THE TRUMPET. Calendar 8. In This Issue. March Days. Pastor s Picks. Showing & Sharing Jesus Love. How Do You Plan to Live...

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1 Volume 51 Issue 3 THE TRUMPET Showing & Sharing Jesus Love March 2013 In This Issue The Great Ah-Ha 2-3 Sallyann s Notes 4 For ECBC Church Members Only March Days How Do You Plan to Live... Financial Matters Pastor s Picks Calendar 8

2 Page 2 Have you ever had an Ah-Ha experience? You know, that experience of sudden clarity of things that were once only vague shadows and you exclaim, Ah-Ha! Ah-ha experiences happen all the time. They come for many reasons and in many different ways. There s the ah-ha of fathers at Christmas when they finally read the instruction book. There s the ah-ha that inventors experience like the time in 1752 when a bolt of lightning traveled from key to string to the hand of Benjamin Franklin. Then there s the life changing ah-ha that happens when the impossible collides with absolute reality as happened to Jesus disciples when they at last became aware that their hopes were indeed not buried with their slain Master, but alive with their risen Lord. This is an ah-ha experience of which all people are in need but many do not have. Excuses are many; reasons are few. In the resurrection account of Jesus recorded in Luke 24, we are confronted with three ah-ha experiences which wash away all excuse. First, there s the Ah-Ha that enlightens those blinded by grief (Vs. 1-9). Early in the morning three women make their way to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. Their purpose is to do a proper burial anointing. They had been unable to do it before because the Sabbath had begun. Perplexed and grieving, their major concern was, Who will roll the stone away? Finding the tomb empty only heightened their grief and their blindness. All they could see was death. It prevented them from remembering Jesus words that He would die and rise again. Like them, grief limits our ability to see clearly. Author Edgar Jackson describes it this way: Grief is a whole cluster of adjustments, apprehensions & uncertainties that strike life in its forward progress and make it difficult to redirect our energies of life. In other words, grief prevents us from seeing past the darkness of our pain. Their ah-ha bursts into their darkness like a brilliant light as two angels question why they are searching for the living among the dead and bring to their memory Jesus words. Christ removes our blindness with the truth of an empty tomb and the memory of His promise, which fill us with an uncrushable sense of joy and hope. There is also the Ah-Ha that washes away skepticism (Vs , 36-43). Peter and the others were skeptical and so they brushed off the women s report as nonsense. As a result, we re told, They would not believe. They were unable to move past the reality of what they had experienced only three THE GREAT AH-HA! days prior. They probably thought the women s sighting was caused by hysteria and grief. It s interesting that when Peter and John visit the tomb, their skepticism was met not with an answer, but with uncertain evidence: an empty tomb and a missing body. And later, when Jesus appears to most of them in the room, we re told they could not believe it for joy. In other words, they thought it too good to be true. Despite the reports, they were skeptical. Their ah-ha experience came as Jesus appeared personally to them asking them, Why are you troubled and why are doubts in your minds? and showing them His wounds and reminding them of all they had been taught about the Savior from God s Word. Skepticism is a heart problem it denies; it doesn t accept what it doesn t understand. It feeds on the doubts in our hearts caused by the painful and unexplainable issues of life. But Christ opens our hearts with God s Word and personal experience. God s word has a way of challenging skepticism; it has the power to bring us to the truth of Christ. Hebrews 4:12, The word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. There s the Ah-Ha experience that interrupts those who are busy with Life (Vs ). We don t know why two of Jesus disciples were traveling to Emmaus instead of remaining with the others in Jerusalem. Passover had ended, the Sabbath was over, their Master was gone perhaps they were returning home to get on with life. Whatever the reason, it s clear that they were discouraged. They had heard the women s reports that He was alive but they didn t believe them. They had hoped he was the one to save Israel but these hopes were shattered. They were discouraged, disappointed, bewildered. There was no point to staying in Jerusalem. We are like them when we so immerse ourselves in the things of life our jobs, our plans, overcoming our disappointments that we close out the revelation of Christ. But the beauty of their story is Jesus is patient with them walking, listening to their burdens. In His words, Oh foolish men, whose hearts are so slow to believe is the question, How could you not know? there had been so much witness. But after slowing them down he opens their eyes by explaining the prophesies about Himself to them and again we see the power of God s Word to bring faith. Jesus has a way of revealing Himself by interrupting our busyness of life. As He did with these

3 Page 3 two. He patiently waits on us, He challenges us to take the time to see Him for who He is confronting us in His Word. He slows us; He reveals Himself clearly, He asks, How could you not know? Jesus sheds resurrection light on our blindness. He challenges our skeptical hearts with Himself. He interrupts our busy lives with the truth. I encourage you this Easter to still yourself to take the time to allow Him to penetrate your busy world and your heart, and remember, like His first disciples, we are called to enlighten, challenge and interrupt our world with the truth that He Lives!! Blessings, Pastor Bill Without Easter, Christmas would be meaningless! Church Mouse Sez Community Prayer & Praise Service Palm Sunday March 24th El Camino Baptist Church 5:00 pm

4 Page 4 Sallyann s Notes The first thing I would like to say to the congregation is Thank You! Thank you for being so warm and kind in my start and transition here at ECBC. Thank you for the phone calls, texts, notes and visits while I was in the hospital. Thank you for your love and friendship not only to me, but also to my family. My family and I were called to this church by God, whom proves to me everyday how much he loves me. Resting in him and his promises is not only reassuring during difficult times in our life, but is also necessary. Finding comfort in his love never gets old. During my resent hospital stay this all, once again, became very evident to me. (Funny how that has to keep happening isn t it?) His love is beyond our earthly love. In Ephesians chapter 1 it says: 3-6 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. My prayer and goal is that my love for Christ and my love for people will beam through our ministry. Music has a place in my heart. When I sing to the Lord and even hear it sung by another my whole being feels lifted towards Christ. I am encouraged by our worship time together and am elated to be apart of it. I am also very excited about our choir. They have all worked so hard and are all so faithful to the ministry. If you know me well, then you know how much I enjoy directing the choir. I feel blessed to be apart of the choir, praise band/team and this ministry as a whole. Thank you again for your love and support. Presented by Celebration Singers Worship Choir Easter Sunday March 31 10:30 am Good Friday Service El Camino Baptist Church 2805 El Camino Ave Sacramento CA March 29 7 pm Many Blessings, Sallyann Brittain

5 We are growing in the preschool department and we need your HELP! If you have a heart for children, we want to partner with you in teaching the next generation about God! Our Children's Ministries has many opportunities where you can help build a solid foundation based on God's Word in the lives of our children. We need teachers, classroom helpers, greeters, worship team singers, puppeteers and storytellers. You don't need any previous experience all training and materials will be provided! If you have a preschooler you don t want them to miss out of the new and exciting Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights we have planned. We give a big WELCOME to Pam Robles who will be teaching the Sunday School lessons on Sunday mornings at 9: am. You don t want to miss out, so make sure and have your preschoolers here on time! There is Bible studies for all ages at this time so if you haven t connected with a small group study on Sunday mornings let this be the time. Need to find a class contact Pastor Scott McCann. Starting this month on Wednesday evening our Mission Friends Preschoolers are going on a trip across the US and into Canada to learn about who Annie Armstrong was and Page 5 what the Missionaries who are featured this month in the North American Missions ~ Whatever It Takes, Reaching the One. They will be learning what it takes to be a missionary and how they are able to spread the word of Jesus through our prayers and financial support and how they can be a missionary right here in our community. Mark your calendar. Remember Spring is coming and that means time change. Set your clocks ahead one hour before retiring on Sat night the 9 th of March. TIME CHANGES ON SUNDAY MARCH 10 th. We have a special morning planned for Easter Sunday, March 31 st. There will be NO extended care on Easter Morning for everyone can attend service. Your preschooler will be singing so please make sure they arrive by 10:15 am. If you are late they will not be singing! For those adults who have volunteered in the preschool department this past year please join us April 7 th at 12:30 in the fellowship hall. We have a wonderful luncheon planned to say Thanks for making a difference in the lives of our youngest members. Happy Easter Kimberly Stinson Preschool Ministry Director HEART SPA Postponed until further notice. See Kim Stinson or more details. April 13 1:00 4:00 Women s Ministry presents to rejuvenate our Soul, our Spirit, and Refresh our Mind. Required for all who work with children or youth Pre-registration required Sign up March 17, 24, 31 in Foyer No Child Care available For more information contact Theresa Wright No 4F Night this Month

6 Page 6 How Do You Plan to Live the Rest of Your Life? The other day I decided to download another app on my iphone. This one had to do with life span - how long I will live. It s a reverse timer that counts backwards and theoretically lets you know when you ll kick the bucket. You start by giving the app your birthdate, and then you fill in a few stats regarding where you were born, how you eat and exercise, and general lifestyle questions. Well, wouldn t you know it, I finish the entries, push the magic button, and the application spits out a figure of 73 years of life. 73 YEARS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I want to live longer than that! (Don t you?) Here I am, 56 years old and just starting to enjoy the best part of life now that I m retarded retired, and this ridicules application tells me that I m only going to live another 17 years (say it ain t so!). So I did what any normal red blooded American male would do, I downloaded another app just like the first one, but from a different company. Good news, the second one (after filling out the same superfluous information) told me that I d live to be 79! Now you re talking. It only stands to reason that the first app was configured by some flunkies who didn t know what he was talking about and put the thing together in his spare time before being tucked in at night by his mother so I deleted it. Let s face it. There s no application I can download that s really going to tell me just how long I m going to live. The length of your life doesn t belong to a downloadable application. It belongs to God. He is the giver of life because He s the Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5). But isn t that how life goes? Don t we all look for the best in life? The best outlook, the best results, the most favorable answers? Let s face it, everyone wants to hear the good news, not the bad. How do we get the best answers? Does it have something to do with the type of friends you keep? Are your friends the ones who tell you what you want to hear? Are they the people who make you feel the best? Do you find yourself keeping them at more than arm s length if they re too honest? Do you have a difficult time confronting the truth? Speaking of the truth, let s look at what does the Bible say about our lives and the time we have here on earth. Will we like what it has to tell us? We are told in 1 Peter 4:7 that the end of all things is near; therefore, be clear-headed and disciplined for prayer. Does that mean we re going to die right away? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that the end may come at an unexpected time, and we re to be ready regardless of our age. What does it take for you to be clear-headed? And when was the last time you disciplined yourself for prayer? Those weren t intended to be rhetorical questions. Please give those some thought before going on. For some of us, to be clear-headed may mean we ll have to reduce our time watching television or listening to the radio. For others this may be a call to refrain from alcohol or to eliminate the usage of recreational drugs. And for you it may mean (fill in the blank). We are also told to share in the sufferings of the Messiah (1 Peter 4:13) This verse is as well liked as the first app I downloaded on my iphone! Who wants to hear about suffering or having to be a part of it? But the fact of the matter is, if we are living a Christ-centered life as Jesus intended us to, there may be numerous occasions where we may suffer, be ridiculed, embarrassed, or treated with prejudice. Everyone knows that no one will live forever, but a lot of us act like it. I thought my dad would live forever until the day I got the phone call from my mom. We shudder at the thought of death, disease, or horrible accidents because we don t want to think about what lies beyond, but the Bible tells us that Our days on earth are but a shadow. (Job 8:9b). We are also admonished Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts (Psalm 90:12). And of course a familiar passage in Ecclesiastes 3:2 that reminds us there is a time to be born and a time to die. If we are prudent, we ought to plan our days and weeks with great thought. Each day must be seen as a gift from God. Each breath we take is due to the fact that God Himself has sustained us. God s Word, the Bible, advises us in numerous passages of how we are to spend our time and how to conduct our daily affairs. Whether I have 17 years, 17 weeks, or 17 days, my objective ought to be to spend my time wisely so that the Lord is honored. What proactive steps are you taking to honor God today? What will they be tomorrow? Consider these passages: Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:5-6) Blessings, Scott McCann

7 Finance Report Tithes Receive to Date February 2013 Page 7 Financial Matters 4th Sunday $6, rd Sunday $5, nd Sunday $5, st Sunday $7, Tithe Income Expenses Over/Under Expense Budget Over/ Under Budget January 23, , , , February 25, , , , , YTD 49, , , , , Click Secure Online Donation E-Waste Collection Day Sat March 16 9 am 1 pm & Sun March 17 12:30 pm 3 pm We will accept: monitors, televisions, desktop and notebook PCs, VCRs, stereo equipment, CD s, speakers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, digital cameras, zip drives, telephones, cell phones, printers, copiers, laser and multifunction scanners and fax machines, small household appliances such as toasters, mixers & blenders, vacuum cleaners with the dust bag removed.

8 Pastor s Pick In my reading I m always looking for literature that is educational, edifying, revealing, challenging, and applicable to me for personal growth, as well as being biblically sound. My pick for this month is Unveiling Islam by Ergun and Emit Caner. 1 Peter 3:15 says, in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have Most Christians are totally unprepared to defend let alone explain their faith, but they need to be able to do so. Of the plethora of religions out there, only one can be considered truly anti-christ. That religion is Islam. I say that because Islam is the only religion that openly and vehemently hates, disputes and attacks Christianity. Two Southern Baptist scholars, brothers Ergun and Emir Caner, have teamed up to offer a comprehensive analysis of the world's second-largest religion. Their presentation of the practices, ethics, and beliefs of Islam is more than an academic recitation of the differences between Christianity and Islam, they also provide insight into glaring contradictions in the Koran and the other Muslim books of faith, as well as provide the follower of Christ a platform for defending the true faith of Jesus Christ. What makes this book so compelling is it's the story of the two brothers' conversion from the religion of their childhood to a living relationship with Jesus Christ. This is one you don t want to miss. One should not be hesitant to read Unveiling Islam, it is an easy and riveting read. 3/3 12:30 pm Website El Camino Baptist Church 2805 El Camino Ave Sacramento CA Elect to Ordain Allen Lathrop as Deacon 3/10 10:30 am True Love Waits Ceremony 3/ pm Life Line Screening 3/ pm E-Waste Collecting Day 3/17 12:30-3 pm E-Waste Collecting Day 3/21 7:00 pm Missions Committee Meeting 3/21 12:00 pm Arden-Arcade Pastor s Lunch 3/24 5:00 pm Community Prayer & Praise Service Lifeline Screening El Camino Baptist Church March 13th 8 am -5 pm Schedule your appointment by calling By scheduling your appointment Life Line Screening will donate to El Camino Baptist Church a gift of $10. CALL TODAY! 3/29 7:00 pm Good Friday Service 3/31 10:30 am Easter Service Teacher Appreciation Luncheon April 7, :30 pm