March 2014
Glorify God. Follow Christ. Transform Lives.
- March 30 Worship @ 10:30 a.m. Installation @ 4 p.m.
Celebration
Sunday
The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with
Joy!
Shepherding the Church Our new senior pastor shares about his family, his ministry and his heart for Eastminster. Pastor Stan Van Den Berg begins serving as Eastminster’s senior pastor on March 16. He and his wife, Nancy, along with daughter Gabby, moved to Wichita from Orange, Calif., where Stan was the senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church. We asked Stan to share about his life, ministry and goals as he begins serving Eastminster. First, we are so excited to have you as our new senior pastor. What are you most looking forward to about being at Eastminster? I look forward to leading a dynamic, spirit-filled church who will bring Wichita to Christ and be a catalyst for transformation in the lives of individuals and the community. What’s your background like? My family has farming roots in Iowa. We moved to California when I was two years old, but frequent trips to Iowa have instilled in me a mid-western ethic of hard work, honesty and the importance of faith, family and community. Although I grew up in a Christian home, I came to know Christ in a personal way at a junior high winter retreat. I have walked with him since. I attended Cal State Fullerton, majoring in geology. I thought of going into ministry while I was in college, but I was offered a job at Chevron and accepted it. I worked there four years. While I worked at Chevron, I served as a deacon at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Orange. As a deacon, I started a small group for post-college singles. It grew from three people to 50. In 1986, the senior pastor at Covenant asked me if I had ever thought of ministry. I said, “I have.” He then offered to hire me as staff and send me to Fuller Seminary. I came under care of the EPC in 1988 and was ordained in 1991. I have served Covenant Presbyterian for 28 years; five years on staff, five years as an associate pastor and 18 years as Senior Pastor. Tell us a little about your family. My wife, Nancy, is a Ph.D. food scientist with her degrees from Texas A&M. She worked for ConAgra for several years and was most recently employed with a food company in Fullerton. If you’ve heard of Paul Newman’s Salad Dressing, that’s her work. Our son Joshua is 22 and attends the University of Arizona. He wants to work in the assisted living business when he graduates. James is 20 and attends a community college in Fullerton. He is a German major and is into politics. Hannah is 18 and attends Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She wants to be a teacher. And Gabrielle is a sophomore in high school. She likes
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being a cheerleader. I am blessed with my family. I have a great wife, our kids get along with each other, they all know the Lord and they all serve him in some way. Who has most influenced your leadership? I sincerely try to follow Jesus and seek his will for how he wants me to lead and respond. I have also been influenced by the former senior pastor at Covenant, Ralph Didier who was my pastor, supervisor and mentor from the time I was 10 years old until he retired when I was 32. I also try to read several leadership/management books every year. This past year I read, Good to Great by Jim Collins, The Speed of Trust by Steven M.R. Covey, Developing the Leader in You by John Maxwell and Deep Change by Robert E. Quinn. Though I bring knowledge gained from leaders in the culture to my leadership role, I am always guided by the wisdom and principles of Scripture and seek to listen to the voice of the Spirit. What is one promising trend in the Church today? Some are dismayed by the increasing secularization of our culture. I believe we live in a post-Christian culture. It certainly is that way where I have served in California. However, the early Church thrived in a non-Christian environment because they were absolutely dependent on Christ and empowered by him. We have the same opportunity to impact culture anew, not with a culturally shaped religion, but with the life-changing person of Jesus Christ. As a pastor, what is the toughest part of ministry? It is disheartening when the sheep do not get along. What adjective would your friends say best describes your personality? Can I have three adjectives? How about godly, wise and funny. They would also say I’m a lousy golfer. What’s one area of ministry you’re passionate about? I’m passionate about short-term missions. I think everyone should go on a missions trip because it will do you irreparable good. I have personally led seven short-term missions trips to Costa Rica. Each one blessed me and renewed me. I would love to go to Guatemala with members from Eastminster and witness first hand the place where “Project Light” was implemented. This radical step of faith and obedience by the Eastminster congregation ushered in a season of blessings for you. I hope we once again live out a radical faith and obedience.
