Connect - One God, One City, One Hope

Come join us for this amazing youth worship night. Several youth pastors from the local Erie area have been meeting for a few months getting to know each other. The more we talked we realized that we had one thing in common (and it was not our denomination). It was that we wanted to break down the walls of our churches and join together to worship and serve as one CHURCH. This is the first event that will Connect students and leaders together to begin to forge relationships and partnerships so that we can join together and serve our community. Don't miss this event.

Date: Sunday, November 6th
Location: Grace Church
Address: 7300 Grubb Road
Time: 5:30pm-8:00pm

Parents are welcome to stay. Food and beverages will be available at the cafe.

Look out Blogger Here I Come

Hello everybody. As you can see it has been a long time since we updated this site. Well, we are back. I am very excited to use this as a tool to communicate events, thoughts, post pictures, etc. We will primarily use our Facebook page to make regular updates, but I will be posting on this site as well. Just to let you know of a few upcoming events:

Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party - Sat, Sept 24th @9am @Grace Church on Grubb Road.

See you at the Pole - Wed, Sept 28th @6:30 or 7:00am @ your school.

Paintball Saturday - Sat, Oct 22nd @ 12:00pm @ the Weaver's.

- Jason

High School Hangout Night

Ready to Hangout!

Here's the Details:

Who: 9-12th grade

What: Hangout Night and Bonfire. We'll have food and games too!!!

Where: Don and Corinna Weaver's house

When: Sunday, June 7th @ 5PM

Why: Why Not?

Volunteer / Grad Appreciation

Another school year completed!!!! Wooohooo!!!

To celebrate you, our Grads and youth leaders, who have worked your butts off, we are going to have a Picnic at the Beach! Here's the details:

What: Volunteer / Grad Appreciation Picnic

When: Sunday, May 31st at 1PM

Where: Beach 6 on Presquile

How we gonna Celebrate: Picnic on the Beach, Chillin, Volleyball, and tons more fun!!!

RSVP ASAP so we know your coming!

City Mission Youth Group Challenge

Who's ready to reach our community? If your not ready get ready, because this the direction we are heading!

To kick us off for the summer we are jumping on board with the City Mission Youth Group Challenge. Here's the info:

What: City Mission Youth Group Challenge

When: All of June

Where: The surrounding neighborhoods around ECFChurch

How: The Youth Ministry that can raise the most stuff for the mission by weight will win.

Prize: A free Seawolves game for the entire youth ministry and free dinner at the park. We can also win a sweet Splash Lagoon day. They will be giving away a bunch more prizes.

Our Plan to Win
For the Month of June we will be going into the surrounding neighborhoods around ECF Church to collect items. We will start at 630PM so be to church early!

Wed, June 3 - we will pass out flyers letting people know what we're doing
Wed, June 10 - we will go back to the homes and collect
Wed, June 17 - Summer Getaway - no service
Wed, June 24 - Guest Speaker from the Mission/ Give our stuff

We will also be collecting things on our own! Lets Impact Erie!!!

SOS - Luncheon Prep

We need your help to prepare for our Luncheon on May 17th. We will be meeting Saturday, May 16th to prepare! Sign up at Decision or leave a comment to let us know you're coming!

Details:

When: Sat, May 16th from 9am -noon
Where: Church Kitchen
Who: You

Decision SG09 Luncheon

All I got to say is Spaghetti and Meatballs Baby!

We will be serving our Church lunch to help raise money for our Summer Getaway.

DETAILS

When: Sunday, May 17th immediately following our Sunday Service
Where: ECF Church kitchen and cafe
Who: You
How: Sign up and be there on Sunday at 9AM

Fundraisers!!!

To help pay for Summer Getaway 09, we have implemented some fundraisers. Some are to cover the cost of the trip, others are to help you pay for the trip. We need EVERYONE'S participation to keep the cost where its at.

Here they are:

Decision Luncheons
1. Sunday - May 17th - All funds will help pay for the total cost of SG09


Restaurant Fundraisers
How it works: We will hand out as many flyers as possible to our friends and family. Take the flyer to the restaurant on the appropriate day and the restaurant will give us a percentage of your bill. Flyers can be picked up at Decision for distribution. So if your going to eat out, eat at the following!

