August 25, 2017
Etch Community Kick-Off: Wednesday, Sep 6-Meal begins at 5:45pm
Etch is back and we’re looking forward to being together again! Before we jump into our Etch Electives, we’re going to spend an evening together playing some fun games, getting to know each other, and learning a little bit more about Etch Electives. This will be your last chance to register for electives as well. You can register now at Etch Electives.
OneLife Membership Class: Wednesday’s, Sep 13 – Oct 4
We are offering OneLife as part of our Etch Electives. Dinner begins serving at 5:45 with classes to follow.
Covenant membership is vital to the spiritual health of the body as we carry out our mission together. If you are not a member of ECOB, we would like to invite you to prayerfully consider taking this course to become a covenant member. Part 2 (Discover Your Place) will be offered on Wednesdays, Oct. 18-Nov. 8. Both courses are required to be taken in order to become a member at ECOB. Register now.
Saturday, September 9
Food-Fellowship-Fun!
- 4:00 pm Gathering/Games
- 5:30 pm Dinner
- 6:30 pm Concert featuring Harken
FOOD: Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans and Drinks will be provided.
- Congregation bring item to share by last name: A-M salad; N-Z dessert
GAMES: Corn Hole Tournament 3 Ball, Relay Races, Sack Races, Tug of War
WATER GAMES (Weather Permitting): Slip-N-Slide and Water Balloon Toss. Bring swim wear and towels.
- Bring your lawn chairs, canopies and blankets.
Etch Fall Format
Come One, Come All to Wednesday Night Etch!
Everyone is invited to come together to participate in Etch Wednesdays, beginning September 6th, 2017. Etch is dedicated to the process of Ingraining God’s Truth upon the hearts of His people. Growing together spiritually is the lifelong pursuit of the body of Christ. We are excited as we anticipate what God has in store for us in a new format for Etch Wednesdays this fall. Etch will have two components, one called Etch Community, the other Etch Electives. Etch Community is coming together once a month for the purpose of sharing a meal together, to celebrate, to worship and to enjoy each other as we deepen our relationships. Etch Electives are four weeks of learning activities on various topics offered for different age groups and levels of spiritual development, designed to reach the youngest to the eldest. This enables us to experience the richness gained from one another as we allow God to work through the ECOB community.
Etch Community and Etch Electives share a common element, a shared meal. For centuries, the meal, or Table, has been the primary vehicle through which a society’s values have been transferred and relationships have been developed. We feel strongly that coming together to share a meal is a custom that we need to reestablish. We encourage everyone to be a part of what takes place on Wednesday nights. The meal will be served from 5:45 pm until 6:15 pm. Those who have dietary restrictions are encouraged to bring their own meal-we just want you there!
Please note that Etch Electives require registration in advance by Sept. 6, with the exception of Not Your Typical Bible Stories elective. Details on Etch Electives and scheduling are at http://eatoncob.org/connect/etch.
The goal of Wednesday Night Etch is to include every person in an intentional process that deepens relationships and develops learning how to know and apply God’s truth to how we live our lives. In short, learning to be and make disciples.
August 18, 2017
Conversation with the Elders: Sun, Aug 20 at 6pm in the Gathering Area
Your Board of Elders invites you to join them for an update of developments at ECOB and for any questions you might have. Topics will include:
- Financial review
- Elder board appointment
- Vision process
- Phase 2 Building
- Etch Update
One Another Group Leaders Huddle – Sun, Aug 27 following 2nd Service in Rm 101
Please let Rich & Karen or Rudy & Ginger know if you can attend.
August 11, 2017
2nd Saturday – August 13
- Join us as we do home repair projects for Senior Adults in our community
- Meet in the ECOB parking lot at 8:30 am
- Tools provided
Luke 3:11…if you have food, share it with those who are hungry.
School is starting, but there is still need. Please help by filling your Luke 3:11 bags and bringing them Sunday.
August 4, 2017
Mark Your Calendar for Saturday, September 9!
Rockhouse Youth Events:
Family Night – Sunday, August 6
- 5:30-8:30pm
- At the Denlingers, 4018 Yost Rd., Eaton
- For students 6th-12th grade and their families
Canoe Trip – Sunday August 27th
- For: 6th-12th Grades and Young Adults
- Cost: $20
- Deadline to Register: August 20
- Register now
Don’t Forget! One Combined Service on Sunday, August 13 at 10am
July 28, 2017
Celebrating 2nd Saturday…
Senior Adult Banquet: Saturday, August 19
- Catered meal at 5:30pm, Gathering Area.
