June 2016.pub

June 2016
Covenant
Connection
Newsletter of the
EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH
OF WHITEHALL
Serving Christ for over 130 years
900 South Warner, Whitehall, MI 49461
(231) 894894-4271
www.eccwhitehall.org
Sunday Services: 9:00 & 10:45am
Our Vision:
Vision:
Reaching, Encouraging, Equipping … One life at a time.
To become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Reach Others Encourage Spiritual Growth
Equip To Minister
Children’s Ministries
VBS planning is under way! It’s not too late for you to
sign up to serve. There are many opportunities for
you to choose from. If you are unavailable to help
during the week of VBS, our donation board with
needed craft, food and decorating items will go up on
th
June 12 . You can choose what you would like to donate to our program. Also,
you may begin registering your children on that day.
We are going to have an entry in the Fourth of July parade again this year.
The Morins have graciously agreed to drive their ice cream truck so we will,
once again, be passing out freeze pops and cards with our youth and VBS
info on them. We need lots of families to walk in the parade with us.
Please, let us know if you and your family are available. Happy June!
Terri Means, Director of Children’s Ministries
VBS @ ECC!
JULY 10-14, 2016
Be ready to invite your friends and neighbors
to join us on this adventure! Volunteers are
needed. More information to come!
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Children’s Ministries Team
NURSERY
Darci Christensen
Autumn Johnson
Terri Means
Marcy Miller
Margie Nelson
Infants- age 2
We offer a safe, loving environment!
Pagers are available.
Please be mindful that we are not
equipped to have children over 2 years of
age in the nursery.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Youth Events
Junior High League
Grades 6-8
June Events:
Grades 9-12
June 8—5:30pm
SUMMER SUNDAY NIGHTS
is back! Sundays, 6pm
Summer Fun Party @ ECC!
Slip & Slide Kickball
June 15—10:00AM
Work Camp Work Day
JHL gets their serve on!
June 22—2:00pm
Beach Day
Swimming, games & more!
June 29—5:00pm
Whitecaps Baseball! Cost: $15
(price includes hotdog, drink
& FIREWORKS!)
Questions? Contact Chuck Connell
at 894-4271 or 215-5814.
Watch Facebook for any updates
or changes and details to
come…..
June 12
Slip & Slide Kickball– ECC
June 26
Beach Volleyball—Pere Marquette
Departure time—TBA
Watch for updates/changes
on Facebook:
“World’s Best Youth Group”
Questions on any of these youth
events? Contact Chuck Connell at
894-4271 or 215-5814
Reminder…..
Our last meeting for the summer is
Sunday, June 5, 9:00—
9:00—10:15am
@ Lifehouse
Craig Smith is on sabbatical
from June 1—August 31.
Any questions regarding the youth
programming are directed to Chuck
Connell at 894-4271 or 215-5814 or
[email protected].
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Missions Task Force
JARED & HANNAH BAKER
COVENANT MISSIONARIES
IN FRANCE
In September of 2014 Hannah and I settled into
a new phase of life and ministry in Marseille,
France. At that time, we had a general idea of
what areas of ministry we would like to focus on.
I would work with the Covenant Church’s
partner denomination in France, the French
Evangelical Free Church, while Hannah desired
to focus on outreach to Muslims and sexually exploited women. Since our arrival in
Marseille, we have seen these areas of ministry grow, deepen, and shift. So what does
ministry look like in the second largest city in France?
It looks like having a Muslim woman come to your home to teach you how to
make madaba, a traditional meal from her homeland. It also means finding out that this
woman knows and loves the stories of Jesus because she just happened to buy a copy of
The Jesus Film at a street market in her country. Ministry in Marseille also looks like
going out onto the streets at midnight to meet with exploited women to bring them
something warm to drink and an offer of prayer and friendship.
Within our local church, ministry means working closely alongside a local French
pastor, Benjamin Turrillo. We meet each week for prayer and planning, and we are
exploring different ways of encouraging our church to be more open about faith in a
culture that normally does not speak publically about it.
In our ministry, we also partner with several local associations to assist with
English courses. Even in the context of teaching English, we have opportunities to share
about our faith. For example, lamb is the traditional French meal for Easter. When the
students could not say why this was, it provided an opportunity to share a bit about
Passover and the history of Israel.
Our ministries here in Marseille have many different faces and put us in contact
with a rich variety of people – Muslims, sexually exploited women, Christians, atheists, the
French, Comorians, and the list goes on. It is a blessing to encounter such diversity in
ministry. We ask for your continued prayers for us as we try to be examples of Christ in
our city, and please pray also for the mosaic of people that God puts in our path.
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MTF Supported Ministries
These are the missionaries and ministries selected by the MTF to support financially and in
prayer for 2016. Watch for Mission Moments from some of these folks in 2016!
Jared & Hannah Baker—France*
Randy Bevis—Thailand*
Nick & Chelsea Dombrowski—Intervarsity
Jochy & Tammi Hernandez—Dominican Rep.*
Pra%m & Vanita Masih—India
Jeff & Abbie Nelson—Guatemala*
Bob & Suzanne Sco-—South Africa
Dave & Daphne Smith—India
Alex & Amanda Velasco—Merge*
Bridge to Life
Congo Jesus Film Project
Covenant Merge Ministries*
LoveINC—Muskegon
M.A.D. House Ministries/Muskegon
Patzicia Church in Guatemala
Muskegon Pregnancy Services
Muskegon Rescue Mission
Western Michigan Teen Challenge
*Covenant Missionaries
Evangelism—
Evangelism—Work Camp 2016
WORK CAMP
We are preparing for Work Camp 2016 and
we need YOU!
June 13-17, 2016
Work Camp is June 13-17. This is a week long volunteer
community outreach ministry showing God's love in a practical way. Whether
you can build a house single-handedly or need help changing a light bulb-WE
NEED YOU! Please place the sign up sheet in the offering plate or sign up at
Guest Services.
WE ARE ALSO COLLECTING FOOD DONATIONS TO FEED OUR WORK
CAMP WORKERS! Please see the signup sheet at Guest Services for a complete
list of needs. If you have questions on any of the projects we are working on this
year, please feel free to contact:
Ian Kennedy—894-2565
David Erickson—893-3417
Jennifer Tallquist— 670-6842
Stephanie Schmiedeknecht 893-5077
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ECC Calendar of Events
June 2016
Mon
Sun
Tue
1
5
9:00 & 10:45am
Worship
Jr. High Breakfast Club
9:00-10:15@ Lifehouse
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9:00 & 10:45am
Worship
Baby Shower for
Lacy Porath—2pm
9:00 & 10:45am
Worship
Thu
9:00 & 10:45am
Worship
Sunday Summer Nights
Hi-League—6pm
6
Sat
2
3
4
9
10
11
16
17
18
24
25
7
8
ECC Golf-1pm
Everyone welcome!
Hickory Knoll
Men’s Golf—6pm
@ Oceana GC
JHL
Summer Party!
5:30pm
13
14
15
ECC Golf-1pm
Everyone welcome!
Hickory Knoll
Covenant Quilters II
5-9pm @ Lifehouse
JHL @ Work Camp!
10:00am
Men’s Golf—6pm
@ Oceana GC
WORK CAMP WEEK—JUNE 13-17!
20
21
ECC Golf-1pm
Everyone welcome!
Hickory Knoll
22
23
JHL Beach Trip
2:00pm
Men’s Golf—6pm
@ Colonial in Hart
26
Fri
1
6
Sunday Summer Nights
Hi-League—6pm
19
Wed
27
28
ECC Golf-1pm
Everyone welcome!
Hickory Knoll
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JHL @ Whitecaps!
