volume 22, number 10 october 1st, 2016 east cross...

October 1st, 2016 Volume 22, Number 10

Newsletter articles for

the next issue are due in the church office by noon on

Tuesday, Oct. 18th

(You may e-mail articles to office@

eastcross.org)

RETIREMENT RECEPTION

for Paula Lindblom Sunday, Oct 2nd Gathering Area

between worship services.

East Cross News

www.eastcross.org

Monthly publication of

East Cross United Methodist Church

East Cross United Methodist Church 820 S Madison Blvd. Bartlesville Oklahoma 74006 918-333-0810

learning to follow Jesus, inviting others to join the journey

Sunday Worship Information:

Sunday, October 2nd Sunday, October 9th Scripture: John 13:1-5 & 12:1-3 Scripture: Matthew 6:19-27 Sermon: “moving toward transformation” Sermon: “moving toward freedom” Communion, both services Sunday, October 16th Sunday, October 23rd Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:2-13 and Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-12 1 John 3:16-18 Sermon: “moving toward life” Sermon: “moving toward trust” Sunday, October 30th Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7 Sermon: “moving toward action”

All Church Celebration Meal Sunday, October 30th

This lunch is a great time to get to know and celebrate with your church family. There is no cost for the meal and all

are welcome to join us.

More details to come.

generosi ty: moving toward l i fe that is t ru ly l i fe — page 2

From the Choir Loft... It has been great getting back in the swing of things with the Sanctuary Choir back in the worship service. Along with preparing anthems for service, we have started working on our Christmas Cantata. This year we are singing “Jesus! The Advent of the Messiah” by Mary McDonald. It is a wonderful new cantata that has some new and familiar tunes. We will perform it on Saturday, De-cember 10

th at 7:30 pm as well as Sunday, December 11

th during the 8:30am service. Both per-

formances will be performed with full orchestral accompaniment. If you are interested in joining the choir for the cantata, we will rehearse from 7:00pm-7:30pm on Wednesday nights in the chapel. Rehearsals will extend to 8pm as we get closer to the perfor-mance. We would be happy to have you join us! Blessings,

Ariel Ortega, Music Director, Traditional Worship

Contemporary Worship… Worship is a way of life, it is living in such a way that we submit every part of who we are under the Lordship of our creator. One way we do that is through giving our tithe to the church. If you want to see and sense and watch the Lord move in your life, if you want to know he is real, start giving. Watch and see how your trust in God will grow and your heart of gratitude will expand as you see his goodness towards you. I want to thank you East Cross family for your continued giv-ing and support of the ministries at East Cross. Your giving is what allows us to be the growing thriving church that we are! Don't stop investing and giving your lives for the mission, we have a lot more work to do!

Emily French, Music Director, Contemporary Worship

generosity…what a simple, splendid word. And how special it is to know that generosity is a gift to us from the first and ultimate giver, God. From the very beginning, God has unfolded His sovereign plan of creation, love, grace, and salvation as an expression of His abundant generosity, and God invites each one of us to participate in this with Him as He continues to move through history.

These words begin the study guide called “generosity: moving toward life that is truly life.” We will be dis-cussing the idea of generosity, what it is and what it is not, and how we move toward being more generous during the month of October in the Sunday morning worship services as well as many of our small groups. I hope you will be sure to join us each week of this series to hear God’s word for us.

generosity…Inside the soul of every Christian is a God-inspired desire for the generous life – a life tai-lored around God’s example of selflessness and sacrifice. But this generosity can often be dormant for us all. How do we shake ourselves from complacency to experience the joy of giving?

Pastor Jeff

— generosi ty: moving toward l i fe that is t ru ly l i fe

If you cannot tell, this entire newsletter has a theme, Generosity. I cannot think of another time that we have themed an entire newsletter, but it makes perfect sense. Many times when you read the newsletter you see what is coming up or currently happening, but you seldom get the opportunity to read about what has happened—and there is a lot that has happened over the course of this year! I don’t think this is done intentionally, but in-

stead because we are excited about where God is taking us. Therefore, in this edition of the month-ly newsletter, you will get a glimpse of what has happened here at the East Cross and with those who call East Cross home. You will read about how the lives of our youth and children are being changed because of you. You will read about mission trips and how the people of East Cross have been serving both locally and nationally. You will read about how God has been, and will continue, working in the life of the church through the faithfulness of its members. You will read about how your generosity, especially through your gifts of tithes and offerings, is making ministry happen.

