East Park is located at 700 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206. Get directions below.

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In the coming weeks, we will be completely restructuring our Volunteer system at Ethos Church. In an effort to keep things simple, we have gone to great lengths to make sure it only takes a handful of people to make Sundays happen so the majority of our volunteer efforts can go towards serving our city.

Although it does not take many people to make each service happen, we believe it is vital to involve as many people as possible so our Volunteers do not get burned out, and so more people can experience the joy of serving in Jesus’ church.

So this fall, we are asking that every person in our church commits to serving on 1 volunteer team at 1 of our Worship Gatherings only once a month. So in one calendar year, you will only serve on Sunday 12 times. In a calendar year, we have 156 Sunday Worship Gatherings … we are asking you to help in a small fraction of them.

Our next Volunteer Training Day is Sunday, August 22nd at 1 PM (more details coming soon). If you are interested in signing up for one of our Volunteer teams you can do so at church this Sunday in the lobby.

Will you be a Volunteer? We cannot do it without you!

It has been an incredible summer at Ethos Church. Hundreds of our people served all across our city, a couple dozen from our faith community left the comfort of Nashville to share the gospel globally, people gave their lives to Jesus, and we continued to grow in our love for one another.

Despite many of our University students being gone for the summer, and other Ethos regulars being gone due to busy summer schedules — we saw hundreds of new people find their place with us at Ethos Church.

As we look to the end of summer, we eagerly anticipate the return of our University students, those that have been displaced by hectic schedules, and all those that will be joining us for the first time.

As we have often said, we would never throw a dinner party at our house and not have enough seats for our dinner guests, and so we refuse to invite our friends to church if we don’t plan on making room for them around the table.

So beginning Sunday, August 29th, we will be adding a third service. Just like our current two service format, all three services will be the same.

Ethos Church Fall Schedule (Starting 8.29.10)
Worship Gathering Times : (10:30 AM, 5 PM, and 7 PM)

We pray adding a third service will provide another opportunity for your friends and family to come to know Jesus and grow in their faith with our family at Ethos. Spread the word and we will see you Sunday.

Last Sunday at Ethos Church our body was truly generous in giving to the needs of kids in our community. With the money given, we will be able to give backpacks to kids at a local elementary school. Now we need to fill those backpacks with supplies.

We are asking you bring 4 things: Pencils, Crayons, Spiral Notebooks and Folders.

That’s it. No scissors. No rulers. Just those 4 things. Thank you so much.

And don’t forget August 7, Ethos Kids Day in the Park at East Park.

On Wednesday night, July 14th, Ethos Church will be gathering at the home of Nathan and Jill Peebles for a cook out and time together. It’ll be a great chance to serve and get to know some of the men from the Barnabas House at the Nashville Rescue Mission.

We’ll kick off the party at 6:30 pm.

The Peebles address is 605 Oak Harbor Cove, Hermitage, TN. MAP

Bring a side, drink or dessert and we’ll supply the burgers. See you there!

Hey guys, here is your reminder that we are mixing things up a bit this Sunday, July 4th. We WILL NOT be gathering at the Cannery for Worship this Sunday, July 4th but that does not mean we aren’t  having church.

To find out why we are not gathering at the Cannery this week click here.

To find out what we are doing instead and how you and your friends can be the church together click here.

If you would like the recipe for our communion bread to make and take in your homes click here.

Although this week will be different than normal, I pray it is a blessing to you and those that are gathering in your home. Pray for all of the believers that will be gathering all over the city, and then enjoy connecting with your friends and family as you eat good barbecue and watch fireworks later that night. Love you guys and we will see on July 11th at 5 PM and 7 PM.

Since we are not gathering as an entire church family this Sunday, (click here to see why we are flexible with our schedule) we wanted to provide a simple and practical way in which you can connect with God — on your own or with a small group of friends. 

Below we have provided an exercise designed to slow your mind and heart before the Lord so you can reflect on his goodness. We encourage you to print this exercise off, and then go to a park, your favorite coffee shop, or any place in which you can just be still in the presence of God. Take as much time as you’d like to simply be with God. If you’d like to make communion for yourself or your group, you can get the recipe for the bread here.

