The Family Biweekly Newsletter of The New Room Parish |
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Blessings to you all as we embark on another beautiful week together. This newsletter contains exciting updates, important information, and upcoming events for our five campuses. We encourage you to read on and stay connected with our vibrant community. May your week be filled with faith, joy, and growth. |
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Head and Heart In this cold, cold week I offer you warm greetings in the love of God and the name of our Savior Jesus the Christ. In our Revival book study this week, chapter two is titled, “A Longing for Holiness.” In that chapter the author, Adam Hamilton, writes: One of the defining marks of Wesley’s own faith and of the eighteenth-century Methodist revival was that it involved not only the emotions, but also the intellect – the head as well as the heart. Or as comically stated in the movie, A River Runs Through It, when the father is asked, “what’s a Methodist? He gruffly responds, “A Baptist who can read.” That, of course, is a funny way of saying we seek to be holy as Methodist Christians by developing our faith with both our head and our heart – our mind and our soul. In fact, as John Wesley sought to study the scriptures and develop his faith with a small group of devoted theological students at Oxford University, they met so regularly and developed their faith so methodically, that others at Oxford started to call them “Methodists” as a term of derision. However, Wesley eventually turned that term of derision into a badge of honor and a defining characteristic of the movement. Thus began the Methodist revival of the eighteenth century. Yes, we are United Methodist Christians. As such, I want to encourage you to spend time each week, and daily, deliberately choosing to return to our Methodist roots, attending to the spiritual and intellectual faith practices that lead to revival in the 1700’s. If we choose to be more intentional and methodical in how we go about developing our faith individually and together, these same practices will lead to a personal and corporate revival in the body of Christ again today in The New Room Parish of the United Methodist Church. And so, I offer this invitation to you. This coming Wednesday evening is the monthly music night at our Kensington UMC campus. Steve Yantz and Chrissy Manzi always do a phenomenal job in making these nights spiritually enriching and musically inspiring. This month, on Wednesday January 29th, because that is the same night as one of our sessions for our Revival book study, we realized that it created a conflict between the study group at the Middletown campus and the Music Night at KUMC. Not wanting either to suffer we decided to bring the two events together, hopefully offering an even more powerful witness. The music and reflections that evening will be geared toward the theme of the chapter in the book for that day. In addition, the video portion of the study will be integrated into the music portion of the evening. After the music portion of the evening has concluded there will be fellowship, as usual. However, we will also set aside time during fellowship for some discussion on the theme of the night for those who would like to take advantage of that. There we can ask questions and discuss what we may have gleaned from the program. We always learn more in dialogue together. Please know that you do not need to be a part of the book study to attend this event. In fact, this would be a great way to experience the content of these kinds of studies in a new way; a window into the study, if you will. Therefore, I want to strongly encourage everyone to consider attending and experiencing music night next Wednesday. If you prefer not to drive after dark, please consider contacting a friend and see if they can offer you a ride. Or better yet, if you do drive, offer a ride to a church member or friend if you know they don’t drive at night. Maybe each campus can plan to carpool? Either way, I do hope to see you there. To members of the evening study group next week, this will take the place of your study time for the week. So, please come to KUMC instead next Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm for music and reflections. Then stay for fellowship filled with goodies and conversation. I look forward to seeing you all next Wednesday evening. In the meantime, may God continue to bless you in all that you do. Keep warm, stay well and serve well. In God’s love, joy and humor, Pastor Chuck |
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January 2025 Events: Wednesday, January 29th: KUMC Music Night - KUMC at 6:30 PM February 2025 Events: Sunday, February 16th: Valentine-themed Bake Sale - Rogers Hall at First Meriden Monday February 17th: New Room Monthly Prayer Meeting - Virtual at 6:30 PM March 2025 Events: Wednesday, March 5th: Ash Wednesday |
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The Youversion app offers a variety of Bible Reading plans, and it is free and fun. You can select your version of the Bible, your plan and select the time you want to read or listen to the Bible. You can choose a five minute plan or one that lasts longer. If you need help choosing a plan, let Pastor Chinma know. |
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NEW BIBLE/BOOK STUDY BEGAN JANUARY 15TH, 2025 |
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REVIVAL: FAITH AS WESLEY LIVED IT. By Rev. Adam Hamilton |
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Wesley’s message and his faith continue to speak to 21st-century Christians—calling for a revival of our hearts and souls so that our world might be changed. Pastor Chuck is leading a six-week journey following the life of John Wesley and exploring his defining characteristics of a Wesleyan Christian. Wesley’s story is our story. It defines our faith, and it challenges us to rediscover our spiritual passion. These sessions are the first steps in beginning a revival of faith here in the New Room Parish. Sign-up sheets were available at each campus, and many have prayerfully joined this meaningful study. Your continued participation and dedication are making a difference in our faith community. The study began on Wednesday, January 15th, and continues weekly with meetings at both 1 PM and 7 PM. These two time slots allow flexibility for those who prefer daytime sessions and those who need evening sessions. To keep things consistent, the study is held at the Middletown, First UMC Campus each week. Looking ahead, our next six-week Bible/Book Study, planned for the season of Lent, will take place at a different campus as we rotate locations with each new study. Thank you to all who have taken this leap of faith and are participating in this important, faith-forming journey. We look forward to seeing you each week as we grow together in God’s love. In God’s love, joy, and peace,
