Dear Church Family,

In the news:

1. This Sabbath, Walt Cross will share the message. He will be sharing about the exciting ways in which God has been opening doors for ministering both locally and abroad and how God can do the same for you.
2. There will be no fellowship meal this Sabbath due to the holiday season.
3. AYA will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature an Ole Timey Christmas with the Sandfords.  Bring a friend and enjoy the music.
4. Remember that our prayer meeting series on 1^st & 2^nd Peter will resume on Wednesday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the youth room.
5. The office will be closed on Wednesday, January 1^st.
6. Next Sabbath, January 4^th everyone is encouraged to bring their instrument and play along during the hymns at church. Contact Amanda Robinson if you have any questions.
7. AYA next week will feature Jonathan Dietrich and mission stories from their frontline ministry in Chad. Come out and enjoy the encouraging reports.  An offering will be collected to support their Desert Tree Ministry and work in Africa.
8. I will be away this Sabbath to speak at the Tryon SDA church where I will also be baptizing my nephew.
9. Dinner with the Doctor is coming up Tuesday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m. Arvo Kanna will be presenting on the brain with a talk entitled,  “Brain Power — Don’t Shrink It. Expand It!”  You can pick up invitations in the foyer at church.  Please register by calling the church office.
10. The Optimize Your Brain six-week seminar is set to begin Thursday, January 9. It’s not too late to sign up along with a friend.
11. Remember our prophecy series with Marcus Bates is scheduled to begin Monday, February 10 with supper at 5:45 p.m. and the presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will run for four weeks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
12. Earl Hardin’s father, Burling Hardin passed away on Monday and arrangements have been made for the services. The family will receive family and friends on Sunday evening from 5-7 at Dillow Taylor Funeral Home in Jonesborough.  The funeral will follow at 7 p.m. with the graveside being on Monday morning at the veterans cemetery in Johnson City at 10 a.m.  Please keep Earl & Debbie Hardin in your prayers.   Earl specifically asked for prayer for his mom as her health was already not good and the stress of the loss of her husband is taxing on her.
13. The memorial service for Scott Clark has been scheduled for Monday, January 6 at 7 p.m. at the church.
14. A date is still being arranged for the services for Charlie Palm.
15. Carolyn and I want to thank our church family for the generous gift that was shared with us last Sabbath at church.  We are so privileged to be a part of such a loving and generous church family.  Thank you!
16. This report and prayer request came in from Janelle Hastings this week.  This family needs our prayers:.

    Update on Robert! Please keep both him and now his brother Ben in your prayers.

    Good evening everyone! Just an update tonight. Robert started his chemo back today. He did very well with it.

    Benjamin had an EGD done this morning with a gastroenterologist in town. He has been having some trouble swallowing and some reflux problems. Instead of finding an ulcer like I thought they would, they instead found a mass that’s pushing from the outside of the esophagus inward. Biopsies were taken. A CT of the chest done today did show a small mass on the outside of the esophagus. CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed Fluid around his spleen indicating that he may have had a laceration of his spleen at some time. The gastroenterologist, Dr. Kretchmar, will be working with a friend of ours in Florida to try and get a special transesophageal ultrasound guided biopsy of this tumor to see what we are dealing with. Even if it is a benign tumor he will probably still have to have surgery to have it removed. Since it is up near the GE junction, the surgery can be very difficult. We don’t know what the outcome will be with any of this right now. Looking to go to mayo clinic in Jacksonville Florida sometime the first of January we hope.

    We ask that you keep now both of our children in your prayers. We don’t know why these things happen, but we know that God has this, and he has a plan for our family. We thank you all for your love, prayers, and support.

In His Service,

Pastor Jeremy