Called into His Marvelous Light

 

MESSAGE. We know that Christ came to earth to do two things according to Mark: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NIV) As we seek to grow and become more like Christ, we need to learn how to live a life of service. This will help us create a lasting spiritual legacy.

The man who blesses society, and makes a success of life, is the one who, whether educated or uneducated, uses all his powers in the service of God and his fellow men.— EGW, (The Southern Watchman, April 2, 1903.)

This Sabbath morning I will continue my series on 1 Peter. Please, read chapter 2.

MINISTRY. Last Sabbath weekend was super busy for many of our church ministries. Two services were beautified by the OAKS Bell Choir. Later that afternoon church elders got together for a monthly elders’ meeting. After the elders meeting I praised God for the wonderful spirit of unity among our church leaders. Later that same night Singspiration gathered a good size crowd of those who love to praise God through hymns and music.

Pathfinders had boy and girl Lock Ins. The boys were in the OAKS gym. The girls had a great time in the church Fellowship hall until the burglar alarm auto-armed itself at 11 pm. The motion detectors started picking up even the slightest movement 😦 Alarms and loud sirens were going off. No security codes helped until Kent and Aaron manually took the control box apart. Thank you, Pathfinder leaders, for your ability to tackle any difficult situation in a bold and creative approach. Good job!

Sunday was cold and windy, but a band of OAKS and Bowman Hills school musicians was unstoppable. At 4 pm they had an outstanding performance on Cambridge Square in Ooltewah. What a great way to share the joy of the Gospel with our immediate community.

Both services tomorrow morning will take place in the Fellowship hall. We will have lots of great music. The church choir and band will be bringing praise and glory to God in their joint performance.

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This weekend over twenty of our church ladies will be attending a Women’s Ministry program at Cohutta Springs. We will certainly miss them, but I believe that this will be a good learning and bonding experience.

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The Men’s ministry needs your help. Here is a message from Edymar: “Good afternoon, men. It’s time to show our love in action.  I need a team of 6 to 8 guys who are able to paint, stain and help with a few projects around a house. We are planning to start and complete the project on 4/29. So if you are able to help, please email or text me as soon as possible.”

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The Prayer Ministry group will gather in our home tomorrow after the second service for their Quarterly lunch/meeting. Thank you, prayer warriors, for your unquenchable  spirit of prayer. Your prayers are like blood vessels, bringing life to our church family.

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PRAYERS.

Pete Rogers (heart valves issue, possible surgery)

Roger Wolve (battling cancer)

Bobby Meeks (heart issues, currently at Erlanger East hospital)

I’m writing this blog from a hospital room. My mother, Anna, has a number of serious health concerns. Your prayers are appreciated.

On a positive note, our daughter Dasha Crawford drove from Atlanta to spend the weekend with her other three sisters. Our oldest, Stacey, and our 8 month old grandson Pierce came from Florida to visit us for a few days ! What fun it is to play with Pierce! 🙂 He is planning on attending the Cradle Roll Sabbath school class tomorrow morning.