Fusion Student Ministries

It is amazing to see what is going on in the life of the student ministry of Eastside Community Church.  With everyone's hectic summer plans over, life has finally kinda got back to normal.  There are several things coming up in the month of September and I am pumped to see what God will do.  Here are some things to mark on your calendar:




1.  The new Fusion T-shirts are in and they look AWESOME!!!  If you ordered one, you can pick it up on Sunday morning.  Don't worry if you think, I missed out on the order," we have extra.

2.  On September 9th, Eastside will be going to two Sunday morning services, 9:30 and 11AM.  The 9:30AM service, will give the Fusion students options-service or worship.  The 11AM service, we will have our Fusion service in the Fusion room.  I encourage all students to come at 9:30AM and get involved in serving others at Eastside. 

3.  On Sunday, September 16th, we will begin the new church-wide campaign, Not a Fan.  We will be seeing what a true follower is God's Word and watch a video by Kyle Idleman each Sunday during Fusion Sunday mornings at 11AM.  Then on Wednesday night starting September 19th, we will come together for our weekly Fusion small groups and go through the study that lasts for six weeks.  You can pick up your free copy of not a fan: teen edition, the next time you are at Eastside.



 I just want to take a second and thank God for our Fusion leaders.  They have had to put up with me, they definitely have shown grace to me.  These leaders are awesome and I can say without a doubt, they love our students and want to see them become fully-devoted followers of God.  I am excited to welcome two new members of our leadership team, Amanda and Chris Meeks.  Amanda will be a leader for the middle school girls and Chris will be a leader for the middle school guys.  Help me to welcome them to our team.

Finally, this Sunday is Friend Day at Eastside Community Church.  We will be having lunch on the campus following the Sunday service.  I want to encourage you to invite, invite, invite!!!

Keep Christ First,
Billy Edwards
Student Pastor
Fusion Student Ministries
Eastside Community Church

Special Moments

Everyone can reflect on their life and list things, events, or activities, that they can remember almost every detail of.  A parent can reflect back to when they first held their newborn child or you could ask someone where they were and what they were doing on September 11th.  Our memories reflect on the good times and the bad.  Each of these moments are life changing in some form or fashion.  Well, I can say that this past weekend was one of those memorable moments of my life.  This past weekend was spent at Laurel Lake Baptist Camp at the Emmaus Walk #30.  I spent 72 hours experiencing a small taste of God's grace and love.  Heading home on Sunday night, I reflected on what had taken place and the friendships that had made.  Just thinking that on Thursday afternoon, when I arrived, I knew no one.  Then leaving and thinking how much I was going to truly miss those men that I can now call my friends.  I saw God at work in the lives of each one of them, including myself.  We experienced three men accept Christ and many others rededicate their lives to the Lord.  I was in the presence of the Lord having grown men in tears.  I was among them, crying like a baby most of the weekend.  I heard amazing testimonies from pastors that had rough beginnings in life and hear how God touched them and made them new in Christ.  If I had to list events or people in my life as some of the most memorable and what I am so thankful for, they would have to be as followed:
1.  God getting a hold of me about 5 years ago because I had turned my back on Him.
2.  My wife
3.  My children
4.  Family
5.  The Emmaus Walk
6.  Friends
7.  My ministry

I am blessed more than I deserve and am constantly thankful for God's love and grace.  Take a moment and reflect on the memories of your life and thank God for what He has done and pray for God to work through you in the days to come.

In His Service,
Billy Edwards
 

Everyone likes pancakes

On Saturday, April 14th, we are having a fundraiser for students that are going to camp this summer.  Eastside's Fusion students will be going to XFuge on Mission camp in North Carolina on June 21-25.  The fundraiser will help pay for the cost of each of the campers.  There will also be a silent auction of merchandise donated by area businesses.  The pancake fundraiser will be in the cafe at Eastside Community Church and it only costs $5 per person.  Please help students get to camp.

Keep Christ First

Easter Sunday

If you do not have a home church, I want to personally invite you to come and join us at Eastside Community Church this Sunday for our Easter services.  We are having two services-9AM and 10:50AM. 

God is SO Good All The Time

I have a problem that I believe that I will never get over, let me explain.  I am a book junkie.  I have a stack of books that grows on a daily basis.  For each one I read, there is at least two that I add to the stack.  But my Mom from time to time brings me a book that she has read or she saw that she thinks I will like.  Normally, I just add them to the pile, but this last one I started just after I got it.  The book is entitled,  Innovate Church by Jonathan Falwell.  If that name sounds familiar, Jonathan is the son of Jerry Falwell.  Jonathan is the senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Jonathan became senior pastor after his father went to be with the Lord.  Jonathan has been a staff member of Thomas Road for over 25 years, in about every position that you can think of.  The first four chapters are about leadership and as I began reading a Scripture verse popped into my head and then later he mentions that same verse.  The passage is 2 Corinthians 3:5, It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own, Our qualification comes from God. (NLT)  As I stopped and thought about this verse, how many times have I made excuses why I can't do something that the Lord commands.  I'm not smart enough, not enough education, people will make fun of me, etc.  The list of excuses could go on and on.  That verse tells me that whatever God wants me to do, He will provide the means and the way for me to do it.  God doesn't half way do it either, you will succeed with the help of the Lord. 

Make today the day that you will let God bless you by being who He wants you to be.
P.S.  Please remember my wife in your prayers, she is having surgery in the morning.  She will be on the disabled list until the first of the year.

Keeping Christ First
Billy Edwards

It's Been A While

It has been a while since my last blog post.  It has been a roller coaster ride over the last several weeks.  One thing that has been constant over the last several weeks,  God loves me and has a plan for me. 

I am truly excited each time I am with the middle school students at my church.  These youth are amazing.  To see how they are inviting their friends to our services throughout the week.  To see how God is really working in the lives of some of them is AWESOME!!!!  For example, one of the middle school guys stayed behind after our Wednesday night small group was over this past week.  He said that he was going to start his own small group as soon as his football season was over.  He is inviting all of his teammates to get together weekly for small group.  As the middle school leader, I am so excited for him.  I have seen a passion to share the Gospel with others in him for some time.  During our small group time each week, he is a sponge.  He is constantly asking questions and taking notes.  It has me digging deeper in Scripture, just because I know that he will be asking questions that the normal middle school student wouldn't have.  God is working through this young man and my prayer is that God will use him to reach the guys on his team.  But that is the passion that God wants from each and every one of us that are a child of God.  A passion to learn more from His Word and a passion to make disciples.  So please keep this young man in your prayers as he prepares for this small group.  That God will use him to reach the lost guys on his team.

Keep Christ First
Billy 

Getting Radical

First of all, I am not having a flashback to a scene of a 80's movie.  What does the word radical mean?  The dictionary definition is thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms.  What does radical mean to a child of God?  The greatest example of being radical is found in the life of Jesus Christ.  Just take some time reading the life of Christ in the New Testament and you will find numerous times that Jesus said something or did something that had the Pharisees or high priests angry.  The church is more than just going to meet a couple of hours a week and maybe one day when your old, your name gets put on a pew in the sanctuary.  John 15:13 Jesus says, Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  There has been only One that could have gave His life to pay the sin debt for each of us.  So what does that verse mean for us?  To love others as He loves us.  Put away our self for the needs of others.  Being God's hands and feet.  We unfortunately live in a world that there is pain, suffering, and loneliness all around us.  Don't wait for your church to designate a week to help others or for a charity to reach out.  See a need and meet that need.  It opens the door for you to share the love of God to someone that doesn't know Him.  Be the radical example of someone that loves others the way that Christ loves you.