Category Archives: Church family

Oct 19 2017
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Fall, Uncategorized

Commitment Sunday at EBC!

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Hey EBC Family!

I pray this post finds God’s presence guiding you and His provisions meeting your every need!  Have you enjoyed our Stewardship Sundays so far?   For the past three Sundays we have been inspired to be totally committed stewards of God! God desires that we manage all He has entrusted us with the best way we can.  That includes our lives, time, talents, treasures, His truth—the Gospel, and life’s trials.  As we have learned God not only has given us the responsibility of stewardship He also has provided us with the supernatural ability and His resources to steward everything well, through the work of Jesus.

This Sunday we will have Commitment Sunday!  Together as a church family we will renew our spiritual and financial commitments.  Let me encourage you to join me and make or renew the top 3 commitments:

Commit to follow Jesus all the way and do what He wants you to do, go where He wants you to go, and be who he wants you to be!

Commit to pay your tithe (10% of your gross income) to the Lord here at EBC for the work of the ministry!

Commit to give your faith promise missions offering.  Missions is our responsibility as a church to steward the Gospel of Jesus in our church, community, county, country and beyond.  Faith promise missions offerings are given above and in addition to our tithes, for world missions. Missions offerings are used to financially support our missionaries, who have dedicated their lives to spread the Gospel of Jesus in our country (Church planting) and in foreign countries as well.  If you have not given your National Church Planting Month offering you can do so this Sunday!  Just mark your gift “Church Planting.”  You can also tithe and give offerings online at www.ebclife.org. by clicking the “online giving” menu.  Help steward the Gospel in our community, by inviting someone to Friend Day on November 5th!  You can use the invite card provided in this envelope!

Let me encourage you to fill out two commitment cards.  Keep one for your personal records and as a reminder of the commitments you have made! Turn the other card in this Sunday as an act of commitment to Jesus and the church.  We also use the commitments made to plan our mission’s budget for the next year.  So be sure to turn your commitment card in this Sunday!  Do you or a family member need to be baptized?  We will have baptisms on Sunday night!  There will be a brief meeting, after the morning service, for all who are interested in being baptized.

Jesus is totally committed to us!  He has saved us and has committed to provide all we need to follow Him as faithful stewards.  Let’s do our part, by totally committing to be faithful to Him, with all He has entrusted to us!

Committed to Jesus and His church,

Pastor Mike Ramondetta

Have you been blessed by the ministries of EBC recently?  Please share a comment!

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Oct 03 2017
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Fall, ministry, Uncategorized

Fall Preacher’s Post

Wow what a summer!  How did your summer go?  Like ours, I am sure you had some ups and downs—some challenges and victories you enjoyed as well!  Praise God fall is officially here—at least on the calendar! And as we head into the fall season here are some exciting things to both celebrate and participate in as we live out our faith as the EBC family!

What’s been happening at EBC?

Our VBS Summer Event—Operation Arctic:  God blessed us with an awesome VBS and VBS Sunday celebration in July!  Thank you everyone who dedicated their lives, and time, and love to minister to our kids!

Our Awana Kids Ministry Launched in August: our Awana ministry launch was a great success!  Thank you to our children’s leaders and workers for investing in our kids!  Awana kid’s ministry happens on Wednesday nights from 6:45 – 8:15 p.m. 

Our Kids Summer Musical: It was AWESOME to see our kids sing unto the Lord during the Unselfie musical, on September 24th! All of our kids sang out, both the younger and older ones! Thank you to the leaders who worked with the kids! It was such a blessing!

Our Senior Ladies Bible Study met this past Wednesday, October 25th: Our senior ladies gathered and enjoyed a sweet time of study, fellowship, and lunch!

We had a Men’s Restart Activity:  Our men met this past Friday, September 29th, for food, fellowship and solid bible teaching!  Twenty men gathered as Dr. Shoemaker taught the Word.  Brother Bobby Ray gave a testimony as well.  Overall it encouraged and strengthened the faith of the men of EBC!

