April 2013 | Eastside Community Church | eastside.org.za

The Eastsider: ABM Edition Riaan reflects on the ECC journey of last year

Contents

Ministry reports

Riaan reflects 1

Worship 2

Cell groups 3

Family life 3

Men’s ministry 5

Ladies’ ministry 4

Children’s ministry 4

iQuipt, teens and learners 4-5

Heart of Hatfield 6

Sungarden Nursery School 6

Missions 7

As I reflect on the last year there are many things to give thanks for, notably: a great holiday club, a meaningful forty day journey which was completely focused on helping people to understand God’s teaching about the kingdom of heaven and to help people to have at least one time in the day where they personally would connect with God. During this time several cells started up and are still going well. The worship team has worked very hard at creating intimacy in worship which has been a blessing to many. As far as the mentoring programme is concerned, several of the groups are still meeting and really doing well. We continued to see the positive effects of the marriage course on couples. (Carina Munday told me last year that over a hundred and thirty couples have attended the course to date.) We planted a new campus in Hatfield and we started building new facilities on the front of the Eastside Moreleta church building. The Sungarden Nursery School is doing well and is almost filled to capacity. In partnership with Coastal Community Church, who sent Debbie and Lonnie to us, we were able to stand next to six under resourced churches and help them to feed children, help one of them to start a agricultural programme and help another to build an early childhood care centre; God has been good to us. To all of you who have given of your time to serve the cause of Christ here at Eastside, thanks. As always our desire is not to add another thing onto the list of the many things that we are doing here at Eastside; our core thing is to help people to know and become more like Jesus and to connect them with special people with whom they can journey towards this end. As always, we have desired to walk next to people to help them on their journey towards intimacy with Christ. To this end our forty day journey, the kingdom sayings of Jesus and our foundations series has focused specifically on helping people connect with God and understand the basic teachings of the bible. Towards the end of last year Des and Lara left Eastside to go and train young leaders at Baptist Theological College. Ron joined the staff to serve as the logistics manager; Mark has joined the staff fulltime and as a result has been able to pick up some of the responsibilities that Des had in his time here.

The Eastsider: ABM Edition

2 Because we live in a time where even the most “mature” of Christians are challenged by all kinds of teaching which does not lead people closer to Christ, we have become more intentional about the preaching outcomes. The teaching has focused on helping people understand what the Bible actually teaches on the many things that we believe in. We will continue in this vein to teach the Bible and to focus on how the Bible addresses the basic challenges that we face in life. Teaching must however be reinforced by basic discipleship, that is, people who are willing to walk with others on their spiritual journey, helping them to consider biblical truth and apply it in their lives. We need more of you to walk with each other cheering each other on, to walk deeper with Christ and to let biblical truth show in the way that we live in our families and communities. Families remain under pressure. Even the most balanced of families are faced with all kinds of life challenges. We want to become better at serving families through the family life ministry in the coming year. After much thought, considering feedback from all of the cells (in my recent visits to the cells), discussions with the LMT and prayer as an eldership we as a leadership have decided that the timing for the Silver Lakes campus is not right. We therefore have decided that we will postpone the planting of this campus until we have the green light from God.

-Riaan

As we face the coming year There are many challenges as we look forward. Although we have accomplished a lot, a lot still needs to be done. We have primarily been called to shape this community of faith which is an ongoing process. We face the continual challenge of being a more loving, more caring community, who will show the love of Christ not only to the people who are close to or comfortable with us but to anyone whom God will bring across our path. The teenage ministry remains a challenge. Some churches in our community have natural connecting points for example Hatfield Christian church has most of our teenagers in their school so teenagers from here have natural connecting points in those communities. Added to this our teenagers have very little disposable time which has made a Friday ministry more complicated than it has been in previous years. What this has called for has been a different approach. We have appointed Jason Watson as student youth minister with specific responsibility to teenagers. His complete focus point will be the teenagers. We will continue the Friday evening program, as well as, making sure that the Sunday evening services are focused on the needs of the teenagers. Added to this, we will proactively pursue relationships with the high schools in the area. We intend on growing our relationships with as many schools in our community as possible in order to touch as many teenagers as we can. This should create a launch pad for discipleship and a sense of community amongst our teenagers. We need committed parents to help us make this happen.

