Friday, February 21, 2020

Dear Church Family,

In speaking of how to observe the Sabbath with children we read in 2T 583-4:

During a portion of the day, all should have an opportunity to be out of doors. How can children receive a more correct knowledge of God, and their minds be better impressed, than in spending a portion of their time out of doors, not in play, but in company with their parents? Let their young minds be associated with God in the beautiful scenery of nature, let their attention be called to the tokens of His love to man in His created works, and they will be attracted and interested.

In the news:

This Sabbath I will share the morning message with a sermon entitled, “Forgetting to Remember.”
There will be a fellowship meal this Sabbath as well with the Rojas team hosting. I hear that at least one of the guests from the meetings might come this Sabbath to worship with us.
AYA will be at Mark & Esther Murray’s home at 6:00 p.m. with vespers. Afterwards, there will be a bonfire with roasted vegan marshmallows and veggie hotdogs. If you are planning on attending, call or text 281-352-5651 to RSVP that you are coming and to coordinate what sort of food items to bring. There will also be games such as ping pong and basketball later in the evening.
Last night we canceled the prophecy meeting due to snow. While I notified everyone that the makeup would be on Tuesday night, in further dialogue with the speaker, we elected to instead make it up on Friday night next week. We have some big topics coming up this next week and didn’t want to crowd too much in on Tuesday night. Thus the meetings will be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday night this coming week at the Crescent school. Your prayers and support are much appreciated.
Remember to catch up on missed presentations, you can visit allaboutprophecy.com.
GAA will be receiving their accreditation visit this coming Monday & Tuesday. Your prayers are appreciated.
Ben Hastings is back home from his successful surgery at the Mayo Clinic and is thankful for all your prayers. Robert is thankful to be done with his chemo and for all the prayers and support he’s received along the way.
Arvo Kanna’s dad who had been battling cancer for some time, passed away at noon today. Arrangements will be announced at a later time. Please keep the family in your prayers.
Looking ahead, AYA next week will be at 5:30 pm and will feature a program that seeks to relive the history of the Great Controversy. Clarice and Joseph Diaz will take you with pictures on the Reformation and Great Controversy Tour with Dr. Gerard Damsteegt. They will retrace the Adventist heritage in Europe from its roots in Early Christianity, through the Dark Ages, to the Reformation. Experience what it was like to worship in the Waldensian caves and stand where the martyrs died.
Sorry for the error in Wednesday’s email for the Testimonies reading plan. Here is the correct link. Remember, don’t be discouraged if you are behind, just keep reading and let us read through these valuable books. Ellen White in a dream was instructed with these words regarding the Testimonies God gave to her:“Your success is in your simplicity. As soon as you depart from this, and fashion your testimony to meet the minds of any, your power is gone. Almost everything in this age is glossed and unreal. The world abounds in testimonies given to please and charm for the moment, and to exalt self. Your testimony is of a different character. It is to come down to the minutiae of life, keeping the feeble faith from dying, and pressing home upon believers the necessity of shining as lights in the world.
“God has given you your testimony, to set before the backslider and the sinner his true condition and the immense loss he is sustaining by continuing a life of sin. God has impressed this upon you by opening it before your vision as He has to no other one now living, and according to the light He has given you will He hold you responsible. ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgressions, and the house of Israel their sins.” 2T 608
Also remember that the date for the Waldensian tour and play will be Sabbath, August 8. We will leave after church for a picnic, tour and evening play in Valdese, NC. Pricing is $14 dollars for the play and the tour is $10 dollars for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for students. So the total cost for an adult is $24, seniors are $22, and students would be $20. In order to get a discount on ticketing, you will need to sign up through the church though you can meet us there if you prefer not to ride the bus. You can secure your spot on the bus and the discounted group rate by signing up on the clipboard at church. Only 50 slots are available for the bus. Payment will need to be provided to the church office by Thursday, March 12.