Thankful, worship through song and Praise…

One thing I truly look forward to each week, it being with my church family for the sole purpose of worship. I don’t claim to be the best singer or even good at all. However, I do enjoy lifting my voice for my Savior. Worship in Heaven goes on continually, everyone singing praises to the Lamb that was slain! What a beautiful sight to picture and a day for all Christians to look forward to.

Each week we should all be anxious about worship. We are called to worship and we should give an offering of our praise continually. After all we were created for this purpose, we serve a risen Savior, and recipients of God’s grace what better way is there to show gratitude for our Lord than giving offerings of our Praise to the King of Kings.

Let’s give thanks to God, by raising our voices in assembly singing and shouting praises to our Lord. Enter each week His gates with Thanksgiving in your hearts and walk into His courts with Praise. God is worthy to be praised!

I may not always be my best. But God is always there for me, picking me up when I fail and loving my beyond myself. Giving me another chance when I didn’t even deserve it. And for that I am forever grateful.

Psalm 95:1 (NIV)

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Ephesians 5:19 (NIV)

19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

Hebrews 2:12 (NIV)

12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

Psalm 22:22 (NIV)

22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.

Psalm 71:23 (NIV)

23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.

In life it is hard to always say that we are selfless all the time, and that we always but the needs of others before ours.  As true followers of Jesus we should follow by His example, walking in His footsteps as best as possible. That at least should be our goal in our journey with Christ.

God’s desire for us as Christians is to share the examples that Jesus has given each of us. God wants to bless us in the journey of faith, and when we take care of others God will take care of us.

It is up to us to share the story of Jesus. There are many things that we would all like to be doing in place of witnessing to others, or being at church, or helping a brother or sister in Christ in need. But, God has given us a calling to look out for those that do not believe and share the life changing message of Jesus, to worship together, and to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Recently following hurricane Florence, many in the Carolina’s are without power, water, basic essentials, and some even without a home to return to. There are areas even days following the storm with high flood waters, I have seen pictures of interstates that now look like rivers. These are folks that we can assist in our state.

There are homeless individuals and families in our local community, who benefit from small acts of kindness, and what we may look at as simple items such as a wash rag, soap, tooth paste, clean socks, or a decent meal. Could you imagine the impact we as Christians could have on the homeless community if we all as Christians, untied, and worked together to get our homeless population down, by working to get these individuals back on there feet in life? What an amazing achievement that would be!  

Let’s all work together daily to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Help our brothers and sisters in Christ and those in need around our communities, and more.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV)

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[a]robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but ^[b]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isn’t it an amazing feeling and thought to know that our God, can speak to us and walk with us no matter where this crazy life may take us at times. You can be on top of the mountain or standing in the midst of the fires of life, and God can be right there with you.

It is important for us to listen for God’s voice in our lives, and to talk to Him on a daily basis. Learn to make a good habit of praying as often as possible as in prayer you can begin to learn the voice of God, and his direction in your life. The Bible says in John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them…” I love this passage, as it is a reminder that God hears us also when we pray. I want God to know my voice when I come to Him, and I want to know His voice when He comes to me.

As you journey in life, continue to follow God, and talk with Him often. Remember, He is listening.
 

Pastor J. Pannell 

John 10:27-28 (NKJV)

²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Deuteronomy 5:4 (NKJV)

⁴ The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.

Genesis 26:5 (NKJV)

⁵ because Abraham obeyed My voice…”

Genesis 3:8 (NKJV)

⁸ And they heard the ^[a]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the ^[b]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Just a simple reminder for us all to pray daily. Please join us as we pray everyday for the names listed on our prayer request list, we post them online so everyone can have access to them easily. Click on the Prayer Tab to review prayer request, also please feel free to add to this list anytime you have a special need. 

Blessings, Pastor

My encouragement for you today, is to ask you to live for today! Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do for today. Life is short! Enjoy every minute of everyday, spend time with your families, call you loved ones and build relationships. We hear all throughout scripture that life is quickly passing and this is something that we all know already and have been told before. I feel as though we often times need to be reminded of this, we let life slip by and waste precious moments, and opportunities to create memories. 
 

