New Hope Ashland

New Hope News: E-Update February 24, 2011

2011-02-24T11:44:00.002-05:00

This Last Sunday we had a great service at New Hope during the second week of our New Series "Bailout". Join us this Sunday back at Ashland High School for the third week in the series. We baptized three young people this past week and have had an average of over 100 in attendace for the past two months! We are confident in moving forward that God will continue to allow us to reach out to many more people of Ashland!

February 24: Four more weeks left of our Ladies Bible Study on Thursday Evenings at 969 Woodview Drive from 7:00-8:00pm.

February 27: NewComers Class at Ashland Brethren in Christ Church on Mifflin Ave in front of Hospice at 6:30-8:00pm. Desserts, New Friendships, and all your questions answered about who God has called us to be and do in the city of Ashland. Write info@newhopeashland.com to register.

Camp Burton - Swimming, messy games, paintball, archery, riflery, Thunder Tube, bon fires, zip lines are just a few things at Camp Burton. It is a time for 3rd-5th graders to reach new spiritual and relational heights! Cost is $285 per person. Monthly installment plan available - email info@newhopeasland.com for further details. Website -www.campburton.org

LIFT Camp - LIFT is a high-energy, heart changing, life experience where true friendships are made and students are inspired to know, love and follow Jesus. This week of camp is for Jr. and Sr. High Students. Cost is $300 per camper which includes transportation, meals, lodging, and a t-shirt. We have a payment option available to anyone interested in going. Email info@newhopeashland.com for more details.

New Hope News: E-Update December 31, 2010

2010-12-31T07:13:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Years Eve Ugly Sweater Party

If you're a volunteer @newhopeashland, please join us on Friday Evening from 6-8p for ourVolunteer New Years Party! We hope you will join us for this special night of great food, fun games, gifts and laughs, and an onslaught of ugly Sweaters! Wear your most unforgettably tacky sweater for a chance to win a prize!

Pack up a "re-gift" (something you got that you don't want and didn't ask for) for the gift exchange. We are so thankful for you!

Where: Tim and Beka Holman’s House - 1609 County Road 1095, Ashland, Ohio, 44805

When: December 31st, 2010, 6-8pm

The AmazingRace Challenge

Have you ever read through the entire Bible? We have a ministry goal to make it through the Bible together in the span of one year. You may choose to read on your own, with your family, a friend, or your small group! Whatever you choose, we know that your heart will be blessed and your life will be changed as you read and study the Word. We also want to encourage you to sign up on our facebook page for updates and encouragements during the year. There you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts about what God is doing in your life as well as read other people’s thoughts as we go through the Bible together.

Don't miss this opportunity to GROW in a relationship with God, and PURSUE relationships with others!

NEW TEACHING SERIES!

Are you going somewhere? Better yet, are you going somewhere on purpose? Many of us miss entirely what God wants for our lives. Many churches miss God's plan for them simply because they don't take the time to ask or look into the scriptures to see what God's plan is for them. Join us this month as we cast the vision for New Hope for 2011 and what God has called us to be a do in the city of Ashland. And don't forget to bring a friend!

Prayer Requests

If you have a prayer request that you would like included in this newsletter, please email it to prayer@newhopeashland.com

Pray for our ministry to students and their families at Ashland High School of whom God has opened up some really cool doors for us to serve. Being in the high school has opened our eyes to some ministry opportunities that we would not have unless we were meeting here in the first place.

Pray for Jonathan Pound. He is a young man struggling with cancer. His father is the pastor at one of our strong partner churches in Mansfield, OH.

Please continue to pray for the leadership of New Hope. We must continue to be unrelenting and humbly dependent upon God during these exciting days. There's more to New Hope than developing a calendar of events and preaching. There are ministries and leaders that need to be developed, money that needs to be raised, and lives that need to be touched by the grace of Jesus. We appreciate you prayers on behalf of our leadership team here at New Hope and we are blessed to work with a team of people like you!

New Hope News: E-Update December 14, 2010

2010-12-14T14:44:00.001-05:00

CHRISTMAS SERVICE - SUNDAY DECEMBER 26th

Join us for a special Christmas Gathering for friends and family in and around the city. We will also have a special experience for our New Hope Kids, infants to 5 years old, during this special Christmas gathering. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we hope that you will find the hope and peace that Immanuel, God coming to live among us, is all about. Please join us for our Christmas Gathering on Sunday December 26th!
• Nursery and Preschool programs will be available for children under 5 years of age.
• Please note there will be NO Christmas Eve services on Friday, December 24th!

Men’s and Women's Evening Bible Study
This Tuesday (men) and Thursday (Women) we are having our last evening together for Bible Study until the new year. Stay tuned for more details on what we will be doing in the new year!

Volunteer New Year's Party

Host: Tim and Beka Holman

You have served in such amazing ways as we have started this church together, and we want to celebrate you! We hope you will join us for this special night of great food, fun games, gifts and laughs, and an onslaught of ugly Christmas Sweaters!

Wear your most unforgettably tacky Christmas sweater for a chance to win a prize that even Santa would put on his wish list... Pack up a "re-gift" (something you got that you don't want and didn't ask for) for the gift exchange.

We are so thankful for you!

Where: Tim and Beka Holman - 1609 County Road 1095, Ashland, Ohio, 44805
When: December 31st, 2010, 6pm

STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Normally we feature what it is that we are doing for our adults but we wanted to show everyone at New Hope that God has given our church a special love for kids under 20. Please read below about some great opportunities to get involved as a student, an adult interested in serving in New Hope Student Ministries, or as a parent trying to get together the family calendar from here until the summer.

New Hope Student Ministry is a way for 7th through 12th grade students to connect at New Hope. Our worship services are relevant to students as well as their parents but we recognize the need for them to connect with each other on their own level. This Winter, New Hope Students are serving together on Sunday mornings and hosting a Tailgate Breakfast on the second Sunday's of the month at Ashland High School with free food, hang time, and live music. For more info contact info@newhopeashland.com. Below are some great activities helping our students to PURSUE relationships with others.

SNOW TUBING - SUNDAY DEC. 19TH (6:30-9:30pm)
We will leave the parking lot of the High School at 5:30 pm. If hangin' with some buddies, food, and taking to the hills at Snow Trails Park sound like fun then don't miss this!
Cost (without food) $25 - 3 hour session.

Souled Out - MONDAY DEC. 27TH (6:30-9:30pm)
Come with us 2 days after Christmas to hear some great bands and food at Sould Out at the Ray and Joan Croc Center at 7 pm on December 27th! More details to come - stay tuned!

Superbowl Party - SUNDAY FEB. 6TH (6:00-10:00pm)
Where: Holman's (write info@newhopeashland.com for directions)
Cost: $5 for Food

reaLife (student ministry gathering) - 4th SUNDAY's of every month starting in 2011
Where: Location to be determined

LIFT CAMP (7th - 12th grades)
When: June 20th - 24th
Where: Cedarville University
Cost: To Be Determined

Outside Inn (7th - 12th grades)
This summer we have something planned for our students to invite their freinds that don't have a church home to go to. We know that the change doesn't start to take place in someone's life until they are conviced that the person inviting them to church genuinely cares about them. We want to make it easy on students that would normally never come to church by inviting them "OUT" instead of "in" th church - hence the name the Outside Inn.
DATES: June 9th (Mohican), July 7th (Cedar Point), August 4th (TBD)

Prayer Requests
If you have a prayer request that you would like included in this newsletter, please email it to prayer@newhopeashland.com

We have some of our College Kids coming home this week for winter break. Please pray for safety in travel and for a refreshing time home for the next few weeks.

Pray for Jonathan Pound. He is a young man struggling with cancer. His father is the pastor at one of our strong partner churches in Mansfield, OH.

Please continue to pray for the leadership of New Hope. We are anticipating some amazing things in weeks and months to come and we are asking that you continue to pray that God would continually have His hand upon us and New Hope!

TIM’S THOUGHTS…

I've heard of "Bring your Dog to Church" but bringing a Camel into a church is probably on the "never do this in church" category. This church learned the hard way as seen in this video. Fear not! No one was hurt and the camel was fine. Have a great week and we'll see you soon!

Blessed,
Pastor Tim
tim@newhopeashland.com

New Hope News: October 24, 2010

2010-10-23T22:57:00.001-04:00

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Men’s Evening Bible Study (Buffalo Bible Wings)
We had a great time this past Tuesday Evening at Buffalo Bible Wings with 7 men in attendance and a great time of fellowship and study! Join us from 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm this coming Tuesday Evening for a study on the book “Doctrine” by Mark Driscoll (available at The Bookery in Mansfield). We meet at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Ashland. Contact Tim Holman for more information.

Women’s Bible Study to Begin November 4th
New Hope Ladies Bible Study will start on Thursday November 4th at 7 PM at 969 Woodview Drive here in Ashland. We will be doing a Basic Doctrine series, which will last for 5 weeks and will be led by Melanie Schloemer. Please let us know if you would like to be involved. It will be an awesome opportunity to get to know some of the women of New Hope – Don’t miss it!

STUDENT LEADERS MEETING
A meeting for all interested in serving the students of New Hope will take place Sunday October 31^st in the lobby at 10am. Donuts and beverages will be served. Let us know if you would like more info.

New Hope Students “BREAKFAST TAILGATE”
We are planning a Breakfast Tailgate for students 7th to 12th grade on Sunday November 14th in the lobby of Ashland High School before we start the morning services. Join us for free food and live music and bring a friend – see you then!

Men’s and Women’s Flag Football League
If you’re interested in playing flag football with us we have a team on Thursday nights that plays at 7 pm at the Kroc Center here in Ashland. Come and watch for the fun of it or let us know if you might like to play with us. Contact Todd Schoch for more info (toddschoch@netscape.net).

Volunteers Needed
If you want to get to know some new friends and really get connected at New Hope, volunteer to serve in a ministry.

Children’s Ministry (contact Beka Holman at beka@newhopeashland.com)

Teachers- once a month, help our kids know more about Jesus’ love. We use a curriculum that is easy to use. We have capable people willing to provide training for every teacher.

Assistants- So you don’t want to teach, but you know that for New Hope to be a fun, safe place for kids, we have to have quality leaders in place. Then once a month, you can volunteer to help the teacher out in the children’s area with crowd control, check-in, games and other no-prep jobs.
Nursery Help the moms in our community feel valued by offering to care for their babies and toddlers once a month so they can relax for an hour in the service.

Hospitality Crew (contact Sharron Jewell at sjewell52@gmail.com)
We need more people who will make it their responsibility to make everyone who walks into New Hope feel known, loved, and cared for. Duties include handing out bulletins, welcoming people as they walk in the door, working at the café, and answering any questions first time guests might have. This is a job EVERYONE should volunteer for!

Set Up / Tear Down Crew (contact Todd Schoch toddschoch@netscape.net). We have a need to fill about 12 more spots in this ministry which serves every environment on any given Sunday here at New Hope. Contact Todd to find out how you can serve in this very critical ministry.

Tech and Media Crew (contact Jason Counts jcounts9@gmail.com)
If you’ve always wanted to know how to run a sound-board, work with the lighting, or operate the computer for the slides, this is your chance! Training will be given and you will be part of a great team that helps our entire church connect with God through music and the message.

Worship Team (contact Tim Holman tim@newhopeashland.com)
We are putting together a praise choir that will sing a couple times out of the month. Let us know if you have any interest in serving in the Worship Team.

