Pray for Eric & Colleen Philips and Scott & Ali Blankenship as they lead East End Ecclesia in Pittsburgh.

Hello All,

Sorry I haven’t sent a letter sooner but alot has happened in the couple of months since my last newsletter. The biggest thing is God has been testing me big time. This has not been an easy few months for me and my family. I thank you for your prayers and patience with me as I am in this new season vocational. I am reling so much more on my rock Jesus Christ for strength. In the words of James “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.” Thank you for your prayers and support.
Less Distractions, More Vision
Last fall I got convicted hard by God that I need to keep my vision on His Kingdom. This started shortly after I began working for a tire shop near my house. My family needed the extra income and God was great to provide at the perfect moment a decent position that I was more than qualified to do. So, I got the job and began working there and started to notice other things being put on the back burner (ministry, school) in my life. After a little more than a month later God convicted me about me losing my focus on God’s call in my life. Later that week during church it became more real that God wanted my full attention. A little more time went by and I began seeking out God more and trying to refocus on Christ and his mission. Then on Christmas Eve God decided to take away a huge distraction, well this happened to be the distraction. I got let go at my job at the tire shop. Well, honestly I was a bit conflicted. This all happened on Christmas Eve and I knew I need to provide for my family. However, this is what God wanted and needed for me to go through to refocus on Him. Soon after I was pondering these I heard God say “Focus on Me” and then God said “I will provide”. Since then more oppurtunites have arisen is the Church. I preached my second sermon a few weeks ago and the Lord is providing. Not to say that the trials and uncertianty is gone but I have full assurance in God’s provisions, sovereignty and majesty. What an amazing God we serve!
Praises
- God has been great too us! It hasn’t been the easiest but some more of you have helped in supporting us and we are very thankful for that. Also your many prayers have been felt and I appreciate your continual help in lifting us up in your prayers.

- Our church continues to grow. The few people we have are becoming closer disciples of Christ and deeping there roots in God’s grace and thats really exciting to be apart of.

- Lastly, I want to praise God for bringing us here. This has been really hard but I can see God taking root in this body of believers. What an awesome God we serve!!!

Prayer

-Again please be in prayer for us here in Pittsburgh. It has been great being able to be apart of God’s redemptive work here. But, that doesn’t mean it is going to be easy or come without hardships.

- I ask for prayer for finiacial support. We are currently at 1/3 of our budget and I know that these times are hard but please seek God’s leading as too wheter he is leading you to help give for the furtherance of His Kingdom here or not.

- I ask for prayer for me and my family. Pittsburgh is great and we all absolutly love it here. But the attacks and stress can seem unbearable at times. Allison in particular is struggling alot with her Fibromyalgia. We have tried 2 different health and wellness plans to try to seek relief for her with no help yet. Please pray that finacially and emotionally we will be strentghend and that we will not loose site of God.

-I also ask for prayer on the facility. We have been able to maneuver through all the zoning things but we feel with summer time coming to get into the building would be a much needed and more effective way for us to serve and be lights to the community.

- Lastly, like I mentioned before I ask for prayer personally for continual guidance by God’s Spirit in seeking his will.
Seeking to be what God intended.