- Entertainment by Cyndi Steinberger from Lewisburg, performing a piano concert and a sing-a-long.
- If you are 70 or over, contact the office, 456-5507, with your reservations by Noon on Friday, Aug 4.
- If you did not receive an invitation, please let the office know.
Brethren Disaster Ministries Ice Cream Social Fund Raiser
- Saturday, August 5
- 4-7pm at Happy Corner Church of the Brethren, 7037 Union Road, Clayton
Enjoy a full menu of food and some great ice cream while supporting this vital ministry.
Mark your calendar…
- August 13 – One Combined Service at 10am
- August 20 – Conversation with Elders at 6pm
July 21, 2017
Family Camp 2017: August 11-13
Sunday, July 23 is the last day to register. Sunday, July 30 is the payment deadline.
Family Camp is…
- 2 Nights in a Cabin: Join us for a 2-night, 3-day retreat at Camp Campbell Gard in Hamilton, OH
- Adventures for All Ages: Activities include swimming, canoeing, archery, zip lining, inflatable pillow and more!
- Fun with a Purpose: Bond together as a family unit and connect with other families from E.C.O.B.
- Register now
- For more info contact Betsy Crumbaker, ecrumba@gmail.com or 937-902-4195.
- Cost: Adults (Ages 18+) – $50; Children (Ages 7-17) – $28; Children (Ages 0-6) – Free
Impact Eaton 2017
Pastor Dan and Pastor Jonathan were invited to attend the City Council Meeting on Monday, July 17 where they were presented with the following certificate:
Child Protection Policy Training:
- Sunday, July 23 at 9 am or Wednesday, July 26 at 7 pm in the Conference Room
- Adults or Youth who work with children and/or youth at ECOB must attend a CPP session every 2 years
- Questions: Lois Simmons, 456-6068, lois.simmons8890@ gmail.com or Diana Oburn, 456-9512, mothermedic@hotmail.com.
Birthright Needs Volunteers:
Many volunteers are needed to meet with women, provide for the babies in our community and keep our Birthright house in great shape.
- One on one volunteers to assist our mothers and their babies – training provided
- Mow grass
- Trim shrubs
- Wash windows
Contact Sonja Brown, 937-416-1663 or sonjab1942@gmail.com.
Kansas City Update: Flexibility, Hands, Feet, and Voice
I was hoping to write a blog post yesterday evening, but our group got caught up in a rousing game of dodgeball. There’s not much better than seeing an elder of our church and his wife pegging students left and right, making them drop like flies! It’s was quite entertaining, and the students loved it! I just simply couldn’t pull myself away.
So thus, I’m writing this to you now. Our trip is winding down, and I wish I had more opportunities to have written you all through the week. It seems our trip has been non-stop since the moment we left the church early Saturday morning.
Flexibility
When we arrived on Saturday evening and had our first gathering to share our goals for the week, what we’d be doing, and how to be preparing for it, the first subject addressed was: “Be Flexible”. I’ve been on many youth trips in my life, and I have to admit this one takes the “most flexible award.”
We’ve been practicing dependency on the Holy Spirit much this week. We leaned on Him in giving us direction in how to speak to those who need prayer. We leaned on the Him to guide us in our daily schedule (which changed often!). There were even moments where it came down to the Holy Spirit telling us when to turn left or right. It’s been a major stretch for many of us, but a stretch that has produced much fruit!
We have seen many of our students who began this trip in a state of timidity, turn in to followers of Christ who are bold and courageous. in their efforts to have conversations with anyone willing to have one.
Hands, Feet, and Voice of God
One of our trip leaders (Mattias Gutendorf — and if you’re wondering; yes, he’s from Germany), talked on Sunday night about our theme for the week: Everyone Deserves a Conversations. He shared he would add a tagline to that phrase, though: Everyone Deserves a Conversations, & Everyone Desires a Conversation.
We have been met with so many people open to hearing about Jesus. So many we’ve interacted with have asked for prayer or at least willing accepted prayer when we asked if they wanted it. We’ve had 12 year-old praying for 72 year-olds. We’ve had different races holding hands and lifting up the name of Christ. We’ve had student leaders rise up to teach younger ones how to be the hands, feet, and voice of Christ to a world that so desperately needs Him.
