October 26, 2014

Last week I attended the first four of our thirteen Stewardship Home Fellowship Gatherings. The most frequent comments are: “Thanks for sharing information so clearly,” “I enjoyed listening to others and sharing my thoughts” and “We should have more of these!” I sincerely hope you sign up today and attend one of the remaining nine gatherings if you have not done so yet. We will be a stronger church as a result! Stewardship is “wise management of all that God provides.” Some people categorize that which we manage as “3 T’s” … Time, Talent, and Treasure. God is the provider of life itself and all we enjoy as individuals and as a church. How we invest our time … how we use our talent… how we manage our material possessions matters to God. Jesus gives much instruction on stewardship in the Gospels. The theme of our sermon series, “Enriched” comes from how the early church lived out Jesus’ teachings. As the church grew in the gentile world, they had compassion on the church in Jerusalem which was struggling. The Apostle Paul helped collect and send an offering to the Jerusalem church. In II Corinthians 9 he writes: The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work….. 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God…. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! May we too be “enriched in every way, to be generous in every way,” and in so doing, prompt thanksgiving to God. Blessings, Tim

October 5, 2014

Last Tuesday night about 40 “Elders” of our church gathered to discuss the future of the church and pray together. Elders, in a Presbyterian church, are ordained to be spiritual leaders. We are blessed to have excellent elders here! As we met I was reminded of our mission, which is: Led by the Holy Spirit, Eastminster exists to… Invite into Fellowship Equip for Service Reach out in Support And Serve our World for Jesus Christ It is exciting to see some ways in which our mission is being realized lately. People have been invited into fellowship through your efforts as led by the newly formed Outreach Committee. The Outreach Committee sponsored our fourth of July Celebration that hundreds form the community attended. They also sponsored the recent “Back to Church” Sunday and are providing an “Information Station” from which to be a friendly presence and allow visitors and members the opportunity to pick up church brochures, sermons and other information that helps orient on to the life of Eastminster. They also help sponsor the Discover Eastminster event which will occur next Sunday Morning at 8:45 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. You may register by the card in the bulletin today. Potlucks and after church fellowship over homemade cookies make it easy for us to get to know one another as well. Some ways we are being equipped to serve include the formation of the new Counterpoint Choir where youth grades 7-12 are spreading God’s word through song. Other ways include the three Sunday morning adult education classes that meet at 8:45, Children’s’ and youth fellowships, women’s circles and a new Parenting group. There are other traditional equipping opportunities such as the Brown Bag Bible Bunch… and new ones such as a morning Bible study are about to be launched. Reaching out in support is importantly as we enter the everyday world. Hopefully we all are learning and growing in our serving capacity. Yet we also have times that we need served. The Congregational Care Committee is a foundation for lots of support such as this. They are overseeing the revitalization of the Stephen Ministry which provides one to one care for persons in grief or crisis. The Dorcas Ministry provides support in the form of funeral receptions. His Hands is a group which visits regularly persons who need and desire contact. We also have a Samaritan Fund that helps persons in times of financial need. Finally, there are many ways we serve our world. We have recently doubled our feeding of homeless. We also recently engaged in a Seafarer’s Ministry and have adopted a cruises ship Freedom of the Seas. This summer we supplied students in our community and in El Salvador with school supplies and essentials for living that were desperately needed. There are many other ways we serve in mission and today you may learn about them in a Mission Fair following this service in the courtyard just outside the sanctuary. Please stay and enjoy some fellowship as together we fulfill the mission of Eastminster. I’m proud to be part of a church on the move that cares of people in ways that result in changed lives for Christ! Blessings, Tim