Worship

What an exciting year it has been in the life

of the worship team. We have faced

challenges and victories, had moments of

frustration and moments of unbelievable

favour. With all those moments as the

landscape of what God has been doing in

the life of the Eastside Worship Ministry,

we need to give thanks. At the forefront of

our minds is the way God is bringing about

a new freedom in Worship - especially in

the morning services. There are times

where I have pulled away from the mic

specifically to be in awe of the way Eastside

is worshipping - with voices raised loud in

adoration of God…

…worship continued One of the great challenges in the past year have related to sound. It’s no secret that we have been struggling to get a good sound at Eastside for some time, but we are progressing and a few things have been put in place to assist both the band and the congregation to have a better worship experience. Be assured: there are qualified people behind the scenes making the right decisions (hence the various sound systems we have demoed over the past few months) with regards to a new sound system at Eastside. Musically, the worship team has been learning a new way of playing together as a band. This includes using in-ear monitors (every member has ear phones sending the necessary sound to their ears which eliminates any stage sound) and a click (metronome) which keeps the band in time. We have instituted “team nights” where the entire team will meet together once a term to pray together, learn new songs together and have some teaching with regard to our role as worshipping musicians. We are excited about the journey ahead as a worshipping church. Join us in seeking God’s heart. We have been created to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Let us, together, pursue the presence of God like never before.

-Mark

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Family life: the Alpha Marriage Course At Eastside we believe in the importance of family and that having a healthy, happy family life starts with a healthy marriage. We ran two successful Alpha Marriage courses with 25 in the first and second terms of 2012. 25 Couples attended and the feedback was very positive. Not only did the marriage course impact marriages but it also gave individuals in the church the opportunity to serve. The following testimony from one of the participants at the second course of this year, gives a glimpse into the impact that attending the course can have on your relationship. (Used with permission) “Dear Carina

Tony and I would like to thank you and your husband for this wonderful course – for all your hard work you have put into it – all the arrangements and evenings away from home. We really enjoyed the course very much and we both have learned a lot.

Tony and I have been married for 29 years (we lived together for two years) – so we are actually 31 years together. And believe me we have had our problems (when the kids were small / money tight / in-laws interfering / stress at work / rushed life …. name it). Through the years we somehow coped and forgave each other for wrongdoings and carried on with life. But with this course a lot of issues came to the surface – some small, but still lingering in the background. With this course we have learned to not “sugar-coat” things but to open up to each other, discuss issues, make time for each other. But the simple things like book time with your husband/wife to discuss issues, to make a list of things to discuss, to have date nights, to learn to forgive and love each other for the many qualities we have in each other (not to concentrate on the small and negative things) were amongst other things a bonus for us – we really learned a lot from simple, basic and yet very effective steps in a marriage. Most couples live just for their kids, their work and for the many chores in-and-around the house and garden – we have such a rushed and a lot of times, fruitless existence – there are so many simple things (from this course) that one can apply – I for one, have learned to respect my husband more – to talk things out (make time) before my frustration and anger builds up to a point where I start nagging and shouting that the neighbours can hear me.

Thank you once again for the hospitality of your church. Please convey our sincere thanks for the lovely dinner each week – we really enjoyed the food that was prepared and served with so much love – please thank each and every one for us.

Hannelie”

No one would ever dream of driving a car year in and out without servicing it, yet we expect

the most important relationship in our lives to survive the onslaughts of life without investing

any time or energy in it. I urge you to invest in your marriage by attending one of the courses

that will be hosted in 2013!

-Lloyd and Carina

Cell groups

The cell ministry has continued to be the established fellowship, care and spiritual growth centre for Eastside as we journey together to His glory. We currently have about 14 cells dotted around Pretoria East and have been looking to grow the cell ministry. This last year we had a 40 day journey centred around the “Kingdom sayings of Jesus”. The Devotional and video commentary complimented the sermon series and helped cells journey deeper into what Jesus said when he walked the earth and what He is saying to us today. We learnt that Jesus thought differently to the world and was counte- cultural then and it is relevant to us today. We need to change our earthly mindset and set our heart on heaven and on God. “Seek first the kingdom of God” Matt 6:33. We had another series that was on the Foundations of our Faith. It was really helpful to unpack what the Bible says about some of the Foundational beliefs that we hold onto. These 40 day journeys and teaching series were also an opportunity for new cells to be started and more people to join in on cell ministry. It is our heart that all people be blessed by cell ministry which is where real relationship, fellowship and care can be given and received. Heb 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” Thanks to all the cell leaders for their service and if you are not currently in a cell – step across the room, get connected and journey deeper into relationship with God as a family of believers!

