Palm Sunday Worship on March 25th at 10:30am Maundy Thursday Service on March 29th at 7pm

Church Matters Quarterly Newsletter of East Glenville Community Church - Spring 2018 Palm Sunday Worship on March 25th at 10:30am Maundy Thursday Service on March 29th at 7pm Easter Sunday, April 1st: ~6:15am - SonRise Service 9:00am - Easter Brunch 9:30am - Easter Egg Hunt 10:30am - Easter Worship Celebration

ELDERS FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you." (Proverbs 4:25) As you heard at the VISION 18 banquet in February, the Elder Board is in the midst of long range vision casting through which we hope the Lord will guide the foreseeable future of this church, according to His will and for His glory. Vision casting is built into our spiritual DNA. It's something we all do, even subconsciously, when we exercise hopes and dreams--for our education, finances, careers, marriages, kids, grandchildren, etc. God has designed us to be forward looking people, although scripture admonishes us to appreciate His blessings in the present. As a church, the body of Christ, we engage in a shared vision. As elders it's our role to discern the Lord's will, to listen to the congregation we represent and pray over the next steps. When we move forward together in this manner, we can expect to grow--spiritually and numerically --and be blessed. Always remembering that our primary purpose is to spread the gospel and minister to others. So as we move further into the new year, let's all be in daily prayer for the vision God is giving us, and be attentive to what He would have us do. Whether through our staffing plan, building and facilities, missions and outreach, group fellowship, education, and more. As an "intentional church", the foundation is built on service. Each one of us has a role and a God given purpose. Whatever the future brings, as our vision unfolds, we serve a God who is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (everywhere). If we follow His lead, the future is bright--here and eternally. So let's: KNOW the gospel in our heads and hearts Be prepared to SHARE the gospel with others, then TAKE the gospel into our community and the world As Pastor Brad reminds us, "It's all about Him, but it's all for us." "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) TRUSTEES Dear Church Family, Your trustees have officially had their first meeting and we are eager to serve in any way God leads. We would like to welcome you all to help us do our jobs to the betterment of our church at large. We look forward to seeing so many of you at our church workday on Saturday March 24 th if you would consider joining us. We all need to be good stewards of the facility God has blessed us with. Your suggestions are always welcomed and if you see a need let us know. Just an FYI if anyone is using a room for a ministry. Please be aware of resetting the thermostat. We want to make our grounds and the inside of our church looking and functioning to the standard of what God has for us. We are serving the Lord together at EGCC. Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD. Serving HIM, Dan Meguin & Trustee Board EASTER FLOWER DONATIONS We will be accepting donations toward flowers to decorate our sanctuary for Easter Sunday ($20). Envelopes are in the pews and due March 25th. Please note if you are giving in honor or remembrance of someone. For the elders, Eric Habel

DIACONATE BOARD The Diaconate Board oversees many ministries within the Church that serve and care for others. Would you like to serve Jesus by serving others? Our Greeter Ministry is looking for several people to join the Greeter team and serve on occasional Sunday mornings. We also have needs for volunteers in other ministries including: visitation, ushers, hospitality, flowers, etc. If you are in need of help or care, or know of others in the congregation that may have a need for assistance, please be sure to inform one of our Pastors or any member of the Diaconate Board. Serving on the Board this year are: Don Sweet, Holly Britton, Leaa Mulone, Robin Daly, Brenda Mills and Pastor Phil Sears. If you want to serve, but are not sure where or what to do, please let me know and I will find a place for you. Being part of a ministry or a team at Church is also a great way to get to know others within the church. Please consider volunteering in one or more of our ministries. Brenda Mills, Chairman JUNIOR DIACONATE The Junior Diaconate is a ministry for children 3 rd 12 th grade who are interested in serving God by serving others. The JD team fills the pew racks each Sunday and tidies up the pews, picks up communion cups each month and helps to refill the trays for the following month. Special projects are done a few times each year. We encourage parents to talk to your children about the importance of serving Christ and the church. If your child is interested in serving on the JD team, please have them contact Susan Williams or Brenda Mills. EXCITING NEWS! We now have an Event Coordinator! Successful outreach events don t just happen by accident. We have 5 major annual events at EGCC: Kick off Sunday, Trunk or Treat, Living Nativity, Vacation Bible School and Easter Brunch & Easter Egg Hunt. We also have other family oriented events like our Vision Banquet. There are many moving parts!!! And many volunteers are needed to bring about a positive outcome. All of this takes coordination to ensure that we achieve our (and God s) goal, mission and vision of Know, Share, Take! Here are some of the objectives of an event coordinator (or point person) 1. COMMUNICATION To assist Event Leaders with communication among volunteers and departments (Pastor, Hospitality, Registration, Music Ministry, Facility, Marketing, Budget, Community, etc- Keeping everyone in the loop) 2. PROCESS To provide process guidelines to Event Leaders on timelines and milestones (what needs to be accomplished by when) To remove obstacles or find answers for open items. 3. DOCUMENTATION To provide an event checklist to Event Leaders To keep files on events from year to year and to ensure that a debrief is documented (Create shared Dropbox) Shelley Cull has volunteered to take on this role. If you are leading one of these events or any of the other event where you would like some support, please contact Shelley at cullshelley@gmail.com or call/text 440.537-5641. Shelley is looking for volunteers to work with her and Brenda Mills to organize the Easter Brunch. They need a Team Leader as well as volunteers for the following: Centerpieces Setting Tables Food Signups Overseeing Food Tables during brunch Helping Susan Perregaux with Easter Egg Hunt prep Contact Shelley (above) if you can help in any way!

