Weekly Bible Verses: John 3:1-17: God Did Not Send the Son into the World to Condemn the World

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Remember to Spring Ahead Tonight

It behooves us to go to bed a little early tonight, as we have to set our clocks ahead one hour this evening ... unless you're a stickler for accuracy and feel compelled stay up until 2:00 am to set your clocks ahead.

Hope to see you there ... on time. 

Weekly Bible Verses: Matthew 4: 1-11: Away With You, Satan!

Matthew 4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Art Expressions To Benefit Children's Hospital

Art Expression will be meeting at its’ regular time 6:00-7:30

Sunday Night. We are going to make ‘Bags for Hope’ to benefit Children’s Hospital. Supplies and fabric will be provided.  Adults are welcome to join in the fun for a good cause!  We need a photographer to take photos for the newspaper.

When the weather gets consistently warmer we will do tie-dying. See the Wednesday Word for contact information.

Brief Meeting Sunday, March 13, 2011, After Church

This Sunday March 13 please plan on staying after church for a short business meeting to discuss and vote on the revised ECBC 2011 Budget.

Wednesday Night Fellowship Returns!

Join us at 6:00 PM in our Fellowship Hall.  The hot dogs are provided, bring a dish to pass. If you don't have time to make something, we always need drinks, or make a donation for the dogs. 

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Our Prayers Go Out to All Families Suffering Losses Following the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

We the members of Exton Community Baptist Church pray for all who have been impacted by the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami. We stand with you and pray for you in this difficult and frightening time.

"The home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them and they will be God's people. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." Revelation 21: 3-4

Let us share a prayer together. Please pray with me:

Eternal Spirit, before whom the generations rise and pass away, even in the presence of death our first words to you are in praise for your unnumbered mercies. For the memory of loved ones now departed, we praise you. For their victories of character over trial, of courage over difficulty, of faith over sorrow, we give you thanks, and for all those who have done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with their God, we sing joyfully to you. Grant us now this same joyful thanksgiving as we remember our friend(s), and give to us that sure knowledge that you have won the victory over death in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.

We will continue to pray for you and find ways to help you in the difficult days, weeks, and months ahead. God bless and keep you all. 

Celebrate! 2011 ABC Biennial Meeting

Registration is now open for Celebrate! 2011, the ABC Biennial Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico (NICE), June 24-26, 2011. Go to http://www.abc-usa.org/www.abc-usa.org/EventRegistration/Biennial2011/tabid/465/Default.aspx for full details and to register. To make things simple, if you click on the article title you'll go straight to the registration page.

Weekly Bible Verses: 2 Peter 1:16-21: The Transfiguration of Christ

2 Peter 1:¹⁶For  we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
¹⁹So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, ²¹because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Free Health Care Screening

The 8th Annual Chester County 50plus Expo for boomers and seniors takes place on Thursday March 17 from 9 to 2:30 at the Church Farm School in Exton.  Chester Expo is Largest Senior Expo in Southeast PA. 

The emphasis this year is on attracting boomers and seniors with health and wellness seminars. The Expo includes free food in addition to health screenings. Visit http://www.50plusexpopa.com/chester-main.shtml for more information.

Items Needed for the Lord's Pantry in Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Here is an easy way to reach out to the needy in our area.

Below is a list of items we regularly need to stock our pantry shelves.  Items marked with *** are most needed.

BEVERAGES                                                                            

Coffee                                                                                             

***Juice                                                                                                            

       
BOXED GOODS  
Spaghetti, Pasta
Rice
Macaroni & Cheese Dinners
Instant Potatoes
***Breakfast Cereal
Snack Crackers


CANNED GOODS 
***Fruit     
***Baked Beans 
Vegetables

***Spaghetti Sauce
Tuna, Ham, Chicken
***Peanut Butter & Jelly 
Stew & Pasta Meals
Soup 

MISCELLANEOUS

Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Deodorant

Shaving Products, Soap, Shampoo

Toilet Paper, Paper Towels

Baby Food, Wipes, & Diapers

Art Expressions with Miss Tracey and Friends

Art Expression will be meeting at its regular time 6:00-7:30 this Sunday Night. We are going to continue Jazzing Up our shirts and starting jeans. Bring one piece of clothing to decorate.  Some buttons and sequins and fabric will be provided.

