Eastridge Communicator - Eastridge Baptist Church

Eastridge Baptist Church
Eastridge Communicator
July
2016
Give Us Barabbas!
In the circuslike events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, He had been brought
before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate
based on a complaint from the Jewish leaders.
After Pilate had investigated the complaint he
rightly concluded that Jesus was innocent and
had not done anything worthy of punishment
– let alone death. Pilate had heard the stories
of Jesus’ miraculous works, how He had
healed the sick, and made blind people see
and crippled people walk. It is likely that Pilate
had also heard that Jesus raised Lazarus from
the dead in Bethany, a town only two miles
away.
from the desk of Pastor John
Pastor John and Trisha LeProhon
they felt threatened by His power and His popularity.
Pilate attempted to circumvent the religious leaders and get the population-at-large to determine
Pilate was aware of the conniving ways of the
the fate of Jesus. It was the Jewish Passover and it
Jewish leaders and the fact that they hated
had become a custom for the governor to show
rivals to their own positions
mercy to one particular Jewish
and influence. Jesus had
“As I look at the current state of prisoner—to dismiss the charggrown extremely popular
es, and release him. Pilate asour world, it seems to me that
and influential over the past
sumed that the people would ask
three years. His fame had
people have been deluded into for Jesus to be released. After
spread throughout Judea and
calling evil, good and good, evil. “ all, Barabbas was a well-known
even beyond its borders. The
criminal who had, along with
Jewish leaders could see
other crimes, committed murder, while Jesus had
their influence and their way of life being
never broken any law. He was kind and gentle.
stripped from them if the people fully turned
He healed all who were brought to Him and His
to Jesus. For that reason they accused Jesus
teaching was unlike any they had ever heard beof committing blasphemy – a crime punishable
fore. Pilate was so certain that the people would
by death. Because the Jews were under Rorather have Jesus, the healer, released than Barman rule they were not allowed to exercise
abbas, the murderer.
the death penalty whenever they wanted;
they had to have the Romans carry it out for
Pilate was shocked when he asked which of the
them. Pilate was aware that the Jewish leaders two he should release and the people shouted
wanted him to have Jesus executed because
“Give us Barabbas!” Pilate asked, “Then what
continued on pg. 2
Barabbas!
shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” He
was dumbfounded when they shouted, “Crucify
Him!” Pilate tried to appeal to their logic when
he asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” But
they kept shouting all the more, “Crucify Him!”
It seems unimaginable that the crowd would be
so intent on wanting a murderer released into
their midst and to crucify the One who had exalted God, loved the people, healed their sick,
and cast out their demons. Oh, the destructive
power of sin that causes people to call evil,
good and good, evil!
continued from page 1
are being made to appear evil; while the ones
who perform the evil are being portrayed as
victims. This is merely one example of the way
our world is calling good, evil and evil, good.
The only hope for our world is Jesus Christ,
they very one who was crucified by wicked
men. If there was ever a time to be people devoted to knowing and living out the Scripture,
now is that time. Listen to what Paul said to
Timothy,
2 Timothy 3:13-17, But evil men
and impostors will proceed from bad
to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in
the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from
whom you have learned them, 15 and
that from childhood you have known
the sacred writings which are able to
give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; 17 so that the man of
God may be adequate, equipped for
every good work.
As I look at the current state of our world, it
seems to me that people have been deluded
into calling evil, good and good, evil. They are
rejecting anything to do with godliness or righteousness and are in effect shouting to the powers-that-be, “Give us Barabbas!”
A case in point is the recent revelation that
Planned Parenthood was selling organs and fetal
tissue from aborted babies. This was discovered
when the director of a Planned Parenthood facility stated as much on a hidden video. In the
months that followed, those who exposed the
horrific practice were vilified, indicted, and
sued. This month in California a law was being
proposed that would make it a crime to make
such a video. The ones who exposed the evil
The only one who can change hearts is Jesus
Christ. God has ordained the Scripture to be
the means by which people learn about Christ
and are trained in righteousness. We need to
know “the sacred writings” and let the Word of
God teach, reprove, rebuke, and correct us.
Now, more than ever, Christians must be people devoted to the truth of Scripture; so that
we can know what God calls “evil” and what He
calls “good.”
