Day of Prayer

We will be gathering online this Saturday (October 17th) to seek the Lord together in prayer.  Psalm 2:8 says, "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance..."

As the body of Christ, what a great promise this is.  But we need to come before the Lord.  We need to ask.  So, set aside this Saturday.  Let's come together as a church for the sake of repentance, unity, and revival.  Let's come and ask that God would renew and transform us so that we would shine the gospel light with greater clarity and intensity to the praise of His name.  

Zoom ID 6297411915
Password: 7777777

8-10am led by Mandarin

10-12pm led by English 

12-2pm led by Cantonese

2-4pm led by Mandarin

Make sure to specify your name and language (for small group prayer) when logging in.  Eg. Joyce (E) for English or Joyce (A) for any language.

Welcome Back!

Hey ECCC,

We’re excited to see some of you in-person again as we reopen the church! Before we do, we’d like to give some quick tips on how we can worship safely together:

1. All attendees must register through Eventbrite. The link will be posted each week for you on the main English page to register.

2. We will be using Entrance C to enter the building.

3. Please wear a mask at all times; after entering, sanitize and head over to the check-in station!

4. After verifying your Eventbrite ticket, you must take the self-assessment survey if you haven’t done so already. Assessment survey must be taken before attending church. A temperature check will also be used for further safety measures on the day of.

5. Ushers will direct you to your seat. Please sit according to your congregation at least 3 chairs from the next cohort.

6. When the service has finished, we ask that you kindly leave and not loiter after the service (even though it’s so hard after not seeing everyone for so long).

7. Please use Entrance C as the exit.

Additional points:

1. If you need to use the washroom, please use the men’s and ladies’ washroom by lobby D/entrance D. Feel free to ask an usher to direct you.

2. Singing is not permitted, but feel free to hum those praise songs!

3. Please park at least 1 parking space apart from the neighbouring vehicle.

4. Food and water is not permitted, and all water fountains will be unavailable.

5. More info here.

See you all soon! Stay safe, and God bless!

English In-Person Worship: September 20th, 2020

We’re making plans for both in-person worship and livestream effective September 20th. In preparation for this launch, we’d like to share some important information.  

1. We ask that you review the safety guidelines and procedures below.  Familiarize yourself with these as your cooperation on these guidelines will help in keeping everyone safe.

2. For in-person worship, you will need to secure a ticket through Eventbrite each week.

   • COVID screening questions will be included in this process 

   • A link to Eventbrite will be posted on eccchurch.ca every week

   • Parents who require access to the nursery can also secure a ticket for one of the nurseries through Eventbrite (2 nurseries are available)

   • We have a limited capacity of 70 seats

Whether you’ll be joining us online or in-person, we are so excited about this new ministry year.  Continue to pray with us for a safe reopening.   

Phase 3 Reopening Survey Results

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that we have prepared a summary sheet of all your responses regarding reopening in September. *note: this is not to be confused with the English Service Registration.

Please head over to the main English page to view the results. Thanks!

Membership Declaration // Communion Sunday

Hey church,

Just wanted to remind you that July 31st is the deadline for membership declaration! Please click the button below to declare your membership.

Also, just a reminder that this Sunday is communion. We invite you and your whole family to join us for communion and worship.

To prepare, your household should make available a loaf of bread, bun, or even flat bread for those who are keen, and some juice.

Young kids may be curious about the bread and juice and may want to take part but we encourage they simply observe as the elements represent the body and the blood of Christ and should be handled with reverence (1 Corinthians 11:27–31).

Phase 3 Reopening

Thank you for your patience as we prepare for the re-opening of in-person worship services at ECCC. We plan to re-start ALL in-person worship services on September 4, 2020. Saturdays will be Cantonese and Mandarin; Sundays will only be the English worship service.

As part of our re-opening preparation, we need to register attendees ahead of time to ensure we are in compliance with AHS protocols regarding seating, social distancing, maximum occupancy and disinfection.

Please note that there will be NO NURSERY OR CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS (including Sunday School) provided at this time. Worship-time children's ministries will not begin until January 2021. AWANA and Kaio will resume September 2020 in online formats.

We will still be offering online services at the same worship times as we will not have capacity to have the entire English congregation in attendance.

We look forward to seeing you again (at a distance!) to worship together! Indeed, we worship together in Spirit and in Truth, regardless of where we worship as a church family.

Registration will be open from July 26 - August 15th, 2020. If you’d like to register for the English worship service, please click the button below.

New Layout!

Hey Church,

Just wanted to inform you that we’ve made some changes to our website layout.

Huge shout out to @Kevin Lau for his time and energy in helping code the navigation bars! Without his help, we wouldn’t have been able to streamline and clean up the website. Now that he’s set things in place, our website will be more efficient and organized as we add to the different menus in the near future. Please look below to see some of the changes:

Say goodbye to those buttons, and hello to the navigation bar! This will be on the main English page only. Look down below for further changes:

All other sub pages will have a side navigation menu that will open up once you click it. If you’re browsing using mobile, then there will only be this side navigation menu throughout the entire site.

No Prayer Meeting This Week + Communion Sunday

Hey Church Family,

Since our prayer meeting lands on Canada Day, some of you might have plans to celebrate safely with family and friends; which is why there will be no prayer meeting this week, but we will resume on July 8th. If you would like to pray on your own time or with a small group of people, you are more than welcome to do so. The prayer bulletin will be sent tomorrow as usual.

Also, just a reminder that this Sunday is communion. We invite you and your whole family to join us for communion and worship.

To prepare, your household should make available a loaf of bread, bun, or even flat bread for those who are keen, and some juice.

Young kids may be curious about the bread and juice and may want to take part but we encourage they simply observe as the elements represent the body and the blood of Christ and should be handled with reverence (1 Corinthians 11:27–31).

Happy Canada Day! Looking forward worshiping with you on Sunday.

Phase 2 of Reopening - We want to see you!

JULY 1, 2020: PHASE 2 OF ECCC REOPENING

We want to see you! We know everyone is excited to meet together, and we want to ensure we are fully prepared, keeping in mind the health and life stages of our church members. Our leadership teams have been working hard to make our reopening as safe as possible. On July 1, 2020, ECCC will launch PHASE 2 of our reopening:

1. All in-person ECCC fellowship and small groups can be hosted in our church building.

2. We encourage you to meet informally in person with fellow brothers and sisters or get together for worship services in your own homes if you feel you can do so safely.

As always, we must follow AHS guidelines and practice physical distancing. Visit eccchurch.ca for facility bookings, guidelines/logistics and more info. We plan to launch PHASE 3 for public in-person worship services at the end of summer. Thank you for your prayers and patience in this time.

Thank you!

“Every time we see a baby or a child, it is a constant reminder of how we need discipleship.”

When my wife and I were given the opportunity to attend a week long retreat, we were concerned about whether or not our ten month old would be a distraction for everyone — she cries loud, and she won’t hesitate in letting you know.  As we arrived to the campsite, we were warmly welcomed with the words quoted above.

They were some of the most convicting words I had ever heard and at the same time, it was powerfully refreshing.  I was reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 ESV,

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

The disciples viewed the children as a hindrance in their journey to Jerusalem, while Jesus had different priorities and did not hesitate to welcome them.  It was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to help the disciples recognize that those who would be saved from their sin must ultimately become like children in their humility and trust in Jesus Christ.

This is why our children’s ministry is such an essential part to the life of our church at ECCC.  Children are a constant reminder of how we need to carry out the work of discipleship, while also being a reminder of our attitude and need to humble ourselves and trust in Jesus Christ.

Which is why we’d like to thank all the AWANA/KAIO volunteers, leaders, and children directors (Mase and Sunsy) for their love, care and support: whether you have ran a Google classroom, dropped off goodie packages, prayed with your kids, played online games with them, or took the time to call them just to let them know that you’re thinking about/praying for them.

God is using all of you to further the kingdom of God, and none of what you give will be in vain.  You are an encouragement to many of us as you participate in the work of discipleship, so that one day, these children may come to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Latest Update on Reopening

Hey everyone,

We hope that you’ve been healthy and safe! Thanks to all of you who have been patiently waiting on further updates regarding when the church we begin reopening. Here is the latest update from our council:

PHASE 1 OF “REOPENING” DURING COVID-19

Many people have been asking about the re-opening of ECCC. We intend to re-open gradually and safely in phases. We are still prayerfully considering what each phase will look like.We continue to seek the Lord’s guidance on how to be good neighbours and protect our most vulnerable.

• On June 1, as a PHASE 1 approach, our ECCC building will ONLY be open for church leader meetings for Deacons, Elders, Pastors and Council Members who are comfortable meeting in person. This will allow them to implement and fine-tune safety measures for future phases.

• We continue to follow Alberta Health Services guidelines, and encourage all to practice physical distancing. 

•  We’d love to hear from you! As we prayerfully make plans on what ECCC ministries look like in the near future, we want to hear from YOU. Take the survey at: ECCC Reopening

• In the meantime, we welcome you to join us in doing church right inside our homes. Whether that is gathering in our living rooms with our families, or meeting up virtually with friends afterwards to share and pray, let’s worship together!

Three new buttons!

Hey E3C family,

We hope that you’re doing well and staying safe! If you haven’t noticed already, our front page has three new additional buttons: E3C 3R Walk, Resources and Give Now.

E3C 3R Walk is our pastoral initiative from all congregations to help each of us engage in deeper theological and personal reflection during this pandemic. Throughout the week, feel free to reflect on some of the questions for each epistle, and share your answers by commenting at the bottom of the epistle page! We hope that by sharing with one another, across our congregations, it would create a sense of togetherness and community at E3C.

Resources is where you can get free and available resources to help further grow your relationship with God. There are a lot of good articles, sample books, and courses that may be a helpful supplement to your Right Now Media account. Feel free to take a look at “Other Resources” to find a google drive for you to look at.

Give Now is our instructional web page to guide you on how you can give to E3C. We’re very thankful for the many people who have asked how they can give to the church! If you’d like to support and give, feel free to head on over to the web page for further instructions, and downloadable forms on how you can get started with our online e-transfers.

Thanks for tuning in! Take care, be safe, God bless.

[Communion] This Sunday

Just a reminder that this Sunday is communion. We invite you and your whole family to join us for communion and worship.

To prepare, your household should make available a loaf of bread, bun, or even flat bread for those who are keen, and some juice.

Young kids may be curious about the bread and juice and may want to take part but we encourage they simply observe as the elements represent the body and the blood of Christ and should be handled with reverence (1 Corinthians 11:27–31).

For those of you who are keen, this is one way to do communion by one of our members!

Weekly Congregational Prayer Meetings

Beginning this Wednesday, April 29th we will be hosting weekly English congregational prayer meetings at 7:30pm via Zoom. This is a time we especially need to come together as a church to pray. To join us for our prayer meetings, enter the required information in Zoom:

Meeting ID: 822 5697 5052
Password: 788816

Feel free to distribute the room information to your cell groups, but please do not disclose to others without the knowledge of the pastors. Thank you! See you all on Wednesday.

Easter Resources for the Family

View fullsize

Click the button below to access the Easter resources. There is a folder with faith-based resources and another with non-religious resources with the purpose of making all of this accessible to friends and family (both believing and non-believing). We encourage you to share the link with anybody you want to reach out to and feel would benefit from receiving some support this way. Let’s make the gospel even more accessible for more people at this time! There is a welcome letter included in the folder.

April 10th, 2020 - Good Friday Service

This year’s Good Friday service will be streamed at 11:00am. We invite you and your whole family to join us for a simple communion service to remember our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. 

To prepare, your household should make available a loaf of bread or bun as well as some juice. For those who are keen, we’ve provided a recipe for flatbread below, otherwise, you may use store-bought bread.

Young kids may be curious about the bread and juice and may want to take part but we encourage they simply observe as the elements represent the body and the blood of Christ and should be handled with reverence (1 Corinthians 11:27–31).

RightNow Media

As part of our congregation's efforts to support your family during this time of social distancing, we are offering a free subscription to RightNow Media starting this week. RightNow Media is a great resource center for people in all walks of life. There is material for personal devotions, small groups, and even Christian shows for kids with discussions that parents may have with their children after watching the show.

To learn more, please check out the following video below.

To get access to RightNow Media, subscribe to eccchurch.ca/english

An email will be sent to you later this week on how to get started.

Download full resolution video file along with other launch resources at http://rightnowmedia.org/launch RightNow Media encourages millions of Christians to ...

ECCC Church Camp Cancellation

Hello Church!

As you may have already heard, the church camp this year is cancelled. Due to the fact that we have a few conferences/camps at ECCC that need to issue refunds, we have decided to streamline the refund process. 

1. If you paid with a cheque, we will NOT cash the cheque. You will be able to pick up the cheque when church service/programs resumes. 

2. If you paid with cash, you will be able to pick up the cash when church program/service resumes. If you require the cash refund immediately, refund will be available at the church general office (see Amy Xing or Betty Siu) beginning March 23. Church office hours are Monday to Fri (9-4 PM).

If you have further questions, please contact Joyce Loo or any of the pastors.

Blessings

Update - Changes to Ministries

Dear ECCC Family,

We want to thank you for your prayers, patience and understanding during this time of rapid change in response to COVID-19 in Alberta and worldwide. We recognize that this is an unprecedented event in many of our lives. Yet, we also recognize that the same Christ who healed the sick, who cared for the lost and who died on the cross, is the same Christ who is alive, sovereign and active in our world at this moment.

We want you to know that the ECCC Family is here for you. If you need to talk to someone or need prayer, please reach out to your pod leaders, counselors, cell group leaders, elders, deacons and pastors.

WORSHIP SERVICE

A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… a time has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.

- John 4:21,22

Thank you to all the worship ministry workers (praise team, AV team and pastors) who served in our worship service this week with such short notice and many changes. Special thanks to Uncle Anthony from the Cantonese congregation and AV team who worked tirelessly (and will continue to) so that we can worship together in our own homes.

As many of you have seen, places of worship are no longer exempted from public health restrictions on mass gatherings. We continue to respond as a community and follow the recommendations from Alberta Health Services.

Moving forward, please join us at 11:15 a.m. for Sunday Morning Worship and 5:00 p.m. for Sunday Evening Worship on the web stream. We understand that the current situation may change the format and location of worship, but it does not change the essence of worship.

SMALL GROUPS/CELL MINISTRY

We want to continue loving our neighbours by minimizing the risk and continuing to foster a caring Christian community. Thank you to Pastor Chanh for his timely message on discipleship. This is a perfect opportunity to practice some of the informal means of discipleship like picking up the phone to check on one another.

Beyond informal means, we encourage small groups to continue meeting through phone calls or technology (Google Hangouts Meet, Whatsapp, Zoom etc.) Google Hangouts Meet by video is available for up to 10 people in one meeting for free with a Google account. If you have UAlberta account, it is free for up to 250 people. Visit http://bit.ly/googlehangoutsmeet for instructions.

PRAYER MEETING

Our congregational prayer meeting is scheduled for this week. We invite small groups to gather on the phone or online at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday to pray together.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. -Hebrews 10:24-25a

More than ever, we need to continue to pray together, encourage one another and spur each other to continue to find ways to serve each other and the community.

CHILDREN, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT PROGRAMS

All in-person children’s programs and youth fellowships, all programs have been suspended. With the news that all K-12 schools are closed, we recognize there is more uncertainty than ever regarding the care of our young people. We are continuing our planning for providing resources to foster family worship and to allow students to continue review the bible lessons that they have been learning at church.

For now, we encourage parents to subscribe to the children’s program blog, eccckids.com, to be updated on our plans for Children ministry and what that may look like.

With public school being suspended or post-secondary classes going online, this is a time of great change and uncertainty for many of our youth and young adults. We ask that all Samuel, Petros and Life Support counselors phone or meet virtually with their students and check up on them on a regular basis to pray and care for them.

Our ministry leaders are meeting and planning for what programs may look like in the future. Please continue to pray and trust that we are committed to updating you.

E3C ENGLISH CAMP CANCELLED

Because of the uncertainty surrounding social gatherings in the coming months, the Deacon Board has made the decision to cancel E3C English Church Camp. We understand that this may be disappointing to many church members, but our decision reflects the seriousness of the current COVID-19 situation.

Joyce Loo, our Community deacon, will be in touch regarding refunds for those who have registered.

THE HEART E3C TEAM

As part of our church community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, we recognize that there will be growing needs in our congregation, in our church (particularly for the elderly), and in the Argyll community. As the salt and light of the world, we want to be at the forefront of helping our neighbours.

We see a need for helpers of all ages to serve during this trying time in various ways: grocery/meal delivery, babysitting, tutoring, meal preparation and more. As part of this initiative, we will strictly follow AHS guidelines and make sure all volunteers adhere to them.

If you are interested in joining this ministry, please sign up here: bit.ly/heartofe3c

We commit to keeping you updated. Please continue to check the ECCC.ca website, facebook.com/EdmontonChristianCommunityChurch and our regular communication channels.

We recognize that this is a time of rapid change and uncertainty. Please contact any of your counselors, leaders, pastors and deacons if you are in need. We are here for you.

Praying alongside you to an Almighty God,

ECCC English Deacon Board

Our letter to you

COVID-19 IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM EDMONTON CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH
 
Firstly, we want to acknowledge that we know this is a time where there are many unknowns and the situation with COVID-19 is changing rapidly locally, nationally and globally. We continue a posture of humility as we pray earnestly to an Almighty God alongside you.
 
As the health, safety and well-being of our church family is of high priority to us, ECCC Council has decided to suspend all church programs and services for the month of March with all Worship Services exclusively online (home page). This includes Children’s programs and youth and young adult fellowship groups. English Spring Camp and Guatemala STM are also cancelled. While the risk remains low in Alberta, it is important that we consider the role we play in our community and our population at ECCC.
 
Worship services will continue exclusively online at the usual weekly service times. We invite you to worship with us online. We know this is a time of high anxiety as there are many unknowns and things are changing rapidly. Please talk to your cell group leader, counselor, deacon, councilor, pastor or elder if you need prayer.  We will continue to worship and pray. Now, more than ever, we need to worship and pray. 
 
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7
 
We commit to keeping you updated. Please stay tuned to church announcements and church communication channels. 
 
Praying alongside you, 

Edmonton Christian Community Church

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