Thursday, September 5, 2013

UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, September 6
Video Game Night
for K-5th Grade
6:00 p.m.
Youth Friday Fun Night
7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 8
Special Guest Speaker
Dr. David Eubanks of
Johnson University-Florida
5:30 p.m.
Monday, September 9
Quilting/Sewing Class
Karate
6:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 10
Hugs Ministry
10:00 a.m.
Sunday, September 15
Momentum for Men
Meeting
4:00 p.m.
Friday, September 20
Prime Timers’
Kick Off
6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 21
Thrift Store Scavenger
1:00 p.m.
Hunt for College Age/Young Adults
Sunday, September 22
Elders’ and Deacons’
Meeting
4:00 p.m.
CWF Board Meeting
4:45 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
September 27-28
30 Hour Famine
“Feed Your 5,000”
September 4, 2013
Special Sunday School Focus
September 8-October 27
VERTICAL CHURCH
The inside of the book jacket of Vertical Church
presents a startling observation: “Church was never
meant to be safe.” Of course, church is to be a
place for people to be welcomed, loved, and cared
for. Church is to be where people hear about God’s
grace that both forgives our sin and gives us the
strength and wisdom to face life. In that sense church is to be a safe
place.
But, church has always been intended to be a place where we truly
meet God. And, as the author of Vertical Church, James MacDonald,
excitedly wrote, “A real encounter with the living God changes
everything.” Church is to be about God, not us. When the church
comes together, God should be center stage. When He is given His
place, the predictable disappears. Mr. MacDonald said that such a
meeting with God will be window-rattling, earth-shattering, and
life-altering.
We have an opportunity to explore how we may make sure that
Englewood Christian Church is and remains a vertical church. That will
be during our Sunday School Bible study time, 9:30-10:30 a.m., on
September 8-October 27. The high school and adult classes will spend
these eight weeks learning to make sure that we are aligned with God
and His work that needs accomplished in this world.
Please plan to participate in Vertical Church, and bring others with
you. When we go vertical, life will change for the better!
New Sunday Evening Meeting Time
Starting September 8
A new time for our Sunday evening services
will begin on September 8. On that day our Sunday evening services
will begin at 5:30 p.m. This means that all of our Sunday afternoon
and evening activities will shift thirty minutes earlier each Sunday.
This change will provide an opportunity for everyone to be home a bit
earlier after the Sunday evening activities.
Please keep this change in mind. Please plan to be a part of our
Sunday evening worship time. Please pray that this change will
encourage others to participate in the Sunday afternoon and evening
activities at Englewood Christian Church.
Reflections from Ken
Exciting Sunday School Study
The front page of this issue of The Echoes announces a
new church wide Sunday School study. The study, Vertical
Church, is intended to inspire us to have a more intense
interaction with God both personally and corporately. The
subtitle of this emphasis is this: What every heart longs
for. What every church can be. The eight lessons of
Vertical Church will combine video segments with class
discussions. We will blend our Sunday morning sermons
with the Bible study each week to help us discover
applications of those lessons to where we live and to
what we do.
The book from which this special study comes may be
purchased at local Bible bookstores, or it may be found
online. Having the book is not essential to deriving great
benefits from the class.
Please plan to be a part of our study of Vertical Church,
and bring others with you. The study will be eye opening
and spiritually helpful!
Momentum for Men Resumes – September 15
The umbrella men’s ministry at Englewood Christian
Church is called Master’s Men. That group meets
quarterly, usually with a delicious meal and a good
program. The Master’s Men recently served dinner to
the Christian Women’s Fellowship as they installed their
officers and circle leaders and divided into their circles for
the coming year.
Momentum for Men is a group of men who are ready
to take Master’s Men to another level of Christian
maturity and Christian service. Momentum meets on
periodic Sunday afternoons for Bible study and prayer.
Also, the meetings focus on learning how to be part of
our worship times. In addition, Momentum men
participate in various projects needed by individuals and
families in the church family.
The next Momentum for Men meeting will be held on
Sunday, September 15. We will be meeting at 4:00 p.m. in
the Fellowship Hall. All ECC men are invited to be a part
of this meeting and in the service activities that were and
still are the main reason for the formation of this group.
ECC Fall Workday – September 28
A couple of times a year, once in the spring and once in
the fall, we plan a workday on our campus. The workday
enables us to clean, repair, and prepare our facilities for
use and to present a favorable impression on our
community and our visitors. Sunday School classes are
encouraged to plan to thoroughly clean their respective
rooms. Yard cleanup and flower beds weed pulling are
regular parts of the workdays. Other projects are also part
of the day such as painting and repairs.
Our Fall Workday will be held on Saturday,
September 28. We will work from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
The more ECC people who come, the more work may be
accomplished. Please plan to help out at the Fall Workday.
Pray Anyway
At a recent Sunday evening worship service we were
challenged by the disciples’ request that is found in Luke
11:1. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They
obviously had made a connection between Jesus’
effective ministry and His consistent prayer life. It seems
that the disciples felt that prayer would enable them to
be more ready for all aspects of life and ministry that they
would face. Both of those conclusions were correct. One
of the reasons why these conclusions were true was, and
still is, that earnest prayer makes us dependent upon God
instead of on programs, personalities, and productions.
We need to be convinced that when we trust God more
than ourselves or others, we will possibly see more than
we ever dreamed or imagined, much like Paul said in
Ephesians 3:20-21. (ESV 20 Now to him who is able to
do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, forever and ever. Amen.) The historical
account of such a prayer result is found among the
apostles and the church who were praying as recorded
in Acts 4:23-31. (ESV 31 And when they had prayed, the
place in which they were gathered together was shaken,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
continued to speak the word of God with boldness.)
Joe McKeever wrote about the significance of our
consistent praying in Disciple Magazine. His article was
“Pray Anyway.” Here is some of what he suggested.
“When you don’t know how to pray, pray anyway.
Ignorance is no excuse.” “When you don’t understand
what the big deal is about prayer, and you think it’s
overrated because it never did you much good, pray
anyway. Immaturity is no excuse.” “When you’re
embarrassed to be back before God confessing the same
sins and admitting the same failures, come on and pray
anyway. Shame is no excuse.” Mr. McKeever’s conclusion
was “Let us pray.” AMEN!
New Circle Year Begins!
Many thanks to the Master’s Men who served at the
recent Christian Women’s Fellowship Installation Dinner! The
food and the service were great, and the ladies were very
grateful for the special treat of being served which added to
the beautiful evening. Thank you, gentlemen!
All of the ladies of the church were divided into five
circles for the coming year. Below are the lists of each circle.
If any woman would like to be added to a circle, please
contact the church office.