The world may be shouting out, “Give us Barabbas!” but what they need is Christ!
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Sharing Christ’s Love in Honduras
The Honduras team has been busy preparing for their mission trip this past month. On May 21, they held a
car wash and yard sale and raised $1400! During their weekly team meetings, they have been practicing their
testimonies, a music routine, a skit and some Spanish children's songs. The team, which consists of Kelly
Tolonen, Silas Tuthill, Joshua Barrios, Joel McCafferty, Annika Mayes, and Bill and Cathy Mickelson, leaves June
24 and returns home July 2. The following is their tentative itinerary:
Sunday - A.M. Bill will teach an adult Sunday School class at El Socorro (small church in an outlying village)
P.M. - Children's Church at Betania (in Sequatepeque)
Monday-Tuesday - Neighborhood outreach surrounding El Socorro Church (mornings) & VBS (afternoons)
Tuesday evening - Women's seminar (Betania)
Wednesday - Painting & VBS, evening - Marriage seminar (El Socorro)
Thursday - Painting & Tiling (El Socorro), evening - Women's seminar (Betania)
Friday - Cultural excursion (market) & Comayagua (National Park), farewell dinner
Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
Team members (l to r) Kelly Tolonen, Silas Tuthill,
Joshua Barrios, Joel McCafferty, and Annika Mayes
practicing their music routine
Some of the college group working at the May 21st
fundraiser car wash.
Praying over the Honduras team at the Sunday services on June 19.
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A Test for Parents
from the desk of Pastor Andrew
Parents, teach your children! There’s no question
13. What will Jesus do when he returns to earth?
here of giftedness. It’s a question of mandate and
equipment. The mandate is to do it. The equipment is
God’s truth. There are two avenues of failure: disobey the mandate or abuse the equipment. And if you
don’t have the equipment then you can’t obey the
mandate. So let’s make sure you possess the right
equipment in the right manner.
14. How can someone escape the penalty due to
sin?
15. What is saving faith?
16. What is repentance and why is it necessary?
17. What role do human good works play in salvation?
18. What does it mean to be born again?
19. Why must someone be born again to be saved?
20. How can you know if you are saved?
21. What does it cost to follow Jesus Christ?
Below is a 25-question test. Can you answer the theology questions below confidently and, this is the important part, with Scripture? Parents, you need to be
the theologian of your home. Without theology, how
22. Who is the Holy Spirit?
23. What does the Holy Spirit do in the Christian’s
life?
24. What is the Bible?
25. What role should the Bible have in the Christian’s life?
can a child be saved? I don’t mean dry, dusty books
with big words. I mean the truth about God, man,
sin, salvation, heaven, hell, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, right
and wrong. If you find the questions below easy,
praise God! He has robustly equipped you with a
knowledge of his plan of salvation so that you are
able to pass it on at least to your children. If there
were any questions you were unable to answer, then
You can become a parent without passing any qualifying exams. But you can’t be a Christian parent without being able to teach your children the basic doctrines of Christianity. And you can’t teach the basic
doctrines if you don’t know them.
these are areas to commit to further study, that you
might be as firm as the rock of Scripture in addressing the most important issues you and your family
will ever study.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
How many Gods are there?
Who is God?
What is God’s law and expectation for mankind?
What is sin?
Who has sinned?
What is the penalty of sin?
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus become a man?
Why is it significant that Jesus never sinned?
Why did Jesus die on the cross?
What is the significance of the resurrection of
Jesus to the salvation of sinners?
12. Where is Jesus now and what does He do?
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Monday, July 18-Friday, July 22
6:00–8:30pm daily
Eastridge Baptist Church
For children entering grades K–6
Pre-registration begins Sunday, July 3 in the foyer
Free
Free
Free
Free
If you have any questions or need more information, contact Pastor Andy at 253-880-2938 or
[email protected].
