Join us tomorrow for the celebration of Holy Communion at both services and commence the sermon series “Faithful Brothers and Sisters” with this week’s message, “ Continue in Faithful Living.”

A friendly reminder: next Sunday, August 17, we will have only one service at 10:00 a.m. We will be celebrating the Blessing of the Backpacks and praying over all the students, teachers, and other school employees before the commencement of the new school year.

Two of the children’s ministries at 2nd Ave are in dire need of volunteers.

• To prepare for the nursery’s reopening in September, Ashley is seeking approximately 4 to 6 more volunteers. Currently, the nursery is staffed only on two Sundays a month. To volunteer, you must be at least 18 years old, have completed all necessary clearances, and have completed online training (which is provided free of charge). Additionally, you must have been a regular attendee of our church for at least six months.
• The ROCK is seeking volunteers to fill in unexpected spots to ensure the smooth running of its Wednesday program. The program operates on Wednesday evenings (excluding school days off), from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. They are in need of 3-4 additional volunteers to contribute in various capacities.

Contact Ashley for more information on either of these ministry opportunities. You can reach her at ashleymiller1228@gmail.com.

The office will be closed on Monday, August 19, as Jill moves her daughter to college. Jill will return to the office on Tuesday.

Starting Tuesday, September 2, the office will be open from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Additionally, Jill will be available on Sundays, usually from around 7:45 a.m. until the end of the 10:45 service. You can find Jill either in the balcony or in the office between services.

The Block Party committee would like to remind you that they are collecting donations for Mending Hearts Animal Rescue for their visit to the Block Party. They have specific needs that are outlined in the attached picture. Kindly place items on the bulletin board in the Elevation Room.

The Block Party is seeking baked goods for their bake sale. Kindly drop off items in the morning of Friday, August 23 in the kitchen.  

Please reach out to Jody Langguth or Stacey Wombacher with any questions. 

If you missed yesterday’s service, make sure to watch it on our YouTube channel; we were blessed to have Pastor Dennis Braun deliver the message.

Pastor Brian is on vacation this week; please contact the church office or Wendy Lucas for any pastoral emergencies.

The Block Party is quickly approaching; make sure to save the date! August 24, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00p.m. Register in the sanctuary to volunteer for a shift. Invite your friends and family to an afternoon of fun!

Our church picnic will be held on Saturday, September 7 from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Tiffany and Matt Stuckey’s home. Please register in the sanctuary if you intend to attend. Immersion baptisms will begin at 3:00 p.m.(must be in sixth grade or older and have not previously been baptized), followed by dinner at 5:00 p.m. Please contact Pastor Brian with any baptism questions, and the church office with any other inquiries.

Have you signed up for text reminders? It’s a great way to stay in touch (we’ll be able to communicate quickly if there’s anything urgent), and you can text us any prayer requests, questions, etc. To easily find the church, text 833-768-9112 and add us to your phone contacts.

The church office will be closed on Monday, August 19, while I relocate my daughter to college. I’ll be back in the office on Tuesday, August 20, at 8:00 a.m. Emails and phone messages will be returned.

We hope you can join us on Sunday to welcome Pastor Dennis Braun! He will deliver the message “Body Building” from Ephesians 4:1–16. (Communion will be held on Sunday, August 11).

Pastor Brian will be away from today through next week. If you have a pastoral emergency, please let Wendy Lucas or myself know, and we will connect you with the on-call pastor.

Sunday, August 18, we will have a combined service at 10:00 a.m. On this day, we will also hold our Blessing of the Backpacks and pray for students, teachers, and other school personnel before they return to the classroom.

The Block Party will be here before you know it, and we need your help! We cannot provide this community outreach event without everyone’s assistance. Please register for a shift at a game. To assist in the kitchen and other areas. The sign-up sheet is on the round table in the sanctuary.

Our church picnic will be held on Saturday, September 7, from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Stuckey’s house. Pastor Brian will be offering immersion baptisms (must be 6th grade or older) to anyone who has not been baptized and is interested. The sign-up sheet is on the round table, and we would appreciate it if you could sign up to bring a side dish or dessert.

The Youth Group safely returned home on Saturday following a successful week of mission work in Virginia. They appreciate your prayers and donations. They will discuss their experiences during our combined worship service on August 18 at 10:00 a.m. 

