Archive - News and Events RSS Feed

Some Random Thoughts

June 29, 2011 in News and Events, Prayers with 0 Comments

Dear E-News Friends,

Here are some random thoughts that I am having….

1. I am really PUMPED, JUICED, BLOWN AWAY to hear about what God is doing in and among our youth group as they are at youth camp this week. I have heard from several different sources that God is at work BIG TIME. Praise the Lord. Pray for them as they finish up the week.

2. I am looking for at least 10-12 people to join my MasterLife Small Group in August. MasterLife is 21 week intense Bible Study that will help you to move from being a “babe” in Christ to a Spiritual Parent. We will meet on Wednesday Nights from 6:15pm to 7:30pm. You will have 5 days of homework each week. Each evening of homework will take about 20 minutes of your time. If you miss a session you have to make it up. If you want to go deeper in your spiritual walk this may be just for you.

3. Continue to pray for our search for a worship leader and a worship producer.  We are back to square one in our search. This is a very important ministry position at Eastside.

4. This Sunday we are going to observe COMMUNION. I hope you will be attendance.

5. Interesting in hosting a child from Guatemala? Faces of Culture Exchange (an organization in Guatemala and partner with Madison Board of Education) are needing host families for 9 high school students (5 girls and 4 boys). Here are some of the details:

  • The cultural ambassadors will arrive mid October and be here 8 weeks, leaving in December
  • They will have a school schedule separate from the host child and be introduced to a group of kids that will support  them during their time….
  • The host families only supplied supper and a place to stay, Faces of Culture will provide money to purchase lunch or breakfast from our cafeterias if desired by host families
  • The cultural ambassadors come with their own medical insurance and spending money

6. Don’t forget that Eastside now has online giving available. Visit www.eastside-cc.com and click on the donate now button.

7. Remember that I love each one of you. If you need anything please know that I am always available.

Love and Prayers,

Pastor Virgil

PS Beverly is doing much better. Keep praying for her though.

English Standard Version

June 16, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, June 12, 2011, Eastside Elders introduced the concept that as a church family we will be switching to a different version of the Bible on January 1, 2012. The new version will be the English Standard Version (ESV). There are several reasons for this switch:

1. Currently Eastside uses the New International Version (NIV) published in 1984. However, the editors of the NIV has done a major overhaul of this translation and the NIV 2011 Edition is not what the elders of Eastside would consider a good translation. To read more check out this article and resolution from the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention: http://bpnews.net/blog/

2. We feel that we need to remain very conservative with our Bible choice. We have chosen the ESV because it is a word-for-word translation of the Bible versus a more thought-for-thought translation such as New Living Translation or The Message. We have a Bible Guide at Eastside (which we received from Lifeway) that shows where each Bible is on the continuum.

3. Lastly, it is our understanding that the 1984 Edition of the NIV will not be available for purchase.

Our local Lifeway Christian Store has agreed to help us out with our efforts of moving to the ESV. They are going to provide us with a survey asking us which type of Bible would you want (i.e. study Bible, thin line, large print, etc) then they are going to order some of these Bibles. Here is the good news, our local Lifeway Store will be offering discount coupons to us in order to help with the transition.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of the elders at Eastside.

Blessings,

Pastor VG

PS If you have a Kindle or the Kindle App on your smartphone then you can download the ESV for free from Amazon.com or you can download the Youversion App on your smartphone for FREE that also contains the ESV.

FREE Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Class

June 9, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Church Family,

Eastside will be offering FREE Financial Peace Classes starting June 22nd. The materials are available for free thanks to a partnership with Kentucky River Foothills. Click here to NEW Registration Sheet for Eastside June 22 – August 24th ’11 or click FP with FP Half page insert – Eastside Community – save the date.

Financial Peace will be offered on Wednesday Nights from 6-8pm at Eastside. Room number is to be determined. For information contact Joe Killin at 859-624-4416 x 210.

Book of Romans Bible Study - Join us this Summer as we walk verse-by-verse through the Book of Romans. Greg Gillum will be leading this study. Start time is 6:15 pm. This Bible Study is an open class and everyone is invited to attend even if you are not currently in a Bible Study or if your small group is taking the Summer off.

 

For more information please contact Greg at ggillum@eastside-cc.com

 

Update on Staff Changes

June 2, 2011 in Featured, News and Events with 0 Comments

 

 

Dear Friends,

I love doing life with the staff team at Eastside. Eastside is very blessed to have the staff team we do. Our staff is AWESOME. There is no other to describe it. As we are doing life together we get to witness the activity of God in each other’s lives. That is the reason that the author of the book of Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time and a season for everything….” (3:1-8). Things are always changing and moving. The same is true with Eastside’s staff. Here are a couple updates on staffing changes:

1. Brooke Taulbee, Eastside’s Preschool Director, is moving up from 1/2 time to 3/4 quarters of full-time. Brooke will continue to lead the charge in Eastside’s Preschool Department but her goal is to expand the vision and the outreach of this department.  Great days are ahead of us in the department due to Brooke’s continued leadership.

