Month: January 2024

I love my church. There are all kinds of people who come to worship at our church. Some have been here for over fifty years; some joined our church only last year. No one is perfect, but we all worship the same Lord Jesus. We see many blessings in the ministry of our church, and we also grapple with many challenges. It would be totally wrong to say that we “have arrived” and have a perfect church, but I love this church the way it is… on a journey to a better place. It is not about what I want of this church, but what we are called to do together as God’s children. We all can make it a better place for each other.

This Sabbath both worship services will be led by the Adventurer’s club. Pastor Keith will be the one sharing God’s word with us. I have so many reasons to look forward to a great Sabbath day with you.

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Last Sabbath we witnessed two beautiful baptisms. Addison Hanon & London Goddard started their walk with the Lord. Ron Malloch, who gave Bible studies to both of them, officiated Addison’s baptism and London was baptized by her grandmother Kathy Goddard.

This week I received our church membership statistics for 2023. Our church had over twenty baptisms. What a blessing!

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Two weeks ago our church celebrated the Stone’s baby dedication. Colton’s dedication was officiated by his grandmother, who is the Children’s Ministry pastor at the Collegedale University church. Congratulations to Christina and Justin Stone.

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There was a major event in our Cornerstone project last week when the last steel beam was placed on the bone structure of the future sanctuary. OAKS students and many other church members participated in this exciting event by signing their names on the steel beam. These OAKS students are the future of our church. They were thrilled to see the progress.

God is performing miracles with our building project. As of this week you have contributed $3,376,825.95 to the Cornerstone fund. So far the church has not borrowed even $1 towards this project. This is truly amazing. Thank you for your generous support of the future ministry of our church. We need to be prepared to meet the needs of the growing community!

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Here are several awesome upcoming events. The Men’s Breakfast is this weekend. Unfortunately, Matthew Kimberly got sick, so his concert is being rescheduled for a later date. Praying for Matthew.

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Last week Galena and I had a great time with our family. We all traveled to Montana (American Siberia). In spite of the negative 30 degree freezing temperatures, we treasured every moment with our children and grandchildren. The scenery was breathtaking! Everyone ventured into the ski slopes. The first day didn’t go that well. Barby’s husband Jared almost had a concussion, Barby had to be escorted down the mountain on a sled by a professional rescue skier, and Stacey ended up in the local clinic for a knee X-ray… All these adventures didn’t keep them inside the following day. Everyone was safe and enjoyed skiing, including the toddlers and two grandparents, Galena and Peter 🙂

Galena experimented with pouring water over her head in -30 degree temperature. The water would get frozen right away. It was fun 😉

See you tomorrow,

Pastor Peter

It is natural for us to worry about the things to come. We are only in the middle of January, but we have already seen a good amount of pain and troubles in the world around us this year. As a caring parent, Christ is saying to us today, ‘Let not your heart be troubled’. He is strong to help. He is an experienced Doctor. He is a President I can trust. Here is a great saying which may help you to keep your head up, ‘Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.’ – Corrie ten Boom

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This Sabbath is the Fellowship meal Sabbath! Bring your favorite dish and enjoy the company of your friends or make new friends.

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This weekend we’ll have a special emphasis on the Youth! Here are a couple events where your children can have a great time.

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Galena and I are starting our vacation today. We are about to board the flight. This will be a special time for us for two reasons. 1. Our whole immediate family is coming together for a few days. 2. Our family reunion is in Whitefish, Montana and this weekend the temperature over there will drop – 40F. I have not experienced such crazy cold even in Siberia. If and when I thaw in a few days, you’ll see some photos on my Facebook. 😉

Happy Sabbath. Tomorrow morning Pastor Keith will preach part 2 of the New Years message.

Hugs,

Pastor Peter

I encourage you to resolve in your heart that you will trust God and believe His promises this New year—whether for your healing, your financial breakthrough, or any other blessing you need. Use your spiritual authority over the devil’s work. Keep standing in faith, choosing to believe God to fulfill His Word!

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The Friday Night Agape Feast was a time for us to find assurance in God’s amazing grace. Jesus is with us and He promised not to leave us alone. I felt a warm spirit of unity among those who came to participate in the communion service a few hours before the beginning of the New Year.

There were many testimonies shared, but here is a special one from our head deaconess, Bonnie Hicks:

I thought about giving a testimony Friday night, but couldn’t think past the Agape Feast and what I still had to do!! After I was home and winding down I thought about how I loved this church and the people, but especially my small core group of ladies that I can always count on! I could not do much without them and their support!! It is not me..but them…that made Friday night happen.

Bonnie Hicks

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Early Sabbath morning a group of volunteers from our church arrived at the Chattanooga Community kitchen to feed the homeless. There was a long line of people even before 6 AM. Our dedicated volunteers fed over 160 people that morning. I was so happy that our church could provide not only the physical food, but also spiritual in the form of beautiful music and hymns. Thank you everyone who was there that morning.

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This coming week I invite you to participate in the Week of Prayer sessions at our church. There are two sessions a day; one in the morning and another one in the evening. Evening sessions will be led by the Youth from the Collegiate class. On Wednesday night the meeting will start at 6:30 and Greg Leavitt will lead us through the Christian Growth seminar. This afternoon Greg shared with me a few photos from the last seminar session.

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As we are starting this new year we may be overwhelmed with many challenges, but let us not forget the struggling families in our community. We continue our Cereal Barrel ministry. Let the barrel overflow with our kind care!

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This week the Cornerstone Project took off from the ground! After the concrete slab was successfully poured last week steel beams started going up this week. I took the photo below on Wednesday after the meeting with the architect and the builders team. Your prayers and your support make this project move forward every day. We are very close to the $3 million milestone in received donations.

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Wishing you a wonderful Sabbath Day.

Pastor Peter