NUSERY UPDATE: We would love to be able to staff the nursery weekly again starting in September, but we need more volunteers to do so. Volunteers must be 18 or older and have completed all clearances and training (which we provide for free). For more information or to volunteer, please contact Ashley at ashleymiller1228@gmail.com. (Volunteers are scheduled one Sunday per month; if we get more volunteers, it may be less often.)

The counters are looking for people to join their quarterly rotation. This ministry is usually done on Monday mornings, but if you want to learn and are interested, we can work around your schedule. You must be a member of this church for at least a year and have your own transportation. 

Thank you to everyone who helped at our Food Pantry yesterday; our volunteers in this ministry are a huge blessing to the community. Just a reminder that we always accept donations of non-perishable food; you can bring them on Sundays or during office hours. 

Please sign up to volunteer at the Block Party on August 24, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The sign-up sheet is on the round table in the sanctuary.

August newsletters and calendars are in the mail and will be emailed on Monday morning. Physical copies are also available at the sanctuary.

We’re thrilled to announce that 2nd Ave will have a float in the downtown Altoona Christmas Parade! The parade will take place on Saturday, December 7, at 1:00 p.m. Beginning this week, please place suggestions for the float theme in the box on the circular table. 

The August Ladies Breakfast will take place on Saturday, August 10, at 8:00 a.m. This month, the breakfast will be held at Cracker Barrel. 

Jill in the office until 10:30 today (Monday) and then will not be in until Wednesday as Jill attends freshman orientation with her daughter. Jill will be able to check emails this evening and tomorrow evening, but any phone messages will not be returned until Wednesday.

Our Youth Group left this morning for their mission trip.  Please keep the kids and their leaders in prayer for travel mercies and a safe week. Pastor Brian is with the group, so he will be out of town until Saturday. 

This coming Friday is our Food Pantry. If you plan to volunteer, please be here around 9:45 a.m. to the Narnia Room (inside the glass entrance). 

Sign up sheets will be coming on Sunday for volunteers for the Block Party as well as for those who plan to attend our church picnic. They will be located on the round table. 

Join us on Sunday for the next message in our series “Now What?”–Ears to Hear (Zechariah 7) offers services at 8:15/10:45 a.m., Sunday school from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., and coffee hour from 9:30 – 10:30.

This Sunday will be our organist (Anastazia’s) last day with us at 2nd Ave; she has accepted a music directing position at a school several hours away and will be moving there. We wish her great success and happiness, and we will pray for her!

*Reminder* The nursery is available as a cry room for an adult to take their child aged 3 and under during the service, but it is not staffed during the summer.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, participated, and prayed for Rise Up Camp. It was a fantastic week of outreach and sharing God’s love.

On Monday morning, the Youth Group and Pastor Brian will leave town for a mission trip to Chesapeake, Virginia. They will spend the week doing volunteer work for World Changers. They could definitely use your prayers for a wonderful and safe week. To assist the Youth Group with gas and dinner expenses, please place cash or a check in an envelope marked for the Youth Group and place it in the offering plate this Sunday.

The office will close at 10:30 a.m. on Monday and closed on Tuesday to allow Jill to take her daughter to her freshman orientation at college. Any email or phone messages will be returned on Wednesday.

Thank you once again to Ashley, all the volunteers and all the kids & families for making VBS a wonderful week!

This week is Rise Up Camp at Highland Park. Please keep this ministry in your prayers for good weather, lots of fun and kids finding Jesus’ love through our volunteers!  (Any rain/bad weather days will be held here at the church, please keep this in mind if you have a child attending)

This upcoming Saturday will be our monthly Soup & Sandwich luncheon. Free and open to all! 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

The 22 through the 26, our Youth Group, along with their leader, Nic, Pastor Brian, and other amazing adult volunteers, will be headed to Chesapeake, VA for a mission trip. If you’d like to donate snacks or money toward meals, please see Nic Harclerode. 

We are currently seeking an organist for our 8:15 service. If you know of anyone with availability on Sunday mornings from 8:00 a.m. until around 9:30 a.m. with this gift and who may be interested, please have them email their resume to office@2ndavechurch.org. Other musical talents a plus but not required. 

Sunday we will also welcome the Altoona Community Band at 3:00 p.m. Free and open to the public! Beat the heat in the air conditioning and listen to some wonderful music. 

Next week is Rise Up Camp being held at Highland Park.  Please keep this ministry in prayer for a wonderful week of showing Jesus’ love and please pray for good weather!

Saturday, July 20th is our monthly Soup & Sandwich lunch at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome! If you’d like to make a soup, please sign up on the round table in the sanctuary.