Friday, January 13, 2017

Dear Church Family,

This stood out to me in my reading this week:

The work of your salvation and mine depends wholly upon ourselves, for it rests with us to accept the provision that has been made for us. God has done everything for us that a God can do. Christ has purchased you with His own blood; He has paid the ransom money, that you might be united with God, and separated from sin and sinners. When the heart is opened to Christ, the Holy Spirit will work in it with mighty, renewing power. But in order that we may be laborers together with God, there must be on our part an entire surrender to God. We must, to the extent of our ability, devote ourselves to Him, straining every spiritual sinew, and as faithful soldiers doing service for Christ… UL 25

The choice is ours, moment by moment.

In the news:

So let’s try this again since we had snow last week. Pastor Alex will be sharing the message with us this Sabbath. We are excited to welcome both Alex & Suranny this weekend in His first Sabbath in the pulpit.
There will be a church wide fellowship dinner following the service as a way of welcoming Pastor Alex & Suranny. All are invited to participate.
AYA this Sabbath will also feature Pastor Alex & Suranny and their story. There will also be some Q & A as a means of getting to know them better. AYA is at 5 pm this Sabbath.
Remember that this Monday morning at 6 am we will begin our 40 days of prayer teleconference. Simply dial 319-527-9136 and when prompted enter the access code which is 848709 followed by the # sign. Then when prompted to state your name, remain silent unless you are calling before 6 am. We will try to have the line open at 5:55 am. We will end the prayer time promptly at 6:15 am. Here is another video with a little more explanation as to what you can expect when you call in.
Maranatha Volunteers International will be here next Sabbath, January 21. They will have a vesper program at Riverview at 6:30 pm on Friday and then will share at Greeneville on Sabbath morning and again Sabbath evening at 4:30 pm. This is sure to be a treat.
Just a reminder that the Sabbath school council recently voted to combine the Sabbath School classes in the sanctuary and provide audio amplification for the teacher and participants so as to allow everyone to hear better what is being presented. This new arrangement will begin today. If you prefer a smaller group setting, there are multiple options in various classrooms of the church.
Pastor Alex and I will be away for the better part of next week to attend ministers meetings at Cohutta Springs. We will still be able to host the 40 days of prayer since it is via the telephone so will look forward to praying with you on Monday morning at 6 am.
The Ezekiel Verse by Verse mid-week study will not meet this coming week but will resume the following Wednesday. Here is the live stream from this week in case you missed it. Sorry for image appearing sideways. It corrects itself in a bit. We are still seeking to work out kinks as you can tell.
Do you feel comfortable giving Bible studies? Would you like to sharpen your skills? Beginning Tuesday, January 24 (NOTE NEW DATE) at 6:30 pm. in the youth room Pastor Alex will lead out in a 5-week training seminar for those who wish to sharpen their skills in sharing the Bible with family, friends, and co-workers. You will be equipped to make a difference in your sphere of influence for God’s kingdom. This is one of the most important works we can be doing right now. Sharpen your skills in sharing the Bible with others.
Perhaps you have already seen this Washington Post article on Franklin Graham becoming vegan. Indeed, we as Adventist’s have such a prime opportunity with our health message. I am thankful for the strong health ministry work that exists here at Greeneville. We have a new Diabetes Undone class beginning in February. More details are soon to come.
Just a reminder that we have Alistair Huong speaking for the weekend of January 27 & 28 on stewardship and finances. He’s a gifted speaker and the founder of Audioverse and co-author of savingthecrumbs.com.
Looking ahead we have an English as a Second Language class beginning Thursday, February 2^nd at 6 pm in the youth room.
Finally, looking further ahead:
1. VBS: July 17-21
2. Evangelistic Reaping Series (Youth Led) – Sept 8-16. More details to come.