“Our hearts thirst for more than this world has to offer. In today’s culture it is easy to find ourselves caught up in a search for fulfillment. Every social media platform, advertisement, and marketing campaign are all attempting to sell you the satisfaction of being known and accepted.
Deep down we thirst for belonging. Thankfully, there is a solution! We were designed to experience a relationship with our Creator. It is only through tasting the Living Water that Jesus pours out for us that we find contentment in this life.
Psalm 139 says, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” These words confirm our Father’s heart toward us. The Lord knows every detail about us, and stands with open arms, hoping that we would reach out for Him (Acts 17:27). We have all fallen short of the glory of God. There is nothing man can do to save themselves from the curse of sin; but, the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross has the power to restore the relationship between man and God.
The Emma Anderson Summer Youth Program will spend this summer learning what it means to know the Lord and make Him known. The youth program’s fun-filled activities are just the start to diving into a strong, Christ-centered community. “But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14. Please join us this summer as we experience Christ’s LIVING WATER!
Our program will begin on June 12th. Please follow our social media pages (Facebook: @EAMCyouthprogram and Instagram: @eamcyouth) for each week’s schedule of activities.
Activities for ages 6-12 will be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00-10:30AM. Rising 7th grade through rising college freshman will have activities every evening during the week (Monday-Friday). No prior signup is required, we can’t wait to meet you! “
Submitted by Mary Grace Teachey
SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM 2023
Ministers
NEW ONLINE DIRECTORY APP
We are excited to announce our new Online Member Directory app!
“Follow these directions to get the new app, and don’t forget to tell your friends and family to do the same!
Download the Online Member Directory App for Apple or Android
Tap + Add New Directory then enter eachapel for the mobile code and submit.
Tap the church name and log in using your existing username and password.
Your directory is still available on the web at eachapel.org.
Please note: All administrator edits are done through the web version.
New features include:
Ability to edit your own profile information and change/update your picture on the website version.
Touch a picture to enlarge.
Expanded search feature searches all fields.
Notifications always appear in the app.
Your family names have been updated. We split your family names into two fields: the last name on one line and first names on another.
Our legacy app, CTRN Online Directory, will continue to work for the time being; however, it will be phased out in the coming months.
Enjoy your new app!”
Karen Roberts, Online Directory Administrator
COVERED DISH DINNERS
There will be Covered Dish Dinners on the fourth Wednesday in June and July at 6:30pm. The dates are June 28 and July 26. The June dinner will be held at the Assembly Building. Watch your bulletin for further information.
Bring a dish to share and enjoy the fellowship!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Children’s Church – June 11 – August 13
Summer Women’s Bible Study – June 20 – August 1
Covered Dish – June 28
BOG Meeting – July 15
Covered Dish – July 26
Youth Sunday – July 30
REFLECTIONS
“The Dog Days of Summer”
As I write this article on this cool and windy day in May, it is hard to imagine that the hot days of summer are just around the corner. But they are! Officially the first day of summer for us in the Northern Hemisphere this year is Wednesday, June 21 (the Summer Solstice) and lasts through to September 23 (the Autumn Equinox).
With the start of summer, Topsail Island comes alive with tourists from all over the place. Here at Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel, we expand our ministry to reach out to as many visitors as possible. Our summer youth ministry begins the second week of June and goes until the second Sunday in August, our Sunday services expand to two (one at 8:00 am and the other at 10) during this same time frame, and our existing programs expand to accommodate the larger crowds.
So, what should our focus be this year as we prepare for this coming “invasion”, I mean “influx” of visitors? I suggest we take a page out of the “play book” of Samaritan’s Purse. As you may know, Julia and I spent eight days in Little Rock, Arkansas as volunteers in disaster relief with Samaritan’s Purse (for details on our experience, see Julia’s write-up elsewhere in this newsletter). As our team of volunteer workers went out each day to help the tornado victims recover, we were often asked, “Why did you come?” Our answer was quite simple: “We have come to help you in the name of Jesus Christ, to be His hands and feet.” As the Apostle Paul said in his second letter to the church in Corinth (II Cor.4:5), For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
What a good summary of why we do what we do here at EAMC. Or to put it another way, our mission statement says: To glorify God and to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of All.
Therefore, as we prepare for the summer influx of visitors let us remember that we “do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” And we are His hands and feet serving them for His sake. Amen.
*So why are those really hot days of summer called “The Dog Days of Summer”? They get their name from Sirius the dog star in the Canis Major constellation that can be seen in our sky during July and August. They represent the hottest days of the year. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed this period brought catastrophic events. Perhaps they still do.