-Dave Crewe-Brown

Children’s ministry

4 had excellent accommodation and food, learnt a new dance to the Matt Redman song "We could change the world" and asked with him: "Could we live like this?" We had a refreshing 'soak' in the presence of God and a relaxing afternoon knitting and chatting, and of course drinking lots of tea! Special thanks go to Kim Broom and her team of helpers who organised the retreat beautifully. Our birthday messages were a little neglected this year, but Julie Wiid has agreed to play that role now so we expect things to improve. Our mentoring programme has been taken over by Helen Botha and pairs continue to meet and encourage one another in ‘love and good deeds’ and the business of living to the glory of God.

-Niki Potgieter

Ladies ministry The Ladies’ ministry is made up of a number of satellite activities run by those who are passionate about them. Judy Loedollf faithfully runs the “Fit for Praise” classes twice a week. The ladies worship God with their whole being and tone and strengthen their bodies which are Temples of the Holy Spirit. They also petition God for Eastside and declare His authority and victory over us. The Ladies’ Fellowship Group still meets for sharing, study and prayer every Thursday morning. We encourage one another in Christ Jesus as we study the Bible and apply its truths to our specific trials. In May 2012 we had our annual Ladies' Retreat at Pure Joy Guest Lodge. The theme was "Heaven and Jesus" and we spent the weekend exploring what the Bible says about heaven and how to make sure we get there. Once again, we

Friday night iQuipt

The Friday night meeting, which is called iQUIPT, exists in order to create a place where young people can be equipped to live lives that are examples in speech, in life, in love, in faith and purity. These “examples” stem from the youth groups’ “Mission Verse” which is 1 Timothy 4:12. On Friday Nights we are also trying to create a place which is known as another home for the youth where friends become almost like family as they disciple each other and build each other up in a way that leads them to live solid, real and tangible Christian lives, not only now while they young but for the rest of their lives. In the past term we taught on “Spiritual Gifts”. Discussing what these gifts are, what they look like and how to discover and nurture their own gifting. Once they have discovered their gifting we have tried to encourage them to serve the church within their gifting. We have found the majority of the youth taking this seriously and are now serving on Sunday Nights. We have also tried to connect those with unique gifting with mature Christians in the church and have encouraged mentoring relationships between them. The end of term became a launch pad into the second term of the year which is all about becoming what is known as “Traders” – trading in the typical life for one sold out for God and His kingdom.

(continued on page 5)

It’s been a busy year in the life of children’s ministry – there’s always something happening! Last year’s Holiday Club, Break Thru, was sent to over 200 churches across the country. Our own Holiday Club here at Eastside was a great time for over 420 children daily as well as the 80 teenage and young adult leaders. Not too long after that finished and it was back to creating an entire new holiday club package based on the theme of relationships. Master Baker Holiday Club 2013 is complete and we have already sent it to Salvation Army, who sends it to 70 churches, and Scripture Union Western Cape where it could reach 100 churches, amongst another 20 churches. Children’s church is always on the go. We have been blessed with an incredible team of helpers, and sometime uncomfortably full classes (a good thing)! Children are constantly learning more about God’s love and desire for how we should be living our lives. Children are given opportunities to worship and talk to God in a real way. A highlight for me personally has been the “Children’s Serving Team” which started in August of last year. This is a group of children who are helping on Sunday mornings with various setup and last minute Children’s Church logistics. It has been fantastic to watch this group of 10 children take responsibility for things, grow in maturity, and most importantly to witness their excitement and joy in serving in this way. Last year Children’s Camp was a really special time as we focused on Psalms 139, and what that means for each one of us! And of course along with any camp goes loads of fun and chaos, but God’s presence was there in a special way. The introduction of the children’s worship team in 2011 really made an impact on worship for Grade 1 to 5 and over 2012 we were able to use the band more regularly and grew in our understanding of leading children into God’s presence. We have been blessed along the way with great people who have made significant contributions to children’s worship. In a nut shell, God is good! Being a difficult year for myself, God placed incredible people around me to help carry the load and encourage me. God is here with us, with his children!

-Robyn

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iQuipt, teens and learners

Saturday iQuipt (new) As a leadership we have really felt it strongly on our hearts to create a non-threatening, almost informal environment where the young people would be able to invite their friends to church events which were not intimidating or “over religious”. We also felt it was important to organise events which weren’t the typical church events in order to promote meaningful, personal relationships with the young people. All this lead to us to form Saturday events which replaces the occasional Friday night iQUIPT meeting. This year we spent a successful day together at Nkwe Resort and then later in the term participated in an Annual Inter-Church Swimming Gala event.

