September 2024

Volume 31

Issue 9

A Message From Pastor Wright

Why Meeting Together for Worship is Essential

²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

On a Sunday morning a few weeks ago, I saw something beautiful. It happened 10 minutes or so after our worship service had been dismissed. Two ERCC women were praying together in a pew. “Church” was over. But they were praying. One of these ladies was carrying a terrible load of anxiety and sadness because her husband had been seriously ill. The other woman was ministering to her, comforting her and praying for her.

This is what church is about! Yes, communion and receiving the Word are acts of public worship. We enjoy singing and praising together. Giving our offerings to God is also an act of worship. But every-member ministry is also essential, and it's too often tragically overlooked. Every-member ministry is using our spiritual gifts to minister to one another. This is an essential part of your church experience.

Doing ministry is for all believers (Ephesians 4:11-12). At ERCC we believe that all Christians are to be involved in ministry. To be faithful to God you must use the spiritual gifts He has given to you to minister to other believers and build up His church.

Since Covid there has been a very harmful trend in American Christianity. It's the alarming trend of believers staying home from public worship, and instead streaming church services as they watch at home. This is not Biblical. It falls terribly short. It promotes a selfish consumerism— “As long as I am edified, that’s all that matters.” Those staying at home are being unfaithful stewards of the spiritual gifts entrusted to them.  They are not encouraging others. They are not spurring one another toward love and good deeds. It prevents Christians from growing spiritually. It has contributed to the larger problem of 40 million adults leaving the church in America.

You might ask: Are they really even paying attention to the sermon when there are so many distractions at home? Are they truly worshipping? Or, are they on social media at the same time they are “listening” to the message? Even if they are listening, they are failing miserably. They are not using their spiritual gifts to minister to others. 

Corporate worship is essential for your spiritual growth. During Covid we were told by the world that church was not essential. But do not conform to the world. Do not be deceived by Satan’s lies. The enemy himself does not want you in church. He wants you to stay away.

Be faithful to God. Attend church regularly. Learn the names of those who worship with you. Build relationships. Show kindness. Give hugs. Encourage those going through difficult times. Pray for others. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Worship the Lord by giving your offerings to His Church. Worship the Lord with singing in His assembly. Worship the Lord by partaking of communion together with other believers. Worship the Lord by receiving His Word as we meet together. 

Outreach to Unchurched Kids Begins September 21st

We've prayed and asked God to lead us. We're planning to have our first “saturation” event at a nearby apartment complex,. It will include serving hot dogs and ice cream, and having kids throw water balloons at Caleb! The saturation event will begin at 11:30 am. We should be finished by 1 pm. We're trusting God to do great things. We're taking his light into the darkness!

New Members

We thank God for those who placed membership at ERCC in September! Some had been attending for months, some for just a few Sundays. 

Our ERCC family welcomes and receives as members all the following, from left to right: Lisa Elizabeth; Carol and Rene Gutierrez; Magdalena and Larry Stark; Patti Mustain; Raul Esparza; and David Ramirez.

September Sermon Series

"Mystery from Prison"

6 Powerful Life-Lessons from Ephesians

Starting September 1st, Pastor Wright will bring a new sermon series on Sunday mornings based on the book of Ephesians. These messages will be straight from the Word of God and will apply directly to your everyday life. You are encouraged to read the book of Ephesians during September. As you read, take note of the word “mystery” used 7 times in Ephesians. Let’s grow together as we put God’s Word into action.

Single-Session Class on Biblical Baptism

9:00 am on Sunday September 1st

We will offer a “single session” class on Biblical baptism on Sunday, September 1st at 9:00 am in the education building on the 2nd floor. Come and learn the Scriptural teaching on this important theme. You'll learn that biblical baptism by immersion is for believers, not infants. Pastor Wright will teach this class.

Potluck Sept 8th

The Theme is Mexican Food!



Everyone is invited to the fellowship hall right after church on Sunday morning for a fellowship lunch featuring Mexican food. Bring your favorite Mexican dish or dishes. Bring enough for your family and to share with ERCC brothers and sisters. There will be no Sunday evening Bible study on this Sunday.

Outdoor Movie Night

"Big George Foreman"

Join us Friday September 27th for a great movie about a Texas boy born in poverty. His godly single mother struggled to provide food for her kids, and they suffered hunger. But George grows up to become the heavyweight champion of the world; then he has a powerful conversion experience. At a time of crisis, George re-enters the ring to fund his Christian ministry to street kids. He then accomplishes a feat that no other boxer before him ever did---he wins the heavy weight title a 2nd time at the age of 45.

ERCC will provide hot dogs. Please bring side dishes and desserts to share. Join us for family fun. We'll begin eating at 7:00 pm.

The movie will begin at 7:30 pm. Don’t miss this true story of struggle and faith with a happy ending!

5th Sunday Family Worship Experience

September 29th

On every 5th Sunday Junior Church is suspended and we have elementary aged kids in the 10:00 am adult worship service. We call it our family worship experience because we encourage families to sit together.  Kids will be asked to participate in the reading of scripture. Some will quote from memory. If your child wishes to participate, please let Pastor Wright know.

