Friday, November 17, 2017

Dear Church Family,

Some questions for us to consider:

If there ever was a time when serious reflection becomes every one who fears God, it is now, when personal piety is essential. The inquiry should be made, “What am I, and what is my work and mission in this time? On which side am I working—Christ’s side or the enemy’s side?” Let every soul now humble himself or herself before God, for now we are surely living in the great Day of Atonement. The cases even now of many are passing in review before God, for they are to sleep in their graves a little season. Your profession of faith is not your guarantee in that day, but the state of your affections. Is the soul-temple cleansed of its defilement? Are my sins confessed and am I repenting of them before God, that they may be blotted out? Do I esteem myself too lightly? Am I willing to make any and every sacrifice for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Do I feel every moment I am not my own, but Christ’s property, that my service belongs to God, whose I am?—Ms 87, 1886.^[1]

In the news:

7pm tonight begins our weekend with Wildwood Express. This Evangelism Training series will provide us with valuable training and inspiration for reaching out to those in our community. Remember we have a major prophecy series coming up in January with It Is Written’s Erik Flickinger. Now is the time to be finding interests. Please take advantage of the seminars offered this Sabbath. Once again, here is the schedule for the weekend:
Tina’s uncle fell some 8 to 10 feet from scaffolding at a job site on Monday. He landed on his head on hard concrete. It took nearly an hour for the ambulance to find the house where he was working. He was airlifted to Erlanger but it was discovered on Wednesday that he was brain dead. The family gathered and took him off life support. A couple of hours later he passed away. Tina and I, therefore, will have to miss tomorrow’s presentations due to the funeral being held in Murphy, NC at 2:30pm. We will leave early in the morning and attend church with the family there in Murphy and then attend the service following lunch.
The Nelson team will be hosting fellowship lunch tomorrow. Due to the meeting scheduled tomorrow, this would be a great weekend to attend fellowship dinner. Being that this is a regional event, we would ask that you consider if possible bringing a little extra food in case we have extra guests.
AYA tomorrow will feature Wildwood Express at 5:30pm.
Our 3^rd annual Cooking for the Holidays class had record attendance with over 40 people in attendance. We shared in great fellowship and after supper the ladies did a great job of presenting how many of the recipes were prepared.
I heard an exciting report from one of our members in which they shared how one of the ladies attending Diabetes Undone has also attended the Chef Mark Anthony event, the Cooking for the Holiday’s event and is loving every minute of it. This lady who attended has commented on and is impressed by how our church is so dedicated to teaching a healthy lifestyle. This guest has since been invited to come over for dinner at one of our members’ homes. Her mother is a resident at Morning Pointe and very much enjoys the Sunday morning worship talks that our Elder’s share each week. Her mother also appreciates the interaction with our young people at the twice a week school ASSIST program. I was encouraged to hear of how much this family has been impacted by the various outreach mechanisms of our church and school. Exciting to see how God is working through His people in Greeneville to make a difference.
After we shared the Thunder in the Holy Land instruction back in October at church, I received a call from another family in our church who decided it was time to open their home to their neighbors and friends for a meal and a health talk. They invited their neighbors and friends and have since had a few meals with healthy tips and instruction discussed each time. They hope to soon offer Bible studies to those interested. PRAISE GOD!!!
Please pray for Gerardo who is in the hospital after his appendix ruptured. He had surgery on Wednesday.
This Sunday morning at 9am, the Finance committee will meet to prepare the 2018 church budget. If you are a ministry leader and need to request any adjustments to your budget, please contact Barbara Myers immediately.
There will be an Elder’s Meeting this Sunday evening at 5:30pm at our home.
Pastor Alex has begun a morning prayer line at 6am via the telephone. As we prepare for the evangelistic meetings in January, we need to bathe the entire effort in prayer. If you would like to join in, call 319-527-9136 and then when prompted enter 848709.
Next week is Thanksgiving and there will be no Grapevine sent on Friday.
Looking ahead, there will also be no AYA next Sabbath.
There will be a finance meeting and church board meeting on Monday, Nov. 27.
As we consider the signs of the times, here are some highlights from recent news reports:
Lastly, I want to yet again encourage all those involved in one of the ministries listed below to please consider attending the training event at Knoxville 1^st SDA Church on December 2. Supper is provided so the conference is asking that you please RSVP if possible so the ladies can prepare adequately. This free training is very valuable and is free. Please try if possible to attend as such an opportunity like this is incredible. I am posting the schedule again below. There will be an insert as well in this week’s bulletin.