Meet @ ECC—5pm
Cost: $15
Men’s Golf—6pm
@ Colonial in Hart
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Prayer Needs
Prayer Requests
for these affected by cancer
Phillip Sahutske
“Smitty” Smith
Cindy Wright
Leesa Piszczek
Richard Dresden
Pam Kring
Christal Jackson
Cheryl Roper
Are you
interested in
being a part
of our prayer ministry?
Contact Diane Price at
616616-401401-1128.
Helping Others…..
Others ..
BENEVOLENCE FUND
If you would like to contribute to this fund, please
place your donation in the envelope marked
“Benevolence” and place it in the offering plate. Envelopes are located in the
pew. This fund assists people from our church body and the community who
are in need. Thank you for giving to others!
RECYCLE FOR SIGHT! DO YOU HAVE GENTLY USED EYEGLASSES THAT
YOU ARE ABLE TO donate?
The Lions Club has a program to recycle eyeglasses for the needy!
Volunteers prepare the glasses for their new owner. Please drop off
your donated glasses to the bin under the Guest Services cabinet.
Thank you for making a difference!
WHITE LAKE FOOD PANTRY
We continue to collect non-perishable food items for the Lebanon
Lutheran Food Pantry. Please drop your donations off at Guest
Services, marked “food pantry”, or you can drop them off right at
Lebanon Lutheran Church. Thank you for giving to others!
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Life Groups
Life groups are starting to wrap up for the summer. Please watch your bulletin or
newsletter for summer small group opportunities or studies.
DAY
TIME
CONTACT
PHONE
Sermon
Study
Tuesday
7:00pm
Steve Green
Men’s Study
286-6280
X
Thursday
3:30pm
894-8022
X
Barb Pulaski
@ Church
Bible
Study
Topic
Study
X
Connections Life Group Serving
JUNE 5
JUNE 12
JUNE 19
JUNE 26
1ST SERVICE
2ND SERVICE
CHRISTENSEN
CRAIG SMITH
MEANS
DAVID ERICKSON
GREEN
DICK SMITH
MURPHY
DON ERICKSON
If you are not part of a life group and would like to serve in this ministry, there are definitely
opportunities for you! Questions? Contact Jodi Stratton at 578-6478 or [email protected].
ECC Golf Fellowship
Mondays, 1:00pm
Hickory Knoll Golf Course
(Weather permitting)
All are welcome!
Questions?
Contact Clarence (894-6084)
Tuesday Evenings,
Men’s Golf—6:00pm
June 7 & 14 @ Oceana GC
June 21 & 28 @ Colonial in Hart
(Informal—play when you can!)
There is an e-mail distribution list to notify players
of location, so contact Breck to be added!
[email protected] (766-2592).
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Graduation Open Houses
Damara Pineda
Saturday, June 11—2-5pm
Montague Masonic Lodge
Emma Rupert
Sunday, June 5-1-4pm
7473 West Skeels Road, Montague
Katharine Uganski
Sunday, June 12—2-5pm
1093 Glenview Drive, Muskegon
John Spofford
Sunday, June 5—3-6pm
Evangelical Covenant Church
2016 Leadership & Ministry Teams
2016 LEADERSHIP TEAM
2016 MINISTRY TEAM LEADERS
Paul Christensen, Chairman—894-4629
Bill Price, Vice Chairman—616-401-1128
Brent Brower, Secretary—616-607-6084
John Rupert, Treasurer—893-4071
Pastor Tom Beeghly, Member—215-3802
David Holly, Member—329-9911
Todd Jensen, Member—312-203-9247
Brian Rood, Member—766-9137
Dick Smith, Member—894-9363
Questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact
one of our Leadership Team members.
