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WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SUNDAY

Picture this image in your head: an over-flowing fountain of water here at the corner of Wilson Pike and Concord Road. Your first reaction may be that there must be a massive leak to be fixed or that it is a flash flood that must be dammed with sandbags. But this water is not destructive, but life-giving. The water flows from here out into the streets and into lives, and homes, offering refreshment and sustenance. The pages of Scripture teem with the metaphor of water to describe God’s goodness. The ancient prophet Joel speaks of the land flowing with water; a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord. 

Over the last few weeks we have been asking the question that everyone asks and seeks to find an answer to: “What is the good life?” The Old Testament prophet Joel has been our guide. I hope you have learned many interesting things about yourself and about the larger narrative God desires for you to live into. This Sunday through music, word and community we invite you to plant yourself like a tree beside the flowing river of God’s goodness so it can flow through you out to those you love and beyond. 

I don’t know what kind of week you have, but if you need to be refreshed by this “fountain” of God I hope you will join us this Sunday at 10 a.m. Only you can answer what the good life means for you, but some of its hallmarks are offered in this prayer:

I seek to live the good life. 
That means knowing of the ‘locusts’ of life that cause devastation and loss. 
I mourn the losses and seek healing 
by building life-giving communities and nurturing my spirituality. 
I seek after the compassionate God who promises restoration and pours God’s Spirit over all.
I embrace accountability in my life, 
knowing that the decisions I make and the actions I take have consequences.
I participate in God’s restorative work toward
a just society and sustainable earth. 
I seek the good life.

This Sunday, the music will be led by youth band, choir, Sofia Cuevas, Lindsey Hinds-Brown, and Nate! There will be a great variety of exciting music. Sophia will sing “Brave” by Sara Bareilles to go along with John’s message. Hope you can make it for an exciting Sunday of music!

Click here to listen to past sermons and view past bulletins.
You are Invited to 
EBPC's Holy Week Family Festival!

Join us in two weeks on Palm Sunday (April 14) for worship at 10 a.m. and at 11 a.m. for our Holy Week Family Festival! We'll provide lunch and a fascinating journey through Holy Week for your family.

You will have the opportunity to walk with your family through interactive stations tracing Jesus' footsteps during this most Sacred Week. You can: parade through the streets of Jerusalem, wash the feet of His disciples, walk with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, sit with the disciples in the Upper Room, and fall on your knees with Mary at the Cross on Good Friday.

Mark your calendars now. You don't want to miss this special event!
This Lenten season we have been asking the question “What is the good life?” The Old Testament prophet Joel has been our guide. This past Sunday we looked at how Joel sees God pouring out God’s Spirit on all people (translated “vital life force”). That got us thinking about spirituality and when do people feel this vital life force.  

During the service Pastor John wanted to know how each of us practices our own spirituality. Not only did he ask folks to think about their own spiritual nature and how they nurture it, but he asked everyone to write down their answers and share them with us. It was an interactive, reflective moment during the sermon that resulted in some fascinating answers that we have shared below. What is amazing is that regardless of the differences in each of us - be it age, gender or otherwise (people indicated their age range on the sheet) - many of us still practice and nurture our spirituality in the same way. Showing us yet again, that even with all of our differences, we are more alike than we think….an important lesson to remember these days. 
 
We hope you will enjoy taking a look at how our EBPC congregation views their own spirituality. We’ve listed several of the responses below grouped by similar responses. You can read all of the responses and John’s preaching notes on our website HERE.
 
