Month: September 2019

MESSAGE.

“God shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich above the poor, for they all are the work of His hands? (Job 34:19). We tend to categorize people by their social status, color of skin, lifestyle habits, past shortcomings or present achievements. Some we see as worthy, others we keep on the margins of our circle of approval. We applaud those who meet our criteria of political sanity and humiliate those who choose to differ. News outlets and social media suck us into the swirl of hate drains. If we call ourselves Christians we’ll let the Spirit of God control our mind and our heart. The Almighty sees every life as special. Every soul is His son or daughter. A homeless young woman asking for a dollar on exit 5, an architect in a fancy suit, or a state representative from your district, they are all precious in the eyes of the Lord. He gave them life. He died for them. “He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11). And, buy the way, hate is “extreme dislike” according to Merriam-Webster. 

MINISTRY.

Edymar reporting from the Men’s front: “We had our monthly men’s breakfast last Sunday and our goal was to give moms a couple of hours to herself. For some moms, that was accomplished but what I also saw during the breakfast went far deeper than a little gift of free time. It was men blessing moms, while also deepening their connection with little ones they brought. James 2:24, “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”

As I watched the dads and grandpas interact, play and feed their little ones, a quote I heard at a men’s retreat came to mind: “it’s about being present, not perfect”. NONE OF US ARE PERFECT, but we can all be present in some way. In a society that sometime makes us feel like we are either not doing enough, doing the wrong thing or could have done better, we have to remember that all we can do is try and trust. Trying to do our best by putting forth our best effort, but when we fall short (we all will), trusting that our heavenly Father (who is perfect), will provide us with the wisdom and strength to server our families.

Last Sunday, there were a lot of imperfect men (see attached pictures), who took time out of their busy Sunday morning to be present. After a huge breakfast, we played Simon Says, musical chairs, and a guessing game, all of which caused us to laugh until our bellies hurt. This last breakfast with all the kiddos was so much fun that I, for one, can’t wait to do it again.”

Season of Change Ministry had its monthly event this week. They had a wonderful lunch and a chance to show their Arts and Crafts. The program was attended by 47 widows (4 brand new), 4 kitchen angels and table decorators, and 3 drivers. Special thanks to the Pathfinders for setting up our tables, and to our Office Manager Steve for our sound and air adjustments. This ministry continues to impress me with their creativity, vibrancy and mission emphasis! Thank you, Lupina, for your leadership!

This week OAKS had their Week of Prayer. I had a chance to attend several of their meetings and was blessed by pastor Matthew’s inspiring song services. Mrs. Bradshaw was invited to be the guest speaker for the meetings. She’ll be speaking tomorrow for both services. Many students have already asked for Bible studies and are preparing for baptism. Praise God for OAKS!

This week a great team of conference auditors worked on our church-school campus. We all were impressed with their willingness to help, to teach and to guide us through this process. They gave both treasurers (Rita Rogers and Connie Schwark) excellent grades along with a few recommendations on how to make their work even better.

PRAYERS. This week special prayers go for Cory Goss. Here is what Amy, his wife, posted on her Facebook page this morning: “Cory will be having a meniscus repair this morning as well as a general tune up for his knee. Prayers are appreciated.”

Happy Sabbath everyone!

Peter

MESSAGE.

In contemporary English “graceful” is used primarily to define elegance. When we hear of graceful living we imagine a life of culture and sophistication. Unfortunately we have lost its original spiritual sense. Its 15th century Latin meaning was “full of (divine) grace.” Grace as a gift of God. Grace is underserved love, unmerited kindness, and unconditional forgiveness. Is my life full of that kind of grace?

MINISTRY.

This has been a very busy week in our church. Starting Sunday there was a steady flow of church families coming to take their pictures for the church directory. I am especially grateful to Mike Haughee for coordinating this massive project. The photographers took all the SS rooms in the church office hallway. Both pastors’ offices were turned into photo studios. Everything was going smoothly and easily with Mike’s supervision. On Monday Kindermusic had their program. Spanish SDA congregation used our sanctuary every night for the Week of Prayer meetings. SALT training was on Tuesday afternoon, choir practice on Tuesday night. Pathefinder and Adventure clubs filled up every corner of the church on Wednesday. I am grateful to those who came to the Prayer meeting on Wednesday and were willing to take the Kindergarten SS room because every other room was taken by some other church ministry. Praise God! This is not a sleeping church. The Power of the Holy Spirit is keeping this church vibrant and active.