1. Buffalo Wild Wings - Mon, April 27th, All Day - 15% of your bill goes to pay for SG09

2. Max & Erma's - Mon, May 4th, All Day - 20% of your bill goes to pay for SG09

3. Chik-Fil-A - Thurs, May 28th, 5PM-8PM - 20% of your bill goes to pay for SG09


Rent-a-Teen
The Bible says if you don't work, you don't eat. We could translate it, if you don't work you might not get to go on SG09, so we've set up a way to stop that from happening.

With Rent-a-Teen, simply sign up at Decision and fill out the permission slip. Upon doing so we will find you work, from people in our church, who are willing to pay you to do it.

Very simple...You Work = You Get $ cha ching!

There are guidelines that apply to keep you safe.
Sign up and go on Summer Getaway!


Candy Sales
We are trying something new! We will be selling lollipops this year. They are amazingly flavored and decent in size. They are sure to sell just about anywhere people have lips and tongues, and help you pay for this trip!

Candy bars may still be available too.


So Hurry Up and get involved!

Big Event - April 1st

Big Event!!!!!

April 1st we are having a sweet event to kick off our April Series - I Pity The Fool.

We will be giving away 25$ to the winner of our I Pity The Fool Challenge to be announced that night.

We will be drawing the winner of the Don't be a loser contest to see who wins dinner and bowling!

And We will have an amazing Guest speaker named Kenny Clark. Many people will never believe in God till they hit rock bottom. You can have all the facts straight, but until we see a need for God people don't change. I guarantee his story will reveal God to you! Bring a Friend for sure!

It's gonna be a blast!!!

April Series - I Pity The Fool

The fool hath said in his heart there is no God. - Psalm 14:1

Mr. T coined the phrase...I pity the fool! The question is who really is a fool? The Bible makes it clear that a fool is someone who believes in his heart there is no God. Ever come across someone who said, "I don't believe in God." Or maybe they've asked you, "How do you know God exists?" Maybe you've asked yourself that question.

For the whole month of April we will be talking about God: Is there really a God? Is Jesus really the Messiah? And how do I talk about God and prove He exists. There's nothing wrong with questioning. It's when we choose not to believe truth when it's staring us in the eyes.

This month is sure to answer some of your questions and build your faith in who you believe in.

Summer Getaway 09

Summer Getaway is just around the corner! And I'm stoked about it. We will be doing something completely new this year. We are going to the New Jersey Shore for a week and doing our own Event.

Where: The Shores of the Atlantic on the New Jersey Coast
When: June 15-20
Cost: $249
Who: Decision

What to Expect:
This trip is not intended to be a vacation just because we are going to the beach. This is going to be an amazing time for us to get away as a youth ministry and hear from heaven. There are four goals for this trip!

1. To engage with Jesus and grow spiritually
2. To build our relationships with each other
3. To grow as a youth ministry and prepare to reach our community
4. To have a ton of fun doing it!

Speakers:
Pastor Andy, Paul Luciano, Adam Lackovic, and Stacy Luciano

Activities:
1. THE BEACH
2. Jenkinsons' Boardwalk - boardwalk has shops, restaurants, putt putt, small water park, games, and much more!
3. The hotel pool!
4. Chillaxin from a long school year.
5. Monmouth Mall!

Itinerary

Monday

830 - Arrive at ECF

830-9 - Load Van with Luggage

9-915 - Parent/teen meeting

915-930 - Load Van with US

930- Depart for the Shore

6PM - Arrive at our Hotel

7PM - Eat dinner

8-9PM - Worship and Prayer (Stacy Speaking)

9-12 PM - Free Time

12PM - Curfew

Tuesday and Thursday

7-930 - Breakfast

930 - 11 -Service (Adam Speaking Tuesday and Andy Thursday)

11-12PM - Free Time

12PM - Lunch

1-5PM - Free Time

5-630PM - Dinner

630-7PM- Clean up

7-9PM - Service (Andy Speaking Tuesday and Paul Luciano Thurs)

9PM - 12AM - Hangout time

Wednesday

7-930 - Breakfast

930-11 - Service (Stacy Speaking)

