Vacation Bible School – July 12 – 16, 2010

The Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West will host our annual VBS this year from July 12 – 16th, from 5 – 8 pm. (dinner is included) Children ages 4 – 12 yrs. will learn the important milestones of the bible through singing, activities, crafts and skits.   There is no charge to attend VBS and every child is welcome.

Each day will be a different theme from an important lesson in the bible.  We will end on Friday with a family bbq so that your children can show you what they have learned, the crafts they have made and the friends they have met. We will end the evening with the children singing songs for you.

We are asking that each child bring a white cotton shirt (t-shirt, tank top, etc…) on Tuesday.  The shirts will be tie dyed and the kids will wear them for the final day of VBS. (each child will tie dye their own shirt)

If you have any questions, please call the church office at 547-3088 or email Ammie Thomas, Children’s Ministry TEAM leader at children@ecopw.com

You can pre-register your children by contacting the church office or you can come early (4:45 pm) on Monday, June 12th and register your children then.

We look forward to seeing you at VBS!!

Community Survey

We have put together a survey for the Pueblo West / Pueblo community to determine how we can better server those in our area.  Please take a moment and help us by answering the questions we have compiled.

Begin Survey

Thank you for helping us better serve you and your family!

The Staff of the Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West

Do you play “Let’s make a deal” with God?

“I will bring burnt offerings to your house; I will offer you what I promised.  I will give you what I said I would when I was in trouble.” Psalm 66:13-14

At first when I read this it sounded so positive…and it is positive.  But as I continued to read it again I realized something.  The Psalmist bringing an  offering to God.  That sounds good.  Then the Psalmist says he is bringing the offering he promised to God…again, that sounds really good.  However, then the writer says, “I will give you what I said I would when I was in trouble…”  HuH?  What is that about? I suspect we all can identify with the Psalmist.  Well, all of us who have experienced trouble, anyway.  When bad things come our way, especially if they are bad things of our own making, we have a tendency to play “Let’s make a deal” with God.  God if you get me out of this… or God if you will only do this, I promise to never do that, or promise to change… I’ve been there and done that!

In the Burt Reynolds movie “The End”, there is a great scene where Burt is about to drown.  As he is looking at the shore he begins to promise God that if God lets him live he will give God 10% of everything he makes.  As he grows more tired his offering increases.  When the shore is almost in reach but he doesn’t think he will make it, he is up to 90%!  “God I will give you 90%.  I really mean it this time”, he says.  As he crawls up on the beach he loudly proclaims his thanks to God for saving him by proclaiming, “Just like I said God, I will give you 10% of everything I make!”

Sounds a little like our Psalmist, doesn’t it.  Only the Psalmist is keeping his promise…we hope.

The problem is the when I, Mr. Reynolds or the Psalmist play “Let’s make a deal” with God we do so from a false place.  God can take my life anytime.  God already owns me and all the resources.  As a follower of Jesus, everything I have or will ever have is God’s.  I have nothing to bargain with.  I have nothing to offer God that God can’t just take anytime He wants.  What I am trying to say is that there is nothing I offer to God when I am in trouble that I shouldn’t be offering to Him every day.  My life, my money, my family, my house, my car, anything I am or will ever be has already been bought and paid for by God by Jesus’ death and resurrection.   Praise God!

I should be offering up to God everything every day!  I will be trying to do a better job of that, starting this moment.  I hope you will, too.

If you are a Christian, you are a Royal Priest

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9

Peter tells us, in this passage that we have been given a job title, a job, and a job description!  If you are a Christian, you are a Royal Priest. That is your job title.  You are a priest with royal ancestry.  As  one of God’s own kids you have the best linage possible.  Think about it… when you say “my father is bigger than your father” you aren’t kidding!  And that is exactly what your job is.  As a royal priest your job is to talk about the greatness of God.  That is your calling…not just mine as the pastor, but every Christian’s.  Now no employee contract would be helpful if it didn’t give at least a clue as to how to accomplish what you are hired (called) to do, would it?  You are hired to share with everyone the mighty acts of Him who called YOU out of darkness into His marvelous light!  I once asked a friend of mine who was born blind what it was like to be blind…. I know, no tact… His answer really surprised me.  He told me that he didn’t know what it was like to be blind because that was all he had to compare it to.  Many people out there don’t know they are in the dark because the darkness is all they have ever known.  Our job is to help them see that they don’t have to stay in the darkness.  They don’t have to live without seeing and knowing the marvelous works of God.  Jesus’ death and resurrection have made possible the seeing what we couldn’t see before, God’s love and grace for us.

You have been given a job, a job description, and a job title… it is time to get busy… our boss has great expectations!

Haiti – Help Provide Assistance to Haiti

The Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West has joined in the need to help Haiti.  If you are able to help, we recommend that you go through The Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) link below, or you may give during our church service and we will send the money directly to PDA.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is responding in Haiti.  Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has already sent funds and is working in cooperation with our ecumenical partners on the ground to provide emergency food, water, shelter and medical supplies. Please pray for those affected and give to the ongoing relief through PDA account number DR000064. Gifts can also be made by phone at (800) 872-3283, and checks can be mailed to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

Give Online Here