 
Nature
"Seeing wondrous things, being outside with family" 8 years old
"Mission work, prayer, spending time in nature, singing" Teenager
"I see God every time the season changes and each day on my way home as I cross the lake and witness His power as His breath sends ripples on the water." Age 65
 
Family
“Laughing together with the whole family” Age 40
"Working with Children at church” Age 60-70
“Quiet times with the kids - reading a book, snuggling” Middle Aged
 
Music
"Listening to great music, dancing with my spouse" Baby boomer
"Listening to Christian music when I’m shuttling kids to various activities"  40s
"I feel closest to God when in I’m in the care on the way to work with praise music blaring. It is literally a God is my co-pilot moment." 50s
 
Personal reflection
"Being with other spiritual women, Bible studies of any kind" 70s
"Every morning when I wake I give thanks to the Lord for another day to be with my children, family" - 40s
'"When I’m alone I have time to reflect upon things" 15 years old
I do mediation and focus on the Great Pyramid or when I was on top of a volcano in Maui; both of which make me feel spiritual. But, right now, I feel most spiritual sitting between two of my favorite friends in church." Age 58
 
Helping others
"With my resources I raise money to help women and girls get an education." 
"Being kind to those who may not be understood, helping abused animals" 70+
 
Church activities
"Presbyterian Women’s Bible study" 70s
"College Grovem - collecting food and serving those in need"
"With my church family. Their love and support shows me the hands of God creating His Kingdom." - 70s
Welcome to the EBPC Children's Corner! 
 
This Week in Children's Ministry
Join us this week to celebrate the 5th Sunday in Lent. Come hear the story of Mary annointing Jesus and learn how we can spread God's love like sweet perfume throughout our lives! 

Kids' Music and Drama
Music & Drama Club meets this week at 9:30am as we practice for our Palm Sunday performance. See you there!

Calling all Parents! Discover the "Good Life"
It is not too late to join our ONLINE "Good Life" Bible Study. Participate each week or join in when you can! Click here to join us!

NEXT WEEK!!!! RSVP!
April 14, 11am - HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL - This Palm Sunday, lunch is on us! Stick around after worship for fellowship and learning as we journey through Holy Week. Walk with your family through interactive stations tracing Jesus' footsteps during this most Sacred Week. Parade through the streets of Jerusalem, wash the feet of His disciples, walk with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, sit with the disciple in the Upper Room, and fall on your knees with Mary at the Cross on Good Friday. You don't want to miss this special event!

Volunteers Needed
If you would like to volunteer with our children's ministry, please email Lindsey to sign up!

EBPC Children's Ministry Newsletter
Are you receiving our new EBPC Children's Ministry Connection E-Newsletter? Contact Lindsey if you want to be added to the weekly email.

Acolytes Needed
Is your child interested in being an Acolyte or Water Bearer in worship? Please use this link to let us know which weeks they will participate!  
 
Want to learn more about EBPC's children's ministry? Contact Lindsey Hinds-Brown, Children's Ministry Director.
Many thanks to all who attended our Annual Meeting last Sunday, and thanks to our staff and session for all of the preparation time spent prior to the meeting. We will post the annual report to our website next week. Stay tuned!
This Sunday is our last one in our "Longing for the Good Life" series. Please join us the following week as we celebrate Holy Week at EBPC. See important dates and times for our Holy Week activities and Easter services.

Sunday, April 14 - Palm Sunday worship @ 10 a.m. and Holy Week Family Festival @ 11 a.m.
Thursday, April 18 - Maundy worship service 6 p.m. Soul Food and the Good Life Dinner immediately following the service.
Friday, April 19 - Good Friday - Church is open for a walk-through Stations of the Cross.
Sunday, April 21 - Celebrating the Good Life! Easter worship at 9am and at 11am. Easter Egg Hunt and Resurrection “Egg”Stravaganza at 10am. Pictures by the Flowering Cross.
“Soul Food and the Good Life”
Bring your favorite recipe this Sunday!

We received several recipes already, but we know there are still more we haven't received. Have you turned yours in yet? Don't worry there is still time...and it is very simple process. Plus, this is an easy way to participate in church activities and get to know other members better!

Here's how it works: Pick up a recipe card at one of the tables at EBPC.  Fill in a recipe that is special to you.  Include some details about the story of your recipe on the back of the card and bring it back to church.  Pick up a recipe from another family and prepare it for Maundy Thursday dinner.  Remember to pray for the family whose recipe you are preparing. That's it! We hope you will join in in this wonderful sharing activity to celebrate Maundy Thursday and Lent.
Easter Candy for Nueva Vida!