Day Circle—Beth Edenfield, #1
Betty Barnes
Renee Bennett
Jan Bloom
JoAnn Boatwright
Anita Boorde
Judie Brown
Vicky Bush
Kay Casey
Carol Cliett
Estelle Dalton
Donna Denney
Cauleen Dolan
Harriette Drummond
Beth Edenfield
Kay Erwin
Brenda Eskelson
Ellie Hall
Jennifer Hammock
Cora Hersey
Mary Heston
Sunnie Holt
Betty Horne
Janet Hughes
Paula Hulett
Fran Hyatt
Mary Johnson
Christa Jordan
Rhonda Lamb
Karen Lee
Marlene Circle, #2
Mary Ansberry
Beverly Arnold
Tanya Bennett
Wendy Bourgholtzer
Oveeda Bundy
Sherry Dotson
Krista Dyr
Gail Fenner
Michele Fisher
Lindsey Hackford
Kelly Hale
Vicki Harris
Rebecca Hulett
D. D. Jewell
Wilodean Jones
Dottie Lewis
Dorothy Lilly
Nancy Lockwood
Olene Lockwood
Kay Marshall
Polly May
Jinx McLeod
Marjorie Miller
Harriett Moseley
Doris Napoli
Cheryl Perron
Frances Pickard
Diane Pressly
Sarah Pressly
Marlene Ross
Amy Ryals
Catherine Salisbury
Shirley Sapp
Betty Smith
Pat Stoeckl
Mat Thigpen
Pat Thompson
Pat Underwood
Mary Vincent
Mary Anne Wakeman
Alice Walton
Christie Willingham
Sandra Wilson
Laura Kelly
Kathleen Lester
Megan McDonald
Cheryl McLanahan
Jonell McRee
Linda Myers
Enid Ramos
Erica Schroeder
Kathy Sesco
Marlene Shrout
Madonna Smith
Jo Swallow
Shirley Vause
Jennifer Weigel
Lindsey Keener
Kim Circle, #3
Paige Allen
Heather Bateman
Linda Bennett
Lynn Bridges
Jessica Buchanan
Daniella Bucur
Jamie Cochran
Carol Clarke
Debbie Douglas
Gayle Gemeinhart
Christina Groger
Shirley Johnson
Carole Kemp
Christa Marcus
Ann McGlamory
Marcie Metcalf
Dianne Moore
Jenny Nieves
Kim Owens
Stephanie Powell
Tymber Prager
Sally Pratt
Linda Solomon
Vangie Solomon
Lillian Strickland
Kahla Thompson
Joy Tison
Diane Walker
Megan Williams
Tia Williams
Dawn Wilson
Mary Worth
Erica Circle, #4
Nancy Altman
Sherry Arnot
Sheryl Bucur
Kathryn Bullock
Rebecca Bullock
Patty Caviness
Kristie Cochran
Bobbi Dent
Kiley Deslatte
Ellan Duke
Joanna Farah
Rima Farah
Lisa Findley
Sandra Harr
Robin Hopkins
Serena Maerkl
Mandy May
April Merrow
Tammy Morris
Genie Neiberger
Gabriela Nieves
Kimberly Peppers
April Pickett
Rhonda Picton
Norma Ponder
Maribel Rosario
Vonnie Salisbury
Sherry Sanderford
Gayle Sheffield
Sheri Smith
Deanna Stepp
Tiffanie Swain
Martha Tenpenny
Julie Topping
Erica Torres
Diane Troutman
Brittany/Tina Circle, #5
Margaret Andrus
Kayla Bennett
Felicia Bennett
Mary Bowman
Mandy Butler
Marge Curry
Beth Eastman
Teresa Frederick
Kelly Gabbard
Maria Gabbard
Audrey Jones
LaRon Jones
Brittany Kellar
Judi Kemp
Lisa Kemp
Pat Langford
Karen LaRosa
Sandra Mason
Debbie Mooney
Kim Moore
Joan Morales
Gayle Moseley
Pat Powell
Laurie Regelski
Tawnda Schroeder
Michele Stout
Dolores Wetmore
Marge VanDeBoe
Tara Williams
Tina Williams
Alice Zeiger
Lisa Zimmer
Ninety-two people attended the first
rehearsals in five choirs on August 25! There
was laughter, introductions, meeting new
friends, excitement, and, of course, singing.
It was a terrific beginning for a new year, and
there is still time to join. We have choirs for
all ages. Please consider putting your musical
talents to good use for the church by joining
a choir this year at the next rehearsal, on September 8.
Wee Praise
Ages 2 & 3 (as of Sept. 1, 2013)
5:30 p.m.
Room 106
Music Makers
Ages 4 & 5 (as of Sept. 1, 2013)
5:30 p.m.
Room 208
Jesus’ Musical Kids
Grades 1-5
5:30 p.m.
Room 209
Vocal Explosion
Grades 6-12
4:15 p.m.
