New Hope and the UFO Parade!

Last year we participated in McMinnville's Alien Daze UFO Parade, entering a "float" that featured our New Hope Band and some wacky costumes (You can see pictures of last year's entry on our website's Photos page). We had a blast!

Well, get out the aluminum foil--the 2008 parade is coming up in a couple weeks, and we're planning to jump in again! This light-hearted festival is one of the city's biggest events and has even received national recognition.

Participating in the parade certainly advertises our church to the thousands who line the street, but more than that, it demonstrates that (1) we love being a part of this community and (2) our church isn't a stuffy, boring, reclusive place. Plus, it's really fun!

The event is Saturday, May 17th, so it's a little more than two weeks away. I'm looking for folks who want to help decorate and/or participate in the parade. If you're interested in either, please email me at brian.janssen@newhopeconnection.com, or if you'd like to get in on some brainstorming this weekend, let me know right away!

The Potter's Hand

One of the songs we sing at New Hope is a powerful song by Darlene Zschech called The Potter's Hand. I've included the lyrics below, and if you'd like to hear the song you can see a YouTube video of Darlene leading the song at her gigantic church in Australia.

Beautiful Lord, Wonderful Savior,
I know for sure, all of my days are held in your hands,
crafted into your perfect plan.
You gently call me into your presence
guiding me by Your Holy Spirit.
Teach me, dear Lord, to live all of my life through Your eyes.
I'm captured by Your holy calling;
Set me apart, I know you're drawing me to yourself.
Lead me Lord, I pray.

Take me, mold me, use me, fill me;
I give my life to the Potter's hand.
Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me;
I give my life to the Potter's hand.

The imagery of God as a Potter is of course a biblical one, especially in Isaiah and Jeremiah. And today I read a good devotional article by David Jeremiah about God forming and re-forming us as a Potter. I wanted to share it, and I hope it's an encouragement to you! Just click on the link below:

The Potter's Hands

Welcome!

I've recently discovered that (a) my little digital camera takes videos and (b) my computer came with a simple movie editing program. So, I thought I'd experiment a little today, and here's what I came up with! (I smell Oscar!)

New Hope Talent

We had a really fun time on Friday at our New Hope Talent Search Night! Hosted by Gerry Clark and the Young at Heart group, there were about 18 different acts with lots of variety--music & comedy, young & old. And there were over a hundred there to cheer everyone on. It was great!

It took me a while to post about this because my camera and my computer and I haven't exactly been on speaking terms this weekend. But we all got our act together, so below are a few shots, and I have lots more uploaded on our website's Photo Gallery page!

How Manly Was Jesus?

As a worship leader I've been pretty interested in the last few years to read several articles about how church has been "feminized," making it irrelevant to the average man.

Some very popular books have been written taking this point of view, and I do think there is some real merit to their message. For example, in my own worship planning, while I believe we are called to an intimate relationship with our Savior, I'm a little wary of worship songs that give too much of what I like to call a "Jesus-is-my-boyfriend" vibe. (If you're unfamiliar with this writing style, here's a popular example). Statistically, there are more women in church each week than men, and I think it's valid as church leaders to ask why.

Still, the recent masculinity surge has seemed somehow incomplete to me, and today I read a wonderfully balanced article from Christianity Today called "A Jesus for Real Men" by Brandon O'Brien. If you'd like to read about this fascinating topic, I recommend this article to you.

Talent Search!

Don't miss the Talent Show tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.! There are some fun acts planned for the evening, involving everything from basketballs to ukuleles--yes, there's something for everyone!

On the side, there will also be a dessert auction to help raise money for our youth to go serve at Children's Camp this summer, so if that's something you're interested in, bring your sweet tooth.

It'll be a great night--don't miss it!

Another Super Sunday!

What an encouraging day it was yesterday!

Our worship service was a real joy as we sang together, heard testimonies and entered the final chapter of our 16-month study of 1 Corinthians. It was packed, too! I counted 215 people yesterday (our 2nd biggest service ever), which was even more than we had on Easter Sunday!

We also had over a hundred at the potluck that followed, and a really nice turn-out at the baptism service that followed. I was a little worried that the unusually nice weather would keep people away, but we filled up Adventure Christian Church’s sanctuary for a neat service. What a real blessing to hear the testimonies and see the baptisms of the five believers who proclaimed their identification with Jesus and His death and resurrection! I’m glad we had that time to share, and I look forward to doing it again!

If you missed the Sunday morning service (or want to relive it), I have Dewey’s message uploaded to our website, and I also put a recording of the new song we’re learning, Spirit Descend Upon My Heart if you’d like to hear that. Just go to the Sermons, Etc. page on our website.

I should have some pictures up in the next day or two, so stay tuned!

Doctor B.

New Hope Shepherd Richard Bryson has been working on his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree for the last several years. He completed his coursework by extension through Seattle’s Bakke Graduate University. The last step in the program is writing a dissertation, and he recently finished his 156-page paper entitled The Church's Response to the Immigration Crisis. And this weekend Rich’s dissertation passed its final review with flying colors, earning the highest mark of "Passed with High Distinction"!

So, all that’s left is a May 31st graduation ceremony up in Seattle and we can officially refer to him as Doctor Richard Bryson!

I know he’s worked very hard on this for a long time, and I’m not at all surprised that he finished with high marks and high praise. Congratulations, Rich!

Potluck and Baptism tomorrow

Don't forget we have a baptism service planned for tomorrow after church!

Right after the service we'll enjoy a potluck lunch together, so bring some food to eat and share. Then after lunch we'll caravan over to Adventure Christian Church (located at 2831 NE Newby Street) where they're graciously letting us use their sanctuary and baptistry. There we'll have a brief baptism service with testimonies, music and (of course) baptisms!

We have five New Hopers who are being baptized tomorrow: David and Naomi Mahn, Cynthia Garcia, Debbi Johnson and Jason Olds. We hope you'll come to support and encourage them as they follow Jesus' command to identify themselves with Christ in this meaningfully symbolic act of baptism.

Joke for the Day

A young man asked an old rich man how he made his money. The old guy fingered his worsted wool vest and said, "Well, son, it was 1932, the depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel. I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents.

The next morning, I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and sold them at 5:00 PM for 20 cents.

I continued this system for a month, by the end of which I'd accumulated a fortune of $3.50.

Then my wife's father died and left us ten million dollars."

Trivia: What's buried in Christ's tomb?

The Bertolinis are back safe and rested from their excursion to Israel!

I'm sure we'll hear more about their trip in the weeks ahead, but you might enjoy the story Dewey put on his Israel Connection Blog today. It's a gripping tale of intrigue, ancient treasure, hidden passages and, uh, an Armenian deacon. Check it out!

Happy Atheists Day!

The fool says in his heart,

"There is no God."

Psalm 14:1