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| OUR MISSION | |
| To love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and all our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. | |
The church supports the Carmi Children's Home, the Glen/Ed Food Pantry, Hospice, area hospitals, the various charitable arms of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missions, and several local charities. |
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| OUR HISTORY | |
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The church
started as a mission from the Calvary Baptist Church of Edwardsville in
1973. It was originally founded to be a Christian presence to Southern
Illinois University at Edwardsville. It met in the YMCA until 1975, when
a small structure was built on the corner of ESIC and University Drives
about 2 miles from the campus. The current building was constructed in
1987. The church joined the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in 1998. The church has ordained Larry Busch, Jordan Dollar, and Jane McKinney to the ministry. |
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| PASTOR'S MESSAGE: | |
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July/August 2008 Well, here we are in the middle of summer, longer days and warmer temperatures, but for some reason I don't have that summer slump at church. We have had some low attendance, but the spirit has been upbeat. The Lectionary will follow the Gospel of Luke all the way to Advent and there we will start a new year. As you know, I like to do a series of sermons, and it has been suggested that I do a series about women in the Bible. So I would welcome any suggestions you might have on the subject. We will look for God's help with this. The theme of the last few Sundays has been the "Compassion" of Christ; how it propels Him into actions that help. Now this is what we are to be about here; moved to action by our love for others. We feel for the person who is suffering. We can sympathize with their difficulty, so we are moved to lessen their pain. May God open our eyes to see the condition of others and the ways we can help. -Pastor Barry Harris May/June 2008 On May 11, we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday and Mother's Day. It is the final Sunday in our series" "Things that Call Us to Life". It is so fitting to end with the coming of the Spirit that empowers us to live the life of our calling: the Spirit in the energy within propelling us forward, helping us in every challenge, and seeing us through every difficulty. My prayer is for us to experience the power that brought Jesus back to life, Resurrection Power, and for it to become evident in our Church and individual lives. -Pastor Barry Harris March/April 2008 This is such a wonderful time in the church calendar and in our hemisphere, with Spring knocking at the door. Easter comes early this year, the fourth Sunday in March, and Spring is getting the "cold shoulder" from winter. However, both will finally get here and all life will break out. The gray of winter will give way to the green of Spring and the cycle of life will begin with intensity again. This is the message of Easter, death can not hold Him. Just when it looks like all is over for Jesus. He springs forth from the dead to a new and more powerful form of life. The cross is our forgiveness and resurrection is our life. A new and more powerful form of life is ours. -Pastor Barry Harris January/February 2008 Happy New Year! May you be blessed throughout this new year. Let me encourage you: Don't be late in 2008. You don't want to miss out on any of the good things God has in store for you this year. This is especially important for Sunday School teachers, to be on time. This shows that you care. You are there to welcome those who arrive early and the other classes are not disturbed. The next three Sundays are about Epiphany. Knowing about the activity of God and just how we respond to Him. On February 6, Ash Wednesday, we begin Lent. So we will be challenged to soberly reflect on ourselves and our activity in this world. May God help us to be his presence in our world. -Pastor Barry Harris November/December 2007 We are about to enter the Holiday season. First there is Thanksgiving, and then shortly after we will begin Advent. Thanksgiving is so important, and not just from an historical point of view. In almost all the prayers of Jesus that we have, He expresses gratitude to God. We are instructed in other parts of the Bible to be thankful. Gratitude is an expression of maturity in our Christian experience. We will begin the Advent Season: December 2 - Expectation, December 9 - Preparation, December 16 - Proclamation, December 23 - Revelation What a wonderful and magical time of the year. -Pastor Barry Harris September/October 2007 This is my favorite time of year. It seems so many things come together at this time of year. School starts, now there is excitement and stress! Most of the crops are ready to be harvested, and the weather is getting cooler. I love it! The second Sunday in October we are going to think about churches of our past. This study will last the following three Sundays. Mostly we will use music and testimonies to think about our past and our Christian development. Jesus said, "I know where I come from," and this helped Him to know how to act in the world. As we begin this new season, I pray there is a fresh brush with the Spirit of God. -Pastor Barry Harris July/ August 2007 With the arrival of summer, the temperature goes up and attendance goes down. This is a normal cycle for the church. This summer we have some exciting activities planned. The Barbeque, along with games, food and fun awaits our members. You got to love it. The Sunday School for children will make some changes, and both adult classes are thriving. This last Sunday the music was "over the top" in worship service. For all this I raise thanks to God, Heui Li, and Sandy. So this summer, put attendance at ESIC on the top of your list of things to do. It should be a blessing for you like the testimony Lela gave last Sunday. It was so uplifting for me. I know it will help my summer become better. May God keep everyone of us safe in all our activities this summer -Pastor Barry Harris May/June 2007 This is an exciting time at ESIC Baptist Baptist Church - the special days ahead to celebrate and build anticipation. Mother's Day, Children's Day, Father's Day, and an Ordination - our schedule is full. Usually the summer time tends to be a bit slow, but this year we are blessed with meaningful activity. There are several children to be dedicated on Children's Day. This is always a sweet time. With the proud parents, special dress, and the church with hearts open to officially receive them. The Ordination service of Jane McKinney will be an inspiring time. It is always wonderful to officially bless someone to the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as ESIC is an unique church, we bless people to unique service. May the Lord continually strengthen us to serve Him. -Pastor Barry Harris March/April 2007 Lent is a time of preparation through self-examination, to soberly reflect on the content of our hearts and our actions in this world. This year's theme: "Life expects something from us", compels us to prepare to meet that expectation. As Gary preached the first Sunday of Lent, the desert experience of Jesus was to prepare Him. His calling of teaching, healing, and the cross was not fulfilled in the solitude of the desert, but in the world of people. The second Sunday of Lent, The Mount of Transfiguration, is the same theme. We are not to stay on the mount no matter how attractive that might be. It is in the valley that people cry out for help and people need healing. May we prepare during this season to live out our calling. -Pastor Barry Harris |
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