Brandon Heath - Wait And See

Here's a little inspiration for you from God via Brandon Heath. The message is well worth taking to heart.

Planting Seeds Event to Grow Ministry @ Hopewell United Methodist

Hopewell United Methodist Church, at 852 Hopewell Road in Downingtown, is hosting their 7th. annual "Planting Seeds Event" for ministry growth on Saturday, November 6, from 2:30 PM to 6:15 PM. This event takes place at their church. Workshops conducted by leaders in the Methodist faith will begin at 3:15 PM and include:
- Catch: Connecting and Attracting Visitors.
- Help! I Teach at Church But I Don't Know Anything About the Bible!
- Transitioning into Alternative Styles of Worship.
- Creation: Do We Care?
- Developing a Culture of Personal Spirituality.

There will also be a Worship and Prayer Rally led by Pastor Steve Morton and the Hopewell Praise Team, including a special time of prayer for church leadership beginning at 5:25 PM. Additional information is available on their website at http://www.hopewellumc.org/ (click on the title of this article and it will take you directly to the event information at their website) or you can call 610-269-1545.

Many of these topics are on the minds of churches of many denominations, including ECBC. This is a terrific opportunity for church leaders and officers to learn more about twenty-first century leadership.

Weekly Bible Verse: Luke 19: 1-10 What Would You Do To Be Found?

Luke 19: He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Helping a Child Deal with Grief and Loss

If you know your child will soon be facing the loss of a family member (whether human or pet), or your child is already grieving such as loss here are two articles that will help you help your child deal with loss and grief. We are here to support you in this difficult time. We stand by your family in your grief and pray for you.

http://jsbrookspresents.blogspot.com/2010/01/helping-child-deal-with-grief-and-loss.html
http://jsbrookspresents.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-do-children-grieve.html

God bless you and your family and grant you peace.

Perspective on Burning Issues

There come times in every church where the congregation end up divided over some "burning issue of the day." To add to the intensity, this issue is often declared "the defining issue of our time!" Arguments over such issues have ended friendships and split churches. I'm going to ask Mr. P.T. Barnum* to put the whole situation into perspective by relating a story about what happened in the little New England church he grew up in back in the early 1830s.


There was but one church or “meeting house” in Bethel, which all attended, sinking all differences of creed in the Presbyterian faith. The old meetinghouse had neither steeple nor bell and was a plain edifice, comfortable enough in summer, but my teeth chatter even now when I think of the dreary, cold, freezing hours we passed in that place in winter. A stove in a meetinghouse in those days would have been a sacrilegious innovation. The sermons were from an hour and one-half to two hours long, and through these the congregation would sit and shiver till they really merited the title the profane gave them of “blue skins.” Some of the women carried a “foot-stove” consisting of a small square tin box in a wooden frame, the sides perforated, and in the interior there was a small square iron dish, which contained a few live coals covered with ashes. These stoves were usually replenished just before meeting time at some neighbor’s near the meetinghouse.

After many years of shivering and suffering, one of the brethren had the temerity to propose that the church should be warmed with a stove. His impious proposition was voted down by an overwhelming majority. Another year came around, and in November the stove question was again brought up. The excitement was immense. The subject was discussed in the village stores and in the juvenile debate club; it was prayed over in conference, and finally in general “society meeting,” in December, the stove was carried by a majority of one and was introduced into the meetinghouse. On the first Sunday thereafter, two ancient maiden ladies were so oppressed by the dry and heated atmosphere occasioned by the wicked invention, that they fainted away and were carried out into the cool air where they speedily returned to consciousness, especially when they were informed that owing to the lack of two lengths of pipe, no fire had yet been made in the stove. The next Sunday was a bitter cold day, and the stove, filled with well-seasoned hickory, was a great gratification to the many, and displeased only a few.

This was the "burning" issue of the day. Seems silly in hindsight. So many of our burning issues and intense arguments do upon reflection. Thanks P.T. for the perspective.

*You can find this little gem and many others in The Life of Barnum: World-Renowned Showman.

Crop Walk Success for ECBC

Gathering for the 2010 Crop Walk

The totals are in. With eight walkers from Exton Community Baptist Church the total collected for the CROP Walk is $1,067.50 the best we ever did.

The overall total for the walk to date: $21,802.66.



Downingtown, PA, Struebel Trail, Crop Walk 2010



In case you're wondering:

What are CROP Hunger Walks?


They are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local congregations to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world.

To learn more, go to: http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=crop_main

Four-legged Crop Walker 2010

Please Watch The Butterfly Circus, A Short Film on Hope

Spend 20 minutes with this short movie, The Butterfly Circus. Find the character representative of Christ. Find what Christianity at its best may be in this brief parable on hope.

You can click on this article title or follow the link here: http://thebutterflycircus.com

Have a blessed day.

Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 84: Happy Are Those Who Trust God

Psalm 84: 1How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!


2My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

3Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

4Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah

5Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

6As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

7They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

8O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

9Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.

10For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.

11For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

12O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.

ECBC's Seminarian Speaks!