Serving Our Community
Each summer for the past several years, Eastridge has held a school supply drive to collect items to distribute
to students at East Hill Elementary. Once again, Eastridge attenders have an opportunity to bless the less fortunate children at East Hill with much-needed school supplies. Below is a list of the items the school still needs
and a list of items they still have plenty of (note that they are unable to store any more of these items):
Items the school still needs:
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Items not needed:
Colored Markers (10 – 12 in a package)
Colored Pencils (10 – 12 in a package)
Folders w/no pictures or designs/one color bottom pocket
with brads (in variety of colors)
One subject composition notebooks (about 75 pages)
Page protectors
Plastic or cardboard bottom pocket folders
(w/o brads - NO need for designs or pictures either)
Plastic or cardboard supply boxes
Pencil boxes (slide-open type)
Pencil sharpeners with lips/cases ONLY please
Post-it notes (large 3’’by 3’’)
Spiral notebooks
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compasses
crayons
dry erase markers
erasers
glue bottles
glue sticks
highlighters
pens (red, black, or blue)
protractors
reams of paper
rulers
scissors
zipper pouches for small supplies
Watch for a donation barrel in the foyer in the weeks to come. If you have any questions, please contact
Cathy Mickelson at 253-569-3468 or [email protected].
Thank you so much for showing God’s love to the needy in our community!
5
Kids Can Weed, Too!
Now that school is out for the summer, parents
may be looking for ways to keep their kids busy
during the lazy days of vacation. Why not use this
time as a chance to teach your kids to serve in simple ways?
Coincidentally, Eastridge has a need that both you
and your kids can fill. Now that our 3 spring work
days have concluded, we are in need of people to
maintain (ie. weed) the church grounds throughout
the summer. And yes, kids can pull weeds, too!
Volunteers are free
to come to the
church at their
convenience, select
the weediest, neediest flower bed and
weed away. Just
think—if every capable adult and
child at Eastridge
would give just one
hour to weeding,
we would have approximately 200
hours worth of
weeding done over
the summer! That
would be awesome!
We would like to
sincerely thank the
volunteers who
came out to one or
more spring work
day to help with the
landscaping. You
made great strides in
beautifying the
grounds. We are so
grateful for all your hard work.
If you would like more information about helping
with the landscaping at Eastridge, please contact
Cherryl Boston at 253-653-3541 or
[email protected].
Volunteer to Adopt a Landscape Bed at Eastridge!
We are looking for volunteers to maintain one of the garden beds on the church property as part of our
Adopt-a-Landscape-Bed program. Eastridge attenders adopt a specific garden bed on the church property
and then maintain it throughout the year. If you are interested in adopting a bed or would like more information about this program, please complete the form below and drop it in one of the offering boxes. A
member of the Landscaping Committee will contact you.

Adopt-a-Landscape Bed
Name: _______________________________________
Contact Information:
Phone No: ________________________________________
E-mail: ___________________________________________________
 I’m ready to adopt
 I would like more
6 information
Please drop completed form in one of the offering boxes or give to Cherryl Boston
6
Family News
Eastridge would like to extend a warm welcome to our
newest members:
Dean and Dorie Peyton
Ken and Pam Smith
Tom and Jennifer Small
If you are interested in becoming a member of Eastridge,
check out the membership requirements on our website at
eastridgebaptist.org. Click on the about tab and then the
become a member tab.
Speaker: John Cox
Master’s Seminary graduate,
pastor, and friend to Pastor
Music: Conan Hirsch
Worship leader at Christ the
King Church in Bellingham
John and Pastor Ryan.
Joe and Sarah Kusack welcomed baby boy Timothy Noah
Kusack into their family on Friday, May 27 at 5:05am. Timothy was a healthy 9 lb. 3 oz! He is a baby brother to Peter
(5), Lydia (4), and Benjamin (2).
Congratulations, Joe and Sarah, on your newest bundle of joy!
 Individual student coming alone = $235
 Student coming with sibling or friend = $180
(Cost includes room & board, travel, and activities; let Pastor Ryan know if money is an
issue)
$25.00 deposit due by Sunday,
July 24, 2016
For more information or for a registration form,
please contact Pastor Ryan at 253-951-5583
Sunday, July 10 @ 4:00
4:00––7:00pm
(21842 148 Ave SE, Kent 98042)
Celebrating abundant blessings from the Lord with fun,
fellowship, and food for the whole family!