Students Ministry (contact Tim Holman tim@newhopeashland.com)
We are getting things in order to launch a student ministry team for the fall shortly after launch. If you love God and like teenagers let us know so that we can plug you into this critical ministry of reaching out to Ashland teens.

Prayer Requests
If you have a prayer request that you would like included in this newsletter, please email it to prayer@newhopeashland.com

Praise God for an awesome second week at New Hope after launch! Statistics say that we were only supposed to have half of what we did on Launch Sunday which would have given us 55. We ended up with 74 for the day and had a great time in worship together! Join us tomorrow and bring a friend so that we can continue to reach those far from God with New Hope found in Jesus!
Pray for Jonathan Pound. He is a young man struggling with cancer. His father is the pastor at one of our strong partner churches in Mansfield, OH.
We had a great meeting this past Tuesday at Buffalo Bible Wings with our best attendance ever! On the way home I dropped off one of our young men and started to head home. There was another young man walking down the street with his thumb in the air. Now I usually never so this but I felt as of this time that I should see if he needed a ride. The ride turned into an hour long discussion with the end result being that I was able to lead this young man to Christ! Please pray for Adam that God would continue to do a work in his life!

Ashland High School has been a great place to meet but a little hard to work with at times in terms of scheduling. We have a couple of conflicts in schedule coming up in November and December. Pray that on November 7th and December 12th that we will not have to go somewhere else for the weekend worship service. As of right now we are making other plans but our desire is not to have to find another location for those two dates.

TIM’S THOUGHTS…

You might not be able to read the email in the picture but this was proof that Jesus is moving in our midst. We have been campaigning to raise money for a billboard which was going to cost us around $2700.00 for the month. I got the bill the other day for what I thought to be the down payment which was for $750. That was all we were able to raise which came generously through one donor. The representative from the Ad firm told me that one right on a main road in front of the biggest shopping center had come open. He commented that it was strange because that board has a 6 month waiting list. If we were not able to scoop it up in that afternoon we would have lost it. I was ready to put it on a credit card when I got this check (pictured) 30 minutes before the office closed for the day.

When I got down there to pay the first bill I looked at it and it said that we were paid in full.

If you are ever doubting whether God is really actively involved in the life of this baby church than just keep this picture on your fridge.

Blessed,
Pastor Tim
tim@newhopeashland.com

New Hope 10.10.10 Launch Service

2010-10-07T07:06:00.001-04:00

New Hope Church in Ashland is celebrating it's GRAND OPENING this weekend on 10.10.10! New Hope is where you will find friendly, authentic people, contemporary worship, relevant, practical teaching, and is a fun, safe place for kids.

We meet at Ashland High School in the Little Theatre at 11 am Sundays. Come join us this week as we begin a new series, "NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED". We'd love to have you as our special guest this Sunday!

E-Update: New Hope News - October 1st, 2010

2010-10-01T21:38:00.002-04:00

LAST SUNDAY BEFORE 10.10.10!

This summer has just flown by and it’s hard to believe that October the 10^th is just a week away! Last Sunday we spent some time on Sunday at Berean Baptist in Mansfield celebrating with them what God is doing in both of our churches. We were blessed to be a part of their services. I was really pleased with the showing we had from our team with over 20 in attendance! This is a time of rejoicing and also a time to dig our heals in and get started. This is only the beginning and we need “all hands on deck”. If you are not serving anywhere in a ministry at this point let us know and we will give you a place to serve. As we have said in weeks past – we need hearts and hands at the point of greatest demand. Please read further down to see where our most pressing ministry needs are.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Men’s Evening Bible Study
Beginning this coming Thursday, October 7th from 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm the men of New Hope will be starting a new study on the book “Doctrine” by Mark Driscoll (available at The Bookery in Mansfield). We meet at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Ashland. Contact Tim Holman (tim@newhopeashland.com) for more information.

Evening Women’s Bible Study to Begin Mid October
We are making arrangements for our next Ladies Bible Study at this time. Beka Holman is going to be out of commission with baby Mac coming this Sunday and we will keep you posted on any further details.

Men’s and Women’s Flag Football League
If you’re interested in playing flag football with us we have a team on Thursday nights that plays at 7 pm at the Kroc Center here in Ashland. Come and watch for the fun of it or let us know if you might like to play with us. Contact Todd Schoch for more info (toddschoch@netscape.net).

Teachers- once a month, help our kids know more about Jesus’ love. We use a curriculum that is easy to use. We have capable people willing to provide training for every teacher.

Assistants- So you don’t want to teach, but you know that for New Hope to be a fun, safe place for kids, we have to have quality leaders in place. Then once a month, you can volunteer to help the teacher out in the children’s area with crowd control, check-in, games and other no-prep jobs.
Nursery Help the moms in our community feel valued by offering to care for their babies and toddlers once a month so they can relax for an hour in the service.

Prayer Requests
If you have a prayer request that you would like included in this newsletter, please email it to prayer@newhopeashland.com

Pray for our launch and 10.10.10 as we are praying for 150 people to come to New Hope on that Sunday!
Pray for Jonathan Pound. He is a young man struggling with cancer. His father is the pastor at one of our strong partner churches in Mansfield, OH.

Please continue to pray for the leadership of New Hope. We (the Holman’s) are going to have a brand new baby boy on this coming Sunday. I told Beka that she is going to have to wait until after football – kidding! With a little baby and a BIG baby (New Hope Launch) coming in the same month creates unforeseen challenges that need to be met. We appreciate you prayers on behalf of our family during this exciting time!

