The voices of the prophets have gone silent and God's people are scattered. Empires have risen and fallen. There remains faint echoes of the promise of the LORD renewing his covenant and roaring for his children to return to Him from all points of the compass. It will need to be a roar to be heard as hearts have grown cold or have been captured by another voice.

This Sunday, we will listen for His voice calling His people to Himself. We will see the huge contrast between the kingdom of men and the kingdom of God. God's king, Jesus, is looking for a partner who will go and be the message of His hope for the hopeless, His forgiveness and peace, and His removal of suffering and death. He is looking for His people who will pray "Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

One of the main teachings of Jesus is the kingdom of God. For example, he states that we are to seek the kingdom of God, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33. He also stated that the kingdom of God is near and it is within us. This theme of the kingdom of God echoes back to the Exodus where God entered into a covenant with the Israelites to be their King, and if they agreed to the covenant then they would become a kingdom of priests, a treasured possession and a holy nation. This Sunday, we will look at this theme of the kingdom of God and its implications for our lives.

Meet Pastor Paul Owens, who will be speaking on our 4th and last Sunday of our Mission Emphasis Month.

Paul and his wife, Rhoda, are native Georgians. When their children, Daniel and Anne, were preschoolers, Paul moved his family to Jackson, Mississippi to attend Reformed Theological Seminary.  After five years of attending RTS part time, Paul completed his Master of Divinity.  

Since his ordination Paul has served God's Kingdom in many different ways: pastor in rural and in metro Atlanta churches; church planter; Pastor in North Georgia Tres Dias; Overseas Missionary in Budapest, Hungary; numerous short-term mission trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; ECPC staff Director of Care and Counseling; and ECPC Assistant Pastor.

Paul and Rhoda have been married 48 years. He is the proud father-in-law of Vanessa Owens and Justin Reynolds. And, proud father-in-love of Olesya Penkova Zaaymann, Rob and Leah Bley, and Rachel Elphick Kinzer. He is Papi to Kadence, Riley, Dakota, Chase, Branch, Noelle, Grace, and Carter Bley.

Meet Chuck Emerson, who will be speaking on
the 3rd Sunday of our Mission Emphasis Month.

Chuck is a familiar face to many of us at ECPC, as his family became members in 1992. Chuck is a former ECPC Ruling Elder, having served on the session for many years. Ordained now as a Teaching Elder, he and Debbie are currently assisting with the PCA church plant in Tucker, which began in 2020. 

Chuck worked 25 years as an automation engineer and received a degree from Westminster Seminary mid-career.  In 2008, Chuck and Debbie answered God’s missions call and became involved with the RUF-I student ministry at Georgia Tech, and with training pastors overseas with Equipping Leaders International (ELI). 

ELI's mission is to "equip and multiply biblically mature leaders to make disciples in every area of community life." For Chuck this means training church leaders in Bible, sound doctrine, and practical ministry. Chuck’s current ELI work focuses on both India and South America. He makes multiple trips each year, building on the relationships with ELI's national partners, with Debbie sometimes accompanying him. The amazing fruit of this work is hundreds of pastors who are better equipped to shepherd Christ's flock, to evangelize others, and to train other leaders.  

Chuck recently held a graduation ceremony with one of ELI's national partner ministries in India. 70 certificates were awarded to village pastors and "Bible women", to mark their completion of ELI's Certificate program. It was a joyous occasion! These leaders are hard at work spreading the Gospel in that region of India, and planting new churches where the name of Christ has not been heard.

Chuck also serves as ELI's Director of Training, overseeing ELI's Faculty (now numbering 50+), the development of additional curriculum, and translation of it into the local languages. 

Meet Michael Lee, who will be speaking on the 2nd Sunday of our Mission Emphasis Month.

Michael and Tricia have always sensed a strong call to gospel ministry. They have both regularly served in the local church as leaders; Tricia, in areas of mercy, hospitality and children’s ministries; Michael as a worship leader, ruling elder, youth leader, and as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.
 
After serving 15 years with Mission to the World, they recently returned to the States to answer the call to church plant in Indian Land, South Carolina. The call to make disciples of all nations continues for them even in Indian Land, an unincorporated area just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. This are is described as an area of “explosive growth”, with many south Asian and Latino peoples as well as many from the northeast moving into the area. The Lees will use every ounce of what they have learned as cross-cultural workers to reach for Christ all the many different peoples moving into the area. 

Meet David Haburchak, who will preach this first Sunday of our Mission Emphasis Month.

David is a physician, Ruling Elder at ECPC, Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, at the Medical College of Georgia. A native of Ohio, he is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the ROTC program at Johns Hopkins University where he earned his B.A. and M.D. degrees, a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. He completed a 24-year active-duty career in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, 25 years at the Medical College in Augusta, and 5 years at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. He currently volunteers at Grace Village Medical Clinic in Clarkston, Georgia.

Dr. Haburchak is the author of Kingdom Connection: Redeeming Childhood Sexual Abuse and was a member of the PCA Commission on Abuse. He has worked in Kazakhstan, Russia, Cuba, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, North Macedonia, and Indonesia while on short-term medical/evangelical mission trips. David also participated in missions trips to Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, and China.

David is the proud husband of Janet, father to daughters Kathryn and Lauren, father-in-law to Nick and James, grandfather to Hudson and Wyatt.

I want to post a question to you. How do you tend to approach the new year? Do you marvel at the excitement of a fresh start with New Year's resolutions, new possibilities, and adventure in store? Or do you approach the new year with some skepticism and fear of the future? If you’re anything like me, there’s a mix of modest excitement and a little bit of fear underneath. Whether we grab the bull by the horns or bury our heads in the sand, the plans we make in life can often be dictated by the perspectives that have shaped us. 

When it comes to the book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher invites us to consider a different approach to the plans we make for the new year. Often when we make plans, we make them generally based on three things: fulfillment (happiness), purpose (direction), and security (safety + peace). And so often, our plans fall short of perfection because we live in an imperfect world marred by sin. Our hearts long for completeness in these areas, and since that isn’t possible in this life, our hearts groan with restlessness. What then is the cure for our restless hearts? Join us Sunday morning to find out!

ABOUT ERICSON
Ericson met his wife, Rachel in 2014 in Johns Creek, Georgia doing Middle School ministry together. Two years after getting married, they moved down to Orlando, Florida where he attended Reformed Theological Seminary and served in ministry. In 2023 Ericson joined ECPC as the Director of Student Ministries. The Jouberts have three young children: two girls and a boy. Outside of spending time with his kids, he enjoys athletics, reading, action movies, watching premier league soccer, and traveling. 

Sunday, we’ll address one more Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Matthew records that after his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus begins his ministry in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee in the region of the original tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew states that this fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 9 where God promised to honor and bless this region with the light of the promised descendent of David.

This region had been invaded so many times and so many foreigners had settled there, it became known as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” These foreigners had brought their pagan deities, and God’s people had adopted their worship. This is why Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Is.9:2) Jesus is that great light who brought the message of God’s grace to Jew and Gentile alike. It’s a great prophecy that offers hope for us today. Join us Sunday as we worship!

Matthew tells us that Joseph found his fiance' with child and was considering separating from her because he knew the child was not his. That night, the Lord spoke to him in a dream and told him that her child was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that the child would save God’s people from their sins. When Joseph wakes, he did as he was told, keeping her as his fiance’. Matthew says that this fulfills the Old Testament prophecy that a virgin will conceive and bring forth a son, calling him “God with us” (Immanuel).  

This prophecy comes from Isaiah 7, when the young King Ahaz begins to rule during one of Judah’s weakest moments. Assyria was invading the nation, and two local political leaders team up to fight the Assyrians. Ahaz refuses to join the coalition, so they try to conquer him and replace him with someone who will join the cause. The prophet Isaiah encourages Ahaz that they will not succeed, and that Assyria will not succeed. Judah and Jerusalem will not fall to these threats. Isaiah offers Ahaz a sign of God’s promise, but he refuses to ask for one, so Isaiah gives him the sign of a child, born to secure his people and bring the presence of God. Sunday we’ll consider this prophecy and what it means for us.

Do you know the name Errol Musk? He was an electrical and mechanical engineer from South Africa. He got involved in politics, opposing the Apartheid laws. You probably don’t know much about him, but you do know his greater son, Elon Musk. Elon has changed the world with the Tesla company, SpaceX, and recently the purchase of Twitter, now “X”. 

We find a similar dynamic in the Old Testament with King David. We know the name and we know much of his story, but it’s his descendent who would eclipse him. The New Testament writers, especially the gospel authors, emphasize Jesus’ connection to David, but always as his greater son. This Sunday, we’ll explore Jesus’ connection with King David and some of the ways this frames our understanding of Him. Join us as we worship the Lord.