Dear Church Family,

Here is a beautiful statement from Desire of Ages.  I was listening to this chapter while mowing last night and was touched.

If Joseph and Mary had stayed their minds upon God by meditation and prayer, they would have realized the sacredness of their trust, and would not have lost sight of Jesus. By one day’s neglect they lost the Saviour; but it cost them three days of anxious search to find Him. So with us; by idle talk, evilspeaking, or neglect of prayer, we may in one day lose the Saviour’s presence, and it may take many days of sorrowful search to find Him, and regain the peace that we have lost.

In our association with one another, we should take heed lest we forget Jesus, and pass along unmindful that He is not with us. When we become absorbed in worldly things so that we have no thought for Him in whom our hope of eternal life is centered, we separate ourselves from Jesus and from the heavenly angels. These holy beings cannot remain where the Saviour’s presence is not desired, and His absence is not marked. This is why discouragement so often exists among the professed followers of Christ.

Many attend religious services, and are refreshed and comforted by the word of God; but through neglect of meditation, watchfulness, and prayer, they lose the blessing, and find themselves more destitute than before they received it. Often they feel that God has dealt hardly with them. They do not see that the fault is their own. By separating themselves from Jesus, they have shut away the light of His presence.

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.   DA 83

In the news:

1. The Imitators will be meeting tonight at 7pm at Pastor Alex’s home (245 Walnut Grove Rd) for vespers. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend.
2. This Sabbath we are blessed to have Chad Kruezer with us as our guest speaker for the worship hour this Sabbath. He was scheduled to be in town to do an interview with Ken Mathews for one of his video projects.  Chad is the founder of Anchor Point Films and can be found on audioverse.
3. There will be no fellowship dinner this Sabbath.
4. AYA will be at 7:30 p.m this Sabbath. The Nuebrander family will share pictures of God’s creation in a land shaped by ice and fire and highlight the Seventh-day Adventists in Iceland. Breath taking beauty and heart-warming stories you will not want to miss!
5. There will be a work bee for the church to clear brush from downed trees, and trimming of trees and bushes at both the Community Services Center and the church on Sunday, June 11th at 9am. If anyone has a trailer and a chainsaw that would be very helpful.  Meet at the church.   Your help is appreciated.
6. This Sunday, June 11^th, from 4-7 p.m., there will be softball in the Park. Take the entire family and join us for fellowship, softball, games and a cookout at Kinser Park. Pavilion #3   Click this link (Softball Church Social 6.11.17 ) for more important information.
7. This Sunday, Pastor Alex & I will head to Israel with our spouses to visit Israel & Jordan. If a need should arise during this time, please contact one of the church elders.
8. Our second dinner with the dcotor will be on Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 PM. A light supper will be served followed by a presentation by Dr. Joe Kretschmar, “An Endoscopic Tour of the GI Tract … and how to avoid making yours interesting.” This is an excellent outreach event to which to invite a friend. Be sure to call to register.
9. On Sabbath, June 17^th, AYA will be at 7:30pm and will feature a different approach to planting stronger roots in JESUS. Bring your curiosity, your sharpened Bible mind, your mom, dad, siblings, and friends. You will need them to win one of many different valuable prizes that will last a lifetime.
10. On Sabbath, June 24, we have another special guest coming to share a seminar on Muslims and how to reach them. Presenter Elder Gerald Babanezhad, Coordinator of Muslim Outreach at the Pacific Union Conference and Board Member of NAD Adventist Muslim Relations, will share the historical setting and perspective of Islam, the role of the Adventist Church in sharing the Three Angel’s Message with Muslims.  He will also highlight the Muslim’s understanding of Seventh-Day Adventists, practical ways to work with Muslim’s, testimonies and much more followed with Q&A time. June 24 beginning at 11a.m. through AYA.
11. In case I had not mentioned this before, I wanted to share this link to this particular audio recording of the Desire of Ages. You can listen online or download it onto your MP3 player.  I find it very pleasant to listen to.
12. While we have many prayer requests, I wanted to highlight a couple. First, Vicki Culler has been moved from ICU into a regular room at Holston Valley in Kingsport. She had a successful surgery on Tuesday to repair her heart.  Also, James Austin, husband of Mary Ruth Austin who is a member, is in ICU at Tacoma.  I know the family appreciates your prayers.
13. Wanted to remind everyone that the CSC is in a real need for volunteers to come in and help with sorting clothes on Wednesday, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please contact Elder Ken Coonley if you are able to contribute some time each week.
14. A reminder to pray for our families serving in Mongolia right now.  Angela Emde sent me some pictures this week from their travels and the clinic where they worked on Sunday.
15. Pastor Alex & I enjoyed serving at camp meeting in Georgia Cumberland last week. I worked with the communications department taking pictures and Pastor Alex worked with the security team. Here Pastor Alex stands with Pastor Randy Roberts and I am standing (with Jordan assisting) in one of Southern’s Gardens taking pictures of one of the tours being given.  Southern has several gardens planted on it’s property for serving in the cafeteria and such.

Blessings as you prepare for the coming Sabbath!

In His Service,

Pastor Jeremy

P.S. Please note that the GRAPEVINE won’t be available for the next two weeks due to my travels.