Are your thoughts holding you captive? The Summer Women’s Bible Studywill be using the book by Jenni Allen titledGet Out of Your Head.It is a Biblical guide, based on the book of Philippians, about discovering how to submit our minds to Christ. This is based on the theory that how we think shapes how we live. As we surrender every thought to Jesus, the promises of God flood our lives in profound ways.
The sessions are graciously being led by Judy Brock, Patty Hatch, Robin Jackson, and Jane Brock. Sessions are scheduled to begin Tuesday June 20, 2023, 9:30 am-11:30 am, and will run through August 1, 2023. There will be no meeting the week of July 4th. Sessions will be held in the Upper Room of the Fellowship House. Books will be available at the first session.
Sign up for this study by contacting Annette Newton at 910-990-5930 or awn1954@gmail.com.
KINGDOM CRAFTERS
In conjunction with Kiwanis Club of Topsail Island, Kingdom Crafters sent these items to the Waccama Boys and Girls Home:
In conjunction with Kiwanis Club of Topsail Island, Kingdom Crafters sent these items to the Waccama Boys and Girls Home:
We gave Coastal Pregnancy:
3 crib sheets
2 sweaters
1 burp pad
We have one member who saves scraps of material and puts them in a pillowcase and makes a dog/cat bed. She gave three pet beds to Surf City Pets.
We gave eight bags to Faith Harbor Methodist church for their homeless outreach.
“Meet Team 5 and Cliff, our fearless leader: (squatting)
The truck you see is loaded with 2 wheel-barrels, rakes, shovels, power tools, chain saws, gloves, bags, drinks and anything you could need on a work site. With a large group like ours, we finished work orders in one day! They underestimated us🙂
In this part of Arkansas, there were HUGE oak trees that had been there for years. As you can see from the trunk I am standing next to, the trunk was almost five feet in diameter. One neighbor said that you couldn’t see the houses in the neighborhood for the trees, and it was dark. Well, it’s clear vision now with nearly no trees. And as another neighbor summed up, “It’s going to be a hot summer.”
Day one – neighbor to the property we were working on said he felt led to leave the study and go to the bathroom. Five seconds later the tornado ran through. It lasted 5 seconds. He returned to his work chair and it was peppered with glass shards. He gave God credit for leading him into the bathroom.
Day three – two elderly couples. Couple 1: “We were on our way to Krogers and a tree fell in front of our car, and a second later, a tree fell behind our car. We couldn’t move, but God protected us!” It took them three hours to be able to drive home. Couple 2: We were on our way to Kroger and saw debris swirling around the parking lot. Didn’t look right, so we turned around to go home.” When they got home, their house was a mess – tree fell through the roof, water damage. The house will be demolished. We helped them pack up what they could keep. As we were leaving, I said “Adios, amigos,” to the roofers next door. The main guy came up and asked, “What’s this Samaritan’s Purse? I see them all over town” I asked if he read the Bible. He said, “No, but my friend says I should.” His friend was in the shade nodding his head. So, I briefly told him the story of the Samaritan. I encouraged him to read the whole story in his Bible. I said what we say every day – “We are just the hands and feet of Jesus bringing hope to hurting people.” I gave him a card with a phone number that he can call and talk to someone. I’m counting on his friend to continue to water the seed.
Day four: Rich is on the roof while Keith (on a skid steer) was trying to untangle and cut the trees off of the roof. Keith and his wife have sold their house and all belongings and has his own ministry. He partners with SP. His family lives in a camper and his wife homeschools their 2 boys. The boys were part of our team for 2 days as well. They are learning how to operate equipment, and being a good Samaritan. Rich’s job after the tree finally was off, was blowing the sawdust off the roof so no one would slip and fall. The debris in front is from the house in the picture. We were actually working on the yard to the left, but the tree that fell was on the property we were working on, so we had to remove it.
This is to show you that when they say – go to a closet or bathroom – it’s true! The total house was destroyed, but the clothes are still hanging in the closet! Just an FYI in case we get a tornado!
I couldn’t help but lament about all the beautiful wood that was just going to be ground up into mulch. At the last house we worked on, I was thrilled to see a young thinking man. Another neighbor invested in a portable sawmill to help the young man with his dream: cut up and save the wood!
So, our crew carefully measured the logs into 10 foot sections and our trusty skids teer by Keith transported them up to the driveway. This house had 20 trees fall every which way BUT on her house!
