Stewards of God's Grace

Posted on: July 27, 2016
by: Jaime Carnaggio, Assistant Director of Women's Ministry

As mothers, our primary mission field is our family. Some of the most important work we do happens within the walls of our home, where we have the great privilege of raising up a new generation of Christians to be bold ambassadors for Christ.

The Mothers of Little Ones (MoLo) Bible study aims to equip us in this mission through fellowship, study and prayer. This group of women is committed to pressing deeper into God’s Word, exposing the gospel truths and applying the hope and promise of Scripture to our calling as mothers, wives and sisters-in-Christ. We allow God’s Word to penetrate our hearts in real and tangible ways in order to grow deeper in Christ and further into communion with one another.

MoLo meets every Thursday morning from 9.30-11 am during the fall and spring. We kick off our fall study on Thursday, September 8 in room 301 of the Education Building. We will explore how to be stewards of God's grace, the joy in suffering and how to stand firm in our faith in this timely in-depth study of 1 Peter. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5: 10-11

We love new faces! We would love to pray for you and learn alongside you! This study is not just for mothers of “little ones.” It is for any woman who desires to push deeper into God’s mighty Word and form relationships with other women who desire to do the same. Please contact Jaime Carnaggio if you are interested!

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Can You Unleash the Power of 55?

Posted on: July 27, 2016
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor

What can happen by making 55 our goal? What will God do through people whose passion is 55?

And what in the world am I talking about?

I’m talking about 8.55 and 10.55. I’m talking about church members who commit to arriving inside the sanctuary at least five minutes before the scheduled start. I believe it will transform our worship experience!

55 makes a much bigger difference than most of us ever realize.

Why does 55 matter? I’ll give you three reasons:

1) Critical mass. If you’ve hosted a party, you know how grateful you are for the people who come early and get the festive atmosphere started. By contrast, have you ever gone to a party on time and found almost no one there? You wonder if you are in the right place. You worry that this event will be a dud. But if you arrive to laughter and conversation, you know it’s going to be great. If you’re a church member, you’re no longer a guest: you’re a host! And good hosts love to get the party started!

2) Engaging Worship. All this past June, we talked about the journey of worship. We noted how the worship hour is an interconnected, carefully planned structure. Our engagement with God magnifies when we engage worship as people prepared, present and focused. If we arrive at 55, our very experience of worship will change: I guarantee it!

3) Visitors. Visitors to our church usually arrive early. They don’t want to miss the start of things. A critical part of a welcoming atmosphere is having people greet them upon arrival. Not just at the door but in the sanctuary. Just by living out 55, and keeping an eye open for new folks, each one of us can grow our church.

There’s power in 55. You and I can change our church for the better by committing to 55. In a few short weeks, readjusting our habits to arrive at 55 will become normal. And we will be contributing to the health and vitality of worship significantly.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful autumn of worship with you. We will be taking up the golden chapters of John 13-17, the story of Jesus’ final night, uniquely told by the apostle John. My passion is to be with you in worship as we press deeper into Christ. And as ever, I love to be your pastor!

The Next Generation of Leadership

At a recent meeting, the session granted nearly $60,000 in scholarships for six students to pursue seminary degrees. These six represent future ministers, counselors and missionaries. They all have close ties to our church. A vibrant church ignites hearts for full time ministry, and it’s wonderful to see so many rising leaders.

Our church supports our denomination’s vision to grow the Kingdom of God through planting churches. We know that to plant churches, we have to specifically train pastors for this unique work. So, with great joy, the session awarded the first-ever Russ Stevenson Scholarship for EPC Church Planting Residency. The Rev. Will Johnson will be moving with his wife to Atlanta to begin training to plant a multi-ethnic EPC church. Supervised by two seasoned EPC pastors, our $10,000 grant will help Will get started. Will is part of a growing trend of church planters who also work “regular” jobs to support their ministry. He will be working in web development as he also works in a church.

We believe in supporting new leaders whom God raises up. It’s exciting to see the vibrancy of those who will lead in the future.

Contact Gerrit

Posted in: From the Pastors' Desk

Our Warrior Wants Strong Arrows

Posted on: July 27, 2016
by: Whitney Weiner, Director of Mother's Day Out

We had a fun-filled summer at MDO. This was our first year to offer summer camps to our MDO families. Children enjoyed week long camp sessions exploring Commotion in the Ocean, Bugs and Insects and then some Fairy Tale Fun. What a blast we had!

We are now “gearing up” for another MDO school year. We will welcome 20 new families to our program with a total of 76 families that our MDO program will minister to this year. As we seek to educate the little hearts and minds of our children, I often think on this verse:

“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” Psalm 127: 4.

What seeds will we at MDO help to plant in the lives of our children? What impact will we have not only in our childrens’ lives but their family’s too?

Children are like arrows and as a mighty warrior wants strong arrows, we too want to help develop strong, well-rounded children. Children that know God’s great love for them and know our Lord and Savior. Children who are learning God’s truth and word. Children who while exploring the world around them and interacting with friends and teachers at MDO are learning Godly values. Our children are at such a young, impressionable time in their lives. As we are preparing to “shoot and send” them on their next journey in life and into our world outside of church and MDO, we want to make sure to point them in the right direction.

We truly consider it a privilege to partner with parents to train-up our little ones. What a blessing it is to have parents share:

“MDO has become a second home and family for our little girl, and we couldn’t be more pleased. We have watched her grow and change in such beautiful ways while in your care.”

“MDO has been such a rock and a constant for our family. You have overwhelmed me and blessed our family. Thank you for loving my kids and my family.”

Contact Whitney Weiner

Posted in: Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders