Evangelical Covenant Church

Mission Week - Food Drive

2011-08-23T06:04:00.001-07:00

YOUTH GROUP MISSION WEEK FOOD DRIVE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

PLEASE BRING NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS TO THE CHURCH ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24
AND LEAVE THEM ON THE FRONT PORCH, OR ON THE TABLE INSIDE THE BACK DOOR - OR CALL FOR PICKUP (368-1562)

SUMMERTIME IS HARD FOR FAMILIES IN NEED AND DONATIONS TO FOOD PANTRIES ALWAYS DECLINE OVER THE SUMMER.
SO YOUR GIFTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

TODAY THE YOUTH GROUP COLLECTED ABOUT 10 BAGS OF FOOD FROM THE COMMUNITY,
AND MORE WILL BE COMING IN TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY.

HELP US HELP OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED.
THANK YOU, ON BEHALF OF THE YOUTH GROUP MEMBERS.

- PASTOR PETER

Patrick's Day Dinner, Sat. 3/6, 6PM‏

2011-03-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

New Program - Covenant Kids Club

2010-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

WELCOME !!

For kids 4-10 to have fun, make friends, and grow in faith.

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL!

FALL EVENTS
WEEKLY: “Kid’s Own Worship” Sundays at 11AM, Drop off your children at this fun-filled, active-learning, children’s church program, or stay for worship. All are welcome.

Family Worship Service, Sun. Oct. 17 11AM, “God Is Reliable”, Come and learn how trustworthy God is, in this fun, uplifting, family worship service.

Fall Halloween Festival, Sat. October 30, 3:00-5:00- Pre-registration required
- Snacks/goody bags
- Free Pumpkin patch
- “Not-So-Scary” costume contest
- Pumpkin decorating
- Games/crafts/activities

Thanksgiving Feast, Sat. November 20, 3:00-5:00
- Games and crafts
- “Feast” for kids (snacks)
- Thanksgiving Story
- Registration begins Oct. 1st

“Drop and Shop” Saturdays 9-12, Dec. 4, 11, + 18
(Drop off your kids and get some Christmas shopping done!)
- Christmas crafts
- Activities/snacks/music
- Registration begins on Nov. 1.
- Space is limited.

Christmas Play, Sunday, December 19, 11AM
All kids are welcome to help present the Christmas story. Parts will be given out and two rehearsals will be held in early December.

* ALL PROGRAMS ARE FREE OF CHARGE! *
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR MOST PROGRAMS
(Call the office for registration forms. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended.)
* In lieu of any payment we ask that children bring a donation of canned goods for the food pantry.
All programs are led by Dawn Pothos, our NEW Children’s Program Director, along with church parents and youth volunteers. Dawn is a NYS certified teacher, local nursery school teacher, and mom.

Evangelical Covenant Church
Strengthening Families; Celebrating Diversity; Practicing Compassion
203 Cedar Road, East Northport, NY
631-368-1562 www.eccenorthport.org

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, April 3, at 11AM we are having our annual Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny will be with us for photos. We will also share the Easter story with the kids, color a paper Easter basket, and sing some fun songs. Find a kid to bring and come join us!

Our worship schedule is as follows:
Maundy Thursday Service - 8PM
Easter Sunday Service - 11AM

I look forward to seeing you this weekend as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
The Joy of the Lord be with you!

2010-03-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

St. Patrick's Day Dinner - Saturday, March 13, 5:30 at the church
Enjoy a wonderful dinner of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, Irish soda bread, desserts and more. There is no charge, but a free will offering will be received. The offering will go to support the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington Station. If you have not yet signed up we hope you can join us, but please RSVP either by email or phone (368-1562) so we know how many to expect.

Camp Sunday - March 14, 11AM
Join campers and counselors in singing camp songs and hear about the ministry of Camp Squanto in southern New Hampshire. Following the service there will be two drawings for a free week at summer camp. One drawing will be for kids from the church only, and the other will be for kids for the community. You can find the scholarship form on our web site www.eccenorthport.org. All entries must be signed by parents and turned in before the end of the service on Sunday.

