Church. matters. A Word from Pastor Jim. Calendar. March 6th - 7:00pm Women s Book Club. March 13th Church Matters Deadline

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1 Church matters MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF EAST GLENVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH MARCH 2015 A Word from Pastor Jim There's faith and there's fear. Much of life just confirms that we live with both. As I mentioned before the holidays, my new year's reading for my morning get-started spiritual time is entered in the Gospel of Mark. Some would call it a quiet time, others a centering time, still others just a daily time with God. There's much to be said for a ten minute pause in the day (morning, evening or noon). Taking one minute to quiet ourselves and ask God to speak and us to be able to hear. Three to four minutes reading the Bible to get God's message. And then four to five minutes thinking about what we just read, asking God to help it take root in us. Maybe it would be a promise, maybe a command, maybe a warning, or maybe something to ask the Spirit to make true. Wrapped up with a closing prayer of thanksgiving for God being close to us. A daily time with God is just that simple. I hope this is your practice most days. It offers us such a valuable and intimate daily touch-in with our Lord. Back to faith and fear since the first of the year, I've been tracking along in Mark using a small group discussion booklet to provide me some added questions on which to reflect. This morning it was about faith and fear. The lives of those in need looking to Jesus and those others trying to decide whether to follow him were all exhibiting some kind of fear. They could stay in that place or reach out to Jesus with whatever little faith they had. It struck me that our lives are no different. We can look at life with fear (either of our past returning or of some uncontrollable experience lying ahead) and let that fixate us. Or we can lay our faith into that fearful place and ask for God's strong hand to take us forward. The Lord has not changed. He still welcomes us. Even when we are fearful. Calendar March 6th - 7:00pm Women s Book Club March 13th Church Matters Deadline March 14th - 9:00am Church Work Day March 15th - 6:00pm Night of Gathered Worship March 23rd - 7pm Women s Ministry Event March 29th - 4:30pm Roller-skating at Rollarama April 1st No Wednesday Night Program April 2nd - 7:00pm Maundy Thursday Service Loving God - Loving People Helping Them Know and Follow Jesus Fear or faith we'll have them both which one do we intend to follow?

2 Elders Evidence of Healthy Discipleship Our unified forward-looking view of East Glenville Community Church is grounded in, and centered around, the concept of discipleship. From our vision statement, to our boards and teams and committees, to our Sunday School and Bible studies, to our planning of events and activities, a desire to make disciples expresses who we are as a church. So what is discipleship at its core? We know it's important as a main concept woven into the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus before his ascension (Matthew 28: 19-20; Mark 16: 15-16; Acts 1:8). The Lord uses discipleship to build His church. Discipleship is the process of making or building disciples. A disciple is "a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another; or, a learner, pupil, one who comes to be taught." Christian discipleship, therefore, is the making of one who does these things for the purpose of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, taught not only by other Christ followers, but ultimately by God's Holy Spirit. As the church is central to this process, what are some indicators of discipleship happening as it should in a healthy church? What should we be looking for here at EGCC? An article on Church Relevance, by Ben Savage, offers the following indicators: --Connection through prayer (1 Thess. 5: 16-18) --Engagement in scripture (Joshua 1:8) --Being present (Hebrews 10:25) --Acts of service (Isaiah 58:6-8) --Investment in others (Eph. 4:11-13) --Worship through generosity (Deut. 16:17) Let's pray over this list, and examine ourselves as individuals and as a church this new year. What are we doing well? Where can we do better? --"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8: 31-32, ESV) Palm Sunday Worship March 29th - 10:30 am Maundy Thursday Service April 2nd - 7:00 pm Easter Sonrise Service April 5th ~ 6:00 am The Sonrise Service will be held on the front lawn of EGCC as Lakeridge Farm is no longer available. Easter Breakfast April 5th ~ 7:00 am Following the Sonrise Service Easter Celebration Service April 5th - 10:30am For the Elder Board, Eric Habel