ECBC's own seminarian and licensed American Baptist pastor Jeffrey B. Snyder delivered a sermon on 10/3/10 to Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell, PA, as part of his senior TFE (theological field education) program. This was the final sermon kicking off a Sunday of service to the community on 10/10/10. This was Jeff's first sermon utilizing material provided as part of an overall package. He rewrote the material, adjusted the format to his style and included an original experience of his own to the narrative.
If you want to see how he did, you'll find a video of the results on his Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/video/?id=1679451864

Or, you can click on the title of this article and it will take you there. During the video you'll find the answer to the question, "Can small efforts lead to big results?".

Easter Sunday Service - 4/4/2010 - Sam Wells

Move forward to roughly 34:00 in the 1:22 minute service to get to the message on the discipline of joy. It is well worth paying attention to this Easter message. You'll also hear a pretty good pastoral joke that opens the sermon.

Weekly Bible Verse: 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5

2 Timothy 3:14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.


4In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

Art Expressions Time Change

So that more kids can come to our Sunday evening Art Expressions sessions, we are changing the meeting time from this Sunday forward to 6:00-7:30 p.m. 

This week we will be making a banner for the sanctuary with Marie Jones. 

Saturday night, November 6th, we will be having a talent show and sleep over starting at 6:00 with pizza if the budget allows.  

Prayers for the Chilean Miners

As the rescue attempt for the 33 trapped miners in Chile reaches its most critical phase, we at ECBC offer up our prayers for the miners, their families, friends, and the rescuers. May you feel the presence of God with you and be strengthened. Know that we stand with you all during this important and challenging time.

God bless you all.

An Important Message Concerning Haiti

Earlier in the year, ECBC was involved in a Haiti relief project.

The following is from American Baptist Churches USA, International Ministries:

It was exactly nine months ago today, that an earthquake devastated Haiti. A lot can happen in 9 months. A child can be conceived and born. A student can finish a year of college. A world can respond with helping hands and compassionate hearts to lift Haitians from the rubble.


Much has been accomplished thanks to the generous gifts of American Baptists. Yet, there is still much to be done as winter approaches. Now is the time to promote giving to the World Mission Offering in your church. To help you, we’ve created five new mini-video documentaries on missionaries Nancy & Steve James, Madeline Flores-Lopez, Deliris Carrion-Rosa, Ketly & Vital Pierre and Nzunga Mabudiga & Kihomi Ngwemi. Each of them could not have responded to the needs in Haiti without the loving support and donations from American Baptists likes you.

You can view or download these new mini-videos at www.internationalministries.org Scroll halfway down the page and you’ll see them. Each runs 1:45 to 2 minutes long. Please use them in your church’s worship service, discuss them in Sunday school, pray for the ministries of the missionaries, their partners and the volunteers. If you’d like to learn about videos on missionaries in other parts of the world, call Ron Schlosser weekday mornings at 800 222-3872, ext. 2178.

Micah Challenge 2010

The organization Micah Challenge USA is asking all churches and Christians around the world to pray tomorrow 10/10/10 on behalf of the poor around the world. This is seen as a promise that we will practice compassion, justice, and advocacy toward and for the poor throughout the year. They take this approach based on Micah 6:8, in which God calls us to do mercy, justice and love, and to walk humbly. If you want to know more about this ambitious campaign to end extreme poverty that begins in prayer, see http://www.micahchallenge.us/

Thanks for Evangelicals for Social Action for bringing the Micah Challenge to our attention.

So, What Is Art Expressions?

Art Expression activities include but are not limited to: painting, drawing, drama (including costume creation), writing, fulling, spinning, and creation of useful “green” items.


Although the goal is to allow the children and youth the opportunity to express themselves with relationship to God, we would like to be able to display and self publish some of the work of their choosing on Children’s Service Sunday.

We are already starting to create items for “Operation Christmas Child’ and the less fortunate.

We have been mightily blessed already and would like to share the blessings with the church and community.

ART EXPRESSION WITH MISS TRACEY AND FRIENDS

October 10th

6:30-8:00

Kathi Johnson will be doing a jewelry making workshop!!!

Kids age 8 and up are invited!!!

No experience necessary!!!

We are meeting in the Fellowship Hall. You are welcome to bring friends.


Art Expressions is a weekly meeting, Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 pm, for children of the grade school ages. Art will be made; faith will be explored. Please join us.

The Cry of the Poor: Inspiration in Music

The Cry of the Poor


John Foley
© 1978 New Dawn Music

Chorus

The Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be the Lord.

Verse 1

I will bless the Lord at all times
with praise ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord
who hears the cry of the poor.

Verse 2

Let the lowly hear and be glad;
the Lord listens to their pleas;
And to hearts broken God is near;
who hears the cry of the poor.

Verse 3

Every spirit crushed God will save;
will be ransom for their lives;
will be safe shelter for their fears,
and will hear the cry of the poor.

Verse 4

We proclaim your greatness, O God,
Your praise ever in our mouth;
Every face brightened in your light,
For you hear the cry of the poor.

Thanks to http://www.mljmusic.com/Portals/0/Lyrics/The%20cry%20of%20the%20poor.pdf for the lyrics.
If you wish to hear the song performed, a version may be heard at spiritandsong.com: http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/1405

This would be music any church contemporary group or praise band would find moving to perform.

Weekly Bible Verse: Jeremiah 29:1-7: Feeling Like an Exile in the Land? Take Heart!

Jeremiah 29: These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. ³The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: ⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.