Coronavirus Update: New Hope’s Plan

We’re planning on reopening for in-person services on June 21st! Please look for more details regarding our specific plans and protocols soon.

NH Services, Events & Meetings

• All Sunday services and gatherings will be postponed until further notice. However, we will continue to livestream our 11 AM Sunday right here.

ALL other ministry meetings, events and classes will be cancelled until further notice.

 

Stay Connected

NH Kids

• Visit our Children’s Ministry page for at-home resources and tools! You can also access activity and coloring pages each week that relate to the weekend message on our livestream page or find them with our previous messages.

NH Middle Schoolers

• Pastor Kyle Denny is leading interactive bible studies for our NH youth during this time. NH middle schoolers are invited to join a weekly bible study on Thursdays, starting April 9th at 3 PM. Here’s the link to join the study on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/6688512598

NH High Schoolers

• Pastor Kyle will also be hosting two bible studies throughout the week for high schoolers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There will be two different options – one at 10 AM and one at 2 PM (Galatians). This is not meant to be a lecture but a chance to have some online community and engage in the bible study with friends. Here’s the link to join each week: https://zoom.us/j/6688512598

NH College & Young Adults

• The GreenHouse Community will be hosting a 30-minute bible study, which will take place every Monday – Thursday from 12 – 12:30 on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/7196569581). They’ll be reading a chapter a day in Philippians and then discussing it.

NH Ladies & Moms

• All the NH women are connecting over on Facebook! Join the NH Ladies and NH Moms Facebook groups to engage with other women and stay connected to God’s Word through free Bible studies.

NH Small Groups

• We’re encouraging small groups and bible studies to explore other ways to meet via phone or video calls to continue ministering to, encouraging, and praying for one another in the weeks ahead.

Caring for Each Other

• If you’re in need of support (i.e. getting groceries, picking up prescriptions, emotional support), please know we are here to help. Reach out to Gary Post at [email protected] or Tabby Romey at [email protected].

• Meanwhile, don’t forget to check in on your family, neighbors and friends.

 

Stay Informed

• We will continue to monitor the situation week by week and update this page with any new information or changes in the plan moving forward. To ensure that you receive information as quickly as possible, sign up for church-wide emails here or follow us on our Facebook page.

Updates From the Pastor

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 

Dear New Hope Family,                                                      

I hope this brief letter finds you well. Furthermore, I pray you continue to draw strength and encouragement knowing our sovereign God is in control of all things; He always accomplishes all His purposes!  We have great reason to be confident in His capacity and rest assured that not one single molecule can do anything except that which He allows. That reality is true in the face of uncertainty, especially when it seems like a virus is having its’ own way in our society.  We’re reminded of God’s limitless power to keep us in Romans 8:

38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8

What incredible confidence this promise instills! We can give thanks for God’s Word, His faithfulness, and so much more…

More specifically, we can be thankful how God is working through our church family to expand the Kingdom as we work together serving our neighbors and loving each other well. The family of believers at New Hope has been very generous with both prayer and financial support. And because of the consistent giving, we have continued to fully cover our general operating costs, support ongoing Mission efforts, and provide food and basic household essentials for those who are deeply in need. Through all this activity God is glorified!

We can also be grateful that God has provided the means for us to continue worshipping together and studying His Word via our ‘virtual church’ services. It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for seven weeks now! While in some ways it seems like the weeks have moved quickly, in many other ways it definitely has dragged on–mostly because we certainly miss being together as the body of Christ! Please know our entire staff and leadership team very much look forward to the re-gathering of our church family in the weeks ahead. On that point, we’re actively engaged in discussions regarding the best timing to restart weekend public church services and weekly on-site activities. We’ll definitely keep you posted as we stay attuned to the State of Michigan’s governmental guidelines and develop plans for reopening as soon as realistically possible. 

One detail to note for this week… we’re taking a break from our mid-week Q/A & devotional session tonight, April 29th, but we’ll pick it up again next week, Wednesday, May 6th @ 7 PM. Meanwhile, feel free to keep submitting your questions and use this time to catch up on any sessions/messages you may have missed.

Just in case you need the links to view the 11AM Sunday morning service:

  • You can view the ‘Livestream’ on our NH website: Livestream
  • Or watch on YouTube: YouTube
  • And also on Facebook: Facebook

Please be sure to log on a few minutes before 11AM to catch important announcements. And as always you can access and print message notes as well as kids’ coloring and activity pages.

This coming Sunday we will continue with our short series; ‘Reasoning’. You’ll want to invite your friends to join us as we ‘reason’ through the Resurrection–specifically why there had to be a resurrection. The Bible compels us to be ready to make a defense for why we have a hope. That is especially critical as we understand and defend the resurrection. 