Paul Paoli Band Concert - Mar 6, 7PM

2010-03-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 6, 7PM - Paul Paoli Band concert. Enjoy a great concert and help the hungry on Long Island. A free will offering of non-perishable food will be collected and donated to Pronto, a not for profit organization that served over 70,000 meals to the hungry on Long Island in 2009. The Paul Paoli Band is a contemporary Christian group that currently has 2 CD's out and is working on a third. They have played all over Long Island, NYC and New England.

Community Drawing for Camp Squanto Scholarship

2010-02-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

Click on the following image to print out the form.

Saturday, March 13, 5:30 - St. Patrick's Day Dinner. All are invited for a wonderful dinner of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, Irish soda bread, and delicious desserts. There is no charge, but a free will offering will be taken. All proceeds will go to benefit the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington. Please help us prepare by calling the church office to let us know you are coming ( 631-368-1562 631-368-1562)."

Sunday, March 14, 11AM - Camp Sunday. The Evangelical Covenant Church of East Northport is giving away a scholarship for one week of summer camp at Camp Squanto – a Christian camp on Swanzey Lake in southern New Hampshire. Camp Squanto is part of Pilgrim Pines Conference and Retreat Center and is owned by the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Secrets of Joyful Living & Upcoming Events

2009-12-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

Secrets of joyful Living
1. Live with abundance of gratitude
2. Live as partners in the gospel
3. Live with confidence in the Lord
4. Live mindful of the Grace of God
5. Pray about Everything
6. Ponder the wonders of God
7. Practice the Way of Jesus

January/February Events
- Bowling, Monday, Jan. 18th, 2:00 – ALL ARE WELCOME!
- Youth Group 30 Hour Fast for World Hunger – Friday and Saturday, January 29+30. Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to participate in the fast, and everyone can help support the kids and their fundraiser with a donation
- Annual Meeting – Sunday, January 30, after church.
- Family Winter Weekend at Pilgrim Pines, W. Swanzey, New Hampshire - Feb. 12-15. This is a great event. Information and registration forms are available in the back of the church.
- Laser Tag – ALL WELCOME – end of February (the exact date and time will be announced soon.)

See UpComing Events

Joanne and Peter Invite You To A Cookie Swap Party

2009-12-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 19, 5PM
The whole family is welcome. We will have finger sandwiches, snacks, desserts, coffee, and more.snacks, desserts, coffee, and more.

Please bake 4 dozen of the same cookie or bar. You will swap cookies with about 7 other bakers and come home with 4 dozen fantastic cookies – 6 each of 8 different types. Please bring recipe cards to share and a plate or tin to take your cookies home.

Please RSVP with the following information by Sun. Dec. 13th.

Name ________________________
# People _________
Cookie _______________________

(We’ll let you know if there are too many of one type.)

Please call Joanne or Peter at 368-2455, or email us at nielsenpjpm@aol.com

Special Services

2009-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 3, 11AM – Prayers For Healing And Cleansing: The text for my sermon this Sunday is about a man who is touched by Jesus, healed and cleansed. As the sermon has come together I realize the most appropriate response to the message is to have an opportunity for people to come forward for individual prayers. The opportunity to do so will be available as we receive communion. My hope is that as I lay my hand on the shoulder of those coming for prayer, they will feel the touch of Jesus, and as I pray for them they will hear the ever affirming, incredibly loving, voice of God bestowing upon them exactly what they need - blessing, healing, strength, peace, acceptance, love, and more.

Sunday, May 10, 11AM – Mother’s Day Reflections (Family Service): During this service we will have an opportunity to honor our mothers by sharing with the congregation brief statements about the good characteristics of our mothers. Would you be willing to share one or two wonderful qualities that your mother is/was noted for? We will discuss how our lives not only reflect these good qualities, but how we reflect the character of God as well, and how, as we reflect God’s character, we grow to become more and more like God each day. This is a family service and will include object lessons and songs the whole family will enjoy.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-15T06:10:00.001-07:00

The kids had a great time at our Easter Egg hunt recently. We hunted for eggs, hugged the Easter bunny, and colored some Easter bags to collect the eggs in. The youth of the church also shared two songs from some former VBS programs, and Pastor shared the Easter story with everyone. Both the songs and the story proclaimed the good news that Jesus rose up from the dead and He is alive! May the joy of Easter be with you always!

Press Release ENCC Youth Group 30 Hour Fast

2009-04-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday and Saturday, March 7th & 8th, the youth group of the Evangelical Covenant Church of East Northport participated in an annual 30 Hour Fast to raise funds and awareness about the hunger crisis effecting children around the world as part of World Vision’s international efforts.