We know that your arrival at Eastminster can definitely be attributed to God’s hand and the work of the Holy Spirit. Can you give one example of how the Holy Spirit moved in the process of you coming to Eastminster? The story of how I came to Eastminster has the fingerprints of God all over it. I will share with you one. When I first visited Eastminster, Hank Lederle preached on the church in Philadelphia from Revelation 3:8. He mentioned Jesus saying, “Behold I have placed before you an open door.” While Hank was preaching, I was praying, “Lord, is this word for me?” because my spirit was stirred by his words. But I sensed the Spirit say to me, “If it is, I will confirm it.” Then, after I preached my candidate sermon at Eastminster in December, a woman and her husband came to my office at Covenant to discuss hospital visitations. At the end of our conversation, she said to me, “By the way, I have a word from the Lord for you. I don’t know what it means, but here it is: ‘behold I have placed before you an open door.’” That “word” culminated, capped off and confirmed all the other signs your search committee and I received from the Lord concerning me as your pastor. I am excited to see what God will do at Eastminster. Is there anything else you would like the church to know? I want you to know my intent, my heart and my vision for Eastminster. I intend to love you, listen to you, learn from you, and shepherd you. My heart burns for passionate worship, transformed lives, Wichita coming to Christ, and Eastminster being a force for the gospel throughout the world.
My vision is to see a people who worship God with love and awe because they have been touched so deeply by the grace of God and the transforming presence of Christ. Unable to contain this work of grace, they tell others about Christ and our church. People come and sense the Spirit of God here. They come to faith, learn how to walk with Christ, be filled with his Spirit, and experience transformation. And they in turn tell others. On and on it goes. John Knox constantly prayed, “O God, give me Scotland. Give me Scotland or I’ll die.” My prayer is similar. “O God, give me Wichita. Give me Wichita or I’ll die.” Some churches want their pastor to be a caretaker; someone who will preach comfortable sermons to them until they die and then do their funeral. I did not come to Wichita to do that. I came to work with Christ in advancing his Kingdom in this place.
- March 30 Worship @ 10:30 a.m. Installation @ 4 p.m.
Celebration
Sunday
It’s a time of rejoicing and celebration! On Sunday, March 30, Eastminster will welcome Pastor Stan Van Den Berg as our new senior pastor! We will come together as a church family and celebrate God’s faithfulness in bringing us Pastor Stan, and in guiding us these past few years. Don’t miss this historic celebration as we remember God’s steadfast love and worship him together. 9:30 a.m. • Children’s & student programming as usual • One all-church class in Fellowship Hall 10:30 a.m. • All-church worship/celebration (Sanctuary) • Child care for nursery through Pre-K 11:45 a.m. • Reception and celebration in the Gym 4 p.m. • Installation service in the Sanctuary Eastminster Presbyterian Church
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Unlocking the Gospel Don Richardson and Brent Ropp join us for Eastminster’s Mission Focus Weekend by Eric Commer “Until 1962, the Sawi people of Papua (on the island of New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific) were still living in the Stone Age and isolated from all but nearby tribes. A tribe of headhunting cannibals who pillowed their heads on the skulls of their victims, the Sawi were a people who idealized treachery as an admirable virtue.” It was this tribe of people to which Don Richardson sensed God calling him and his wife, Carol Joy, and their infant son to go with the gospel, in 1962. Don’s seemingly unattainable mission was to learn the language of the Sawi people, reduce the language to a written form, teach the Sawi to read and then also translate the Bible into the Sawi language. This was all for the goal of bringing the gospel of salvation in Jesus to the Sawi. So Don moved with his family to a small 400-square-foot hut he built on stilts in the lowland swamps in the style of the nearby Sawi tribe. Within six months Don learned enough of the oral Sawi language that he began to tell the Sawi people about the life and ministry of Jesus. But as he did, the Sawi seemed unaffected. Having no prior connection to people outside of Papua, the Sawi were not accustomed to cultures and settings so forbiddingly dissimilar from their own. The only time that Don’s first presentations about Jesus won a noticeable response was when Don described Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of the Son of God. “About halfway through the description I noticed they were all listening intently. They noted the details: for three years Judas kept close company with Jesus, sharing the same food, traveling the same road ... And yet Judas,