While this newsletter highlights the work of the many over the past months, please know that there is still work to be done. There are lives still to be reached. There is love that still needs to be shown. There are needs that still need to be met. This newsletter serves as a call for us to unite as God’s people around the common mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It is a call to focus our time, energy and finances on reaching this community and this world with the Gospel message of Christ. It is a call for us to increase our faith as we walk with the Lord.

It is also an opportunity to say Thank You! From the youth who pack the gym and youth chapel every Sunday and Wednesday night, Thank You! From those who were able to go to Red Bird and share God’s love, Thank You! From the children who run and play and learn how much Je-sus loves them through lessons and by your actions, Thank You! From the local, national and inter-national agencies working on your behalf to feed and shelter the homeless, Thank You! And from me personally, a pastor on staff here at this amazing church, Thank You! I am thankful for your gen-erosity and for the ministry that happens because of it!

The theming of the newsletter is not intended for us to pat ourselves on the back as a church and then rest from our labors. On the contrary, it is intended to encourage us to continue on the journey to become more devoted followers of Jesus while inviting others to come and be a part of the work that is happening here at East Cross. Hebrews 10:24-25 (CEB) reminds us of the im-portance of encouraging one another to do the work of ministry to which we are all called. It says: 24

And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. 25

Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near.

Blessings!

Pastor Chad

New Director of Children's Ministries...The search has ended and we now have a new Director of Children’s Ministries. We are excited to announce that Aimee Hall has accepted this position and will officially start on October 3rd. Aimee has served as the Nursery Director at East Cross for the last two years while also working at Good Shepherd Child Development Center for the last six years. Aimee brings a lot of experience and excitement to her new role here at East Cross. Please take an opportunity to congratulate and welcome her into this new position. As an important side note, Aimee will be on the look-out for volunteers so be ready to say yes when she asks!

generosi ty: moving toward l i fe that is t ru ly l i fe — page 4 Celebrating 10 Years of Christians In Action – CIA for Kids!

Christians In Action (CIA) for children 2nd-5th grade experienced their first mission project on June 19, 2007! Why begin a ministry for children to serve others? When my daughter, Michelle, was eight years old she told me that she wanted to do more than to give her weekly Sunday School offering. She wanted to SEE the people she was helping. Her compassionate desire to serve others planted a seed that later turned into a ministry that has reached over 30 organizations and hundreds of people*. Give children the means and opportunity to volun-teer in tangible ways and they eagerly signup! In fact, there have been over 80 children who have volunteered 12,800+ hours of service since 2007. The members of CIA have done an exceptional job at serving God by sharing His love with others!

What a blessing it has been over the past 17 years to watch our children grow in wisdom and in stature. Any time there was a need for a volunteer, God provided just the right person at just the right time. Thank you, to the countless Sunday School, Connections, VBS and CIA volunteers (to name a few) who have made our min-istries possible. Thank you, East Cross family, for being a generous and caring church, and, for being a bless-ing to me as I have served you as Children’s Minister. Your generosity has greatly impacted my life and the lives of many children.

Linda Smith, Children’s Minister

*Concern; Agape; Mary Martha Outreach; Project Linus; Family Crisis Center; Newkirk UMC; Lighthouse; Tallgrass Estates; SPCA; Angel Tree; Fire Station 3; Sterling House; Oak Park School; ARF; Green Country Village & Assisted Living; Salvation Army; Kairos Prison Ministry; Food 4 Kids; Health Kits for Haiti; JPMC; Ed Ford’s garden; Habitat; U.S. Soldiers; Angel Horse rescue, Mailbox Ministry; DHS; Voice Of the Martyrs; Linda C & Deb R garden; Multiple Sclerosis; Tuesday House; Family Promise; Visit Bonnie R & Bill and Allie Z; Anchor House; Sooner Park; East Cross…

Christians In Action – Food 4 Kids CIA will meet on Sunday, Oct. 16th from 3:00-5:00pm to package weekend food bags for school-aged children in Washington County to support the Food 4 Kids program. All 2nd-5th mission-minded children are encouraged to attend. Questions? Contact Harriot Gilbertson or the church office.