2. Worship Leader - After much prayer and consideration, the leadership of the church has decided to divide the worship leader’s position into 2 positions. Eastside is currently seeking to fulfill these two positions. (If the right person came along we would make this one full-time position as well).

a. First position is that of a worship leader who will be solely responsible for working with the praise team, selecting songs for each weekend, and conducting praise practice.

b. Second position is that of a cultivator of worship/worship producer who would be responsible for planning the order of worship each week; recruit, develop, and provide training for each of the following teams: lighting, video, computer, sound, stage props, drama, stage design. This person would also work with the worship leader . This person would simply be the worship producer who would help us to pull of our weekly worship gathering without a hitch.

Currently, I have spoken with several different people about one or both of these positions. I have several other people that I am currently speak with as well. Continue to pray for the right people or the right person to emerge.

Nelson and I agreed that his “last official day” as Eastside’s Worship Leader will be Sunday, August 28, 2011. Nelson and his family plans to stay on at Eastside and to be a part of the worship ministry.

If you have any recommendations for either a worship leader or a cultivator of worship (worship producer) then please forward me their names and contact information.

Love and Prayers,

Pastor VG

 

Connecting Church and Community

May 20, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Friends,

Part of our vision at Eastside is to influence the world (think i3 here). The way you influence the world is to be in close proximity to the world. What good is salt if salt does not have any contact with anything (Matthew 5:13). Eastside Community is committed to connecting the church with the community. We have developed a simple process to do this…

There are four easy steps to become a volunteer.

You can find this information at www.eastside-cc.com/volunteer.

Steps

  1. Application. The simple volunteer application lets us know that you are interested in serving. You can complete the application online, and it will be sent to the C3 Director.
  2. Background Check. For the safety of our children, Eastside conducts a criminal background check as standard operating procedure for all volunteers working with children. Please print, complete the form, and return it to the C3 station located in the Welcome Center.
  3. PLACE Profile.  Pick up a copy of the PLACE profile at the C3 station located in the Welcome Center. There is a $6 fee for profiles. Complete and return your PLACE Profile. The information will be used to help us match your gifts to optimal ministry opportunities.
  4. Interview. A short interview with our C3 Director will give you a chance to ask questions and learn more about the ministry opportunities at Eastside Community Church.

If you have any questions, please contact the C3 Director at 859-624-9646 or c3@eastside-cc.com.

 

NEW Ministry Position Opening

April 28, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear E-News Friends,

Are you looking to be challenged? Is God calling you to be on mission with Him? Here may be your invitation to join Him at work. I am currently praying for God to provide the right person to help me on an on-going basis with some very important details of the ministry at Eastside. This is a new volunteer position which is being created. To help you to consider if this position could potentially be for you, you will need to possess the following qualifications or be a really quick learner:

  • Be able to work very closely with me
  • Tech savvy
  • Organized to NTH degree
  • Self-starter
  • Lead a team
  • Able to provide honest feedback to me
  • Communicate with various teams at Eastside

Part-time position: Volunteer position (no pay but could possibly move into a pay position in the future)

Time Requirements: 10-15 hours a week

Spiritual Gifts of helps, serving, and administration would be really sweet. Personality style of an HIGH I or HIGH C or a combo of the two would be fantastic.

If interested in learning more or to discuss this ministry position further then please email me at vgrant@eastside-cc.com or tweet me at @virgilgrant or FB me www.facebook.com/virgil.grant

I am looking praying with great anticipation to see who God is going to call/lead into this position.

Have a great weekend,

Pastor VG

P.S. Don’t forget about this weekend:

We are kicking off our new sermon series: Finding Your Place
We are taking up a special love offering to send to the fine folks in Alabama to help out with their disaster relief efforts
We are going to vote on a resolution which Eastside’s lawyer is encouraging us to pass. Click here to learn more.

 

 

WE ARE VOTING THIS SUNDAY

April 27, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear E-News Friends,

A couple of weeks ago Eastside was suppose to vote on the following motion: (Click here to see the previous article). However, I got all worked up with the sermon on idolatry and forget to do the vote. So this Sunday we will vote before I get all worked up with the sermon :) and forget. This is just a formality.

Here is what Eastside’s lawyer is asking us to approve so that we will be squeaky clean as an organization.

Resolution of Membership:

1. That the members adopt the Articles of Guidance as the by-laws of the church; and

2. That the members acknowledge that the persons serving as elders from time to time act as the board of directors of the Church.

3. That the Church adopt the assumed name of Eastside Community Church and the filed such paperwork with the KY Secretary of State as is necessary to accomplish that.

