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Tag Archives: Engage Community Church of Carlisle

//Check in for cool updates on life at Engage

June 15, 2010 – 9:57 am

Hey Peeps,

We’ve created a new page called What’s New? We will try to use this page to upload pictures, video, songs, and little snippets of some of the exciting things happening at Engage.  So for this first one we will load you up with some interesting things from the last few weeks.

1. Listen to Zach’s powerful story. We baptized Zach Brigante and Cuyler Paine on June 6th.  Link to pictures and read more. . .

2. On Sunday Christi Hadden gave us an update on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  She has a passion for Creation Care.  Christi gave an articulate and passionate explanation for why this is so important from a ecological, human, and theological perspective.
Listen here to her 6 min. talk

3. Listen to the latest song written and performed for Engage by our resident singer / songwriter Stephen Santos.
“Sweet Mercy” - Stephen wrote this song for a talk at Engage from Jesus’ teaching on from the Matthew 5. my-sweet-mercy

“Where do I turn” - In May we did a series called “Off Script”. We were looking at this vision Jesus gives us of a life lived outside the box that normal life tries to cram us into. On this morning we took song lyrics from different people that morning and while Jon talked Stephen wrote a song incorporating the lyrics–and weaving it into the topic for the day “Hungry and Thirsty for Righteousness”.  If you like this song link to it from your email, web page or facebook.  Help Stephen get the word out about his music.
where-do-i-turn-1

“There’s a Call” - Stephen wrote this song for a gathering of pastor’s in our family of churches called the Brethren in Christ Church.  This is a powerful vision of how our faith moves us deeper into the world.
theres-a-call

4. Last but not least. We had our Engage Picnic this last Sunday. Check out the fun times had by all.

Fun times at Engage Picnic from Engage Community Church on Vimeo.

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//Update on Engage….this is good stuff!!

September 2, 2009 – 11:30 pm

engage_update_sept_09g

Hey peeps,

Click on the file and download a newsletter of what’s been happening at Engage over the last few weeks or month.  If you’ve been out of the loop…trips to the beach, over-sleeping, working too much, whatever it is…you need to read this and reconnect with what’s happening at Engage.  If  you are reading this and have never been to Engage…then here is a little insider update on what’s been happening.

Keep in touch..

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//hit us up…questions and thoughts on prayer

August 22, 2009 – 4:37 pm

So next week Aug. 30th we are going to take break in between our series at Engage on Sundays. We will have wrapped up our three weeks on Be Who You Are: Discover, Develop, and Leverage…all of the skills, passions, and past experiences (good and bad) we have had to fully Engage with what God is doing to bring life to the world.  I’ve personally talked with several people who are saying, “I don’t know who I am, how I’ve been shaped, what I’m good at, what makes me unique? And I want to begin figuring this out so God can get the most out of my life.”  This is totally exciting since we are a relatively young church. The average age of Engage right now is 31…about 10 years younger than most non-mainline Protestant churches in our area.  So we have a lot of people who feel “stuck”, they feel like they can’t move forward in career and in self-understanding until they have a better sense of who God made them to be and how to use that in the world….

Next Sunday Aug. 30th we are going to chat for a week on Prayer. Very confusing topic. You know the ‘ol, if God knows everything why bother praying? Or, isn’t it going to happen anyway of God’s in control? Or, prayer is just weird and awkward whenever I attempt it seems to go nowhere.  So those are a few of the ideas and questions floating around out there about prayer.  I want to know what you think…what questions do you have about prayer!! What insights could you share? Join us on the web site, leave a comment or a comment on a comment and let’s take a few days to discuss this.  Who knows…what you say may just end up in the talk on Sunday morning….

Hey, you! Yes, you the one reading this right now.  I know you don’t want to be the first one to post something…but go ahead. Break the ice. If you do it, others will follow.  Be courageous!!

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//6 months in…here’s how it’s playing out

August 5, 2009 – 11:07 am

Wow, It’s been six months since we started meeting on Sundays following January 11, 2009.  Since that time God has been writing the story of Engage. God has done some very exciting things as the story of Engage continues to be lived out. So let’s start with the numbers:

-163 people have visited Engage at least once  since Feb. 22nd.
-98 Average attendance on a Sunday from May to July.
-43% of those attending Engage do not have any prior meaningful church experience.
-57% of those attending Engage would call themselves growing Christians.
-25 the number of backpacks we just provided for Project FunFest
(in partnership with Project Share and other local churches to provide school supplies for every student   with a need).
-31 the average age of those attending Engage on a regular basis.
-1185, the number of dollars Engage needs each week to make ends meet (not counting the generous support of $1050 we receive each week from our family of churches called the Brethren in Christ Church www.bic-church.org).
-$2791, the accumulated amount of money we have received  from May - July exceeding our weekly budged projection.
-$1000, the amount of money we have raised outside of the Engage Community to go towards the hiring our an Engage Kids coordinator. (we need a total of $5000)
-30, the average number of kids in the Engage Kids Environments on Sundays this Summer.
-4, the number of community groups we are starting this summer. Community Groups are groups that meet outside of Sunday Morning for the purpose of support, serving the community, spiritual friendship, and spiritual growth.

But numbers aren’t everything…though they are important. Numbers represent people, and movement, and energy, and relationships, and real lives finding greater life in the context of faith in Jesus.  So here’s what some people are saying these days:

From a second time guest at Engage:
“I have never felt so comfortable and welcomed at church before. The non-judgmental attitude (I have never had in the past) is refreshing. Keep up the great job.”

From a person who has been at Engage for 5 or more months:
“I have never been a part of a group of people who made me feel so loved and accepted for who I am, no strings attached.”

Engage is a safe place for people to explore faith, ask questions, and begin to experience what the message of Jesus looks like lived out in everyday life.

I think back over the past six months and can name person after person who is experiencing transformation in the way they see themselves, others, God, and the world we live in.  I think of the new connections that are being made this summer in our community groups. I think of the ways people at Engage have supported those within our community who have had financial needs or needed a last minute babysitter or needed a car to borrow.  One of my friends at Engage told  me that one of  the big  reasons why they are drawn to invest their lives through Engage is because of the unique ways they have experienced people at Engage supporting each other.

Engaging our Community:

As you read earlier in this email, 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.

I am excited to see God’s story play out that  in your life, my life, and the life of Engage.

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//Speaking the language. . .

March 11, 2009 – 4:30 pm

Wow, its been a few weeks since I’ve updated the blog. Engage is about 9 weeks old now!  Since we began we have seen some pretty exciting things happen at Engage.  We made the paper the other day. Click here to check it out. Engage exists to help people find life with Jesus. The people we hope to engage (no pun intended) are people who would not typically imagine themselves going to church on a Sunday morning or something crazy like that. People like my friend Amy B. Here is what she said:

“I like Engage because it is a comfortable atmosphere that makes it easy to build friendships and ask difficult questions (though I haven’t actually had the courage to raise my hand and ask a question yet, the topics get me thinking about my beliefs, which is something I haven’t done for a very long time, if ever). So thank you for that. So why did I start going to Engage?  Well, I am at a point in my life that I would like to discover my beliefs and build a relationship with God.  I am trying to become a more positive person.  Nothing in particular has happened to bring this about, I was just invited to your church at a perfect time.  Since the first time I went, I knew I would love it and feel comfortable there.  And I’m meeting the most wonderful people!  I would like to get my husband involved too.  Like myself, he was not raised in a religious environment, so it might a little difficult to get him interested. I know he would like you a lot because you very down-to-earth friendly people. I think he might be intimidated because he doesn’t want to feel like someone is pushing their own beliefs on him or looking down on him for not being very religious…but I know he wouldn’t feel that way with you.  I think it would also help strengthen our marriage.”

How many more people are out there who feel like something beyond them is calling them to explore, investigate, and discover what else is there beyond the routines of family, work, and weekends.  We want as many people as possible to hear about the relational message of Christ.  One of the things I love about God as we know him in Jesus is that he always speaks our language.  Over the last 400 years the Christian Church has sent out people to different countries and cultures to introduce people to the message and teachings of Christ.  Often times a tribe or specific culture has trouble grasping the irreligious message of grace, sacrifice, death, forgiveness, and resurrection in Jesus…that is, until the messages gets translated in their language.  One person said it this way after hearing the message of Jesus translated in their own language, “I didn’t know how to know my Creator until he started speaking my language.”

Engage is committed to speaking the language of the people in our area who are somewhat skeptical of organized religion and for whatever reason, maybe, turned off to faith in Jesus.  We are a Church that says, “We may not agree with all of your beliefs, ideas, and criticisms but we understand where you are coming from. Now, let’s dialogue and get to know each other.”  Now we are at a point where we want to introduce ourselves to the surrounding community in a unique way that hopefully speaks their language.   As you can see we are going to send this mailer to thousands of addresses later this month.  We are doing this because we believe there are others out there who may be looking for God in some way…but not know where to go or how to take the next step.  Maybe they would see the mailer and begin to realize that God has already been looking for them. Engage Mailer April 5th

We are going to send this mailer to roughly 12,000 addresses–encouraging people to join us on April 5th for a visit to Engage and exploring the theme, “Why Jesus thinks religion gets in the way of knowing God in a relational way.” Click here to learn more.

During the month of April we are sending another batch of mailers to an additional 10,000 address inviting those people to join us at Engage on April 26th.  Now, I know what you are thinking.  What if??? What if?? All of those people actually show up.  Well, first, that is a good problem to have. I’d rather have that problem than the opposite.  Secondly, our mailer is not targeted at the average person living in our area.  Most people living in South Central, PA are fairly traditional, conservative, people who believe they should attend church on Sundays.  Engage isn’t trying to reach that person. There are many other churches around who are doing a great job helping those people find deeper life with Jesus.  Therefore, I don’t think we are going to have thousands of people show up.  But we may have 60-80 people?? We don’t know! All we know is it is a risk, you are right!! We think, however, that it’s an appropriate risk, a God-sized risk.

If you are a praying person…we need you to pray.  We need you to pray that the right people show up as a result of the mailers.  We need you to pray that we aren’t totally overwhelmed on the 5th, 12th (for that matter–Easter), and the 26th.  And we need you to pray that we have enough helpers and volunteers at Engage who can step in and help with Engage Kids, or help with greeting our guests, etc.  We don’t want people to have a horrible experience if they risk their time to come meet a bunch of strangers at Engage. So we will need all the manpower we can muster on those days to ensure our guests have a favorable experience and want to return to further engage with Christ and what matters most.

We need you to pray that people can see Jesus in a way they have never thought of or imagined.  We want them to know that God speaks their language!!!

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//Remembering Dec. 15th, 2007

November 26, 2008 – 3:01 pm

On December 6th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m Engage Community Church is partnering with New Life Community Church to winterize vehicles for single moms.  We need your time. We need you to donate money. You need to meet these tired, anxious parents who are doing their best.  Read more to find out why…

It was a year ago next month.  We were blasted by the shrill early December cold as groups of us stood huddled like warriors on the 30 yard line in the parking lot of Project Share.  We danced around trying to stay warm as we waited for the vehicles to arrive.  We were ready.  We stood armed with numb fingers clasping cold wrenches, stiff hoses, and gallons of motor oil.

Last year at this time a group of friends from church decided to reach out to tired, struggling single parents in our area. In the days and weeks prior we put up posters, handed out vouchers, and invited as many single parents as we could to come take advantage of an opportunity to get their cars prepared for the rough winter months.  The lifeline for single parents is their vehicles.  If their vehicles aren’t safe or running properly they can’t get to work. If struggling single parents can’t get to work they could lose their jobs. If they lose their jobs they could lose their home or apartment.  If they lose their home or apartment they could could lose their children.  You get the point. If these people don’t have safe, maintained vehicles it could unleash a chain reaction that has no end…

The cars came driving in one after another.  Cars were parked side by side, each one reflecting the hard working, tired lives of its owner.  The long line of cars was a whose who of car maintenance no no’s.  There were bald tires, blasting mufflers, broken wipers, black gooey oil, chipped faded paint, and scabbed over rust spots.  I will never forget the helpless youthfulness of one mom in particular. We will call her Tara. It was towards the end of the day and we were ticking off the last task on her vehicle. With check sheet in hand, I thanked Tara for coming and told her the bad news.  “Miss, your tires are bald. I mean bald. You need to get new tires as soon as possible,” I said.  Tara looked at me with a helpless stare. She tried to muster a grateful thank you. “Um, thank,” was all that she could say before her eyes began brimming over with tears.  As her tears spilled over onto her dark cheeks she quivered, “I don’t have it. I can’t do it. How am I going to pay for tires?”

I found out that this young mom works two jobs, raises her children, and tries her best to be a descent hard-working person.

We believe in a God who created humanity in order to love us.  I know what you might be thinking.  Well, if God created us to love us then why this or why that? If God is so loving why doesn’t he do a better job of taking care of people if we are so valuable to him? Great questions. I don’t have answers. All I know is God came to us in self-giving love personified in Jesus. He suffered with us. He identified with our struggle, our pain, our greatest fears.  Now we get to do that for people like Tara. Daily we pass single parents on the road. We watch them load their kids up in the grocery cart at Giant. We sense their tired anxieties echoed in the frustrated outbursts at their children.  We see “Tara” everywhere we go.  Here is our chance to be the change we want to see.  As one modern day prophet of love put it, “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.” Most of us will never go to the slums of Calcutta, but right under our noses here in Carlisle, PA the needs of the human heart are just the same.

If you would like to volunteer or financially donate to this need, please visit our web site and send us an email from the “contact us” form. Or call 701-9557. Click here to see pictures from last year.

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