Untitled - Edenvale Baptist Church
Transcription
Untitled - Edenvale Baptist Church
Introduction EBC is a Church that has experienced the Grace of God in her midst for almost 65 years now! We are constantly blown away by God’s faithfulness to our Church community, despite the continuous changes the city of Edenvale has undergone through the years. Last year was one of those years of significant change. Not only did the ‘Winds of Change’ initiative roll out in the form of various new ministries and programs, but we also saw a handing over of the Baton in our Senior Pastor position. And yet through all the changes we have experienced God’s Grace in our midst, still lavishing His love on our Church and our City. As we step back and reflect on the year that was, we’re so excited to see the transformation of our Church on so many levels. We truly have become a more outward-focused Church, which was the heart behind ‘Winds of Change’. Through brand-new programs such as our ‘Equipping for Missional Living’ courses and our ‘D-Day’ outreaches we really have become a Church that is intentionally seeking to expand the boundaries of the Kingdom of Heaven here in Edenvale. We’ve also experienced these changes in our Worship Service format and at a structural level, including the new ‘Leadership Development program’ that started last year. Whilst keeping our focusing on the Mission of the Church, we haven’t lost touch with ministering to the needs of the body of Christ, as seen in other new programs such as our ‘Friday Focus’ evenings, our first ever Church-wide ‘Homecell Series’, and new Support groups. However the year wasn’t just about ‘New’! Throughout all the changes our Core ministries of this Church have functioned faithfully throughout the year. That is what the rest of this booklet is about: reports of God’s work in our Church, through the dedicated servants of this Church. As Pastors & Elders we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the team of volunteers that have carried this enormous ministry load through 2014. We are so grateful to God for such a committed, gifted and servanthearted team of people. We are truly Blessed. We look forward to what God will do through this wonderful Church in the year ahead. All Glory to God in Jesus Christ! EDENVALE BAPTIST CHURCH Senior Pastor REPORT Being Senior Pastor of EBC is such a wonderful privilege, and the immense honour of being inducted as Senior Pastor still overwhelms me! Stepping into Renton’s shoes is no easy feat, as he was a remarkable shepherd of this Church. I’m truly grateful to Renton for all that he taught me, and the years of preparation he gave me for this time in my ministry. I filled in as interim Senior Pastor from April, which was a big responsibility as we launched right into Easter! I must say that Easter was an incredible time of blessing for us as a Church, as we really sensed God’s presence during our Easter week. Following Easter we started the ‘Cross Centered Life’ Sermon Series where we studied the integration of the Gospel in everyday life, with a particular focus on our work lives. This was followed by a monumental series studying the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, called ‘Thirsty’. As brave as the series was we certainly felt the grace of God binding us together in unity over these issues. We then started our Series through the book of Colossians, called ‘Entrenched’, which was a wonderful expository series through this immensely theological and yet practical book. It was such a joy to collaborate with the Homecell Ministry in this Series as they followed the Sunday Sermons in their Bible Studies. We ended the year with our ‘Inconceivable’ Sermon Series, where we delved into the incredible blessings of life ‘In Christ’. Besides our wonderful times in Sunday Services together, a massive highlight of the year has simply been seeing the ‘Winds of Change’ roll out in its various forms over the year. We truly seem to be a renewed and revitalised Church, one that seems ever more capable of literally reaching the Ends of the Earth through Edenvale. Throughout all these changes both Kristin and I have been absolutely overwhelmed at the love and support that you’ve shown us as a family. Thank you so much, we’re so grateful to God for you all, and are so privileged to be here at this time with you. We love you! I’m especially grateful to the wonderful Pastors of EBC who labor daily in the trenches together, and to our Elders, who are wise and brave most capably steer this juggernaut through the waters of Ministry. We believe EBC is truly the greatest Church in the world, and pray that we would give God all the glory we can muster! ALL OUR LOVE, Richard & Kristin van Lieshout Ablaze MINISTRY Every Second Friday evening, 18:00 - 20:00 Ablaze is for children in grade 1 - 7. It is a fun environment where the kids come every 2nd week. We play games with them or have an event where they can be introduced to church and God in a fun way. It’s a place where they can make new friends. