O Holy Night

Can You Imagine?

CAN YOU IMAGINE

Can you imagine
how it would feel
to a homeless woman
who has spent months
or years sleeping on the streets
or mats at the city shelters
to finally have
a home of her own?

Can you picture the look
of wonder on her face
when she opens the door of
a brand new apartment
and says "This is mine"?

Can you imagine her
sleeping for the first time
in her own bed,
feeling really truly safe at last?

Multiply that 60 times.

Check out the Florence House, the new shelter in Portland that will do exactly what this poem talks about, when it opens in March. Then consider making a financial contribution this year, to help those who really need it. Checks can be made payable to New Light (with Advent Conspiracy in the memo line) or online here.

Advent Conspiracy Video

I've watched this video 10 times, and it doesn't stop being meaningful. Watch it, and pass it on.






This Christmas consider making a financial contribution to help those who really need it. Checks can be made payable to New Light (with Advent Conspiracy in the memo line) or online here.

Blood: Water Mission

Did you know that $1 can provide water for a year for a sister or brother in Africa? We have decided to give half of the money raised through Advent Conspiracy to Blood:Water Mission, an organization dedicated to empowering communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crisis in Africa.

Blood:Water Mission promo video from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.

Blood: Water Mission funds full-scale programs in iWASH: Integrated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. This approach is critical as community behavior changes in hygiene and sanitation practices have the potential to more than triple the health impact of clean water alone. While each program is unique according to the cultural, environmental, and political climate in which it's implemented, every program is built around core principles in community empowerment. To date water technologies used in Blood: Water Mission projects include drilled wells, rain catchment, spring development, gravity flow, and biosand filtration.

Through the efforts of many generous supporters, Blood:Water Mission has completed 859 water projects, in 11 countries, changing the lives of over 570,000 people. They have also opened 3 clinics, tested 18,000 people for HIV/AIDS, and served over 22,000 people.

This Christmas, consider making a financial contribution to help those who really need it. Checks can be made payable to New Light (with Advent Conspiracy in the memo line) or online here.

Christmas Eve Worship Celebrations

Thursday, December 24

4:00 pm

Candelight Worship celebration at Hope.Gate.Way. (185 High Street, Portland), with coffee, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and hot appetizers starting at 3:30 pm. Join us and help us extend hospitality to our neighbors.

6:00 pm

"Under the Night Sky" -- a starlight and candlelight worship celebration outside at Congress Square, corner of Congress Street & High Street. It could be a bit chilly, so make sure you bundle up!

Both of these Christmas Eve celebrations will be filled with wonderful music and all the joy of the Christmas story. Christmas Eve is the perfect time to invite family members and friends to join you to share this special night. Who will you invite?

Christmas Fun at Monument Square!

Sunday, December 20th
2-5pm at Monument Square

This is an event you won't want to miss! We'll hang out at Monument Square for the afternoon, next to Portland's giant Christmas tree, with horse & carriage rides coming and going. We'll sing Christmas carols, give out FREE coffee and hot chocolate (yes, with marshmallows) to our neighbors, and construct a community project, inviting passersby to reflect on their hopes and prayers for the world and add them to a big cardboard tree. We'll also distribute postcards announcing our Christmas Eve worship gatherings. It's going to be awesome, and we need as many people from New Light to be there as possible, to spread good cheer and meet new friends!

Florence House

We have decided to give half of the money we raise from Advent Conspiracy to a local project called Florence House, a project of Preble Street. Florence House will provide safe, supported permanent housing to chronically homeless women in Portland, Maine.

The building will include three types of housing designed to offer options to 60 women including:

• Efficiency Apartments for individuals who are ready to manage independently.
• A Safe Haven to provide a permanent private living space for chronically homeless women who are not quite ready to maintain their own apartments and who may, with support, begin to develop trust, self-assurance, and skills to become more independent.
• A small number of Emergency Beds for immediate, short-term housing for women who are temporarily homeless because of an economic or situational crisis.

The Florence House model is based on approaches to homelessness and chronic mental illness that have emerged nationally as key strategies for ending homelessness.