We welcomed 2 newborns to the EBC family:  The Blizzard family welcomed baby girl Sadie and the Francis family welcomed baby boy Oliver!  We praise God for blessing them with healthy babies!

Our Sunday morning services can be viewed through livestream!  Now that our livestream has been set up our Sunday morning services can be viewed live on Facebook.  Just click on the banner on our Facebook page or our website. ebclife.org.  Livestream is an opportunity for those who are out of town, sick, immobile, or otherwise hindered to watch our services live online.  It is also a great evangelistic opportunity!  Others can also view the service online who may not know Jesus as Savior or have a home church.  A recorded video of the preaching during the service will also be available to view on our website, our Facebook page, and our YouTube channel, in case you miss the livestream.  We are praying that this new online option will bless our church family and reach others as well! Visit our website, ebclife.org. and click on the media menu to learn more.

What’s happening next at EBC?

2017 Stewardship Sundays! Our 2017 Stewardship Sundays begin this Sunday, October 1st!  Each Sunday and Wednesday we will receive practical Bible teaching and preaching that will empower us to steward and manage all we are and have been given by God in our homes and here at EBC!

This past Sunday Dr. Charles Shoemaker preached the Word, inspiring us to be faithful to our commitments to Jesus and our church. Visit our website ebclife.org for the full schedule.

Fall Ladies Night Out: Ladies, save the date!  A fun ladies night out event is coming on October 20th!  More information coming soon!

Fall Festival—November 4th! We will be having our fall festival on Saturday, November 4th at 5 p.m. at the church.  There will be games, good food, and plenty of fun! Please sign up to bring food, help with set-up, and games at the back table at the church! 

Baskets of Blessing–October 29th through November 12th! Hey EBC family and friends! Let me invite you to help fill our baskets of blessing.  This fall we will put Thanksgiving baskets together filled with non-perishable food items so we can bless other families with the love of Christ!  Just bring in your non-perishable food items and place them on the table in the fellowship hall.  November 12th will be the last Sunday to bring in your items. 

Friend Day—November 5th! On November 5th at 11:00 a.m. we will have Friend Day—a day where everyone is encouraged to bring at least one person to church with them.  Who do you know that needs Jesus, a church home, or both? Be a friend and bring a friend, on Friend Day! We will not have Sunday school on this day. 

Praise Service and Pie Fellowship–November 19th! We will be having our Thanksgiving praise service on Sunday, November 19th at 6:00 p.m.  Following the service, we will also have a pie fellowship.  Come and bring your favorite pie to share as we praise our great God and enjoy some great pie!  There will be no midweek service on Wednesday, November 22th. 

How can I be Committed this fall season at EBC?

Fall is here!  Let me encourage you to be committed church members as you follow Jesus with devotion this fall season! Be present at the services, attend the exciting services and activities, and be ready to take steps in your devotion to Jesus and the church.

Blessings to you,

Pastor Mike

Apr 19 2017
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Easter, Holidays, Life, ministry

EBC Easter Flashback!

Hello EBC Family & Friends,

How was your Easter?  Can you believe that it is over and behind us?  That doesn’t mean we can’t take a moment to celebrate what God did on Easter and what He plans to do in our lives in the future as we follow Him!

So what happened on Easter Sunday at EBC?

Our church family served with both unity of spirit and anticipation to see God work!   All of the prayer, sacrifice, and your sweet and hopeful spirit made Easter Sunday special!

God blessed us with guest families!  We are grateful for the new families God brought to our church on Easter.  They said they received the post card invite and wanted to come and see what we were all about! They did! I am glad that our invite efforts were successful.  Let’s pray that they return this week!

The Holy Spirit of God worked in and through both the 9 & 11 a.m. services!  The music and the message were both encouraging and challenging as we gave witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Both services went smooth as well.

The refreshments between the services for our ministry teams were delicious!  Our fellowship was uplifting as well! All those serving during the services received a needed boost.  Thank you to all who helped with the food and refreshments!