The neighbor’s house walls were standing but missing the whole roof. The owner had tarped the whole roof and so offered his bathroom to us! He did pick a door up out of his trash pile first though, for the ladies. As we worked, the power people were installing electric lines, so the neighborhood was beginning to take shape, and people were experiencing hope. When an SP worker started to bring up faith, this young man said, “All you orange shirts have opened up my spiritual side! I own a company with 50 workers and I could not pay them enough money to do what you’re doing – and you’re doing it for free! Unbelievable! Thank you so much. This has truly been an awakening for me!” No more needed to be said!”
Submitted by Julia Pollock
SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL CHARITIES
We are indeed blessed at Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel to have affiliates who are generous in many ways, including financially. As a result of affiliates’ generosity, the Benevolence Committee is able to offer contributions to several local, national and international entities that help spread the Word of God. In this series for our newsletter, local entities that we support as a church will tell us about their mission and activities. Each newsletter will feature a different organization that your Benevolence Committee has prayerfully chosen to support on your behalf.
Emma Anderson affiliate Ria Harris saw that there was no program in place to help Pender County residents living from paycheck to paycheck when they faced an acute financial crisis. In March of 2022, she enlisted Vee Waldrop and Nancy Kerr Thomason to help her launch a 501(c)3 to fill this void. Through volunteering at Share the Table, Ria saw that there were families that needed food but could not afford the gas to get there as well as families whose refrigerator had died, and they had no funds to pay for a new one.
The name of the charity was chosen to reflect its mission. The difference between hopeless and hopeful can often be negligible when a Pender County resident has a temporary financial crisis such as a necessary car repair, a washing machine that quits, unexpected medical bills, or other such financial crises and inadequate funds to bridge the gap. The goal of the organization is to provide a bridge of hope for our Pender residents in crisis. Unlike some organizations, Pender Bridge of Hope’s goal is to make a quick decision and to fund directly to a third party rather than giving money to a recipient. We can often assist in negotiating with our contacts to get repairs done quickly and economically and negotiate with landlords to waive late fees, so it is often expertise as well as financial assistance.
Pender Bridge of Hope officially launched last Fall with our initial fundraiser, an auction and cocktail party at the Assembly Building. Thanks to the incredible support of businesses and individuals in the community, we raised almost $25,000 and everything was donated so there was no cost to us. A second successful fundraiser was held April 1 of this year featuring The Notorious Clamslammers. In addition to our fundraisers, we have received tremendous financial support from cash donations of individuals, organizations and businesses in the community.
To date, we have been able to fulfill 13 requests that have impacted, including the family members, over 35 individuals. The funding we have provided has ranged from an individual who needed a life-saving durable medical device, a young divorced mother who needed help with rent, one who needed help with food, a young adult attempting to finish high school who needed a financial hand, to families who needed help with rent or utilities while they were between jobs or facing medical challenges. As our referral network grows, we hope to help even more Pender residents and will continue to have fund raisers and seek donations to keep up with demand.
The relationship between Pender Bridge of Hope and Emma Anderson Chapel has been quite strong. In the initial phase of planning the first fundraiser, we realized that we needed help to achieve success and formed the Pillars of the Pender Bridge of Hope. The Pillars include Sarah Cox, Rucker Eggleston, Debi Frankenfield, Grace Landeau, Hope Longest, Marsha Lewis, Vechy Marwell, Connie Taylor, Debbie Uzzell, and Cathi Willoughby, most of whom are Emma Anderson affiliates. It is this group of members who has planned and executed the fundraising and worked on making the funding decisions. Many of our individual donations have come from members of the Chapel who heard our story and wanted to help. Most importantly, we have partnered with the Emma Anderson Chapel Benevolence Committee many times to co-fund requests that originated from us or them. The Benevolence Committee has also been a much-appreciated source of financial support.
They say it takes a village. The Chapel and its affiliates have been an important part of the Pender Bridge of Hope village. We look forward to seeing how we can work together to make a difference for those facing acute financial challenges in the years to come by providing quick financial assistance and creating hope for those who feel helpless. If you wish to learn more or donate, visit penderbridgeofhope.com. Checks can be mailed to Pender Bridge of Hope, P. O. Box 3133, Topsail Beach, N.C. 28445.
Submitted by Tommy Newton, M.D.
MINISTER SELECTION COMMITTEE
The Minister Selection Committee encourages all EAMC affiliates to consider sponsoring a minister for the 2024 church year. Applications are available at the church or by request. The deadline is October 17th. If you have any questions please contact Julia or Frank Sherron at 910-690-2595 or 910-690-2194.
Julia and Frank Sherron, Co-Chairs of the Minister Selection Committee
Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel is a nondenominational church that gathers for worship, the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, and Christian fellowship.
Our mission is to glorify God and to proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of all.