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our Disney themed Karaoke evening was a great hit as well as our Talent Show and the Camp Out. DID YOU KNOW? We have on average 30 - 40 kids who attend. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We would like to plan exciting activities to reach more children for Jesus. Please pray for more leaders to assist us. TEAM LEADERS Bronwyn & Martin Koch Announcement Team MINISTRY Every Sunday at both services T h e A n n o u n c e m e n t Te a m i n f o r m s t h e congregation about all events happening in the church and welcomes visitors to the service. The nature of this ministry is such that members can be involved in other church ministries too. This ministry team was launched soon after the church's new vision was launched. During the year the team has grown from 4 members to 10 members. Currently there are 8. DID YOU KNOW? • 4 men and 6 women were involved in this ministry at one stage. • Our youngest members are still at school. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 My prayer is that the ministry grows by at least two members by the end of the year and that all the current members will grow in confidence. TEAM LEADER Jacques Blignaut Care MINISTRY Everyday The Care Ministry is the more formalised aspect of how the Body of Christ should, and does show love for one another within the church. We visit the sick, care for the elderly in various ways, take meals to those in need, provide food for the hungry, inside and outside the church, and facilitate prayer by the Body for those in need. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our ministry happens behind the scenes, and so our real highlight is a deep gratitude for the many folk who consistently and willingly give up time to show love by caring for our church family, in unseen ways. DID YOU KNOW? • • • • • • • Full Care Team : 28 folk some of whom do more than one aspect of ministry. 15 people who visit /care for about 18 elderly folk, mainly in retirement centers 6 hospital visitors visit as needed at about 4-5 different hospitals 8 meal ministry volunteers 6 people phoning about 30 elderly folk each month 2300 prayer brochures printed; Emailed each week to 32 folk The sms prayer chain reaches 48 people with urgent prayer requests GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 As in 2014, our greatest need moving into 2015 is for more folk to be committed to serving in this ministry, so that we can care for more people e.g. elderly visitation. We also need the congregation to let us know more often about the needs in our church family that we may not be aware of, in order to minister more effectively. TEAM LEADER Lorraine Liprini Communion MINISTRY First Sunday of every month at all three services. Fourteen people are needed each month to serve the Communion Elements at the three services. Two of these people at each service have the added responsibility of Praying for the Bread and Grape Juice. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 In addition to the monthly communion, we also prepared communion for special occasions such as Easter, Weddings or Special Events. DID YOU KNOW? Jeanette fills 900 communion cups and Peter cuts 900 pieces of bread each month. That works out to over 11000 each year. Each person is phoned a few days beforehand to prepare them for this service. That means in 2014 we made around 250 phone calls. Six years on and still going strong! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 It is a joy when phoning somebody who is excited about being asked to serve or Pray for the elements. We just trust and Pray that we continue to encounter such enthusiasm and that the people being served are Blessed. TEAM LEADERS Peter & Jeanette Hammond Community Outreach MINISTRY Every third Saturday of the month We seek to reach the unsaved non-English speaking people of Edenvale and surrounding areas, and to disciple them. We have a full service with the Word being shared, along with prayer and counselling. We also share in celebrating Baptisms and Dedication of Children. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our closing party on the 22nd Nov was an incredible celebration where we were joined by the Homeless in our Community. There was such an atmosphere of Joy and unity, and we witnessed people dedicating their lives to Christ. Children gathered around a jumping castle and everyone had a warm and healthy meal all to glory to God! DID YOU KNOW? For some people even eating from a real plate (not a paper one) is such a blessing! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We would love to include a crusade and prayer retreat this year. TEAM LEADER Promise Nyalungu Counselling MINISTRY As required Galatians 6:2(NLT) ‘Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.’ The counselling team are motivated by Isaiah 61:1-3 - in the power of the Holy Spirit, to share the gospel and in doing so to bring healing to the broken-hearted, freedom from bondage, comfort for those who mourn, replacing sorrow with joy…to shine Jesus’ light in their darkness. We desire to help people become whole, not just in the physical, mental, emotional state, but primarily in their spiritual health. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • GriefShare – an 11 week course dealing with the journey from mourning to joy, for those who have lost loved ones. • Dealing With Divorce – an 8 week course for women. • Marriage Enrichment – Courses run for all married couples. (‘What Did You Expect’ by Paul Tripp , ‘Love and Respect’ by Emmerson Eggerichs, and ‘Mission Impossible’ . • Why Marriage – a 6 week marriage preparation course for engaged or newlywed couples. We were able to run 2 of these this year. DID YOU KNOW? Most Common General counselling areas: Marriage, HIV/Aids, Abuse, Relationships, Grief, Children, Eating Disorders, Addictions, Depression, Suicide, Spiritual Direction GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We will be starting a ‘Recovery’ support group this year for people dealing with all kinds of addictions. It is a Curriculum based course from Alpha International designed to help addicts and their family members. Please pray for God to send the facilitators needed. TEAM LEADER Marlene Wright Equipping for Missional Living MINISTRY 3 different courses, over 4 weeks each, throughout the year. These courses aim to equip every believer to live a Missional lifestyle at Home, at Work and in their Social Spaces. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 We had 100 people attend our first course, ‘Just Walk Across the Room’! DID YOU KNOW? Attendees learned three Gospel stories from the New Testament by heart during our ‘Share the Story’ course! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We have three brand-new courses lined up for 2015 which we’re excited about, particularly our ‘Crossing Cultures’ course in July, where we’ll even learn to speak some Zulu! TEAM LEADER Richard van Lieshout Evangelism MINISTRY 1-on-1 Evangelism takes place every Saturday Marketplace Evangelism takes place in Eastleigh every Monday, and at Stoneridge once a month Spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ here in Edenvale and surrounding areas! We also do devotions with companies and assist with counselling. Most people work every weekend and are not able to go to Church, so this is a very welcome time with God, and has become their life-line! HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 One Saturday we were on an Evangelism outing and could not decide where to start preaching, until a man close by begged us to come share the Word of God with him! He subsequently went on to call others to come hear what God had to say, and asked if we could come and pray with them every morning! DID YOU KNOW? The Gospel brings people together! The Cleaners and Guards at Stoneridge Shopping Centre used to hate each other, but now that the hold devotions together, there is peace! Glory to God in the highest! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 I really pray that God helps me build a team this year that will help with the followup, sharing their faith and receive the people when they come to Church on Sunday. We also desperately need a French speaking person to help with the Guards, and to source devotionals or some form of material to help with their spiritual growth. TEAM LEADER Promise Nyalungu Flowers with Flair MINISTRY Every week We create flower arrangements for church services as a visual expression of worship and to show the beauty of God’s creation. We have monthly gettogethers for demonstrations and practical workshops. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • Fun, team-building and support at demonstrations and workshops on a Saturday morning • New leaders taking responsibility for different aspects of the ministry • Many congregation members telling us that an arrangement contributed to their worship DID YOU KNOW? • There are 12 ladies on the roster to provide Church flowers. • Each person has only about 4 turns per year. • The demonstrations and workshops are open to anyone, not just those on the roster. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 More people attending the demonstrations and workshops TEAM LEADER Marina Pearson Homecells & Connect groups MINISTRY During the week, mainly on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This ministry offers a variety of small groups that enable folk to build relationships with one another as they grow their knowledge and faith in our Lord. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our Homecell Series journeyed through the book of Colossians, as we followed the Sermon Series on a Sunday. DID YOU KNOW? We have the following variety of Homecells that meet during the week: • Three Young Families’ Homecells that meet twice a month. • For Seniors, we have a Ladies Homecell on a Thursday, and a Bible Study that meets every second Friday. • A ‘Moms for Jesus’ Group’ that meet on a Wednesday. • Four Young Adult Homecells. • Twelve Adult Homecells that meet during the week. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We’re looking forward to another Homecell Series this year, this time going through the book of James. TEAM LEADER Andre van den Berg Leadership Development and Coaching MINISTRY Once a year, for 4 weeks This ministry aims to identify and invest in potential leaders within the church and to equip them to lead more effectively. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 This was run for the first time in 2014! We had a wonderful response from participants in attendance and great interaction during the course. The course challenged us to use Christ as our example when leading ministries at EBC. DID YOU KNOW? • Leaders can do jigsaw puzzles! • Leaders can even lead when they are blindfolded! • Leadership is only possible with God’s help through the Holy Spirit. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 The course will be run again this year, and we’re praying that God will raise up new leaders in a mighty way, as well as grow those who attended in 2014 to be a part of our Church’s Vision and Mission. TEAM LEADERS Trevor & Robyn Johnstone LIVING 4 YOU MINISTRY Sunday morning from 08h00 to 09h30 and 10h00 to 11h30 L4U is a place where our children from grades 1-7 meet to worship God and to learn more about Him. We learn Bible stories, verses and have fun. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 During the year we learnt about Moses and the 10 plagues. We spent time learning about the Passover and how Jesus became the Lamb who died to save us. What a privilege it was to witness children giving their hearts to Jesus. What a joy it is to show children that in this broken world there is always hope in Jesus! We camped out for one night. Not much sleeping but loads of fun! ABC (Adventure Bible Club) in July saw many children come to hear God’s word. What a funfilled week that was.. DID YOU KNOW? We c o n s u m e d a b o u t : 9 0 l i t r e s o f O r o s concentrate, 400 packets of biscuits, 5000 sweets this year!. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 May our children learn about the amazing love that Jesus has for them. May they learn to put their trust and hope in Him. TEAM LEADER Jenny Turner L4U Band MINISTRY Both Children’s Church sessions on a Sunday morning Teaching children to worship God Almighty with age appropriate songs and actions. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Adventure Bible Club Witnessing children growing in the Lord and worshipping their Heavenly Daddy. DID YOU KNOW? Leaders: 2, Vocals: 4, Acoustic Guitars: 2 Bass Guitars: 2, Drums: 1, Piano: 1, Multi-media: 1 The band has tripled in size over the past 8 years: growing from 4 members to 12 members. The majority of the new members joined the band in the past 2 years, with more members expecting to join this year.. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 • Introduce new kids songs! • More band members • Providing an environment that inspires the development of a heart of worship within the children • Encouraging the development of living a lifestyle of worship over and above the importance of worshiping on a Sunday morning. TEAM LEADER Stacey Turner LOL Women’s MINISTRY Saturday afternoons, once a month, 14:00-16:30 Main events twice a year, e.g. Breakfasts ‘Lots of Ladies, Living out Life, with Loads of Love and Laughter.’ Our desire is to help the women in our church to connect with one another, to grow deeper in their spiritual lives, to share life and experiences with other women, to laugh together, to cry together, to pray together. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • Ladies’ involvement in the EBC Outreach events in April. • LOLI (Loving Other Ladies Initiative) • Moms and Daughters Tea Party in August • In October, Trish Lockwood (Rays of Hope) shared about ministry in Alexandra Township. • Year End Breakfast. DID YOU KNOW? • We had over 120 ladies attend our Moms and Daughters Tea Party! • Handbag Bingo will never be the same again (ladies who attended know what this means!) GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 Kerry Hay will be taking over as Ministry Team Leader. The theme of 2015 is ‘My Identity in Christ’ . There will be a variety of speakers , lots of tea and eats, lots of fun, and lots of love. TEAM LEADER Marlene Wright Missions: Edenvale MINISTRY Various days and places Our outreach to Edenvale includes the following two aspects: • Gospel Demonstration – Ministries focused on Demonstrating the Gospel through acts of Mercy and Kindness. • Gospel Declaration – Ministries focused on Declaring the Gospel through Proclamation and Teaching HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • • • • • • D-Day: Our Amazing G-Race event during Missions week. Distribution of 230 buckets filled with groceries over the Christmas period. Community Outreach Christmas lunch. Opening of Hidden Treasure shop in Edenvale during March. Tabernacle Production in October: Ripe unto Harvest Hidden Place Camps at Camp Eden DID YOU KNOW? • Lazarus Ministry hands out 15-20 food parcels at their monthly chapel meeting. • The Amazing G-Race event had 20 teams racing around Edenvale on the first day of Missions week. • R42,500 was raised for the Christmas Grocery bucket Ministry. • An average of thirty folk meet once a month at the Community Outreach event, 150 attended the Christmas party in December. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 Formalise a Ministry team to spearhead the vision to reach Edenvale and to draw alongside our Evangelism teams as they Declare the Gospel in Edenvale. TEAM LEADER Andre van den Berg Missions: The Ends of the Earth MINISTRY Consistent Missionary Support The ‘Winds of Change’ initiative led to the Missions Committee focusing exclusively on our Foreign Missions Program, as we aim to Expose, Equip & Encourage Missions to the Ends of the Earth. The Missions Committee gets together once a month to pray for our Missionaries, to find ways to bless them and encourage them in the Mission Field that God has placed them. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • Missions Week! Our ‘Great Call to China’ Missions Dinner was an amazing success! • Although the planned STM opportunities did not happen individual members of EBC did carry out short trips of their own. • A Friday morning prayer group was started to pray specifically for our Missionaries. DID YOU KNOW? • Missionaries supported by EBC: 2 in SE Asia, 8 in Southern Africa and 4 over the rest of Africa. • The average monthly contribution from EBC to Foreign mission is R80,000 • ‘Changing Our World’ email goes out quarterly to all the folk in EBC. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 • We will be sending a team of 8 people on a Vision-Casting trip to South-East Asia at the end of March. This is an exciting opportunity as we consider sending new Missionaries to the Field! • STM planned to the Eastern Cape later in the year. TEAM LEADER Gary Cundill Moms for Jesus MINISTRY Every Wednesday morning of the school term This is a Bible Study and fellowship group for moms with children of school-going age as well as pregnant women. We meet together to learn from God’s Word and support and encourage each other. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • We learnt how to empower our parenting with the gospel. • We celebrated with a number of moms on the birth of their babies. DID YOU KNOW? • We use quite a few tissues in our group! • Ruthie Campbell has sadly gone to the USA but while she was here she hid her light under a bush – she plays the saxophone beautifully! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We are working through the book of Ruth which is such a challenge to us as moms and ladies of God. Ruth never complained, she worked hard and she was blessed to be part of Christ’s line. TEAM LEADER Robyn Johnstone Noah’s Ark MINISTRY Every Sunday morning of the school term - For children ages 3 to 6 yrs Our aim is to teach the children about Jesus – His love, protection, provision and presence for them – to strive towards them accepting Him into their hearts, to grow them in their love for Him, and to create a desire to be more like Him and grow to be God’s children. We have a team of dedicated and enthusiastic teachers and assistants who seek to provide the children with tangible, interesting lessons and effective activities/games to highlight the lesson. Each session is full of learning, fun and lots to do! HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • One of our 4 year olds asking Jesus into her heart! That makes it all worthwhile! • This year we introduced Hungry Harry, who was a huge hit for the children. This was a missions project to collect non-perishables, and the children fed Harry the food. This was given to the Lazarus Project Ministry. • At the end of the year we had a sing-along concert where we showed parents what we have learned this year, and sang songs for them. • Our Color Chameleon theme was really enjoyed by the children. They made vegetable people as part of their “Green = Growth” lesson. DID YOU KNOW? • Our children love to sing, and love teachers to be daring and act! • We have about 60 children on our register! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 Going back to the basic stories of the Bible. We will be doing the ABC’s of Bible Heroes - so we will looking at the lives of unusual Bible characters – Abigail, Balaam, etc. We would love our leader department to grow, so that we have more and more children coming to know and love Jesus! TEAM LEADER Bev Tyson Okes MINISTRY Men’s prayer meetings: Tues mornings, Men’s breakfast: Friday mornings Men’s Social events: Quarterly Our Okes ministry exists to impact our city through it’s men. We believe in the God-appointed role of influence given to men, and thus seek change in our city through transformation in the lives of the men of our city. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our Okes Breakfast at the end of the year featured 50 men learning about all things from Godly masculinity to the shape of Morgan Freeman’s freckle pattern. DID YOU KNOW? Since we started our men’s prayer meeting we’ve had 20 hours of men praying for our city over 100 cups of coffee. We meet at 6am. We need the coffee. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 In 2015 we hope to engage with men in the congregation who are not yet drawn into the life of ministry in the Church, and build a stronger community of Okes at EBC. TEAM LEADER Richard van Lieshout Prayer MINISTRY Variety of ways • • • • • • During the week at homecell meetings Sunday mornings in the chapel During the Sunday Services The Prayer Brochure Prayer Warriors – requests via sms’ or emails Pastors prayer time on a Tuesday morning HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • Prayer during the service lead by EBC Elders • Prayer chain via sms rather than telephone calls • Missions prayer group that meet on Friday mornings DID YOU KNOW? Our weekly Prayer Brochure includes prayer points for every day of the week! Sign up to receive yours! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 • Prayer retreat towards the second half of the year • Prayer group for schools and school teachers TEAM LEADER Noeline Everson Ruth Pregnancy Crisis Centre MINISTRY Mon – Wed 09:00 – 12:00, Bible Study Tues at 10:30am Counselling is offered to women in a Pregnancy Crisis. Friendship, prayer and a listening ear offered. Resources, Bibles and tracts are made available. Weekly Bible Study is given on a Tuesday morning. Mom and baby aid is provided. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • God’s provisions for our Centre in the form of Mother and Baby items. • Answered prayer : • Some women were given jobs, some full-time • God’s intervention with difficult births • Enough Volunteers to help throughout the year • Women who have shared testimonies with us and thanked us for teaching them to pray and trust in our Lord. DID YOU KNOW? We offer free pregnancy tests! Ruth Pregnancy Crisis Centre was named after Ruth in the Bible for her faithfulness to God and devoted heart in serving and honouring Him. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We are praying that our Lord will provide for our Centre to continue in His work and according to His plan. TEAM LEADER Ruth Donald Seniors MINISTRY Fellowship – every second and fourth Friday of the month. Bible study – every first and third Friday of the month The purpose of the Seniors Ministry is to create opportunities for fellowship amongst our Seniors as well as an opportunity to study God’s word together. Our fellowship time is spent in singing, praying, having a guest speaker or DVD, always followed by some tea and eats. Our Bible Study is led by Rev Willie Ingpen who does an excellent job at teaching God’s Word. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • • • • • Outing to Lory Park Zoo in Midrand Visit to the Tea Garden at Ryan’s Nursery Quarterly breakfasts at Serendipity Restaurant Various missionary speakers including Fred Woolls from Asia Christmas Breakfast in December DID YOU KNOW? • Average number of folk on Fellowship Fridays – 30 • Average number attending the Friday Bible Study -12 • R4,000 donated to Missions and Ministry GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 The Seniors would love to have a bus so that they may go on more outings together. So many of them do not have the opportunity to see what is outside the boundaries of Edenvale. TEAM LEADERS John & Rosemary Molloy Tabernacle Productions MINISTRY Several projects throughout the year. Tabernacle Productions is an arts ministry, primarily performing arts. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Our first project was “Heart for the City”, a Fine Art exhibition that ran from 13-20 April in Grounded Coffee Bar. The exhibition featured work from several artists within the church. Our other major project was the production of “Ripe Unto Harvest” from 25-29 October, written by Melanie Blignaut and directed by Jacques Blignaut. It was our biggest production to date and we received wonderful feedback from the audience. Jacques also ran several drama workshops at other churches and assisted TWR with casting for a radio drama. DID YOU KNOW? • “Ripe Unto Harvest” was our biggest play in many ways: • largest cast (14 people) • biggest audience (335 people watched the play) • longest play (two acts) • It took an entire day to build the set inside the church. GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 We have another Art exhibition planned for Easter and a stage play planned for November. We have also been thinking about ways to broaden our ministry and are working with artists within the church as we seek the way forward. TEAM LEADERS Jacques & Mel Blignaut Welcome MINISTRY Sunday at all three services. Visitors area operates after 10:00 service This ministry focuses on welcoming visitors on a Sunday, handing out a welcome brochure and making sure that visitors feel at home. First time visitors are given a welcome pack which includes relevant information on EBC. Visitors are also invited to the Visitors welcome area where they will be introduced to the welcome team on duty. The visitors are able to find out more about EBC over a cup of tea and a slice of cake. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Blessings of meeting visitors, finding out about their lives and how EBC can help to them strengthen their relationship with the Lord through the ministry of the Church. DID YOU KNOW? • The number of folk involved in the Sunday welcoming team – 35 • Average number of visitors per month – 8 • Each visitor is sent a welcome letter and followed up if they require more information. • Average number of bulletins handed out on Sundays is 280 GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 Our aim is to continue serving our visitors by making them feel at home and inviting them to be more involved if they feel they would like to make EBC their spiritual home. TEAM LEADERS Howard & Maie Dunn Worship MINISTRY Sunday Services (08:00, 10:00, 18:00), AGM, Missions mid-week, The Last Supper, Good Friday, Christmas Day, Conference, Carols service Rehearsals: Thursday evenings, Sunday mornings and afternoons. Worship in the form of music and song should be the culmination of our daily walk with the Lord, a time of corporate celebration as His people. We worship together so that by His Holy Spirit, we can be refocused, reshaped and renewed, and equipped for His Kingdom work. We worship with thanksgiving, in joy and lament, in reverence and awe of our Saviour, Jesus. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 • Easter services. • Missions mid-week Worship and Prayer evening focused on countries where Christians are most persecuted for their faith. • Testimony and Worship evenings. • Carols service and Christmas services. DID YOU KNOW? • Number of songs sung in services in 2014 : 709 • Number of minutes of sung worship in services : 5095 Top 2 Most sung songs in the Morning services : • For We Know the Truth (Where the Spirit of the Lord is) • Bless the Lord Oh My Soul (10 000 Reasons) Top 2 Most sung songs in the Evening services : • Nothing can separate(Your love never fails) • Great is Your Faithfulness (Your Grace is Enough) GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 • To be willing vessels in our Lord’s hands, used for His glory. • Grow in our understanding of God-honouring worship and in our expression of that worship. • Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and so doing, draw all people towards Him. TEAM LEADER Marlene Wright Youth MINISTRY (IGNITE & FUSION) Ignite: 18:30-21:30 Fusion Wednesdays:18:30-20:30 Fusion Sundays: 10:00-11:30 Ignite is an events-based and relational ministry where we aim to build a bridge between the Youth of Edenvale and our Church Fusion Sunday is about solid Bible teaching aimed at developing the faith of our Youth. Fusion Wednesday is a youth Homecell and thus has a more community feel to it, where we take time to really study the Sunday lessons and integrate them into our lives. We even have homework! HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Camp! We attended the J-Life Vac Camp at the end of the year, and it was an amazing success, with kids still talking about it now! DID YOU KNOW? Youth Leaders spend around 400 hours a year with our youth! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 By God’s grace we hope to take the youth into a deeper, more vibrant and lively relationship with Christ Jesus. We also hope to include them on Mission Trips this year, and Evangelism outreaches in Edenvale. TEAM LEADER Richard van Lieshout Young Families MINISTRY Weekly Homecells, Quarterly Socials, Various other events Families are an essential part of EBC. To encourage our families we have various homecell groups, a Baby Clinic, baby crèche and a parent’s lounge. We host marriage enrichment and parenting courses, as well as arranging social functions for our families. At Baby Clinic Sister Ellen inoculates, weighs baby, checks milestones, monitors development and helps moms with breastfeeding and other related questions. It is a great place for moms to be encouraged! HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Meeting our newest members…our babies! To see members of homecells encouraging and supporting one another as they journey through life! DID YOU KNOW? We had 10 baby dedications this year! GOING FORWARD INTO 2015 Assist families to grow in their relationship with God and each other, and to reach out in some way to those in their community. TEAM LEADER Jenny Turner