The Herald
THE HERALD IS NEW DOVER’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THAT OUTLINES WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PDF OR EXPLORE HERE ON THIS PAGE AS WELL! PDF: June 2025
With the approval of the Church Council, in an effort to reduce the cost of publishing and mailing of The Herald, we will start sending it electronically in September issue. Paper copies will be available for those who prefer it. Please email me at admin@newdoverumc.org with your preference. If you would like an electronic copy, please provide me with correct email address. Thanks, Trish
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With the approval of the Church Council, in an effort to reduce the cost of publishing and mailing of The Herald, we will start sending it electronically in September issue. Paper copies will be available for those who prefer it. Please email me at admin@newdoverumc.org with your preference. If you would like an electronic copy, please provide me with correct email address. Thanks, Trish 〰️
CHUCK’S CHURCH CHAT
Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things
To yield with a grace to reason
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?
from “Reluctance”
by Robert Frost
Saints,
Grace to you and peace in this month of celebrations, goodbyes, and gratitude for jobs well-done!
The prime, active church year for New Dover, like most mainline churches, really kicks off in September and winds down in June, dissolving into a summer sabbath (Vacation Bible School notwithstanding!). Deserved thanks to all who have stepped up including our Sunday School teachers and administrators, worship participants, Bible study leaders, our United Methodist Women and Men, YAYA, the New Dover Church Council, Board of Trustees, and all who work so hard behind the scenes to empower our wide-ranging ministry! Now... I have some good news and some bad news to share...
The good news is that our two outstanding student pastors, Chantel and Doreen have received full-time appointments in the United Methodist Church! The bad news is that these appointments are hundreds of miles away in the great American Midwest! While we are thrilled for Chantel and Doreen, we will miss them terribly. They have brought so many gifts and graces to our church, and we are spiritually enriched from having known them!
For both of them it was quite a long journey from Zimbabwe to Edison, via Drew Seminary. Many of you may not know this, but one of the reasons we were blessed with Doreen and Chantel was the United Methodist institution known as “Africa University.” Although the dream began in the late 19th century, things officially took off in 1984, when two African United Methodist bishops proposed to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry the establishment of a university in Africa that all Africans could attend. In 1988 United Methodists from all over the world overwhelmingly accepted the proposal to begin what would be called Africa University.
Its mission statement reads as follows:
To provide high quality pan-African-centered higher education grounded in
Christian values and to nurture in students, transformative leadership competencies
that are relevant for Africa’s development.
Saints, we, like so many United Methodist churches across the globe, have directly benefitted from the dream that became Africa University. And did you know that part of our shared ministries (apportionments) that go to the Conference help fund the university? In a very real way, the blessings we gave have been returned a hundredfold! To find out more about Africa University visit their website at https://africau.edu.
Okay, that said, just a personal note about working with Chantel and Doreen this past church year. When it comes to taking on a student pastor (in our case, two), education is a two-way street. While I have enjoyed sharing with them my years of experience, I’ve also been enriched by hearing their stories, and exchanging our ideas on ministry. In addition to being women of action, both Chantel and Doreen are avid learners who take their calling very seriously, and I know they have grown so much in their time with us. New Dover has a reputation across the Greater New Jersey Conference of being an excellent teaching church, and over the years our track record bears that out. And so I am convinced that Doreen and Chantel will head west, taking what they experienced in their year among us, and pastor successful churches that will reflect the unconditional love of God!
As much as I hate to see them go, I am much more excited to hear all about what their gifts and graces will bring to their new church homes. I know you all join with me in praying for their ongoing journey and wishing them nothing but the best God has to offer!
Your fellow pilgrim to Kingdom’s end,
Chuck
KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS
Jayne Bonner
Debbie Ladym
Fran Livecchia
Jerry DiRenzo
John Resch
Pat Carpenter & Brian Richards
Service men & women
Veterans
Homeless, unemployed & uninsured
The People of Ukraine
For Peace in the ongoing conflict in Israel & Gaza
Victims & their Families of mass shootings
All Elderly of NDUMC
Pray for all those affected by Natural Disasters, those suffering with addictions, those suffering from depression, Victims of terrorism & violence, all national leaders, and all those serving at New Dover UMC. All doctors, nurses, EMT, teachers, grocery store workers, janitors, and all other frontline workers. Thank you and God Bless.