CHILDREN S MINISTRY SPARK FOR KIDS IN K 5 TH GRADE Friday April 20, 2018 Theme: Maker Fun Factory Day 5 God made you for a reason! Friday May 4, 2018 Theme: Shipwrecked VBS 2018 Preview! SPARK meets 6:30-8:00pm Buchanan Hall Bring a friend! Suggested donation: $1 per child ROLLERSKATING AT ROLLARAMA Sunday March 18, 2018 4:30-6:30pm EGCC Families and Friends Join us for a private rink rental with Christian music! $7 per person includes skate rental (non-skaters no charge) Adults, teens, kids and friends welcome! 2710 Hamburg St. Schenectady Contact Susan Perregaux, children@egcchurch.org EASTER EGG HUNT Easter Sunday at 9:30am EGCC will host an Easter Egg Hunt for children, from toddlers up to 5th grade. You can help support this event by bringing in donations of plastic colored eggs, candy and non-candy fillers. No peanut products please! Box for Easter Egg Hunt donations will be in Hall of Missions until Sunday, March 25th. VBS 2018 June 25 29, 9am-noon at EGCC Adults and teens, please prayerfully consider how you can volunteer for VBS! There are many staff positions to fill. Each provides the opportunity to impact children with the Word of God. Contact Susan Perregaux at children@egcchurch.org Shipwrecked VBS 2018 is where kids discover how Jesus rescues us through life s storms. It s filled with cool Bible songs, tropical treats, Bible adventures, creative games and hands-on crafts that help faith flow into real life! On May 1 st look for a link to the VBS registration form on www.egcchurch.org VBS volunteer meetings will be after church at noon on Sunday May 6th, Sunday May 27th and Sunday June 3rd.

WHY NOT TRY A CHRISTIAN CAMP EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR CHILD? Please see the display of local summer camp brochures in the foyer! YOUTH Hello church family, can we believe that Spring is here? We have youth group every Sunday at East Glenville from 5:45p-7:30p, and below are some of the big events that the youth are doing the next few months: 1. March 4 th ; *Sunday*, Tye-dye and ice cream party at youth group, 5:45p-7:30p A. Bring something to tye-dye (shirts or socks) B. Bring your favorite topping to share 2. March 9th; *Wednesday*, Holy Grounds Coffeehouse, 7p-9p A. Contact Melisa Olson for more details B. We are looking for servers and performers EGCC CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL We are now accepting applications for the 2018-2019 school year. Classes we offer: Toddler class for two year olds; Monday and Friday. 9:15-10:45 Three year old class; Monday, Tuesday and optional Wednesday enhanced class. 9:00-11:30 Four year old class; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-11:30 with optional enhanced class Tuesday afternoon 12:30-3:00. Visit our Open House on Tuesday, March 6th from 6:00-800pm. Or for more information, questions or to schedule a visit, please call 518-280-7865, email preschool@egcchurch.org or visit website at egcchurch.org. 3. March 18 th ; *Sunday*, Rollarama in Schenectady followed by dinner and a scavenger hunt (at Target) A. Bring $ to skate B. Bring $ for dinner at McDonald s C. Followed by a photo scavenger hunt 4. April 4 th ; *Wednesday*, Ultimate Frisbee tournament 5. April 22 nd ; *Sunday*, Worship night at youth group, 5:45p-7:30p 6. May 13 th ; Youth Sunday, is when the youth take over the 10:30am service - something you don't want to miss! Thank you to all and don't forget to put these events on your calendar so as not to miss out! See you then! In Him, Jared Preschool Annual Garage Sale will be held April 13th and 14th at 9 Saratoga Drive, Glenville. Donations (no Christmas, please) may be dropped off at Linda Wachtel s or preschool in Mid March. Contact Linda with questions or information; kwachtel@nycap.rr.com or 518-399-4508. Thank you!