Our attendance was solid!  We had a total attendance of 290, with returning guests and new families as well!

Our Easter offering total: So far, we have received close to $1500 for our Easter offering!  Your offering will help to purchase a new projector and enhance our overall worship experience at EBC!  If you have not yet given your Easter offering you can give your offering this Sunday or online!  Click here to give.

A special thank you: Thank you for all those who decided to serve on a ministry team on Easter Sunday!  Our welcome team, with all our ushers, greeters, and parking lot workers, our music leaders and singers, nursery and children’s church workers all served Jesus and EBC well!  Thank you!

What’s happening next at EBC?

We are so grateful to God for how He worked in and through us on Easter Sunday!  We are looking ahead, however, to see where God is leading us and to what He desires to do in the future at EBC!

Wednesday Adult Bible Study at 7:00 p.m:  Tonight, Dr. Shoemaker finishes his study, Spiritual Warfare, with the practical lesson called, “A Strategy for Victory!”  Come and bring your kids as we have AWANA kids ministry at 6:45 p.m. and teen ministry at 7:00 p.m. and acquire the Biblical tools you need to win during spiritual warfare.

New Sunday Morning Sermon Series, “Purpose Driven Family”!  On Sunday, April 23rd, at 11:00 a.m. we begin a new sermon series at EBC!  We will see how the right purpose, built on a solid foundation of Jesus, His Word, and healthy relationships, will help our families live out God’s purposes and thrive!  This Sunday, Dr. Shoemaker launches this new series with the message called, “Managing conflict in marriage!”  Come and see how to deal with and resolve family conflict the Bible way!

There is so much to celebrate and be engaged in at EBC!  Click here to visit our website.  Hope to see you soon!

Pastor Mike

P.S. Have you been blessed by the ministries of EBC lately?  Click on “Leave a comment” to share your experience!

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Apr 12 2017
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Easter, Holidays

Easter at EBC!

Happy Easter,

How is your spring going?  Praise the Lord we are experiencing outstanding weather!  Spring is a great season for God to bring spiritual renewal and fresh hope to our lives! Why is spring so significant?  During the spring season, we celebrate the greatest event in our Christian faith: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus lives we can face tomorrow with hope and spend forever in heaven with Him one day.

Easter Sunday is coming at EBC and it’s going to be exciting!  We are having two Sunday morning worship services on April 16th: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.!  (There will be no Sunday school or evening service on this day.)  You can visit our website here!

How can you help make Easter better than last year? Accept the Easter challenge and…

Decide to be present!  Be sure to worship at EBC this Easter.  You can have the family dinner at your house and invite and bring your family with you on Easter Sunday.

Pray for God to work!  Pray that your heart will be open to follow Jesus more than ever before and that God will use you to bless others on Easter.  Pray that guests will worship with us during both services: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.!  And pray specifically that God will bring those without Jesus and that they will respond to the Gospel message and be saved, baptized, and added to the EBC family!

Bring someone! Use our invite tools to invite and bring guests with you!  People are more open to come to church on Easter Sunday than any other time of the year.

Give an Easter offering.  We have the opportunity to give an Easter offering each year, above our tithes and regular giving, to help grow a specific ministry of the church. Our Easter offering will help purchase a new projector to enhance our media and music ministry!  Your Easter envelope is enclosed!

Special Instructions: Help make Easter great participating in Operation Move-up!  Help us provide the best seating for guests by keeping the back row of seats open and simply moving up one row.  Let’s be ready to help others find a seat if need be.  You can also park in the grass to help save the best spots for our guests.

Expect Great Things!  Expect God to work in your life and in the life of your family!  Maybe that family member or friend will come to church with you on Easter!  It’s possible!  You do your part and God will do His!  God can also use you to bless someone else on Easter Sunday!  Let’s extend a warm welcome to our guests, and church family, and purpose to share the love of Jesus and God will do something awesome!

Looking forward to seeing you and your family on Easter!

Pastor Mike

Feb 05 2016
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Uncategorized, vision

Breaking into the Future at EBC!

