Erin Church of the Nazarene

Pastor Daniel Medders explains that this annual update is meant to help the congregation understand where Erin Church of the Nazarene is, what God has been doing, and how the church should prepare for what comes next. He highlights signs of spiritual and congregational health, including 15 recorded professions of faith, 24 baptisms this year, strong participation in prayer and altar response, five new groups launched, growing men’s and women’s Bible studies, about 295 volunteer hours each week, rising attendance, and major long term growth in charitable giving. He says this growth is happening because people trust a church that is visibly changing lives, investing in ministry beyond itself through missions and projects like the Camp Garner Creek dorm, and resisting a "country club" mindset in favor of service and sacrifice. He also acknowledges the strain that comes with growth, especially a crowded sanctuary and the reality that people cannot know everyone personally, while emphasizing that small groups are essential for connection in a larger church. He closes by urging the church to keep making room for more people, including by exploring the possibility of enclosing the rec building as added worship space, so ECN can continue welcoming those who are still looking for a place to grow.

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on a past discussion about launching satellite church locations and says what troubled him most was that the conversation focused on logistics rather than on who would faithfully proclaim the Word of God. From there, he reminds the congregation that the church’s first purpose is to worship God, not to cater to personal preference, and he calls them to approach Scripture with reverence and attention. Preaching from Genesis 3, he explains that evil usually works subtly by planting doubt and creating small compromises, while people often cooperate with temptation by rationalizing sin and reshaping truth to fit what they want. He also applies the passage to marriage and family life, arguing that Adam and Eve failed to care for one another spiritually and urging husbands in particular to lead, pray, and watch over their households. The sermon builds toward God’s question, "Where are you?" as a call for each person to stop hiding, honestly confront sin, and respond to God’s grace with repentance and a renewed pursuit of holy living.

Pastor Daniel Medders teaches that asking questions is good, but our questions often reveal what we truly understand or misunderstand, using stories like tire chains and local water shortages to make the point. He then examines the Gospel accounts of James and John, and in Matthew their mother, likely Salome and possibly Jesus’ aunt, asking for seats of honor, warning that this reflects favoritism, a desire for prominence, and competition among believers. Jesus’ response about drinking his “cup” reframes greatness as service and sacrifice, something the disciples do not yet grasp, though it later becomes clear in James’s martyrdom. Pastor Medders contrasts this with Brian Lennon’s story, where being grounded from flying led him to ask God how to use his time, resulting in a men’s Bible study that helped many men grow in faith. He closes by urging everyone to ask better questions that focus on how God can use their time and gifts to point others to Jesus, and he ends in prayer.

Pastor Daniel Medders greets the ECN family during the lingering winter ice event of 2026, noting that main roads are improving but back roads and the church property are still slick, and he encourages people that conditions should get better soon. He then teaches from Genesis 19 and the story of Lot’s wife, stressing that God’s clear commands are to be obeyed even when we do not understand the reasoning behind them. He explores why “looking back” is so tempting, connecting it to a human impulse to watch others fall and to a culture drawn toward chaos and drama. He also warns against romanticizing the past, including sinful seasons and even past seasons of spiritual usefulness, sharing a lesson from his late friend James Anderson about the danger of missing “the old you.” Pastor Medders closes by urging listeners to be reflective and forward-looking, using each day as a gift to honor God instead of living in the “good old days.”

Pastor Daniel Medders shares a short message during a January ice storm, noting the unsafe roads and describing the beauty and quiet of winter weather around his home. He recalls childhood stories of unexpectedly deep snow, including his parents’ anniversary trip to Gatlinburg and his own attempt to wade through snow in his grandfather’s garden. He reflects that difficulty can also create opportunity, and he points to the Israelites’ journey as a reminder that God is faithful and that people grow through hardship. He invites families to pause and discuss what opportunities this temporary loss of mobility might afford, then encourages them to enjoy stillness, savor time with loved ones, and check on neighbors who may need help.