11-1130 - Free Time

1130-1230PM - Lunch

1230-1PM - Travel to Jenkinsons' Boardwalk

1-430 - Jenkinsons' Boardwalk

430-5PM - Travel Back to Hotel

5-630PM - Dinner

630-7 - Clean Up

7-9PM - Service (Paul Luciano speaking)

9PM-12AM - Hangout

Friday

7-9 - Breakfast

9-10 - Prayer and Communion (Andy Speaking)

1015-1030 - Load Vans to go to Mall

1030-11 - Travel to Mall

11-1PM - Mall/Lunch

1-130PM - Travel back to Hotel

130-430PM - Free Time

430-5PM - Clean Up for Dinner and Service

5-630PM - Dinner

630-715PM - Travel To Faith Gen Youth Church

8-930PM - Service at Faith Gen Youth Church

930-1015PM - Travel Back to Hotel

1015-12AM - Hangout

Saturday

7-8 - Breakfast

8-9 - Load Vans

9 - Leave

5PM - Arrive at ECF

Guidelines and Necessities

Necessities:

1. Soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, beach towel, sun block and other personal items.

2. Clothing for 6 days. Casual, but not provocative. No short shorts, low cut shirts, or revealing tops. No tight fitting clothes.

3. Plastic bag for wet or dirty clothes.

4. Swimsuit for girls must be one piece or a tankini (belly must be covered)

5. Your Bible and a notebook.

5. You will need sneakers and flip flops or comfortable shoes.

6. Spending money for the boardwalk ect…

7. Snacks if you so desire.

Guidelines:

1. No girls and guys alone at any time.

2. No dating relationships will take place.

3. Your team leader must know where you are at all times.

4. No smoking, use of alcohol, or any other drug will be permitted.

5. No use of profanity.

6. No secular music. (This means anything that is not produced by a Christian record label.)

7. Use of cell phone is prohibited unless speaking to a parent. Phones will be left in rooms at all times.

8. You must obey your team leader at all times.

9. Let God change your life and have a great time!!!

Pick up all Details at Decision. Sign up quick, space may be limited.
All money Due June 10th!

The Final Countdown - March Series

It's the Final Countdown, the end of the world as we know it!!! Ever think about that? When is the end of the world going to happen? What and how is it going to happen? It's a big deal right now in the world we live in. Tragedy is happening all around us. Natural disasters are non stop. People are living in fear and worry about the economy. There are screams that we are running out of natural resources. Religious wars are being waged across the world.

This month we are going to look how it's all gonna go down according to the Bible. The Bible speaks clearly about what's going to happen. It also speaks clearly about our role in the Last Days and how we are to live. We will also look at the fact that tomorrow is not guaranteed us. Today could be our last day. How would you live today if you knew you were going to stand before God tomorrow?

We are in the Final Countdown of this age. The end is near. Are you ready?

No Church Tonight

Hey Everyone! Hope you're all doing good.

Church has been canceled tonight due to lots of snow and terrible roads!!!! So stay inside and drink lots of hot cocoa:)

Before I let you go I have some announcements.

1. I'm going to the City Mission this Sunday, Feb 1st. I will be preaching and we are leading worship for the service there. We will leave the church @ 9:30am if you would like to go. This would be a great way for you to serve and help the homeless.

2. Feb 22-28 is Help the Homeless Week, but we are going to take the whole month of Feb to Help the Homeless. We are going to gather as many boxes of Mac n Cheese as we can. This is one Item the City Mission always uses.

If we can gather 1000 boxes, Adam L. will let us dye his hair HOT PINK!!! but only with a 1000 boxes. A box costs like .25 cents. I want to help the homeless and turn Adam Pink, so who's with me?

Time To Redline

Redline is back! Time to take our journey with God to the max.

Starting Wednesday, February 10th we will begin small groups. Here's how they will work.

1. Every 1st Wed of the month will be a Decision service. This is for everyone, and will be a chance for you to bring a friend! This will kick of the topic for the month as well.

2. Every 2nd and 3rd Wednesday will be small groups. We will meet in the youth room and then break up into our small groups.