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Vision Night 2016 Update:

We are breaking into the future here at EBC! Our Vision Night service was this past Sunday night! It was monumental as we saw a picture of our preferred future as it can and must be!

Our vision is what our church is becoming.  It is what our church family will look like in the years to come as God blesses and directs us to fulfill His mission.  Our vision answers the question, how can we use all that we are and all that we have been given to help bring God the greatest glory and help more people become growing devoted disciples of Jesus in our church, community, country, and beyond?

On Vision Night we saw a snapshot of where God is leading us and what He wants us to become in the years ahead! And we were also challenged to help our vision become a reality.  Will you do your part?

Are you excited to help our vision become a reality at EBC? Let me know by leaving your comment or speaking with me in person!

Breaking into the future,

Pastor Mike

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Nov 24 2015
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Church, Church activities, Church family, Holidays, Uncategorized

We are ready to celebrate the seasons at EBC!

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As we head towards the most wonderful time of the year it’s clear to see God is with us!  Thank you for being faithful to Jesus and our church. God is working!

What’s been happening at EBC?

  • We had outstanding stewardship Sundays in October! We’re going all the way!
  • We had a really fun fall festival!
  • We had an awesome friend day with 175 in attendance! Thanks for inviting and bringing your friends and family to EBC. Don’t give up! Let’s keep it up!
  • Our ladies of Emmanuel had a great Christmas brunch!
  • We started a new adult Bible class this past Sunday! We have Sunday school classes for all ages at 10:00 a.m.
  • We had a delicious and wonderful Thanksgiving Sunday! The spirit and attendance were up. The praises were meaningful and the pie was delicious. God is good!

What’s happening next?

  • We will not have Wednesday night ministry this week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
  • Dr. Charles Shoemaker will be our guest speaker this coming Sunday—11/29!
  • There will be a special kids Christmas program practice this Sunday following the morning service until 4:00 p.m.
  • We are having a Fifth Sunday fellowship at Firehouse Subs after the 6:00 p.m.

There are many ways to grow in your relationship with Jesus and with others here at EBC!  Let’s praise God for His awesome grace as we continue to worship and serve Him together.

With much gratitude,

Pastor Mike

Have you been blessed at EBC lately?  Leave a comment to share your blessing!

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Mar 30 2015
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Church family, Easter, Twins

Easter 2015

Running with the Ramondettas!

Are you glad it is spring?  The spring season brings fresh starts, new beginnings, growth, and new life!  God is growing the Ramondetta family and our church family too!  We are so blessed to welcome Ella Grace and Kate Marie Ramondetta to our family.  Our sweet twin daughters were born on March 1oth.

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Thank you so much church family for your loving prayers, concern, and acts of love!  The meals have been a great blessing and delicious too. Thank you!   We also have welcomed ten new families to EBC.  Praise the Lord!  As we get ready for Easter Sunday (April 5) it’s clear we are growing together as a church family!

What’s Been Happening at EBC lately?

  • Our EBC ladies put together an awesome baby shower, in January, for Miss Emily! We are so grateful for all who helped plan and for the love that was shown to us!
  • We had an outstanding Discover EBC orientation Class in January! We are blessed to welcome ten new families to EBC! We are so thankful for how God is growing our church.
  • God blessed the sermon series, “Jesus Loves Me” in February and March! Oh how He loves you and me!
  • The Resistance Teens had a delicious progressive dinner last week! Thanks to all families who helped make it great!
  • The nursery training went great this past Sunday! I am thankful for Miss Lesia McKinnon and all the ladies who serve in the nursery. What you do is vitally important and helps our church accomplish our mission!
  • Our Spring Revival, “Focus on the Family” was a great success! Each service the music was a blessing and the messages from Dr. Shoemaker, and Pastor Mike Grover stirred our hearts! The attendance was fantastic as well!  We averaged close to 100 in attendance in each service.  I’ve already heard testimonies of how God worked in hearts and families! I know God revived my heart how about yours?

