We seek to bless the greater Carlisle area.

//Story Core…starting or returning?…it’s for you!

What is Story Core? Engage is a Church for people who want to explore faith. It’s for people who find themselves thinking about ultimate questions but maybe don’t quite know where to start.

If that’s you? Then check out Story Core. Story Core is an exciting 8 week long “adventure” in exploring the big questions of faith and how we can begin a “story” with God.  We believe God invites us into a relationship with Him by telling us His story in the Bible.  Story Core will explore this story in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way. No question is off limits!  Trust me! We love big questions of faith.  In fact, at Engage we aren’t afraid of doubt, we believe doubting is actually one of the ways we grow to better understanding the message of Jesus.  So bring it! :)

So if you are blowing the dust off of your bible and returning to faith exploration or if you are starting new for the first time–Story Core is for you!  I can’t think of a better way to begin to get connected at Engage than Story Core. Email Kelly if you have questions or would like more info.

Story Core will begin the first week of March, 2010 and go every week for the next 8 weeks. The material for the group is based on The Story We Find Ourselves In - By Brian McLaren. The cost for the materials is $20.

Posted on February 16, 2010 – 2:04 pm
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//Watch video and view pictures of the Baptism Celebration @ Engage, January 10th, 2010

Wow, this past Sunday was a highlight for Engage. We turned one year old and baptized seven of our friends as a statement of their faith and trust in Jesus.  As we baptized our friends I watched you.  Many of you were moved to tears and some of you tough guys even choked up a bit (I saw it :)). I thought about it for a while on Sunday. Why is baptism such a powerful symbol? Why does this symbol evoke such strong emotions deep in our souls?  I think it’s because of story and hope.  Each person who was baptized told their story.  The stories were laced with raw honesty and confession. The stories told of hurt and loss, pain and emptiness but they didn’t end there.  Each of the stories moved from void or loss or regret–to hope.   Hope that something better and fuller has been found through knowing and trusting the Creator who came to be with us in Jesus. I watched you grimace as you identified with the emptiness or darker sides of the stories.  I was moved as you teared up or broke a smile when you heard story after story.  Redemption breaking through layers of doubt and skepticism or hurt and loss.  Why is this?  Many of you didn’t even personally know those whom were being baptized?  The reason is simple. We want reasons to hope and when we find corners of this world where hope wins over our cynicism it moves us in deep ways.  My hope is that Engage is a community where hope is always winning.  Not fake, syrupy, conjured sentimentalism living in refusal to see reality.  No–more like the refusal to give in to the cynical impulses that so quickly leap, squelching our imaginations of faith.  There is a reason why Jesus was always pointing to little children when teaching about trust and faith.  Children aren’t cynics. They believed God could work in ways that are befitting of, um, God.  They have the faith to dream of God-shaped possibilities in this world.  May hope increase and fear be extinguished as we continue to get to know the ultimate source of hope–Jesus Christ.   I’m sure those who were baptized would love a note as to what their courage meant to you.  Click on the header title of this post and leave a comment for all or one of our friends. We will make sure they see all of the comments.

Follow this link to view more pictures on our Flickr account

Peace,
jon

Mike Greene Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Amy Greene Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Mitchell Greene Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Evelyn Cruzat Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Elijah Hyndman Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Desirae Moyer Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Anna Jane Friess Baptism @ Engage from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Posted on January 12, 2010 – 12:14 pm
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//Past. Present. Future. . . One year anniversary of Engage.

Reflecting on the PAST
One year ago, Engage Church was mostly just a dream lodged in the hearts of a handful of people.  We really don’t know how good our Creator is.  Even long time Church people don’t always live our lives with the confidence that God is more giving, more gracious, more compassionate, and loving towards us than we can imagine.  We believe God isn’t stuck in time on some rigid rail distantly overseeing his creation; watching us flail about trying to figure out life on our own.   Instead, God works dynamically to meet us where we are and fill in the needs of our thirsty hearts.  When we planted Engage, we saw a need in this community.  Who was going to be a church for all of the people who are maybe looking for God but are skeptical of church as they’ve known it?  We believe with all of our hearts that God raised up a group of people with a desire from God to meet that need.  We launched our first worship gathering on Jan. 11th, 09. Ninety-four people came to see what this was all about.  Over the rest of the year many people came to Engage and many (like yourselves) stayed at Engage because they’ve said, I’ve never met people like this before who are so open to friendship and who care about the things in life that matter most.   Most importantly we’ve heard people say, “I come to Engage because it seems like God is there.”  We’ve also heard people express the feeling of being pursued by a relational God when they recall, “Engage has helped us find something that we didn’t even know we were looking for.”

Fully engaging the PRESENT
On January 10th Engage Church will celebrate our one year anniversary by having our first baptism service.  Baptism is admittedly a weird act of faith.  But there is a megaton of symbolism packed into this out-of-the- ordinary act of faith.   If you consider Engage to be your community of faith, please be at Engage on January 10th to help us celebrate God’s goodness and lives deeply changed by Christ.   No party is complete without food.   So plan on sticking around on Jan. 10th as we will be having a meal to follow our celebration.  How can you help? Good question, thanks for asking. If your last name starts with an A-M please bring a side dish and a drink to share and if your last name begins with a N-Z please bring a main dish to share.

New Sunday Morning Series:
For the next five weeks starting Jan. 3rd we are doing a series called, “Cover Bands Don’t Change the World: Living Creatively in Mundane Life”.  Most people don’t associate “God” with creativity. In fact, most people have come to see religion as more dull and drab than compelling and innovative.  In Jesus we find a creative and innovative God who gives us new eyes and a deep motivation to live everyday life creatively.  Ever been to a wedding and danced it up to the old familiar cover band tunes? Cover bands just recycle what everyone else is doing.  They simply follow the crowd. It’s easy for us to just live life taking it as it comes and follow what everyone else is doing.  That doesn’t take much creativity.  Over the next month  we will explore  together  the intersection of creativity, imagination, and the life and teachings of Jesus.   The more you encounter Jesus the more your imagination grows.  You begin to see everyday situations, people, work, and family in God-infused creative ways. The call of Jesus is a call to create life around you with God.  Join us at Engage as we seek to live creatively.

Shaping the FUTURE
Well, ‘09 is now a thing of the past.  I don’t know how ‘09 was for you, but for me ‘09 was exciting and hard at times.  We had a dream to start a church for people who aren’t connecting with God at church as they’ve known it.  God did that this year through us!  That is no small feat. Only one in 7 church plants like Engage grow to a numerical size of 100 or more in the first 3-4 years of their existence.  That means God has greatly blessed our efforts at Engage.  People are coming, lives are changing, relationships are being forged, and we are engaging our community.

Now we look ahead into 2010. What does God have for Engage in 2010? When we started Engage a group of us asked God to show us what He wanted to do, who He wanted Engage to reach, what He wanted Engage to look like?  We built Engage on the answers to those questions.  As we look ahead, we realize Engage is not the same church as it was one year ago.  Leading up to the start of Engage we believed that God was speaking His vision for Engage to “us”, not just “me”.   So we want to hear your visions and dreams for Engage in 2010.  Over the month of January the Leadership Team at Engage (Harold Travis, Kelly Chripczuk, Jon Hand, Matt Tuckey, and Jeremy Owen) will be listening, praying, seeking, and planning ways we can live out God’s dream for Engage in 2010.  Please help us by leaving your dreams, vision, and what God is speaking to you by leaving a comment.  We need your input as we seek God’s direction for Engage in 2010. All of your comments will be read and considered by the leadership team.  Please leave your comments from now until January 15th. SCROLL UP AND CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST TO LEAVE A COMMENT. Thanks for contributing to the future of Engage.

Posted on January 2, 2010 – 11:17 am
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//Still haven’t decided what do to this New Year’s Eve? Join Engage and the Green Door for Dance of the Decades

New Years Eve Dance of the Decades from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

Looking for something fun to do for New Years Eve? Join the Green Door and Engage for the largest dance party in Carlisle.  Engage Church and Green Door Dance Club are teaming up to host a New Year’s Eve Party called Dance of the Decades.  Look, we all want to do something fun for New Years. So check out the video, link over to the Green Door and check out the Dance of the Decades. We will have catered food, live music by the Don Johnson Band, plenty of laughs, and a silent auction to benefit Project Share.  Dress up in your favorite decade apparel and get ready to get your groove on.

Link here to save money by registering early to party in style this NYE.

Posted on December 22, 2009 – 6:28 pm
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//Car Winterization for Single Parents Year THREE

This is a story that love wrote. This December 12 is the Third Annual Car Winterization for Single Parents in our Community.  Last year we braved the 14 degree numbing cold to gather at Project Share for our 2nd annual Car Winterization for single parents.  Our first year we helped over 30 families to have their cars winterized for the rigors of winter.  Last  year through the efforts of New Life Community (our parent Church) we doubled the impact over last year! We winterized over 60 vehicles! In addition, we were able to raise $1,100 so we could give single parents gift certificates to local garages for tires, further maintenance, and other pressing mechanical needs.

View pictures and Read about the difference we made last year.

This year NLC our parent church is hoping to service over 200 cars on Dec. 12th.  So here is how we can help this year.

1. We can donate our time on Dec. 12th. We will need people who can vacuum cars, check tire pressure, wash windshield, top off antifreeze, do crafts and play with children while they wait with their parents, or just hang out and talk with those who we are serving.  You don’t need to be a mechanic to help. Just show up, be willing and we will put you to work.

2. Money. It costs $20 to sponsor a car this year.  Engage has certificates you can purchase to “adopt” a vehicle and ensure that those in need in our community will be able to get to work, take their kids to school, and have reliable transportation this year. This year we are trying to raise 10K so we can give a used car to those who absolutely need it. Last year we met several whose vehicles were on their last legs. This year we hope to give them the gift of reliable transportation to alleviate a little bit of the stress involved in raising kids and working jobs to provide for their families.  Most of the people we serve at the Car Winterization are hard working people who simply can’t make ends meet. If you would like to sponsor a car please give $20 per car. Place the money in a giving envelop, write your name and address on the envelop and place in the Generosity box at Engage. You can also send money to Engage Community Church 320 E. Louther Street, Carlisle PA.  Please memo any checks “Car Winterization”

3. Distribute vouchers to people who may need this service. Click here to download a voucher, print it off, and give it to someone who may need it. voucher-20091

Learn the personal stories behind Car Winterization:
Last year I had a conversation with Norma. Norma is a single mom with 5 kids. She works two jobs and her family lives with her father in the area.  With pride in her heart and tears in her eyes Norma told me about her daughter.  Norma’s daughter is a senior this year at a local high school.  At one point in the conversation Norma paused, looked me square in the eyes and with a mother’s pride told me how her daughter has just received a scholarship to college.  Norma’s daughter will be the first person in her family to attend college. All I could do is smile and feel the great transfer of pride from her heart to mine.

Click here to read the rest of Norma’s Story

Stay tuned for more info at Engage as to how you can sign up and be a part of Engaging our community with love.

Posted on November 10, 2009 – 5:00 pm
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//Calling all Community Group Leaders at Engage

Watch the following video for some fun filled info about Community Groups at Engage!!

Hey Community Group Leaders,

Over the last two weeks Jon and I have been talking, scheming and praying about Community Groups at Engage. I’m very excited about the potential for growth and relationship-building within the groups, and have a passion for the kind of community that is fostered within groups like these. If our Sunday morning gathering are like the front porch, our community groups are like coming into the living room. This is where we find friendship and go a little bit deeper, interacting with the Bible and what’s being talked about on Sunday mornings, and care for one another. Our desire is to see authentic relationships and real community develop at Engage, and Community Groups are an important avenue for these things to happen.

Over the next week I will be contacting each of you individually to connect about what’s going on with your Community Groups, talk about ways that Jon and I can support and resource you as leaders, and share some of the vision that we’re developing for the groups. We also want to meet together with all of you soon, and so are inviting you to a gathering of Community Groups leaders after our Sunday morning time on Nov. 1. Here are the details:

Community Group Leaders Meeting
Sunday, Nov. 1
11:45am - 1:00pm
Lunch and childcare will be provided.

A big thanks to all of you for serving as Community Group Leaders. I am praying for each of you and your groups, and looking forward to hearing more stories about how God is working in the groups.

Kevin Barr (Director of Community Groups @ Engage)

Posted on October 7, 2009 – 2:26 pm
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//Project Fun Fest

Engaging our Community:

Engage provided over 20 backpacks and 2 large boxes full of school supplies for students whose parents struggle to resource them with what they need to return to school later this month.  Engage is committed to Engaging our Community.  Part of resourcing needs in our community is to experience those needs firsthand.  It’s easy to buy a backpack and put it in a box on a Sunday morning. Maybe you need to start there, that’s ok. But the next step beyond that is actually seeing the needs firsthand, learning the     stories and struggles of what leads to those needs, and being reminded of the importance of  real people right here in our backyard.  So please pray for Engage and pray the community Engage finds itself a part of. Prayer reminds us that we are often the answer to the prayers we pray on behalf of others.  JOIN us this Saturday from 10:30 - 1:30 p.m. and volunteer as we join with others at Project Share Fun Fest and help us  distribute  school supplies.  5 North Orange Street in Carlisle. When you arrive to volunteer  please ask for Diane Baltaef. She will find you a place to serve.

Engaging together

Posted on August 5, 2009 – 11:10 am
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//Engaging the Community: loving initiative

Look, the Summer is flying by. Vacations, overtime, weekend trips, evenings with friends. All good stuff. But it’s easy for us to simply live life at our pace, doing our thing, hanging out with people we choose to hang with, and miss out on vital opportunities we need.  I mean, our lives suffer (no matter how enjoyable we try to make life) our lives always suffer to some degree when we are not serving people who are different from us.  We live in a world where it’s too easy to be surrounded by everything and everyone you choose to surround yourselves with.  That’s not all bad, but it sure as heck makes it easier for us to become complacent and content with the issues in life or the stresses in life that only affect us and those who are like us.  At Engage we believe that life is so much greater than the issues and problems that simply affect us.  Life is ultimately not about you, or me.  A life lived most fully is always a life lived in the wake of the one who had life all figured out–Jesus Christ.  So at Engage we don’t want the summer to slip by without us being intentional to our vision of Engaging the Community.  Engage is a community with a desire to pour ourselves out in big ways and small, using our resources to generously meet the needs of those that God puts in our path. One of the ways we are doing this is through our Loving Initiative.  Over the last several weeks at Engage we have mentioned our efforts to provide 50 backpacks for school children in need.  In addition, we are partnering with area churches to distribute the school supplies at Project Share. On Saturday Aug. 8th Engage will participate in Project Fun Fest. Fun Fest is a carnival atmosphere where we will spend a fun-filled afternoon loving on area families in need.  We need all of the Engage Community to take initiative, make the time, and join in the fun of providing backpacks and serving on Aug. 8th.   Engage we will still be collecting backpacks up to Wed. July 29th.

You can also donate money by making checks payable to Project Share, and then they will buy the supplies.  Please place your checks in the generosity box at Engage.

If you are busy on Aug 8th and would still like to be involved, the week prior to the event is a prep week. On August 3-7 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and 5:00-9:00 p.m. people will be gathering at Project Share to fill the backpacks with school supplies.

In addition, our parent church (New Life Community) has asked us to join them this Saturday July. 25th at Project Share (5 N. Orange Street in Carlisle) as they build a room inside their warehouse. If interested in using your skills this Saturday please show up at Project Share at 8:00 a.m.  The project will likely take 8 hrs. if all goes well and enough people are able to help.

Thanks Engage for being a community of Jesus committed to living fully engaged in what matters most.

Be, Explore, Inspire Life

Posted on July 23, 2009 – 3:41 pm
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//Employment Opportunity

Engage is seeking a part time coordinator to give leadership to and oversee our Engage Kids ministry of 30-45 kids.  We are looking to start this position in July. Contact us through the “contact us” form and we will get back with you asap.

Sept. 1st, 2009 “Engage is excited to announce that we have filled this position.” Thanks for your interest.

Posted on June 17, 2009 – 10:36 am
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//Next Steps at Engage

Join us on June 18th at 7:00 p.m. for Next Steps meeting at 19 Shirley Lane in Boiling Springs, 17007. So you have been coming to Engage for a while. You like what you hear, your being challenged, and you have met some pretty incredible people.  Maybe, though, you are ready for a little more.  A space where you can get some face time with people and ask some of the questions of faith and life that have been bouncing around in your head for a while.  Next Steps is for you.  Next Steps will meet three times over the Summer for the purpose of going a little deeper in this life of knowing God and being changed by Him.  We will cover:

Week 1-What does it look like to know God in a relational way? How do we experience Him outside of Sunday?

Week 2-What is the Bible and why should it matter to my life? How do I read it and connect with God? Date TBA.

Week 3-What is prayer? Why should we pray? What can we expect from prayer? Date TBA

Have questions or need more information. Call 701-9557 or email us.

Posted on May 29, 2009 – 12:39 pm
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