MISSIONS Hello, Brothers and Sisters in Christ. The Mission Board got off to a good start for the year with two new members a new Overseer and a new Treasury Liaison. At the end of January we had a meeting for people interested in going on a Short Term Mission Trip. At the meeting we handed out a short survey to get an understanding of their expectations and thinking about Short Term Mission trips. The following is a summary of the results: 12 people responded; together they had an average age of 55 years old. Most people wanted a trip that lasted one week during the summer months. Over half of the people said that they had a U.S. Passport. As for the location of the trip most people preferred either Cuba or Mexico and there was an even split between those who preferred a mission trip where spreading the Good News was the focus, as opposed to using ones knowledge/skills to help show others the love of Christ through helping with various projects. The Board wishes to thank those who participated and will use this information to help arrange a Short Term Mission Trip that will better reflect the thinking of the interested persons. In other news the Mission Board is working on the Mission Weekend, scheduled for May 18th, 19 t h, and 20th. We will have a guest speaker from East West Ministries. A Christian organization that specializes in helping people/churches arrange Short Term Mission Trips. At this time we are looking at a Potluck Dinner on Friday the 18th, a meeting on Saturday the 19th for people interested in a Short Term Mission Trip. On Sunday the 20th our guest speaker will be preaching during the regular service. More details and information will follow as we get closer to the dates for these events. Yours in Christ, Bruce Cooper Chair of the Mission Board UPDATE ON YUNELFI The Youth Sunday school offering goes to support a World Vision child named Yunelfi. He lives in the Dominican Republic. We have sponsored him since he was very little. He is now 8 years old and is in 3rd grade. He is in good health and likes to play volley ball and play with his friends. This is his current picture. Please encourage your child to put aside some money to give on Sunday so that they can enjoy the blessing of helping Yunelfi know Jesus and have a better life. Any extra money collected will go to other children in need. They may also write letters to encourage him if they wish. Hebrews 13:16. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Please join us in prayer... From February 5-9th we organized the Refugee Highway Partnership in The Netherlands. People come from as far north as Iceland and down to South Africa, but most of the 160 attendees were Europeans who are actively involved in ministry among refugee, asylum seekers, and unreached people groups from the continent of Europe. I wanted to give a quick update on how people were encouraged and equipped. Items for Prayer: You prayed for our key note speaker, Pastor Ron did an amazing job! Several commented on how good it was to hear a pastor open God's word richly every morning. In particular, his teaching on John 15 regarding the Master Gardner who lifts and prunes branches to bear more fruit brought many to deeper commitment to abide in Christ wherever God has planted us. Several said this was the highlight! You prayed for the 25 workshop leaders and they did an incredible job. Matt also had the opportunity to lead a 3 day Track on Equipping Churches and was encouraged by the discussion and interaction. You prayed for the Arabic, Persian and African leaders to encourage the Europeans to understand what God is doing among many people groups who have been resistant to the gospel, until now. The testimonies from the Afghan, Iranian and Syrian believers were a big encouragement. You prayed for the women ministry leaders, including Marie-Christine, who was a survivor of the Rwanda genocide. She shared how God has now given her a ministry in the UK in trauma care for those who have suffered through human trafficking and forced displacement. You prayed for the special ministry visits to an underground Somali fellowship and other Dutch refugee ministries and these were a very encouraging and practical experience for some to see a new context. You prayed for strength and stamina, and the good news is that Matt was able to coordinate this annual event without feeling overwhelmed. Fortunately, the Dutch ministry partner, GAVE, did a great job of organizing several volunteers. Overall, the RHP Europe Leadership Team was very pleased with the impact of the conference. We are already making initial preparations for RHP 2019 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. You prayed for the conference to provide encouragement for those ministering to unreached peoples in Europe, and as you can see from the picture below, the survey response on the last night "Encouragement" was the most voted response for " What do you take home?". We are encouraged by those who have been praying for us. I definitely could see the tangible difference made through your prayers. Your Partners in the Harvest, Matt & Nicole Paschall Franklin Graham