 What’s Happening Next at EBC?

Celebrate Easter at EBC on April 5th!

Let’s get excited about celebrating one of the greatest events of all time: Easter. This is the day Jesus Christ our Lord arose from the grave! Because He lives we can face tomorrow with hope and spend forever in heaven one day. On Easter Sunday, all guests will receive a free gift! Kids will enjoy Easter candy and activities! There will also be inspiring music and a practical message just for you! You won’t want to miss this exciting day so come and be sure to bring a guest with you. (Invite ticket included) There will be no Sunday school on this day.

Easter Opportunities!

How can we have the best Easter ever at EBC? How can we celebrate Easter together?  Join me and pray for our Easter Sunday services (11 a.m. & 6 p.m.)!  Be present!  Pass out invite tickets!  Invite and bring guests with you. And, give an Easter offering!  God is growing and expanding our church in every way. Families are being changed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and joining our church family.  You can give an Easter offering above your tithes to help our church continue to grow healthy and be able to minister effectively to those God brings to our church!

You can also give an Easter offering for our nursery project.  We are going to wire the sound of our services into the nursery so our ladies can be blessed by the music and message as well.  You can also give an Easter offering so we can make needed changes to our sound and media ministry.  They need a tune up and some new equipment to help with growth needs and to make our Sunday services more effective and dynamic.  There are many ways to give your offering. You can give your offering online (ebclife.org), give during one of our services, or even mail in your offering if the need arises.

Things are getting real exciting at EBC!  Thank you for your faithfulness to be a growing disciple of Jesus and an engaged member! As each one of us decides to attend, worship, serve, invite, give, and celebrate we will continue to grow together as a church family and have a great Easter!

In Christ,

Pastor Mike

Has God worked in your life recently at EBC?  Leave a comment!

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Dec 16 2014
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, Holidays

Celebrate the Seasons with EBC!

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Are you enjoying the Christmas season yet? The Christmas season can overwhelm us and bring unusual amounts of stress in our lives. That’s why the EBC family desires to stay focused on Jesus our Savior and all He has done for us, especially during the holiday season. We have much to celebrate!

What’s been happening at EBC?

  •  We had a great Friend Day on November 16th!

We were blessed to have 117 in attendance!  Many of our friends and family worshipped with us for the first time, while others were returning guests. Let’s keep friending others and keep connecting them to Jesus and the church, during the holiday season.

  • We had an awesome Thanksgiving praise service and pie fellowship!

We had a great crowd of 80, the desserts were delicious, and the fellowship was meaningful. We had an awesome time—did you?

  • Thank you for bringing items for our Thanksgiving baskets of blessing!

Five beautiful baskets were put together and given to families in need. Thank you church for participating and thank you ladies for putting the baskets together! As we delivered the baskets God opened doors to meet new families and point others to Christ. Thank you for helping with the mission at EBC!

  • We had an awesome children’s Christmas program – 12/14!

I was thrilled to see our children’s Christmas program! It was awesome! Our kids sang out as they worshipped Jesus! I am thankful for all our children and our kids workers and leaders as well!

What’s happening next at EBC? 

  •  Special Christmas Wednesday Night Ministry at 7 p.m.

We will be watching part 2 of the movie, “The Christmas Experience” on December 17th, during our adult Bible study time. Come and see what really happened on Christmas and bring a friend! We will have a cocoa and cookie fellowship on the 17th as well. Just bring a plate of your favorite cookies to share. Milk and cocoa will be provided.

  •   Kids Zone Christmas party—December 17th at 7 p.m.

Our kids will enjoy pizza, games, and lots of fun!

  •  Resistance Teen Activities—December 19th & 21st

The teens will be going to St Augustine on December 19th. They will be leaving the church at 4 p.m. to ride the trolley, have dinner, and enjoy other fun activities. On December 21st the teens will be spreading holiday cheer, during our caroling activity.