TIM’S THOUGHTS…

Thankful Anticipation… I don’t know how else to describe what I’m feeling right now with everything that’s going on. We have a team of people praying for us and we have seen God move on our behalf in ways we never have before because of their efforts. We also have the best group of people I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with on the launch team! Thank you for being faithful to God, New Hope, and my family as we seek God’s heart in all of these matters.

Please consider the people you will be inviting to our first service on October the 10^th. There are so many more people who want to find New Hope for their spiritual journey - and we can help them! That’s what we do. Please consider whom you might…

IDENTIFY...INVITE...INCLUDE.

Identify those around you who are looking to find new hope on their spiritual journey.
Invite them to be part of New Hope.
Include them in the community that is NHA (New Hope Ashland).

Blessed,
Pastor Tim

New Hope Update: 2 Weeks until October 10th!

2010-09-25T18:51:00.002-04:00

Here we are two weeks away from October 10th. Where has the summer gone? There is a lot that still needs accomplished but we have seen two brand new families join the launch team! We currently have 36 adults actively serving on the launch team and we are praying for 14 more. If you are looking for a ministry and would be willing to serve with us at New Hope for a 6-12 month term let us know to get involved.

Sunday September 26th: We will be meeting with Berean Baptist Church in Mansfield for their 9 AM and 10:45 Am Services
Sunday October 3rd: Launch Team Meeting at Ashland High School - 11 AM

And join us on Sunday October 10th when we start a new series entitled

You don't want to miss this... and neither do your friends. Invite any of your family and friends that would be interested in what we're doing at New Hope! See you Soon!

A Father's Mark

2010-09-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday New Hope Ashland got together with New Hope Loudonville to celebrate with extended family about what God is doing in both of our churches. I was very unsure of my message but God confirmed it over and over that it was exactly what I needed to say because it was precisely what I needed to hear. The message was titled “The Love of God” and we talked about the way that most of us feel about God’s love based on our biological dad’s love – or the lack therof. The main idea was that is nothing more significant in the life of a child than the mark that our father’s leave.

Some of us can say that our father’s have left a positive mark in our lives and others can say that He left a gaping hole of anxiety and feelings of being unwanted.

We talked about the staggering statistics that say…

1. 70% of all children whose parents go to church regularly will do so as an adult.
2. 15% of all children whose mother’s go to church regularly will do so as an adult.
2. 55% of all children whose Daddy’s go to church regularly will do so as an adult. (Stats from NAMB – North American Mission Board)

This was not to downplay any influence that Mom has in the home but serves as a reminder that we as Dad’s should never underestimate our role as a disciple maker in the home.

We looked through the first chapter of Nehemiah and how there are three things in this passage that call us to Biblical Fathering. Nehemiah wasn’t a father to these people that he served but it gives us a bit of insight as to how we as Christian father’s should go about leading our families.

Nehemiah 1:2 “…Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.”

It seems here that Nehemiah was doing a little more than just “shooting the breeze” with his brothers.

1. Just like Nehemiah,God-honoring father’s ask questions.

Truly concerned people are inquisitive. We need to ask our children questions about something other than “How many hits did you get?” Most questions about our children’s’ character and personal development don’t get addressed until the teenage and young adult years when they could have been dealt with as a child.

Nehemiah 1:3 “ ³And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble andshame.The wall of Jerusalem is broken down,and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

Here he is genuinely broken and cut to the heart over the status of not only the walls of Jerusalem but of the people.

2. Like Nehemiah, God-honoring father’s are broken for their families.

Nehemiah 1:4-6 “ ⁴As soon as I heard these words Isat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵And I said, “O LORD God of heaven,the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants,confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. EvenI and my father’s house have sinned.”

One question we asked last week was “Do penalties hurt the player or the team?” Of course the answer is the team. Daddy’s who are convinced with worldly philosophy such as “Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” are fooling themselves.

3. Like Nehemiah, God-honoring dad’s need to take responsibility for their own lives and for the lives of our children.

This all seems very hard against ol’ dad but the truth of the matter is that men of God are given more responsibilities than rights. On that note we as fathers were never meant to be a perfection of God, but a reflection. Our kids will never feel like they have to be perfect if we embrace this fact first and model it to them.

Your children have a perfect father. They just need you to introduce them to Him.

CHALLENGE: Read a chapter of the Bible every time you sit at the table for a meal. If it works out to be once a day than great! Start out by reading them the gospel of John. It will stir in them who Jesus is and what He has done for them and it will serve as a reminder that Jesus is not just in church, but on the ball field; in the classroom; on the bus; in the mall; and in your home.

You might not know all the answers to the questions they will have but that’s ok. If it pushes you to find the answers than it is only going to help you grow closer in your walk with Christ.

Good luck Daddy!

KIA Opportunity and Preview Service Information

2010-08-04T18:40:00.002-04:00

Good Afternoon!

KIA Opportunity

We have been asking lots of questions about what might be the best way to meet people and make friends for the sake of eternity here in Ashland and God has given us a great opportunity to do just that! We mentioned on Sunday at the launch team meeting that we had been in talks with the Brookside Park on whether or not they would allow us to serve the familes at the pool with a free meal. They are allowing us to do so but not until August 21st from 11am - 1pm. Please let us know if you would like to serve the city of Ashland with us. We need lots of help for this day and would appreciate any hearts and hands at the place of greatest demand!

Preview service

We have another preview service scheduled for this Sunday! Please invite those whom you have invested in this summer! We are continuing the series Forgotten Virtues and are also fully anticipating seeing God do some amazing things this weekend at New Hope!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tim

Exciting News - New Hope Updates

2010-07-20T22:28:00.006-04:00

NEW MEMBERS!!
We welcomed a new member into fellowship at our last preview service. Todd Sims came to New Hope with his cousin Joe Nixon last month for a preview service to watch his baptism. He also came to a bible study we have on Tuesday nights and it was there that He put his faith and trust in Jesus!