Harriot Gilbertson, CIA October Leader

Packing weekend

food bags for Food 4 Kids 2010

Ed Ford’s Garden—Before & after weeding—July 2007

Banners made for Newkirk UMC after theirs were lost in a fire—2008

CIA made and delivered birdhouses to Habitat Residents—2012

Serving meals at

Lighthouse Outreach

Center July 2011

and August 2013

Reading to children at Concern—July 2016

We love helping at ARF!—2016


EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER…

As you are aware our Early Childhood Center is a 30+ year ministry and one that many people have generously been part of and contributed to in a variety of ways. Its growth and ever-changing ministry to the families of East Cross and to our community can be seen as we look back over the years…. In 1984/1985 there was a group of church women that gathered and determined there was a need within the church for safe, Christian-based childcare for mothers with young children. Over the years our ministerial staff have often encouraged and supported families that have walked through the doors and the classroom teaching staff. Church members have served on the committee that oversees the year-to-year practices of our program and Trustees have kept our facilities and playground safe for everyone. There have also been many persons in our church family that have supported the program indirectly by participating in Scholastic Book Fairs, Box Tops for Education, fundraisers such as fresh strawberry sells, pancake breakfast, garage sale, cookie dough, frozen pizza sales, and “Donuts with Santa”!

I personally appreciate and thank the church and its members for the generous and continued support shown to myself and the 22 years that I (and my family) have been part of many areas of the church, such as United Method-ist Women; teaching the “3’s & 4’s Extended Sunday School Class”; volunteering with Vacation Bible School; 14 years serving as Nursery Director; and as the Director of our weekday ministry known as our Early Childhood Cen-ter since 2002. As I share with many who will listen… I feel that this is the ministry that I have been led to — work-ing with young children, their families, and the many staff over the years! Thank you again for allowing me to con-tinue in this area of ministry.

Coleen Williams, Director, East Cross Early Childhood Center

NEWS FROM THE NURSERY…

Babies, toddlers and kids. If you need a humbling experience, seek one out and spend some quality time with him or her. Children are so forgiving, trusting, loving and caring – and not to mention entertaining! Very few of them have a clue what kind of car they came to church in. Most of them don’t care what brand of shoe is on their feet, because they’d prefer not to have any shoes on anyway. Children simply don’t care what your background is and their understandings of life are simple: if you’ll play with them, they’ll play with you. Being able to work in this ministry, of seeing how children interact with others, has been a blessing. I am reminded weekly, by children, what it means to love unconditionally. I am reminded what it means to be a friend to all whom I come in contact with and because of the lessons your children help teach, I am able to be a better person - a better disciple of Christ. It is my hope that your children are getting as much out of our ministry as me and our Nursery staff has gained from your children. They change our lives, just as much as we’re hoping to change theirs. There is no better investment than the investment of our youth. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of their lives.

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3

Aimee Hall, Nursery Director

Children’s Church…

We offer Children’s Church on Sunday mornings for kids in Kindergarten-2nd grade. We will leave from the Christian Life Center (gym) at the 11am worship just before the sermon. You can pick your child up after the service in the Youth Chapel on the first floor. The Youth Chapel is located through the Gathering Area, down the hallway to the left. We welcome you to take your infants through Pre-K children to our nursery on the first floor where they will be lovingly cared for during the worship service. Should your child/children prefer to remain with you during the service, there are bags full of activities just outside the Sanctuary they can use. Please return the bag after the service.


October Outreach News - 2016 in Review

Consider the following Outreach (missions) that East Cross members have done to date.

