Dear Church Family,

Again, in light of our Mind over Matter series from a few weeks ago, I find these Mind Body connections fascinating.  Notice the following quotes from inspiration:

. . . the system is vitalized by the electrical force of the brain to resist disease.—Testimonies for the Church 3:157 (1872).

That which brings sickness of body and mind to nearly all is dissatisfied feelings and discontented repinings. –Testimonies for the Church 1:566 (1867).

One of the surest hindrances to the recovery of the sick is the centering of attention upon themselves. Many invalids feel that everyone should give them sympathy and help, when what they need is to have their attention turned away from themselves, to think of and care for others.—The Ministry of Healing, 256 (1905).

In the news:

1. I will be sharing the message this Sabbath.
2. We will feature the Hastings family during our “Getting Acquainted” series tomorrow between SS and church. I forgot to post our last one which featured Brenda Chalfant.
3. There will be no fellowship lunch this Sabbath nor for the rest of the year.
4. There will be NO choir practice tomorrow at 2pm.  This has been canceled since the choir won’t be singing on the 15th.  They will instead practice as was scheduled on Friday evening, Dec 14.
5. AYA will be at 5pm tomorrow and will feature Scott Bennett. Scott sings for It Is Written and you can read all about his music ministry by clicking here. 
6. Please note that the 55+ dinner that was scheduled for this Sunday has been CANCELED due to health issues.
7. There will be a brief church board meeting this Monday at 6pm prior to the church business meeting at 7pm. We need to try to have a quorum so please try to make it.  The board will be looking at a proposal from the fellowship hall renovation committee.
8. There will be a church business meeting this Monday at 7pm. All members are invited to attend.  You should have received an email earlier today with the Agenda and supporting materials.
9. Please note that our prayer meeting series finished it’s look at the parables of Christ this week.   There will be no more mid-week prayer meeting services for the remainder of the year.
10. There will be a sabbath school council meeting this coming Wednesday, December 12 at 6:30pm at the church.
11. Last Friday night the young adults concluded their four-week small group series focused on relationships. Together they studied what the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say about Singleness, Dating, Marriage, & Raising Children. For their last study, Tina & I along with Johanna Neubrander joined the group to talk about raising Godly children.
12. Last Saturday night the young adults from our church gathered together at the Sarria’s house to celebrate Christmas. They had an ugly Christmas sweater contest and a White Elephant Christmas gift exchange, along with games, food, laughter and a great time. We appreciate and love the young adults of our church!
    

    

    
13. Last Friday we laid Peewee to rest out at the VA cemetery near Johnson City. We had a nice gathering with many students from Zoie’s class attending along with teachers.  Afterward, the family returned to the church for dinner.  Jeannie Odell heads up our Bereavement committee and has an awesome team of helpers.  Pat Green & Mary Covill hosted this last meal and were ready with a beautiful spread for the family after the service.
14. We had our staff Christmas dinner this week. I am blessed to work with such a great team.  We are sad to see Brenda retire but thankful for Carolyn who is currently training into the new role.  We had a great evening with good food, laughs and a fun game afterward.

Blessings as you prepare for the coming Sabbath!

In His Service,

Pastor Jeremy