Jesus came to Bethany when His friend Lazarus was in the grave. Martha and Mary were grieving. Jesus spoke to Martha before bringing Lazarus back to life. He told her that the Resurrection is not just an event. It is the person of Jesus Christ . His words are filled with power, assurance and hope. He spoke about the future, but also about the present. He is THE LIFE. That life can be ours when we allow Christ to enter our “Bethany.” Our home, our community or our church can be resurrected to a new life which is in Christ the Victor.
___________
As I am typing this blog post I am praying about the first night of the evangelistic meetings starting in Eastern Europe. People living in that part of the world need hope like never before. These meetings are being broadcasted on cable networks, social media outlets and YouTube channels. They cover the many time zones all the way to the Far East. Let the power of God be revealed in a mighty way!
____________
Men’s ministry update: “Aubri’s deck is completed. Special thank you to all the guys who helped on this large project. And to the ladies who helped Aubri cleanup the yard as well. Word is she loved all the help and fellowship of the project. … Had another quick little cleanup for Ms. Adele Dahlberg as well. Just a few small branches and and sticks on the roof and one larger branch that had come down and lodged in the tree trunk. I am glad we could assist her!”
Just a note. It is the Men’s Ministry project, but we have ladies working side by side with the men. Thank you, ladies 🙂
______________
Ooltewah Prayer Warriors had their quarterly lunch at Sondra’s house. They come together to coordinate their lists and schedules, to pray together, and to fellowship around the table. Sondra was happy that 17 people were able to attend this event. Here are a few photos from that lunch.
Sondra, Thank you for your leadership in this ministry. We all feel the blessings of many prayers offered daily for our church, our families and our community.
________________
Early morning last Saturday a group of our church members prepared breakfast for a large group of people in the Chattanooga Community kitchen. This is such a great way to show that we care! Thank you, everyone, who came to help with the breakfast, to meet these dear people and to pray with them. I received many photos from that event, and here are just a few of them:
_______________
Last Monday the Connect committee brought together our church ministries leaders. It was an excellent way to help them know about various resources offered by the church. More than that it was a good time for the ministry leaders to get to know one another, and to see how their ministry can join hands with other church ministries in achieving the same goal of service and support. Thank you, Mike Haughee, for coordinating the program!
_______________
This Sabbath morning both worship services will take place in the Fellowship Hall. All the musicians and singers participating in the worship service cannot fit on the sanctuary platform. I am looking forward to a great worship experience tomorrow. We will celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death! He is our Risen Savior.
_______________
Your support for Ukraine brings help and hope to thousands of people in the war zones. Just this morning I talked to pastor Krupsky. He is the Hope Channel Ukraine Director. Their studios in Bucha were vandalized… Their staff had to flee to a safer place in the Western side of the country. Many of them are young families with small children. They left everything behind, but they keep broadcasting from mobile devices. They are not losing heart. Some of your funds were used to provide food and clothing for the Hope Channel Ukraine families. They used the funds also to buy school supplies for the children.
Pastor Vertylo sent us a message a few days ago from the eastern region of Ukraine. Him and his team of pastors keep moving families from the areas of active war to safer locations. They use your funds to provide food and shelter for the children and the elderly. He asked me to share with you his words of appreciation and his hugs of love.
Here is a link to a video recorder by our SDA pastor in Mariupol who stayed there as long as possible. The narration is in Russian, but it help us see the pain through the eyes of a child.
____________
See you tomorrow! Happy Sabbath to you.
pastor Peter
Ooltewah Seventh-day Adventist Church 
The Pathfinders spent several hours on Sunday working at Paula Wolfe’s property, clearing brush and preparing the grounds so that the Pathfinders would have a place where they could camp any time they want to go camping locally. Paula wants the church to use her large property to hold events as needed, especially a place for the Pathfinders to hold campouts and other activities.
LikeLike