January Chili Cook-off raised over $2000.00 to area missions such as MUTUAL, Concern, the Lighthouse, Concern Child Leaning Center, and others. East Cross members donated items for the silent auction and made over a dozen crockpots of chili. Thank you East Cross for your generous heart and thank you to the Outreach Committee for organizing and working the event. Because of you people were fed, homeless could be housed, and cars for needy were repaired.

MUTUAL Gold has changed from an after-school program to meeting in the school during school hours. Girls in 5th, 6th, or 7th grades meet for 45 minutes twice a month with two MUTUAL staff that guides them in exploring the many different issues facing them as adolescents. Gold is currently in five schools in Washing-ton County, including those in Dewey and Caney Valley. Approximately 450 girls are served in a two-week time frame. Volunteers to help with program at the Club or in the schools are always welcome. Contact MUTUAL at 918-336-9151 to volunteer in any capacity.

East Cross members baked over 100 dozen cookies, prayed for prisoners, and worked at the KAIROS week-end prison retreat. Thank East Cross for reaching out with the love of God and His Gospel.

Thank you to the men and women who volunteer to do lawn care at MUTUAL. Their hours of service saves thousands of dollars yearly which can be used to reach out to area girls with God’s love and care.

Thank you also to the women who organize and work at MUTUAL fundraisers. Your unselfish commitment to sharing the Gospel with the young girls and your support are appreciated beyond words.

East Cross donates funds that support Cookson, Red Bird Mission, Samaritan Counseling, the Lighthouse homeless shelter, Concern and Concern Child Learning Center, MUTUAL and MUTUAL Gold, CRU (Campus Crusade) University of Tulsa Wesley Foundation, and more. Thank you East Cross for giving your tithe which supports spreading the Gospel and God’s love.

Endowments given by East Cross members help support a student’s education at Lydia Patterson in El Paso, a Christian trade school (Beyond Relief) in Haiti, scholarships to East Cross members who serve through missions, our relationship with Red Bird Mission and the new international Rice and Bean mission in Costa Rica.

Warren Neff spent time this summer working with teachers in Guatemala as a part of the International School Project. He was a part of a team that demonstrated how the Bible can be used in classrooms to teach children about integrity and good conduct. Thank you East Cross for your prayers and financial support.

Several East Cross members work regularly with Habitat for Humanity. Six homes have been built this year for the homeless. East Cross also has an endowment to support work in the Bartlesville area and around the US or world. Thank you to our friends who work tirelessly to provide housing for the homeless and East Cross for their prayers and support.

East Cross sent a 28 person team to the Red Bird Mission in southeastern Kentucky. The team remodeled a bathroom, painted, worked on plumbing and sheetrock, put a metal roof on a house, passed out food to needy families, and much more. Thank you East Cross for your willingness to serve, to pray, and financially sup-port the mission team.

There is more. Yes, East Cross members are sharing God’s love in so many ways. Now is not the time to stop. Now is the time to give thanks to God for using East Cross as a mission. Now is the time to ask God “where are you sending me next? Who can I pray for now? How can I best support your work?”

Luke 9:2 “And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”


ITEMS TO ITEMS ORDERED CASE PRICE NUMBER TOTAL BUY TO DATE QUANTITY PER CASE OF CASES COST Meat Stew 12 $21.00 Ravioli 12 7.80 Chili w/beans 12 14.28 Spaghetti-O’s 12 7.08 Fruit Cocktail 12 10.68 Sliced Peaches 12 10.68 Green Beans 12 5.88 Corn 12 5.88 Canned Potatoes 12 7.80 Macaroni & Cheese 24 7.92 Tuna 48 33.12 Luncheon Meat (Spam) 12 21.48 Peanut Butter 12 17.88 Jelly 12 17.88 Flavored Gelatin 48 16.80 Instant Pudding 44 19.80 TOTAL AMOUNT No. Cases: $

The Outreach Committee is sponsoring the annual “Mountain of Food” drive which will begin on Sunday Octo-ber 16th - November 6th. The food will be distributed locally to the Concern Food Pantry, Agape, and the Lighthouse the week before Thanksgiving. East Cross has always been a generous congregation and responded to helping local people in need. Last year we collected 820 cases of food for a total of $11, 595.00.

To donate complete the form and make your check payable to East Cross United Methodist Church noting “Mountain of Food” on the memo line. Forms are also available in the church bulletin and in the Gathering Area at the information desk. Items are listed by case quantity (number in one case) and price per case. You may place your order in the collection plate any Sunday, mail to the church or drop it by the church office through Sunday November 6th.

The Breakfast Club Sunday School class will be collecting the food from Aldi’s on Saturday mornings and bringing it to the church. If you would like to assist them please contact Emily Call at 918-440-9933. Volunteers are welcomed and appreciated.

Kay Ruehlen, Outreach Committee

1 case of each item = $225.96

Your Name: ____________________________________________________

Thank You to Aldi’s for their assistance and Thank You for Your Support!


SAVE LABELS FOR EDUCATION...Red Bird Mission is collecting Labels for Education to obtain a new van for its school. A van requires 1,500,000 Labels for Education. Red Bird has banked 1,200,000 labels and is working on collecting the remaining 300,000 Labels for Ed-ucation. These must be collected and turned in by the end of this school year. Labels must have both the UPC code and the words ”Labels for Education.” These are the products that have the labels: Campbell’s, Pace, Pepperidge Farm, SpaghettiO, Swanson, V8, V8 Splash, V8 Fusion. Some companies are fazing out the Labels for Education on their products, so look through products al-ready in your pantry, and look for stock in the grocery store that still has the label. The labels can be left in the brown wooden box in the kitchen or given to Nancy Arnold, who will periodically mail them to Red Bird Mission. Thanks for your help!

FALL BONFIRE... When: Sunday, Oct 2nd at 6pm Who: Youth and children (18 & younger) and their families are invited to a bonfire at J and Jessica Butler’s pasture. What to Bring: Bring hotdogs and buns, lawn chairs, and sticks for hotdogs/marshmallows for your family. Kids – you can bring frisbees, footballs, or something else to play with outside.

Additional Info: S’mores, chips and water provided for everyone. The bonfire will be in the pasture off of 2500 RD west of highway 75. You can exit off of highway 75 on 2500 RD (south of Jensen Tractor dealership) or travel south on Philson Farm Rd and turn left/east on 2500 Rd.

Sunday, Oct. 2nd, 3pm East Cross

Christian Life Center

All animals and their human friends are welcome.

JOB OPENING...Nursery Director East Cross is looking for an experienced Nursery Director to serve God by helping children connect to Jesus. This role will oversee the planning and staffing of the nursery ministries for Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, special events, etc. Approximately 15 hours a week including Sundays and Wednesday nights. If interested, please send all resumes and inquiries to [email protected] or 820 S Madison Blvd. or call 918-333-0810.

Camp Egan Golf Tournament...The annual Camp Egan golf tournament is set for October 10th at LaFortune Golf Club in Tulsa. For more information or to sign up, please see Chad Perceful.

forward thinking….God is the first and most generous giver.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16


If you know someone that needs to be added or

removed from the Prayer List, please give the

office a call.

Pray for our Military

MAJ Todd Abshire LTC Darrin Cox LCDR Eric Rolfs SSG Gary Mabry SSG Jared Seat CPT Derek Smith CDR Robert Staten CPT Neil Gorham Robbie Lawson Mark Hathaway CPT Daniel Smith All persons serving in the military and their families. Update: SSG Jared Seat did not leave in August but is to depart in Sep-tember or October, He will not be returning to Kuwait, but to a differ-ent destination.

