Rethink Easter

new light, new life, new love

Sunday, April 4th
at Hope.Gate.Way. (185 High Street, Portland)

9:30am -- Easter Worship Celebration

5:30pm -- Community Potluck and Worship Celebration

Grab your friends and neighbors and your favorite food item, and join us for a rockin' good time on Easter evening! We'll get together at Hope.Gate.Way. at 5:30, share food and laughter around the tables, and then head right into worship, with good music and a great message of life and hope and love.

Good Friday at Hope.Gate.Way.

Friday, April 2

On Good Friday, we remember Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. It's a day for prayer and reflection -- in preparation for a joyful celebration of resurrection and new life on Easter.

Good Friday Prayer Stations - Friday from 8am-6pm
Stop by Hope.Gate.Way. (185 High Street, Portland) sometime during the day to experience the events of Jesus' final days. Be still. Read words from scripture. Light a candle. Reflect on a piece of art. Open your heard and mind to the story.

Good Friday worship gathering -- Friday at 6:30pm at Hope.Gate.Way.
Music, Prayer, the story of Jesus' crucifixion, and the extinguishing of candles.

Looking for a child care provider

We are still looking for a child care provider to replace our wonderful Jenni Ricci. The job is every Sunday morning and one Sunday evening a month, plus the possibility of Friday morning hours. You can check out the job description here. Contact sara@newlightportland.org if you are interested.

Parkside Neighborhood Give-Away Day

Volunteer opportunity: Parkside Neighborhood Give-Away Day
Saturday, March 6 - 9 am - 1 pm
at Sacred Heart/ St. Dominic Parish (corner of Sherman and Mellen Streets)

There will be a Give-Away day in the Parkside Neighborhood on March 6. This is basically a free yard sale for anyone in the neighborhood with needs. The past events have been so big and successful that the Neighborhood Center is too small to accommodate all the people and items to be given away!

Volunteers are needed on:
Thursday, March 4 -- 8:45-11:15am and 3:45-6:15pm
Friday, March 5 -- 8:45-11:15am and 3:45-6:15pm
Saturday, March 6 8:45-11am and 11am-1:15pm

Also, clean out your closets, your attic, or your cupboards... Donations of clothing, kitchen and household goods, baby items, children's books and toys, and diapers would be greatly appreciated. If you have questions or are willing to sign up to volunteer, please be in touch with Erica at erica@newlightportland.org

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Worship Service
6:30 pm at Hope.Gate.Way.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent- the 40-day season of preparation and reflection leading to Holy Week and Easter. Join us for a meaningful and interactive time of worship, with good music, plenty of space to reflect, and a chance to receive ashes if you'd like as an ancient symbol of repentance.

Community Worship Gathering

Sunday, February 14th - 6:00 pm
Coffee & snacks starting at 5:30 pm
at Hope.Gate.Way.

What's love got to do with it? Pretty much everything if you pay attention to what Jesus had to say: love God, love your neighbor, and if you do one without the other, you pretty much missed the point...

Join us for worship on the evening of Valentine's Day for our monthly Second Sunday worship celebration. Good music. Good conversation. Prayer in various forms. A chance to reflect on the deepest things in life. It'll be a good time, guaranteed. We'll have coffee and snacks ready at 5:30 pm, and worship will start at 6. Bring a friend.

Middle School Youth Gathering

Sunday, February 14th
1:30-3:00pm
at People's United Methodist Church in South Portland

New Light is working in collaboration with other local churches to provide an excellent youth ministry program. On the second and fourth Sunday's of every month we get together in alternating locations with the youth in our churches and communities.

This week we will be meeting in South Portland for games, decorating and eating Valentine's day treats, and assembling UMCOR Health Kits for our neighbors in Haiti.

Meet at Hope.Gate.Way. at 1:15 for a ride, or go right to People's UMC to join in the fun. All Middle School Students are welcome, so bring friends!

Mardi Gras Party

Mardi Gras Party
Tuesday, February 16th -- 5:30pm
at Hope.Gate.Way.



Join us for our annual Mardi Gras Party. We will make pancakes, play fun games, and make our own Mardi Gras masks. There will be plenty of beads to go around, so feel free to bring your friends along. Bring your favorite pancake topping to share.

