“The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand.” ― Ellen G. White, Patriarchs And Prophets

MINISTRY.

A brief report with pictures from David Reynolds: “Sept 18-20 the Ooltewah Timberwolves Pathfinder Club joined the GCC “Changed” Cyber Camporee right here in our own front yard. We had evening and morning worships, honors and activities, and even a 5K run on Sunday morning. Here are some pictures to help you visualize the good time we had.”

Two weeks ago our Youth and their parents had a great time on a kayaking outing on South Chickamauga Creek. Pastor Matthew shared with me the following photos:

On Monday night we had our monthly Church Board meeting. The Board voted new Church Operating Guidelines during COVID19. Here is the link to the updated document. The Board also considered changing mask requirements for one of the Sabbath morning services. After a thorough and passionate discussion 😉 we agreed not to implement this change at this time. Meanwhile your pastors will experiment with the Sabbath evening worship service. This will help us evaluate the need and see the number of people interested in attending the 5 PM worship service where a face covering will be required. This will be the same service as in the morning with some slight modifications. We understand that some of our members do not feel safe attending church where masks are optional, and we want to provide the in-person worship service opportunity for them also. This is a temporary arrangement, and we’ll share the report with the Church Board at our next meeting at the end of the month.

Evening Worship Service

Baptism. This evening we’ll celebrate Julianne Palmer’s baptism at Harrison Bay! Ron Malloch completed Bible Studies with Julianne and she is giving her life to the Lord today through a beautiful outdoor baptism. Today is also Julianne’s birthday! Happy two birthdays, Julianne!!! I’ll share pictures with you next week.

Community Service. Last month we had very few volunteers at the Samaritan Center. Those who came had to work harder and longer 😦 Unfortunately, Galena and I will not be able to help tomorrow 😦 Can some of you take our place, please? If you can, please, text or email me before the sunset tomorrow. Thank You!!!

Here is more from Lucas Patterson:

VOLUNTEERING AT SAMARITAN CENTER: The Samaritan Center in Ooltewah needs our church’s help sorting donated items at their outdoor loading dock this Saturday, October 3, beginning at 7:45 p.m. Many hands make light work, so please consider joining us even if you can’t stay the entire time. Community service credit is available for students looking to fulfill school requirements. For more information, call/text Matt Geraghty (423) 206-0394.

PACKING LUNCHES FOR HOMELESS. Our church purchases supplies and packs 150 sack lunches for the homeless twice each month. A team of 6-8 volunteers assembles the lunches in our church fellowship hall before delivering them to staff at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen for distribution. Our next packing session is Monday, October 5, at 8 a.m. For more information, call/text Lucas Patterson (423) 582-1678.

PRAYERS.

My lifelong friend and colleague in evangelism in Eastern Europe, pastor Daniel Reband is hospitalized in Russia with COVID19. He is in the ICU in critical condition. Prayers for Daniel, please.

Prayers for President Trump and First Lady Melania as they overcome their COVID19 infection. Let the Lord be with our nation during this trying time.

Prayers for Sharon Harrell. She has several health concerns.

Prayers for Fred Turner. Health concerns.

RESOURCES.

Here is a link to the APOCALYPSE online Bible Seminar. Read more here.

Would you like to know what you can do to EFFECTIVELY take charge of your own health and happiness? Join us at our fellowship hall to learn the ABC’s of the immune system so you can feel hopeful and empowered! Soup and bread will be served. $5 donation at the door. Seating will be spacious, face masks optional. This event will also be live–streamed on ZOOM and YouTube. Pre-Registration Required by Oct. 14th Online Registration Questions? Call 423-708-8186 and leave a message.

Online church bulletin.

Online Giving.

FROM MY HEART. Last weekend Galena and I visited our children in Flagstaff, AZ. The weather was absolutely wonderful. The landscapes around Flagstaff are breathtaking. Our Sabbath family service was sweet and uplifting. Here are a few photos from that trip 🙂