I couldn’t be more proud of our students and how God has used them to minister to so many different kinds of people: poor, wealthy, black, white, hispanic, young, old, homeless or those with a home. For these kids, it didn’t matter… they just saw the need and gave to it, and I can’t wait until they begin sharing stories with you in a few weeks.
How you can pray for us:
- Today is our last day. Pray for us to have an incredible night of music, and sharing as we talk through the week and investigate what God has done in our lives.
- Pray for Grace Point Baptist Church who hosted us this week. They’ve been so wonderful by providing us with food, shelter, and direction in places to go in the week.
- Praise God for Becky Still, who was our amazing trip leader from Adventures in Missions. And praise God for Mattias Gutendorf who was our trip leader from Grace Point.
- Pray for us tomorrow as we leave Kansas City to head home at 8am (9am Eaton Time). It has been a long week, and our leaders/drivers are tired.
KC Mission Update: An Unexpected Journey
When a leader plans a trip (unless they’re new to planning), there’s a common understanding: “Nothing goes according to plan.” What was supposed to be an 8 ½ hour trip from Eaton, OH to Kansas City, MO turned into a 13 hour adventure that many of us will never forget.
Just outside of Brownstown, IL (Haven’t heard of it? Yeah, neither have we…) the vehicle pulling the trailer full of our luggage began to smoke. We pulled over, and discovered that the transmission fluid was leaking. Stranded somewhere between exit 68 to 76, I began to realize why God had pulled together this team of adults and students. Mark began immediately assessing the problem and finding a fix, Joy and Bethany began entertaining the students, and I did what most youth pastors do in moments like this: question why I ever became a youth pastor in the first place. Just kidding! I embraced the “nothing goes according to plan” mantra, and began looking for alternatives for us to fit students and luggage to get us the rest of the way to Kansas City.
We were about a mile away from the next exit, and moved the students there so we wouldn’t be vulnerable on the side of I-70. As we got off the exit, there was nothing in sight but an abandoned building which seemed a bit too sketchy. Off in the distance, though, I saw a truck stop… and thought we’d brave it. At least they’d have bathrooms and a place where we can sit for a few hours while we got our bearings. As we pulled into the truck stop, we discovered the stop was part of A.C.T. (Association of Christian Truckers). As we walked in, we were welcomed and greeted by an incredible host, Doc, who opened up the chapel, the bathrooms and the entire facility for us to simply rest and relax.
What took us 2 weeks to find a 15-passenger vehicle prior to our leaving, only took us 2 hours to find another 15-passenger van. We praise God for Tim, who owned a small rental car business that stayed open hours later for us to arrive because we were stranded in the middle of nowhere and took at least a half hour drive to the nearest big city. Apparently, the van was supposed to be rented the night before for a week, but the person who had rented it never showed and Tim had an opening for the next week. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had any vans.
In all of this experience, I didn’t hear a single complaint from any of our students. They embraced the situation and truly found some ways to enjoy life no matter the circumstances. They had fun together, they played games, they were flexible… which has become quite the moto for this trip.
How to pray…
So far, we have seen God using us and leading us into many different conversations and serving in unique ways. We’ve handed out water at a local park, which led to some great interactions. We’ve gone on prayers walks that have led some to help people move furniture, weed gardens and pray for those who cross our paths. But more on that in a later post…
As you pray:
- Pray for boldness and courage in our students and leaders to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit.
- Pray for our conversations to lead to the gospel. We are happy talking with people, but we desire for them to know Christ.
- Pray for the people we come in contact with to reach out to the local church we’re working with: Grace Point.
- Pray that we are aware of our surroundings and the best ways we can be used to serve Kansas City, and its surrounding communities.
July 14, 2017
GreenHouse Kids Worship…
…is continuing through the summer. Kids should attend their upcoming school grade class.
Family Camp
- Registration deadline is July 24
- If you’ve registered but haven’t paid, payment is due July 24
- For additional information visit our website or contact Betsy Crumbaker.
School Supply Drive
Once Around Shop is collecting school supplies for students in need.
- loose leaf paper – college ruled
- pencils
- 2″ binders
- large backpacks
Supplies are now available in the stores. Please bring purchased items to ECOB no later than Monday, July 17.
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