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one of Jesus’ disciples, had chosen to betray him and carried out the dreadful act alone, without any of the other disciples suspecting his plot.” At the climax of the story, one of the Sawi men whistled a birdcall of admiration. All of the Sawi were in awe. Another Sawi man exclaimed to Don, “That was real tuwi asonai man!” Don soon learned what that accolade meant: Judas had “fattened Jesus with friendship for an unsuspecting slaughter.” The Sawi were acclaiming Judas as the hero of the story. How God directed Don Richardson to find a cultural compass to point the Sawi people to Jesus is the true-life miracle of this story. Beyond this seemingly hopeless start at bringing the gospel to the Sawi, God was able to call this people to an overwhelming acceptance of Jesus when they learned of God’s Peace Child – because the Sawi’s own legends recognized the value of a Sawi “peace child.” The method God used through Don among the Sawi is not unique. During our Missions Focus Weekend May 3 and 4, Don will reveal the keys he has discovered to sharing the gospel among other cultures, especially those without the Word of God. He will explain how these “redemptive analogies” lie within each culture and help explain the truth of Scripture to each unique people group. Now, fast forward 50 years. In the world we live in, with rapidly advancing technology, we might expect that every people group in the world would now have the Scriptures in their own
language, but that is far from being the truth. In fact, there are about 1,900 languages which still lack a single verse of written Scripture in their own language. Brent Ropp is the Vice President of Operations for Wycliffe Associates (an organization distinct from Wycliffe Bible Translators). Wycliffe Associates works to equip national translators with training, technology, resources and support to speed translation efforts to assure that every language group of the world can hear God’s voice speak personally to them. Presently, the Wycliffe Associates Operations Team, led by Brent, is supporting Bible translation in more than 70 countries. Having visited most of these countries, Brent is able to present a dynamic, presentday audio-visual view of Bible translation around the world. You will learn how technology is being used in novel ways to accelerate Bible left: Don Richardson below: Brent Ropp
translation. Wycliffe Associates also partners with international volunteers to use their personal experience and skills to support national translators. Because millions around the world are still waiting to read the Scriptures in the language of their heart, Wycliffe Associates is working to accelerate Bible translation like never before. Their goal is to begin translation of God’s Word into every tongue by 2025.
PeacE Child with
Don Richardson and Brent Ropp
Saturday, May 3 • 9 a.m.
At this special conference Don Richardson, world-renowned pioneer missionary to lrian Jaya and author of Peace Child and Eternity in Their Hearts, will share on the keys he has discovered to sharing the gospel among other cultures, especially those without the Word of God. Brent Ropp with Wycliffe Associates will share how Bible translation is transforming people and cultures for Christ.
Saturday, May 3 • 9 a.m. • Sanctuary
• Session One: A Child of Peace Among Warring People – Don Richardson • Session Two: Advancing Bible Translation in the 21st Century – Brent Ropp • Session Three: Finding the Eye Opener – Don Richardson
Sunday, May 4 • Don Richardson will preach at all three services: Cultural Compasses that Point People to Jesus Registration for the Saturday sessions opens March 30 at eastminster.org/peacechild, or at the church. Registration is $10 per person, with a family maximum of $25 (includes a box lunch). Registration will be open to churches and the public in the Wichita area.
For more than 20 years, one of Eastminster’s “controlling principles” for Missions has been “Translation & Bible Distribution – A longing to see that men and women, boys and girls of every people, tongue, tribe and nation may have access to God’s Word in their own language.” (from the Missions Handbook, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1996). On May 3 and 4, don’t miss the opportunity for your vision for missions to be transformed! Eastminster Presbyterian Church
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Curiosity Meets Hope this Easter Who will you share hope with on April 20? In his first Easter with us, Pastor Stan is asking, and answering, one central question: who are the walking dead? It might seem an unlikely question for the Easter message, but its answer is rooted in Scripture and wrapped in one thing in particular: hope. If you’re up on your Bible knowledge, you may already know the answer to this query, but one thing is certain – we’ll all know the answer on Easter morning! This Easter, we invite you to offer the most important thing you can give to friends, family, even co-workers – hope. The hope of the gospel has the power to change lives, transform individuals, resurrect marriages, heal families and fill hearts. It’s the one thing everyone needs, but not everyone has. And we can’t possess it without Jesus. As Christ followers, we know our hope is firmly rooted in God’s promise to save us, sustain us and ultimately bring us to eternal life with him. And that’s the message we strive to take to the rest of the world.
Four Easy Ways to Share Hope this Easter In the coming weeks, you’ll hear a lot about the question “Who are the walking dead?” There’s no doubt it sparks curiosity and mystery. In fact, you’ll likely see that question all over town, on your Facebook newsfeed, maybe even in neighbors’ yards. Our hope is that those who don’t yet know Jesus will see it too ... and wonder. This Easter season, Eastminster will embark on a campaign of curiosity among our community, but you and I will know it’s really a campaign of hope. Here’s how you can spread the hope, and pique some interest, this Easter:
1. Grab a Yard Sign Yard signs advertising our Easter services will be available at the church beginning March 9. Take one or 20, place them in your yard or at your business, and start getting your neighbors thinking. If you’d like to take it a step further, teams of volunteers are welcome to place yard signs up and down busy streets (think Central and Rock, 13th and Webb, the Andover area, etc.). Let us know you’d like to help out by contacting Courtney Browning at 634.0337, ext. 203, or cbrowning@eastminster.org.
2. Invite a Friend Who is God calling you to invite to worship this Easter? God has placed us in our unique circumstances for a reason, and often that’s to share the hope of the gospel with a friend, family member, classmate or co-worker. Pray about who God wants you to connect with, then pick up an invite at the church (available March 9).
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3. E-Vite a Friend Beginning March 9, you can send a special e-vite to our Easter services right from whoarethewalkingdead.com.
4. Social Share Social media is one of the easiest ways to connect with friends and family. We’ve made it simple to spread the word about Eastminster’s Easter services through share-able photos and content on our Facebook page (facebook.com/ eastminsterwichita). Simply share our updates, photos or events with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or your favorite social platform. You can even grab our Easter cover photo to use on your own page.
“And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:2b Easter at Eastminster - April 20 8 and 9:30 a.m. Traditional worship services with music led by the Chancel Choir, brass quartet and organ. Regular attendees: please consider attending our 8 a.m. service in order to allow more space for guests at the other services. (All Sunday school for adults, students and children will meet as scheduled. Child care for 0-3 at 8 a.m.) 11:15 a.m. Contemporary worship service with music led by our worship team (note time change). Regular attendees: please consider attending our 8 a.m. service in order to allow more space for guests at the other services. (Adult Sunday school and children’s programming for birth – second grade will meet as scheduled.) Other Holy Week Services Palm Sunday (April 13) 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m., Sanctuary Children’s programming as usual Maundy Thursday (April 17) 7 p.m., Sanctuary (Child care through 3 years) Good Friday (April 18) 7 p.m., Sanctuary • Featuring The Seven Last Words of Christ by Theodore Dubois. (Child care through 3 years)
Training Leaders Throughout the World A priority for Western Missions and International Theological Education Network by Dr. Hank Lederle, Assistant Pastor Missionaries have sometimes been portrayed as culturally insensitive, arrogant and complicit with colonial regimes. There certainly are sad examples of such prejudice in mission history. In 1971 John Gatu, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, advocated a moratorium and temporary stoppage of all foreign missionaries. A heated debate followed on matters such as creating dependency, funding policies, and stifling local leadership. Recently the one-sidedness of such criticism has been challenged. After 14 years of research Dr. Robert Woodberry, a professor of sociology at the University of Texas, published a provocative article in American Political Science Review titled “The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy.” Here is his main contention: “Areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women) and more robust membership in nongovernmental associations.” You can read the whole story in Christianity Today, Jan/Feb 2014. I am sure the debate will continue. I do not desire to pursue the merits of either side further. I do, however, believe that most missiologists will agree on two issues: 1. Churches in the majority world (Asia, Africa, and Latin America) are increasingly able to do the most effective evangelism in their own and neighboring areas. Western missionaries are still urgently needed among unengaged people groups. Unengaged means where there is no church and no known mission agency working. 2. The primary need in the younger churches of the global South – where we find the majority of Christians today – is for leadership training. It is specifically in these areas that the Engage 2025 vision of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s (EPC) World Outreach ministry is focused. World Outreach, the global mission arm of our denomination, has two tracks: planting churches among unreached and unengaged people groups, and providing and assisting in leader training for indigenous churches. In the World Missions Council of Eastminster there is a special interest in this second track. Lead Elder John Moody points out that our church has always valued Reformed theological training and that Presbyterians have traditionally stood for educated