Tuesday teen cells (new) A teen cell was established due to the increasing demands being placed on young people their lives have become increasingly stressful and increasingly busy and most do not have the time or the energy to attend Friday Nights. Throughout the term we followed the theme of Gods plan and purpose for our lives, how to discover it and to achieve this through aligning the way we live out our lives with the calling God has placed on us. Initially there was a large amount of interest in the youth we were seeking to reach out to. However we found these same youth who are not able to come through for Friday nights were unable to attend Tuesday’s Cell. With that said, some significant relationships were formed over the past term with those who have been attending and an exciting opportunity for discipleship and mentorship is arising.

Willowridge School Over the years Eastside has been privileged in being able to speak into the lives of the Willowridge High School students lives. The ministry itself has picked up this year with Eastside being involved in almost every Wednesday Values lesson this year. This period is about helping teenagers make the right choices that will enable them to become the men and women God has created them to be. We have found that this ministry is going well with positive responses from both students and teachers. Overall we, as the Youth Ministry Leadership, are trying to create as many possible opportunities to connect with the young people in our church and in the community in order that they might know Christ. We would like to ask you to pray Paul’s prayer over the Colossians over us. Which is Colossians 1:9-12 as it speaks about receiving complete knowledge of His will as well as to be strengthened by Gods glorious power in order that we might have all the endurance, patience and joy we need to achieve it.

-Jason

Men’s ministry

The Men’s Ministry this year had a number of highlights as we tackled issues that pertained to both fathers and kids. The first breakfast we had was done by Abel Loedolff and the subject that he spoke on was Christian Morals in our current society, and this was to prepare parents and kids on what is actually happening out there which we will face sooner than later. This was followed by the retreat which was held at Kimiad and here we dealt with the subject “The means to encourage” and the guest speaker was Danie Du Preez. I don’t think we could find a better man for this subject and all men present definitely came home having learned. We had another breakfast done by Dave Crewe-Brown and once again the men were truly blessed and encouraged by Dave’s testimony. The fact that we almost had a 100 men present tells you how much the men appreciated this talk. There is a audio copy of this testimony available at the church. To top it all off, we also had the opportunity to do some wall climbing at St Albans and here fathers and kids enjoyed themselves, where on some occasions fathers on the grass were sweating more than their kids on the wall. We also introduced a camp out for the fathers and their kids and this was a highlight for some kids, as it gave them a opportunity just to run wild and enjoy themselves in a controlled environment. We then just recently had a camp at Dirk’s Place where a lot of fun was had by all including some of the young adults. We will definitely be doing that again. To sum it up this past year was a good one and we hope to take it again to new levels where men will just be able to feel comfortable in a godly environment with other men and share things on their heart. Thanks to all men who supported this ministry and God bless for the year that lies ahead.

-Gordon Anderson

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evening. Worship team auditions on the 20th of Feb saw 10 people auditioning, and already there are ‘new students’ involved in serving at the campus. Over and above our weekly services, we have also been a presence at campus. We were at TUKS during O-week; set up a stall on the side of the road during RAG, and took on the role of cheer leaders during the recent Best Med/TUKS 10km and 21km races. As we go ahead, we thank God for His plan for ECC Hatfield. We are grateful for volunteers who have served above and beyond to make everything run smoothly. We are grateful with our partnership with OM. We are grateful for the wisdom and directions of the elders here at Eastside who are guiding this journey. We are grateful for the new musicians who have auditioned, and pray that more musos would become involved. We are grateful for the students who are calling ECC Hatfield their home. Continue to pray for us as we seek to further God’s Kingdom in Hatfield. And, come join us for a service. ECC Hatfield services are at 7pm on a Wednesday evening, corner South & Jan Shoba, Hatfield.

