Month: November 2016

MESSAGE. “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”‭‭Psalm‬ ‭96:2-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, ’tis the season to be thankful. Everywhere you look, people are talking about being thankful, focusing on expressing thankfulness and even posting the reasons they’re thankful on social media every day.

But you know what? Being “thankful” does not automatically mean we are being thank-full. Being thankful for the good things is really just being glad we are benefiting from those good things and appreciating God’s blessings upon us. But being truly thank-full requires looking beyond our blessings, to the One who blesses. It’s about being full of gratitude for Christ, not just being full of thanks for what He has given us or done.
I am grateful to God for His Son Jesus Christ. He is my Good Sheperd, my Creator, my Sustainer, my Saviour, my Father, and my Friend. However, I don’t want it to be just about me. I am grateful that Jesus cares about rich and poor, white and black, democrats and republicans, criminals and saints, liberals and conservatives.  They are all His beloved children. Let this same spirit of Christ’s love be seen in my words and actions.

I am also thankful to you for making my ministry at the Ooltewah church so enjoyable. Your active engagement in various church ministries, your caring spirit towards one another, your courage to try the unknown, to support many wonderful ministries of our church financially makes me feel blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Ooltewah church, for being so awesome! 

MINISTRY. I am looking forward to two worship services tomorrow morning. During the second service we will have a baptism. Matt Fuller asked me for Bible studies a few months ago. Tomorrow will be the day when Matt will start his new life with His Saviour. Please, pray for Matt and come to witness his celebration.

Going away party. December 3 after Singspiration you are invited to join the youth for a short vespers program followed by a going away party for Lewis Bertus, our youth leader, and Vlad Zubkov, our student pastor from Argentina. Come and wish them well as they start on new journeys.  

Thanks Giving. Would you pray about doubling your regular weekly local giving tomorrow morning? November 26 is the last Sabbath of the month and I pray that we show our grateful spirit in action by reaching our November goal. If you are out of town you can always give online through the church webpage www.ooltewahchurch.org.

PRAYERS. Celeste Crosby is at Erlanger hospital. I invite the whole church to unite in prayers for Celeste.

The weekly bulletin is available on the church website, or here is a direct link.

See you tomorrow,

Peter

MESSAGE.

Praise gets our focus off ourselves and back on God.  In our often “selfie” focused world, we need this constant reminder – life is not all about us.  We may know that in our heads, but yet our hearts think differently so often. We’re prone to selfishness, but God desires our eyes be set firmly on Him, because that’s where our true hope is found.  God is worthy of our praise, no matter what we face from day to day.

“Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!”  Psalm 150:2

“And my tongue shall speak of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:28

MINISTRY.

Thank you, OAKS, for the uplifting worship service last Sabbath. We were all blessed with our students’ participation. During the second service we had to move chairs from the SS rooms into the Fellowship hall. It was wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents of our students.

Pathfinders Can Drive.  Thank you, Pathfinders, for your hard work and caring spirit. Here is a short statement from Cory: “It was amazing and we had considerably more food donated this year than years past.  Several families in the community have already been blessed with help this week. Our kids will take the remaining food to the Samaritan Center this Wednesday evening.”

Galena and I personally delivered boxes with food to several families with single moms. All of them were sincerely thankful for our church’s support in times of need.

Pray for Rain! There was a Wonderful prayer Vigil on Wednesday night led by Linda Kulik and Cynthia Weitzel. We gathered to pray for rain. The disastrous drought can be stopped only by God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. There were many prayers offered for God’s intervention. Elijah had to pray three times. I invite you to pray daily until we see an answer. Let us also remember to pray for the firefighters.

OAKS. Here are a few pictures from the OAKS Thanksgiving Simulation day.

Thanksgiving Church Luncheon. This Sabbath our church members and visitors are invited to join our big Thanksgiving luncheon following the second service. I am sure there will be no shortage of food as we’ll all bring our favorite dish big enough to share with others.

PRAYERS. Dorothy Champion had back surgery on Wednesday morning. The surgery went well. Dorothy will stay at Parkridge Hospital for a few days. Please, uplift her in your daily prayers.

Please, pray for little Zoey (Robert and Ty’s daughter). She had another surgery today.

RESOURCES.

Online giving is available on our church website at www.ooltewahchurch.org

Weekly church bulletin is also available on the website. Click here for the bulletin.

See you this Sabbath morning,

Peter

MESSAGE: Millions of Americans have fought and died on battlefields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and way of life. Today our troops continue to make the ultimate sacrifices, and even as we lose troops, more Americans step forward to say, I’m ready to serve. They follow in the footsteps of generations of fine Americans. Today we honor our heroes and remember their achievements, their courage and their dedication. We are expressing our heartfelt appreciation for their sacrifices. God bless you, dear veterans!

