ECV Christmas Giving Opportunity - for CCA (with NHV)!

ECV Christmas Giving Opportunity - 3 ways to help out!

1. Give $$ to purchase Gifts for kids at CCA's Steppingstone Transitional Housing Program! ($25 = 1 kid's gift) - collecting donations on Sundays (12/4 & 12/11)
2. Buy Gifts for the kids! - wrapped gifts collected on Sun. 12/18
3. Volunteer and Meet the Families at Steppingstone Christmas Reception! - Tuesday, 12/20 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at 660 Winchester Ave. (need 4 - 5 volunteers)

I'm so excited to share with all of you a wonderful opportunity to share some Christmas love to local children in New Haven this holiday season! 

We'll be partnering with the New Haven Vineyard Church (located in West Haven, the church we planted out of) to provide presents for the kids in Christian Community Action's Stepping Stone Transitional Housing Program!

The idea is this - ECV will be buying Christmas gifts for 15 children (in 9 families - half of the families who live in the housing units), ages ranging from 6 months - 17 years, who currently live in Steppingstone's Transitional Housing units. The parents of these families are working hard to find jobs and more permanent housing to provide for their families, and often don't have money left over to buy presents for their kids. So, we have a list of kids (and their wishlists!) who we will purchase and wrap the gifts for, which we will then give anonymously to their parents, who will then give the presents to their kids - it imparts a sense of dignity for the parents to do it this way.

So, how can you help out? There are 3 ways (you can do one, more or all of the below)!

1. Give Money: We will be collecting donations during our NEXT TWO Sunday Gatherings (12/4 & 12/11) - We hope to spend $25 per kid, so you can choose to "sponsor" part of a gift or more! If you can't make it on a Sunday, then feel free to email Hannah to arrange sending your donations to her (checks payable to ECV, write "CCA Christmas" in memo).
   
2. Buy/Wrap Gifts: If you LOVE shopping (and/or wrapping gifts), we are looking for people who will buy the actual gifts for the kids! We will provide you the name, age, gender, and wishlist of kid(s) that you want to buy gifts for and we will be collecting wrapped gifts on Sunday, 12/18. You can shop alone or with friends/kids/your homegroup! Email Hannah if you are interested in doing this.
3. Volunteer and Meet the families at Steppingstone Christmas Reception! - On Tuesday, 12/20, from 5:30 - 7:30pm at 660 Winchester Ave., we will be co-hosting a Christmas reception at the Steppingstone building to meet the families who've received our gifts! We'll provide punch and cookies, etc. We need about 4 or 5 people from ECV to represent us at the reception, so if you are interested in attending/helping out with this (this is a great opportunity to meet the people we've bought the gifts for), then let Hannah know.

If you are interested in helping out in any way or have any questions about this, just email Hannah.
Hope you can help out and share the love this Holiday Season!

This Week at ECV: 10/4 - 10/9

This Week at ECV: 10/4 - 10/9

• Life with a Living God Conference: 10/14-10/15 – Register today!
• King's Keep + ECV: Sat. 10/8 from 12:30-2:30pm @ 79 Kensington St.
• Sunday Homegroup is Starting! - Sun. 10/9 at 10:00am at 6 Woodland Dr. (Woodbridge)

*****
The Scoop:

Life with a Living God Conference:
a Practical Workshop on Hearing from God and Praying for Healing

Friday, 10/14: 7:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday, 10/15: 2pm-5:30pm, dinner (provided), 7:30-9:30
@ United Church on the Green (corner of Elm St. and Temple St., New Haven)

Take the plunge! Come and see what God has in store for you and our community through this conference. Register today! (It also helps us plan some of the logistics when we know who’s coming.)

What if God is real? What if God is at work in the world? What if God wants to work through us? Whether you've been following Jesus for years or are just beginning to explore life with God, this conference will be an opportunity to explore what life could look like in God's presence.

Speakers
Jamie and Michelle Wilson, Coast Vineyard (San Diego)
Robin Morrison, Basileia Community (Hollywood)

Cost
$20/person
undergraduate discount: $10/person
please don't let cost keep you from coming; feel free to pay what you can.

Saturday dinner and childcare will be provided.

***

King's Keep + ECV
Saturday, October 8th
12:30-2:30pm
@ 79 Kensington St.

This Saturday (10/8), we will be assisting the volunteers at King's Keep - a ministry to children and families in New Haven, particularly in the Dwight-Kensington neighborhood.

We will be joining those living at 79 Kensington Street (including some fellow ECVers!), in playing games with the children, leading them in Worship and a short bible lesson, and also praying for the parents who come with the kids. (Plus, we have lunch with the kids!)

