September in Mesa

Greetings to you all in Mesa, AJ and Gold Canyon!

September is going to be quite a month for the Mesa Area! Here is a snapshot of the activities ahead:

September 6: New West Mesa Men's Group

Many men have pointed out that our current Men's group that meets on Tuesdays at Val Vista & Baseline isn't effective for commuters to Phoenix. So, we've started a new group for those of you on the way into the big city on weekdays. We started meeting on Thursday, September 6th, and will be meeting every Thursday at that time at The Good Egg, on Dobson just south of the 60, from 6:30 to 7:30. Pastor Bill will be leading this group through the epistle of 1 John. Join us!

September 9-30: Area Ministries Kickoff at EVBC

These are going to be fantastic Sundays! Pastor Tom returns on the 9th, and will begin a 4-week series that will help explain from the scriptures the thinking behind EVBC's big Area Ministry push! Then, on the 16th, 23rd and 30th, we'll be having an Area Ministries information area in the Commons, so make sure you stop by the Mesa table to get your weekly gifts, and purchase your EVBC Mesa T-shirt!

September 19: New East Mesa Men's Group

We are also trying to cater to men who live in the Far East (beyond Power Road). Dave Finney will be hosting a men's group on Monday mornings at 6:30 a.m. at Starbucks (southwest corner of Power and Baseline).

September 9: "Connect to EVBC" (Formerly Connect1)

New to EVBC? Or maybe you simply haven't taken a Connect1 class yet? Your chance is Sunday, September 9th, from 10:30-1:30 (lunch and childcare is included). Come hear more about EVBC, and take part in an open Q&A with Pastor Tom. Please RSVP to the EVBC office if you will be able to attend.

September 16: Beginning of Connect to Mesa Sunday Class

Connect to Mesa is the new moniker for a course we have been offering called Connect2_Mesa -- which has been great, but confusing to some. "What is Connect2 exactly? Do I have to go to Connect1 first? Is it just for newcomers? What if I have to miss a week?" Well, here's the simple answer - Connect to Mesa is for you! We meet every Sunday (except Connect to EVBC Sundays) at 10:30 a.m. in Room 213. Here you'll find others from the Mesa Area sharing time together around the scriptures. This is a great opportunity for those of you who are new to EVBC, or have been a part of the church for some time, but have a hard time being involved in our midweek Home Group ministry. Our hope is to a great mix of old-timers and newbies getting to know each other over the course of the next few months. So, come to worship at 8:30, then join us for Connect to Mesa at 10:30!

September 23: The fall session of The Institute begins

We will be offering some wonderful courses in The Institute this fall. Pastor Bill will be teaching a course entitled Life of Christ: His Advent. This course, along with two Sunday seminars in November, are designed to prepare you for a spiritually enriching Christmas season this year. There are also courses being offered on Spiritual gifts, evangelism, marriage helps, and courses for men and women dealing with Spiritual disciplines. See the ebvc webpage for more details (Home/ministries/theinstitute).

September 24: Mesa Mom's Group

Many women in Mesa have been hoping there will be groups for women during the week, not just men! Tiffanie Russell to the rescue! A Mesa moms prayer group has begun, and will meet in September on the 24th from 9:30-10:45. Better yet - the focus will be on prayer, which is so needed to empower our ministries in the Area. Tiffany Russell's home is near Lindsay & Adobe; childcare will be provided; for more info call Tiffanie @ 480.354.5832.

September 29: Mesa Area Baptisms

Have you been baptized into the body of Christ? Many at EVBC have yet to follow through on this act of obedience, and we are looking forward to celebrating this great event with you in the Mesa Area! We will be having a backyard baptism celebration on the early evening of Saturday the 29th. If you or someone you know needs to be baptized, please contact Bill Hartley (billhartley@evbc.org) to work out those details.

And this is just the beginning! As Area Ministries kick into gear this fall, I look forward to getting to know you all better and better, and experienced a richer breed of relationship together as we love, learn of and serve the Lord.

God's best to you all,
Bill


Bill Hartley
Mesa Area Pastor
billhartley@evbc.org
480.388.2635 c

What a Great Day!!!

It was a great day at Sunshine Acres!

Thanks to all of you who came out and made it possible...stay tuned for information about the next Mesa Area ministry activities!

God's best to all of you - and remember the REAL pool that brings life!
Bill

Mesa Gathering, Saturday, August 18th

Come join us on Saturday, August 18th, for our summer Mesa Community Gathering, to be held at Sunshine Acres, 4005 N. Higley, on Higley between McDowell and the 202. The event will begin at 3:00 if you would like to swim, 4:30 if you'd like to come just for dinner and the program.

Here's what you can expect:

3:00 - Open family swim in the Sunshine Acres pool - complete with water slide! (All swimmers will have to sign a waiver that day releasing Sunshine Acres from liability for any accidents).

4:30 - Baptisms - have you been considering taking the step of obedience of getting baptized? This is a terrific opportunity to do so! Please contact Bill Hartley (billhartley@evbc.org) if you are interested.


(Sunshine Acres pool, and gymnasium)

5:00 - Dinner - Our Community Gathering team is working on a menu. All will be asked to give a nominal donation to cover the costs of the food.

6:00 - Worship and Word - We'll gather in the Sunshine Acres gymnasium for a time of worship singing and sharing. Bill Hartley will share some thoughts about the Mesa Area ministry, and you will also hear from some of the other leading men in our area. We'll also spend time doing the most important thing - praying!

This is going to be a terrific day for our Area Ministry! With a huge kickoff month planned for September at EVBC, the entire Area Ministry initiative is going to be given a lot of priority focus in the months ahead. This is our chance to preview a big fall season, work together to help make it happen, and earnestly pray together that God will do a wonderful thing in our city through EVBC!

If you're coming, we would love a note from you letting us know that you'll be with us. Just drop a note to Bill Hartley at billhartley@evbc.org.

God's best to you all - see you soon!
Bill

Bill Hartley
Mesa Area Pastor
billhartley@evbc.org
480.388.2635 c

For more information about Sunshine Acres Children's Home, see their website at www.sunshineacres.org.