HOLY GROUNDS COFFEEHOUSE Plans are underway for our next Coffeehouse, Holy Grounds! It will take place on Friday evening, March 9th at 7pm. This has been a popular event in the life of our church. Please plan to join us for a night of fun and fellowship; complete with emcee, music, tons of entertaining performers, and some delicious treats to enjoy throughout the entire evening. We will need lots of folks to bake sweet treats as well as young people to serve as waiters and waitresses. Please see Melisa Olson to sign up your act or for more details. LIFE GROUPS CONNECT SHARE - SERVE What are Life Groups? A group of 4 to 12 people who gather regularly to connect, share life, serve, and grow together. What is the purpose of Life Groups? To connect and grow those in our church body and community as part of the great commandment and church mission of Know- Share-Take, moving from an inward to an outward focus. Why join a Life Group? To take church beyond Sunday morning to share insights, advice and encouragement growing in Christ and spreading the good news! Please contact Tom & Donna Dowling (518) 365-7665 or Guy & Kelli DeLeonardo (518) 384-3879 to get connected. MEMBERSHIP CLASS This special class is designed for those wishing to know more about the church and what it means to belong as members. No commitment is assumed for this informational class, although options will be presented for those involved for what they might do next in their faith-walk. Friday, March 16th, 6:30-8:30pm (dinner will be served) and Saturday, March 17, 9:00am - 12:00pm (breakfast will be served). Childcare will be available. Please R.S.V.P. to the Church Office at office@egcchurch.org or 399-3151 if you would like to attend.

WOMEN S RETREAT April 28th at Eagle Crest Golf Club. Guest Speaker: Megan Hill. Our retreat is open to all women over the age of 16; we encourage you to invite friends and family who would benefit from this inspirational time away. The cost is $60 if registered by March 4th and $70 after. This includes a full buffet breakfast and hot lunch. Partial scholarships are available upon request, please speak to Leigh Bradford. Brochures are available in the foyer. For more information see or contact Julie Seiz. BETH MOORE MARK YOUR CALENDAR March 3rd - Men s Breakfast March 6th - Servant Leadership Council Meeting March 6th - Preschool Open House March 9th - Holy Grounds Cafe March 16th & 17th - New Member Class March 18th - Roller-skating at Rollarama March 24th - Trustee Work Day March 25th - Palm Sunday Beth Moore Living Proof Live 2018- will be at the Times Union Center on Friday night and Saturday morning, October 26 and 27 Individual tickets are $79 but we can order tickets as a group for $59. See Vina Kaczmarczyk for more information and to sign up. March 29th - Maundy Thursday Communion Service April 1st - Easter Sunday (see page 1) April 7th - Men s Breakfast April 20th - SPARK MEN S BREAKFAST Saturday, March 3rd Saturday, April 7th Saturday, May 5th Plan to come a few minutes early for coffee and fellowship. Breakfast is served promptly at 8:30am. We can always use additional hands if you feel led to assist with either preparing the meal or clean-up - the gang is generally there to start things by 7:00am. Childcare will now be provided for kids, ages 2-8, in preschool room during breakfast. Contact person: Susan Perregaux, children@egcchurch.org. April 28th - Women s Retreat May 4th - SPARK May 5th - Men s Breakfast May 6th - VBS Volunteer Meeting May 18th - 20th - Missions Conference May 11th - Summer Newsletter Deadline May 27th - VBS Volunteer Meeting