Month: March 2023

All our material possessions can be lost because of natural disasters or wars. Lately I have talked to many refugees from Ukraine. Many of them lost everything. They came here with only a couple of suitcases. I am learning from them to look up even in the most challenging moments of our lives. We have the eternal inheritance prepared for us by Christ and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. With this assurance I can move forward. Illness, fires, or tornadoes may take away from me what I earned, but a gift of eternal inheritance is still mine because of what Christ earned for me on the cross. “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,  who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” (Eph. 1:13-14)

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Last Sabbath morning our church was providing breakfast for the homeless in downtown Chattanooga. Here is a brief report from Richard:

Happy Sabbath Pastor Peter 
Happy to tell you that the breakfast burritos were a big hit, they ranted and raved about them and we were told this church serves the best breakfast. And Prince can’t stop thanking me for the new food serving deck. He almost broke down and cried. He made a comment that it was God sent. 
We had 16 helpers and fed 140 up from last week of only 118. 
We would have fed more but they turned them away so we snuck some out to them.”

Here are a few photos from that morning:

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On March 29, the Wednesday night Prayer meeting time will change to 7 PM. Please make a note of this time change. For the next few weeks the study will concentrate on the Steps to Christ book. Greg Leavitt will be introducing some new exciting elements to the Wednesday night meetings. I want to encourage you to participate in our midweek study.

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Pastor Sabo is recovering after open heart surgery. He is grateful for your messages, prayers, and a beautiful floral arrangement from his church family.

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When was the last time you checked our church website? There are many helpful resources available there for you. The church website address is www.ooltewahchurch.org

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I plan on worshiping with you this Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.

pastor Peter

” One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as “those evil people” or “those poor people who need our help.” Nor must we search for signs of “loveworthiness.” Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.” Phillips Brooks

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Eph. 2:8-9

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Last Sabbath we all were touched by the children’s performance accompanying the congregational hymn. Here is a short clip. It is so good to see our children and young people participate in worship services.

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On Wednesday afternoon I joined the Health Ministry committee meeting. We have a great team of leaders on that committee. They are planning several community seminars for this year. You’ll hear more in the next few weeks. Here is a photo of this wonderful team:

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Last Saturday night many of our church leaders featured their ministries. It was our annual Ministry Fair coordinated by the Connect Committee. Spirits were good and the organization of the event was just perfect. I only wished to see more of our members come and learn about various ministries where they can participate in the mission of our church. I hope to see more of you next time.

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A couple months ago the Discipleship Sabbath school class, led by Mike Harrell, agreed to raise some money for the Seventh Day Adventists still living in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. I contacted pastor Maxim in Kyiv and asked him to tell me their most pressing need. He asked for USB chargeable flashlights. Ukrainian cities are constantly being bombed and our church members, along with the millions of others, lose power for weeks. They cannot read their Bibles or help their children with studies and school activities. The Discipleship class raised enough money to purchase hundreds of flashlights. (The city provides mobile charging stations.) This week pastor Maxim sent me several photos of the families using these flashlights. Below is just one of these photos. Please continue your prayers for the suffering people of Ukraine.

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This Sabbath I am invited to speak at South Bay church. Pastor Matthew will be preaching at our church. I’ll miss worshiping with you. After church Galena and I are planning to get out of town for 36 hours to celebrate her 60th birthday!!!

Last Sunday morning Galena and I enjoyed a perfect walk on the Greenway with our two granddaughters.

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This week pastor John Sabo had to undergo major open heart surgery. His recovery is going well. We’ll continue to pray for John.

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Happy Sabbath.

pastor Peter

My father was a pastor. I loved watching him read and study for his Sabbath messages. I always believed that no one preached better than him. I wanted be be like him. At the age of five I told my Dad that I wanted to be a pastor. His example was definitive for me. I do not remember much from his sermons, but it was his life that made all the difference for me. Many parents do a great job teaching their children what is right. Unfortunately not so many demonstrate graceful living in their actions. Words are important. Actions are powerful. Can we say like Jesus, “Learn from Me… ” ?

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This week I had a nice visit with Bob and Charel Anderson. They shared several stories with me of God’s guidance in their lives. I was so impressed that I asked Charel to share the most recent story with the whole church. I hope your faith will grow stronger after you read it:

Never Forsaken!
Long ago and far away I was a horn player by profession. It was who I was and how I
served the Lord. I loved the Lord and I loved my family and we all loved music until one day I
couldn’t play anymore because of an evil villain by the name of focal dystonia. The doctors
knew it by name but said they didn’t know what caused it and that it couldn’t be fixed. I was
lost and broken. Who was I without music? I didn’t even know how to worship anymore. Music
was my gift and I had lost it. I prayed and prayed and then prayed some more. I even got
anointed. I was assured that God had not forsaken me, that He heard my pleas, and that He
would restore me in His own time. That time might be Heaven but His promise to hear and
answer was sure. I could trust God. By now I had had enough experience to know that was true
beyond any doubt.
When we came to Tennessee, we loved that the Ooltewah church had so much music to
offer and we loved the people and the pastor so we settled our membership here even though
we are here for only half of the year. Wes let me in brass on trombone even though I was shaky
at best and a couple of years later Mary allowed me in orchestra on French horn. It didn’t
happen overnight but gradually my playing got better and the muscle spasms decreased. I don’t
play as well as I used to but then I’m quite abit older than I used to be and haven’t practiced for
all those years but I am so thankful to have music back in my life! To God be the Glory!!!
My husband and I want to give a special thank offering for this miraculous restorative
gift that God has bestowed on us. The orchestra is outgrowing its current rehearsal room and in
order to rehearse elsewhere needs its own set of percussion equipment. We would like to
provide that for the church’s musical needs. It has already been purchased but some is still in
the process of being shipped. The orchestra chimes have arrived and are currently under cover
in the fellowship room to be heard from soon we hope!

Charel and Bob, thank you for your for your generous gifts and for your support of the Ooltewah church music ministry! Below is the picture of one of the instruments donated by the Andersons.

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This Sabbath is our monthly Potluck. I hope to see many of you eat and fellowship together. I am still struggling with a bad cough, but I plan on worshiping with you tomorrow.

Please continue your prayers for Julia Easter. She had major surgery this week. She is in a lot of pain. Your prayers are appreciated.

Please also keep John Sabo in your prayers. He is dealing with some serious heart issues.

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Stay safe. Our school is closed today because of the potentially severe storms. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks just perfect.

Happy Sabbath.

pastor Peter