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Catered dinner
Potluck dessert (sign up in the foyer)
Hayrides
Fun Contests!
EBC’s Got Talent! (If you can sing or play a musical
instrument, we’d love to have you share your music
with us throughout the evening. Please sign up in the
foyer or contact Randy Mayes to be added to the
schedule. Randy will contact you before the event to
let know when you are scheduled to perform).
PHOTO OPS!
Take some photos at
Celebration Sunday, then
email them to
[email protected]
by no later than Monday,
July 18 and we’ll include
some of your photos in
the August Eastridge
Communicator
newsletter!
If you have any questions about Celebration Sunday, please contact Randy Mayes at 253-852-8882 or [email protected]
7
MEN’S
DINNER
Friday, July 15, 2016
6:00pm at Eastridge
July Birthdays and Anniversaries
Eva Handley 7/3
Alysha Merziak 7/22
Anniversaries
Wyatt Meeuwse 7/3
Margarita Sanchez 7/22
Derek and Carol Iverson 7/2
Sam and Crystal Martinez
7/23
Kelly Lopez 7/4
Stephen Groot 7/23
Dan and Heather Young 7/6
Sean and Sarah Kelsey 7/24
Ryan Reeves 7/4
Ana Panfil 7/23
Bill and Mary Bennett 7/10
Jolyn Barber 7/6
Sara Hayward 7/24
Annalise Burlando 7/8
Victor Craig 7/25
Gregory and Keren Goheen
7/12
Jonathan and Kimberly
Skeith 7/24
Ray and Maxine Emme 7/27
Loraine Keith 7/8
Titus Skeith 7/25
Christian and Kelly Lopez
7/27
Rachel Roach 7/8
Ezra Skeith 7/26
Tom and Jennifer Small
7/15
Derek Iverson 7/27
Jon and Kari Watson 7/15
Tim and Sandy Thomas 7/28
Austin Meeuwse 7/10
Eric Olson 7/10
Warren Trzeciak 7/28
Ralph and Karen Lentz 7/16
Ryan and Jennifer Trzeciak
7/28
John Stegman 7/11
Sarah Kelsey 7/29
Garrett Anderson 7/12
Kevin McArdel 7/30
Donica Tibbetts 7/12
Naomi Steward 7/30
Peter Kusack 7/16
Priscilla Craig 7/31
Dorie Peyton 7/17
Ella Martinez 7/31
Jack and Mavis Gaines 7/20
Tim and Laurie Tolonen
7/20
Dean and Wanda Renick
7/21
Doug and Debbie Thompson
7/21
Lance Swenson 7/18
Wanda Renick 7/20
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Nate and Emily Williams
7/28
Jim and Casey Starr 7/30
Robert and Kim Turnbull
7/30
Paul and Linda Majer 7/31
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Saturday
Friday
1
2
College Honduras Missions Trip
3
4
5
6
6:30pm
128 Student
Ministries
7:00pm Worship
Team
7:00pm Financial
Peace University
7:00pm Youth
Ladies’ Bible
Study @
Borton’s
10
11
12
10:30am
Missions Prayer
Ministry @
Alaire Irish’s
4:00–7:00pm
Celebration
Sunday at
Grimstad
Farms
5:00–8:30pm
Tae Kwon Do
6:30pm Elder
Meeting
17
8
9
5:00–7:00pm
Thursday Church
5:00–8:30pm
Tae Kwon Do
6:00pm Prayer
Meeting
7
13
14
6:30pm
128 Student
Ministries
6:30–8:00pm
VBS allvolunteer
team meeting
(Youth
Center)
15
16
5:00–7:00pm
Thursday Church
7:00pm College/
Career Study
6:30–8:00pm
VBS volunteer
team meeting
(Large
Portable)
7:00pm Worship
Team
6:00pm Men’s
Dinner @ EBC
7:00pm Financial
Peace University
College Camp-out
18
19
20
21
22
6:00–8:30pm
Vacation Bible
School
6:00–8:30pm
Vacation Bible
School
6:00–8:30pm
Vacation Bible
School
6:00–8:30pm
Vacation Bible
School
6:00–8:30pm
Vacation Bible
School
25
26
27
28
29
23
College
Camp-out
24
Communion
5:00–8:30pm
Tae Kwon Do
6:30pm
128 Student
Ministries
9
5:00–7:00pm
Thursday Church
7:00pm College/
Career Study
7:00pm Financial
Peace University
7:00pm Worship
Team
7:00pm Youth
Ladies’ Bible Study
@ Borton’s
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Parking Lot
Restriping
(Lot closed)
Upcoming Events at Eastridge
August 2016
Monday, August 1–
Friday, August 5
Youth Summer Camp @ Cascades Camp
Sunday, August 7
Monthly Prayer Meeting
6:00pm
Tuesday, August 9
Missions Prayer Ministry
10:30am @ Alaire Irish’s
Saturday, August 13
Baby Shower for Janelle McArdel
2:30pm @ EBC
Saturday, August 20
Men’s Breakfast
7:30am
September 2016
Sunday, September 4
Monthly Prayer Meeting
6:00pm
Tuesday, September 13
Missions Prayer Ministry
