to the service every week.  Our March 15 service has had over 175 views.
2. The sermon for March 29 is “Do You Believe that God Can Do a Lot with a Little?” and our text is John 6:1-13.
3. A big thank you to all those who have mailed in their offerings or dropped them off at the church office. Our offering last week was impressive considering the circumstances. We are looking into some online giving options to make it easier for people to support the church.
4. Though our office hours are limited during the week, Brenda Adkins will be at the church every Thursday from 1-3 if you want to drop off your offering in person.
5. One positive is that our church has always managed its finances wisely and we have no outstanding debts. But your gifts are still very much needed since your church is still at work.
6. Our Elders are actively looking after their flocks and want to help anyway that they can.
7. Our prayer team will continue to pray for your joys and concerns.. If you have something that you want to be added to the list, please send that information to me at jwbane@hotmail.com or call me at 330.671.6026.
8. Let’s continue to stay connected in whatever means possible. I like the email that Cal Wolfe is sending around the Lord’s Workers class. The Sisters in Christ have received digital greeting cards. Others have posted things at our NHCC folks group on Facebook. Let’s keep it up. We all need it.

In closing let me share these words of Paul  that reflect me own sentiments: “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:8

Pastor Jim

Worship Reminder: There will be no in-person worship this Sunday March 22, and all Sunday events have been cancelled.

A mini-worship service from New Horizons will be available for viewing on our YouTube channel on Sunday morning by 10AM.

You can access this worship service from our website http://www.newhorizonschristian.org by clicking on the YouTube link or by going directly to YouTube. We will also put a link to it on our Facebook page.

Office Hours; Generally speaking either Rose or Jim will be checking in at our church office every day, but if you want to catch one of them in person please call or email them to make sure they are in.

Finances: Thanks to all those who have either mailed in their checks or stopped by to drop them off at the church  office.

All weekly activities at the church have been cancelled until further notice.

Look for an update on Sunday worship in next week’s blog.

 

New Horizons Christian Church Update on Monday March 16, 2020 from Pastor Jim
A clergy colleague said during a conference call on March 15 that he couldn’t remember how many decisions he had made in the past week that he had to undo a few hours later because of changing circumstances. I would share his observation.
I don’t have any idea if the week to come will be as eventful as last week when so many institutions were shut down from colleges and universities to public schools to bars and restaurants and even libraries and fitness centers.
If churches could livestream their services on You Tube or Facebook they did so – sometimes in an empty sanctuary and sometimes with people spread out in the pews. As for New Horizons, thanks to Adam Seger who recorded my sermon on Saturday morning and then made sure that it was available the next morning. And Dorine Linnen linked it to our Facebook page. We have had at least 90 views as of this morning including some from out of state. We all missed something by not worshipping together, but I am glad that we could share some community together.
I will not predict what we will be doing when April arrives, but I do know that the CDC is recommending against all groups of at least 50 or more meeting for the next eight weeks. As for now and at least through the end of March, we will not worship in person but we will continue to have a new sermon available on Sunday morning. This week’s text is John 5:1-9. I think I am changing my sermon title to “Getting Off the Mat.”
In terms of groups that would have met this week –
The Tuesday small group has been cancelled.
Our Prayer Team will not meet at the church but will be sent prayer lists to pray at home.
Our Search Team will not meet, and their meeting has been postponed until March 31. They will receive material to look at via email.
The Wednesday night small group on Miracles will not meet.
No Quilters on Thursday.
Most of are outside groups have already cancelled their meetings and we are contacting the rest of the to have them cancel as well.
Food Pantry We are in discussion about how best to serve our neighbors during this time. We anticipate an increased need.
Elders I anticipate gathering the Elders together next week to make an updated assessment of how we can continue to be the church in these challenging circumstances.
Finances Here is a note from Glenn Warner, Chair of the Trustees:
Our lives have been disrupted and changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are seeing things that we haven’t seen in decades or for some of us never before. Unprecedented times are challenging for all of us and this includes our church.
Our bills at home will continue and so will the bills for our church. We are asking each of us to continue with our giving throughout the time that we will not be meeting at our church. Please continue to give by either mailing in your gifts to the church, or you may stop by the church on Thursday between 1:00 and 3:00 P. M. Brenda will be there during these hours. We will get back to a normal life eventually, however, we can keep our church going through these measures in the meantime. Trust in our Lord and in each other and keep our faith and church strong.

God Bless,

Glenn Warner, Trustee

Today’s Sermon from Pastor Jim is now available on Facebook.

Go to Facebook directly or go to newhorizonschristian.org and click on the YouTube link.

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Look for updates in the next couple of days.

Sunday Services and Sunday Classes Cancelled at New Horizons Christian Church                              through the End of March 2020

In the interest of keeping our members as healthy as possible, the leadership of New Horizons Christian Church has decided to cancel all Sunday morning worship services, activities, and Sunday classes through the end of March 2020.  This step is in response to the spread of the coronavirus and is consistent with suggestions made on March 12 by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. This decision was not made lightly or quickly, but in consultation with a number of sources including other churches, pastors, and religious bodies.

At this time, this decision only affects our Sunday morning schedule. Check with the church office to see if your weekly group will still be meeting. The men’s group scheduled to meet on Saturday March 14 at 8:30AM will still meet.

Jim’s sermons will be posted on YouTube as they have been for the past few weeks. There is more than one New Horizons Christian Church, but it isn’t that hard to find.

We are in discussion about how we can continue to provide food to the Betty Jane CLC families that we support on a weekly basis, but we don’t yet know how that will work.

These are challenging times to be sure, but New Horizons has faced and overcome many challenges since its founding during the 1930’s. We will overcome this as well.

A scripture that has helped me many times when facing adversity is Romans 8:35-39: ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[a]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The coronavirus will not separate us from the love of God.

 

Pastor Jim