Room 209
Worship Choir
High School Students and Adults
6:45 p.m.
Worship Center
Johnson University-Florida Update – September 8
Florida Christian College has had a name change. FCC
is now Johnson University-Florida. There have been
other changes at the school as well. That is why
Dr. David Eubanks, the school’s chief operating officer,
will be at Englewood Christian Church. He will be giving
us an update of the merger of Florida Christian College
with Johnson University of Knoxville, TN. Johnson
University used to be known as Johnson Bible College.
And, Dr. Eubanks was the president of that institution
for thirty-eight and a half years until his retirement.
Dr. Eubanks’ will speak at our 5:30 p.m. Sunday
evening service on Sunday, September 8. His
presentation will include slides of the school and
detailed information of current and future plans for the
college that has been the recipient of our financial
support and of students from ECC. There will be time for
us to ask questions and to hear Dr. Eubanks’ responses.
Because Florida Christian College has been such an
important part of our missions focus at ECC, this service
will be an important gathering. Please plan to be with us
for the Sunday, September 8, 5:30 p.m. service to learn
more about what FCC has become, Johnson UniversityFlorida.
Friday Fun Night
On September 6 we will be kicking
off our monthly Friday Fun Nights.
These fun nights will be an opportunity
to invite youth in our community to
come and to hang out with us. Each
month we will be doing something different. The fun
night on September 6 begins at 7:00 p.m. and will last
until 9:00 p.m. During this fun night, we will be heading
to a local park to play Capture the Flag. Before we leave
for the park, we will have food and drinks for everyone
in the Fellowship Hall. I hope that you will go ahead and
start inviting your friends and kids in our community to
come and to be part of these fun nights. These fun
nights are for students in grades 6-12.
College and Young Adults Thrift Store Scavenger Hunt
On September 21 the College and Young Adults will
have a Thrift Store Scavenger Hunt. We will be meeting
at the church at 1:00 p.m. We will then head to “The
Thrift Store” to have a scavenger hunt. Upon arriving at
the thrift store, a list of items will be given to each team
consisting of two people. Whichever team correctly
finds, shows the sponsors, and puts back all the items
first will be the winner of the scavenger hunt. After all
of the teams have completed the hunt, we will head to
Sweet Frog. Each student will need to bring money for
their frozen yogurt. We will plan on finishing around
4:00 p.m. We are excited for this event. I hope that you
are as well!
Middle and High School 30 Hour Famine
Hunger and lack of food is something that most of us
do not deal with in our households. However, according
to 30 Hour Famine’s website, about “16 million children
in the United States live in a food-insecure household.”
We often say things such as, “I’m starving,” when we are
getting close to lunch or supper time, or complain that
we are hungry when the house is full of food. Hunger is
something that few of us really understand. However,
hunger is something very real for people all over the
world. To help our students (and sponsors) understand
hunger, we will be participating in the 30 Hour Famine.
On September 27-28 the middle and high school
students will be having the 30 Hour Famine and a lock-in
to go with it. Each student will begin the famine on their
own starting at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. At 6:00 p.m. on
Friday everyone that is going to be participating will
meet at the church. There are going to be a number of
different things planned that will be going on
throughout the night until bedtime. To help us really
grasp and understand what people who are less
fortunate go through, we will be spending the night
outside in cardboard boxes, weather permitting. Each
student will be allowed to bring a sleeping bag to sleep
on. On Saturday morning the church is having a work
day, and we will help serve around the church. Once
our 30 hours are complete at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, we
will be heading to CiCi’s pizza to eat. I know that this is a
huge commitment to make. I encourage you all to pray
for guidance to help you decide whether or not you feel
like you should participate. Go ahead and begin praying
for the Lord’s guidance with this decision. Also, pray
that the Lord will help to break your heart for those who
have considerably less than we do. I am looking forward
to our hearts being changed together for those
struggling with hunger.