3.Every 4th Wednesday will be a flow night. We will have a longer time in worship, prayer for friends and schools, and communion. It's a time for us to really engage God in a deeper way as a youth ministry.

Get ready for deeper relationship building and to Engage God!

New Contest

NEW CONTEST!!!

As Christians we believe the Bible is God's Word. Not just a book, but actually God's Word. Like if Jesus was to stand before you Words. And because it's God's Word, as Christians we need to read it and get it in us. I mean think about it, how are we going to become like Jesus if we don't know what He's thinking or how He lived? It's that important! It's so important that we should carry it everywhere with us. Especially to Church.

Many Christians don't bring their Bibles to Church. How weird is that? You wouldn't go to the store without your clothes or to a sword fight without a sword right? Then we certainly shouldn't forget our Bibles when we at least go to CHURCH. But many of us do.

OK so here's the contest.

Every teenager that can bring their Bible to church on Wednesday nights, will get a check mark next to their name. By April 1st, if you've brought your Bible 6 times you will get your name placed in a hat 6 times. On April 1st we will draw one winner from that hat. The winner will win a New Bible, a New Devotional, Dinner for them and two friends, and two youth leaders of their choice, and also get to go bowling!!!

So what does this all mean! BRING YOUR BIBLES TO CHURCH!!!

April 1st will be a Big Event Night - Details will be coming soon!

February Series

Are You Wearing Your Boundaries?!!!

This February we are going to be talking about love and dating and all that good stuff! And it is good stuff, but a lot of times in our lives our relationships can leave us feeling terrible. Much of it has to do with us not knowing what true love is, part of it is we get into relationships for the wrong reason, but the biggest reason is because we don't have boundaries.

God has created each of us to be in relationship and He has also set up guidelines or boundaries for us to follow in our relationship building. Just like clothes protect us from the elements of the weather, these boundaries protect us in our relationships. When we wear the boundaries it keeps us safe from all kinds of emotional and physical anguish, giving us more joy and happiness than we can imagine, but when we stop wearing those boundaries it can leave us in complete distress.

This month is not about NOT dating, but about how to set up boundaries in your relationships that will keep you safe and prepare you for your future spouse, all while having fun!

Don't miss this!

Serving Event - Senior Center

Hey Guys! We've talked about serving for this whole school year, so now it's time to put our money where our mouth is.

We've got an opportunity to go to the Barber Center Senior Center and hang out with some senior citizens. Some are physically disabled and some have mental retardation, but all of them love guests. On Dec 29th we will be going and playing games with them. It could be Wii or karaoke or some other game they have scheduled. Whatever it is, it will be fun and a chance for us to begin impacting our community.

We will be leaving the church on Monday, Dec 29th @ 12:30 and will return by approximately 3PM. Please plan on coming. There's no school, so it should work with most schedules.

Sign up at Decision or send a comment saying you will come. I Can't wait!!!

Christmas Party

Wed, Dec 17th we will be having our Decision Christmas Party! Come for a night of Christmas games and fun. We will have cookies to frost too! You won't want to miss it. We will also be seeing who will win the free Winter Weekend trip for completing the Big Eight Challenge. It all starts at 7PM

Amazing Bible Race Is Under Way

Hey ABR Teams,

The Race is on! It's gonna be great!

Here's the info to utilize the website
1. Go to www.amazingbiblerace.com
2. Click Login
3. Enter your user name and password
4. Click: Run the Race, the current book, the current week, and then the current quiz
5. You can also blog on the site

If you change your user name or password, please let your leader know.

The official last day for our race is Wed, Feb 25, 09 @ 4PM. We will announce the winner for the first leg this night as well. I encourage everyone to make up any lost days on weekends and try to finish on Fri, Feb 20th. This way you can stay consistent each week reading and quizzing.

Any questions contact me.

Amazing Bible Race

Ok we are just about ready to start! For everyone doing the Amazing Bible Race, please see me (Andy) on Sunday. I need to give you information on how to use the website as well as get information from you so I can set your account up on the site. Also if you need a book they are at the church. You can get one Sunday!

On Wednesday, Dec 3 we will get each team together so we can really get things rolling.

We will start our reading on Monday, Dec 1st! It's gonna be Amazing!