Month: April 2016

MESSAGE. When we walk with God we learn about the attributes of His character. We realize that He is not just a Bible character, but a sovereign God and a mighty Creator. When Moses met with Yahweh in the wilderness he took his sandals off because of reverence and respect for His presence.

Genuine reverence and self sacrificing love go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other and expect to live a pleasing life before God. A man may boast of reverence for God in his heart, but unless he manifests his reverence by conduct and obedience he is as those who James said were dead like the body without the spirit. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26).”

Please join me tomorrow morning as we’ll learn more about Moses’ walk with God.

MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM. It was great to see many of you faithfully attend our nightly Bible seminars. Our topic tonight is about the temptations of the Kingdom of Darkness. Christ was tempted in the wilderness. Satan, the prince of this world, is still at work trying to deceive Christ’s followers. What is his weapon? How can we be victorious at the time of trouble? There are good answers in God’s Word that we’ll study tonight. I hope to see many of you at 7 pm. Music and songs will be presented by Vincent Tan and “Glory Land Way”.

OAKS BAND TRIP. Here is a report and a few photos from pastor Aubrey, who travelled with the band:

“The OAKBOW Concert Band has just completed their 17th annual band trip and did a fantastic job at their performances in Florida under the direction of Wes Bradford. The band is comprised of students and adults from OAKS and Bowman Hills, which provides a rare opportunity for sister schools to come together for a common goal of praising God through music.  In the five day trip the students begin friendships with new students that last for years, and grow in maturity and musicianship.  We thank those who have dedicated their prayers, time, energy, and financial support to make this trip possible (and the students for being so lovable). It was a blessing 🙂

 

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REMEMBER. God is bigger, stronger, and wiser than you are. You do not have to carry your burdens alone. Please, pray that He inspires us to meet our April LOCAL CHURCH BUDGET. Tomorrow is the last Sabbath of the month. We can’t, but God can do it through us. I’ll pray that He enables me to double my weekly local church giving tomorrow. I invite you pray that same prayer for your part in the financial health of our church. “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is His name.” Amos 4:13

PRAYERS. Praise God for the answered prayers. Robyn Wilson had a successful surgery last Monday and was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. Her tumor was benign.

Please, uplift in your prayers the Recchia family. Dan’s father passed away a few days ago. The Memorial Service is scheduled for June 18.

See you tonight and tomorrow morning.

Peter

Tonight is the opening night of the MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM Bible seminar. Our study tonight is based on Daniel 2. How accurate are the prophecies about the world empires? Did they come true? What about the European Union? Come tonight at 7 o’clock to find answers to these and many other important questions.

CHURCH LIFE.

Adventurer Club had a great Investiture program on April 17. Thank you, Becky Denton and your team, for your creative and fun leadership. The children love and appreciate you. Below are a few photos from that night:

PATHFINDER CLUB. Mr. Cory shared a brief report about the camping trip last weekend: “We spent a long weekend enjoying beautiful weather and renewing friendships with pathfinders from Cubs around our conference. The worship theme, “# I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel 1:16″, was based on Romans 1:16. There were also many, many activities to participate in like; human fuse ball, soccer, earning honors, putt putt, frisbee golf, pin trading and the list goes on. There were two baptisms in true pathfinder style in which they where their full class A uniform into the water. I could go on and on but it all boils down to food, fun, and friends in a spiritually enriching atmosphere.”

Thank you, Cory, for your leadership!!! Someone looks like you on the photo below 🙂

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Jon and Christine Reinoehl are moving today. After many years serving our church they are relocating closer to their parents. We’ll be praying for you, Jon and Christine. You’ll be greatly missed. Our church lawn will shed many tears also. You’ve been doing such a fabulous job maintaining our lawn in perfect shape. Heartfelt THANK YOU to you for many years of your volunteer service to this church. We’ll never forget the thousands of volunteer hours that helped our church save thousands of dollars. God bless you!

This week Brent McCutcheon came to our rescue and mowed the grass on the church property. Thank you, Brent! The church looks happy 🙂 and is ready for the Sabbath day.

With Joh and Christine moving we need a caring gardener. With new plants in front of the church building and brand new lawn equipment we need someone who’ll step in and serve as our landscaping overseer/coordinator. Please, talk to me or Steve if you see this as your calling. (Clarification: you’ll not be expected to do all the work. There are others who are ready to help. We need a coordinator.)

OUR BEST TO GOD. Our Finance Committee met this week and pledged financial support to the Pathfinder and Adventurer clubs! These are the ministries where the majority of our children learn what church is all about. Please, remember that we support these ministries through our local church budget. This is the area where some catching up is needed tomorrow and next week. I pray that we meet our financial goal for this month and continue to support many wonderful ministries of our church. God bless you for your faithfulness!

PRAYERS. You prayers are needed for the OAKS band members. They are on a far away trip. Let the Lord grant them safety as they travel. Pastor Aubrey took a couple of days off to visit her parents and on Sunday she’ll meet up with the band in Tampa.

See you tonight!

Peter

 

Walking with God takes faith. It takes commitment. It takes consistency. The Bible tells us about Enoch who walked with God. Enoch lived during a unique time in human history, just before God’s judgment of the world by the flood. Against this very dark backdrop was a man who walked with God and was spared death. Enoch is a prototype of the last-days believers, showing us how to live as we await the Lord’s return.

He [Enoch] was of one mind with God…. If we are of one mind with God, our will be swallowed up in God’s will, and we shall follow wherever God leads the way. As a loving child places his hand in that of his father, and walks with him in perfect trust whether it is dark or bright, so the sons and daughters of God are to walk with Jesus through joy or sorrow. (The RH, December 3, 1889.)

