New Song Church: Love God. Love Others. Serve All.

Even in the midst of COVID-19... racial tensions... school name battles... loss of normalcy... economic stress... political divisions... (this list of headlines could keep going and going), God has proven I Corinthians 13:7 true: that love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things."

We give thanks for God's provision and constant guidance, for each of you, and for the certain knowledge that there's more to be done in Christ's name.  In addition to making huge strides towards a soon-to-be built facility expansion at New Song, here are just some of the highlights you might remember…
 
Worship

• Established an online presence with weekly worship on Sunday mornings @ 10am
• Held weekly worship features throughout Covid:
  • Weekly Worship Round-up’s on Tuesdays
  • Wednesday Night Live (online)
  • Friday Firepit Family Praise (online)
• Updated technology: new sound boards, outdoor system, camera improvements, partnered with several companies to assist in livestream (for sound, video, publication)
• Held weekly Prayer Times on Mondays with Pastor Chad, April-August
• Have transitioned and adapted to include indoor, parking lot, and Youth Box worship locations
• Have included options for in-person, 2nd location, and virtual options
• Incorporated new volunteers onto the Tech and Worship Teams
• Held multiple Covid-safe Baptisms and new membership classes
• Welcomed Juan Pineda as our new Worship Leader 2 weeks before Covid-19 hit
• Not only Virginia… we’ve welcomed friends from an international audience, in addition to friends from Ohio, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, etc. to our worship services
• Over 2,500 “New Neighbor” letters were mailed to new residents in and around our zip codes
• Weekly online bulletins, Connection Cards, Prayer Requests and newsletters have been sent
• Held several worship events: Trees of Hope, Christmas Eve & times for outdoor Holy Communion
• Started “Coffee on the Grounds” – a weekly opportunity for devotion & connecting with others
• Posted a first-ever Christmas Worship Team CD – (our first 6 songs are on the website!)
• Blue Christmas Service (Dec. 20 @ 6pm) for those seeking hope at the holidays
• Safely offered Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Christmas Eve and more for the community

 
Small Groups/Discipleship

• Began the year with 8 active, in-person small groups and grew from there
• 6 new leaders were added in 2020, all helping to begin new gathering opportunities
• Have added Facebook Live, Zoom, and YouVersion group meetings since March
• Have transitioned several groups back to in-person, online-only, and hybrid platforms
• In total, we have generated nearly 25 small groups this year running at different schedules
• We have welcomed over 230 individuals as participants in various small groups
• 3 New Song: 101 classes were offered with 22 participating via Zoom
• Plans have been made to offer six New Song: 101 and 201 classes in 2021
• Launched Small Groups Roundtable: a gathering for leaders to coordinate, strategize and plan
• Established an Intentional Discipleship Program to help new guests connect and engage
• Updated small groups library: now active & in use (cleared out years of materials not in use)
• Supported many initiatives throughout the year as each group Studied, Socialized and Served

 
Church Community Builder (CCB)

• Generated an online Church database that is helping us better connect
• Assists in tracking events, services, activities, participation and calendaring
• Has been a bonus to have in place for required registrations for Covid-19
• Has made an app available for Church information “on the go”
• Has helped in organizing and setting up new systems for future growth
• We invite you to sign up today: www.newsongumc.org/ccb

 
Youth

• Held a very successful Spaghetti Supper & Silent Auction (pre-Covid)
• Transitioned to an all Zoom format
• Held weekly lessons, prayers, gatherings and events for middle and senior higher’s
• Transitioned back to a safe, in-person format – at homes, church, parks and beyond
• Held an “Adopt-a-Senior” event for all our Class of 2020 Graduates
• Participated in many missions: compiling kits for multiple projects – shoes, dresses and supplies
• Performed a yard work service project for local families: raking and mowing
• Family fun at various events: Ravenchase Scavenger Hunt event, Yorktown Beach, etc.
• Started back to weekly in-person Sunday School

 
Children

• Held weekly lessons via online presentations of songs, coloring sheets, videos and lessons
• Held a drive-thru Mother’s Day event for families with Roma’s Italian Restaurante
• Distributed Father’s Day kits to all our registered families
• Held our first-ever Virtual Vacation Bible School
• Saw many friends drive-through at the Mask-er-ade to pick up masks, sanitizer and supplies
• As school started, “Virtual Kids” started to meet those who are learning about Jesus from home
• Provided Advent Boxes, filled with crafts, lessons, activities and candy to celebrate Jesus’ birth
• Will soon hold our first-ever Virtual Christmas Pageant (Christmas Eve @ 3:30pm!)