If you wish to add anyone to the 2025 permanent prayer list, please contact Karen Rowland at krowland648@yahoo.com
PLEASE JOIN US FOR PRAYER FELLOWSHIP EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 10 AM
Sermon of the Month
“Tinder and Spark”
(Preached on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020)
Amos 5:6-15
Acts 2:1-15
“It only takes a spark to get a fire going...” So says the classic hymn “Pass It On”
Years before it was given a hallowed place in our United Methodist Hymnal the song was strummed on guitars and sung around countless Methodist campfires, which, as a scientist, I found somewhat ironic since a campfire, in actuality, proves that the hymn isn’t literally true!
You see, in reality, it takes more than a spark to get a fire going; it also takes tinder.
What is tinder? Tinder is what actually burns in a fire. In a campfire that’s the logs. The logs are the tinder. No tinder, no fire. But when it comes to a fire, anything that’s flammable can serve as tinder to receive the spark. Recently, massive wildfires in places like California used the dry tinder of the forest floor to engulf thousands of acres. Fires will even use our very homes as tinder, and often, tragically, take human lives. Last April we all watched on in horror and sadness as a massive fire tore through the dry wooden tinder of Notre Dame. Without tinder, a spark, whether it’s as small as a match or as big as bolt of lightning, is nothing more than a fleeting flash of heat and light. But with the right tinder, under the right conditions, a spark can burn down anything in its path. Could be a mighty forest or a family home, or a beloved cathedral. Or a nation.
Again, no fire can start without tinder. A spark alone is not sufficient for a fire. The fires we have witnessed over the past few days: not the literal fires set by looters and rioters, but rather the fires of angry protests raging on the streets of our cities would not have started if there was no tinder to burn. The sparks that ignited these fires were the killings of two Afro-American men: Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Those responsible will be made to stand trial for their actions. In and of themselves their deaths were horrific and unjustifiable and rightfully spark cries of pain and outrage. But without the tinder of centuries of racial inequality, political oppression, and economic injustice to receive those sparks, there would have been no conflagration. And so, we who dare to call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ must ask, what is our role and what are our responsibilities when it comes to quenching the flames that are burning as we speak? For that we turn once again to the pages of scripture, seeking instances when fires broke out.
In the Bible fire has widespread symbolic meaning It is often used to epitomize God’s utter holiness. Moses encountered God in a burning bush. God led the Israelites through the wilderness by night with a pillar of fire. Fire was used in Temple worship for the roasting of sacrifices. And of course this Sunday we recall the “divided tongues as of fire” that rested on the disciples at Pentecost, inspiring them to emerge from their hideaway and stride boldly into the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
But more often than not, the symbolism of fire in the pages of scripture is that of the wrath of God, a destructive/corrective force against sinfulness in the world. Through Jeremiah God declares, “Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
This is proven time and again in the biblical narrative, like when God reigned fire and sulfur down on Sodom for their mistreatment of Lot’s guests. Or when the prophet Malachi compared God’s weeding out of sin to the way fire refines metals by burning off impurities. Or in the book of Revelation when mighty Babylon is burned to the ground for its persecution of the church, and Satan, along with the two beasts is cast into the lake of fire.
And so on this Pentecost Sunday we’re going to take a fascinating look at the role fire played in the book of the prophet Amos, and how his ancient prophecies yet speak to us about how we might address the fires that are burning across our nation this very morning. And what we will discover is this: We may not be able to quench every spark, but we can absolutely do something about removing the tinder!
Amos begins his prophecies by announcing that seven times God will send fires to destroy the defenses of Israel’s neighbors. But God’s most severe accusations are actually aimed at Israel itself! “Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.” Why is God so angry with Israel? They thought they were in good with God because they counted prosperity of the wealthiest among them as a sign of God’s blessing. But as Amos prophesied, nothing could be further from the truth.
Their prioritizing of wealth over compassion was itself the tinder that would burn!
“Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate.
That is the tinder to which God will provide the spark:
The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name, who makes destruction flash out against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
But there is still hope if they remove the tinder through repentance:
Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate...”
So what is the tinder we need to remove today? Saints, we who are not in the minority are so often slow to perceive the pain and anguish that people of color and recent immigrants go through every day of their lives. But we are so quick to judge those who, without seeing any other alternative, take to the streets! Only by removing the flammable tinder of racism, political oppression, and economic injustice, will we at last live out Jesus’ call to discipleship. Only by treating everyone equally under the law will we, as Americans, fulfill the creed of our Constitution. Only by removing the tinder will we deliver the Kingdom of God in all its righteous glory!
