Month: June 2021

Christian discipleship is not just about following Christ and learning from Him. To be a true disciple of Christ one must lead others to Him. It is like a train where the engine pulls the cars, but each car in turn pulls the ones behind it. It is hard work. We all need to become intentional about being a part of this train. One can lead by example, the other by teaching and instructing in the truth. What is your way of leading others to Christ? This Sabbath I invite you to the third part of my short sermon series: What Is Being a Christian All About?

This is turning out to be an active summer for our church. There are many areas where your help and engagement is needed. Kitchen renovation is going full speed. On Sunday morning Aaron Brewer will lead in the kitchen cabinets removal. Please talk to Aaron if you are available to help. OAKS is having a big summer Work Bee this Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm.

The evangelism committee is excited to share with you some great news: Our church will have a series of evangelistic meetings in September. Please mark your calendars. September 10 is the opening night of the “Healing in Jesus” series of meetings. It will be my honor to lead in these meetings. Evangelism committee coordinator, elder Mike Doucoumes, is actively recruiting volunteers for the various important positions needed during the meetings. Please contact Mike if you are willing to help. The dates of the meetings are September 10 through 18. After that I will study twice a week with those who express an interest in any in-depth Bible studies.

VBS is coming to Ooltewah!!! I am sure this will be a great program, because we have awesome leaders planning this event. You can register your children online by going to the church website www.ooltewahchurch.org

Kid’s Pool Party is planned for July 11. There will be food and activities for the children that morning. Please register online www.ooltewahchurch.org It will help us to know how many kids to expect for the party.

Men’s Ministry update:

Love in Action:

• This Sunday, 9am until the job is complete, we will be taking apart the kitchen at the church in an effort to get it ready for the remodel. Bring your drill and battery to charge it!
• Lucy Vasques is moving out of her son’s house and into an apartment at 9am on Sunday, 6/27. If you are able to help, please meet at 7255 Lee Hwy apt 615 Villas at Oak Crest. Once everything is loaded up, everyone will head to 5075 Ooltewah Ringgold Rd Apt 201 Spring Green Apartment to unload. I don’t think there is a lot so it should go quickly. Her number is 423-802-2030.

Haney Hungry Hombres:

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• There is no breakfast for the month of June, but we WILL have it in July. More to follow!!

Are you ready for a church Fellowship meal? I am!!! Our first “together meal” is coming on July 3 at 6 PM. You do not need to bring anything. Food will be provided. Just come to eat, to fellowship, and to celebrate July 4. Another great piece of this event is a concert scheduled right after the dinner. Here is the preliminary outline of the program shared with me by Larry Otto:

1. Martin Young, Vocal 2. Randy Fowler, Guitar, 3. Kathy Sabo & Carol Phillips, Piano Duet, 4. Mary Wilcox & Family, Instrumental, 5. Martin Young, Vocal, 6. Randy Fowler, Guitar, 7. Mary Wilcox & Family, Instrumental, 8. Kathy Sabo & Carol Phillips, Piano Duet

There is more to that night! After the mini concert you can stay and join the Singspiration, led by Ron Maloch. Exciting, right?!

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Church bulletin and other helpful resources are available here www.ooltewahchurch.org

Happy Sabbath. See you tomorrow.

Hugs,

pastor Peter

I became a father when I was twenty years old. It was at that time that I realized the joy of having a child, but along with that the I felt the huge responsibility of being a Dad who should lead and teach by example. When we were teaching our daughters to say the Lord’s Prayer I realized that they see the Heavenly Father through the person of me, their earthly father. If I am rude and not caring my children will unconsciously develop the perception of a cold, distant and revengeful God. This is a huge task on all of us fathers. God chose to be known and called “Abba” or Dad. In Deuteronomy 1:31, Moses uses a metaphor in which he portrays God as the father of Israel. He says, “… and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” Again in Jeremiah 3:19-20, God says through the prophet, “How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me… ” My children are all grown ups, but I still learn daily from my Heavenly Father how to be a Dad who is always full of mercy and love. What a great honor! What a huge responsibility.