Besides learning about hunger around the world, the youth group helped prepare food for distribution at the food pantry at Pronto human services agency in Bay Shore. Pictured below are the members of the youth group along with their pastor and other church members at Pronto. They are as follows:

Front Row: Anthony Garcia, Vivian Hart, Ethan Ottaviano, Geneva Ottaviano, Lydia Ottaviano, Rebecca Ho
Back Row: Ariana Hawk, Peter Morgan, Nina Ottaviano, Joanne Nielsen, Reverend Peter Nielsen

Together, the group raised over $2700 to help in the fight against hunger worldwide. Generous support was provided by the congregation and corporate support from Rothco, a Long Island military clothing manufacturer.

For further information, please contact Reverend Peter Nielsen (631) 368-1562 or Nielsenpjpm@aol.com

Woman Church

2008-12-13T08:47:00.002-08:00

Break The Chains - Women Ministries 2008 National Project
SLAVERY did not end in the 19th century - it still thrives in the 21st century. The most heinous form of modern-day slavery is commercial sexual exploitation. Young women - even very young girls - are imprisoned every year. Forced, coerced or deceived into sex slavery, these women experience the ultimate form of abuse everyday. Human trafficking is growing every year. Of the 600,000- 800,000 people who are trafficked across international borders each year, 80% are women and girls. 60% are minors. The majority are enslaved in the sex trade. To find out what how you can help, call our church office at 631-368-1562, or visit our denominational website at www.covchurch.org and follow the links for “Break the Chains.” Thank you!

Children Church

2008-12-13T08:47:00.001-08:00

Sunday School for children pre-K through 4th grade is held during our worship service. The children stay in the sanctuary for the first 15 minutes of the service and then spend the rest of the hour with our Children’s Ministry Leader, Christine Paraszczuk. During that time they have lessons, crafts and other activities.
A confirmation class is being held for youth in grades five through seven. We are learning about the Old Testament in 2007-2008 and the New Testament in the following year.
Special family worship services are held on a monthly basis. These worship services are geared for the whole family to worship together. We use stories, object lessons and children’s songs to convey the message of God’s love and greatness in ways that everyone can understand. It is our goal to make the worship service a festive celebration and a time of enjoyable and memorable learning. Please see “Upcoming Events” for the next scheduled family worship service.
Each summer we run a wonderful Vacation Bible School program. We usually have 40-50 kids (pre-k through 6th grade) enjoying games, crafts, Bible lessons, skits, songs and activities. The program runs for one week, from 9:30 until 12 noon. Check “Upcoming Events” for the date of our next VBS program.
Our Youth Group has been very active in the past few years. Eight of us went on a mission trip to Puerto Rico with Group Workcamps in the summer of 2005. In the summer of 2006 five of us went to CHIC – our triennial youth conference held at the University of Tennessee. It was a fantastic week with 5,000 other teens, great speakers great bands, fun activities, small group discussions, seminars, and a mission project. (We packed over a million meals to feed starving children in the Sudan and collected an offering of over $100,000 to build a medical clinic and to build, staff, and supply a new school – also in Sudan.)
Some of our annual events include Winterfest (a regional youth retreat in January), the 30 Hour Fast (a mission project to raise funds for hungry children around the world) and helping out with VBS. Our weekly meetings are held most Sundays at 6:30PM.

Affirmations

2008-12-09T19:36:00.001-08:00

The Bible is God’s message to human beings (God’s Word). Guided by the Holy Spirit men and women wrote and preserved the message God intended us to have – a message that reveals God and God’s plan of reconciling the world to Himself, and teaches us how we are to live as citizens of God’s kingdom and participants in God’s ministry of reconciliation. As God’s Word, the Bible is the “only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct” (from Covenant Affirmations).
Salvation is in and through Christ. We can be sure of our new life (here and now) and our entrance into eternal life by receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus died for our sins and the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and will return as King and Lord. In and through Christ we are forgiven, made new, and empowered to serve the Lord.
The church is open to all believers. The church consists of all who confess Jesus as Savior and follow Jesus as Lord. The church is God’s chosen instrument to bring about God’s peace, love, justice and mercy to the world. To this end, we build one another up in love, spread the good news of Jesus Christ, and serve the world around us in Jesus’ name. However, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us that we are able to carry out the mission of the church.
While affirming the basic truths of the Christian faith as declared in the historical creeds of the church (such as the Apostle’s Creed), we value the freedom we have in Christ to differ and to disagree. In humility, sincerity, and love, we give priority to our unity in Christ and seek understanding and acceptance when it comes to lesser matters of faith.