In a Conference-wide email this Thursday, Bishop Schol wrote:
“Not only did George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery die too young, but racism led to the deaths. I believe God, like a mother of us all is saying, “it just shouldn’t happen this way. You were created to be one people, one family and racism is a sin against creation and a rejection of me and my creation.
When African Americans are being killed for the color of their skin, when Asians are being blamed for the Coronavirus, when Hispanics are told you do not belong here, the church must not point to its progress as though we have done our part. Prejudice and racism continue when we do not speak out about the injustices and treatment of people because of the color of their skin.
Each of us has a moral obligation to be angered and denounce prejudice, racism and privilege when we encounter it. I call all United Methodists to pray, work for and model acceptance, inclusion and equality in our church, in our homes, in our jobs, in our communities and in our schools. I also call all United Methodists to pray for the Floyd and Arbery families during their grief.
May the peace and justice of Christ Jesus abide in and be exemplified through each of us.”
Saints, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our faith is not rocket science! It’s not all that complicated when it comes down to it. Once we remove the tinder, the sparks will have nothing to catch on to. We do that by living out the love our Lord demands, with empathy for those who cry out in pain, and with courage to go forth and build the very Kingdom of God for which Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Or again, as Amos so eloquently put it,
“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate...”
FINANCE NEWS
Stewardship Corner
Nominations Committee
Romans 12: 4-8
4 For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
“The function of the Nominations Committee is to identify, develop, deploy, evaluate, and monitor Christian spiritual leadership for the local congregation. The committee shall recommend to the charge conference, at its annual session, the names of people to serve as officers and leaders of designated ministries of the church council required for the work of the church and as the law of the church requires or as the charge conference deems necessary to its work. In short, it is the job of this committee to discern the gifts of the members of the congregation and match them with the leadership needs of the church.”
We have reached the point in the year where the Nominations Committee is beginning to examine the upcoming vacancies on committees and trying to find those in the congregation that may have the gifts to fill those vacancies. There are generally 3 vacancies on each committee each year. If you would like to share your gifts with the church, please see Rev Chuck to find out where you might fit in. New faces on committees mean new ideas!
Handbells
The Annual All Bells Ring will be held on Sunday, June 1 at 9:30am. Join us at Bound Brook UMC 150 W. Union Ave, Bound Brook, NJ to hear the combined bell choirs of New Dover, First UMC of Scotch Plains and Bound Brook.
Note to Ringers: May 25 will be the last rehearsal of the season.
United Women in Faith
Our next meeting is scheduled for June 11 at 6:00pm. This will be our last meeting until September. We will hold a business meeting including elections of new officers. After the business meeting, there is a covered dish dinner. Bring your favorite appetizer, dish or salad. Dessert will be provided by the hostesses of the month.
All women of the church are invited.
VBS 2025
Magnified! VBS
July 14-18, 2025 | 9am-12pm
Children embark on a nature-filled adventure to explore God’s greatness!
REGISTER TODAY!
Pre-K (age 4) - 8th grade: $10 per child
Online registration found here.
Any questions? Please contact us at NewDoverVBS@gmail.com.
Jehovah Jireh Garden
Saturday, May 3rd was a beautiful day to plant a garden. The Jehovah Jireh Garden is now planted. Thank you to Sue Dalton for spearheading this project and organizing all the volunteers. If you would like to help with the harvesting of the veggies weekly, contact Sue either at church or through the office.
Strawberry Festival
Join us on Sunday, June 8th for our Annual Strawberry Festival!
As we celebrate the end of the Sunday School year.
Sign up sheets are in Fellowship Hall for donations and help with set-up and clean-up.
GRADS
Congratulations to our 2025 New Dover Graduates!
Chantel Makarawa: Drew University | Master’s of Divinity
Doreen Mhlandhla: Drew University | Master’s of Divinity
Sarisha Christian: Rutgers University | Master’s of Psychology
Carolyn DeCicco (granddaughter of Dianne Petersen): Florida Institute of Technology | Master’s of Applied Behavioral Assessment for Children
Declan O’Rourke: Colonia High School | High School
Risith Duggimpudi: J.P. Stevens High School | High School
Jiya K. Katthula: John Adams Middle School | 8th Grade