Christopher Long: ECCC

EAST COAST CHRISTIAN CENTER (ECCC)

For husbands, this means love your wives just as Christ

loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy

and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.

(Esphesians 5:25-26 / New Living Translation)

The Happiest Place on Earth!

East Coast Christian Center is located in Merritt Island, Florida. Although it is touted publicly as, "a life-giving church that lasts," it often also is referred to (by me) as, "the happiest place on earth!"

I first was introduced to ECCC in the spring of 2010. I'd just come out of THE darkest time of my life and I desperately was seeking a permanent new church home. In short, ECCC has since become that "home."

I believe that a lot of people are dissuaded from a church experience due to the perception that "religion" will be "pushed" on them. As a non-denominational church, be sure that ECCC has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with promoting, encouraging and nurturing relationships with Jesus Christ (there's a BIG difference). But in the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that they do "push" a lot of other stuff on people at ECCC. They "push" grace, mercy, kindness, compassion, connection, love, peace, understanding, patience and forgiveness -- right down people's throats!

Perhaps the best way to convey what ECCC is all about and how the church has effected my life is simply to share an excerpt from my latest book, C'MON!

CHAPTER TEN: Damascus Road (The "Metal Horns!")

I was so excited about what now was happening in my life that after years, I reached out to my old friend Paul Peters, the former frontman of the band AWOL, to tell him all about it.

Me and Paul Peters in 1991.
Today, I look sixty, but Paul
looks EXACTLY the same!

It was great to reconnect with Paul and he seemed genuinely happy about my spiritual arrival. He was also eager to inform me that he was currently handling audio production for East Coast Christian Center (ECCC), located in Merritt Island, Florida, which was about thirty minutes north of where I was living in Satellite Beach. Paul began telling me of the unique and bold ministry being presented at ECCC and how Senior Pastor Dan Stallbaum actually had used The Beatles’ music as part of a recent series on relationships. Beatles music? At church? “Where do I sign up?” I asked Paul. We met for coffee at a local Starbucks a few days later and Paul invited me to attend a service at ECCC the following Sunday – I happily accepted his invitation.

A typical Sunday morning view
of the ECCC parking lot.
(FYI, Jesus ain't for sissies!)

With its state-of-the-art video and audio production, huge concert-type stage and five hundred-plus capacity main worship hall, ECCC more closely resembles The House of Blues than a traditional church. I noticed during my first ECCC experience that despite my long hair, piercings and tattoos, I appeared to be one of the more conservative-looking people in that morning’s congregation. In fact, there were throngs of folks in attendance wearing T-shirts and jeans, sporting an array of fabulous tattoos and piercings. And as I spotted a line of Harleys parked out front, I wasn’t sure if I was at church or a Doobie Brothers concert!

The "metal horns," dude!

I also discovered an earplug dispenser attached to the back wall of the main worship hall. Earplugs? At church? I asked Paul’s wife Kim about this oddity and she explained that the church recently had been faced with an ultimatum – either turn down the volume of the Praise and Worship service or provide earplugs. “And there’s NO way we’re turning down the music!” Kim passionately informed me. The proverbial icing on the cake was when I passed an innocent-looking five or six-year-old girl, holding her mother’s hand, walking out of the service. As I made eye contact with the adorable little blond girl, wearing a flowered print dress and bobby socks with saddle oxfords, she flashed me the “metal horns.” The metal horns? At church? No one had ever flashed me the universally acknowledged hand symbol for heavy metal, before, during or after any worship service! After thirty-plus years of feeling like a leper at other churches, I fit right in at ECCC.<>

ECCC Senior Pastor
Dan Stallbaum

In addition to multiple weekly adult and young adult services, as well as amazing youth-oriented ministries such as T-N-T, Identity and East Coast Kids, ECCC also staffs oodles of pastors, worship leaders and counselors who are readily available, should you have a need. (Prayer request) Do you have a more immediate need? Feel free to reach out to me anytime via my personal email address: AuthorChristopherLong@yahoo.com.

East Coast Christian Center
680 N. Courtney Parkway
Merritt Island, Florida 32953
(321) 452-1060
eccc.us

Do you live in Southern Brevard County? ECCC's new campus in Viera, Florida was launched in early 2012:
2241 Town Center Avenue / Viera, FL 32940
(Located inside the Rave Motion Pictures Theater at The Avenue)
Service @ 10am every Sunday

MORNING BREATH (ECCC on the radio)

Morning Breath is ECCC's daily drive-time devotion program that airs each weekday from 7:30-8:00AM on WMIE 91.5 FM. Senior Pastor Dan Stallbaum is joined each morning by other East Coast pastors for a lively discussion of the Bible chapter for that day. It's sure to jumpstart your day!