From time to time we have regrets in life, don't let this be one of those... Know that your life is vastly passing by, and you are not promised tomorrow. Love your families and make memories that will last for generations to come. 

Blessings on this beautiful day that our Lord has made and Given us Today!

~Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell III 

Proverbs 27:1 (NKJV)

27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Psalm 144:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

1 Peter 1:24 (NKJV)

“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,

Psalm 102:11(NIV)

¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.

Psalm 78:39 (NIV)

³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh,
    a passing breeze that does not return.

James 4:13-15 (NIV)

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Job 8:9 (NIV)

⁹ for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.

Job 9:25 (NIV)

²⁵ “My days are swifter than a runner;
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.

Ecclesiastes 1:4 (NIV)

⁴ Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.

The recent tragedy in Los Vegas is absolutely heartbreaking. There are many families who will be impacted for many years due to this senseless  act of evil caused by one man. As an individual took aim and fired upon hundreds of people, taking the lives of many and hundreds of others wounded, an individual who appeared to have no set target and to this day no true motive for his actions shows nothing less that pure evil and heartless intent. Tragedy is a terrible thing no matter the situation, and my heart goes out to the large number of people who lost loved ones during this attack. I pray that you may be able to find peace and comfort in this time of trouble. Always know, no matter if you believe or not, that Jesus Loves you and can bring peace where no peace can be found on this earth. 

I must also say that following this attack our President Donald Trump, gave a public address, turning the attention of this nation to our Heavenly Father during this time of trouble. He is right, and we must cast our cares upon Him. 

Today, I pray for each of the families involved, the large number of people that witnessed this tragic event, the families of those that lost their lives that night, and the many that will be forever affected by this tragedy. Please know that when tragedy comes, and trouble awaits that Jesus, has already come and overcame the world, and also waits for you during this time of struggle to bring you strength, encouragement, and peace. 

Pastor J. W. Pannell III

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 

John 16:33

[ Praise to God for a Living Hope ] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
 

Psalm 20:7

2 Corinthians 2:8-11 (NIV)

⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

One of the biggest things that sticks out in this passage are the words "Satan might not outwit us". I see that we are living in a world where we are now more than ever being outwitted by Satan. Christians today are forgetting God's expectation of Forgiveness and Love. Satan has been able to fool many people lead them out of God's will for their lives. When you stand the test, stand and "be obedient in everything" no matter what the situation might be, ensure that you will work through it as God would desire for you to.

Good Morning Everyone! 

What an absolutely beautiful day we have been given by our Lord! 

On Saturday October 28th from 6pm-8:30pm we will have our annual Fall Festival, this event the last two years has brought hundreds of visitors to ECN for us to have an opportunity to share Jesus with and we are excited that it is quickly approaching. 

This year we are excited to expand this event by adding our annual Craft Bazaar to this event creating an even bigger and better Fall Festival for everyone. 

Jessica is working on Craft Vendors for the event and we currently have over 20 confirmed. Due to the limited number of spaces available our goal is to only have one vendor of each kind to offer a fair Bazaar for the vendors, a great experience and variety for everyone who attends. 

If you know someone who would like to be a vendor have them contact Jessica Hinton for details. All vendors have to be pre registered with us prior to there arrival. 

Jessica Hinton can be reached by Phone: (803) 242-2998

We will also have Food, games, Trunk-or-Treat, and more along with visitors from the local Fire Department and police department. 

We look forward to you and your family attending this wonderful event. Please let everyone know about it! And be sure to save up a little extra spending money to get some Christmas shopping out of the way! 

The church will be selling the food on this night and all proceeds will go to the ministries of ECN, if you would like to help serve please contact Tricia Duggins. 

We are also still needing more Trunks for Trunk-or-Treat please let me know if you would be willing to decorate your trunk for the children. 

Blessings on this Beautiful Day today!

Pastor 

What a great day it is to be a Child of God, EVERYDAY!

