Dear Church Family,
With all that’s been in the news lately, I found this article by Wintley Phipps to be very powerful and sobering. As a white man, I have no clue. I remember in seminary when one of my African American friends shared with me what it’s like to be pulled over while driving just because of the color of your skin. I couldn’t believe my ears as he relayed his experience.
As we approach the 4th of July and celebrate our independence, may we remember that freedom is still not fully realized by many, regardless of color, and according to inspiration, slavery will still be with us in the last days?
In the news:
- The schedule for this Sabbath is as follows:
- 9:30 a.m. – Prayer Line
- 10 a.m. – Sabbath School with Milton Siepman leading out.
- 11 a.m. – Worship hour with part 2 in our Elijah series entitled “Make Ready”
- Our health ministries leader, Rhoda Kanna asked that I share another helpful video presentation with you from AWR. Please take some time and check it out.:
- Greeneville Adventist Academy will be having a yard sale on July 26 for our PFE program that benefits our worthy students. They will be looking for donations of items and volunteer labor. Information on where items can be brought will be provided in the next couple of weeks.
- The church board will be meeting via ZOOM this coming Monday evening at 7:15 p.m. to discuss several matters including the matter of when to re-open for services.
- Dinner with the Doctor is scheduled for this coming Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Everyone who would like to attend is asked to register by calling the church office this Monday morning. The reason for the registration is because even though there will not be a dinner that evening due to COVID-19, they hope to send home sack lunches to participants.
- As we try to ascertain what kind of attendance we may expect as we consider when to re-open, we would like to gain your input. Therefore at 6:30 p.m. or shortly thereafter this Sunday evening, we will send out a church-cast to survey how many would attend services if we were to open in the next week or two. Please respond to the phone vote by pressing 1 if you would consider it, or 2 if you would not be able to come due to COVID-19. The 1 question phone survey will be taken on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. or shortly thereafter. Please participate.
- Each Wednesday evening we are sharing in prayer time and a study of the book of Romans via ZOOM. All are welcome. We will look at Romans 3 this coming week.
- Our church budget ended in the negative in May with a $5,168 deficit for the month. Our YTD deficit is $5,582 dollars.
- Early last Sunday morning, Diane Emde passed away after her battle with ALS. Thankfully she passed away in a peaceful manner and was able to enjoy time with the family as recently as Memorial day. There will be a memorial service at the church on Sabbath, June 20 at 4 p.m. All are invited to attend. Please remember the family in your prayers.
- Dr. Norman McNulty who has been to our church a couple times recently began a series on Last Day Events that is being shared via Audioverse. I heard the first presentation and it is very well done and solid. I am looking forward to the coming presentations. I would encourage you to check it out. Click here to learn more.
- Also on Audioverse is a story entitled, “NOW!” This story about the final days might be something you would like to listen to as a family for worship as you consider and discuss what is coming. I remember hearing it at school when I was a kid and the deep impression it had on me. Our boys just heard it and were deeply moved.
- Have you been enjoying some garden time this Spring? We’ve been enjoying greens lately and had such an abundance that we went around and shared with the neighbors. The boys came up with the idea of letting them pick which greens they wanted out of the wagon, Kale, Cabbage, or Broccoli Greens.
Blessings as you prepare for the coming Sabbath!
In His Service,
Pastor Jeremy
The Greeneville Grapevine 