Consider making a financial contribution this year, to help those who really need it. Checks can be made payable to New Light (with Advent Conspiracy in the memo line) or online here.

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party

December 17th-5:30pm
at Allen and Sara's house (31 Sheffield St. Portland)

Our annual community Christmas Party is going to be a blast! We'll get together at Allen & Sara's house for a potluck dinner (bring an appetizer, salad, side dish, or dessert to share if you can). As usual we'll have a Yankee Swap, but the rules are very strict: do not buy anything. Make it, bake it, or regift it, but do not spend money on your Yankee Swap gift.

This year the fun gets even better: we're adding an UGLY SWEATER component. We are asking all party guests to wear your ugliest sweater. Feel free to be creative (you could always embellish if you don't have an ugly seater) or visit Goodwill to get a cheap one. This will be super fun if we all agree to be ridiculous together, and just think of all the awesome pictures we will get! Oh, and yes, there will be a fabulous prize for the ugliest sweater.

Feel free to invite all of your friends over for this exciting event, and remember, no regularly scheduled LIFE groups next week... just one big party on Thursday! Bring a friend. Bring a neighbor. Bring your great-aunt Bertha. Or just bring yourself. But one way or the other, make sure you're with us for this festive event!

Advent Conspiracy 2009

We are issuing a challenge to members of New Light and Chestnut UMC to celebrate Christmas more simply, this year by spending less on Christmas gifts for friends and family -- and then to match that amount, dollar for dollar, with a gifts to people who really need it. With a little help from Advent Conspiracy, we are encouraged to spend the season worshiping fully, spending less, giving more, and loving all.

We are focusing our efforts this year in two different ways:
First, a local project, to help Florence House, the new Women's Shelter opening in Portland, by furnishing an apartment. Florence House, a program of Preble Street, will provide safe, supported permanent housing to chronically homeless women in Portland.

Secondly, a global project, Blood:Water Mission is partnering with groups and individuals to empower our sisters and brothers in Africa to build healthier communities through sustainable clean blood and clean water solutions. Since 2004, Blood:Water Mission has completed 617 water projects delivering clean water, hygiene, and sanitation training to 460,000 people while helping to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Did you know that $1 provides one year of clean water for our sisters and brothers in Africa? Let's see how many people we can help this holiday season.

When you're ready to make your contribution, just make a check out to New Light, clearly marking "Advent Conspiracy" on the memo line. Or if you'd like to make your gift online using a credit or debit card, you can do that here... Just scroll down and make your gift in the "Advent Conspiracy" category.

Join the Conspiracy! And remember, matching your Christmas spending dollar for dollar is the challenge, but it is not an all-or-nothing deal. Set a goal and try to reach it, and honor Christ by helping people in need this holiday season.

Sara Groves Christmas Concert

"O Holy Night"
Sara Groves in Concert
Manchester, NH
Sunday, December 6 - 6 pm

We're going as a group to this Christmas concert with Sara Groves on Sunday, December 6, leaving Portland at 3:15 pm, and stopping for a quick dinner along the way. Tickets are $15, but if you can't swing that, just let us know and we'll make it work for you.

Want to go along? Great! Contact Erica right away to reserve your ticket.

Check out Sara Groves here.

Sara Groves 2009 Christmas Tour Video from Sara Groves Music on Vimeo.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On your feet now -- applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into God's presence.
Know this: God is God, and God, God.
God made us; we didn't make God.
We're God's people, God's well tended sheep.
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank God. Worship God.
For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

- Psalm 100, The Message

May your Thanksgiving be filled with good food, people you love, and gratitude that overflows into action.

Parkside Neighborhood Block Party

This Saturday, Oct. 17
12:00 noon - 2:30 pm
on Sherman Street, adjacent to Sacred Heart - St. Dominic Catholic Church

It's going to be a great event, with live music, a bounce house, three neighborhood dance groups performing, pizza, hot dogs, apple cider, homemade pie, face-painting, kids' games, a clothing give-away, and more!

Want to volunteer? Show up at 9:30 am to help with set-up, or sometime before noon to volunteer during the event.