If you have a loved one or a friend currently on active duty in the military and would like them added to our Wall of Honor, please contact Charlie and LeAnne Christensen at [email protected]. Our Wall of Honor is currently located in the Gathering Area on the first floor, just to the left of the Youth Activity Center

Our Church Family

Pray For…Bob Murnan, Russell Shoemaker (Larry’s dad), Glenda Williams (Brenda Commons sister), Kathy Northcutt (Deb Richardson’s sister), Bonnie Woods (friend of Eve-lyn Meade), George & Emmalene Lennon and their son Jerry, Doug (Pauline Kenton’s brother), Alida (Maebeth Furrow’s sister), Ann Allen (Lola Norfleet’s granddaughter), Louis & Emily Kuntz, Gary Brown, Spence Rigdon, Cindy Wilcox (Curtis McLaughlin’s daughter), Judy Johnson (Margie Green’s mother), Helen Shell, Helen Goodwin, Alvin Beckworth, Alan Beckworth, Harriett Smith, Cathy Christian, James Harris, Sandy Shaw, Nita Wakeley, Euela Randall, Christopher Hope, Jeremy Waldorf, Larry Shoemaker, Pat Smith, Barry Knuth, Marie Puckett, Val Cottle, Shari Roebuck (niece of Harold and Peggy Yelton), Myrna Collier, Barry & Bryant Collier, Emma Lou Cox, James Malone, Earnest & Cathe Riggs, Gertrude Hughey, Ray-mond White, Jr., Keith Webb, Joe LaFerry, Carol Stithem, Connie Black, Kathy Stewart, James Kuntz, Mike Paxson (brother-in-law of Coleen Wil-liams), Marcia Goode, Ken Salamy, (nephew of Tootsie Bryan), Joan Col-lins (friend of Pam Knuth), Bill & Allie Zoldoske, Velma Roby, Kris & Shelly Riggs (missionaries in Niger)

Condolences to… Seth and Jill Weimer and family on the death of Seth’s dad on Sunday, Sept. 11th in Indiana. Also to Chance and Nicole Parker on the death of his grandmother, Imogene Grof on Tuesday, Sept. 13th.

East Cross College Ministry… needs your help to support our college students. Please consider becoming a prayer partner. Pray for a student and send an occasional card. Call Kim Wood at 918-914-1560 or Kendra Deffenbaugh at 918-914-2355 to sign up today. Thank you!

Congratulations to David and Betsy (Howard) Faust on the birth of their daughter, Charlotte Paige who arrived Tuesday, September 20th. She weighed 5 lbs., 5 ounces and measured 19 1/2 inches long. Charlotte was welcomed home by 2 year old big sister, Amelia. Proud grandparents are Gary and Melda Howard. Best wishes to all on these precious blessings!

Dear East Cross Family...Thank you for your thoughts and prayers while I was having two medical problems. My check ups were good so thanks for all the prayers, thoughts and cards. Edwina Maples

Dear East Cross Friends...Thank you for the cards, visits, prayers and concern during my two surgeries and my “three month stay” at Adams PARC. Your visits—Jeff, Sharon, Virginia, MaeBeth and all helped me recover! God Bless. Helen Goodwin To all of East Cross...On February 23, 2016 I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Lymphoma. After numerous tests, procedures, 6 rounds of chemother-apy, and ALL of your thoughts and prayers, my latest PET scan showed cancer-free on September 8! Praise the Lord! Larry Shoemaker

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ONLINE GIVING...You can give electronically by going to our website. Click “About Us” on the top of the welcome page and then click on “Donations” on the bottom of that page. You can also have funds withdrawn automatically weekly/monthly by completing a request form

available in the treasurer’s office. Did you know that East Cross offers a mobile version of our online giving page to make it easy for you to give anytime from your smart phone? Simply scan the image you see to the left using your phone’s Quick Response (QR) code reader!

Sunday

8:30 am Traditional Worship Service 9:45 am Connections Small Groups for all ages 11:00 am Contemporary Worship Service 5:00 pm Youth

Monday 9:30 am ECECC— East Cross Early Childhood Ctr. 6:30 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry (1st & 3rd)

Tuesday 8:00 am-4:00 pm MUTUAL Tuesday House Resale Shop 4:00 pm Prayer Group

Wednesday 8:00 am-12:00 pm Sorting at MUTUAL Tuesday House Resale 9:30 am ECECC— East Cross Early Childhood Ctr. 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm Praise Team/Band Practice

Thursday No Activities Planned

Friday 7:00 pm Church Bridge (2nd)

MONDAY NIGHT FELLOWSHIP 1st & 3rd Mondays

6:30pm Parlor Bring any type of handwork—we will have good fellowship and a great evening. All are invited!

