MESSAGE. What is worship all about? Is it just an hour a week in a local church, or is it our lifestyle? In Revelation we learn about the heavenly beings who worship God “day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty — the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
“There are no unique postures and times and limitations that restrict our access to God. My relationship with God is intimate and personal. The Christian does not go to the temple to worship. The Christian takes the temple with him or her. Jesus lifts us beyond the building and pays the human body the highest compliment by making it His dwelling place, the place where He meets with us.” (R.Z.)
I invite you to learn more about the nature of worship this Sabbath morning.
MINISTRY.
Last weekend many of our church members attended the Father-son Retreat. I heard many good comments about the event. Here is a more detailed report from Lucas Patterson who was the engine of this program. “Our father-son retreat at Booker T. Washington State Park was a lot of fun. Approximately 50 attendees representing families from our church, and beyond, enjoyed a variety of games, outdoor activities, and fellowship. We participated in an awful lot of small activities; here’s a recap showing some highlights:
- It’s fall time, so we HAD to include pumpkins in our weekend, right? Pumpkin bowling, using smaller pumpkins, was a hit … and the kids got to drink the bowling pins (bottles of orange soda) when we finished. Pumpkin chunkin’ — tossing the larger pumpkins as far as they would go! — showed how manly all the dads and teens were. Even the raccoons enjoyed our games. They got a tasty treat from what was left after we smashed a few.
- Bubble soccer — to be honest, it was more like bubble anarchy — provided a good indoor activity during a brief Saturday rain and the kids had a lot of fun outside just rolling around inside these giant balls once the weather improved.
- An ice cube hand-holding contest proved no match at all for our tough guys. Several of them survived the cold, demonstrating that the thrill of competition outweighs common sense nearly every time, regardless of age.
- The park rangers at Booker T. Washington took us on a nature hike Saturday morning and brought a beautiful hawk and owl by in the afternoon for an informative show-and-tell that reminded all of us about God’s creative handiwork.
- 15-minute devotions after each meal focused on a central theme of legacy. Different dads who had volunteered ahead of time got up and spoke about leaving a legacy for your family of generosity, spirituality, identity, and security.
We couldn’t have made this special event work without funds from Family Ministries and leadership from Men’s Ministries. Additionally, I want to thank everyone who volunteered in the kitchen, kept the fire going all weekend, and supported other logistics involved in making the weekend happen. Lastly, I want to thank the dads who came. It was such an encouragement to see you there. Keep loving and leading your family!”
Here at Ooltewah SDA Church we believe that are all called to share the Three Angels Message. This is why we agreed to start a Discipleship training seminar. The first session took place last Sabbath afternoon. We did not have a big crowd, but I was encouraged to see a number of those who set aside all other Sabbath afternoon activities and came to the seminar. The next session will take place on November 10 @6 pm. I hope many more will participate in this training event.
The First Ooltewah SDA International Food Festival last Sabbath night was a total blast! It has beat the United Nations session, the General Conference Parade of Nations, National Geographic and the Food Channel programs all combined. More than anything it was the foretaste of heaven. Thank you, Social Committee, for this more than excellent program. We’ll definitely be looking forward to the Second Festival next fall. Below is a ton of fabulous photos taken by Lupina:
Adventurer leaders shared with me that the Adventurer Family Fun Weekend was a lot of fun! The Ooltewah Tiny Timberwolves won first place in the Heaven Bound Wagon contest in all of Georgia Cumberland Conference! Our young kids learned a lot about patience and trusting that Jesus is coming very soon! And a HUGE THANK YOU to the Pathfinders for sharing their trailer with the Adventurers!
Pastor Matthew sent me a few photos from the Youth Gym Night. Those who came that night had a very good time. The star of the show was David Reynolds who managed to eat pizza while playing ping pong 🙂 See the photo below. Pastor Matthew is hoping to see this as regular event on the Youth activities calendar.
New chairs for the Fellowship Hall have arrived! A special Thank You to OAKS students who helped a lot with unloading and carrying boxes. Pastor Matthew, Emmalee, and their boys spent two afternoons this week assembling the chair racks and setting up chairs. Several deacons came last night to finish the set up and to dispose of the packaging. We have a great church family and I’m grateful for your hard work and active participation.
The new chairs will definitely be appreciated by the church deacons who have to move them around every week. The Fellowship Hall is being used every week for various church and school activities. These lighter chairs are much easier to fold and to move. Our deacons and elders will keep a sufficient number of the old red chairs for the those who prefer them for various health or personal reasons. We are also ordering additional chairs with side handles for elderly members and visitors. If you need a special seating arrangement please do not hesitate to talk to the Head Deacon and Head Deaconess. They will do everything in their power to meet your needs.
PRAYERS. I just got word from Eastern Ukraine that a pastor, an elder, the head deacon, and one other church member were arrested by the authorities of that region. They are being held in the basement of the local government building in Donetsk city. I invite you to pray for each of them. Church leaders in Ukraine are helpless in this situation. Let Jesus come and be there with them.
Ooltewah Seventh-day Adventist Church 