Men's Retreat - "The Office"

The Annual Men's Retreat is coming up May 30th - June 1st. We hope you can join us for a great time of golfing, hanging out, and of course the annual Ultimate Man Feast. It will be taking place in Corbett, Oregon (15 miles East of Portland in the Gorge). Check out this video for more info and a good laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsU8k2Uvm5o


To sign up for the retreat, or for more info contact office@easthillsalliance.org

Remodel Progress

It's been a few weeks since the start of the remodel of our sanctuary. Much has happened. The walls are painted, doors are being hung, and switch covers are even going on the light switches. We are nearing the finish line. In the next two weeks we will be installing carpet, unloading new chairs, and putting the finishing touches on the space. If you would like to see some pictures of what is going on this week, click on the following link. http://easthillsallianceremodel.shutterfly.com/

Along with remodeling the space, we are seeking feedback about re-naming the room. Our intent is for the room to be a multi-use space that could even be used by community groups. Some of the favorite options are: Great Room, Auditorium, Main Hall, & Gathering Place. Please leave your feedback as well. We'd love to hear from you.

Construction Derby

As I sit here in the church office typing an article about the remodel, the sounds, smells, and sights of it filter through to me. Outside my window, I see workers putting the finishing touches on the brand new roof. I hear them pounding the final nails on the last side of the roof to be completed. And I smell the comforting scent of grilled cheese sandwiches prepared for the crew from EHA working in the sanctuary today. The project is in full swing. Walls have been demolished. Paneling has been pulled down. Doors have been removed. Now it's time to build the new pieces to replace the old. Today, for example, the platform is being expanded. New steps are leading up to an enlarged platform surface to make more room for dramas like the one performed last week.

Volunteers have been generous with their time and talents. Sunday afternoon, the pews were removed in record time. Monday & Tuesday, large crews removed paneling, carpet, sheet rock, walls, doors, and anything else in view. Work is right on schedule. The roofers should be finishing up in the next day. Although the sun is shining brightly, it is again raining. The rain has slowed up the work somewhat, and has caused a few downpours inside the sanctuary, but work continues anyway. The electricians are coming on Tuesday, and plan to be done by Thursday. This was one area that we didn't know how difficult it would be until the walls were opened up. "Things look good" according to Leon Rennells, project co-lead. "Some things are getting done that are on the list, and some things aren't, but it will all even out."

Thanks to all who have participated so far. There is plenty more work to be done. Stop by the church during the week to take a peek at the progress, or to offer your services. More photos of the project are available at http://easthillsallianceremodel.shutterfly.com/

Join us for the Good Friday service at 7:00 in the demolished sanctuary.

Join us this weekend as we meet at Kelso High School. Service begins at 10:30 in the auditorium, coffee & goodies are available at 10:00.

Demolition is Imminent

Work on the church remodel is underway both inside and out! The roofers have finished the addition and will be working their way across the north-south section of the roof this week as weather permits, installing a layer of two-inch insulation as they go. Inside, Tom Hight and Leon Rennells tore into the foyer wall last week and replaced the vent line coming from the downstairs plumbing. This made that penetration of the roof ready to be enclosed while also giving us a way to drain the foyer sink.

After the service this Sunday, March 16, all are invited to a meal at the church and to a work party that will remove the pews and move the musical instruments and other sound equipment to the fellowship hall. Everything not nailed down must go. On Tuesday the 18th, another work party is planned to tear out the sheetrock, trim, and paneling from the sanctuary to clear the way for the new installations. The following weekend, we will meet at Kelso High School for a combined Sunday service while the interior work is underway!

All in favor...say aye!

This year's annual celebration and business meeting was held Sunday, January 27th at noon. After a pot luck lunch enjoyed by about 75 attendees and their kids, the kids were dismissed to their own play area and the meeting got underway. We began with a time of communion served at tables. Pastor Nick then shared his annual "State of the Church" message in which he noted that we have great people, a great staff, and a great God. We are ready to take the next step!

We established a quorum, approved the agenda and the minutes from last year's meeting, and noted that ministry reports have been published.

We then looked over the treasurer and assistant treasurers' reports and approved those. The election of the various ministry teams was accomplished by a unanimous vote. In fact, throughout the meeting not a single nay vote was cast! Finally we considered the budget for the coming year and approved it for $251,642.00.

The meeting was closed with a real sense of unity and purpose as we begin the next steps for our long planned sanctuary remodel. If you missed the meeting, reports are available in the church office.

It's a case of Mistaken Identity!

East Hills Women's Ministry begins a new Heart to Heart series on Thursday, February 21. Heart to Heart is a morning and evening time for women to get together for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship in a safe caring environment. Refreshments are provided and free childcare is available for the morning sessions.