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The nominating committee has completed its task and is presenting the report for the first reading this Sabbath morning. It’s been a good committee. It consisted of the individuals who you elected for this not so easy task. There were young people and not so young; new members and those who have been with our church for many years; women and men; leaders and lay members. Every meeting was preceded by devotions and prayers. I was impressed with the spirit of unity. The committee didn’t want to simply rubber-stamp the previous list. It gave detailed and prayerful consideration to every position. This is just the beginning. You’ll see many vacant positions where you may be interested to serve. Please, do not hesitate to talk any member of the nominating committee about your interest in joining one of the ministries. If you have concerns or corrections, please contact the committee chairman, Mike Haughee or committee secretary, Summer Bradford. Click here to access the digital version of the report.

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Vacation Bible school preparation is going full steam! Thank you, Cory Goss and Amy and Laura Standish for leading in this important ministry to our children. “HAPPY VALLEY RANCH” is the theme of the VBS this summer. The dates are July 18-22 | 6 Pm – 8 PM. You can register your child online. The registration form is on our church website under the MINISTRIES menu tab. Or you can access it directly by clicking here.

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Several exciting programs and activities are in the works for the children of our church and our community. There will be several pool parties, movie and popcorn gatherings, a Chattanooga zoo trip, etc. The finalized dates will be posted next week.

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From Edymar Penagos and Matt Gereghty: “

Happy Father’s day! Love in Action Report:
“On Sunday June 13th the men’s ministry got back to work with a beautiful deck project. With the project living entirely in the mind of Aaron Brewer we embarked on the journey towards building the deck as he envisioned it.  With the HOA regulations in hand, a trailer full of wood, charged drill batteries and a few boxes of nails we were ready to work. Under the shade of a pop-up canopy, provided by Kevin Hicks, our group was able to get right to work. Step one was to move a set of concrete steps, luckily, they were hollow and not too difficult to push down to the other end of the patio. After that the frame and posts of the new deck quickly took shape. With the skilled and willing hands of the group the majority of the deck project was completed before lunch, including the roof, which had been put up by Alexander!  But, as anyone who’s build a deck before can attest to, the stairs and railings can be the toughest part of the project, and it was!!!  However, Aaron and Kevin were able to use their experience to help guide both Edymar and myself towards its completion!”  Matt Gereghty.

Guys, all in all, we had a great time building a simple deck for some sweet ladies, but why are these types of jobs so important? In this case, one of the sisters is fighting cancer and this simple deck provides them with place to sit outside in the shade and enjoy God’s nature. And sure, it will help keep the rain out when they answer the front door (the carpet was getting soaked). It will even make it easier when the time comes and they need a handicap ramp. But that is not all. There are many reasons why they needed this deck but the one that was addressed even without saying it was Love In Action. Their church contacted us to help build them a deck because they were loved. These sisters needed to know they were not alone. They now know there’s a community of folks who care for them, who love them, and want to encourage them. So why did a group of guys take a Sunday to build a deck? It’s because this group of guys and a church family wanted nothing more than to be used by God to demonstrate brotherly love to two of His daughters. “We love because he first loved us” 1 John 4:19“

Thank you, gentlemen! What a wonderful example of of Christ’s love and service.

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Our first church Fellowship meal is scheduled for Sabbath, July 3 @ 6 PM. If the weather is good we can do it outside on the church lawn. We can eat, visit and sing together. If its raining or too hot we’ll do it in the Fellowship Hall. I am so excited that we’ll finally be eating and mingling together as a church family. Please mark that event in your calendars.

Don’t forget to visit the church website www.ooltewahchurch.org for the weekly bulletin, online giving and other helpful resources.

Happy Sabbath! With hugs and Christian love,

pastor Peter

To be a Christian one must follow Christ. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24). To follow Jesus means to be His student, His disciple. He is the One setting the schedule of the classes and the curriculum. You either accept His terms or quit and go some place else. It is only by following Jesus today and every day that you become transformed into His image and reflect His character. Come this Sabbath and we’ll study more about the meaning of Christian discipleship.