…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; – 1 Peter 3:15        

And finally, please continue to let us know if you’re sick or in need of prayer. You can reach out to our prayer team here: I Need Prayer

As always, I look forward to worshipping Jesus with you, growing together, and making a difference for the Kingdom!

~Pastor Mark

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dear NH family,

I suspect you’ve taken in more information in recent days than you might in a typical month. Only two weeks ago life seemed ‘normal’, and we now find ourselves facing considerable uncertainty in the weeks ahead. It’s exactly because of times like this that God moved the writers of Scripture to record His eternal truths. Truths He wants us to hide deep in our hearts so we won’t be filled with anxiety and worry over the unknown.

Psalm 8 begins this way: ‘Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ King David writes that particular phrase from the perspective that everything is under the control of the Creator of the Universe and nothing escapes His attention. If that one specific truth fails, we have a far bigger issue than a virus which will soon be gone from our daily lives. But rest assured, God proved Himself trustworthy to David and He will continue to do the same for us.

In the meantime, it’s important for us to remain connected with each other. I’ve asked each of our Pastors & Directors to continue their normal lines of communication on a regular basis with the areas they oversee. In addition, you can look for our Pastors & Directors to share a written thought or short video communication via our various social media platforms. This communication is meant to encourage you & keep you focused on the one who controls all things. It’s in keeping with the very reason Jesus established His church, that we would love and serve each other well. At the same time, let’s continue to look for deliberate ways to demonstrate the love of Jesus by serving our community and immediate neighbors. Someone in need will see ‘Jesus’ in you.

Once again, this coming weekend I’ll be teaching ‘live’ at 11:00 AM. Virtual church continues! The building will remain closed to the general public with only the Tech Team and a few of the Pastors present, but we’ll be speaking directly to you… just as though you’re filling the seats! Together, we’ll take a close look at another ‘Parable’ found in Matthew 18. As always, Jesus has incredibly profound things He wants us to see.

Be sure to send the link for the livestream to your friends and extended family. It’s a great time to invite them to see what God’s Word has to say, especially during times like this. You may never have an easier opportunity to ask – people are open and ready to hear! Here are the links to view the livestream, YouTube, and Facebook.

Also, please don’t forget you can donate generously online to support the church and ongoing ministries by following this link: Give online

I’m so grateful for you!

The LORD bless you and keep you. The LORD make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

~ Pastor Mark

Friday, March 13, 2020

Dear New Hope Family,
                                                                                    
At times like these I’m very grateful our God is in control of all things! We have great reason to be confident and encouraged, even in the face of uncertainty, because He promises ‘All things work together for good…’
 
If you haven’t recently read Romans 8, I encourage you to take a moment and drink in the truth Paul wrote:
 
 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8
 
Even as a virus sweeps across our planet, we are assured there is ‘no thing’ that can separate us from the love of God. What incredible confidence that instills! And as the Coronavirus is having an impact right in our own state, we know that God has a perfect plan. Certainly, during these days there are many questions about the unknown, but God reminds us, He is still in control in the midst of these trials. 
 
Knowing all that is true, we do want to be responsible and thoughtful as we take the challenging issue of public exposure to Coronavirus seriously. As we work to love our neighbors well and protect those who may be susceptible to illness, we have made plans to take extra precautions and would ask you to support us in doing the same. As of this morning the Governor’s office has issued a ban on all public gatherings of greater than 250 people.
 
Virtual Church – within the last 48 hours our leadership team, which includes several physicians, has made the important decision to broadcast our 11:00 AM service using the various video technology platforms available to us. Fortunately, we are blessed with high quality equipment and an outstanding tech team who will help us with this task. This broadcast will take the place of our normal large weekend services and will minimize the potential exposure to the virus. 
 
Note: The building is closed to the public effective immediately and all scheduled events are cancelled until further notice.  This includes any events scheduled at our Student Center at 1340 Haslett Rd.  
 
You can view the service on our website, Youtube or Facebook. Please log on just before 11:00 AM on Sunday. Michael Glenn, our Worship Pastor, will provide a worship song, and I will follow with live teaching on John 6 – ‘How Do You Respond in Times of Trauma?’  Interestingly, God had already led me to this passage and content weeks ago, far prior to the issues of this week.
 
Please continue to let us know if you are sick or in need of prayer. You can reach out to our prayer team anytime.
 
As always, I look forward to worship Jesus with you, grow together, and make a difference!
 
~ Pastor Mark