Church

350th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH DECEMBER 2007

The 350th Anniversary Mission Project: The congregation will be partnering with Calvary Presbyterian Church on Maryland Avenue and with the Friendship House in Wilmington to assist them in creating a Level II homeless shelter for men in a house owned by Calvary Presbyterian Church.

DECEMBER 2006

  • On Saturday, December 9, 2006 as part of the Spirit of Christmas historical items will be displayed in cases in the CE Building and commemorative items will be for sale. The Anniversary Quilt will be on display. The outside banner announcing the 350th anniversary of the church will be displayed and the pamphlet highlighting the history of the church and announcing the 350th Anniversary Celebration will be available.
  • On Sunday Evening, December 31, 2006, at 5:30 p.m., there will be a New Year’s Eve Progressive Dinner followed by a Church Service where the 350th Anniversary Quilt will be installed on the balcony in the Meeting House.

JANUARY 2007

  • Historical vignettes will begin appearing in the Church Newsletter each month and historical vignettes will appear in the Church Bulletin two times a month.
  • On Sunday, January 7, 2007 at the 11:00 a.m. service, the congregation will sing the new hymn by the Rev. Carolyn Gillette of Limestone Presbyterian Church, written especially for the 350th Anniversary Celebration.

FEBRUARY 2007

  • On Sunday Morning, February 4, 2007 at the 11:00 p.m. service, there will be a special emphasis on the music and the church service format as it would have occurred in the Meeting House in the 1600s.

MARCH 2007

  • On Sunday Evening, March 11, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the Meeting House there will be a seminar on the history of Protestantism in the 17 and 18th centuries with speaker Carol Hoffecker, a retired history professor from the University of Delaware. Following the presentation refreshments will be served in the C.E. Building.
  • On Sunday Evening, March 18, 2007 at 6:00 p.m., there will be a special Family Night Supper and program. The Program will include an interview with Ralph Johnson and others on their memories of the history of the New Castle Presbyterian Church.

APRIL 2007

  • On Sunday Morning, April 22, 2007 at the 11:00 a.m. service our new anthem by Michael Larkin of the NewArk Chorale, written especially for the 350th Anniversary Celebration, will be presented.
  • On Sunday Evening April 22, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a second seminar on the history of Presbyterianism locally with speaker Russ McCabe, Director of the Delaware State Archives. Following the presentation refreshments will be served in the C.E. Building.

MAY 2007

  • On Saturday, May 19, 2007 during a “Day in Old New Castle” historical items will be on display in cases in the CE Building, commemorative items will be for sale and our Meeting House will be open for tours.
  • On Tuesday, May 22, 2007 from 9:30 a.m. the New Castle Presbyterian Church will host the May meeting of the New Castle Presbytery which has been in existence for 300 years.

JUNE 2007

  • On Saturday, June 9, 2007 during the “Separation Day” activities our Meeting House will be open for tours and information on the 350th Anniversary celebration will be available.
  • On Sunday Evening, June 3, 2007, there will be a third seminar on historical issues. Bill Quillen, retired Superior Court Judge will talk about the life of Judge George Gray a New Castle resident who was a candidate for nomination for the office for President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention in the early 1900’s. Following the presentation refreshments will be served in the C.E. Building.
  • On Sunday Morning, June 10, 2007, following the 10:00 a.m. worship service the church will celebrate its 350th Birthday with a picnic complete with a cake, balloons and games.

JULY and AUGUST 2007

  • On Sunday Morning, July 1, 2007 at our 10:00 a.m. service, there will be a special emphasis on the music and the church service format as it would have occurred in the Meeting House in 1776.
  • There will be a 350th Anniversary Mission project for the Church youth.

SEPTEMBER 2007

  • On Sunday Evening, September 23, 2007 at 6:00 p.m., there will be a special Family Night Supper and program. The program will focus on the renovations in 1950 to our historic Meeting House.

OCTOBER 2007

  • On Sunday Morning, October 14, 2007, there will be a special emphasis on the music and the church service format as it would have occurred in the Meeting House in the 1800s.
  • On Sunday Morning, October 21, 2007, following the 11:00 a.m. worship service there will be a tour of our historic Cemetery (located behind Gambacorta’s car dealership).

NOVEMBER 2007

  • On Sunday Evening, November 11, 2007, we will celebrate our 350th Anniversary with a banquet and special program at Wilmington College. Past and present members, former pastors and community leaders will be invited.
  • On Thursday Morning, November 22, 2007, at 8:00 a.m. in the morning we will celebrate Thanksgiving with a breakfast and a special showing of the Reverend Ralph Johnson’s Thanksgiving program.

DECEMBER 2007

  • On Saturday December 8, 2007 “Spirit of Christmas” there will be a display of historical items in the display cases in the CE Building and commemorative items will be for sale.
  • On Sunday Morning, December 30, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. there will be a special concluding church service where the congregation will remember the past and celebrate the future including the singing of our 350th Anniversary hymn and anthem.
  • On Monday Evening, December 31, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. we will hold a New Year’s Eve Progressive Dinner followed by a church service closing out our year of Celebration.