Opportunity to brighten up Easter in our Nueva Vida family.  Please bring your candy donations to EBPC and leave them in the box near The Gathering Place by April 10.  There are lots of great candy selections at local stores. Contact Barb Hall or Martha Wilson.
Interested in membership at EBPC or just want to find out more about ministry here? New members will be received on April 14 during worship. Of course, we will accept new members at any time so if this date doesn't work for you, there will be more opportunities to join our community.
Join the "Good Life" Lenten ONLINE
Bible Study!

Click HERE to Join!

The Book of Joel written centuries ago overlaps with our modern lives in significant ways. Most importantly, it is the shared experience of loss and trauma which the Old Testament prophet, Joel, recorded as the locusts. Today, we know about the locusts of life. As in Joel’s day we, too, wish for the "good life": our desire for community, a belief in a gracious God, and to experience spiritual renewal, live authentically, and be a blessing to others. Join with us this Lenten season to reflect on our journey to find the "Good Life" using Jaco Hamman's new book The Millennial Narrative: Sharing a Good Life with the Next Generation.
College Grove Benefit Concert: Saturday, April 13 5-9 pm at College Grove UMC Fellowship Hall.  Featuring Williamson County Bluegrass and The Cooter River Band.  Donations and canned goods accepted at the door.
Give online today!
Want to give online? Click "give now" at the bottom of the EBPC home page.  If you use online giving, EFT's or bank drafts for your offerings be sure to use the giving cards located in the friendship pads on Sunday to participate in the offering act of worship.  
The 2019 schedule for Sunday morning worship assistants is available.  To sign up as a liturgist, Communion server, acolyte or hospitality please click here.
Preschool News

Don't forget to send your cards for Sheri to celebrate her retirement to Elizabeth Johnson. You can put them in her mailbox at church or mail them to the church to Elizabeth's attention!

Chapel News
This week in the 2's class the topic was sharing with friends. We read The Best Mouse Cookie and sang "The Sharing Song." In the 3's and 4's we talked about Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit, and read a book titled Maybe God Is Like That Too, which is a story about a little boy encountering concrete examples of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control during his day. I highly recommend this book! We also marched and sang along to the song "The Fruit of the Spirit" by Steve Green. Next week is Group Chapel and our Hop-A-Thon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. If your child would like to participate in the offering, please send the collection envelope on their chapel day (Tuesday or Wednesday). If you lost the envelope that was sent home, any envelope will do!

Reminder! Registration is open for the 2019-2020 school year at EBCA! Click here for more information about registration.
Electronic Givers: Please use the electronic giving cards located in the friendship pads and near the sanctuary doors to participate in the offering as an act of worship.
The Congregational Care committee would like to provide a ride for seniors for various reasons like doctor’s appointments, fellowship events, etc. If interested, please let Kelly McConnell (615) 504-8634 or Kristine Vasilevskis (615) 403-5713 know a week in advance if possible.
REMINDER! We post lots of pictures, news items, links to the text of past sermons and musings on our Facebook page! Please check our page often and follow our activity as another way to keep up with all that is happening in our great community!

EMERGENCY NEED:  There was a fire over by Glenview Elementary in Nashville (our partner school). The school has 20 students who live in the apartment complex, but only one family's apartment was damaged by the fire. That family lost everything. They are new to the country and have two children- A fourth grade girl and a high school student (not sure of the gender). The counselor/translator spoke to the family and the biggest need is a bed and household items including sheets, towels, cookware, dishes, utensils. If you have some of these items laying around that you could donate, please let Elizabeth Johnson know at Eh_johnson22@hotmail.com or text 919-724-0976. Thank you! 
Copyright © 2015, East Brentwood Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

East Brentwood Presbyterian Church
9000 Concord Road
Brentwood TN 37027
615.370.4227

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East Brentwood Presbyterian Church · 9000 Concord Rd · Brentwood, TN 37027 · USA

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