Month: April 2015

Showers of blessings changed our Pathfinder’s camporee plans. After driving all the way to Cohutta Springs and struggling with a stuck-in-the-mud trailer they came back last night to camp in the Fellowship Hall of our church. I am very impressed with the awesome work that our Pathfinder leaders do. They were soaking wet, covered with mud, but not a bit discouraged. They kept smiling and doing everything in their power to turn this weekend into a rewarding and happy experience for our children. If the weather permits there will be 3 baptisms in the Cohutta Springs lake tomorrow. As a back up plan the baptism will take place at our church.

SABBATH AFTERNOON POTLUCK. Our Sabbath afternoon potluck will take place as planned. The Pathfinders will move their gear into the hallways and the Fellowship Hall will be available for our church Sabbath lunch.

WORLD VISION VESPERS. I trust you remember about the World Vision Vespers tomorrow night at 7 pm. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Motivated by the faith in Jesus Christ, they serve alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for all people. Come and see how you can be a part of this wonderful ministry.

OAKS. With great sadness I share with you the news that our dear Rosa Lee announced her retirement effective the end of this school year. This came as a shock to me personally and of course to all the teachers, staff and students of our school. Rosa Lee feels that God is calling her not only to enjoy her retirement adventures, but also to do some research work that will benefit Christian educators across the world. I have no doubts that after 42 years of work in the field of education Rosa Lee has a lot to share with other teachers. I was pleased to hear from Rosa Lee that she is planning on staying as an active member of our community. We need you here, Rosa Lee. You are in our prayers daily.

The school board along with the Conference department of education posted an announcement for the OAKS principle job opening. Please, pray that God will guide the school board through this important decision. This will be an open and transparent process. I know your love for this school. Your input and guidance is needed and will be appreciated.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The church nominating committee had its first meeting last Sunday morning. Earl was asked to serve as the committee chairman with Mary Wagoner-Angelin as the committee secretary. My heart was filled with joy as I observed the first session of this committee. I could clearly feel the presence of God’s spirit. Each one of us can play an important part in the work of this committee. God needs us ALL for His work of the Gospel Proclamation. He needs us as His partners in ministry. Please, do not say NO if you are contacted by a member of the nominating committee. To serve the Lord and His church is the greatest honor that we can have in this world.

BIBLE SEMINAR. Have you cleared your schedule for the “9 SIGNS OF CHRIST’S SOON RETURN”? The first night is a week from today on Friday, April 24. The meetings will take place nightly through May 2nd.

LIGHT OF HOPE FOR ODESSA. Our church members in Odessa are actively engaged in the preparation for the Light of Hope evangelistic meetings opening on May 22. Please, pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. They need hope. Thank you for your prayerful and financial support of this mission.

NEW SERMON SERIES. This Sabbath I am starting a new sermon series entitled “LIFE RENOVATIONS.” Tomorrow morning is part 1 “Where to start?” Please, read Nehemiah 1:1-11.

SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE.  The true Christian motive in steward­ship does not concern itself with what others are do­ing or are not doing. It does not oper­ate only in the presence of an existing need. The true motive in Christian stewardship is gratitude, and gratitude is our response to the daily manifestations of God’s love for us. The heart that senses the goodness of God spontaneously cries out, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits?”

God bless you for your wonderful support of the local church budget. Last week we met our weekly goal of $5,500! It means that OAKS, Pathfinders, Adventurers, Evangelism and other ministries will get very much needed funds for their programs and activities. I keep praising God daily for this awesome church family. Thank you for being so faithful and supportive!

See you tomorrow in church.

Your friend and pastor,

Peter

I visited the tomb of Lenin on the Red Square in Moscow several times. Lenin is still there in a glass coffin. It was him who “demanded complete disestablishment of the Church so as to be able to combat the religious fog…” There is still a thick fog of hopelessness around the Red Square today. Like the women in Jerusalem, I want to hear the reassuring words of the angel: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Christ’s tomb is empty. He is my living Savior. I have His sure promise that He will come again and will give me life eternal. My message tomorrow morning is based on Romans 6:4: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” As in the resurrection of Christ we see all the glorious attributes of God, so in every believer’s spiritual awakening a manifestation of the divine presence.

April 4th we’ll have both the 8:55 and 11:25 worship services. Come to celebrate Christ’s victory over death.

YARD SALE. We could not have dreamed about better weather for our church yard sale. Not even one cloud in the sky. Praise God for His goodness to us. My heart was rejoicing as I was watching church members’ participation in this community project. Lots of valuable items were donated by you, dear friends, to support our Nehemiah project. Some of you worked all through the night baking muffins, loaves of bread and other goodies for the yard sale. Some of you brought vans and pick up trucks filled with the items for sale. Thank you, deacons and deaconesses for coming early for the set up. Special words of appreciation to Jackie and Juanita Rose and their children. There guidance and coordination was superb. Their humble spirit was awesome. I wish I could mentioned every name here in this message, but I am sure that i’ll miss one. God knows your name and your hard work. That day you, church, raised over $2,200 towards our church renovation project! Praise God for each one of you.

OUR BEST TO GOD. God gave us His best. He gave us His Son to die on the cross for our salvation. Are we bringing our BEST to the Lord? His church is His body. I pray that we continue faithfully to support our local church budget. To operate the church and to support our school our weekly need is right at $5,500. ALL tithe donations will go to support the work of the church in this wonderful conference and worldwide, and ONLY the local church budget donations will be used for our Ooltewah church needs and ministries. God called us to be His stewards in this community. I trust that He is ready to tell us: “Well done, My faithful steward!”

OOLTEWAH EVANGELISM. Do you remember that on April 24 at 7 pm we start our series of evangelistic meetings? The meetings will continue nightly through May 2. Please, start planning your schedule for that week accordingly. I expect 150% participation. I mean y’all and your friends, neighbors, or family members. Every night of that week we’ll be studying one of the signs of Christ’s soon return from Matthew 24. “Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. (v. 33)

PRAYERS. This week our dear Barbara Kraner had a heart attack. Praise God she is doing better. This afternoon Barbara was discharged from the Memorial hospital and she is resting at home now. She is very thankful to all those who visited her or called her. We’ll continue praying for Barbara’s full recovery.

Wilma and Jerry Johnson are soliciting your prayers for their son Daniel, who had a stoke a few days ago. He is in steady recovery and his parents are thankful for your prayers. As you know Jerry himself needs our prayerful support as he is battling with prostate cancer.

Bradley Hyde is also in need of our prayers. His surgery is scheduled for this month at the Florida Hospital. We are praying for you daily, Bradley.