MESSAGE: Without Christ we are divided. In Christ we find unity. The blessed hope of His coming Kingdom brings us all together for we are all loved with the same love, chosen in the same head, and secured in the same covenant. We are bought with the same price of Christ’s blood, and are justified by the same righteousness. We are all equally the sons and daughters of God, and so heirs of the same heavenly inheritance. The hope of the future life in the Kingdom of God with all the saved ones should motivate us to accept and to love one another here on earth. We are to be one here if we expect to be with Christ there.
My message tomorrow morning will be based on Ephesians chapter 4. I hope you’ll find time to read the whole chapter. My empasis will be on verses 15 and 16: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
ADVENTURER CLUB. Here are a few photos from last week’s worship service. Adventurers did a great job leading at the second service. Thank you, Becky Denton and your wonderful team of the club leaders! With dozens of kids taking the whole front section of the sanctuary we all could see that this church has a great future.
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PATHFINDERS. Message from Cory: “Wow, the last 20 hours have been such a God thing that I am moved to tears. The Ooltewah Pathfinders have had this split boys/girls lock-in planned since the beginning of the year. We realized last year that the single meeting we normally dedicated to talking about what it means to be a man or a woman of God just was not enough time, so this year it grew to an entire event. The depth of emotion and conversation that our girls expressed to each other was staggering to me. Us guys spent quality time doing our manly cooking around the fire, games in the gym, and discussing what being a man of God is all about, but it was the ladies who took it to a whole other level. They had an evening of quality time and bonding they will not soon forget.
As if all that was not enough, we tried something new during this lock in and turned two of our classrooms into ESCAPE ROOMS. If you don’t know what that is, it is a new idea that is catching on all around the country where a small group is locked into a room and must find their way back out in a certain time period. Ours was based on an end time scenario where each of our groups had to solve puzzles and find clues to unlock hidden survival gear needed to flee to the wilderness. The clues were challenging and the escape room was an absolute hit. What a rewarding weekend.”
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CHURCH. This was a rough week for the office staff. Faulty sensors in smoke detectors, problems with air and heating, a stubborn copy machine refusing to cooperate when most needed, etc., etc. Our Head Elder, Steven Bremner, had to put several hats on his capable head to deal with all of these challenges. As of Friday afternoon all of these issues were addressed and problems fixed. Thank you, Steve, for your commitment to the work of this church and your love to this congregation. We are praying for you and your family.
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PRAYERS. Celeste Crosby is back home. Thank you for your hospital visits and prayers. Mary Wagoner-Angelin spent a few nights in the hospital room with Celeste. God bless you, Mary!
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LIGHT OF HOPE MISSION. Here is a link to the update on our March international outreach: LIGHT OF HOPE IN OMSK. Your prayers are needed. We are just four weeks away from the opening night on March 11. If God inspires you to support this outreach financially you can mark the tithe envelope “Light of Hope.” The new location presents new challenges and new opportunities. Your help is needed. Click here to learn more about the ministry. How exciting it is that we can lead people to Jesus not only in Ooltewah/Collegedale area, but also 6,085 miles away.
Happy Sabbath! See you tomorrow morning.
Peter
Ooltewah Seventh-day Adventist Church 