10:30am @ Alaire Irish’s
Wednesday, September 14
Awana Clubs Registration Night
6:30pm
Saturday, September 17
Men’s Breakfast
7:30am
October 2016
Sunday, October 2
Monthly Prayer Meeting
6:00pm
Tuesday, October 11
Missions Prayer Ministry
10:30am @ Alaire Irish’s
Saturday, October 15
Men’s Breakfast
7:30am
Mark your calendar...
10
God’s Work Through Teenagers
On June 19, 128 Student Ministries
welcomed in some newbies who
promoted out of Mr. Mayes’ class
and into the wonderful world of
youth ministry. We are glad to have
Andrew Young, Eden Elliott, Jacob Trzeciak (I think I
know this kid), and Audrey Anderson as part of the
group. I am excited for what the future holds and
what God will do in the lives of these students.
from the desk of Pastor Ryan
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, better known as
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These four courageous youths knew God’s Law and His call to
holiness, and resolved not to defile themselves with
the king’s food and drink. They even made a plan to
follow through on their conviction (Dan 1:6-8).
Last, but definitely not least, there are the students
of our church. We have many examples of teens and
those in their early twenties who have a great desire
to serve the Lord. There are some who are going off
to school to hone their skills for ministry. Then there
is the team that is headed for Honduras for a shortterm mission; yet another team is
going to serve at Camp Gilead; and
a group of students led us in worship at the youth fundraising concert. Also, there are many who are
involved in VBS, Thursday Church,
Awana, and various other ministries at EBC.
I have reason to be excited because I know what God
can do with teenagers. The Bible gives us numerous
examples of teens who did amazing things for the
Lord. First is Joseph in the book of
Genesis. Early in his teenage years,
he received revelation from God
about what the future would hold
for him and the elevated position
he would hold. Shortly after that,
his brothers sold him into slavery.
Joseph eventually rose to prominence in the house of his master,
Potiphar. However, while he was
still a teenager, or at least shortly
thereafter, he withstood immense
temptation as Potiphar’s wife made
her relentless sexual advances
(Gen 37, 39).
Each one of these examples of spiritually courageous teenagers is the
product of a great spiritual heritage. These individuals did not wake
up one morning and say to themselves, “Today I will begin to live
for the Lord.” No, they were taught the Scripture by
concerned adults who invested in them to strengthen
their faith in God.
David is another example of one who did mighty
things for the Lord. As a teenager, he fought off lions
and bears, and conquered the nine-foot giant, Goliath.
In 1 Samuel 17, David stares Goliath down and says
“You come at me with a sword and a spear and with
a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord
of hosts...This day the Lord will deliver you into my
hands, and I will strike you down and cut off your
head” (1 Sam 17:45-46). David said these courageous
words, not because of how strong he was, but because he knew how great God is.
That is why I am so excited about the incoming students. From what I know of their families and the
instruction they received in Sunday School over the
years, it is going to be great to see those seeds come
to fruition. The God who began this great work
promised to complete it, and my prayer is that
128SM be found faithful to our responsibility to proclaim Christ so that these students may be presented
complete and mature in Christ.
Then there is the prophet Daniel and his friends
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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the Republic for
which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
EAS RIDGE
Baptist Church