Month: December 2020

“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10

Christ came into this world to demonstrate victory over evil. This victory is ours. We don’t need to live in darkness anymore. Let us allow the light of His love to shine through our acts of kindness and words of grace. This week I’ve received many cards from our church members who expressed their sincere gratitude to the church elders who visited them in their homes and delivered to them Christmas bags filled with sweet things and devotional readings. I am grateful to God for all of our church members and for the caring leaders. 

Along with happy holiday activities we had to deal with the pain of the raging pandemic. Tennessee, unfortunately, is leading with the number of new cases. This past week Dale Smith rested in the Lord. It all started with a Thanksgiving dinner gathering and led to a large number of relatives being infected with the COVID19 virus. Dale’s mother is still very weak after the illness. I am grateful to our deaconesses and Pathfinders who are trying to help with food deliveries to Dale’s parents.

Dale Smith was dearly loved in our church. His heart was in the service to the children of our church. For many years Dale was super active in the Pathfinder Club leadership team. He will be greatly missed. The memorial service for Dale will be announced later. The family would like to see many church members attend the service, and they are willing to wait till it is safe for our church to come together. Please, continue to pray for Dale’s boys, Nick and Ben. 

Our morning service this Sabbath will be live streamed. So if you are have any cold symptoms or feel vulnerable you have the option of worshiping online. We want everyone to be safe and healthy. 

Let us find assurance in the promise of Christ’s soon return. He will be faithful to His word. His coming will guarantee the end of all pandemics, all pain and death. He will “give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the Lord. – Jeremiah 30:17 

Merry Christmas, my friends!

pastor Peter

MESSAGE.

It is because of Jesus that we got through this painful year 2020. It is because of Him we keep moving out of the darkness of political and social unrest into the the glorious light of His amazing grace. He keeps us together. His love unites us all even when we get upset, frustrated or disappointed in each other. It is in His grace we find the power to embrace those who are different from us. Our selfishness melts away in the rays of His mercy. Pride gives way to forgiveness. Don’t resist His gracious Spirit inviting you to be a humble servant to others around you. 

This year we welcomed several new members who joined our church through baptism. Several of those baptisms were in a beautiful nature setting on the lake. A number of individuals  joined our church through membership transfers. We welcome all of them! Our church has grown and this is a good reason to rejoice. Some of our members moved on and we will always miss them. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

In April of this year our church was transformed into a live studio. The message of comfort and hope in the Russian language was broadcasted live from our church to millions of homes across Eastern Europe. Over five thousand individuals requested Bible studies as a result of these meetings. I am grateful for the generous support of the Light of Hope ministry through which we are able to reach  far away parts of the world. 

Every month the number of volunteers helping at the Samaritan Center has been steadily growing. Every two weeks, over 150 of the homeless in Chattanooga were receiving lunches prepared by the loving hands of our church members. I am grateful that we kept this a priority through the difficult months of this year.

Over the past twelve months of the passing year you’ve seen photos and read reports about the active ministry of OAKS, Pathfinders and Adventurers, Men’s and Women’s Ministries, Health Ministry, Sabbath school divisions and of course, The Season of Change supporting the elderly in our church and in our community. I am extremely grateful to our church elders. They have been lovingly visiting and supporting many of our elderly. The Prayer Ministry/Prayer Chain kept us all on our knees before the throne of our loving Heavenly Father. 

This year also showed us many areas where we are weak and need to grow spiritually. Let these be important lessons for us to learn. 

As we celebrate Christmas let the love of Jesus teach us how to sacrifice our comfort for the sake of each other. Christ sacrificed His glory, position and power in order to give us the most precious gift – life eternal.

Merry Christmas, my friends. 

PRAYERS.

Please uplift your prayers for many of our church families whose family members have suffered and continue to suffer from COVID-19. I invite you to pray for our county.  Here is an important update from the Hamilton County Health department urging everyone to do what they can to stay COVID-19-free this holiday season.  Please, stay safe. Take this information into consideration before heading to any public places. If you have cold symptoms or feel vulnerable you can still participate in worship services via our YouTube church channel. Again, please stay safe. 

