This week, the office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, September 2nd, the autumn hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. most days; any changes will be posted.

Thank you to everyone who got their Faith Night Curve tickets! The game is on Sunday; gates open at 4:30 p.m., and there is an all-you-can-eat buffet from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (the game begins at 6:00 p.m.). Our section is the picnic area along the third base line.

Sunday, after the 10:45 service, there will be a quick ROCK volunteers meeting. Please attend if you intend to volunteer this year! If you will be unable to attend, please notify Ashley ahead of time.

Thursday morning Bible Study with Pastor Brian will be held at 9:30 a.m. this week.

A reminder that this Saturday, August 23, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., is 2nd Ave Kids Morning at Slinky Action Zone. Kids aged 12 and under are free, as is one adult per household. There are still few open spaces, but you must register in advance. Sign up here.

Sunday, August 31^st, we will have one service at 10:00 a.m., followed by a potluck luncheon. If you want to attend the luncheon, please sign up on the table in the sanctuary. You don’t want to miss this service because the Youth Group will be providing a recap of their Mission Trip to Williamsport.

 

On Sunday, we will welcome a missionary who was supposed to be here a few weeks ago. He will speak with Pastor Brian during both services. However, the service will not be recorded for the safety of the missionary and his family.

The Blessing of the Backpacks will be held on Sunday as well. Children are invited to bring their backpacks, and we will have a time of prayer for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Additionally, we will pray for our school district employees.

Join us after church at 1:00 p.m. for a picnic at Matt and Tiffany Stuckey’s home. (If you need their address, please let Pastor Brian or Jill know.)

Jill will be handing out Curve Faith Night tickets to those who purchased them. The envelope will contain your tickets and wristbands (wristbands are mandatory for entry into the picnic area). The game is scheduled for August 24, with gates opening at 4:30 p.m. The all-you-can-eat buffet will be served from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (on the 3rd base side). Please note that there is no reserved seating; it’s a first-come, first-served basis. Since there are several churches in our area, please ensure you sit at tables marked for 2nd Avenue. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Jill.

The office will be closed on Monday as Jill will be moving her daughter to school. She will resume work on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

This Saturday, the Hope Chest will be open 10-2 for a clothing giveaway and our monthly soup & sandwich luncheon will be held 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m!

Don’t forget, our 2nd Ave Kids Slinky Action Zone event is 8-23, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This is free for children 12 and under and one parent/guardian. Registration is required and space is limited!  SIGN UP HERE

Sunday, August 24th there will be a ROCK volunteers meeting following the 10:45 service–it will be brief, but please plan to attend if you are volunteering at the ROCK this year. If you cannot be here, please reach out to Ashley ASAP.

Our church picnic will be held at the Stuckey’s home next Sunday 8/17 at 1:00 p.m. If you need their address or are interested in immersion baptism, please let me know! 

The church office will be closed next Monday, 8/18, as Jill have to move her daughter back to school. She will be back in on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. 

Faith Night tickets and wrist bands will be here for pick up next Sunday 8/17, and throughout next week. Please make sure to find Jill to pick yours up or stop in during office hours. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. on 8/24. You can proceed to the picnic area and there will be tables on both levels of the area for our church–as there will be more than just our church in attendance and sharing the space. 

 

2nd Ave Kids is hosting a Slinky Action Zone event for children aged 12 and below on Saturday, August 23^rd. The event is free for children (12 and under) and one parent or guardian per family. If another parent or guardian wishes to attend, they can do so for a nominal fee of $10. The event will commence at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 12:00 p.m. Please note that registration is mandatory due to limited space. For more information and to register, click here.

Ashley is eager to resume staffing the nursery in September, but currently only has two volunteers signed up. To ensure the nursery is staffed during the 10:45 service, two people are required weekly. Ideally, you would only be scheduled once a month, or less if sufficient volunteers are available. Please contact Ashley if you’re interested. Volunteers must have clearances, training, and be 18 or older. 

