Eastern Hills Church Family

Psalm 150:2 says, “Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.” It's a great blessing to present this report with many reasons to praise the Lord for all he's done through our church this past year. Together we have so much to be grateful for as we consider the Lord’s provision for Eastern Hills.

Because you've said yes to Jesus, we've spent this past year helping people become fully engaged in Christ, at church and on mission. We've also launched our "10-9-6" vision of seeing Gospel transformation across every region in our state (10), every state in the Northeast (9), and every habitable continent worldwide (6). Finally, our values shape the church we're becoming: "centered and sent," "on earth as it is in heaven," "generosity that stretches," "make it easy," "one another," and "celebrate often." You can read more about our future through this link: OUR FUTURE.

One of our strategic initiatives is “meta-what,” forming digital pathways that cross the lines of ethnicity, community, and social stations. I’m thrilled with our new branding reflected in this report, our lobby, website, and social media. A team of staff, volunteers, and contractors worked together to produce a distinct branding guide that we hope our church will be proud to share with others. The logo encompasses an “e” wrapping hills using a color palette that reflects Syracuse. 

Something I’m looking forward to in this next year is providing more opportunities for members to engage with leadership. We’ve separated our fiscal year into three quadrimesters: August to November, December to March, and April to July. Our plan is to have a membership meeting during each of those stretches. It will be a time to celebrate what God is doing in our church, pray, and answer questions members may have. I hope to see you there!

In closing, I’d like to ask that you join me in praying for our church as we look toward the future. I encourage you to consider reading this article from Dr. Tim Keller, “HOW STRATEGY CHANGES WITH GROWTH.” It highlights some of our growth opportunities as a church and what steps we can take to see Gospel transformation here in CNY and beyond. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read the article and join me in prayer. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for us in this next year!

Thanks for serving alongside me!

Pastor Rob

Our Year in Numbers

  • 26

    Year 23-24’: 26 Baptisms

  • 28

    Year 23-24:- 28 new members

  • 13

    Year 23-24’: 13 Parent-child dedications

  • 101 Kids

    EHBC Kids attendance increased from an average of 89 kids to 101 in 23/24

  • 639 Attendees

    Average Sunday adult attendance increased from 571 vs 639 in 23/24

  • 63 New Families

    63 new families came to EHBC this year

  • 4 Staff Added

    4 new staff members added

  • 17 Groups

    17 Learning Groups offered this year

  • 537 Registered

    537 people registered for learning groups

  • 101 Baby Bottles

    101 Baby Bottles collected for New Hope Family Services

  • 17 Groups

    Year 23-24”- 17 Groups with 144 involved

  • 40 ladies

    Women of the Bible summer learning group was a success averaging over 40 ladies in attendance each week.

  • 4 Families

    We were able to support 4 families with memorial services that allowed them to say goodby and to honor and remember their loved ones.

  • 189 individuals

    189 individuals helped back hundreds of meals with Feed My Starving Children at the Vineyard Church.

  • 117 turkeys

    117 turkeys were donated and delivered to Westcott Vineyard Church.

  • 1 Vehicle

    Vehicle donated to Vineyard Church to support their outreach ministries

  • 2 Carts

    Two shopping carts full of peanut butter and cereal were donated to the FM food pantry.

  • 15 & 8

    15 Middle School & 8 High School Students went to camp Hume

  • 14 participants

    Year 23-24’: 14 Participants in Grief Share ministry

  • 51 volunteers

    Year 23-24’- 51 people volunteered to care for those in need in through the care team ministry

  • 90 Ladies

    90 Ladies attended attended the summer ladies luncheon

  • 353 Weekly Viewers

    353 people watch our online service each week (avg)

  • 5,000

    5K watch hours on our youtube channel

  • 3,500

    3.5K accounts reached per month on instagram (avg)

kids ministry

Over the past year, we have seen so many new families experience EHBC Kids and have been blessed to have had some of our biggest Sundays in recent years. We have also had tons of fun with events like Candypalooza, our Christmas Party, and VBS. Highlights from this year’s VBS include over 70 kids in attendance, 68 volunteers signed up to serve, and 300  bags packed for Syracuse students in need with encouragement cards pointing them to Jesus.  We have also added a new team member, Lindsay Rogers, as our Kids Ministry Director. She has jumped in this summer and is already making an impact. Along with so many great volunteers, our kid's ministry team is doing a phenomenal job creating fun and safe environments to help kids from birth through 5th grade experience the love of Jesus and grow in their understanding of who He is. As we look ahead, we plan to build on what we offer on Sundays by adding additional family ministry events throughout the year and classes/seminars that help partner with families in the seasons they are in.

Hopes for the Year Ahead

Complete the branding package for EHBC Kids name change from Promiseland to EHBC Kids.

Grow our volunteer base by 50% to serve the increased number of children.

Plan and offer an overnight summer camp experience for our 3rd through 5th graders this upcoming summer.

youth ministry

Over the past year, we have seen so many new families experience EHBC Kids and have been blessed to have had some of our biggest Sundays in recent years. We have also had tons of fun with events like Candypalooza, our Christmas Party, and VBS. Highlights from this year’s VBS include over 70 kids in attendance, 68 volunteers signed up to serve, and 300  bags packed for Syracuse students in need with encouragement cards pointing them to Jesus.  We have also added a new team member, Lindsay Rogers, as our Kids Ministry Director. She has jumped in this summer and is already making an impact. Along with so many great volunteers, our kid's ministry team is doing a phenomenal job creating fun and safe environments to help kids from birth through 5th grade experience the love of Jesus and grow in their understanding of who He is. As we look ahead, we plan to build on what we offer on Sundays by adding additional family ministry events throughout the year and classes/seminars that help partner with families in the seasons they are in.

Hopes for the Year Ahead

Complete the branding package for EHBC Kids name change from Promiseland to EHBC Kids.

Grow our volunteer base by 50% to serve the increased number of children.

Plan and offer an overnight summer camp experience for our 3rd through 5th graders this upcoming summer.