Month: November 2022

The only way to fight the darkness is to turn the light on. There is plenty of darkness in this world. Wars, political turmoil, illness… We often get sucked into these black holes. All we see and talk about is darkness. As Christians we can fight the darkness by turning the lights on. It can be the light of kindness or forgiveness; the light of caring words or a simple smile. The darkness will retreat. Turn on your light today.

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Galena and I are grateful to God for bringing us safely home just in time for the Thanksgiving celebration. We didn’t have our family with us yesterday. They all went to spend the day with their in-laws or other members of the extended family. We didn’t mind because we’ll get a special treat of having them at our place for Christmas. Honestly, the two of us needed this one quiet day. Just the two of us. After our trip to Uzbekistan, this was the first day when we could slow down and count our blessings. We talked about the blessing of our church family. We love each one of you and are grateful for your loving support. We did not deserve it and consider it a huge blessing. We are thankful to our church elders for their active ministry. We sincerely appreciate our deaconesses and deacons. They give so much of their time to the ministry of our church! Church departments and ministry leaders keep our church vibrant and our members active in action and in spirit. All we can say is Thank You, Jesus, for blessing us with this wonderful church.

This Sabbath morning Brass for Worship will uplift our spirit during both services. Those of you who come for the first service will also hear Jaime Jorge play the violin right at 9 am in the Sanctuary. I am looking forward to worshiping with you tomorrow.

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Our trip to Uzbekistan was not easy. It takes at least 48 hours to get to your destination each way. Time change, local food options, and lack of sleep weakened the body but our spirit was high. We met very kind and hospitable Seventh Day Adventists who worship the Lord in the predominantly Muslim country. They were faithfully attending our nightly meetings. I was very glad that there were several non-Adventists who joined the meetings. I plan to share more this Sabbath during the worship service, but below are a few photos from the meetings. Please continue to pray for the pastors who serve the Lord in that part of the world. There are many challenges they are facing daily.

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Thanksgiving Simulation is one of the best annual events at OAKS. I received hundreds of awesome photos. I wish I could share all of them, but below are at least a few. What a great program for our children!

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This will be the last Sabbath of the month. Let us faithfully and generously support our local church budget. It needs some boosting.

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Happy Sabbath!

pastor Peter

Regular church attendance is not enough for a vibrant spiritual life. My active church ministry is not the best indicator of my spiritual growth. It is easy to turn my religious activities into a really nice regimen. Growth may get substituted by idle repetition of religious rituals. The same way parents watch their child’s growth and celebrate every step of their maturity, Christ is encouraging us to grow in our character and practical actions. When we seek this growth we realize that there is no limit to forgiveness, love and grace. Every step on the path of spiritual growth inspires us to reach new summits in the way we relate to God and to other people around us.

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I was planning to join the Young at Heart lunch last Wednesday, but unfortunately had to be somewhere else that afternoon. Willis Adams shared lots of great photos with me. I wish I could post all of them here, but for the lack of space I’ll share only three. If you are not a part of this nice group of our church members and friends then talk to Willis and he’ll be happy to introduce you to them.

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Last week I shared several pictures from our church bonfire. Lora Standish sent me a few more awesome photos. Enjoy! It was truly a perfect event.

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The Cornerstone Church Ministry Expansion fund is growing every week. Thank you for your generous and regular support. We are praying about reaching 2.2 million by December 31st.

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Many of you are asking about our support of the people in Ukraine. Here are a few pictures from this week. Lots of medications and warm blankets were delivered to our brothers and sisters suffering in the Chernihiv region. Please remember to pray for these dear people.

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This Monday Galena and I are departing for a mission trip to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Thirty five million people live in this Muslim country. There are only 10 small Adventist churches in Uzbekistan. The country is five times bigger than Tennessee and there are less than 700 members all together. There is no religious freedom in Uzbekistan. I’ll be holding meetings nightly in the SDA church building in Tashkent. Galena will be arranging meals for the visitors and providing help for the children. Please keep us in your prayers.

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I am looking forward to a wonderful Sabbath with you.

pastor Peter