-Mark Paul

Heart of Hatfield When a year begins with the planting of a new church campus, one is guaranteed a few things: A lot of work, a lot of excitement, little sleep, and a few mistakes. Three months after launching the ECC Hatfield campus, we could confidently say “we are doing this!” The planning for ECC Hatfield begin in early August 2012, with a group of young adults meeting regularly to dream, pray, discuss, brain storm and more. This all lead to our first service at The Link in Hatfield on the 30th of January 2013. ECC Hatfield, “a church for students, by students” is growing! Services are held every Wednesday at 7pm and a dedicated team of volunteers serve faithfully to make it all happen. Picture it: Cell groups arrive early to set up the venue while the worship team do a sound check; chairs are set out on the roof for the group discussions that happen at the end of the evening; a welcoming team gets the vibe going outside as students arrive for the mid-week service. Then at 7pm, the service begins. Each week we have an hour long service with worship and teaching (currently based on a theme “Time to be”) followed by about 30minutes of coffee time, whereafter the students break into cell groups to discuss the evening’s message and pray together. Since launching, we have seen numbers climb to around 80 people on a Wednesday

Sungarden’s extra

Enrolment There are currently 65 children enrolled in the school, with four who attend once or twice a week. Two more children will begin in the second term. There are a few places in lower grades. Parent interaction Activities that involved parents were the parent evening during which information was given to parents by staff, Valentine’s Day activities and a Easter hat parade and a cake sale. Planned meetings with certain parents were held to discuss to progress of children. Interventions, parent/staff actions and therapy options were discussed at these meetings. Holiday school Twelve children made use of the morning holiday care option, and five in the afternoons. Two staff members were on duty, morning and afternoon. Finances Generally speaking, fee payments are up to date. Follow up is made on any late payments. Teacher training This commenced on 08 April. The DVD series, “Instructing a Child’s Heart” by Tedd and Margy Tripp will be viewed throughout the second term.

Sungarden Nursery School Daily teaching in the five age groups took place on a regular basis and was scaled to match the developmental level of each of the groups. For Grade R teaching complied with the requirements of the CAPS documents. The younger age groups worked on gross and fine motor skills, perceptual and cognitive development, mainly through the learning of language and expanding vocabulary. Included in the activities was a weekly movement programme taught by the teachers, as well as a music lesson for each of the classes. Baking, creative and outdoor play form an integral part of the morning activities. Continual assessment took place. Aftercare is functioning efficiently, with children receiving good care in the afternoons. A variety of extra murals offered to children by outside providers is used by parents. Coaches and teachers who present these activities provide good service and interact well with staff and children. Fun things held in the term were a puppet show, colouring hair to raise funds for cancer awareness and the Easter ring, during which the children excelled in singing, rising to the occasion to entertain parents and grandparents with excellence.

-Shann

Missions

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Thank you, Eastside Community Church, for your support of missions to under-resourced churches as well as orphaned and vulnerable children in their communities. Currently Eastside is in strong relationships with five churches. Networking has begun with additional churches. The following is a brief summary of ministry highlights:

6,000 meals a month since delivery began in September 2012 to rural Early Childhood Development Centres. Thank you to Eastside Community Church's Feeding Challenge donations and Coastal Community Church's Change for Changed Lives.

Worship centre/early childhood centre at Rock of Ages Living Church nears completion.

Early childhood rooms receiving makeovers at Charity Christian Fellowship! Thank you, donors!

Morning breakfast programme for school-age children began at three churches.

70 people participated in 40 Days Discipleship taught at three churches.

Assisted with training, seed planting, fertilising, fencing, and connecting to the municipal water for the Mmakaunyane Harvest Agriculture Project. Thank you, donors!

Forty teens from different orphanages participated in a volleyball clinic at Charity Christian in December. Thank you Eastsiders, Taryn O’Brien and Jason Watson. Thanks to Coach Mike (U.S.), Coach Becca, and Coach Josiah (Ghana). Thank you, Lindenwood University for donating the jerseys – they were a huge hit!

Eighty people attended a Leadership Workshop in January. The workshop was held in the rural area so that pastors could bring their leaders. Thank you to the presenters: Pastor Riaan Niemand from Eastside, Danie du Preez, Desmond Henry, James Warren, Debbie Warren. We were especially thankful to Mabopane Baptist for meal preparations, and Rock of Ages for praise and worship.

Clothing items distributed – bags and bags!

Teddy bears and fleece tops made by Eastside Women’s ministry, cell groups, and another kind lady; they were distributed to orphaned and vulnerable children.

Invitations for the Warrens to speak in rural churches are a sign that trusting relationships are developing.

Praise God for the work that He is doing!

-Debbie and Lonnie

Eastside Community

Church

850 Primula Road, Garsfontein, 0044 eastside.org.za 012 998 2877 info@eastside.org.za

A journey with God

Find us on the Web: Eastside.org.za Meeting details: Date: 22 April Time: 19:00 Place: Club 35, ECC Moreleta