 
Facilities

• Fully converted to Natural Gas for our facility’s HVAC and future appliance upgrades
• Replaced 4 out of 6 HVAC units that were originals (18 years old), now with online monitoring
• Replaced HVAC unit at the parsonage (20+ years old)
• Installed entryway carpeting
• Had trees removed at the Walnut Grove house
• Participated in “Active Shooter/Intruder” trainings with our Safety Team
• Painted the Commons, Offices, Children’s classroom and Nurseries
• Refurbished and re-floored Pastor’s office
• Started a Community Garden with over 140 lbs. of fresh produce going to local food banks
• Removed overgrown/dated bushes in the front loop
• Gardening Small Group put in over 420 hours’ worth of work to weed, plant and keep us green
• Installed an exterior camera/security system
• Passed our Fire Marshall and Storm Water Retention Pond inspections
• Installed new signage around the ponds for increased safety
• Policies generated and implemented: Facilities Maintenance and Safe Sanctuaries

 
Financials

• 116 individuals connected to New Song for the very first time in 2020
• 4,500+ individual transactions came through our system this year for various contributions
• More transactions were made online than ever before, with some weeks as high as 88% online
• Over 1,000 giving statements have been sent in 2020
• PPP Funds were secured in the amount of $72,500 from the CARES Act
• Kroger Rewards to New Song for 2020: $604.55
• AmazonSmiles Rewards to New Song for 2020: $1,136.07
• Received a $500 grant for the Community Garden
• Received a $2,000 grant for the Backpack Ministry
• Have applied for a FEMA grant and a new Backpack Ministry grant oppportunity
• On 8/1/20, the mortgage was $525,000. After Forward in Faith, the mortgage is now $312,000
  • $100,000 was received in late summer with the request it be a Matching Challenge
  • $101,285.04 was received as part of Forward in Faith
• With the launch of Church Community Builder (CCB) and PushPay, we have seen traditions hold:
  • We have always grown in our financials each year: money distributed & funds received
  • We have always paid 100% of our apportionments; 2020 was no different
  • We have always increased information access: giving statements, online platforms, etc.

  
Missions

• The Backpack Ministry has distributed backpacks every week to 80+ families throughout Covid
• Held a successful School Supply Drive to benefit Cold Harbor Elementary School in August
• Held 13 Food Drives which collected over 5 tons of food for local food banks
• Began supporting 2 new missionaries: Whit & Sydney Jackson (Campus Crusade/CRU)
• Close to $9,400 was raised through the (Virtual) MISSION POSSIBLE: 5K this year for Haiti
• Distributed over $3,000 in gift cards for food, gas and prescriptions through Financial Assistance
• Many volunteered at bi-monthly FeedMore Food Bank events at First Shiloh Baptist Church
• Over 100 meals taken after surgeries, stays in the hospital, new babies, funerals and more
• Bunches of SonShine Baskets were made and delivered for those needing a “pick-me-up!”
• Two LifeLine Health Screening events to help our community get/stay healthy were held
• Close to $2,000 worth of donations were collected for our CARITAS apartment sponsorship
• Our Easter Offering supported United Methodist Family Services (UMFS) towards adoption and foster care services and also Mechanicsville Churches Emergency Functions (MCEF)
• We distributed thousands in rent, prescription, mortgage and utility support in 2020
• We donated $2,800 to the PACE Campus Ministries at VCU
• We donated 120+ units of blood through our Community Blood Drives (more are scheduled!)
• Collected and delivered over 130 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
• Our Giving Tree “provided Christmas” for multiple families in Hanover County
• Bi-monthly trips have been taken to Our Shepherds Way to serve warm meals to the homeless
• We’ve held quarterly Mission Team meetings
• We’ve started a brand new Missions Small Group meeting monthly
• Donated $4,000 to assist Moments of Hope Outreach for their Room in the Inn program
• Donated additional funds to provide each student in the Backpack Ministry a grocery gift card of $25 for December and again in January

 
Christian Counseling

• Heather Shaheen:
  • Completed over 990 hours in counseling (821 by Zoom)
  • Over 500 hours in follow-up emails, texts, calls, texts
  • Led 8 Church Small Groups classes via Zoom
• Kimbely Williams:
  • 38 1-hour sessions of AA
  • 17 Aftercare Group sessions
  • 10 Behavioral Couple Sessions
  • 8 Boundaries Group sessions
  • 339 hours of individual counseling sessions
  • 49 Substance Abuse sessions

 
We are shown repeatedly in the Scriptures that "darkness shall not overcome the light."  We have enjoyed getting to share many examples of light. We aim higher, prayer harder, and continue to lift up all that will be 2021: may God shine all around you in this year to come.  We pray the Lord's strength, protection, energy, light, life, and love to you and yours.  

Thanks so much for an unforgettable 2020...
Now, as it's time to head into 2021, we can face tomorrow with God being our guide.
Our love and prayers remain; a Happy New Year to you especially now.

​Faithfully,
Pastor Chad