ONE : PRAY

Spend some time just asking God to open up your heart and mind to his word. Ask him to reveal to you exactly what he wants to reveal.

TWO : Read Isaiah 45:5-8

Read Isaiah 45:5-8 aloud. Read it slowly. Imagine God sitting across the table from you, speaking these words directly to you:

(5) I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (6) so that from the rising of the sun, to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. (7) I form the light and create the darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. (8) You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.

THREE : Reflect

a.) What word or phrase jumps out at you?

b.) When you hear God speaking these words to you, what do you imagine?

c.) Read verse 8 again slowly. What do you imagine?

FOUR : Commune

With those that are present, take the bread and the wine. Now allow each person to share with the group how they have seen this passage from Isaiah fulfilled in the life of Jesus. How is Jesus making this text true today?

FIVE : Read Isaiah 45:5-8 again

Read it slowly. Read it once or read it several times.

SIX : Reflect in Silence

Chew on the words of this passage silently. Let them soak in deeply. Let them stir your heart.

SEVEN : Pray

The scriptures tell us that the Word of the Lord never returns void. In other words, when God’s Word goes it, it always accomplishes what he desires. Spend some time praying that God will use His Word from Isaiah 45 to accomplish in you today what he desires.

Here’s how you make the delicious communion bread found at Ethos Church.

4 cups flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 and 1/2 sticks butter (melted)

Mix altogether and and flatten on a cookie sheet and bake on 400 degrees for 14 minutes.

As most of you know, the summer months can be a bit hectic around Ethos. Although this is only our second summer as a church, if you have been around for any amount of time then you know that there are multiple times each summer when we have to change our worship times, and even occasionally our worship location to accommodate the schedule at the Cannery and Mercy Lounge. This Sunday, will hopefully be the last time we have to change our worship times during the summer months. Although this is not a huge deal in the grand scheme of life, I know it can be inconvenient and confusing so I want to take a minute to explain why this happens and why we are okay with it.

ONE : It’s Not All About Sundays
Although our Sunday Worship Gatherings play a vital role in the life of our church family, there is much more to being a church than simply gathering on Sundays. We gather each Sunday to celebrate, remember, and refuel for the mission God is calling us to. It is a time of encouragement, a time when we are challenged to live out our relationship with Jesus. It is really important, but it is not everything. In fact we believe what happens Monday thru Saturday is just as important. The early church understood this — we are seeking to understand this as well. So when we have to change our times and locations last minute from time to time we try to keep that in mind.

TWO : Being a Blessing
Sometimes we move our times and locations as a way of simply blessing the guys that own the Cannery and the Mercy Lounge. The truth is, they cut us a great deal to gather there for worship. Occasionally, it would serve them better to use the venue on a Sunday Night for another event. After all, this is the way they make a living. So occasionally, we move our times and locations simply as a way of blessing their lives and their business. I believe that partnering with Jesus followers should be the easiest and most rewarding way to do business. Hopefully the guys at the Cannery feel that way, and hopefully your flexibility plays a vital role in demonstrating that.

THREE : We Adapt for Things We  Care About
Although it is a bit inconvenient to change things up, the truth is we all adapt for the things we care about. If you are a football fan and they change the kickoff time, you adapt. If you go to a movie and the showing you were interested in is sold out, you go to the later show. You get the point. We adapt for the things we care about.

In 2009, we had to move our worship time or location 12 times. In 2010, we have only had to do this 4 times. Thanks for being so flexible when this does happen — especially when it happens 3 times in one month. Thank you for your commitment to Jesus and the church he is building in downtown Nashville. I’m so glad to call you guys my church family.

See you guys Sunday at 10:30 am!

My friend Lee Camp is the mastermind behind an incredible event called Tokens. Tokens is a delightful mix of music, theology, and smart humor. It is excellent and very enjoyable. This Thursday, June 4th marks the 10th Episode of Tokens, and as a way of honoring those affected by the Nashville Flood and those that served in relief efforts, Lee has provided us with an opportunity to attend the event for free. Below is more information.