ECBC Raising Funds For Our Missionary, Sue Hegarty

For church members, there are copies of this coupon in the Narthex. For others, you'll need to blow this up.

Just as we did last year, we are planning to mark Sue’s birthday with a fund-raiser (the day before her birthday) to be held here in the Exton area on Thursday, April 7th.

This time, we have made arrangements with the TGI Friday’s restaurant at Route 100 and Swedesford Road in Exton. The restaurant hours are 11 am to 11 pm. The coupon is good for any time during those hours. We do need a minimum of $250 in total sales to make this work, so print out several coupons and share them with your friends… one coupon per party eating at the restaurant.

All you have to do is print the coupon (I'm not sure this works off this blog, but it's worth a shot), take it with you, and present it to the server when you pay for your meal. TGI Friday’s will give 25% of the total purchase, exclusive of tax and gratuity, to Exton Community Baptist Church for Sue’s ministry in Cuba.

For those of you who are not able to participate in this Exton fund-raiser, we suggest you explore the options in your area for a similar event. The national chains are likely to have similar arrangements for fund raising in all of their locaitons. Check with your local TGI Fridays, or other restaurant chains like Bob Evans, Applebee’s and Max and Erma’s. This is an easy way to raise money in that you simply take a coupon to the restaurant and do not have to set a specific time of day to have everyone at the same place.

Calling All Knitters!

The Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell, PA, Prayer Shawl Ministry is looking for knitters to help complete 20 prayer shawls to send to the church's missionaries, the Hayashidas', for their seminary students in Zambia. Please contact the church staff@gracebaptistbluebell.org for instructions if you'd like to help with this project. You may knit your own and also join for group knitting at the church on the last Saturday of each month.

Prom Dress Giveaway at First Baptist of Norristown, Pennsylvania

First Baptist Church of Norristown, PA, holds a Prom Dress Giveaway on Saturday, March 19, 1-4 PM (455 Burnside Avenue, Norristown, PA 19403, across the street from Norristown Area High School). Open to all high school girls. Find the perfect dress, accessories, and make-up for free. Donations of gently used dresses, shoes, and accessories can be delivered to the church (call 610-539-7075).

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Rusbuldt's Lenten Devotions Available Now

ECBC's own Reverend Rusbuldt has created a new year's Lenten devotion that will take you along with Jesus and his followers on a 46 journey in both Scripture and reflections to the cross and beyond. For those new to the journey and to the faith, you will learn about Jesus. For those of you who have been on this journey before, you will discover what new things I can learn about Jesus this year. All will discover that we mere mortals can never know all there is to know about our Savior.

Rev. Rusbuldt explains the journey, "Some of our journey will find us listening to Jesus' teachings to his followers as he prepares to die. Some of the journey will deal with preparations for his death. And of course, the latter part of the journey will deal with his death. You probably won't agree with everything contained herein -- and that's quite alright. After all, we're friends of Jesus, traveling together! You may not like some of the suggestions -- if not, skip them. Perhaps you will miss a day here and there; that's OK too. Each day's journey stands pretty much by itself, and can be missed, or picked up at a later date. We will meet both good and evil people, consider wisdom from "above," ponder the humanity and divinity of Jesus, shudder at the suffering and brutality he endured, confront the "why" questions again and again, pray daily -- and even more. But over-riding our whole journey will be on universal truth:

GOD LOVES US -- AND GOD CAME!!!

ECBC members may contact the church office for a copy. All others may contact Spiritual Journey Press for an e-book file at www.spiritualjourneypress.com. If you click on the title of this post, you will be taken there.