“…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

MINISTRY: On November 8 our church welcomed hundreds of dear people who came to vote. It was a busy day. By 7:30 the line stretched from the Fellowship Hall doors all the way to the road. Young and old, black and white, Latinos and Middle Easterners were streaming to the polling stations located inside our building. It was a wonderful day for many of our church leaders and lay members. They were all welcomed by a smile, warm words, free bottles of water, Little Debbie snack and, of course, books and brochures about a Seventh-day hero, Private First Class Desmond Doss. A sincere thank you to Steve Bremner; with passion and sincere Christian love he was driving back and forth delivering books, food trays for the voting precinct staff, and water and snacks for the voters. You deserve a medal for your ministry on November 8th!
Here is a brief report from Steve:

“On the Election Day our church  distributed 378 “The Faith of Desmond Doss” tracts and 139 “Hero of Hacksaw Ridge” books. I would like to personally thank Lupina Haney, Vlad Zubkov, Mike Haughee, Nancy Smiley, Lupina Haney, Carleen Zalabak, Julia Easter, Greg Wellborn, Susan Wiley, Raven Christian, Sarah Bremner, Katie Bremner and Peter for helping.”

Community service opportunity. East Hamilton Ministerial Association is inviting all Christians in Ooltewah/Collegedale area to help Wallace A. Smith Elementary school with building a new playground. Actually this not just any new playground, for the first time this school will have equipment readily accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. The school has acquired the equipment, but needs help with installation. If the community comes together and helps with labor the school will save $25,000! If you are interested in being a part of this exciting project please contact Mrs. Richelle P. Cordle via email (rc.0608@yahoo.com) and/or telephone (423-400-2744). If she does not answer, please leave a voicemail and she’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your willingness to help Wallace A. Smith Elementary achieve their goal for an all-inclusive playground.

Women’s Ministry report. On Sabbath, October 22, our Family Ministry Team hosted an End It Now Abuse Awareness Day, which was sponsored by the Georgia Cumberland Conference’s Women & Family Ministries Department. Dr. Mable Dunbar, PhD, keynote speaker, presented thought provoking information on spiritual abuse, a concept that may be new to many. Provision was also made for children, with Children’s Church during second service and childcare during the afternoon sessions. During Dr. Dunbar’s presentations it was obvious that she is passionate about advocating on behalf of abused and abusive individuals who desire healing through Christ. Following a wonderful lasagna lunch, Roberta Fish, LCSW, who also has extensive experience counseling abuse survivors, presented information on domestic abuse, including early warning signs that should not be ignored in relationships. Participants expressed appreciation for the informative material presented by both speakers and many would like to see more follow up, training and outreach on this important subject. In addition to the presentations, information on local, state, and national resources were available for participants to take with them. Many thanks to the members of our church family, many of whom put in countless hours preparing and helped make this day possible! If you were unable to join us on the 22nd and would like information on this topic and available resources, please contact the church office. Linda Kulik, Family Ministry Leader

Thunder in the Holy Land. Our off-site Bible study group continues its weekly meetings. Thunder in the Holy Land is a wonderful interactive way to study God’s Word and biblical prophecies with your friends and neighbors. Meetings take place at the Samaritan Center at 6:30 pm. Don’t miss this excellent witnessing opportunity tonight! It is also a great way to welcome the Sabbath day.

Pathfinders. On Wednesday the club went out into our local neighborhoods and passed out bags that they will return to pick up this Saturday. Non perishable food will be collected and provide help to families in need. Pathfinders, don’t forget to come to the OAKS gym on Saturday at 3pm. A big thank you to Food City! We appreciate what you are doing for our community. (Just a few of our kids posing with the bags that FOOD CITY generously donated.)

OAKS. Both of our worship services tomorrow morning will be led by OAKS students. They have prepared lots of wonderful music. The message will also be shared by the students. I’m looking forward to an awesome Sabbath worship experience. Worship Services will take place in the Fellowship Hall.

PRAYERS: Gretchen Kimberly’s sister-in-law passed away on Monday. Let’s uplift the Sigsworth family in our prayers.

NEW PRESIDENT. Whether you are discouraged or elated by the outcome of the election, we should be praying for the President-Elect Donald Trump. Pray that he and Vice President-Elect Pence will seek the Lord through His Word and through prayer.

Pray also for healing and unity in our nation. Show respect to those who voted differently. Do not encourage the spirit or the words of hatred. Remember, we call ourselves a Christian nation. “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.” Zach. 3:17

Happy Sabbath, church!

Peter