A Slave of Jesus Christ,
Luke Swain
Video Game Night
Come on out, and join us on Friday, September 6, from
6:00-8:00 p.m., in the Chapel for a night of gaming. All
children in grades K-5 are invited to join us. The best
part of all is that it is absolutely free! We will have video
game systems set up with various E rated games and
snacks to munch on. So, invite a friend and bring your
favorite game. If you have a game system and
controllers that you would be willing to let us borrow,
please let us know by calling the office or by indicating
it on the sign-up sheet located in the foyer. Please make
sure all games and components are labeled with your
child’s name so that we may more easily return them to
you at the end of the night.
The Story for Kids
We are very excited to be studying The Story this year
during our Wednesday night classes. Each of our
children’s classes are really enjoying it so far, and I hope
it is blessing you as a family as you read through the
stories with them at home. Every week the kids should
receive a parent page to take home that has some
activities to do with your child in order to deepen their
understanding of the lessons. If your child misses a class
or you need a new copy of your parent take home page,
please don’t hesitate to call or to e-mail me, Serena
Maerkl, at the office. I can be reached at 733-2356 or at
[email protected].
In our J.A.M. (Jesus’ Advanced Messengers) class, we
sent home a memory work folder. There is a page for
each memory verse that we are hoping to learn this
year. Each page has a space at the bottom for your child
to copy the verse or to draw pictures to help them with
the memory verse. As they learn each verse, they will
be collecting stickers for their stars on our bulletin board
in Room 301. These stickers will help them earn prizes.
When they received their folders on August 21, they
were given the first 10 verses. They may memorize them
in any order and at their own pace. There is no time
limit, but we would love to have the whole class
memorize all 31 verses before our end of the year party
next August. The verses were chosen based on what we
felt they should take away from The Story lessons, and
they are from the New International Readers Version of
the Bible.
Prime Timers’ Kick-Off
Friday, September 20
6:00 p.m.
The Prime Timers will start a new year
on September with a carry-in dinner and
concert. Odd Man Out, a barbershop
quartet, will be our guests for this special
event. We hope you will come, be a part, and join the
fun!
Baby News
Congratulations to Jared and Jessica
Buchanan on the birth of their second
daughter, Laura Rose, who was born on
August 22. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz.
and was 20 1/2 in. long. Proud big
sister: Avery; proud grandparents: David Harper, Jannell
Buchanan, and Wray Buchanan.
Welcome to our newest members!
Baptized on 8/25/2013
Todd, Laurie, Steven, and Skylar Regelski
12669 Blue Lagoon Trail 32225
(904) 304-1000 - Todd
(904) 304-1001 - Laurie
Transferred on 9/1/2013
Sarj Bloom
7300 Glendyne Drive 32216
(904)-619-4945
Letters of Thanks
Many thanks for all of the support
and for all the prayers during my time
of loss of my mother, Ruby Stafford.
It’s nice to know that I have a church
family like you all. The cards have helped me greatly.
Thank you all,
Kathleen Lester
Dear Englewood Friends,
Thanks to the Day Circle for the dinners fixed for us.
They were delicious. Thanks also for the cards. They
meant so much. Englewood is the best. You all give us
good support.
In Christian love,
Donna and Jim Denney
Our Deepest Sympathy to . . .
Melinda Rials and her family on the death
of her mother, Pat Pugh, who died on
8/17.
