Friday, February 5, 2021

Dear Church Family,

Perhaps you too have found yourself troubled from time to time by all the so-called conspiracy (a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.) theories that are constantly making their rounds, all the more now that we live in the digital age where we can simply forward or copy and paste. I wanted to share with you a series of three articles that I came across that I believe articulated well the threat that conspiracy theories are posing for the church. You may have already read these articles before as they were published last summer but I just now saw them myself and thought them worthy of sharing. As the author admits, it’s not that all conspiracies are false any more than they are all true. Each perhaps contains some elements of truth but what do these theories typically have in common that threaten our faith and our message? These articles seek to address this question. I shared a quote recently from the 6^th volume of the Testimonies that I noticed this author references as well. It’s true that with the internet, what we share and say will not be easily forgotten or erased. May we be wise and careful that we stick to a thus saith the Lord and abandon speculation. As we face these unprecedented times with sin being celebrated and promoted in ways we perhaps never would have imagined, it is tempting to speculate how it will all come together in the end. The prophetic narrative we’ve been given is sufficient and any other nanrrative we may seek to incorporate will only dissappoint and distract. Our message doesn’t need anything extra to get the job done. It simply requires a fully surrendered band of faithful believers in Jesus and His righteousness who are willing to let Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, use them to illuminate the world with His glory. May we herald the Three Angels Messages as we’ve been tasked to do. May we not forget the warning Christ gave us that there will be great deception in the last days. Deception is a frightful threat and requires a firm grasp upon Christ and His Word to avoid. May God help us to avoid the deceptions of these last days.

Before I share the links, I will share this quote taken from article one:

One revivalist from Amazing Facts, who is a close friend of mine, has told me that if, in one part of town, he should be giving a seminar on preparing one’s heart and character for the return of Jesus, while in another part of town a speaker is lecturing on the Jesuit threat, or how the government supposedly has everyone under surveillance, it is the latter speaker who will likely get the most attention, even from the striving faithful. Needless to say, this is troublesome. – Kevin Paulson

Here are the articles: Article 1: A Gospel of Intrigue Article 2: An Easy Antichrist Article 3: The Jesuits Made Us Do It

In the news:

This Sabbath we will celebrate the Lord’s supper together. Please know that careful precautions are in place to ensure everyone’s safety. This was discussed by the elders of the church and we voted to move forward feeling comfortable with the precautions that are in place. The emblems will be self-contained units that will be carefully distributed to each participant. The foot washing for couples will take place in the full length of the fellowship hall to allow for better spacing between chairs with two stations for gathering water and towels. The junior/earliteen & youth rooms will also be made available for those not choosing to serve with a spouse.
I will be sharing a message entitled, “Do This In Remembrance of Me.”
Note that due to the communion service this Sabbath, there will only be one adult Sabbath School class in the sanctuary.
A Youth Social has been planned for this Sunday February 7 from 3-5 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. Come and play games and enjoy some snacks together for a couple of hours. Families are encouraged to bring their favorite board games to share with the group.
Just a reminder that the deadline for orders for the Pathfinder Valentine meal baskets is February 10. Please grab an order form in the foyer and turn it into the church office by Wednesday. The pickup for the meal baskets will be Feb 14 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the back of the church.
There will be a church finance committee meeting at 6 p.m. this Monday via ZOOM. Watch for the link in your email this coming Monday afternoon.
There will be a church board meeting at 7:15 p.m. this Monday via ZOOM. Watch for the link in your email this coming Monday afternoon.
If would like an opportunity to do some Bible work, meaning share a Bible study with someone, please contact myself or pastor Jared as we are anticipating that there will be greater need for this in the coming weeks and months as we glean more interests. Please prayerfully consider this. If you feel ill equipped, that means you are probably a great candidate for the task God has for you.
Health Ministries is providing a new lecture series entitled, “Your Health.” This Tuesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. Walt Cross will be speaking on stress in the church sanctuary. This is designed to be a community event and masks are required.
We’ve had a good crowd gathering each Wednesday for our study in Hebrews. Join us this Wednesday as we continue our study of chapter 2 via ZOOM. The invite is on the church website and is sent out each Wednesday evening around 5 p.m.
This Thursday evening we will have a health ministries meeting at 7 p.m. via ZOOM. An invite will be sent Thursday afternoon prior to the meeting.
The Secret Sister program was unable to have their banquet where those participating are able to find out the name of their secret sister. If you were a participant, you may contact your secret sister to let them know who you are and give them the last gift. Unfortunately, thy will not be exchanging names for now due to COVID-19.
Shawn Dietrich requests continued prayer for her brother who is recovering from heart surgery. His recovery is slow.
Lastly, with the Superbowl upon us, I wanted to share with you an article that was shared with me a while back that made a real impression on me with regards to sports and competition. The article is dealing with sports in our schools but I think the principle is applicable to us all. Click here to access the article.