Profiles of Faith - Renee Hellmuth

Renee Hellmuth

She loves passionately, and is deeply loved. 

She is talented and serves willingly with her gifts. 

She is creative and embraces beauty and godliness. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity.

She can laugh at the days to come. 

She is Renee Hellmuth. 

Q: When did you become a Christian?

A: I was raised in a Christian home and accepted the Lord at a young age prompted by a show about the Easter story.  At age 13 I asked God to show me he was real.  I didn't want to believe just because my entire family did and because it was what I was raised in.  He answered my prayer.  That’s when I decided to be baptized.

Q: How long have you been in ECC Attleboro? What kind of community is ECC to you?

A: 22 years. Right from the beginning, we loved ECC because it was a beautiful blend of my Evangelical and Kevin's Catholic upbringing.  We had searched for a church for a full year.  Coming to ECC felt like coming home.  We knew it was where we were meant to be.  

Q: What role have you been serving in ECC Attleboro? 

A: Currently I teach Sunday School for the middle/high school group and am part of the prayer team.  I also babysit Sam on Sunday evenings so Cortney can serve at youth group along side Pastor Chris.

Q: Other volunteer roles? 

A: Over the course of 22 years, I have volunteered/participated in Choir, Nursery, VBS, Fall Fair, Trunk or Treat, Decorating for Christmas, making signs, baking for Care packages for college kids/youth group snacks/homeless outreach, Stewardship committee, executive board, search committee, various bible study groups.

Q: What keeps you going and serving? 

A: We are called by God to serve and to be a community of believers.  Our faith walk is not meant to be done alone.  We are not meant to be stagnant but to constantly be in His word and growing.

Q: Would you like to share any message with people exploring faith or returning to faith? 

A: Keep your eyes focused on Jesus.  Make Him the center of all you do.  Persevere.  There is life changing power in walking with God.

Q: What would you like to say to people who are considering checking out ECC Attleboro?

A: It is God who brings hope and life.  We encourage and support one another as we face the challenges this world gives.

Q: Favorite Bible verse or quote when facing challenges and difficulties? 

Romans 8:28-39

Q: Share a fun fact about you?

A: I hate vegetables!

Star Words

Pastor Tim B. Johnson

Welcome to this New Year of 2024! As with every year, there now stretch before us all the unknowns of what this year will hold. 2024 will contain births and deaths, inexpressible joys and harrowing griefs. Some will be at a distance. Some will come close. Some will touch us to our very cores. As with every moment of every day, we don’t know what will come next. And combined into all of our coming days, there will also be much that is simply mundane: grocery shopping, incidental conversations, walks with dogs, etc.

In the midst of it all, we affirm that God is present with us in Christ. Neither the soaring high points nor the crushing low points; neither the mundane ordinaries nor the stunning surprises -nothing occurs outside the presence of our loving Lord. Among other beautiful parts of scripture about this, as we begin this New Year l want to encourage you to read Psalm 139 and Romans 8:31-39, remembering that these promises hold firm. Always. Forever.

Part of our daily role as people of faith in this broad spectrum of what life brings is to be attentive to God’s presence and all the ways God speaks, prompts and moves. Daily practices of prayer, reading of scripture, and reflection helps to keep us sharply aware and growing. Regular participation in worship is vital to an attentive life and all the ways God speaks to us as we worship. Faithful stewardship of time, gifts and finances hones our awareness of everything coming from God as gifts to be used wisely and faithfully, in full trust that God provides. Another practice of being attentive is by simply paying attention to a single word from God’s word.

On Epiphany Sunday, January 7, we will be receiving what we call “Star Words.” We have 80 individual words from scripture, such as discern, flourish, harmony, that will be printed on one side of a star-shaped piece of paper. On Epiphany Sunday we will receive these star- shaped pieces face down, meaning we won’t know what word we are receiving. The intention is to then pay attention to that word for the coming year. How is this word used in scripture? Is it used in hymns and songs we sing? How can it be built into our prayers? What might God be paying specially to me through this singular word?

