Plugged In

After moving five times in 15 years, Mark and his wife, Beth, were tired of saying goodbye. Their children were out of the nest, and at Beth’s nudging, they started shopping around for a new church in the area.

“We were looking for a home church that was intimate, welcoming, and had activities we could both get involved in,” Mark said.  “We wanted the Sunday message to be forthright and Biblically based so it would stick with us through the week.” Besides attending worship, both began checking out some of Easter's opportunities.

Before, Mark was shy about talking about his faith; he grew up in a family that didn’t talk about the Bible openly. When Mark joined Easter, he regularly attended ManUp, a ministry for men to come together and discuss life issues men face. ManUp meets once a month. They hold a monthly breakfast and Saturday morning hikes at Lebanon Hills. When the leader of ManUp moved, Mark volunteered to take on that role. This commitment has become a priority. He and Beth also became members of a small group that meets monthly.

They found all the things they were looking for at Easter. Mark feels the atmosphere at Easter is welcoming and supportive. “The teaching is true. My leadership in ManUp pushed me to become stronger in my faith and confident in sharing it,” Mark said. “We have developed strong relationships through our small group. The discussions, friendships formed, and activities with the other four couples have helped with my spiritual growth.”

Mark is a friendly, open person; he’s worked at getting plugged in and now can greet many people at church by name. “Easter allows people to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ by giving back through volunteering, connecting, and caring in a loving Christ-like way.”