Remember in your prayers, Karina Young. Her father died this afternoon. Let the Lord give hope and courage to this dear family. 

Prayers for the Josephs family. Natalia lost her grandfather. The service is this Friday. Read more here. 

Memorial service for Elenice Penagos (Edymar’s mother) is this Sabbath at 3 pm. Praying for the Penagos family.

RESOURCES.

Weekly church bulletin. 

Online Giving: Tithe and Offerings. 

This Sabbath morning His Orchestra will be playing during the 11:30 AM worship service. Both 9 AM and 11:30 AM services will be streamed on YouTube Church channel. 

FROM MY HEART. 

Last week Galina and I travelled to Flagstaff, AZ to spend a few days with our oldest daughter Stacey, her husband Javan and their two precious boys, Pierce and Caspian. What a blessing it is to have a family! We did some local sightseeing, played in the snow, built a play kitchen table, visited Sedona, learned how play with a toy monster truck, read books by the woodburning stove, learned how to take brief naps while the boys napped … overall it was an unforgettable experience! Our son in law, Javan is in his last year of law school. He was grateful to have additional baby-sitters/entertainers while he was taking his finals. Here are a few photos from our trip.

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Happy Sabbath,

Pastor Peter

MESSAGE.

Christmas is less than three weeks away. We beautify our churches with poinsettias, decorate our homes with lights, plan beautiful music for church services… This is truly a very busy time of the year. Please, find the time to pause and think about the Man who is at the very heart of this season. Jesus may be asking you today the same question he asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”  Who is Jesus to you? What impact is He making in your daily life? Your attitude to others? Your relationships with your spouse? Your church members? Your neighbors? The answer to these questions is the key to understanding who you really are. 

MINISTRY. 

Shelly Caswell sent me this brief update and a bunch of sweet photos from our school. Unfortunately, I cannot post all of them, but here are a few.  “OAKS students took some time this week to get into the Christmas Spirit with some classroom decor and fun holiday shirts. All students are also practicing for our Christmas programing, which will be done as safely as possible…Covid style. With so much fun going on at school….the kids may not want to leave on vacation! 

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Last Sabbath we had a baptism during the 9 AM service. Below is a short story of this baptism which I copied from William Earnhardt’s blog:

“I first met Charlie about 5 years ago in the youth Bible studies at the Plant City Seventh-day Adventist Church on Wednesday nights. Several of the youth from the community would come to play games and have a Bible study. So I was very happy when Charlie’s girlfriend, Stacy contacted me for baptism studies! We were able to study at the church while practicing social distancing as well as over the phone. Charlie’s grandmother was a big part of the Plant City SDA Church back in the day. She even designed the picture on our baptistry. She now lives in Ooltewah Tennessee. This morning, November 28, 2020 Charlie and Stacy surprised his grandmother by being baptized in the Ooltewah SDA Chruch! A very big thank you to Pastor Peter Kulakov (Right) for being such a gracious host for this baptism! What and exciting day for the Plant City SDA Church, the Ooltewah SDA Church and all of heaven!” (William Earnhardt). 

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This Sabbath the “masks required” service will take place @9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. No changes to the regular 9 AM service in the Sanctuary and 11:30 AM service in the Fellowship Hall. 

On December 5 both services (9 AM and 11:30 AM) will be streamed live. If you plan to watch after 1 pm there will be two separate files on the YouTube Church channel. Both links will be posted on our church webpage and Church Facebook. 

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The Audio Visual team desperately needs help. If you are willing or interested in helping in the sound booth during the services please contact Evan Spicer. 

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Most patients come to Moccasin Bend with few clothes. There is a significant need for clothes of any kind but especially warm tops , hoodies and coats – particularly L, XL, 2XL & 3XL. Money to help with the purchase of warm clothes is also appreciated.  Contact Jeannie Klinner @ 423-238-3377

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Let the spirit of Christmas ring this Sabbath night when we meet at the Samaritan Center to help with moving the donated items into the warehouse. Last month we had close to forty volunteers including children. Can we beat that number this Sabbath? How about fifty? 🙂 Seriously, will you come? 

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