Be a Blessing

MESSAGE.

It is quite natural for us to be grateful for the blessings that we receive. We are thankful for food, stable income, peace and freedom. We are thankful for good people around us. However, apostle Paul invites us to be a blessing for someone else, “when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11-12) Pray to become a blessing for someone else during this beautiful Thanksgiving holiday. 

MINISTRY.

November 7 was our day to help at the Samaritan Center.  Ten volunteers signed up to help. As I arrived at the dock right after sunset I was a little nervous. There were delicious home-made cookies, provided by Connie Reynolds; there was ice-cream, but I counted only six volunteers. It was actually hard to see our volunteers behind the mountain of donated goods. After prayer our faith strengthened! Church members kept coming. Ten minutes into the project there were forty volunteers, of course including sweet and hard working children! What an awesome church family we have. A heartfelt Thank You to all who came that night!

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Every first and third Monday of the month our church continues to prepare sack lunches for the homeless in Chattanooga. I am grateful for the OAKS students’ support. Here is a photo from last Monday:

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On Sunday afternoon our church Health Ministry department presented an excellent seminar on Healthy Menu Options for the Holidays. I was impressed with the hard work of the ladies and a few men in the kitchen. It looked like a beehive in there. Sylvia Hyde was the main presenter for the program. She was demonstrating live, on-stage cooking of various meals for the holidays. She looked like a professional TV show chef. Thank you, everyone who made this seminar a success. I was glad to see participants not only from our church, but also from the community. I am looking forward to many more health seminars in the coming months. 

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A good number of men from our church participated in a retreat planned by Blue Print for Men. Here is an update from Edymar Penagos:

“Ignite the Fire Men’s Retreat:

• Everyone that I have talked to said they had a great time. The Spirit was clearly with the group, and I personally left blessed by the fellowship and rest. Events like this are important. They help forge bonds between brothers, foster worship and shift our attention to what matters most. It was great seeing all the guys from Ooltewah and other churches come out and worship our Father together. See attached photos.
• Thank you Marty Miller and the Blue Print for Men team for a wonderful, God filled retreat. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another Proverbs 24:17.

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“The Pathfinder Food Drive is ongoing.  Wish to thank everyone who have already participated with us in this ministry. We will be sorting the food on Sabbath at 3pm in the fellowship hall.  We invite you to come between 3-5 pm and fill a bag for someone you know of in the church or community. Please take advantage of this great opportunity with us.  You can also text names and addresses to (423)505-6658″ –
from David Reynolds, Pathfinder Club Director. 

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The church elders met on ZOOM last week to coordinate their ministry to church members during the holidays. We are blessed to have a team of church leaders who are united in spirit and always willing to serve. At that meeting we agreed to move the Sabbath Evening (masks required) Worship service to a different time. Here is the full announcement:

“NEW TIME FOR THIRD WORSHIP SERVICE – Beginning on December 5, our 5 pm service is moving to a new time. We will now have two services at 9 am, one in the sanctuary, and one in the fellowship hall. This will continue to be a full worship service, with live music and a sermon from the pastor. However, to accommodate two simultaneous services, the order will be changed. The sermon will be first, followed by the rest of the service. To summarize, here are our three worship services:

Sanctuary, 9 am; 

Fellowship-1, 9 am (masks required; sermon first); 

Fellowship-2, 11:30 am. 

We hope this will better accommodate the needs of our church family during this challenging time.  

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PRAYERS. 

Sharon Harrell, upcoming surgery 

Dr. David Hartman, surgery. 

Elsi Penagos, physical and spiritual help from above in the battle with cancer. 

God’s blessings and guidance upon our nation during the time of Pandemic and presidential elections. 

RESOURCES. 

Weekly Church Bulletin

Online Giving: Tithe and Offerings

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Happy Thanksgiving week!

pastor Peter