POSTAL INFORMATION
“The Echoes” (USPS 118270)
Published Bi-Weekly by:
Englewood Christian Church
4316 Barnes Road, Jacksonville, FL 32207
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT:
Jacksonville, Florida 32203-9998
POSTMASTER send address changes to:
THE ECHOES, 4316 Barnes Road,
Jacksonville, FL 32207-7099
August 27, 2013 Vol LIV, No. 3
ECC Scoreboard
08/25/13
Officers........................................................... 1
Birth to 1 year................................................. 5
1-2 years......................................................... 4
2 years............................................................. 4
3 years............................................................. 8
4-5 years........................................................... 9
Grades 1 & 2.................................................... 14
Grades 3 & 4................................................... 10
Grade 5............................................................ 5
Middle School................................................ 11
High School................................................... 19
Stronghold (college age).................................. 3
Converge...................................................... 18
Homebuilders............................................... 17
Seekers.......................................................... 28
Philathea....................................................... 18
Cornerstone................................................... 12
Saints.............................................................. 3
Ambassadors................................................ 26
TOTAL...................................................... 215
09/01/13
.......................... 1
.......................... 2
.......................... 1
.......................... 5
...........................3
.......................... 8
........................ 11
.......................... 9
.......................... 5
.......................... 8
........................ 19
.......................... 2
........................ 18
........................ 17
........................ 27
........................ 17
........................ 14
.......................... 4
........................ 35
...................... 206
ECC Statistics
Sunday, August 25, 2013
SS
MW
215 SS
289
EW
150
WED
173 ADD
4
Sunday, September 1, 2013
206 MW
266
EW
n/a
WED
175
ADD
1
Contributions - August 25, 2013 & September 1, 2013
Weekly Budget................................................................$10,283.00
Tithes and Offerings.......................................................$ 6,146.89
Week 13 Average...........................................................$12,400.36
TOTAL OVER BUDGET
$2,117.36 x 13 weeks.................................................... $27,525.68
Weekly Budget..............................................................$10,283.00
Tithes and Offerings......................................................$ 8,853.47
Week 14 Average...........................................................$12,147.02
TOTAL OVER BUDGET
$1,864.02 x 14 weeks...................................................$26,096.28
Faith Promise Budget........................................................$4,222.00
Faith Promise Offering.....................................................$1,815.00
Week 26 Average...........................................................$ 3,990.00
(TOTAL UNDER BUDGET)
($232.00 x 26 week).......................................................($ 6,032.00)
Faith Promise Budget....................................................$ 4,222.00
Faith Promise Offering..................................................$ 3,245.00
Week 27 Average............................................................$ 3,963.00
(TOTAL UNDER BUDGET)
($259.00 x 27 weeks)....................................................($6,993.00)
C H U R C H S TA F F
Ken Gemeinhart, Senior Minister . Luke Swain, Student/Youth Minister
Gayle Gemeinhart, Music Director . Serena Maerkl, Children’s Director .
Stephanie Powell, Power Challengers’ Ministries Director
Mary Worth, Bookkeeper . Pat Bacon, Secretary . Lonna Hale, TLC Director
Remembering Pat Pugh
February 8, 1936 - August 17, 2013
Pat Pugh was an important member of the Englewood Christian Church family for almost as
long as the church has been in existence. She died on August 17, and Pat’s funeral was held
on August 22. Many who currently attend Englewood Christian Church were not present when
Pat Pugh was part of our church staff. She served in multiple roles over the years. She was the
church secretary. She was the Christian Education Director. She was our Children’s Director. She
was the Total Learning Center Director. She was involved in starting the church library which
was named in her honor upon her retirement from her ministry years.
Pat Pugh exemplified true Christian commitment. She loved the Lord, His Word, and His
Church. Pat loved people, and she desired that everyone would get to hear the Gospel through
a quality Christian Education ministry. She worked hard to train teachers, to write curriculum,
to organize Bible classes, and to teach with enthusiasm.
For several years Pat has resided in the nursing wing at Taylor Home on Spring Park Road. She
had dealt with Multiple Sclerosis for almost thirty years, but valiantly served the Lord at ECC
for several years with that malady. Pat’s legacy will continue at Englewood Christian Church
through the individual lives and families that she influenced that are still involved in the Lord’s
work not only at ECC, but in churches in communities to which they have moved. We thank
God for letting us be privileged to know Pat and to be blessed by her wonderful Christian
service.