Pastor Daniel Medders centers the message on Genesis 15, inviting listeners to picture Abram under a star-filled sky as God promises descendants too numerous to count. He reviews Genesis 12–14 to show Abram’s character forming over time, including Abram’s generosity toward Lot, Lot’s choice to settle near Sodom and the trouble that follows, and Abram’s rescue mission with 318 trained men. Medders highlights Abram’s integrity when he refuses the king of Sodom’s offer of wealth, so no one can later claim they made Abram prosperous, and he contrasts that with Abram’s earlier deception in Egypt during the famine to show growth in faith. He concludes that righteousness is found in trusting God through the process, then applies it to practical steps like living generously and acting with integrity, and he transitions toward baptisms and closes in prayer.

Pastor Daniel Medders opens by celebrating ECN’s recent growth, clarifying a small attendance math mistake from the prior Sunday, and offering practical ways to support continued growth through inviting others, improving parking flow, and making room for families and those with mobility needs. He introduces the message, “A Tale of Two Gospels,” by preaching two short sermons from Matthew that sit only 36 verses apart: the lost sheep in Matthew 18, which highlights God’s pursuit, awareness of the one missing, and the value of every person, and the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, which highlights surrender, trust, and the real responsibility of responding to Jesus. He cautions against forming “my Jesus” or “my Bible” around personal preference, explaining that believers can latch onto one biblical picture and treat it as the whole, which fuels polarization even within the same church. He urges the congregation to avoid extreme positions, to hold together both God’s compassionate pursuit and human choice, and to navigate hot button issues with prayer, humility, and care. He closes by inviting follow up conversation and praying for the church to handle differing opinions responsibly and with grace.

Pastor Daniel Medders uses the story of Henry Molaison and the idea of “Henry’s mirror” to warn against living year after year without learning, then frames a 2026 challenge to grow in Christlikeness by learning how to handle opinions. He points to Moses as a model of steady leadership under criticism, Noah as an example of stubborn obedience while the culture spiraled, and David as a reminder that opposition can come from your own family when you step toward what God is calling you to do. He describes a “lonely chapter” that often comes with pursuing holiness, where you no longer fit with your old circle and have not yet found the new one, and he says it feels lonely mainly when your identity was rooted in people instead of God. He ends by saying the hardest opinion to overcome is your own, warning that “follow your heart” and self affirmation can become idolatry when they replace denying yourself and following Christ, and he concludes that the only opinion that truly matters is God’s as he closes in prayer.

Pastor Daniel Medders says he is encouraged by the growing number of people at ECN who are new to faith or returning to church, and he uses their questions to explain why it matters to ask, “Why do we do church the way we do.” He intentionally shifts the service into a more conversational format to mirror how he believes Jesus taught, then uses Christmas topics to explore how traditions formed, including the real history of Saint Nicholas and how the modern Santa image developed much later. He highlights the hope of Christmas by emphasizing that God worked through an imperfect human in Mary, and he explains why December 25 was chosen based on early Christian reasoning tied to Jesus’ conception and death rather than a recorded birthday. He also challenges common nativity assumptions by arguing that “inn” is better translated as “guest room,” that the birth setting was likely a sheltered space connected to a home, and that some alleged historical contradictions can be understood with better context while others still leave room for “we do not know.” He closes by noting that Joseph disappears from the story after Jesus’ childhood, likely because Joseph died, and he ends with prayer that understanding these details will deepen gratitude and awe for Jesus.

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on how Christmas and Advent can start to feel routine, and he urges the church to recover the season’s meaning by remembering Jesus as “Emmanuel, God with us.” Rather than reading the birth narratives, he walks through Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus, focusing on two disappointed disciples, possibly a husband and wife, who talk about their shattered hopes while Jesus walks with them unnoticed. He warns against treating Sunday worship like a quick spiritual fix, and he challenges listeners to make spiritual conversation normal at work and at home even when fear of others’ opinions makes that feel risky. He also cautions newer believers that church is not a magic pill for an easier life, because following Christ involves sacrifice and can create real tension with others. The message closes with Jesus opening the Scriptures, being recognized in the breaking of bread, and the reminder that believers do not leave Jesus behind at church because he continues to walk with them in everyday life.