It looks like it is going to be a sunny, lovely fall day on Saturday, so join us as we serve and bless the families in the Dwight neighborhood! If you are particularly interested in either setting up, planning the games or helping out with worship, please contact Hannah

***
Sunday Homegroup is Starting!
Sundays (starting 10/9) at 10:00am
6 Woodland Drive,Woodbridge, CT 

As we heard in the announcement last Sunday, our newest homegroup (which will be on Sunday mornings!) will be starting this Sunday (10/9). They will be studying the book of Hebrews (written to the first followers of Jesus), particularly examining the themes of perseverance, finding encouragement and assurance to press on in our faith by following the great examples of biblical faith, most of all, Jesus.

The Sunday Homegroup is led by Steve and Tamara Fitzgerald and Pat and Bill Croasmun. For more info, contact: Jen Hartley

If you haven't had a chance to go to a homegroup yet, we hope you can make it to this one OR one of our other homegroups throughout the week - Click Here for more info on ECV Homegroups!

This Week: Twice the Summer Fun!

Just wanted to remind you about TWO exciting events happening in the next TWO days!

TODAY (Thurs. July 28th): Ice-Cream Off @ The Kennedy Home (290 Fountain St)--7.30pm
This event has now become an annual tradition, complete with voting and prizes. Bring your own home-made ice cream (or brought-home ice cream if that's more your speed) to compete in this night of laughter, cheer, and extra-delicious ice-cream consumption. Think you can beat the Champion strawberry gelato from last year? Come on over and find out!

TOMORROW (Friday 7/29): Arts in the Park @ Edgewood Park--4pm
This will be the culmination of the Picnics in the Park series, and it promises to be an extra wonderful afternoon of family friendly fun! We'll provide some picnic fixings, but feel free to bring other things to share. So bring your friends, bring your artistic selves, and join us for Arts in the Park!

We are also looking for a few people who are willing to volunteer to staff the food table or help supervise an activity with the kids (we can work in shifts if necessary). Let Hannah know if you're interested in helping out!

ECV Sprouts Pizza Party (for kids)!

Dear ECV Parents,

Since January is a 5-week month, the January ECV Sprouts Teachers thought it might be fun to reward hard work from such fantastic kids with a bit of a party this Sunday. We're planning to make party hats, play games, make our own individual pizzas, and serve fruit popsicles. Please let us know (Email Heidi) if there are any food allergies we should be aware of beforehand and any restrictions on sugar in the evening. We also plan to roll our own dough, so if you have a rolling pin, please bring one!

Hope you are all enjoying your snow day!

Best,
Mia, Asha, and Heidi (ECV Sprouts January Teachers)

"Future of ECV Children's Ministry" Forum!

Date: Saturday, May 9th

Time: 10:30am - 12:00noon

Place: 530 Norton Parkway (Blum/Saperstein House)

(Childcare will be provided).

Calling all Parents, Teachers, and anyone else interested in the future of ECV's Children's Ministry!

You are invited to a "Future of ECV Children's Ministry" Forum next Saturday morning - As the number of children and families grows in our ECV community, we are seeking what is best in terms of helping our children grow to become devoted followers of Jesus. To that end, we are looking for your input as we are thinking of implementing some changes to our current Children's Ministry structure!

Particularly, we are looking for creative solutions to provide the best opportunities for our children to grow in their faith (on Sundays and beyond!), support Parents in raising their kids, and how to do that without overwhelming the church with volunteering and staffing needs.

We hope you can join us to dream, brainstorm and pray with us!

Questions? Contact Hannah - hannah [at] elmcityvineyard [dot] org

"Gifts of Love" Service Project!

The ECV Children's Ministry is inviting you once again to participate in our latest service project! (Thanks to all who helped out with our Thanksgiving project - it was a big success!)

On Sunday, February 15th our children will be putting together “Gifts of Love Kits” for Leeway, Connecticut's only free-standing nursing home dedicated solely to the care of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The kits will contain items that will help to better the lives of their residents. We’re asking that you bring at least one of the items below:

• Art Supplies
• Games, summer outdoor games, decks of cards, word search books, batteries AA & D, etc.
• Bird feeders, bird seed, bird baths, bird books, binoculars
• Knitting-crochet needles, yarn
• Beauty Supplies: nail polish & supplies, hair products, cosmetic supplies (New Only Please)
• Garden tools, supplies, plants, soil, planters

We’ll collect the items on Sunday, February 15th. If you want to send extra items, that’s fine too. I hope you can join us in helping those living with HIV/AIDS!

Thanksgiving Service Project with and for Kids!

As we start the Thanksgiving Season, I just wanted to invite you to join our ECV Children in giving much needed Baby Items to young families in need!

Next Sunday, our children will be putting together “Blessing Babies Kits” for Life Haven, a local temporary shelter that provides a safe and nurturing environment for homeless pregnant women and women with young children.

The kits will contain items newborn babies need – and that some new mothers have difficulty affording. If you would like to donate something, you can bring something from the list below:

• Fitted crib sheet
• Crib blanket
• Baby bath soap
• Baby lotion
• Pacifier
• Baby brush & comb
• Washcloth
• Diapers & wipes

We’ll collect the items NEXT Sunday, November 23. If you want to send extra items, that’s fine too. I hope you can join us in helping young families this Thanksgiving!