The East Cross News is pub-lished monthly. Please note

the deadline of October 18th to have your articles in to the

church office. You may drop them by or email them to

[email protected]. The next newsletter will be published on

November 1st.

page 11 — generosi ty: moving toward l i fe that is t ru ly l i fe

Sunday Morning Van Ministry Call the church office at

918-333-0810 if you need a ride to church (either service) and leave a message on extension 105

before 7:45am on Sunday mornings.

You may also have a “standing”

request to be picked up every week.

Like East Cross on Facebook and receive a daily devotion each morning

at 6am!

All East Cross men are invited to meet at Midway Café on Saturday, Oct. 1st at 8am for breakfast and fellowship!

Weekly Activities

East Cross Pictorial Directory Sat, Oct.1st 10am to 5pm

and Oct. 4th-Oct. 8th

Tuesday through Friday 2pm to 9pm Saturdays 10am to 5pm

Sign up online at www.eastcross.org or

on our Facebook page and select the Directory Photo Link or call the church office at 918-333-0810 to make your appointment.

EAST CROSS NEWS (USPS 164-540) Published monthly Postmaster: Send address changes to:

East Cross United Methodist Church 820 S. Madison Blvd. Bartlesville, OK 74006-8533

PERIODICALS U.S. POSTAGE PAID AT BARTLESVILLE, OK 74003

USPS 164-540


Rev. Jeff Burress

Pastor

Chad Perceful Pastor

Evan Holmes Director of Youth Ministries

Aimee Hall Director of Children’s Ministries

Linda Smith Ministerial Coordinator

Linda Thornton Treasurer-Membership

Coleen Williams Early Childhood Center Director

Nursery and Childcare Director

Ariel Ortega Music Director, 1st. Service

Margie Green Pianist/Organist Emily French

Music Director, 2nd Service

Seth Weimer Sound Tech

Jon Colliver Building & Maintenance Coordinator

Church Office: 918-333-0810 FAX: 918-335-1664

E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.eastcross.org

Early Childhood Center 918-333-3814

C3 Student Ministry

THANK YOU for supporting our ministry through your giving.

It started about a year ago. A high school sophomore was invited to a small group following a free meal. She entered into a room with her 1 friend and the rest complete strangers. They played a quick ice-breaker game and began discussion. When the discussion was over, they

all prayed, packed up, and went their own respective ways. Something must have happened for her that night… I know this because soon she was coming to the Sunday night Youth ministry and even attended Church camp the following summer. Now, she is a big part of our leadership in our youth ministry. No, she’s not a loud and outgoing person. She’s not someone that wants to be in the spotlight. She’s just someone who is allowing God to walk with her. I get to see God work on her heart and those that she impacts daily.

This middle school student wanted to come to church. His family went here and there but something called him to want to come bad enough that he asked his parents to come to church. They agreed and came to East Cross. Once he came, he showed up to the C3 Youth Ministry Sunday Night service. From there he started coming after school to help set up chairs for Connections groups on Wednesday nights. Since then, he has attended Church camp, the Mystery Trip, and service opportunities with the youth. He felt God call-ing him to be in church and in community with others and he’s even brought friends. For me, it’s been ful-filling to see God work in his life.

These are just 2 of the lives that God has been working in this last year in my ministry. I tell you these sto-ries because I believe stories tell the message of our ministry. I could tell you that we’ve increased in num-ber, that we have to pull chairs for Sunday School small groups, and that we are constantly looking for lead-ers, but what God is doing is far more important than any of that. We have big plans in the future with our upcoming mission trip to Costa Rica as well as reaching our students here in Bartlesville but I want to say THANK YOU for supporting our ministry through your giving. You are the reason these students have life in Jesus Christ. Thank you again and God bless.

Evan Holmes, Youth Director

volume 22, number 10 october 1st, 2016 east cross...

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