WORSHIP MINISTRY
Five high school and college students have joined our band from Ashland! It was the first time these guys had played together with only one practice and they hit it way out of the park! We were so excited to see God put this team together for our first preview service. On top of that most of them came back this last Sunday for our launch team meeting!

LAUNCH TEAM MEETINGS
We are meeting at the High School on Sunday mornings at 11:00 am and are in need of 50 more committed workers who are excited to help start new churches! We are in need of a scaffolding made up of people from now until the end of the year. In order to launch on 10.10.10 we are asking that 50 people from local area churches consider partnering with us to see New Hope's launch a success! Will you be one of the 50? Please contact Pastor Tim for more details at tim@newhopeashland.com.

New Blog Post - I. Love. To. Laugh.

2010-07-07T00:09:00.003-04:00

As far back as I can remember, laughter has always been apart of my makeup. I like being around people that laugh.. know how to laugh at themselves, and know how to make others laugh.

I think my Uncle Matt has to be the funniest person I have met to date. He has always been the life of the party at every family function. He does it all – dancing, impersonations, improv. Truthfully, I have always been a little jeslous of him and his ability to get into character with no inhibitions. I speak for everyone in my family that we all wish we had what Matt has – the gift of making people laugh.

The University of Michigan says that while the average child laughs 150 times a day, the average adult laughs only 15 times. I was reading Psalm 2 last week getting ready for Sunday’s message. ”Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” is what the Psalmist asks. It speaks of God laughing at them as they plot evil against God’s people and how He promises in verse 7 “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Matthew 5: 5 says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” These verses seem to be saying that God will give “His son”, or “the meek” the world in it’s entirety simply because they ask.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” ”Liberally” denotes this picture of God laughing with acceptance just giddy over the fact that we did’t ask for more money. He gives to all who ask for wisdom exactly what they’ve requested with an ear to ear grin!

Kevin Prosch wrote a song called “Show Your Power”. I am going out on a limb in faith asking God for what is listed in verse two of this song.

“Your gospel oh Lord is the hope of our nation. You are the Lord. It’s the power of God for our salvation. You are the Lord. We ask not for riches, but look to the cross. You are the Lord. And for our inheritance give us the lost.”

Part of me is laughing inside as I write this knowing that my possessions as an old man will probably be small and insignificant to the world but from now I on I am asking for a different inheritance..

the lost.

Beka and I moved to Ashland last month to pastor New Hope. I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to be here escpecially becasue of what is hapening on Sunday. We have graciously been given exactly what we have been praying for and are baptizing four more people on Sunday.

When your heart starts being broken by what breaks His.. get ready. When you start to request of God for what moves His heart.. get ready to make room in every storage locker and closet you have for all that he will laughingly send to you!

Launch Team Meetings Back at Ashland High School

2010-06-26T23:28:00.005-04:00

LAUNCH TEAM MEETINGS

We have been meeting at the Ashland Brethren in Christ Church for launch team meetings but we will be meeting back at Ashland High School for the remainder of the launch team meetings on Sunday Mornings at 11:00 am. We will be meeting in the lobby instead of the auditorium for launch team meetings with the exception of preview services which will be held in the auditorium. See you tomorrow!

New Hope Updates - June 18th 2010

2010-06-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

BAPTISMS

This is what every church partner signs up for. We had our first preview service this past Sunday and baptized two! We could not have asked for a better day than what we had. We had 60 in attendance and one more came to Christ this week and is scheduled to be baptized at our next preview service on July 8th! Please let us know if you are interested in finding out more about what it means to be scripturally baptized.

MINISTRY TEAMS

Eight adults have joined the ranks of our Children's Ministry program and are filling in a critical role of ministering to families and children on Sundays. Also we have a 3 piece worship band right now and our first Sunday to play was this past weekend. We are currently looking for more musicians for July 8^th. We are still filling ministry positions and please let us know if you are interested in serving on one or our teams for our upcoming services on July 8^th, August 11^th, September 12^th, and launch on 10.10.10.

PUBLIC LAUNCH DATE CHANGE

We don’t make it a habit of changing schedules but after much consulting with church leaders in our network and launch team members, our launch date has changed to one month later from September 12^th to October 10^th. This will give us a strategic marketing piece to advertise launching on the historic date 10.10.10 and because we don’t want to lose any much needed momentum due to the Ashland County Fair being the second week in September.

LAUNCH TEAM MEETINGS

We are meeting at Ashland Brethren in Christ Church one last time tomorrow for a launch team meeting at 6 pm. The rest of the launch team meetings will take place on Sunday mornings at Ashland High School at 11:00 am. We will be meeting in the lobby instead of the auditorium for launch team meetings with the exception of preview services which will be held in the auditorium.

PRAYER WALK

We are scheduled to walk the streets of Ashland in prayer tomorrow from 10am – 2pm marking the end of our 40 Days of Prayer. If interested please meet us at the Ashland YMCA at 10am. See you in the morning!

First Preview Service - This Sunday June 13th

2010-06-10T14:21:00.004-04:00

Here we are already 10 days into June and our first preview service for the summer is this Sunday back at the High School at 11am. A few exciting things to note for this weekend is that we are baptizing two people! Directly after the service we will head over to Sharron Jewell's house which is at 969 Woodview Drive in Ashland where Sharron is graciously allowing us to use her hot tub for baptism.

When we originally talked about the prayer walk through the streets of Ashland we had discussed that we would do so on Saturday June 12th. Since then we have moved it to Saturday June 19th from 10am-2pm. Our goal is to walk down the major streets of Ashland interceding for the city and praying for God to do a work through us in Ashland. Please make plans on meeting with us next Saturday for this very important time marking the end of our "40 Days of Prayer Campaign".

