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online - everettfamilychurch.org | mail - 15317 73rd AVE SE #2, Snohomish, WA, 98296 | phone - 425 387-1975

Time to Dig Something New by Pastor Mike

When we vacation on the Oregon coast in the summer one of my kids’ favor i t e ac t iv i t ies i s c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a mammoth-sized sand castle. Now this is not a precise, Romanesque-inspired castle with clear lines and simple elegance. It is a circle of sand mounded high and a deep moat that surround a mountain large enough for the kids to stand and watch the incoming tide. It takes hours of shoveling to construct. Folks on leisurely beach walks often stop to admire the developing behemoth. As the waves begin to lap and breach the sand walls the moat fills with the frothy surf. In time the tide wipes away the defenses until the mountain stands a lone island. By morning every evidence that there was once a twenty foot by twenty foot castle has vanished and again we descend on the beach excited about a fresh canvas on which to dig something new!

This beach scene is a picture of Everett Family Church as we come to the spring. The ground on which we were ministering was covered in footprints and evidence of six years of ministry. Most who counted EFC their church home had served since the 2007 beginning. Last fall we were tired and ready for something new and different - me more than anyone! The Holy Spirit spoke in a Community Pastor meeting at the end of October and breathed a fresh vision for EFC. We then met with the church and cast a picture of a new season in which we expected God to bring new life into our church family. What followed in the following months was surreal. God was at work beyond our control and people longing for a sense of connectedness and intrigued by the good news of Jesus began to show up. By the end of February eight new families considered EFC their home church. In February the Community Pastors were confident of God’s renewed purpose for EFC. It was as though spring came with a fresh canvas on which to dig something new and we were excited!

As God has brought many who are early in their faith or have no relationship with Jesus we are weighed by the responsibility of teaching them to walk with Jesus. This has become our primary focus. It has been a mix of excitement, joy, and feeling overwhelming by all that is before us. I cannot explain it. I hesitate to even quantify it for it has been an inexplicable work of God’s Spirit. Please continue to pray that God may have his way in EFC. Pray that he might grow us in understanding His will and his ways. Pray that we might walk in faith. Pray that God might grow His church into something awe-inspiring!

E F C F O C U S A P R I L 2 0 1 4

EFC FAMILY GATHERING S A T U R D A Y S @ 5 P M Our Family Gathering is a worship concert built upon the truth of God’s Word empowered by the Holy Spirit. Music typically opens our time with an interactive time of worship and a creative presentation of God’s

Word. There is an age-graded breakout for elementary and youth

while adults are challenged in a sermon based on the day’s Biblical text. The evening concludes with a

simple dinner. All who desire to grow in Jesus and the Bible are invited! Our current teaching series is helping

us understand Jesus through John’s gospel…

Jesus according to John

SCHEDULE:4:30pm, prayer time 5pm, family worship

6pm, breakouts 7pm, dinner

Seder meal celebration We will be experiencing the significance of Jesus’ final meal before his crucifixion together as a church family on Saturday, April 12th. Following our time of family worship we will enjoy this special meal together.

EFC Community Groups F R I DAY, A p r i l 2 5 t h

We meet in homes on the 4th weekend of the month for our Community Groups. We will not be having our Family Gathering at the Hope Church building this weekend. This provides us a special time for personal sharing and fellowship in a smaller more intimate setting. More information to come from the Community Pastors.

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online - everettfamilychurch.org | mail - 15317 73rd AVE SE #2, Snohomish, WA, 98296 | phone - 425 387-1975

There is much that we celebrate as we look back at the past few months. Here are just a few of the highlights…

Blizzard Camp. The annual elementary winter camp at Double K Ranch happened January 25-27th. Over 120 campers and staff headed up to the snowless camp for an extended weekend of games, friendship building, worship and Bible teaching. Despite the lack of snow there was not a single complaint about the weekend (a week later they received over a foot of snow!). One of the special additions to this year’s camp was Northview Church who brought staff and campers. Indiana Bones and a cast of characters helped us as we led the children into the Bible book Proverbs. Blizzard 2015 will be January 23-25.

Taco Tuesday! The monthly dinner service at the Family Tree Apartments on the 2nd Tuesday of the month continues to be a monthly highlight in the ministry of EFC. We prepare and serve dinner and eat with residents and enjoy a time of sharing about our lives. What a joy to be Jesus with skin alongside our children and youth!

Northview Youth iGroups. A special bond quickly forged between the youth staff during the Blizzard camp. So much so that the EFC youth and Northview youth began spending more time together. Northview is a sister church to EFC and Pastor Steve Michiels and Brookes August enthusiastically welcomed the EFC youth into the iGroup midweek discipleship time. Our youth and church have been blessed by this unique partnership as they support the spiritual growth of the EFC youth.

EFC Pool Party. On the final Saturday of March we rented the Lynnwood Recreation Center, brought in lots of pizza and invited others to join us for a special evening of fun. We offered this that we might practice inviting folks and that we m i g h t b u i l d relat ionships with those in our sphere of influence. There were over 70 people who came!

New Bible Studies. The need has become evident for intentional discipleship of men and women at EFC as more and more have come new in their faith with Jesus. Therefore, Paul Edwards has helped launch a men’s Bible study called “Growing in Christ.” The men are meeting every other week to discuss the Scriptures, memorize Bible verses and encourage one another in Christ. The women have begun “Experiencing God” during the weekly women’s study.

New family members. We have been blessed to have these folks connect with our church family in recent months… Paul & Amanda and their five boy, Kevin & Angelique, Kathy and Daryl, Rose, Casey and his daughter, Michelle and her daughter, Wendy and her three children, and Steve & Mary Jo and their two boys.

WINTER REWIND

E F C M a n a g e m e n t T e a m Dan Bell, Janine Ripley, & Mike Wright !

Our financial support of Jesus’ mission through His church is part of our spiritual life. At EFC we encourage you to give in proportion to God’s provision for you. When we give our tithes and offerings we are placing our financial

well-being into God’s hands and those who have faithfully and joyfully given in this way have discovered that God

always meets our needs. Please continue to give regularly, generously, and joyfully to God’s work through EFC! !Monthly operating budget $5,200 ...............Total Joy Box gifts in February $4,115 ..........................Total EFC spending in February $5,016 ......................... Community Ministry & Missions Abroad $367 ............!Total Joy Box gifts in March $5,204 .............................Total EFC spending in March $5,473 ............................ Community Ministry & Missions Abroad $350 ............! !

Everett Family Church is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization. Tax Identification # 71-1025722

Visit the EFC online for a current calendar of all events, times, and locations.

Midweek Youth iGroups Tuesday & Thursday, 6:30-8pm We are partnering with Northview Church in Mill Creek in the discipleship of our youth. Northview’s

middle school is led by Wilson McSwain (wilsonm@nview.org) and meets for iGroups on

Tuesday. The high school is led by Brookes August (brookesa@nview.org) and meets for iGroups on

Thursday.

Family Dinner @ Family Tree Tu e s d a y , A p r i l 8 t h

All are invited to help us prep and serve a meal to the folks who live at the Family Tree Apartments. We will meet at Hope Church at 5pm to prepare the meal

and serve the meal at the Family Tree Apartments at 6pm. We will clean-up and head home

around 7pm.

MENU:

Taco bar (sign-up online to bring food or help)

E F C B I R T H D A Y S !April 3 Benjamin ............................April 6 Rose ............................April 14 Jared..........................