Have a great day,

Pastor VG

 

Legal & Financial Recommendations

March 31, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Eastside Community,

Over the past 6 months there has been a very intentional effort on Eastside’s leadership to evaluate our current legal and financial systems at Eastside. We feel like it is very important to maintain on-going integrity in all arenas of the church life. We have spent a lot of time and energy with our lawyer and accountant to make sure that we are up-to-date on all legal issues. Based on these conversations over the last six months here are their recommendations:

Lawyer’s Recommendations:

Eastside’s Articles of Guidances (or what the lawyer refers to as By-Laws) (click on this link to read them: ECC_Articles of Guidance) needs to be formally voted on by the congregation. This will happen on Sunday, April 17th, 2011 after our morning worship gathering. Our current Articles of Guidance is what Eastside has been working from for the last 10 years. But with no formal record of these articles being accepted by the congregation then Eastside’s lawyer recommends we have a formal vote on us accepting these articles as our actual by-laws/Articles of Guidance. There is nothing legally wrong with our current Articles of Guidance he just wants it to be “legally clean.”

Accountant’s Recommendations:

Eastside’s accountant has suggested some minor policy and procedure changes to more nearly ensure that we are a great steward of the resources which God blesses us with. Here are some of the  simple procedure changes:

1. Direct Deposit for Payroll
2. Out source payroll and all payroll taxes to our CPA
3. Quarterly Contribution Statements for Membership (this way you are able to review your giving on a quarterly basis rather than an annual basis)
4. Accountant will do monthly bank reconciliation’s.
5. Eliminated the church’s debit card
6. Implemented a new reimbursement process
7. Developed and adopted a new policy and procedure manual for the business manager.

As you can see there has been a lot going on working going on over the last six months.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Love and Prayers,

Pastor VG

PS Go CATS!

Marriage Resources

March 9, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Friends,

I have been having a lot of discussions about the issue of marriage over the last 2 months.

A good friend of mine asked me and Eastside to promote an upcoming marriage weekend in October that will be in Louisville, KY. Here is the link to that weekend with some additional information this is an excellent weekend. I would encourage you and your spouse to attend this weekend even if you have a healthy marriage. Be proactive and INVEST in your marriage.

Another friend has asked me to promote the event Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage which will be held at First Baptist in Richmond, KY on March 18th and 19th. The cost is right and would be a great event to attend. Click here for more information. Once again be PROACTIVE in your marriage.

Finally, I came across an old blog entry by Perry Noble. Here is some of that original post:

Seven Verses To Look At Regarding Your Marriage!

Each morning for the next week read through Philippians 2:1-11 and pray two things…

Jesus, let me see the areas I fall short in serving my spouse…and

Jesus, let me see my spouse through your eyes.

Here are 7 more verses that can impact your marriage from the book of Philippians:

#1 – Philippians 1:27 – The first word is the one that gets me the most – “whatever!”  AND…please keep in mind that the Apostle Paul was in prison when he penned that verse.  If Paul can instruct us to keep a good attitude when he was in prison they surely we must strive to do the same…even if we are in a difficult marriage.

#2 – Philippians 2:14 – DANG…notice the word “everything” in this verse!  If we would simply submit to this instruction how much better would our marriages be?

#3 – Philippians 3:12-14 – Paul refused to allow the fact that he had fallen short of who he felt God was calling him to be…he was willing to continue the fight!  (Everyone is tempted to give up on their marriage at some point…but if we are followers of Jesus we should be willing to fight FOR it and not just in it!)

#4 – Philippians 3:16 – AHHH!  Most of the time we already know what we need to do and how we need to do it….we know it but struggle to apply it!

#5 – Philippians 4:5-7 – We should be gentle to all (including our spouse) and not be anxious…but rather present our requests to God, knowing that He wants for us to have a great marriage even more than we would actually like to have one.

#6 – Philippians 4:8 – How we think about our marriage (or future marriage) will definitely impact it…this verse is essential in reminding us to think the right thoughts.  (Also see II Corinthians 10:5)  We must fight the temptation to constantly think negative thoughts about our spouse and our marriage.

#7 – Philippians 4:13 – “Everything” means “Everything!”  Trust me…your messed up marriage situation CAN BE HEALED by Jesus.  He specializes in bringing dead things back to life!  In Christ our marriage CAN (and SHOULD) work out in order that Ephesians 3:20 should be true about them.

I am very grateful for a wonderful wife in Rosemary. She is a wonderful lady. I need help in loving her the way she deserves. Take a few moments this week and reflect on these verses and make an honest attempt at becoming PROACTIVE in your marriage.

Love and Peace,

Pastor VG

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

March 6, 2011 in News and Events with 0 Comments

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your prayers and support over the last 3 weeks. The “Transformation” at Eastside Community is absolutely amazing. Here is a before and after shots of the “Transformation:”

Before the "Transformation"

 

After the "Transformation"

Here is a really cool post that features the “Transformation” that took place at Eastside Community by Dave Miller: http://www.csgblog.com/2011/03/transformation-eastside-community.html

BTW, we had 372 people in attendance. Todd Baldwin said he would shave his head if we had 400 or more this Sunday :)

Have a great week,

Pastor VG

Page 1 of 3123»