www.emmausroadchurch.org

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New Website

Emmaus Road Church will have a new website up and running soon. Keep watching for details.

Living like 1 billion others

This Thursday @ 6 p.m. we're going to have our first "Poverty Supper". Beans and rice, and nothing else, will be provided.

The idea behind this is manifold (sorry for the archaic word; it just popped into my head). First, we will be taking donations. We ask that those joining us will donate what they'd normally spend on a family meal. 100% of this will be given away to alleviate hunger. 50% will stay local and be given to organizations like Food for Thought and Cherry Street Mission. The other 50% will go global to organizations like Nazarene Disaster Relief and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.

Second, we hope that by eating together each week a simple meal of beans and rice we will begin to identify more fully with those in our world in need. Over 1 billion people on this planet, including some in the U.S., subsist on the equivalent or less each day.

Finally, we hope that our own priorities will begin to shift away from the materialism which is so prevalent and insidious in the way it consumes our lives. As we identify with those who suffer around the world we hope to recognize how we can begin living simpler lives which can enable us to better help our brothers and sisters in need around the world. In this way we hope to help further the Kingdom of God here on earth even as it is in heaven.

We hope you'll join us.

GPS: Reorient Yourself

(Note: Emmaus Road Church will meet every Sunday in June at 6 p.m. We'd consider it a privilege if you joined us.)

A couple of weeks ago I began the journey of reading through the entire Bible in 90 days. I'd love if you join me and tell me about it. Don't be legalistic about it if you miss a day, but allow it to stretch you to read more than you have before. Here's a link with the schedule.

While reading through the books of Exodus and Numbers, I was struck by the sheer amount of rituals and sacrifices and holy days and feasts and . . . well all of the myriad things that God called the Israelites to follow. Some of it sounds confusing, even bizarre, to our modern ears, but it must have had a purpose. What possibly could be the reason behind such an all-encompassing list of rituals and regulations?

As I prayed and asked God to help me understand, slowly I began to see what a radically tranformative way of life this must have been. God's purpose in calling and creating the Israelites as His people was to demonstrate to the world how best to live in relationship to God and with others. They were to be the nation through whom all nations would be blessed. And so, as they participated in the worship patterns laid out for them by God through Moses, their entire way of thinking, believing, and being was transformed.

Like a mountaineer alone in the vast wilderness of Alaska taking a GPS reading to locate her precise position, each time the Israelites gathered for worship, each time they kept the feasts and performed the sacrifices, they reoriented themselves according to God's loving direction.

The insight gained into Israel's worship also gave me insight into our worship and this question:

What is the purpose behind our modern-day rituals, liturgies, and celebrations? Is it not to reorient ourselves to the Kingdom of God, to the Way of the Cross, to life in the Holy Spirit?

Lord, let it be so.

(S)he who has ears . . .

I've offered this thought for reflection before here. But reading Brennan Manning's book "The Furious Longing of God" last night brought me to the same idea in a slightly different way. It's worth reprinting Manning's words here.

"How is it then that we've come to imagine that Christianity consists primarily in what we do for God? How has this come to be the good news of Jesus? Is the kingdom that He proclaimed to be nothing more than a community of men and women who go to church on Sunday, take an annual spiritual retreat, read their Bibles every now and then, vigorously oppose abortion, don't watch x-rated movies, never use vulgar language, smile a lot, hold doors open for people, root for the favorite team, and get along with everybody? Is that why Jesus went through the bleak and bloody horror of Calvary? Is that why He emerged in shattering glory from the tomb? Is that why He poured out His Holy Spirit on the church? To make nicer men and women with better morals?"

"The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friends, is what it really means to be a Christian. Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Jesus Christ."

The Journey May 23rd and Memorial Day Party

We'll be gathering at 6 p.m.--as is our custom--to pray, sing, listen, and share together what God is doing in our lives. You can find us at 2614 Central Avenue--between Durdel's and EST Dental Studio (north side of street).


Also, we're having a block party (well, at least it seems to be turning out that way) at our place on Memorial Day at 5 p.m.--rain or shine. We're providing the meat and are simply asking those who come to bring a side dish or dessert.

