Recent Baptisms in Portland, Maine

Larry: I like the Aaron and Nancy story--they were baptized in the pool in their backyard.
Scott: They came as the result of being invited by friends. Nancy was initially mocked for coming to EastPointe by her husband's mother and aunt, but soon they also began to attend regularly. They signed up for the Starting Pointe class, which is an overview of the Bible. As a result of learning more about Jesus, God's Word, and seeing Christianity being lived out in others, they were also immersed into Christ. Then they brought their significant others, and over time they were immersed into Christ. The mother of one of these ladies was recently immersed into Christ after having a conversation with one of our EastPointe women. All of this started because an invitation was extended by a friend.

Scott: This is the fulfillment of our dream of what we wanted EastPointe to be.
Larry: What I think is so amazing about this story is how the Holy Spirit was able to work in the midst of so much animosity and struggle to not only bring this family together, but to bring them into the Kingdom of God. They will tell you the mocking brought so much conviction to the mother and the aunt, that it allowed multiple opportunities for the Word of God to be opened, and then eyes and hearts were opened as well.

 

Scott: A couple that I think have a significant story lost their son in a motorcycle accident one year ago. Their nephew and his wife, who attend EastPointe, invited them to come and when they did, they never left. They attended our Christ Awakening class which allowed them to realize many things about Jesus and themselves. Not long ago they were immersed at one of our church picnics. Now they are hosting one of our small groups.
Larry: When I think about it, another result of them attending Christ Awakening is that they immediately wanted to open their home to others.

 

Jared: We have seen two types of growth with the teens. This summer several committed Christian families started coming to EastPointe. What we were seeing is that their teenage children, who may have only had a nominal faith or what some might simply call the faith of their parents, really started wanting to have a faith in Jesus of their own. We started a AD-Group,@ which is a mid-week Bible study, and about 35 teens continue to show up each week. They come prepared, having read what we asked them to and answered pertinent questions, and then come with questions of their own. We recently baptized a young lady who had been at EastPointe from the beginning but who was a struggling teenager. This summer we participated in Manchester Christian Church=s Work Camp, and it was like a switch was flipped on in this young lady=s mind. She came back home and asked to be immersed. Hers was possibly the most emotional and heart-felt confession I have ever witnessed. As tears rolled down her face, I asked her if she believed that Jesus was the Christ, and she emphatically said, AYES, I do believe!@ A few weeks later, God moved her to be a part of our signing ministry. A song they performed, which mentioned how God has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west, really hit home with her in a powerful way as she realized what that meant to her. She is now ministering to her peers.

Larry: To see a number of families brought together with Christ at the center is a powerful thing. At our Christ Awakening class, Scott extended the invitation to anyone who wanted to be baptized. My youngest son stood up and said that he wanted to make Christ his Lord and Savior, so I was able to baptize my son that day. Another father immersed his two boys as well. It has become a tradition at EastPointe for fathers to baptize their childrenCan amazing thing to see. This experience calls them to be better men for God and their families.
Jared: It is so counter-cultural to see men doing this, but it is so powerful and such a great testimony for others.

 

What does discipleship look like at EastPointe this fall?

Recent Baptisms in Portland, Maine

Larry: We are always trying to have a level of discipleship taking place. This summer Scott and I co-taught a Christ Awakening class/seminar, attended by about 30 individuals, which really helped us on many levels. Christ Awakening is a look at Jesus= Sermon on the Mount. It allows individuals to hear and read for themselves, in a group setting, what Jesus has to say to them. It is practical teaching and amazing to see the connections taking place in people=s lives when they realize that it=s not just about knowing things about Jesus, but actually knowing Him and who He is that=s important. We were very intentional about seeking God=s Spirit to be the change agent in these people=s lives and relationships as we simply provided the opportunity--and it worked beautifully.

 

Scott: The one thing I believe we do well at EastPointe is to continually lift Jesus higher and higher, so that He is what is seen and what is ultimately bringing people to EastPointe. We continue to pray a prayer asking God to physically wake people up in the middle of the night and have them really give thought to their lives, their need to seek out who God and Jesus are, and that EastPointe would be the place where they come to get those answers. Recently when we asked newcomers how they heard about us, they simply said, AI=m not sure, but I knew I needed to come.@ We marvel at the way God continues to bless us through our prayers. At the same time, however, Satan is shaking some lives up as well. We are ever mindful of God=s role and EastPointe=s role in the lives of people, and we never want to let down our guard.

Larry: One way we try to connect people at EastPointe is to have cookouts during the summer. We open the facility, provide food, and let them simply see what is going on here. We had about 60 people come to each of these this past summer, and many of them came back to check us out on Sunday. 

 

Another avenue we use is called Discovery Pointe, where we talk about our core values, what we believe, the work of Jesus, and the part we play in the world today. We also have Cross Pointe, Starting Pointe, and Pointe Groups--our small groups. At this point we have 22 groups with 6-8 people in each and more people wanting to join. As important as having a faith that is your own, it is just as important for a group of people to have the same faith and for us to be involved in each other=s lives. So we have an eclectic group dynamic that takes us through different studies which are meeting the spiritual needs of our people.