Sunday, September 15th

For September, the ERCC youth will be gathering at the church for a Scripture Scavenger Hunt! We'll meet right after church on Sunday September 15th for the hunt. Bible verses will be hidden all over the place, and students will need to solve puzzles centered around Scripture to find their next clue. Parents and students of all ages are encouraged to attend. Afterward, we will meet in the fellowship hall for ice cream and a brief lesson. We hope to see you there!

South Central Texas Women’s Retreat

Ladies, please make plans to attend the South Central Texas Women’s Retreat, Friday and Saturday, 18-19 October at the Sunday House, 510 E. Main St. in Fredricksburg. The theme will be “Be Transformed” with guest speaker Love Lockman. If planning to attend, Millie has registration forms which will be due with payment no later than Sunday, September 1, 2024. 

The cost for attending Saturday only is the same as the past two years: $45 which includes lunch. Cost for the entire retreat which includes hotel and meals is based on the number of occupants in a room (from one to four maximum). Prices are on the form and range from $100 per person for four to a room up to $245 per person for those who won’t be sharing a room. Scholarships are available for those who can’t afford to pay but who wish to attend. Just let Millie Borelli know as she is ERCC's contact person. Also, there are only two ADA rooms that are first come, first served. Optional T-shirts “Be Transformed”, Romans 12: 1-2" can be pre-ordered on the registration form as well. If pre-ordering, payment will also be due at time of registration. For more information or questions, please contact Millie Borelli at (210) 347-3568 or at mjborelli@satx.rr.com if you don’t see her at church.

Recognizing Pastor Damaso Garcia

On September 8th, in our 10:00 am adult worship, we'll recognize Pastor Damaso Garcia and his wife Irene. They have faithfully served at Bellaire Christian Church for 50 years. Bellaire Christian Church is a Spanish-language church located in the south part of San Antonio. We thank God for their faithfulness to the Lord and for their example.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast 8:00 am on Saturdays

We meet each Saturday to read Scripture, pray and enjoy a breakfast treat.

All men are invited to attend!

Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:00 am - 9:45 am

We encourage everyone to get involved in our 9 AM Sunday Morning Bible Study. Where else can you have Bible Study, fellowship, tacos, donuts, coffee and juice all at the same time and same place? We offer classes for all ages. Find your class and get involved.

ERCC offers 3 adult classes and classes for kids of all ages:

There is a class for everyone!

Trudy & Ken Workman

A shout out to Ken and Trudy for their service of preparing the Welcome Packets for 1^st-time guests and for organizing our Sunday morning greeters schedule.

Thank you, Ken and Trudy, for your labor of love!

Evangelism in the 21^st Century

September Birthdays



13th: "Gus" Haoson

21st: Anthony Hairstone

22nd: Stacy Gordon

28th: Sylvia Rodriguez

If you're new to ERCC, please send your birthday (day & month) to Jerry Kline. Email him HERE. We want to celebrate with you!

Bible Verse

Of The Month

Quote

Of The Month

ERCC is pleased to provide regular monthly financial support for the ministry of the Khopangs in Asia. Below are excerpts from their recent newsletter.

N-Shan Evangelism

This month our N-Shan Evangelism Team went to visit another village. This village has only 17 houses, but it is the village who has asked us again and again to come share the Word of God with them too. Finally our team was able to go there. We took some supplies of vegetables, rice, cooking oil, hot chili peppers, and some meat so that they could cook a meal and share with the villagers.

Every household came to share the meal, and it was while they were eating that our team shared the Gospel with them. Pastor Saithoon used the Heart Charts (which we often use as an evangelism tool). Visual aids are so important to introduce God’s love, glory, beauty, and peace for both the adults and especially the children. They have never seen or heard about such things, and they were mesmerized by these pictures and the explanation of each picture. After the message, the team also taught them a short Christian song for them to learn. They quite enjoyed that too!

Through the grapevine from other villages, this village also heard about what Saithoon and the team were teaching, which really sparked an interest in their hearts. This can only be from the Holy Spirit! God is opening up doors like this in many villages now. Keep praying that ALL that have been called and their names written in the Book of Life may come into His kingdom

ERCC Facebook Group

We invite you to join our ERCC Facebook Group. It is one of our ministry objectives to use social media to reach more people. This is especially important in relation to young people today. 

A few discussion ideas for using this forum are:

• What's your favorite thing about church?
• What is your favorite church event?
• What was your favorite quote from the service last week?
• Providing a Praise Report on an answered prayer

We also encourage you to post your ERCC pictures on this page.

http://facebook.com/groups/eversroadchristianchurch.org

Prayer Warriors Ministry of Intercession

If you would like to participate in this ministry, please send an email to pastor.mark.a.wright@gmail.com.

Mark Wright

• Senior Minister
• pastor.mark.a.wright@gmail.com
• (985) 302-4844

Caleb Gray

• Youth Minister
• Caleb.Gray765@gmail.com
• 334-722-0644

Chris Engstrom

• Song Worship Leader
• Chris@eversroadchristianchurch.org

Jerry Kline

• Webmaster
• admin@eversroadchristianchurch.org