Please invite friends and family this weekend for our first preview service. We are excited to get back in business of meeting on Sunday's. We will not be meeting this Saturday at Ashland Brethren in Christ Church like we normally do because of the service on Sunday. Let us know if you have any questions and we'll see you soon!

Pastor Tim

First Preview Service - This Sunday June 13th

2010-06-10T14:21:00.003-04:00

Pastor Tim

Core Value Number One: Strategic Service

2010-06-06T15:39:00.001-04:00

Last night at our launch team meeting we discussed one of our core values entitled Strategic Service. The main thought of the night was "Putting your heart and hand to the place or point of greatest demand". When talking about how important serving is at this point in the game we discovered that you might be temporarily signing up for a ministry that falls outside of your natural giftedness. We need an "I'm all in" strategy from everyone on board gearing up for our first preview service at the High School this coming Sunday the 13th at 11:00am. Please make plans on being there with us this Sunday and get the word out to as many as possible. God is up to some phenomenal things and you don't want to miss it!

Below I posted an article from the Purpose Driven Daily Devotional that I thought was a good read considering what we are discussing. Please take a few moments of your time and read this - and then ask the Lord where He would have you to serve at New Hope in Ashland. See you soon!

Pastor Tim

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Your service is desperately needed in the church
by Rick Warren

1Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

One reason why you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. The Bible says, "All of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT)

Your service is desperately needed in the body of Christ—just ask any local church. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.

Likewise, there are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference.

In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night. There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.

Vision Leak: GPS

2010-05-29T09:55:00.003-04:00

Lately we have been discussing the vision of who we believe God is calling us to be at New Hope. The vision is in essence our "Mission Map" and based off of the term GPS. My GPS has become a very important device in my car getting me from the proverbial Point A to Point B and the GPS at New Hope will give us the direction we need to help us stay on track. G stands for GROW in a relationship with God - P stands for PURSUE relationships with others and S stands for SERVE the world.

There are also three cells that we are starting that serve a purpose during and after the launch phase that are critical to our health and well being at New Hope during this point in the game and there is one for each point in GPS. Here is a small graph of what we are proposing looks like..

We want to promote all three cells to work in tandem with one another not only to uphold the vision to GROW, PURSUE, and SERVE but to give a ministry to each one and for everyone involved in the launch team.

We will be discussing the Task cell after our meeting tonight which exists to SERVE our city with outreach oriented events for the purpose of evangelism. We will be discussing, planning, and putting critical happenings into motion that will allow us to get our name out into the community. A few items that we will be discussing tonight are:

1. Movies in the Park (August)

2. Hospitality Booth at Balloon Fest (July)

3. Cafe and Hospitality Ministry for Preview and Public Services (Our first being June 13)

4. Field Trip to Area Church for the purpose of seeing hospitality in action

for a weekend service (Sunday June 6th)

Please let us know if you have any interest in being with us tonight to discuss these matters further. We are incredibly excited for your direct involvement and are looking forward to seeing God do some awesome things in our community!

Reaching Out without Selling Out

2010-05-25T15:37:00.007-04:00

Lately I've been reading a book by Mark Driscoll called Radical Reformission. The book is a call to really live out the mission of Jesus by reaching people in their world as opposed to ours. The tagline of the book is "Reaching Out without Selling Out."

The first chapter deals with the Samaritan women at the well. I encourage you to read John 4:1-42 and then answer the following queations.

1. Who do some Christians in your town, or the larger area on which you live, consider to be the Samaritans? Why do you think some Christians don't like them?

2. What parts of your town or area are like Samaria to you?

3. What were the Samaritan Women's sins? What do you think might be some common sins among the Samaritans in your town?

4. What pains must the women's sins have caused her? What's pains are your Samaritans' sins causing them?

5. In your area, where are the Jacob's wells and Pagan temples where the Samaritans hang out?

6. What barriers did Jesus need to cross to evangelize the Samaritan women? What barriers would you need to cross to connect with the Samaritans in your culture?

7. What changes took place in the women's lifestyle? What might change in the lives of the Samaritans in your town or area of they met Jesus and repented of their sinful lifestyles?

8. Why do you think some of the disciples did not say anything to Jesus when they saw Him speaking to the Samaritan women? What do you think some of your Christian friends might say if you befriended a Samaritan?

9. Why was the women at the well best suited to do mission work in Sychar? Which people, if converted, would be best suited for mission in your town?

10. What was Jesus' sence of urgency harvesting souls, and do you and your Christian friends share this urgency? Why or why not?

11. In what ways is your salvation story (or perhaps of someone you know) similar to the story of the women at the well?

eVite: New Hope Ashland: Saturday Nights at 6PM

2010-05-21T11:26:00.006-04:00

Week in Review: Divine Appointments

2010-05-21T08:02:00.007-04:00

This last month at New Hope we have been discussing the core value of RELATIONAL EVANGELISM in a message series called Bridges. We have discovered the 3 stories of conversion from the book of Acts (the Ethiopian Eunuch, Cornelius, and Saul). All three had unique facets but each had similarities showing that Jesus draws all kinds of people to himself. We also discovered that Jesus is actively involved in helping us build relational bridges that connect people to himself.

This week, on the way over from Pittsburgh to Ashland, I was listening to a pastor on the radio talking about the need for relational evangelism. He admitted to the faithfulness of God in connecting him with people that needed to hear the gospel every time he asked for it. He also confessed that because God was always so faithful in bringing him new people to share the gospel with that he would stop asking for more people which would turn into weeks and months before he would have another "divine appointment".

I prayed, after I heard this, for divine appointments this week and I felt God's active involvement in directing me to people that He had already been working on. I had at least 6 really good discussions with people that were either seeking for truth or disconnected from a body of believers. Most gave word that they would be with us this weekend! On top of that I spent some time with some really great people that are already involved at New Hope!