If you’re looking for great Nashville live music, then you’ll not want to miss the next episode of Tokens on June 4, 2010. Tokens presents its tenth installment, “Deluge, Hope, and Patience.” Lee C. Camp, The Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys, and The Tokens Radio Players will be joined by Over the Rhine, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, and Buddy Greene.

For Nashville Flood Victims and Flood Relief Workers: complimentary tickets available to you for the June 4 show. Call the Allen Arena Box office at 615 966 7075 for more information.

DINNER IN THE PARK THIS WED NIGHT
This summer we will be doing some great things on Wednesday Nights to build community and serve our city. This week we will be meeting at Sevier Park to eat dinner, play games, and simply get to know one another better. It will be a great night that you won’t want to miss.

when: Wed, June 2nd / 6:30 pm – stay as long as you’d like
where: Sevier Park (1000 Clayton Ave, Nashville 37204). This is the park on 12th South near Las Paletas. *what to bring?:* $5 for your food (the sign up sheet got lost on Sunday Night), your friends, and anything you might want to play with in the park (frisbee, softball, etc). Feel free to get there early or come late, but we will be eating around 6:30 pm.

ETHOS NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT
Thanks for being so flexible with the venue change last night. We will be back in the Cannery next week at our normal times 5PM and 7PM. We will be starting a new series so bring a Bible, and your friends. See you next week.

EPHESIANS THURS NIGHT SMALL GROUP
Another part of this summer’s Mid Week Schedule will be an intense study through the Book of Ephesians. This will be a great opportunity to go deeper in the Word in an intimate setting. Space is limited to 20 people and only 10 spots are left. If you are interested email Chad Harrington (robertchadharrington@gmail.com). This group begins Thurs June 10th and lasts 6 weeks.

On Sunday Night, May 23rd, our church family spent the evening simply listening to and reflecting on the Word of God regarding the Cross of Jesus Christ. Several of you wanted a list of the scriptures that were shared during that time … so here you go. The audio version should be up on iTunes sometime Tuesday afternoon. You can find that here. I pray these scriptures will continue to shape your thoughts as you go about your week. Love you guys – Dave

The Guards Mock Jesus
(63) The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. (64) They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” (65) And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
(66) At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. (67) “If you are the Christ,^[d^]” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, (68) and if I asked you, you would not answer. (69) But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” (70) They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”  He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” (71) Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

Luke 23
(1) Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. (2) And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,^[a^] a king.” (3) So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  ”Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. (4) Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” (5) But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea^[b^]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” (6) On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. (7) When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

(8) When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. (9) He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. (10) The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. (11) Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. (12) That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

(13) Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, (14) and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. (15) Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. (16) Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”^[c^{] (18) With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (19) (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) (20) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. (21) But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (22) For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (23) But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. (24) So Pilate decided to grant their demand. (25) He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.}

The Crucifixion
(26) As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (27) A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. (28) Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. (29) For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ (30) Then ” ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”  and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘^[d^] (31) For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (32) Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. (33) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. (34) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[e^] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (35) The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (36) The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar (37) and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” (38) There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (39) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? (41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[f^]“ (43) Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus’ Death
(44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, (45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (46) Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (47) The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” (48) When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. (49) But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Other Passages
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Cor 1:18

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. – Gal 6:14

By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. – Ephesians 2:15-17

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! – Phil 2:8

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. – Phil 3:18

And through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. – Col 1:20

Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. – Col 2:14 – 15

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— Romans 3:25

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. – Romans 4:7

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” – Romans 4:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:19

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. — For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.– The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. –In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:5-11

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Cor 5:18-21

This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. – Acts 2:23

FLOOD RELIEF OPPORTUNITY THIS SATURDAY
This Saturday, WAY-FM is organizing a day of work in the devastated Bellevue Community. Just meet at the old Circuit City building in Bellevue at 9am, prepared to work. We’ll do all we can until 4pm that day to make things better for our neighbors struggling to get through these unbelievable times. Just wear work clothes, bring gloves and if you have them, any light tools. We’ve seen the people of Nashville pull together like never before, and this is another way for you to make a difference. For information, call 615-298-4422, or visit www.WAYFM.COM.