  • Christmas service—December 21st at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrate Christmas with EBC during the morning service at 11:00 a.m. This is a great opportunity to bring family and friends! We will have Sunday school for all ages at 10 a.m., but no evening service on the 21st or the 28th. Please enjoy this time with your family!

The auditorium Sunday school class will be having a Christmas party, following the morning service on the 21st as well.

  •  Christmas Eve service—December 24th at 6 p.m. 
  • Holiday Young Adult Party—December 27th at 5 p.m.

Join our young adult Bible class and celebrate the holiday season. Lots of holiday food and fellowship will be happening on December 27th.

  •  New Years Eve service—December 31st at 6 p.m.

Mark your calendars and plan on being part of the holiday activities and services as we celebrate the seasons at EBC!

Been blessed recently at one of the services at EBC? Is God working in your life?  Let me know by leaving your comment!

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Aug 30 2014
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Christian life, Church, Church activities, Church family, ministry, Twins Image

Fall Is Here! And it’s gonna be exciting!

Did you enjoy your summer? Ours went great with some unexpected earth shattering news that comes in twos. Emily (my sweet wife) is pregnant with identical twins! Here’s a pic of Emily’s first sonogram–many more to go!  Ramondetta twinsOh…my…Word! We are truly grateful to God–kids are a heritage and reward from the Lord! All is great so far–please pray:) We are also thankful for our sweet church family (Emmanuel Baptist Church)! Your warm support and love we received this past Sunday was much appreciated!

What’s Happening this Fall at EBC?

Jonah is… Running from God—Sundays at 11 a.m.

This past Sunday we started a new Sunday morning sermon series out the Old Testament book of Jonah called “Jonah is…running from God. As we ended Jonah chapter one, Jonah is in the belly of the great fish! This week we will dive into chapter two and see how we can run to God instead of running away from God!

5th Sunday Fellowship—August 31st

After our 6 p.m. evening service, on August 31st , we will have a time of food and fellowship at Firehouse Subs. This is a great way to connect with others, build relationships, and eat some great food.

Revelation Revealed—Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Be a part of our Wednesday night ministry at 7 p.m.! Dr. Charles Shoemaker will be leading our adult Bible study for the next 4 weeks with a great study from the book of Revelation!  The Resistance teen ministry (grades 7-12) and the Kids Zone kid’s ministry (K4-6th grade) also meet on Wednesday at 7 p.m. We have a loving nursery for children 0-3 years of age as well.

Teen Orlando Trip—September 5th & 6th

Thank you to all those who contributed to the Resistance youth fund raiser. They will be going to Disney’s Night of Joy on September 5th and 6th. Please pray for safety and that God will work in each heart.

Grandparents Day—September 7th

Be sure to tell your grandparents how much you love and appreciate them and bring them to church on this special day! There will be no Sunday evening service. We invite you to spend this time with family.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast—September 13th

The Men’s Prayer Breakfast will be Saturday, September 13th at 8:30 a.m. at Hardees. We will meet for a time of fellowship and prayer.

Communion—September 21st

We will be remembering the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and His glorious resurrection during our communion service. Prepare your hearts and plan to attend, on September 21st at 6pm.

2014 Stewardship Sundays Begin October 5th

God richly blessed our Stewardship Sundays last year and I’m real excited about this year! Our Stewardship Sundays will be during the entire month of October: the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th. Our theme will be “Giving My Best!” Each stewardship Sunday we will have a joint Sunday school class at 10 a.m. (teens and adults) and Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Each time we meet together we will be inspired to give our best to God right here at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

God has been so faithful to us throughout this year! We praise Him for working and look forward with great anticipation for what he will do during our fall season at EBC! The good news is that you can participate and help make it the best fall season ever. Join me in taking steps to a closer devotion to Jesus and commitment as a church family member here at EBC. Let’s be faithful to pray, attend the services, serve, tithe and give, love one another, and do our part to help our church grow together!

I am looking forward to what God will do in you and me this fall!

Are you excited about the fall season?  Has God been working in your heart and life at EBC?  Let me know by leaving a comment!