I am so blessed that Jesus loved me enough to give His life for me! Tomorrow morning Ashley and I along with our family will welcome our new addition to the family. Ms. Lila Grace Pannell! We are beyond excited and cannot wait to see her. When I think of her entering this world as a father just as with my two boys I am nervous because we live in a dark world full of hate and violence. However, I know that as a believer in Jesus Christ that God is our protector and our life in the darkness.

I know that my two boys and my little girl will overcome this world with the strength and help of the Son of God! Pray for your children daily. And work without stop at training them in the way of the Lord.

I pray that your day is full of Joy and Blessings beyond measure!

Pastor Jonathan

1 John 5:5 (NIV)
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Greetings in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

I pray that your day is blessed beyond measure! If you missed service this past Sunday we started on a topic titled "Growing Pains" and I truly believe that this is an area in life that every Christian is affected at some point. We will pick up with this topic this Sunday morning and I pray that YOU will be able to join us. 

God's Word says that it will be the habit of some to "forsake assembly", that's an easy category for you to fall into, again "don't be that guy". A part of the journey with being a believe, is surrounding yourself with other believers each week for a time of praise and worship for our Lord. Missing out hurts you, and it also hurts the body of CHRIST. 

If you cant physically make it, be sure to tune in on Facebook Live, let us know that you are there and that you are worshiping with us and as always, PLEASE share the video so your friends can watch it too. 

Speaking of FACEBOOK, Homecoming at ECN is right around the corner and we want to share the celebration with, your entire family and your friends! WE NEED YOUR HELP in letting everyone know that THEY ARE INVITED! It will be an AWESOME service! And when I say this is a service you don't want to miss, Homecoming will be that Service! DON'T MISS OUT! 
Please be sure to SHARE the EVENT for Homecoming at ECN on FACEBOOK. Homecoming will be OCTOBER 15th at 11AM. We want everyone to plan to be there. 

Prayer Request:
Don't Forget, if you have a Prayer Request You can Add it to the Prayer List on the Churches Website! -->Just go to the churches website and click, Prayer Requests. By You, adding it here, everyone in the church (not to mention everyone around the WORLD) has access to see the prayer request and to pray for them, without ceasing!  It's that Easy! Give it a try :) 

One Last Note, Don't Forget Sunday School
Sunday School meets weekly on Sunday Mornings at 9:45am. Our teachers are dedicated to preparing a lesson each week and sharing God's word with our church through Sunday School. 
There are Classes for all age groups from Nursery up to our Seniors. Give it a Try, Sunday School is like having Dessert before Dinner, without spoiling your meal! :) 

Praying your week is Blessed!

Blessings!
Pastor 

P.S. Want a Reading Assignment? This Week read the entire book of JAMES! 
(and when you do, take everything personally!!!)
-->BUT! I caution you... you just might get your feelings hurt so be sure to wear your boots......

Cheers! 

"Early Bird Gets the Worm"

I recently changed my workout routine. Before I was coming in after work to workout. I was thinking I was accomplishing something, just to find myself half way working out. Not reaching my full potential.

So, I started coming in before work. Getting up two hours early was a sacrifice in it's self. What happened is my early morning workout turned into an every morning time of prayer and worship while I worked out. Truly a very humbling experience.

My workouts have been stronger than ever, and before 7am I have been working out for two or more hours, showered dressed for work and out the door. All before the devil even gets out of bed!

You won't to beat the devil? Get up before He does and do to the Father. The devil won't stand a chance! Try ME!

Pastor Jonathan Pannell

John 8 (NIV)

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

THINK ABOUT IT.

We have all sinned and fallen short from God's Glory (Romans 3:23). We have all made mistakes, and things that have set us back in Life. Jesus came to give us Life, and brought us forgiveness of our sins.

One thing that I believe most people miss about this passage is what is seen in verse 4, "Teacher this woman was caught in the act of adultery", "Caught in the Act". How was she caught in the act unless those that caught her, were in line? We are quick to look to the fault of others, forgetting our own faults, mistakes, failures and sins.

A very valid point that Jesus is making here when he says, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her". You see, this point with my point of view with the men who "caught her in the act" does make perfect since. (Of course, it made perfect since before as well.)