Check out pictures from last years Mardi Gras Party here.

First Friday Art Walk

Friday, February 5th --5:00-8:00pm
at Hope.Gate.Way.

If you haven't checked out the First Friday Art Walk in Portland you have been missing out. On the first Friday of every month art galleries and other spaces open up to the community to view art, listen to music, and enjoy snacks and drinks. It's a great way to meet new people, and enjoy some great art in the city.

Come check out the new exhibit at Hope.Gate.Way. by Alicia Sampson, titled "I sail oceans in maps". This show features Sampson's creative projects from 2003 to the present. The works include: watercolor and gouache paintings; montage and collage Tower of Song posters; collages with photographs from Costa Rica; drawings from her Argentina travel journal; and an experiment in digital collage called Nature in Motion.

Baby Shower for Maire & Michael

Recently we invaded Maire & Michael's place for a surprise baby shower, complete with decorations, games, pizza, and gifts from the community. Two days later, little Julian arrived! Congratulations, Maire & Michael! We celebrate the gift of new life, and the gift of community, too.

Souper Bowl of Caring

We're participating in a nationwide movement called Souper Bowl of Caring that unites schools, communities of faith, other organizations, and compassionate individuals in the fight against hunger. Since the Souper Bowl of Caring began in 1990 with one youth group, more than $60 million has been given to food banks and soup kitchens across the country. We'll collect money in soup kettles and encourage you to bring non-perishable food from now, until February 7th (Super Bowl Sunday), to help feed our neighbors in Parkside Neighborhood through the Sacred Heart Food Pantry.

Our collection will conclude on February 7th, with a Super Bowl Party at Allen and Sara's house. We will show the game on the big screen, have delicious food, play games, and even make some blankets for the family shelter. This is sure to be a good time, no matter which team you root for or if you don't know the difference between a first down and a touch down. Feel free to invite some friends in on the fun!

Response to Haiti

We've all seen photos and heard countless stories about the tragic earthquake that took place in Haiti last week. We, as a community of faithful people, must not forget to pray for the people of Haiti in the days, weeks, and years ahead. Pray for the orphans, the grieving, the hungry, the thirsty and the hurt. Pray for doctors and nurses, and all of those risking their lives to save others. Whatever you do, pray.

If, however, you are willing and able to make a financial contribution to the disaster relief efforts, we recommend doing so through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), an agency of the United Methodist Church known for its superior assistance to those in need. 100% of all money you donate to UMCOR goes directly to relief efforts. Not one penny goes to pay executives or send out mailings. Click here to make an online contribution.

Covenanting Potluck

New Light Community Potluck
and Conversation about Covenanting

Sunday, January 24th at 5:00pm
at Hope.Gate.Way.

What is Covenanting, you ask? Well, it's something new that we're introducing this January as an opportunity to grow deeper -- sort of our New Light alternative approach to membership...

In most churches, once you've been attending for a while, the pastor will encourage you to become a member. Usually there is a membership class, or a series of classes, to learn about the history and beliefs of the church, as well as to explore what it means to make the commitment of membership. Usually membership is a once-and-for-all deal -- you become a member of the church and stay a member until you withdraw your membership or transfer it to a different church.

We'd like to rethink membership, and look at the commitments we make quite differently -- less like membership in a club and more like commitments to community and spiritual practices that help us grow in our faith. That's where Covenanting comes in. Covenanting is an invitation to make commitments to practices that deepen our relationship with God, the New Light community, each other, and the world. If you feel like you are ready to make some deeper commitments, we want to invite you to learn more about Covenanting, which will not be a once-and-for-all deal, but rather something we reconsider yearly. The commitments you make are your own -- commitments to areas in which you want to be growing as a disciple of Christ in community with others who are part of New Light. Then, over the next year, there will be opportunities for us, as a community, to check in with one another to discuss and support each other in our commitments.

Not sure if you are ready or interested in covenanting? Coming to the dinner does NOT mean that you have to covenant. You can come, enjoy food, listen to conversation, and decide covenanting is not for you at this time. You do not have to come to the dinner, or covenant in order to continue being a part of New Light. This is merely an opportunity for people who want to make a deeper commitment to do so.

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!