Pastor

2008-12-09T19:35:00.001-08:00

I am married to Joanne, and have two sons, Paul and Mark. I am deeply committed to ministering to families and especially to letting children and youth know about the incredible love of our amazing Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe that, for our faith to be genuine, it needs to be lived out in loving relationships and concrete actions. I am excited by the fact that God has chosen the church (the church universal – all believers) to change the world! He calls us to be part of that work and empowers us to do it. It is an awesome thing to be part of such a grand work!
My Story:
I grew up in Huntington with three brothers and a sister and we were blessed with parents who brought us regularly to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Huntington Station. My faith was nourished and encouraged by my family and by my church family, including all the Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and pastors at the church. By the time I reached my sophomore year at Amherst College I knew that whatever I did with my life I wanted to be serving and honoring Jesus.
I graduated with a BA in English, and returned to Long Island while I sought a job teaching English (and coaching), or some kind of youth ministry. I was seeking God’s guidance. The coaching and youth ministry doors opened before any permanent teaching position. I was substitute teaching at Huntington High School, working as a part time youth director at Huntington Baptist Church and coaching High School football and basketball. During those years I took some classes at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY (a bit of a commute!) to better equip me for my ministry with the youth. I spent 8 years as a youth director, and during that time I felt God calling me to full time pastoral ministry.
With only two classes left to complete my Master of Divinity degree, I was again seeking God’s guidance as to where I should serve. Should I stay with the American Baptists (where I was youth director), return to my Lutheran roots, join the Christian and Missionary Alliance (where I was in Seminary), or was there something else out there? I thought I had about a year to investigate that question, but God answered it for me sooner than I thought. I came as a pulpit supply pastor to this church in East Northport, discovered the “Evangelical Covenant Church,” and the match has been wonderful – bringing together many of the best aspects from the various denominations I have experienced. I have served as pastor of the congregation in East Northport since the fall of 1988. I love the challenges, the opportunities, the ministry, the people, and most of all, I love serving the Lord. It is an honor and a privilege.

Church History

2008-12-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Our ministry began in 1954 with a small group of people who “wanted a family church in the vicinity.” They realized the need to teach children about the love of Jesus, and started a Sunday School for about 25 adults and kids. The group met for prayer, study, and fellowship in the Olson’s living room. As the group grew, it rented two different homes in East Northport for meeting space. In 1957 they formed as an Evangelical Covenant Church, called their first pastor (Rev. Sandbek), and built the church where we still worship today (203 Cedar Road).
When it first opened the church was called “The Community Covenant Church” – “Where the whole family can worship.” The commitment to families, to children, and youth is still a driving force in our ministry.

Our Purpose and Identity

2008-12-09T18:35:00.001-08:00

Our Purpose
We will glorify God by bringing our community to Jesus, building each other up in Christ, growing in Christian maturity, going forth into the world with Christ’s compassion, and worshiping Jesus in all that we do.
Our Identity
We are a church that seeks to Strengthen Families, Celebrate Diversity, and Participate in Charity.
Strengthen Families: Independent research has consistently shown that faith is a major factor in strong families. Families are strengthened as individual members are encouraged to live out their faith and to grow in their relationship with the Lord. The activities and programs we offer are designed with families in mind. The friendships that develop within our community, along with the prayers and love that are shared, are a source of mutual encouragement and strength as well.
Celebrate Diversity: God’s people are a gloriously diverse people. The church (universal) is made up of believers of all nationalities, races, and ethnic groups – all following Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is a powerful witness to the world and a tremendous blessing to one another when this gloriously diverse body of Christ is united as one, praising God together, learning from one another, and growing in faith, love and service.
Participate in Charity: We are a church that puts love in action by helping our neighbor around the corner or around the world. We are actively involved in projects and ministries that bring God’s justice and compassion to a needy and hurting world. See “Upcoming Events” for current projects.