3 Worship News & Notes Night of Gathered Worship Let the word of God dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 On Sunday evening, March 15th, from 6:00 7:30pm in Buchanan Hall, we'll have the opportunity to come together for an acoustic 'Night of Gathered Worship'. This will be led by several of our own EGCC worship leaders as well as a newly formed Youth Worship Band. Coming at the end of Pastor Jim's sermon series on 'Genuine Community in Church Relationships', it's an opportunity to worship together in a fresh and unique way. The Youth Group will be joining us along with Care Groups and anyone else who would enjoy being a part of the evening. Come and sing some old favorites, learn a new song or two, and enjoy worshiping the Lord together in a different environment. Along with worshiping in song there will be an opportunity for brief testimonies about how the Lord has worked in your life through the preaching and focus on community this winter. Easter Flowers Once again we will be accepting donations toward flowers to decorate our sanctuary for Easter Sunday. Envelopes will be in the pews the first three Sundays in March; please note if you are giving in honor or remembrance of someone. A donation of $20 will provide one large plant or two small ones. We want to thank all of those who donated toward the Christmas flowers which made a spectacular display for our worship services. Care Groups are welcome to meet either before or after the service for a time of refreshment and prayer in one of the SS rooms. If your group would like to do that please contact Gina in the office to reserve your space. The Youth Group will be meeting in the Youth Room from 7:30-8:30 pm. Please pray that God will use this service in a wonderful way to strengthen and bless our church family. Plan now to come and be a part of this special night! Easter Celebration Choir Easter is fast approaching, and with it preparations for the music of the season. You are invited to join us for choir rehearsal on Wednesday nights from 7:00 8:30pm during the month of March if you'd like to sing in our Easter Celebration Choir. The choir is open to all in grade nine and older. We would love to have you join us! Contact Sandie at worship@egcchurch.org with any questions.

4 New Pew Bibles One of the fresh additions to our church life you'll be seeing soon are new pew Bibles. With our Vision including helping people to "Know and Follow Jesus", hearing and using the written Word is a key component for us as a church on Sunday morning. Many among us bring our own Bibles and learn how to use them as we meet together. Others, however, are new to church and reading from the pew Bible is how they grow in their own Bible skills. The present pew Bibles have become worn and there is an insufficient number now to provide enough copies for all our rows. Unfortunately, the present edition is out of print. Any purchase to supplement what we have would result in differing page numbers from different editions. Recognizing this need, the Diaconate and Elders have decided to purchase new Bibles which will be arriving in time for Easter next month. The present blue Bibles will shift over to the children, youth, and adult Sunday School classes where the red Bibles there are getting even more worn and scarce. After research, discussion and prayer, the decision was made to move to the English Standard Version (ESV) translation. Many in our church have been using the ESV for a while. It is a very readable, literal translation that has gained much professional respect from scholars and popularity in churches since its publishing in You can find more about the ESV at Funds for the Bibles will come from the Memorial Fund. If you would like to offer a gift to help offset that total cost, please make your check ($15 for each Bible you desire) and using the "Bible" envelopes in the Foyer, place your gift in the offering plate. If you wish to give in memory of someone, please add their name within the envelope. We are blessed from God to have the written Word that is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17 ESV). We look forward to its being easier for all at EGCC to read the wonderful Good News that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 ESV). Current Adult Sunday School Classes DISCOVERING GOD S GUIDANCE WITHOUT A LAMB S FLEECE Buchanan Hall An explanation of the means and methods God has used to communicate in times past, and how He how guides individuals in this Age of Grace, and our response to His guidance. Led by Pastor Phil Sears and Alex Crum. KINGDOM LIVING FAMILY WISDOM FROM PROVERBS 3 Classroom BH-1 This is both a discussion class and small group rolled into one. Sharing life together as young couples and parents of children, this group meets in Classroom BH-1. Come and share coffee and light breakfast to start, and be part of developing the wisdom from Proverbs as it applies to home life with marriage and children. Look for monthly special celebration and fellowship times Sunday mornings, plus special helpful workshops through the year offering practical life skills. This is a group formed in a new way to share life together and invite others to join them in their marriages and home life as Christians.