Are you praying for New Hope? If not please take 10 seconds right now and pray for us.

Have you asked Jesus to reveal to you the people that He is already at work on?

Will you ask Jesus for a divine appointment today?

We are set for another launch team meeting this Saturday at ABC Church on 2750 Mifflin Avenue in Ashland (by Hospice) at 6 PM. Childcare is provided. See you then!

2010-05-14T15:05:00.004-04:00

We are gearing up for a great night together for our re-Launch services starting this Saturday at ABC Church (Ashland Brethren in Christ) at 6 pm. Please let us know if you have any questions. Childcare will be provided - see you then!

Fast and the Furriest

2010-05-14T09:44:00.005-04:00

*Milo and I getting some prayer time in this morning..

This week marks the beginning of our 40 days of prayer campaign of which we spoke of on Sunday at New Hope. I had also invited anyone that felt led to join me in a fast from food starting on Thursday Evening and ending on Friday before dinner. If you forgot or didn't want to that is more than fine but for those that have made a decision to do it I wanted to offer you a few words of encouragement. Here are some guidelines if you were wondering:

1. Fasting can be a departure from anything but most traditionally from food.

2. There are different types of fasts where you are alloted juice and some unleavened bread (crackers or flat bread) but that only applies to a multi-day fast. The one we are after is a total departure from food (but not water.. drink up!) for the total span of three meals.

3. Jesus fasted for 40 days for the purpose of preparing for ministry (Luke 4:1-13).

A great resource for your fast is A Hunger for God by John Piper.

Here is an excerpt summed up to help you understand a little of why fasting is vitally important for a renewal in our relationship with Jesus.

Deep down we all have a hunger for God - although it may be suppressed. It is not that we have eaten from the table of the Lord and are now full but because of the constant nibbling from the world's table our soul is stuffed with small things and there is no room for the great.

In essence what we are doing is making room for a porterhouse steak of the Greatness of God in our lives in stead of stuffing ourselves with the greasy drive-thru junk food the world offers our spirits. Have a great time of fellowship between you and the Lord today and we'll see you all tomorrow at the Ashland Brethren in Christ Church at 6 pm - did I mention that there will be pizza? I bet you didn't need to hear that right now after all this talk of fasting.. :)

Pastor Tim

Sunday Night Notables

2010-05-09T22:17:00.003-04:00

These last couple of weeks have been great getting to know you all a little better. I wanted to sum up a few thoughts from the series we have been in entitled "Bridges". Today we studied the story of the conversion of Cornelius - the lifetime Roman Military Officer. We learned that God had plans of not only converting Cornelius and his household but also Peter. Peter was already a believer and the head of the Christian movement at the time but was in need of what we labeled "Progressive Conversion" today.

The main thought from today's message was that there is no PARTIALITY with God and that many of us still unknowingly struggle with the barriers of PREDJUDICE &TRADITION.

The example of CORNELIUS shows us that God has his eye on people you haven’t NOTICED.

It is important to identify blind-spots when opening ourselves up to building bridges that connect people with the real living breathing Jesus. Here are a few more bullet points worth noting.

We must admit our inability to discern OPENNESS.

I thought this was key in the fact that God has been at work on others right under our noses that we have not yet discovered.

We must acknowledge that GOD really does the work.
We must view our role as a HERALD.
We must realize that the power of the Holy Spirit is released when Jesus is NAMED & EXPLAINED.
Just as Peter experienced PROGRESSIVE CONVERSION as he shared with Cornelius, so do we as we share with others.

Ask God this week to reveal to you who He has been drawing to Himself. Identify a “Cornelius” that you know and may possibly be within your sphere of influence.

This weekend was our last weekend at Ashland High School until our first preview service on Sunday June 13th. This gives us about 4 weeks lead time in order to prepare. We will be ready for our first service but at the moment we have to get teams in formation. The next few weeks at New Hope will be dedicated to a re-Launch and below are a few things you need to know

We will be meeting at The Ashland Brethren in Christ Church at 2750 Mifflin Avenue at 6 pm in the Fellowship Hall. You can park in the back and come in through the back door or come in through the front. It doesn't matter which door you come in just as long as you come!
We will be having some fellowship time after the service so feel free to stick around for some pizza!
There will be child care provided.
Please bring your questions, concerns, and an attitude that says "I'm all in."

Today also marked the beginning of our 40 Day of Prayer. Please be in prayer for God's will concerning New Hope. We firmly believe that the best days are yet ahead and are fully trusting God to do His will through us! I also asked everyone to consider fasting one day out of the week. You don't have to fast at the same time that I will be but I will be fasting from Thursday Evening to Friday Evening every week until the end of the 40 days.

I still would love to get together with you at sometime during this week if you have the availability. I will be hanging out at Aroma's most of the week but feel free to hit me up for a meal or just a break to sit down and chat. Email me at pastorholman@gmail.com and I will try my best to work around your schedule. Have a great week and we'll see you on Saturday at 6!

Pastor Tim

Pastor Tim Holman and Family

2010-05-01T12:20:00.006-04:00

Good Afternoon New Hope Ashland!

This is Tim Holman, new pastor at New Hope Ashland with a short intro about me and my family. Some of you have already met me and my family through the last couple weeks at New Hope. We're very excited to see that God has already been at work and believe whole heartedly that the best days at New Hope are ahead!

Here's a little bit of my story...

Some of you know that my family and I have been north of Pittsburgh for the last 18 months serving at Grace Community Church in Cranberry Twp. Pennsylvania. Before we lived in PA, my family and I lived in Galion Ohio for 7 years. During that time in Ohio, Beka and I fell in love with "Small Town America" while living in Galion (population 11,000) and serving at Gospel Baptist Church with Pastor Monty Trammel. Tears and mid-western pride fill me up everytime I hear "Small Town" by John Mellencamp.