The Hope Chest is hosting a clothing giveaway on Saturday, August 16^th, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Everyone is welcome to participate.  

Sunday, August 17^th, marks the Blessing of the Backpacks. Before the school employees and students head back to the classroom, we will gather to pray. At 1:00 p.m., there will also be a church picnic at Matt & Tiffany Stuckey’s home. A sign-up sheet is available on the table in the sanctuary. If you’ve never been baptized and are interested in submersion baptism, please contact Pastor Brian.

Sunday, August 31^st, will feature a combined 10:00 a.m. service followed by a luncheon. If you plan to attend the luncheon, please sign up at the sanctuary. 

We eagerly anticipate your presence on Sunday. Our services will commence at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Additionally, Sunday school will be held for children aged 4 and above from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 

Jill is back in the office this week, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. She plans to catch up on emails and phone messages today and tomorrow. Also a reminder that Pastor Brian is away on the Youth Group mission trip this week; if you require pastoral care, please contact her and she will contact him.

Starting in September, Jill looking for help running slides and sound at 10:45 a.m. If anyone in the Youth Group or over 18 wants to help operate slides or run sound, please contact us; it’s quite simple and we’ll show you everything you need to do.

If you’re going to Faith Night with the church group, remember that sign-ups and money are needed by 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. If you need any other information, please let Jill know. The game is on Sunday, August 24^th, and the buffet will begin at 5:00 p.m.

The church picnic will be held on Sunday, August 17^th at 1:00 p.m. at the home of Matt and Tiffany Stuckey. There is a sign-up sheet available at the church. Lunch will be served later in the afternoon. Bring your swimwear! If you have never been baptized and are interested in immersion baptism, please contact Pastor Brian.

Reminder: The office will be closed until Monday, August 4^th. Emails and phone messages will be returned thereafter. Please contact Pastor Brian for any pastoral concerns.

The August newsletter and calendars are provided below. Copies are also available for collection at the church.

August Newsletter

August Calendars

On Sunday, we will hold a combined service at 10:00 a.m. Sunday school will not be held on this day. Additionally, we will be hosting a neighborhood cookout at 6:00 p.m. this Sunday. All are welcome to attend. Food and beverages will be provided by 2nd Avenue. (If inclement weather occurs, the cookout will be held indoors.)

Rise Up Camp will be held this coming week, Monday through Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the church. This camp is open to children aged 4 to 12 and is free of charge. For further information, please contact Pastor Brian.

The Youth Group and Pastor Brian will be embarking on a mission trip to Williamsport from August 4^th to August 8^th. If your teen is participating in this trip and you have not yet submitted their permission slip, please do so promptly. For any inquiries, please contact Nic Harclerode or Pastor Brian.

We had an amazing week at Magnified VBS! We want to express our deepest gratitude to Ashley for all the hard work she put in preparing for last week’s event.

Tomorrow evening, we’re hosting the Team Effort meal for the teens and leaders. We need desserts, so please drop them off during office hours (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.).

Faith Night at the Curve is coming up, and we’re here to remind you that payments and sign-ups are due by August 7^th. This all-you-can-eat picnic buffet will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, and more, along with soda and water. The cost is $32 for those aged 13 and above, while kids aged 3-12 can enjoy the meal for $24, and children under 3 are free. This picnic ticket is the only option, so if you want to attend the game but don’t want to sit with those who bought the picnic ticket, you can purchase a ticket at the gate. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Next Sunday, July 27^th, there will be a combined service at 10:00 a.m. There won’t be a luncheon afterward, but we’re hosting a neighborhood cookout that evening at 6:00 p.m. If you plan to attend and didn’t sign up at church yesterday, please let me know by Wednesday so we can get a count to the people preparing the food. All food and beverages will be provided by 2nd Avenue.