clergy (teaching elders). John continues, “Leadership training has long been an important element of our missions strategy. While church planting is a major focus of our missions efforts, in order for a newly planted church to survive and grow there needs to be a way to provide solid biblical training for pastors to lead the church. Many of the new pastors in the cultures where churches are being planted do not have access to, or the education required for, formal seminary work. This is why Eastminster has been a strong supporter of The Urban Ministry Institute here in Wichita. TUMI provides a near seminary level training for those in the urban community who may only have an eighth grade education. We are now seeing this work being translated into several languages and made available to some of our missionary partners.” The training track of the EPC’s World Outreach ministry is lead and coordinated by the Rev. Bruce Anderson of Suffolk, Va. Bruce and Ellie will visit Eastminster and Bruce will preach at all three of our services on March 2. The training track of the EPC is the International Theological Education Network (ITEN). I asked Rev. Anderson about the plans for ITEN. He responded, “Just as Apollos ‘watered’ the churches Paul ‘planted’ (I Corinthians 3:6) we intend to ‘water’ churches planted by EPC missionaries by training their leaders for mission – to evangelize, serve in society, and reach unreached peoples. For example, Latin Americans trained and sent to reach North African Muslims, or Kazakhs to Turks. With the explosive growth of Christianity in the global South the need to prepare leaders has never been greater! Activities include: deploying short-term teachers and teaching teams, training indigenous leaders, providing curricula, translating, building libraries, using educational technologies, and promoting strategic partnerships with accredited schools across the globe. This new work is so exciting and could make such a huge impact. We anticipate wonderful fruit!” ITEN is in the process of launching at least 10 training programs that will guide national church leaders all over the world to become mature leaders in their churches and missionaries to unreached people groups by 2025. This is an opportunity to teach among the most neglected peoples in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Perhaps the Lord of the harvest has need of your skills in training and teaching others? For more information contact Dr. Lederle at hlederle@eastminster.org, Rev. Bruce Anderson at andersonb.ifr@gmail.com or visit epcwo.org and engage2025.org.
Eastminster Presbyterian Church
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Pre-K class, May
1997
20 Years of Faith-Filled Learning by Cheryl Hennigh, Director of Early Childhood Education Last summer I had the most interesting visit with a young mother who was considering enrolling her daughter in our preschool. She, however, had a different request than I had ever heard. Their family did not believe in God and she did not want her daughter to have to attend our weekly Chapel. After listening to her numerous ideas how we could change our daily routine, I asked why she wanted to send her child to a preschool in a church that is known for its Christian beliefs and Bible teaching. She informed me that she had talked to many parents in our area and had decided that Eastminster Preschool was one of the best schools and wanted her child to attend here. I thanked her for the sweet compliment, but informed her that we would not be changing any of our Christian and biblical teaching. I suggested she look for another preschool that might meet the needs of her family. After she left my office, I prayed that I had done the right thing for this little girl and for God to place her in the right situation. With a great surprise, three days later this mother came to our office door with enrollment papers in hand and informed us she and her husband had decided that this was where they wanted her daughter to go to school. That precious little girl has attended all of our Chapel times, received her Bible, a gift we give to all of the preschool children, and participated in our Christmas program singing about God’s love and baby Jesus. What a blessing that God has sent this little one to us and what a gift that God has provided a place at Eastminster to love all of his children. It all started in the winter of 1995. Mary Ann Burris, the Director of Children’s Ministries and her committee decided to look into the possibility of starting a preschool here on the Eastminster campus. The church was growing with young families
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that were looking for a Christian preschool and there were very few on the east side of town. As was the Presbyterian way, a committee of church members including educators, business owners, and pastors was formed to research this new ministry for the church. The committee established three main goals for having a preschool at Eastminster: 1. To meet the needs of our church family 2. Reach out to the families in our community 3. Serve as an entry point to our church for unchurched families Today as we prepare for our 20th school year at Eastminster in the fall, Enjoying the new playground we are so pleased that September 1999 we have been able to offer a wonderful educational opportunity in a Christian environment to the families of Eastminster and the Wichita community as well as serve as an outreach ministry for those looking for a family-oriented church home. Over the last 19 years we have taught, loved and cared for over 2,400 children in our preschool and look forward to being a part of the early education of many more. What a joy it has been to see those families participating in our new member classes who have come to know our church through the preschool. Over the last 19 years early childhood education has seen many changes in meeting the needs of young children
as well as the changes here at Eastminster. When the preschool started in the fall of 1995 there were four centers for preschool children in the area from Woodlawn east to Andover. Today there are 27 centers in that same area! Many new churches have been established in this area as well, providing their own educational facilities. With all of these new programs for young children, Eastminster Preschool continues to be well known in our city.