I count it as a blessing that I come from a long line of preachers. I am humbled that God has used my family for so long serving the church. I don't hold that in a spirit of arrogance or entitlement but with great respect. My family is by no means perfect but for some reason or another God continues to call my family into the ministry. I remember growing up in a pastor's home. Happy times much like any other - filled with bumps and bruises but also love and sacrifice. I received Christ on November 21, 1991 and was baptized shortly thereafter. My mom and dad would tell you that my coming to faith was for real. Jesus dramatically changed me! A few years later I knelt down again at the alter at West Chester Baptist Church (Cincinnati Ohio) and surrendered my life to full time ministry in November of 1993.

Two years later I was home for winter break from college. My dad and I went to a little church in Southern Indiana for a Bible conference. I had been questioning whether or not I was really called into the ministry and was debating coming home from Bible college. It was there that I knelt again at an alter in that little Baptist church where God not only confirmed my calling into the ministry but also confirmed in me a call me to preach (December 1995). I'm sorry if this language is new to some of you but a "call to preach" is different in the fact the God calls someone specifically to pastor a local church. Man am I glad I came back to college after that because I met Beka that next semester! She is my best friend, mother to our children (Cameron-10, Claire-8, Caloway-5, and one one the way!) and my most treasured partner in ministry!

I’ll admit that I have been pushing off the idea of pastoring a church for some time because I’ve seen all that pastor’s and their families have to endure. It is no small task and not for the faint of heart. Most pastor’s are under massive amounts of stress and on the “full stretch” at all times.

A few months ago Beka and I started to talk about pastoring a church and when we felt that time would come. I had no desire to do so right away and living in Pittsburgh has been great! We have awesome friends, a really great church, and some of the best students we have ever had the privilege of working with! Like always I started to question being a Senior pastor of a church and really debated whether or not there was a need for another church in the United States – already being saturated with “steeples rising high above the malls”.

I had been reading the Bible faithfully, seeking clarity, but clarity would allude me again driving me further into a spiritual fog. It wasn’t until one day I was driving to the gym to workout while I was spending some time in prayer and really asking God to show me that He was leading me to pastor. Immediately following my “Amen” I noticed a lighted church sign asking these words in bright red rotating letters.. “Do you love me?” Not wasting a second, I answered it back aloud saying, “Yes Lord, You know that I love you.” The next flashing sentence jumped off the screen and answered back, “Feed my sheep.”

I knew at that moment that Jesus was directing me to pastor and I am so glad that the opportunity opened up for me was to pastor New Hope Community Church!

New Hope, you have a story of your own. After all the transition you all have experienced, considering whether or not to continue meeting wouldn't be out of the question for anyone in your position.. but that would be the easy way out. It's easy for us after having gone through turmoil and a loss of momentum, to just hit the delete button and move on to something else.

I firmly believe that New Hope has discovered that there is still HOPE for the church and it is realistic to effectively reach Ashland for Christ! Doors that have been shut can and will be reopened if God so chooses. You all have a tremendous opportunity and a vibrant team of people capable of redeeming that which has been broken and undervalued in our community. We have the desire and the ability to reach the city of Ashland Ohio by lifting up Jesus and He has promised us that even the gates of hell will not overcome it (Matthew 16:13-19)!

I haven't had a chance to meet everyone involved though, so please seek me out on a Sunday morning and say "hi" or drop me a note at pastorholman@gmail.com. It will take me a long time to get around to each of you so please don't hesitate sending me an email or hitting me up on facebook for a get together. I love coffee and would love to get to know your story a little better!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tim

Finding Focus

2010-04-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

Greetings friends!
This is your "Transitional Navigator" Jared Heaton coming to you one last time over the friendly "web-waves" as I write my last installment in the NHA blog. This Sunday will be my last with NHA as I've taken a position with a Converge church in Minnesota as their senior high youth pastor. The church is called First Baptist Church and its in the small town of Cambridge. I know, the name is kind of generic, not nearly as hip and fresh as New Hope Ashland, but they've actually got a daughter church in town named New Hope so that name is already taken. And I'm rambling...
So, because this is my last Sunday, I wanted to leave you all with something that's very special to me, a sermon that truly comes from my heart. When I was in Haiti a few months ago, I allowed myself to get so consumed by the work of the ministry that I failed to nurture the relationship that begets the ministry. With my personal relationship with God weakened, I returned from the trip exhausted and without the focus required to lead others in spiritual growth. Luckily, I had prepared thoughts and notes for the upcoming Sunday sermons before the trip and by the following Sunday, I was encouraged and ready to bring the Word. It was a close call though and a real wake up call to keep my eyes where they need to be first and foremost. In order for any of us to be effective witnesses of Christ in this life, we have to train our eyes on Christ alone. Hebrews 12:2 speaks to this in that, the reason we look only on Jesus is because he is the creator and sustainer of our faith. Without our eyes on Christ, all our service lacks meaning and true motivation. I can point to multiple times in my life where I have taken my focus off of Jesus and all of a sudden I'm feeling exhausted and unproductive. Have you ever felt like this? Join us this Sunday to hear the rest of what Christ has to tell us about his life-giving power and to hear some examples of people who learned this lesson the hard way.
Also this Sunday, Dan Peterson from Converge will be back with us to worship with us and to lead the second Town Hall meeting of all NHA members/attendees. Last month, Dan collected input from all of you and this Sunday he's going to deliver the information gleaned from that input and help us map a future for NHA. Your participation is vital to the future of NHA. This is YOUR church. God has brought you here to work through you. We'll meet following the worship service and we'll provide pizza and pop for lunch. See you then, my brothers and sisters!

Heaton, out.