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Men’s Ministry had a great start of the summer season. Here is a report from Edymar: “The Father’s Day picnic was such a blessing! It was wonderful to be out with our church family, enjoying food and fun, but more importantly, making connections, fellowshipping and celebrating dads! The rain may have kept some people away, however those that came were truly there to spend quality time with long-time friends and brand-new friends they met that day. Time was spent playing, fishing, chatting, bike riding, trail walking and doing some get-to-know-you activities, completed with a round of everyone’s best dad-jokes! One of the rangers even came by to talk with the kids about local animals, bringing with him animal pelts for kids to feel. It had been so long since we had the opportunity to simply gather as a church family and enjoy spending time in play and conversation. Being able to see everyone engage with one another, laughing and talking and pitching in to make sure all was well in every way was such a blessing! Thank you to all that were able to come!”

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Last night Galina and I went for a walk. The air was fresh and delicious after many hours of rain. The birds were happy the clouds went away. The sun was reflected in every drop of rain on the blades of grass and on every needle of the pine trees. Galina was happy to pick and eat ripe wild berries. As she was busy picking these delicious berries I was looking at the gorgeous variety of the filed flowers. They were of different colors and sizes; some were barely visible, others were bright and bold in their beauty, but it was this variety that made that field so breathtaking. They we complementing each other. They were right next to each other. What a great lesson for every Christian! If you want your church to be vibrant and attractive then learn to appreciate each other. Let us learn to sit with those who are different in their theology; eat with those who belong to a different political party and serve with those who may have a lifestyle different from ours. Colossians 1:16-17 – “For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

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Ooltewah Tiny Timberwolves Adventurers. Laura Standish shared with me the following wonderful story: “Another Adventurer year has come to an end but what a year it was!  We weren’t sure if COVID would keep us apart but thankfully it didn’t.   Our small but mighty team of 4 teachers worked hard to ensure our 9 kids had an awesome year:  

·        We maintained our bi-weekly meetings where a combined total of 50 honors were earned, 

·        We participated in our Conference’s virtual Family Fun Weekend, 

·        We went on a hayride and ran through corn at the Ocoee River Maze,

·        We enjoyed Christmas treats and games, 

·        And we ended the year with a fun party and camping trip right here on church grounds.  A special CONGRATULATIONS to our Helping Hands who were promoted to Pathfinders:   Josh Bee, Thomas Harvey, Conner Standish and Aaron Stark.  This year would not have been possible without the encouraging parents, Pastor Matt for his bi-weekly devotionals, the faithful staff who made our year what it was, and to the kids who learned to be Champions for Jesus.    Can’t wait to see what our next year brings!  Until then, have a wonderful summer! “

Thank you, Laura and your team of leaders, for making this a special year for our children!

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With our kids being out of school we want to plan some exciting events and activities for every age group. I am glad to share with you that Cory Goss agreed to lead the Vacation Bible school this July. Thank you, Cory! We all know how much you love the little ones. Cory is inviting you to start planning this event together with him and your children. “Happy Valley Ranch” is the theme of the VBS. Children will be learning how to be happy in God. The dates are July 18-22.

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Here is an invite from Edymar Penagos: “This Sunday Men’s Ministry is inviting you to celebrate our fathers with some family fun at Booker T. Washington State park. So mark your calendars and corral your family! The weather looks perfect, and we will have a blast. There are playgrounds, basketball courts, and water everywhere. You can also hike, mountain bike or just sit and enjoy some good conversations.”

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It is very exciting to see our church’s wider participation in the Cornerstone Building Fund. We want to be sure we have adequate Sabbath school classes and a sanctuary for the next generation in our church. As of today the church has received $148,305. Every dollar counts. Please pray about the future of our church.

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STEWARDSHIP – “The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within…” (Christ’s Object Lessons pg. 384) 

Additional resources and church weekly bulletin are available online www.ooltewahchurch.org

Happy Sabbath,

pastor Peter