With the beautiful facilities that Eastminster Church provides and the excellent, caring teaching staff with a combined 115 years of experience with young children, Eastminster Preschool is looking forward to the many blessings God will provide not only for the preschool, but Eastminster Church as well. We would love for you to come and take a tour, experience our classrooms, talk with teachers and see what a loving Christ-filled atmosphere we provide. For more information contact Dana Miller, Early Childhood Education Coordinator, at 634.0337, ext. 236, or dmiller@eastminster.org or Cheryl Hennigh, Director of Early Childhood Education, at 634.0337, ext. 237, or chennigh@eastminster.org.
ri Dotson class picture,
Debbie Graber and Lo
May 2008
One other change in early childhood education that we have made at Eastminster is developing new curriculum and methods to help our young children today. We understand the need for smaller classes, and different goals reached in their preparation for their educational needs in the future. We’re also delighted to provide some new options in class times for the upcoming school year.
Child receiving his pre
school Bible
Eastminster Preschool and Kid’s Day Out are dedicated to preparing your child or children in the context of a loving, Christian environment. We provide a strong, developmental education with a solid, Bible-based curriculum. Our preschool is state-licensed and our programs are staffed by certified, experienced teachers. Fall 2014 classes are enrolling now! • Engaging preschool classes for ages 3 to 5 • Enriching Kid’s Day Out opportunities for ages 3 months to 3 years • All new class offerings and small class sizes Learn more by calling 634.1195 or visit eastminster.org/earlychildhood. Eastminster Presbyterian Church
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Bible Times •Bringing Israel to the Church•
Learning as a Family by Scott and Gretchen Montgomery We are the Montgomerys, and we thoroughly enjoyed the Preserving Bible Times seminar that we attended as a family last January. This is no small feat, since our family includes an engineer and elder (Scott), a homemaker extraordinaire, deacon, and Women’s Ministries Chair (Gretchen) and four teenage boys (Isaac, Seth, Ian and Joshua). This isn’t just another Bible study — it’s a new perspective for approaching every Bible study for the rest of your life. This incredible seminar unveils depths of Scripture that complete the picture of a culture we have never experienced, highlighting truths like a sudden transition from black and white to full Technicolor. It provides the crucial elements of cultural and geographical context, revealing themes, connections and powerful meaning that were obvious to the original readers of the text but which we as 21st century denizens can miss entirely. Ever wonder why people reacted so strongly to a seemingly minor event or statement by Jesus? It may have been a whole lot more radical at the time than we at first comprehend. The simple words “follow me” take on a whole new dimension of acceptance and invitation when viewed through the lens of rabbinical tradition, and the realization that many key events took place literally right around the corner from other similar ones explains why the people instantly understood their significance. More thoughts from the Montgomery family: Scott This event was informative, engaging, and provided a wealth of opportunities to continue to dig ever deeper into the truth of Scripture. The resource tables included an array of contextual resources that can only be described as the next best thing to actually visiting the Holy Land itself, and would be a great way to prepare for such an adventure. I would recommend this seminar to everyone who seeks to understand the Bible, delve into its truth, and connect with the events that God has orchestrated
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throughout history to reveal his glory — from tweens to young adults to not-so-young adults. Gretchen When we signed up to go to Preserving Bible Times as a family I was really excited. I thought it would be a wonderful time for the kids and Scott and me to learn together to really see what the land looks like where Jesus walked. I was not disappointed — the teaching was great, it was fun, it was educational, and the pictures were incredible! I have made use of the things I learned while preparing lessons for Hannah Circle and for discussions during my Wednesday morning study. Knowing more about the land that Jesus walked has made understanding and teaching easier. The context really makes a difference. I am looking forward to going again. Isaac, 16 The original Christians lived life in a different way than we do now. Belief was a verb – today it’s a creed, something we submit to instead of do. Then, community was a way of life. Today it’s a foreign concept for us to live completely dependent on others. Preserving Bible Times gave me a good look at how living as a Christian has changed from Jesus’ day to today. The references to community and togetherness show how important those concepts really were the Church’s early days. When we first showed up it was a little uncomfortable, but as the lessons went on I became more engaged and had a great time!