HOPE FOR OOLTEWAH is uniting our church in prayer. This coming week we’ll be praying for the LOVE IN OUR HEARTS. Here is a brief statement from Donna, our Prayer Ministry director: “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 As we pray for our loved ones this next week, let us take courage from the example of Daniel and his friends.  “No power, no influence, could sway them from the principles they had learned in early life by a study of the word and works of God.” (Prophets and Kings p. 482)

Let’s pray, “Thank you God for the children’s Sabbath School and for Adventist Education.”

This Sabbath afternoon everyone is invited to attend the Prayer Conference at our church from 5 pm to 7 pm.

PRAYERS. Let us all pray for our dear Pastor David Bissell. His brother died in a car accident this week. David and his family are traveling today to attend the service in Arkansas.

MESSAGE.

The Sabbath is not a burden, but a day filled with blessings. It is a day to be spent with God. A day in which our spirit worships, our mind soars and our body rests.

This Sabbath morning I’ll continue my sermon series on the meaning of worship. We’ll see a spiritual connection between the Sabbath day (Saturday) and worshiping God as our Creator and Savior.

MINISTRY. 

Our church is actively engaged in Hope for Ooltewah Prayer Marathon. Almost two hundred people agreed to be on the prayer schedule. This week we’ve been praying about a Clean Heart. Starting Sunday, September 15, we’ll be praying about A Healthy Heart. Our key verse is found in James 5:15 “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.”

I invite every church member to participate in the Prayer Conference scheduled at our church on September 21 from 5 pm to 7 pm. Our speakers will be Dr. Hartman, Dr. Tryon, pastor Mark Piotrowski – GCC Prayer Ministry Director, and pastor Na’a – SALT director. This will be a unique learning opportunity. I pray this event will also unite us as a community in our spiritual ministry to those whom the Lord sends us to serve.

Tomorrow night, September 14, Dr. Edwin Reynolds will present the Vespers program where him and his wife Connie will share a report on their summer trip to China. They will be showing pictures and telling stories of God’s providence and His leading of the work in China. Sounds absolutely exciting! The program starts at 6 p.m.

PRAYERS. I invite our church family to remember in our prayers the elderly of our church; this week especially Howard Kennedy.

MESSAGE.

Jesus glorified the Father by doing His work (John 17:4). He came to serve. If we want to glorify God in our worship we need to learn how to serve. Today God is still asking, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” I pray that my answer will be the same as the prophet’s, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

MINISTRY. 

The Ooltewah Seventh Day Adventist Church is part of the sisterhood of over 150 churches of the Georgia Cumberland Conference. For the last fifteen years we were blessed to have pastor Ed Wright as the Conference president. His leadership was creative, his approach was innovative, and his personal life was a great testimony to his genuine spirituality. Effective September 1st Ed started his retirement. The Conference executive committee along with the Nominating committee asked pastor Gary Rustad to accept this immense responsibility. I invite you to pray daily for Gary and his wife Denise.

Last Sabbath our church was energized and inspired by an army of young people from Southern Adventist University who agreed to work with us in planning the Fall Evangelistic meetings. Are we ready to stand next to them and get engaged in sharing the Gospel with the community around our church?

On Tuesday afternoon over thirty of these young people came back to our church for a weekly training session. Later that afternoon they all went to the neighborhoods around our church. They knocked on people’s doors with an offer to pray for them.

New Directory. Our church needs you! If you are a member or call Ooltewah your church family, we need you to make an appointment by the end of this Sabbath to have your portrait in our 50th anniversary directory. Directories will only be available, at no cost, to the families who have their portrait in the directory. You will also receive a complimentary 8×10 of the pose that will be in the directory. Photo dates are September 15 – 23. If you need to make or move your appointment after this Sabbath please contact Member Church Directories Appointment line at 866-724-3907, M-F 9am to 4pm.

PRAYERS.

Please pray for the people in the Bahamas who suffered from hurricane Dorian.

Opal Vega lost her son Eric, who battled with cancer. Prayers for Opal and her family, please.

Bill Chilson was admitted to the hospital this week for heart tests and observation. He is back home, but Sondra and Bill still need our daily prayers.

FROM MY HEART.

Hurricane Dorian’s winds brought grandkids to our home; two from Florida and one from Georgia. If you didn’t have a tornado in Ooltewah, we definitely had one on our mountain.  🙂

LOOKING FORWARD:

September 21 all church elders and ministry leaders are invited to join Hope for Ooltewah Prayer Conference. The Conference will take place in the sanctuary from 5 to 7 pm. Dr Tryon, Dr Hartman, Pastor Na’a and your pastor Peter will be the speakers.

October 12 – Light of Hope Slavic night at Ooltewah featuring a top SDA singer from Ukraine and lots of Slavic food. Everyone if invited.

October 19 – Ooltewah 50th Anniversary Celebration. This will be the all day event with a celebration dinner at 6:30 pm.