September 28, 2014

What a great “Back to Church” weekend we had last week! I was very impressed that many of you invited friends. We had about 15% first time visitors in our total attendance last weekend! Many of those went to the Ministry Fair after worship on Sunday and learned more about the 20 different program and service areas that were highlighted. Thank you elder Bill McCaslin and Outreach Committee for organizing this effort of “building our invitational muscles.” I believe one of the big pluses of purposefully inviting others to church is how many of you have told me that it was not “weird.” I am hearing that the videos on inviting others were fun and reduced any stigma of inviting someone to church. I am hearing that people were grateful for your invitation. They were honored that you counted them so meaningful in your life that you would share what is important and uplifting to you. I am also hearing that some who were not able to come last weekend do want to attend in the future. Way to go Church! Keep on inviting… it can make a huge difference in people’s lives! This week the Brown Bag Bible Study, which meets in the Library every Wednesday at noon for all interested, discussed the story of the Woman at the Well. In this account, Jesus approaches a woman and offers her “living water.” She is so excited that she tells her friends to “come and see.” She asks a question that they can answer for themselves, “Could he be the Messiah?” Jesus goes on to say that the “fields are ripe for the harvest,” that God’s Spirit is working with power in folks that just need an invitation to know Jesus more and a community to love and nurture them as followers of Jesus. We can do that! We can invite and we can help others grow in the Lord. And as we do, rest assured, we are but the laborers. It is God that causes the growth. Two final words: First our church is honored to host the Shepherd’s Center beginning this Thursday October 2. Registration forms are on the Information Station just outside the doors of the sanctuary. There are many very fine offerings for adult enrichment in a variety of subjects. I will be teaching a course, “Who is Jesus… to You? I would love for you to attend so we can grow together. Second, next Sunday is World Communion Sunday. We will celebrate our unity and solidarity with Christians around the world. Communion will be served with breads from various cultures to remind of us of our unity in diversity. There will be special music including leadership from a Hawaiian fellowship that has members in Indialantic. Invite a friend to come and worship on this special day. See you in Church, Tim

September 21, 2014

I extend a special welcome to all guests today during this Back to Church emphasis. I trust that for those who ventured to invite a friend, lightening didn’t strike. And we can tell that the walls didn’t cave in when those who might not have been in the church for awhile entered. Welcome to all! My hope is that what you find here is connection with God. Life is busy, confusing and stressful. We need God to guide us. We need to lift up prayers and know they are heard and answered. We need others around us to support us. And we need to give of ourselves to a ministry greater than ourselves to be complete. Today after worship, I invite the congregation to adjourn to the Fellowship Hall next door for refreshments and for a “Ministry Fair.” Twenty different ministries of the church will have information tables with members present to help us understand some of the avenues of enrichment and service that Eastminster offers. It is a great way to get a glance of many of the “parts of this body” that offer support, healing, enrichment and joy at Eastminster. Today is also “Joining Sunday.” Those that desire to become a member of Eastminster may meet up front by the pulpit after the service to be received as members. To become a member of Eastminster one professes that Jesus is Lord of your life and that you intend to live for God as part of this community of believers. In turn, the church promises to support you and seek to enhance your relationship with God and others. Whether you are here for the first time or have been here for a long time… My prayer is that you experience closeness to God and others here. We are designed to worship God and enjoy God together. It seems that when that happens regularly, lots of the other aspects in life fall into place. Know that I am open to having a conversation with you personally. My email address and phone number are below. May we enjoy this day and life as followers of Jesus on the road ahead! Blessings, Tim

September 14, 2014

As we mark the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, we realize that there are forces of violence and evil that run counter to God’s ultimate plans for a peaceable community. Today, we gather with full appreciation of those who defend and serve our country within and beyond its borders. To our veterans and to those currently engaged in one of the service branches, to those in the law enforcement, fire and medical professions… and to your families… we say thanks! To those who teach and lead and promote peaceable solutions to conflict, we say thanks! Our freedom to live, worship and grow as Christians is gained by the toil of many. May we be grateful…and may our hearts go out today to the many who are persecuted… such as the Christians in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, Africa, Asia, and even in North and South America. Political, social and religious freedom are often connected. As such, let’s not take our freedoms lightly. Next Sunday is “Back to Church Sunday.” Enjoy the freedom to invite friends and neighbors to church without fear of the persecution many face for doing so. Share your faith “as you are going” through your daily rounds. Give God in Christ the praise, service and glory God desires as we are part of God’s plan for the redemption of a broken world. May we be peacemakers in our homes, schools, community and organizations, even as we pray for spiritual protection and benefit from physical protection. In the midst of conflict Paul encourages, “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus…. And the God of peace will be with you.” Gracious God, be with your people around the world. Thank you especially for those who spread your Word… and for those who protect and serve! Blessings, Tim Good News *Average weekly worship attendance was up 25% in August 2014 over August 2013. *A new Parenting Support Group was launched this week with 15 participants.