5 Missions Greetings, EGCC family from the Mission Board! We are eager to begin our new year with two new board members and our faithful established members and advisors! We hope to begin the year with a wonderful guest appearance by Mark and Rae Wilson, a highly dedicated and engaging couple who are now stateside for a seven month home assignment. They serve the Maninka people in Kankan, Guinea, Africa helping significantly to put the gospel message into videos for these folks to understand. We will welcome the Wilsons at our March 1 worship service where they will present for a ten minute segment an update and video of their ministry. A brief reception will follow in the Buchanan Hall where new and old EGCC members can meet and greet them. The Wilsons are also adopted by a small group within our church body. We then will host the Paschalls at a July 12 worship service: Matthew and Nicole are our newest supported missionaries who will be stateside this summer. This is a blessed opportunity for all of us at EGCC to meet and greet this devoted couple and learn of their challenges in Budapest, Hungary, where they are currently serving. The board is currently tackling, by the grace of God, a re-do of the Hall of Missions in collaboration with the Trustees. The hopes and prayers go with this project with the ideas flowing to make this area better utilized and truly mission oriented. It is also time to consider SUMMER MISSION PROJECTS : Any and all ideas from any and all of the congregation, young and older, are welcomed. Such ideas may be shared with any of us on the board for further discussion: We look forward to serving the Lord in mission support and ask for prayer for our missionaries during our daily prayer times. Ask us also about the "adoption program" which we are hoping to bring back to life in Retired Missionaries Cliff and Melba Greene served with Wycliffe Bible Translators beginning in Cliff was a former member of EGCC. They served 24 years in Bolivia, then in Guatemala. Cliff was in charge of the radio and electronics department and Melba was the medical coordinator. In 1994 they went to the Philippines for 3 years where Cliff was an electronics technician and Melba taught kindergarten. They returned to JAARS ( jungle Aviation and Radio Service) in Waxhaw, NC where Melba worked in the Human Resources Library. They have 2 daughters, Beverly and Joy. Cliff and Melba are now retired and are dealing with some medical issues. They would enjoy some mail at: 6106 Webster Way Waxhaw, NC Phone : They send their deep and grateful thanks in appreciation of EGCC's financial support, prayers and caring for them. Blessings to all. Nancyjane Batten, chair: Perline and Bruce Cooper, Anette Habel, Cindy Tedsen, Marty Glynn ( financial manager/advisor), Eric Habel ( Elder board liason).

6 Women s Ministry Women of the Well Book Club will meet on Friday March 6 at 7pm at the home of Melisa Olson. We will be discussing Lisa Wingate s The Story Keeper. Copies are available at local libraries. Contact Melisa (melisaolson@juno.com) with any questions. Getting to Know Him - Join us on Monday evening March 23rd from 7 to 8:30 for the closing of the Getting to Know You program. Even if you were not able to join in the prayer group, please come for a casual evening to hear about the experiences of those who participated and a talk by Michelle Kraines on Developing Intimacy with God. Sign up now for our retreat, Garden Getaway, on Saturday, April 25. We will meet from 9:00 to 4:30 at Sacandaga Bible Conference. Rather than using a speaker, this retreat will be an interactive time where discussion leaders take small groups through times of study, prayer and sharing. It will be full of friendship, faith and fun as we walk through six sessions, including times of worship, a prayer walk and a fun craft to give as a gift. Cost is $50, with an optional dinner at extra cost at the Raindancer. Registration forms are available on the Information Table in the foyer and from the women on the Women s Ministry team. Come and be refreshed! The registration fee is due by March 29 so that we can order your materials and after that date it is transferable but not refundable.

7 Rollerskating at Rollarama March 29, :30-6:30pm Save the Date!! EGCC Families and Friends - please join us for a private event with Christian music! $7 per person, includes skate rental (non-skaters no charge) Adults and kids welcome! 2710 Hamburg St., Schenectady Contact Susan Perregaux Church Camping Trip! Contact Cindi Phillips at or cphillips316@nycap.rr.com if you are interested in camping at Sacandaga Bible Conference August 7th - 9th. More details to come! Sunday Morning Prayer For some months, a small group of adults have been meeting in the Pastor Office each week in prayer to support all that will be happening that morning. We meet to ask for God's power and presence to be felt in the classes, conversations, and worship service. We're asking for the Lord's help for teachers and workers, clarity in the message, strength to carry out tasks. And we are asking for salvation decisions and rededications. Come and be a part of this intercessory time from 8:20-8:40am each Sunday. Church Work Day Join us on March 14th from 9 am - noon to do inside work on all of the buildings. Everyone is invited, bring the whole family! Come and join us to help wash windows, clean carpets, repair chairs, change light bulbs, dust window ledges, clean out closets and cabinets etc. We look forward to seeing you there!

8 Non Profit Org U.S. Postage Paid 335 Saratoga Road Glenville, NY Burnt Hills, NY Permit No. 5 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED EGCC Information Sunday School: 9:00am Worship: 10:30am Location: 335 Saratoga Rd. Glenville, NY Phone: Preschool: New Fax #: office@egcchurch.org Check out our Church Staff Senior Pastor: Rev. James Smith Assistant Pastor: Rev. Phil Sears Dir. of Children s Ministries Susan Perregaux Dir. of Family Ministries Travis Phillips Dir. Of Preschool Linda Wachtel Dir. of Worship Ministries: Sandie Wanamaker Administrative Assistant: Gina Vendetti