We seek to bless the greater Carlisle area.

Tag Archives: engage community church

//Ready for Company

February 18, 2010 – 2:29 pm

Being ready for company. . .

**ATTN: If you are a leader or regular part of Engage. Please carefully read this.
Hey Engage Leaders and those serving Christ as Engage,

What’s up my friends? Many of you were with us when we first started Engage.  This past Sunday  looked out over the full house we had and thanking God for the community of people he is drawing together and expanding outward.  I just want to say thanks to everyone for how you serve Jesus at Engage.  I believe with all my heart that God is using Engage in a unique way in our community.  The life God is shaping in us is making a difference in lives, even for people who don’t even go to Engage.  Just last week I had lunch with a local business man who doesn’t go to our church. In fact, he’s not even a “church” type at all.  But someone close to him hangs out with some of people at Engage and they are being loved and accepted for who they are in a way they doesn’t experience with most people.   This business man is so intrigued with what Engage is about that he is going to pay for us to have an ongoing add in the Sentinel.  Again, he’s not church guy!!!  Another friend of Engage paid for us to have a 30 second video “commercial” in the  City Cinema Theater in Camp Hill. We are working on producing this 30 second commercial that will run before every movie in every theater for a year.  City Cinema has 46,000 people who attend their movies during a month’s time.  WOW.  Each week we are seeing new people “check out” Engage to see if this is an authentic place with real people where they can explore faith.

Many of you were with us the day we launched on Jan. 11th, 2009.  Remember how we thought of every little detail? We noticed if the chairs needed straightening. We jumped to make sure people were greeted and made to feel comfortable. We sat in strategic places so we could meet new people. We were aware if things were out of place or if there was trash lying around. We wore little name tags so people could address us without feeling awkward. We parked at Weis and walked a half-mile to make sure our guests didn’t have to walk as far.  Why? Because we believe in the mission. We know that there’s way more to being the church than Sunday morning, yet we also know that if we wanted to get people OFF the Front Porch they needed to be relaxed and safe ON the Front Porch.   We are still doing some of these things every week!! But I want to invite us to reignite our level of intentionality as we come to Engage on Sundays.  Think of it as being ready for company.  Being alert and intentional to the needs of others is not just the “responsibility” of those greeting or making coffee or doing set up on any given week. Being ready for company is something we ALL can do each week.  Here are a few thoughts I had based on some helpful feedback from this past Sunday.  This past Sunday we had a very full house of 134 people at Engage. We hit our highest ever attendance for the second time.   98 of whom were in the worship gathering.      
               
                                      4 Things you can do to be ready for company.

1. Be attentive to people and to the environment.  If you see people come in that you don’t know. Go introduce yourself and ask how they heard about Engage.  Ya, but what if they already attend Engage? Great, then you just learned someone’s name. No harm, no foul. 

2. Go out of your way to greet people in the chairs. You know who sits in the chairs? The people are who most disconnected or new to Engage. 

3. If you have to sit in the chairs due to space issues, don’t sit in the back row! Why? This last week a line of guests came in late and had to walk all the way through the table section to the other chair section and they had to sit on the front row.  No one wants to sit on the front row on their first or second visit. 

4. You have  permission! If you think we need more chairs when people are still coming in late and the tables are full–get some people together and add another row of chairs.  Take the lead. Go for it. Engage is a place where you have permission to go for it and, um, engage :) pun intended :)

Our dream is to not be a church that  grows so big that everyone can anonymously come and go for years on end.  No, we want to grow, raise us Jesus-mission -shaped leaders, and send out people to go start Engage Communities in neighboring towns and cities…. Being intentional now only helps us be ready for the growth and training it will take to be a part of that bigger story.  Plus, these are small things we can do to show people that we aren’t into religion and just “attending” church.  The gospel of Jesus is like nothing else when it’s authentically lived out in small ways!

Living a better story together.  Love ya,
Jon
 

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

//It’s Complicated . . .

February 3, 2010 – 9:17 am

I was asked to be a guest columnist for the local paper’s Faith in Focus article.  February was the first submission so I thought I’d introduce myself and Engage to the community. The article will be published this Friday the 5th of Feb.  Here is what we said.

Why Another Church In Carlisle?

“So, why another Church in Carlisle,” he asked, “Isn’t there already like 400 churches around here anyway?”  I nodded, affirming his sentiment, “You’re right, there are many great churches already in existence in our community.”

My name is Jon Hand. I am the pastor of Engage Community Church.  I was recently invited to become a guest columnist for the Faith in Focus column so I wanted to introduce myself and share a little of where I am coming from. Engage Church started as a new church in our area one year ago last month.  We were sponsored by the Brethren In Chris Denomination of Churches (www.bic-church.org) to start a new church with a unique focus.  Over the last year, since January of 2009, we have had to answer that question on more than one occasion.

Here’s the deal.  Anecdotally and statistically our culture is becoming more secular and less culturally Christianized.  This means that growing numbers of people have grown up with less of an attachment to organized religion than say their parents and definitely their grandparents.   Statistically, church attendance in the Northeastern parts of the U.S. is in decline, especially among younger generations from eighteen yrs. old though their mid-thirties.  Over the past year I have personally met many in their mid twenties to mid to late thirties who are skeptical of organized religion and for a variety of reasons; they simply don’t have the same conviction about faith or religion or church as earlier generations before them.

Why another church? Because we believe that the message of Jesus is earth-shattering, life-changing, world-altering, and has the power to actually change the human heart at the deepest levels possible. But much of that revolutionary message is lost in translation for people standing on the outside looking in.   For many, all they see are stereotypes of judgmental religious people, slick televangelists bilking old ladies of what’s left of their retirement, and the satirical portrayals of White politically conservative Jesus on South Park and pop culture.  Right or wrong, they see church as a nice option for grandma but not a place that deals honestly with life in the way they experience it.

In a world where 24 hr. news coverage dishes out disasters in Haiti, economic recessions, corporate greed, or job loss, it’s easy to lose heart.  Whether you are trying to find your place in the world in your 20s or for those of us with 2.5 kids, trying to advance our careers, and saddled with a mortgage in our 30s,  life certainly feels like a facebook relationship status—“It’s complicated.”  It’s hard for many to see the connection between our complicated 21st century lives and the Jesus we find in the pages of the gospels.  Like background noise in our soul, often we aren’t even aware of how jaded or cynical we can be about life.  I believe the answer to our complicated skepticism isn’t more plastic coated “happy thoughts”.  The answer is genuine realistic hope. Not the kind we are promised in political campaigns.  But the kind we find anchored in a creator God we can relate to in Jesus.  One who knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us more than we can begin to comprehend.

For me that changes everything!  Why another church in Carlisle?  We don’t think we are better than anyone else. There’s no such thing as a one size fits all church.  But we all need people who can speak our language. We all need people who get where we’re coming from and help us live anchored in hope.  There’s more to life than our complicated lives can imagine. We all need people who help us live for what matters most—it’s a great question and that’s why another church in Carlisle.

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

//Car Winterization for Single Parents Year THREE

November 10, 2009 – 5:00 pm

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.

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

//Calling all Community Group Leaders at Engage

October 7, 2009 – 2:26 pm

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)

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

//Engaging the Community: loving initiative

July 23, 2009 – 3:41 pm

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

By jon hand | Posted in blog | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)