BAPTISMS. The Gospel of salvation leads people to a decision to accept Jesus Christ as their loving Savior. I am grateful to God that our Ooltewah church sees evangelism as a priority in our ministry. In March our emphasis was on preaching the Three Angels’ Message in cold Siberia and rejoicing in a wonderful spiritual harvest. In the first two weeks of April we’ve already witnessed eight baptisms in our own Ooltewah church. Praise God for every dear soul. Below are a few pictures from last week’s baptism.

  
  
  

YOUTH MINISTRY. Were we not all blessed by a great skit presented last Sabbath by our youth? However, they are active in ministry not only within the walls of our church. That same Sabbath afternoon Galena and I drove downtown to see our youth feed the homeless and low-income residents of Chattanooga. See a few photos below. Thank you, youth, for sharing the true meaning of the Gospel with sincere acts of love.

  
  
  

GARDENING SEMINAR. Have you invited your friends and neighbors to the Gardening Seminar? If not, it’s not too late. The seminar is this Sunday in the Fellowship Hall of our church.

OOLTEWAH BIBLE SEMINAR. We are only seven days away from the opening night of the MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM seminar. I invite you to pray for the 10,000 households in Ooltewah/Collegedale area that received seminar flyers this week, as well as for all those who heard of it on Chattanooga’s radio station, J103. But nothing can bring more visitors than your personal invitation. Next Friday night, April 22, is the first topic, Collapse of World Empires.

Many of you have Facebook accounts, please go to the Ooltewah Church Facebook and share the post about the upcoming seminar on your Facebook so we can reach as many people as we can. Thank you!

THIS WEEKEND: FULL CHURCH POTLUCK – After the second service. There will also be a Deacon/Deaconess meeting following the potluck. Please plan to attend.

BABY SHOWER – Sabbath, at the Fellowship Center @ 8:15 p.m. for Argie Avila and Tiffany Rigdon. They are having a baby boy, and we are very excited for the family.

GARDENING 101 – Sunday, April 17 from 3-5 pm.

ADVENTURER INVESTITURE – Tomorrow, April 17, in the Sanctuary @ 3:00 p.m.

FINANCE MEETING – 6:00 p.m. Monday

NO ELDERS MEETING

CHURCH BOARD – Monday 7:00 p.m.

PATHFINDER INVESTITURE – Wednesday, April 20, in the Fellowship Center @ 6:30 p.m.

Click here to access our church bulletin. 

PRAYERS NEEDED: Your prayers are needed for our dear sister Mary Ellen Walter.
Please also pray for the Pathfinder Club. They are camping at Cohutta Springs this weekend. (I am surprised it is not raining or snowing 😀.) Pastor Aubrey is there to support the club.

Heartfelt THANK YOU to our office staff for the commitment and dedication to the ministry of our church. This week was super hectic with all the daily needs as well as the approaching Bible seminar. Let the Lord reward you abundantly for your hard work.

See you tomorrow morning,

Peter

 

MESSAGE. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:16‬ “The everlasting Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, has been the point of controversy since the days of Eden. This is the same everlasting Gospel, which was covered up by the corruption of the antediluvians. The earth was destroyed, and the gospel promises were renewed to Noah and his sons, the bow in the clouds being the token of the everlasting covenant. In the time of Babylonian supremacy it was the avowed object of Satan to hide the everlasting Gospel beneath a flood of false worship; and thus through all time and all powers, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been trampled down, and man alone exalted. (SSP 253.1)

The power of the Everlasting Gospel is the central theme of my sermon tomorrow morning. Want to hear a report from Siberia and to see pictures of our mission to the far away part of the world? Be sure you are in church tomorrow.

The Everlasting Gospel leads people to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior not only in Siberia, but also in Ooltewah. Tomorrow we’ll celebrate four baptisms. Two baptisms at each one of the services. What an exciting Sabbath day to look forward to!

MISSION. Christ is sending us as His deciples to far away countries as well as to our own neighborhoods. April is a busy month for our church. This Sunday morning we’ll see lots of people from our community visiting our spring Yard Sale. What an excellent way to greet them and to invite them to our Bible Seminar. The seminar is starting on April 22 and will go for 8 nights till April 30. There are two other major community events taking place before the seminar. April 9 is Brass for Worship, an outdoor concert on Cambrige Square, and April 17 is the Gardening Seminar.

Your help is needed tomorrow at the Bridge at Ooltewah from 2 to 3 pm for a Sabbath afternoon spiritual visit/devotion with the Bridge residents. Please, call or email me if you could lead just once tomorrow.

CHURCH LIFE. What a pleasant surprise it was for Galina and me to see our church property beautifully dressed up with new plants, shrubs, and evergreens. Especially after a few weeks of cold weather and snow in Siberia our church looked like a colorful corner of Paradise. Heartfelt words of appreciation to everyone who worked on making this happen. Thank you for your love to God and to His church.

This week a special THANK YOU to Steve Bremner for his 24/7 work and attention to the operations of our church. Last night the fire sprinkler system failed in our church building. The security system started calling closer to 11 pm. Jet lag knocked me down and I did not even hear all these calls coming to my cell phone. Steve and Evan came to the office with no delay and addressed the problem, staying there till midnight. To fix the problem with the sprinklers we needed a new compressor for $700. Instead, Steve offered to take it to the welding shop at Southern and to fix it with his own hands 💪 God bless you, Steve and Evan for your hard work!

More news and updates tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to seeing y’all for the worship service and giving you a real Siberian bear hug after that 🐻

With Christian love,