If you're interested, please e-mail me at emmausroadchurch.gmail.com so I can get an idea of how much food we'll need.

Priceless . . .

We had an awesome night tonight. It reminded me of the Mastercard commercials:

24 people.
1 1/2 hour sharing, worship, praying, listening.
Hanging out over ice cream and cake at our place.
Priceless.

Thanks God.

May 17th . . . Journey Together

The last two weeks have seen several new faces around ERC. We're excited to hear what God is doing in their lives and to have them join in the journey with us.

Join us Sunday night as we continue our exploration of the vision for Emmaus Road Church and as we spend time in prayer, Bible study, and sharing in our spiritual journey together.

We meet at 6 p.m. at 2614 Central Avenue between Durdel's Music and EST Dental Studio.

On the Journey, Sunday May 10th

We talked tonight about the passage from Luke's gospel 24:13-35 where Jesus appeared to the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection. The amazing thing is that even though the disciples had already heard reports of the resurrection, they were still downcast (v. 17). It wasn't until they actually experienced the resurrected Christ and their eyes were opened that they were transformed.

So many in our world, even in the Church, have yet to really experience the resurrected Christ--and to have their eyes opened. Our vision for Emmaus Road Church is to be a place, a people, a church, where people coming into a life-transforming experience with Jesus Christ--where their eyes are opened to the reality that He is there, and has been there with them all along.

To that end, we'll be meeting again Sunday night, May 10th at 6 p.m. The address is 2614 Central Avenue just west of Douglans Road.

Hope to see you there.

By the way, pray for me (Andy) as I perform my uncle's funeral this week. He and my aunt were there for my family when my father was killed in a car accident. I pray that I can bring some of Christ's hope and peace to them now.

Experiencing God

I'm convinced that sometimes we get just enough of God to become immune to what He really wants to do in our lives. At Emmaus Road Church, our desire is to avoid the "just enough" syndrome and get a full blown case of love for God. We want to experience everything God intends for us--to experience Him in high definition, if you will.

This Sunday we'll gather and celebrate what He's doing in our lives, in ERC, and in the world and catch what it is He wants for us.

As always, we meet at 6 p.m. at 2614 Central Avenue right between Durdel's Music and EST Dental Studio.

We hope to see you there!

Getting Real With God

This past week I was in Orlando for the Exponential Conference along with 3,000 other church planters. Here's a radical thought that's sort of a combination of what Craig Groeschel and Francis Chan challenged us with:

What if we stopped living out of our preconceptions about what life in Christ really is and instead started living out what Scripture reveals it to be? Imagine how radically that would alter our churches and our personal lives.

Well, what if?

Btw, we'll be meeting at 6:00 at 2614 Central this coming Sunday night. We're going to begin exploring the vision for Emmaus Road Church. You'll want to be there.

Peace,
Andy

Easter Flyer

Easter Sunday, April 12th, 2009

On Easter Sunday, just two weeks away, we will be celebrating together the most significant event in the history of the universe at the new ERC building. Finishing touches are underway and it's amazing how things have come together--you could almost say God had a hand in it ;-)

For our Easter Celebration we will be meeting at 11:00 a.m. at 2614 Central Avenue. Our building is right between Durdel's Music store and EST Dental Studio, just one block west of Douglas. We're on the north side of the street.

Jesus Christ makes all the difference. Come and discover why.

Sunday, March 22 6 p.m.

For those you whom we've met in the last week or so, this is just a reminder that we gather together for an informal time of food, singing, Bible study, and prayer. Nothing too heavy, but we do desire to dig into the Bible and see what it might be that God is trying to say to us through it. 6:00 p.m. is when we usually get started. If you have children, feel free to bring them as we offer childcare from 6-8.

Also, if you're interested, Hope Community Church of the Nazarene is offering a weekend conference called "Go Fish: Because of What's on the Line." You can see more about it here. Brady Wisehart, the Connections pastor at Grove City Church of the Nazarene, will be the keynote speaker.

Several breakout sessions will also be included, three of which I'll personally be leading. My breakout sessions are called "Simple Evangelism: Jesus Relationships." Registration is by March 18th, so hurry to sign up if you're interested.