ETHOS KIDS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
In case you have not noticed, we recently began Ethos Kids, a ministry dedicated to serving families with children ages (0-9 years old). Ethos Kids meets during the 5 PM Worship Gathering every Sunday Night. Currently, we are in need of more volunteers to serve in this wonderful ministry. All volunteers will be required to get a background check through Ethos Church before serving in this capacity. If you are interested in ministering to Kids and their families, simply shoot us an email at questions@ethoslove.com. Thanks.

For information about how to help in this time of great need, check the Ethos Flood Relief Page.

If you have helpful information that can be posted on that page, we invite you to send it to floodrelief@ethoslove.com.

If you know of needs, or you have a need yourself, we ask you to send the request to floodrelief@ethoslove.com.

We have many people who are ready and willing to serve our communities and neighborhoods as soon as we can point them in the right direction.

We also are strongly encouraging people who want to help to sign up with Hands on Nashville as a registered volunteer. Most volunteer opportunities are being funneled through that organization. You can sign up here.

For those of you reading this who are not in the Nashville area, we ask for prayers for our city.

This video will give you a glimpse of the flooding that has occurred in Nashville.

Photo credit to Michael Deppisch.

As we begin finding ways to help our city and neighborhoods we will continue to pass them on.

If you have a need or know of a need send an email to ethoschurch@gmail.com.

To volunteer with Hands on Nashville, a group putting together mass efforts, go to http://www.hon.org/AboutUs/index.php/disaster/FloodMay2010.html

HON will contact you when they can use your help.

You can also follow Ethos on twitter for updates: Twitter.com/ethoschurch

As most of you know by now, we have cancelled both of our worship gatherings tonight due to flooding, dangerous road conditions, and loss of power.

This morning, several of us were able to make it over to visit our friends that live in Tent City. Due to their location next to the river, the water level was between 2 and 4 ft deep throughout most of the camp. The families that are living there have lost everything. With the help of Doug Sanders and the OC Family, and the folks at Church on Church St., we were able to evacuate approx. 50 people from Tent City this morning and relocate them to the Red Cross Shelter at Lipscomb University.

Over the next several days there are going to be lots of opportunities to help those directly affected by the flooding. Please check back frequently to see how you can help.

Love you guys. Thanks for being the church.

Ethos Church will not meet tonight at 5 and 7 o’clock due to flooding around the Nashville area.

We encourage you, as the water subsides, to look for ways to serve our city. We will be posting ways to help as soon as we know them.

Wow, Easter was absolutely incredible. It was a whirlwind of a day, but worth every minute of it. Here is a quick recap from the day.

+ We added a 3rd Service for Easter Sunday at 11 AM. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but you guys stepped up in a huge way and invited a lot of your friends. We had over 200 people at our first ever morning service.
+ Ethos Kids was in full swing for its second week, and all of the Ethos Kids Volunteers did a great job providing a clean, safe place for Kids to learn about Jesus at the 11 AM and 5 PM.
+ For those of you at the 5 PM, Chris Ferguson’s words at the end reminded me just how thankful I am for our church family.
+ We saw people recommit their lives at every service to Jesus, and people begin a relationship with him for the first time at every Service as well.
+ We had more than 100 Volunteers serve on Easter Sunday. You guys are incredible.
+ We had more than 700 people attend our 3 Worship Gatherings. It was amazing to see so many new faces.
+ Will and the worship band led us in a big way in all three services.
+ We kicked off 40 Days in the City by having lots of people sign up to serve our city as a way of simply living out the resurrection
+ Brooke and Courtney, and the rest of the volunteers did a great job serving 3 meals to hundreds of people
+ And of course major props to our Set Up, Tear Down, Welcome, Connect, and AV Teams. You guys were awesome.
+ I could go on and on, but that is all for now.

It is such an honor to lead this church, and I love you guys very much. Easter is just a reminder that God has a lot left to do in our city … I’m glad we get to be a small part of that.