We're collaborating with Immanuel Baptist Church, Sacred Heart - St. Dominic Catholic Church, PROP's Parkside Neighborhood Center, Parkside Community Policing, Parkside Neighborhood Center, Wayside Soup Kitchen, SPIRAL Arts, and several local businesses to make this happen. Be part of this movement that's transforming Parkside neighborhood!

Introducing a new resource: GPS

Introducing a new resource: GPS
Grow through Prayer and Scripture

As we enter the fall season, we're refocusing LIFE Groups a little bit and putting together some new resources and experiences that we hope will help you grow deeper in your faith, primarily through reading and reflecting on Scripture and prayer.

Starting this Sunday, we'll be e-mailing out a brief Scripture passage each day, along with a thought-provoking Question of the Day. We hope you'll pause for a few minutes sometime during the day to read and reflect, and then to spend some time in prayer. Most weeks when we come together in LIFE Groups, we'll explore more deeply one of the passages that came up in the daily reading. We hope this continuity between the daily reading and the discussions in LIFE Groups will provide a forum for deeper reflection and sharing.

If you are not currently active in our community, but would like to receive our GPS e-mails each day please send Erica an e-mail at erica@newlightportland.org, and she will gladly add you to the list!

New LIFE Groups Starting this week!

Summer is over, and here we are in the first days of fall. It's time to transition into our fall schedule for LIFE Groups. You've been waiting... you've been wondering... and here are the details!

Tuesday LIFE Group: 5:30 pm - hosting: Allen Ewing-Merrill & Dean Richardson

Wednesday LIFE Group: 6:00 pm - hosting: Michael & Maire Trombley

Thursday LIFE Group: 5:30 pm - hosting: Erica Tobey & Sara Ewing-Merrill

Please take a minute and let us know which group you're planning to join.

The Tuesday & Wednesday groups start this coming week (Sept. 29 & 30). The Thursday group will start one week later: Oct. 8.

Here's to fall, with cooler nights, beautiful colors and crunching leaves!

Apple Picking and Worship Photos!

Members New Light had a great time this weekend picking lots of apples, making apple crisp, eating delicious pizza, and worshiping together. Check out this pictures!

Daily Devotional Readings

Guide to Daily Devotions
September 14-21, 2009

S – Scripture: Read the assigned passage slowly and carefully.
O – Observation: Record observations on the passage… What is the lesson for you?
A – Application: How do these words apply to you in your own life?
P – Prayer: Write a prayer to God concerning this passage and your life.
Y – Yield: What do you need to surrender to God for this lesson to become alive in you?

Daily Exercise:

• Read the assigned Scripture passage.
• Using the SOAPY guide (above), record thoughts and reflections in your journal.
• Pray the Covenant Prayer .

Daily Readings:

Monday, September 14: 1 Corinthians 1:1-19
Tuesday, September 15: 1 Corinthians 1:20-31
Wednesday, September 16: 1 Corinthians 2:1-13
Thursday, September 17: 1 Corinthians2:14-3:15
Friday, September 18:1 Corinthians3:16-23
Saturday, September 19:1 Corinthians 4:1-7
Sunday, September 20: Acts 9:1-10
Monday, September 21: 1 Corinthians 4:8-21

Online Registration for 2009 Retreat - In|Out

Arts Sunday

Many Gifts, One Spirit: Creating in Community
Sunday, September 20 ~ 9:30-3:00
at Hope.Gate.Way.

Rev. Priscilla Dreyman of SPIRAL Arts will be leading a Sunday event offering multiple opportunities for spiritual exploration, creative expression, and deepening of relationships through art. Don't be intimidated: we're defining art broadly and coordinating accessible activities for beginners -- things like printmaking, origami, beginning drawing & watercolors, cooking, music, and more. The time will also include worship, sharing, and lunch, as well as opportunities to form and deepen relationships with Chestnut & New Light friends. We hope you'll participate in this exciting community-building event. If you have questions or suggestions, talk with Allen or Sara.

Supper Bowl Sunday Photos

Our first Supper Bowl Sunday event was a HUGE sucess. Check out the photos below and be sure to stay tunes as we plan another, similar event for mid-October!