Hope to see you Sunday.

Some of you have asked how the Emmaus Road Church building is coming and if I would post some new pics, so here goes.

Things are progressing well, although they've slowed a bit since I've started substitute teaching with Toledo Public Schools full time. We've finally gotten to the point where a lot of the major work is finished--a lot of the stuff you don't really see or realize how much work has gone into it. So far, between our own work and the work of volunteers, we have close to 400 hours into the building.

Today, we just started priming and painting and that's when you really begin to see things coming together. I want to mention briefly the people and churches God has used to do His work at ERC: John and Kathy from ERC, Dan from the Alliance Church, 5 work teams from Lima Community Nazarene, and 3 work teams from Bedford (MI) Nazarene. We would never have been this far without all of you.

Below (and above) are a few photos of the not-yet-finished product.

Saturday, Feb. 28th

Hey everyone, we will be meeting at the Emmaus Road Church building this Saturday at 10 a.m. with a group to do a lot of painting and some cleaning and organizing. Nothing too technical so everyone can help. We will work until afternoon sometime, but if you have to leave early (or come late) we'd still love to have you.

Hope to see you then.

Blogging and Such

Some of you have expressed interest in more information since this blog tends to be pretty short and sweet. If you are interested, you can read my personal blog at www.the-ordinary-saint.blogspot.com. I write a fair amout about Emmaus Road Church as well as my own life--some of it on the not-so-serious side.

We'll be meeting tonight at 6:00 at 2874 Kenwood Blvd. Last week we finished our exploration of Jesus' test/tempation in the wilderness. This week we'll be examining Jesus' rejection in His hometown from Luke chapter 4. We hope you'll join us. Peace.

Sunday, Feb. 1st at 6:00 p.m--Super Bowl Party

Okay, maybe you are, maybe you aren't into the super bowl. I can take it or leave it, but it should be a good game. At least we know the halftime show will be good with Bruce Springsteen playing.

Better than the game is the opportunity to spend some time relaxing and hanging out together. We're planning on meeting at 6:00 p.m. as usual. We're going to have appetizers and dessert. Please feel free to bring something you'd like to share.

We're meeting at 2874 Kenwood Blvd. Just 3 blocks north of UT. As always, childcare is provided.

Hope to see you then.

January 25th--Luke 4:1-13

We had a very fruitful discussion last week on the first verse of Luke chapter 4. This coming week we will forge ahead into the rest of the account of Jesus' tempation in the wilderness--Luke 4:2-13.

Each week we share a dessert and coffee or tea together. This week will be no different. If you have something you'd like to share, please feel free to bring it and join us. As always, childcare will be provided.

We meet at 2874 Kenwood Blvd., just 3 blocks north of the University of Toledo. Soon, however we will begin meeting at 2614 Central Avenue. Keep watching this site for updates.

Peace.

Sunday, January 18th, 2008

We will gather together for a time of community, Bible study, prayer, and food this coming Sunday at 6 p.m. We always have some light dessert and coffee or tea, so if you'd like to bring something to share, pleaes feel free to do so.

We are going to be looking closely at the Gospel of Luke chapter 4 verses 1-30. We usually read it ahead of time and bring any questions we might have. We're seeking to discover God's heart in a safe environment so no questions are off limits.

We'll also give an update on the Emmaus Road Church building project which is taking place at 2614 Central Avenue in Toledo.

Hope to see you there!

This Sunday, January 12th

If you've ever wanted to really explore the Bible in a safe setting where any question is appropriate, then this coming Sunday is a great opportunity to do so. We've been exploring the Gospel of Luke verse by verse. Next week we'll be looking at the baptism of Jesus in chapter 3. We'd love if you'd join us.

As always, childcare and coffee and dessert are provided. You're always welcome to bring a dessert you'd like to share.

For now, we meet at 6p.m. Sunday evenings at 2874 Kenwood Blvd., just 3 blocks north of UT on Goddard. That will change soon though as we're finishing up our new building on Central avenue. We'll keep you informed.

Peace be with you.