Our new series, "Mistaken Identity", explores our understanding of who God really is. Do you see him has a cop? A genie in a bottle granting your wishes? The Old Man upstairs? How we relate to God depends upon our view of Him and this series will help us clarify and correct our mistaken ideas about His identity.

The first week we are pleased to welcome a guest speaker from north Carolina, Stef May. Don't miss this opportunity to connect in a community designed just for women of faith. For more information or to volunteer to help out in a variety of ways, contact Pastor Ann at ann@easthillsalliance.org.

Thursday mornings at 10AM, Thursday evenings at 6PM. In the Fellowship Hall at East Hills.

"CHOSEN" Life Group

Our Life Group, led by Leon Rennells, consists of people that are empty-nesters, used to be empty-nesters, and/or are soon-to-be empty-nesters. Jean Imholte dubbed our group the “CHOSEN” (Couples Helping Others Survive Empty-Nesthood)! – but we certainly welcome anyone at any stage of life.

This session, we are meeting on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. Currently, we are alternating our weekly meeting place between Ed & Candy Sanders’ home in Kelso and Rick & Jean Imholte’s home in Longview. We share dinner together (a very important part of our evening!); and then we discuss the previous weekend’s message.

Although we all have grown-up children out on their own, our end of the evening prayer time seems to revolve heavily around their needs, more than any other topic.

Leon (our “captain!”) is very organized and cognizant of the time and makes every effort to keep us on track – which is much appreciated, especially by those that have an early morning schedule the next day.

But for being involved in a Life Group, we would not have had the great opportunity to really get acquainted with other people that we attend church with and that are at a similar stage in life. It has been a blessing and an honor to come to know our co-life groupers. We welcome couples and singles alike and invite anyone that would even like to come and just share a meal with us to please do so.

Candy Sanders

Life After Fifty Updates

Here are some announcements related to LAF, and a couple of offers and reminders for all.


1. Life After 50
February 4th 6 PM Potluck
McRaes will show slides of hiking in the Scottish Highlands.
A new "what to bring" list is avaalable. Contact Noel with any questions.
If at any time, you have something else you want to bring, that is fine.
This is just a general guideline.


2. February 19 LAF movie night
Tuesday evening 6:30pm "End of the Spear"
Bring popcorn and finger food to share if you want.


3. Take a hike
The McRaes invite you to come out for a hike on the trails of their property.
They have 40 acres in Rose Valley and walk on the trails almost everyday.
You may come almost any day -- just give a call.
There are even some places for a weiner roast or hike-in picnic as weather improves.


4. Check out the church family webiste at East Hills Alliance church on a regular basis for on-going information.


5. Noel McRae has an large discipleship related blog that can be searched.


6. Men's Bible study
Third Saturday of the month - 7:30am.
Feb 16.
For this time together read 1 Timothy and come prepared to share your insights, questions and encouragements from this letter.



Hope you can join this group for one or all of the events. It is a great time to share life, stories and laughter.

Annual Celebration Scheduled for January 27th

The Next Step


Have you ever been to an annual meeting that seemed to take all year? Well, we are intentional about making our annual meetings a true CELEBRATION! What's different about it?

First of all, everyone is invited. You don't need to be a member to attend and enjoy this Celebration. There is a business meeting included in the celebration with a members only vote, but we try to move it as quickly as possible, and the information and voting process is open to everyone.

Secondly, there is food involved. This year our Annual Celebration is a pot-luck lunch following the Sunday service. Bring a dish to share if you have time, and if you forget, enjoy the bounty that others will provide.

Thirdly, we are gathering together to Celebrate what God has done in our church body over the last year. We will celebrate salvations, baptisms, various ministries that have been going on throughout the year, and we will look ahead to what "The Next Step" for our church is. There will even be some discussion on the sanctuary remodel that will be taking place in the next few months. God is moving! Let's celebrate what He has done, and anticipate what He is going to do in this next year. We hope to see you there.

If you would like to look at copy of our annual reports and financial information before the meeting, stop by the office between 9 and 3 this week to pick up a copy. All of this information will also be available at the meeting on Sunday.

Harvest Dinner

This coming Friday evening (November 30th) will be the annual Harvest Dinner. The Alliance Women continue the tradition of putting this event on. Everyone is invited to this delicious meal where everything is provided for you.

This year's speakers are Martin & Judy Johns. They are missionaries to the Vietnamese living in Cambodia. Look forward to great information and stories about what God is doing through these missionaries and others around the world. There will be an offering taken to support the work of the Johns.

All you have to do is show up. Sign ups were taken last weekend during the services, but if you were unable to sign up then, please send an e-mail to office@easthillsalliance.org. We will let the organizers know that you are planning on attending.

Hope to see you there!