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Welcome to EFC-ER's Weekly Encourager. We trust that this will become a bright spot each week in your emails. The purpose of the Weekly Encourager is to provide up-to-date information about region-wide events, prayer requests, and helpful resources from the local churches. We will close each email with a quick quote and/or survey to gather helpful resources from leaders to share with our wider Friends family. 

The registration deadline is today, March 11th. 

Do We Want To Take Our Churches To The Next Level?

 

Join Gary McIntosh on March 21st from 8:30am-2:15pm at North Olmsted Evangelical Friends Church, as he guides us in practical steps to:

 

1) Assess whether we are a(n)

      - Emerging Church

      - Growing Church

      - Consolidating Church

      - Declining Church

2) Maximize your church's resources in five key areas

3) Identify how we can implement values and a process to help aim for continual progress

4) Expect and facilitate positive change as we affirm leadership skills necessary to excel in fruitful ministry

 

*Sponsored by the EP&E Board of the EFC-ER

To register either call the World Outreach Center at 1.800.334.8863 or email Julie Martin [email protected]. More information available on our website at

Keeping Prayer a High Priority
We trust that every church is sharing these prayer requests within their local prayer community. Here are this week's requests: 

1 - The "Praying for Friends" page on Facebook is active again! Each day will have a different prayer focus - today is Anthem Friends Church in Hayden, Idaho. The Facebook page can be found at  FriendsPrayingForFriendsefcna. Let's get members from every church following and more importantly, praying!
News from the office:
*  District Superintendents : Please send Donna Neff ( [email protected] ) the 2015-2016 dates for your district rallies. We will be happy to promote them in any way we can. 
* Pastors, the Eastern Region is looking for short-term housing for our visiting missionaries this summer. Our mission house in Alliance will already be in use through the summer. Exact dates are not set yet, but if someone in your congregation has a place available, please contact Julie Jenkins at the World Outreach Center. Thank you! 
* Flying to Pastors Conference? The resort recommends flying into Myrtle Beach International Airport. Alternative airports would be Charleston or Florence. 

Upcoming Events to keep in your prayers:
* March 20-22 - Reconnect Youth Leader Training hosted by Orange Friends Church. Reconnect is a weekend event for youth leaders hosted in Columbus, Ohio. Youth Board : Chris King will send more information about meeting on Friday morning.
* March 21 - Taking Your Church to the Next Level: 
One-day seminar with Dr. Gary McIntosh from 8:30am-2:15pm at North Olmsted Friends Church. Details above.  The registration deadline is today.
* March 27-29 - Soul Blast: At Battle Creek Church in Michigan. The cost for the weekend is $45 per person ($3 discount per person with groups of 20 or more). Registration forms are due by March 21, 2015 but earlier forms from youth groups will help ensure your place and allow us to plan appropriately for the weekend. Visit www.soulblast.org for more information and to download the registration form. If you have any questions, contact Director John Grafton at (269) 209-2992. 
* April 14-17 - Pastors Conference:  at Ocean Creek Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For details an d registration: http://efcer.org/spring-pastors-conference . 
* April 25 and 26 - NEO District Seminar and Rally: "Building Bridges to Change the World" at Damascus Friends Church. Details and registration may be found on the website. The seminar registration deadline is April 18th. 

Weekly Encourager for March 11, 2015
Camp Gideon will be having a spring clean-up day this Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 8am-4pm. A light breakfast and lunch will be served. Please contact the World Outreach Center at 
1-800-334-8863 to sign up. 
Men In Missions Retreat
May 1-3, 2015

Heartland Conference Center in Marengo, Ohio

For more information and the registration form, download the brochure here :  http://efcer.org/media/1/31/15-Men-in-Missions-brochure.pdf  

Registrations are encouraged before April 17, 2015.  

Dear Co-Workers in Christ,

Three items from the 2015 Easter Offering materials have been posted on the EFM website:
easter-offering-2015. These items (poster, bulletin insert, and cover letter) will be useful in promoting this year's Easter offering for India in your church.

Within the next two weeks we will mail you physical copies of these items along with short lessons that can be used in educating your congregation about work that EFM is already doing in India, as well as the immense opportunities we have to spread the good news of Jesus Christ even further. These lessons will not be posted on the website in order to protect the identities of the Evangelical Friends who are carrying on this work. Persecution against Christians seems to be increasing in India. Our fellow Friends are feeling the heat more and more. 

Thank you for supporting the ministries of EFM through the Easter offering. Many, many churches participate in this offering each year. They don't always do so on Easter itself. Please do feel free to participate in this offering at a time that makes the most sense for your church. 

Your fellow servant in Christ, 
Dan Cammack
Executive Director of EFM
CONTACT US
World Outreach Center
5350 Broadmoor Cir., NW
Canton, OH 44709
1-800-334-8863
Julia McDonald, Editor
A Little Extra.... QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:

"And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' 
Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' " 
- Revelation 21:5 (ESV) 

We hope you've enjoyed catching up with news from the EFC-ER office.

More information and news will be coming each week. 
Please send Julia ([email protected]) any of your suggestions, quotes, 
and/or ideas for weekly encouragement.

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