September 7, 2014

Last Monday we celebrated Labor Day. According to the US Department of Labor, Labor Day is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” As followers of Jesus we are called to labor too. God desires us to use our gifts for God in service to God’s plans for redemption of the world. In Ecclesiastes it is affirmed that even though sometimes we labor not seeing the big picture, that God makes “everything beautiful in its time.” As such, we are called to enjoy life… to eat, drink and work with joy… knowing that God’s blessings and beauty will flow through what we do. In today’s Gospel lesson we encounter the parable of laborers in the vineyard. Here different workers are hired at different times through the day. In the end, they get the same wage—and the ones who start last get paid first! Lots to chew on here! As I reflect on this scripture, I do know one thing…. It is never too late to give one’s life to God’s service… or to recommit one’s life. In my ministry, I have had the opportunity to baptize fifth generation members in the same church and to work with persons in their 90’s as they come to a relationship with the Lord. One thing is constant… God loves us all and calls us by name in due time and season. And in the end for the faithful, there comes abundant and eternal life. And we receive abundant life not from hard work… but from grace… The grace that is evidenced as we break bread and drink from the cup of Communion today. Jesus labored to the death and God raised him to show what we can expect. So may you find joy in your “toil” for the Lord. May you, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). May we serve well in this community together, learning from our teachers, being cared for by our caregivers and encouragers, being led wisely by our leaders, and being inspired by those who sing and proclaim God’s Word in worship. Sometimes our service seems like “toil,” but in the end, we receive much more than we deserve… “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). May you find joy in labor … and in the grace of God in Jesus!

August 24, 2014- Transistions

This weekend is one of transitions at EPC as we welcome new members, thank elders who have served their terms faithfully, ordain and install a new class of elders, and celebrate the ministry of the Rev. Jennifer McGee. It is a joy and an honor to receive new members. New members being introduced include David Arnold, John Frankenburger, and Margarette Roberts. David is a resident of Cocoa Beach. He is employed as a musician at Walt Disney World and is already singing in our Chancel Choir. David is transferring from Riverside Presbyterian Church, where his father was the director of music for over 40 years! John is worships primarily at EPC’s contemporary worship service, EPiC. John is very knowledgeable about music and plays several instruments. He also is adept at managing sound. John comes by letter of transfer from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Melbourne. Margarette is married to Ronald (“Ronnie”). She is a retired registered nurse. Margarette’s hobbies include stamping, sewing, working out, volunteering at the hospital, and at Daily Bread with other EPC members. She is joining by letter of transfer from Three Chopt Presbyterian Church in Richmond. Ronnie is Catholic and attends here as well. They have one son, Ron, who is in the Air Force. Elders who have faithfully served their terms include Cindy Earp (Children, Youth and Family Ministry), Nancy Fowler (Worship), Linda Hollington (Children, Youth and Family Ministry), and Jim Short (Facilities). These elders helped start a “new chapter” in the life of EPC and serve faithfully. Cindy Earp will continue serving as she has agreed to fill an unexpired term on session. We are grateful for their dedication to the Lord through this church! Thank you!!! Elders to be ordained/installed this weekend include Steve Adams (Facilities), Don Dawson (Outreach and Communication), Karen Delos Santos (Children, Youth and Family Ministry), and Nancy Marshall (Congregational Care). They were elected by the congregation in May, went through a period of training and were examined by our session to get to this point. Their talents and energy will greatly benefit our ministry in the days and years to come! Welcome!!! Today we celebrate the ministry of Pastor Jennifer McGee. Jennifer began at Eastminster as a youth. Later, she attended Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and has served in a variety of positions in ministry beyond EPC as well as here. Jennifer blesses the lives of many in our congregation, and has many gifts including preaching, teaching and pastoral care. She is one of the finest colleagues in ministry with whom I’ve had the privilege of serving. We will recognize Jennifer after 10 a.m. Sunday worship with a reception. On August 30 Jennifer will be recognized at Epic worship. She will preach on both August 30 and 31. Jennifer, may God bless you richly and continue to use you in comforting and changing lives for the glory of God!!!