Hope For the Holidays
December 2022
Season’s Greetings NoCo Family & Friends,
Christmas is truly a most unusual time of year. It can stir up a kaleidoscope of emotions, unearth long-buried memories, & seemingly amplify the joys—or woes—of one’s present circumstances. No matter where you find yourself this Christmas, we pray that your hearts will be full of HOPE as we celebrate the advent of Christ & the assurance of our salvation in Him.
For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; & the government shall be upon His shoulder, & His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government & of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it & to uphold it with justice & with righteousness from this time forth & forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7
All of us at The Novelty Collective are looking forward to the New Year with great expectation. Our hope is not merely planted in blind faith, but rooted in God’s tangible faithfulness at work, in our lives & throughout our community. We would now like to invite you to celebrate some of those ways with us!
#Givingtuesday
Those of you who have been following our story on social media may recall our recent fundraising campaign for Giving Tuesday. If you missed out or are unfamiliar with this holiday, it is a global day of radical charity & becoming a part of something much bigger than ourselves.
This past Giving Tuesday, The Novelty Collective set out to raise funds for another year of programming. With more Afterschool students than ever, we are in constant need of snacks, art supplies, & new Jesus Centered Bibles. In the new year, we hope to offer even more services to our students, their parents, & other aspiring artists (more on that later in this newsletter). We are pleased to report that over the course of just a few days, our Giving Tuesday Campaign was supported by fifteen donors who gave a total of $1,235! Seven of our ministry partners committed to giving monthly!
We cannot possibly thank you enough for believing in us & the work we are doing. By your constant prayer & financial support, you are making a real difference in this beautiful city. It means the world that you recognize the need & have the courage to join with us in our mission to “Restore creation to its Creator.” If you have not had the chance to make a donation & would like to become one of our ministry partners, you sign up to give monthly or send a one-time gift here:
the greatest gift
“The Greatest Gift Exchange” has been one of our most sacred traditions to host a Christmas Party for the students of The COVE: Afterschool every year. We spend the week leading up to our party studying Advent & creating Christmas-themed crafts at The COVE Art Center; then we invite the students to Home of the Nomad to celebrate Christmas with our resident artists & other members of the team. We had nearly thirty kids at the house for our celebration this year, & we are so thankful to have made such wonderful memories with each of them!
We always ask the students to start making a list of items they would want for Christmas four-to-five weeks before the party so we can make sure everyone gets at least one of the things they ask for. However, as you can imagine, purchasing fifty or sixty Christmas presents is usually way beyond our budget for a single program day! But every year we have done this, we’ve had more ministry partners eager to give than we know what to do with. We want to say a big thank you to each of our friends & family members who shared the joy of Christmas & the love of Christ by their intentional gifts this December. Enjoy the photos, & please visit our social media pages for even more party highlights!
winter break
The conclusion of our Christmas party marked the beginning of an extended winter break. Over the next month & a half, The Novelty Collective Team will be taking time off from The COVE: Afterschool to work on their own projects, spend time with family, & rest up for the next season of programming. A few of us will continue working through the break to update our spaces & prepare future Bible & art lessons.
A month & a half seems like a long time to cease all activity here, but we won’t be shut down entirely. This year, we initiated private art lessons for students interested in more concentrated, creative studies. Those lessons will continue through December & January. We already have ten students—but there are still open sessions (contingent on the teacher/medium). Lessons are available to aspiring adult artists, as well! If you or anyone you know would be interested in learning visual arts, music, & other types of media, please send The COVE a direct message.
We also see this break as a chance to pray & ask God for the wisdom to continue operating The Novelty Collective according to His will. With more time available to sit in quiet & listen, we are expecting to hear directly from the Father on how best to move forward in caring for those He directs into our path. We are asking that you would join us in doing the same! Pray for our students, for their parents, for our leaders, & our finances. We will also be praying for you, our ministry partners!
true light
I hope this brief glimpse into our ministry has been encouraging & uplifting. It brings us great joy to share what God is doing here in Pittsburgh with you. We only wish we could recount all the special moments that only He is capable of facilitating during Afterschool, our outreach events, & the many activities that go on at The COVE Art Center. Have faith & believe the Lord is working miracles in your own life, & we’ll be praying He will make it unmistakably clear to you during this blessed season.
Merry Christmas!
“The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace & truth.”
In His Service,
The Novelty Collective Team
Article Written by Jordan A. King