Phone messages and emails received after this Thursday, July 24^th, will be returned on Monday, August 4^th. The office will be closed during this period as Jill will be on vacation. If you have any urgent matters that require attention during this week, please contact Pastor Brian or Ashley directly.

August newsletters and calendars will be mailed and emailed out towards the end of the week. Copies will also be available here at the church starting Sunday.  

We’re hosting a neighborhood cookout next Sunday, July 27^th, at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome, and we’ll provide everything. However, we kindly request that you sign up either at the table in the sanctuary or by calling the church office. This will help us estimate the number of people we need to prepare for.

Next Sunday, we will also have a combined service at 10:00 a.m. A missionary and his family from Algeria will bless us. However, to ensure the safety of the family, we will refrain from recording and posting anything that day.

Join us this Sunday for our message from Matthew 5:27-48, titled “But I Say To You.” Services will be held at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. 

A friendly reminder that any emails or phone messages received after next Thursday, July 24^th, at 12:30 p.m. will not be returned until Monday, August 4^th, as Jill will be on vacation. In the meantime, please reach out to Pastor Brian directly for any pastoral concerns.

August newsletters and calendars will be mailed and emailed out before the end of next week. Please keep an eye out for them so you don’t miss any upcoming events at 2nd Ave GMC!

This evening marks the beginning of one of our most significant children’s events of the year: VBS! If you have a child in your life, aged 4 (must be fully potty trained) through 5^th grade, they are warmly invited to join us from Monday to Friday, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., for MAGNIFIED! 

Join us this Sunday at our 10:45 a.m. service, as the kids will be singing several songs they’ve learned this week!

If you’ve taken a snack tag but haven’t returned the item yet, please bring it in during office hours today so Ashley can check if she needs to buy something.

Please be informed that there are no evening activities scheduled at the church this week due to the VBS program. We kindly request that unless you are a VBS volunteer, you refrain from visiting the building between 5:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. to ensure compliance with the Ministry Safe guidelines.

This Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., we’re hosting our monthly soup and sandwich luncheon. Everyone is welcome!

On Sunday, July 27^th, we will have one service at 10:00 a.m. We will be welcoming a missionary and his family from Algeria. However, we are unable to record or share any information about them to ensure their safety.

Jill will be on vacation from July 27^th to August 2^nd. Please contact Pastor Brian or Ashley directly if you have any needs. Phone messages and emails to the office from Friday, July 25^th, to Sunday, August 3rd, will not be returned until the week of August 4^th.

This marks the final year of Rise Up Camp at 2nd Ave. (Our plan is to send as many kids as possible to GMC Camp in the future). The camp will be held from Monday, July 28^th to Thursday, July 31^st, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Children aged 4 through 12 are welcome to participate. Please contact Pastor Brian to register.

Vacation Bible School is just days away! Please bring in snack donations on Sunday or during office hours on Monday. Ashley would like you to check out the decorations throughout the building, but please refrain from touching them. If you’re volunteering and can’t make the brief meeting after the 10:45 service this Sunday, please let Ashley know.

Join us this Sunday as we continue the sermon series, “The Sermon That Changed Everything.” This week’s message, entitled “The Goalpost Has Moved,” is based on Matthew 5:13-26. Services will be held at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

A friendly reminder that there will be a service at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 27^th. Unfortunately, there won’t be Sunday School that day. Pastor Brian will be having a conversation with a missionary from Algeria. For safety reasons, we won’t be able to record this day or share any information about the missionary or his message. (There won’t be a luncheon this day, but there will be a neighborhood cookout in the evening.)

Rise Up Camp will be held here at 2nd Avenue for children aged 4 to 12. The camp will run from Monday, July 28^th to Thursday, July 31^st, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To sign up your child, please contact Pastor Brian.

A friendly reminder to all those planning to attend Faith Night at the Altoona Curve: please ensure that your sign-ups and payments are completed by Thursday, August 7^th.