Adult Ministries—Justin Porath—894-4271
Bldg. & Grounds—Brent Johnson—894-9257
Children’s Ministries—Terri Means—894-6531
Cong. Care—Justin Porath—894-4271
Connections—Justin Porath—894-4271
Finance & Stewardship—John Rupert—893-4071
Missions—Lee Dickinson—894-2572
Ministry Care Team—Bill Price—616-401-1128
Technology—Brian Rood—766-9137
Worship—Craig Smith—215-7075
Youth — Craig Smith—215-7075
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Covenant Quilters II
CQII IS CONTINUING THROUGH THE SUMMER. We'll meet our
usual second Tuesday of the month, 5:00 - 9:00 pm, at the
LifeHouse. The dates are June 14, July 12, and August 9.
If you haven’t been coming, please consider joining us - we have a
good time!
Our goal is to have several quilt tops completed for CQI by the time they
resume their meetings in the fall. These will then be tied and donated to
several places in the Muskegon area.
Other opportunities to think about:
•
a daytime sewing opportunity once a week. This would be in addition to the evenings in
June, July, and August. There is a signup sheet at the Guest Service Desk. THIS IS AN
INTEREST SURVEY. You will be asked which day/s you’d like to come, morning or
afternoon. By mid June I will compile the survey and let you know when we will be starting.
If you are interested I need to know.
•
a mother & child sewing event, later in the summer - introduce your child to sewing. There
will be a project the child can complete and take home for her/himself. THIS IS AN
INTEREST SURVEY. I will compile the survey and let you know when this is happening. If
you are interested I need to know.
•
there are quilt kits ready to be sewn. If you can’t make it to the other sewing times but
would like to help CQI & II, would you work on a quilt at home?
Contact person is Linda Wood. Phone number 231-292-1143 or email [email protected].
Thank you!
Thank you so much to Amy Love, church ladies who baked cakes
and had everything so nicely done in the church parlors, and to
the church tech folks who helped with getting the dvd of my
Mom’s life playing. You all made this Memorial Service for my
Mom (Ruth Cordell) so special. My Mom loved being a part of
this church and I thank you so much for keeping her in your
thoughts and prayers for all of these last years and for the cards, visits, plants and flowers.
Fondly, Linda Brown and family
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Portage Lake Campers—
Campers—June
Please be in prayer for our ECC youth
who are spending time at Portage
Lake Covenant Bible Camp this
summer!
Pathfinders I—June 17-19
Rylan Johnson
Trailblazers I—June 26-July 2
Ayonna Cooper
Annalyse Hill
Kihley Johnston
Jace McKinley-Stempel
Gwenna Pruett
Paige Scheid
Chase Switanowski
Ashley Tenbrink
Senior High—June 19-25
Caleb Beeghly
Tyler Brandel
Connor Briegel
Alex Chappell
Randi Clark
Liam Johnson
Kenyan Johnston
Elliot Kennedy
Isaac Kring
Nick Morin
Faith Peets
Joe Rupert
Aubrey Schaeffer
Gavin Schaeffer
Hannah Smith
Maddie Smith
Ben Stenglein
Andrew Tallquist
Lauryn Trudell
Jacob Uganski
Jack Zwemer
Guatemala Mission Trip
Our Guatemala Missions Team will be on their trip from
Sunday, June 26—Monday, July 4. Please be in prayer
for this team and all they will impact in Guatemala.
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White Lake Area July 4 Parade!
We are once again participating in the WL Area July 4th Parade! We will be meeting behind
Whitehall City Hall at 9:30am. The Morins are graciously allowing us to use their ice cream
truck! We need lots of hands to bless our community with freeze pops and postcards with our
upcoming events. Please sign up on your communication card in your Sunday bulletin.
Serving Opportunities
Looking for a place to serve here at ECC?
We have a lot of opportunities available through our 10 ministry teams:
Adult Ministries
Building & Grounds
Care
Children’s Ministry
Connections
Evangelism
Finance & Stewardship
Missions
Student Ministry
Worship Ministry
Let us know on your communication card or call the office for
more information about any of these teams!
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