MESSAGE.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). In a letter to the early church apostle Peter reminded his readers that in spite of hardships and challenges, they had a living hope because of Jesus Christ. They had received a new identity through their new birth into Christ’s family. If we make Jesus the number one priority in our life we are promised an inheritance that, unlike the things we have now will “never perish, spoil or fade.”
If you find yourself somewhere in life without much hope, re-read the first chapter of 1st Peter and be assured that because of Jesus Christ you too can have living hope.
MINISTRY.
Agape. On Friday night, December 28, the Fellowship hall was turned into a nicely decorated Upper room. Our church came together for the year-end Agape feast. Deaconesses offered fruit and bread for a light dinner. We sang a few songs. Pastor Matthew drew our attention to Jesus who gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins. At the end of the service Matthew invited us all to join hands in a big circle of Christian love. We left behind past hurst and hard feelings. We entered into the New Year united by the Spirit of God.
Baby Joseph. Last Sabbath morning the Reynolds family had a special celebration dedicating baby Joseph to the Lord. Grandfather Edwin officiated the service. Here are a couple of pictures:
That same Sabbath afternoon we had a Memorial service for Bobby Boles who passed away on December 22 right at the Sabbath sunset. It was a beautiful service. Many sweet memories were shared by friends and family. Steve Darmody and Jaime Jorge beautified the service with special songs and music. Bobby’s family and friends concluded the service with a special song which deeply touched our hearts. The recording of the whole service is available on the Ooltewah church Youtube channel. Go to http://www.ooltewahchurch.org and click on the SERMONS tab, select Video Archive. Here is the direct link to the video.
Our sincere condolences to Karen Boles and the members of this dear family.
PRAYERS.
Richard Gerbert’s back surgery went well. Praise God for the answered prayers. Richard was discharged from the hospital yesterday. He is already walking and his face is radiant with joy.
Mike Haughee needs our prayerful support. It looks like he’ll need to go through a chemo therapy treatment. Here is quote from Mike’s Facebook post: “Went to the doctor on Monday and he did a scope of my throat due to pain and trouble swallowing. Turns out I have cancer and will start kemo and radiation very soon for 6-8 weeks. Your prayers are needed. The doctor expects 100% recovery.” I have no doubts that Mike and Margo will be wrapped in many prayers of our church family. We love you dearly, Mike!
FROM MY HEART. Christmas and New Years have been a happy and busy time at our home. Our daughter Stacey, her husband Javan and their son Pierce celebrated Christmas in Florida, but they came right after to spend a few days with us. Because of that we could not take a full family photo, but here are a few glimpses into our family celebrations. 🙂
Happy New year! Happy Sabbath! See you tomorrow.
Peter
Ooltewah Seventh-day Adventist Church 