Seth, 15 I found the speakers to be engaging and interesting. After attending Preserving Bible Times, the next time I did my Bible study, I found it was a lot easier to understand what was going on now that I knew the context. The shifts in cultural and societal norms have influenced our understanding of Christian life. Joshua, 14 The maps were great. I never realized how close everything in the Bible really was. It taught me about the history and the daily life of the people in Jesus’ time it really makes the studies I do and the stories I read in the Bible much more alive. Now when my teachers are teaching on Sunday morning about how Jesus calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee, I can picture it in my mind. Ian, 14 Very informative. Knowing the culture and the background of where the Bible took place helps put the rest of the Bible into context.
Eastminster hosts Preserving Bible Times 2015 – The Bible: Its Land and Culture Eastminster is one of four Wichita area churches working to present the entire Preserving Bible Times curriculum over four years. Eastminster is the organizing and host church for PBT 2015. If you’d like to be part of the 2015 planning and leadership team, contact Ben Marquez at 634.0337, ext. 211, or bmarquez@eastminster.org.
Preserving Bible Times April 11 – 12, Central Christian Church “The Last Days of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told” The Last Days of Jesus is a multimedia workshop focusing on the literary, historical, cultural and geographical contextual realities of Jesus’ last few days on earth as found in the Gospel of John. This blending of contextual information with breathtaking aerial photos of the land that Jesus walked creates an innovative teaching approach that breaks new ground in deepening our understanding of the Passion of Jesus. It allows the last days of Jesus to come alive in fresh and new ways for 21st century hearts and minds. Such questions will be answered: • What does Solomon have to do with Jesus riding on a donkey on Palm Sunday? • Why was it so important that Jesus raised Lazarus on the fourth day? • What were those waving palm branches really communicating? More information and registration will be available soon at ccc.org.
March Special Events
View recurring events in the latest Guide or online at eastminster.org/calendar.
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Rediscovering Biblical Manhood Sunday class with Ben Marquez begins 9:30 a.m.; C-15 Hospital Visitation Training 6 – 6:45 p.m.; C–13/14 Ash Wednesday Imposition of Ashes Service Noon; Chapel All-church Dinner 5:15 p.m.; Fellowship Hall No EDGE Classes Healing Prayer Service 6:30 p.m.; Sanctuary Child care Available (0–3 years)
6-9 8 9 16 29 30
The Pilgrimage Hinton, Okla. Membership Path One-Day Class 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; C-13/14 Sterling College Choir at Eastminster 9:30 and 11 a.m. worship Pastor Stan’s First Sunday at Eastminster! Every Man a Warrior Conference 8:30 a.m.; Sanctuary Celebration Sunday See details on page 3
Eastminster Presbyterian Church
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Non Profit Org. US Postage
PAID
Wichita, KS Permit No. 1293
Eastminster Presbyterian Church 1958 N. Webb Road • Wichita, Kansas 67206 316.634.0337 • www.eastminster.org
Worship Services Sundays at 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m.
The goal of Eastwind is to support the mission of Eastminster Church: Glorify God. Follow Christ. Transform Lives. Director of Communications: Courtney Browning (cbrowning@eastminster.org). Associate Director of Communications: Meg Foreman (meg@eastminster.org).
Ash Wednesday March 5 Imposition of Ashes noon in the Chapel Join us as we prepare our heart for the Lenten season through worship and the imposition of ashes.
EDGE Dinner 5:15 p.m.; Fellowship Hall Come together as a church family to enjoy a meal and community. EDGE classes will not meet.
Healing Prayer Service 6:30 p.m.; Sanctuary Our pastors and prayer teams invite anyone in need of physical, spiritual or emotional healing to come as we lay hands and pray together. We will invite the Holy Spirit to draw near to us and work in lives and situations, doing more than we could ask or imagine. Everyone is welcome. 12
Eastwind Newsletter
Reach out... and LOVE someone! LOVE Wichita Service Day: April 26 Registration open during the month of March at lovewichita.org or Sundays in Fellowship Hall beginning March 9 Each year thousands of volunteers representing churches all across the city join together in an attitude of service and love, to share the love of Christ in our city. This year we will once again have the opportunity to resurrect our city as we clean, paint, touch and transform the place we live and encourage the people we encounter in the name of Jesus. Hundreds of projects, all around town, are planned for completion. God is calling us to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7) and to answer his call, we’ll continue to partner to complete service projects throughout the area. We hope to have more than 5,000 volunteers from more than 40 churches across the city join together in an attitude of service and hope at the sixth LOVE Wichita event of serving. Visit lovewichita.org to learn more and sign up to serve with Eastminster.