Pastor Chuck |
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Spiritual Growth Through Worship |
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U.M. ARMY mission is to provide Christ-centered missions that serve people in need and promote spiritual growth and leadership development in youth and young adults. This year’s theme is “God at Work: Rooted” centered around the “growth, bearing fruit/sharing the gospel and our gifts, thriving when in relationship with Christ, roots as a firm foundation.” |
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The day begins and ends with attend group worship services, this includes meaningful messages from the Pastor, inspirational music, journal time based on this year’s theme. Youth are encouraged to be a part of the service by leading the opening or closing prayer, scripture reading, or giving their own testimony of their faith. Each day at lunch a time is set aside at the work site for devotionals which can include the homeowners. This provides another opportunity for both the homeowner and youth to explore their faith. One of the evening activities is called a "Prayer Journey", which is a series of stations with different activities. This is a quite time allowing you to reflect and go further with your faith. You can support this trip by donating gently used soft items including any clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, home textiles (sheets, curtains, blankets), and house items. Contact Donna Timm at (203) 235-9620 for pick-up arrangements. For more information about UMARMY https://www.umarmy.org/northeast-usa |
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KUMC January 29th at 6:30pm |
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Please join us for music night as we sing songs and hymns of faith! Our theme is "Aldersgate", and how the Holy Spirit works to reassure our faith, revive our hearts and show us the truth of our salvation through Jesus Christ. Don't know what Aldersgate is? Come on by and hear about it! It's part of the spiritual journey of our Methodist founder John Wesley, There's something that happens in the heart, when one experiences the Holy Spirit, like John Wesley did back on Aldersgate Street in London in 1738. Much like people today, Wesley reflected on his lack of faith, and questioned his own belief. At Aldersgate, on this particular night, he had an experience of grace that reassured his faith and affirmed his belief in Christ alone. |
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| | "Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand." (Romans 5:1-2a) |
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Unit 4 Mission Fundraising Update |
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Unit 4 of FUMC has planned the following to start the 2025 year. Sunday, February 16th, we will host a Valentine Themed Bake Sale in Rogers Hall. Thank you for your support. Unit 4 held their Soup Sale on Jan 19th with great success. Everyone went home with delicious soup for a cold winter’s Sunday. |
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Please join the New Room monthly Prayer Meeting, Prayer Works, on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 pm, via the Zoom link below. We look forward to praying with you. Acts 4:31: “After praying together, the place where the people were gathered was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 6:56: “And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Mark 9: 28-29 When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.” Join us on Monday, February 17th, at 7 pm and be blessed. Rev. Dr. Chinma Uche |
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The New Room News and Celebrations |
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Making a Home Visit and Singing with Joyce Fisher |
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Celebrating Dorothy Warren |
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Born in East Berlin in 1923, Dorothy Warren of the New Room will celebrate her 102nd birthday this Sunday, January 26, 2025. Happy Birthday, Dorothy! |
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Pastor Chuck's Day Off: Mondays |
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Please note that Pastor Chuck’s day off is on Mondays. He will be taking this time to rest and recharge, so he may not be available to respond to messages or calls on that day. However, if you have an emergency, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Pastor Chuck on his cell phone. Thank you for your understanding! |
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New Room Mid-Week Devotional Time – Wednesdays |
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6:30 AM Join the early morning devotional fellowship group as we discuss the inspirational messages from the book…. Great Is Thy Faithfulness 365 Devotions from Our Daily Bread | | |
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12:00 PM Come join us for 45 minutes of meaningful discussion as we share our thoughts and insights using the devotional book …. Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions 2024 Upper Room | | |
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January Preaching Schedule |
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Future Newsletter Submissions |
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We’re excited to share the wonderful things happening across our campuses in the Family Newsletter! To make the submission process easier, we’re now accepting all articles and photos through this Google Form: Submit Here. Important: All submissions must be received by Monday at noon before the newsletter is published. Submissions received after the deadline will not be included until the following newsletter. We will no longer accept submissions via email. Please use the Google Form linked above to ensure your content is submitted properly.
Next Newsletter Submission Deadline: February 3rd, 2025 Thank you for contributing and helping us celebrate the great things happening at The New Room Parish! |
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Missed a Previous Newsletter? |
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Visit our Newsletter Archive on our website to catch up on all the latest updates, events, and ways to stay connected with our community. Explore past issues anytime to make sure you’re always in the loop! |
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