Having done this for many years in our church in Minnesota, in my experience, some people don’t connect with this practice at all. Right away they leave the word behind. And, of course, that’s fine. There may be other attention-getting practices that draw them. However, for many others, this has been a very meaningful, sometimes surprisingly rich thing to do. I’ve had many conversations with people about the word they held in mind and heart through the year. Some have kept it in their Bible. Others have taped it to a mirror or the dashboard of their car. Some print out every sentence in scripture where it is used and memorize those verses. Often I’ve heard stories told along the lines of people being initially puzzled or curious about this one particular word. “At first, it seemed so ordinary.” Or, “I wanted to turn it in to get a more interesting word, but held onto it.” And then they told me how they gradually became more and more aware of things of God connected to that word or how a verse of scripture using that word became integral to their prayer life.

Obviously, it is not the word in and of itself that is important. It is God being at work. It is God blessing us, challenging us, stretching us, and changing us as we intentionally seek to be alert o his presence. May we each be ever alert to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit throughout the course of each day unfolding in this new year of 2024. And always!

In Christ, Pastor Tim

Advent 2023

For the Sundays of Advent and Christmas Eve we encourage everyone to read the

scripture texts in advance as a way to be more fully prepared for worship.

We will also have various groups of people lighting the Advent Candles at the beginning

of worship along with readings and prayer.

Our Sundays in Advent will be based sequentially on the themes of

Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.

May these be central to what we know through Jesus Christ!

December 3 - 1st Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 64:1-9

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Mark 13:24-37

December 10 - 2nd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 40:1-11

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

2 Petr 3:8-15

Mark 1:1-8

December 17 - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Luke 1:46-55

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

John 1:6-8, 19-28

December 24 - 4th Sunday of Advent

Luke 1:26-38

Luke 2:1-20

Psalm 96

Titus 2:11-14

December 24 - Christmas Eve

(4:00 pm / 10:30 pm)

John 1:1-14

Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 98

Hebrews 1:1-12

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You’re also invited to join with others in our front parking lot for a Carol Sing on Saturday, December 23, starting at 4:30pm. We hope this will be a good and welcoming witness to our neighbors about who we are and, most importantly, the One whose birth we are celebrating.

Words of Gratitude 2023

I Give Thanks

I give thanks for being warmly received into life together in this congregation;

for the stirring beauty of music and words offered in praise to God;

for places new to me to witness the glory of God in creation;

for family at a distance geographically but ever close in my heart and prayers;

for ongoing newness of life in Christ and the growth edges that brings

….and for more things daily than I could ever name.

Pastor Tim

I am grateful

I am grateful for God's provision. Through a year with unexpected ups and downs, God has faithfully given me, my family, and our church everything we've needed.

Pastor Chris

I am thankful…

I am thankful to be a part of this church at this time of transition and change. I know that God calls us to grow and change – He is a creative God and He made us in his image – to also be creative. I am excited about what God is doing here at our church – what He is creating and making new! So I am thankful that I get to be a part of it – thankful that I get to grow and change. And thankful that through my engagement, I am getting to know so many people more and to see Jesus in their lives. We are a beautiful mosaic of God’s people right here in Attleboro. Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise him all creatures here below!

Tim Paul

I find myself thankful

I find myself thankful when I least expect it. A conversation with an acquaintance that goes deep and is meaningful. Bowing my head to lead a prayer with others, wondering if I will find the right words and have the courage to say them - and God helps put them in my heart. Opportunities to look at situations in a new way and gain a new perspective. These are things I am grateful for and give thanks.  Praise God!

Wendi Bosland

I am thankful

The act of being thankful is something we should always begin and end our day with. I am thankful for my family for our grandchildren, our kids and spouses. I am grateful that I am able to help care for my Dad and Pat. I am grateful for Scott for his companionship and his love. I am grateful for our church and the opportunities we are given to serve.

Ann McEvoy

I am grateful

I am grateful for God’s transformative work in me, in my family, in our church, in the homeless ministry I serve with… Pretty much everywhere I go, God is there. Sometimes, my expectation was not met and I have been tempted to ask "where is God?" But at the end of the day, I know that it could have been worse if God is not here. And, ultimately, I would be without hope.  

Tracy Wang