We, too many times want to be quick to kick someone else why they are down, grab the first stone we see, and shoot and ask questions later. Consider this, Jesus came as a redeemer for our sins, all of our sins. Anyone who would believe in Him and live for him. I AM, a Whosoever, and so are you. 

Before you go out picking up stones, do as Jesus did. Jesus stood with her through this time, encouraged her, showing her forgiveness, and telling her in verse 11 "Go now and leave your life of sin". When someone you know has fallen, pick them up and work to encourage them restoring them in Faith, share the hope of Jesus with someone today.

Blessings~
Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell III

Love is a very beautiful and interesting thing, there are many scriptures on LOVE. One thing we know from scripture that GOD is LOVE. How amazing is it that we have a Heavenly Father that Loved us so much that He paved a path for redemption. While we were lost, dying and on our way to Hell, God gave us His son as a sacrifice for our sins. The one and only way to gain eternal life.

This past Wednesday night I challenged our discipleship class and encouraged them to think deep past the normal on this Love that God has shown us. God's Love is a vital part of our relationship with Him. Not only has God showed us Love, He has commanded us as Christians to also Love, just as He has loved us.

Of course this is hard to do at times, and you will always have those people that will be harder to love than others, however we have to push past us and love as God would desire us to.

God's Love is an amazing thing! And something to cherish and to reflect to everyone we come into contact with.

Think about, How do you Love?
What kind of reflection have you been for Jesus?

I encourage you to continue your study on "LOVE" and God's complete Love for each one of us. Always Remember that God is Love.

Blessings~
Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell III

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

What a Great Day it is to be a Child of the King!

Today, I wanted to write but to do things a bit differently than normal. Below is a message I shared with our church. This message is in my passion to see Emmanuel succeed for many generations to come. This is for all, but mostly for leaders and those that inspire to become leaders. I never want a leader to loose there passion for ministry, there Zeal or there commitment to God for His Kingdom.

Truth is, we can ALWAYS do better...Strive Harder...And Reach Farther...

A true leader, a true servant to the Lord is a person that is so humble that they will desire for there ministry area would be greater than self desires...

For example, If God WAS TO call another pastor to the church, I did say, WAS TO and IF GOD.. so Calm down... (hypothetically speaking) If God sent us another pastor, my role to God and HIS ministry is to move over... That must be the mindset that we all have, we must be so humble that we are aware that this isn't about US but ALL about HIM. In my journey with God, I want to do MY BEST for HIM.

We have done a fantastic job with this over the years past, and I want this to always be our Goal.. "LESS OF ME, MORE OF YOU" With that, God will see your passion...

Check out the message to the church today, Be Blessed! And Look Forward to another AWESOME year at ECN!

Pastor Jonathan

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Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Now. Take Another Look...
                 There is more to the story than catches the eye...

I truly love the story of the Samaritan Woman. In the reading above you are able to grasp a basic understanding that Jesus was on a journey and made a decision to leave the others and side track to an area that would not have been a normal stop... Jesus sits by a well, and awaits the arrival of a Woman (Samaritan Woman) and He then asks her for a drink, engaging in conversation with her.

I love the Woman's response to Jesus when He asks her for a drink, she said simply: Why are you talking to me, you and your people (Jews) have no dealings with us... Think about it, how many times do we get into a situation and we feel as though, Why would you be concerned about me. I'm a nobody... Then Jesus, Jesus comes back if you only knew... If you only knew who you were talking to, the Gift of God!...

Jesus goes into saying after if you knew, if you knew you would have asked Me (Jesus), and He would give you Living Water... The Woman comes back and says well you have nothing to draw the water with and the well is deep...

FAR to many times we look to the World for what we should be looking to God for, we get focused on what the world can give us to provide for us, help us, numb us from out care, concerns and problems when we should be looking to God (HIM). We ALSO not only look to the world for solutions, we get into situations and focus on how big they are (or how deep they are) and not HOW BIG God is...

God knows us, our needs and is waiting on us to be honest, and come to Him with the desires of our hearts and the desire to completely submit to Him, giving Him ALL of us and not holding ANYTHING back, giving Him our burdens, our struggles and completely to trust in HIM.

Blessings~
Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell