Dear Church Family,
Read Ephesians 2:4–22. This scripture has been given me for you. Read it carefully, as you never read it before. It is full of instruction. Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith means the contemplation of Christ, beholding Christ, ever cherishing the dear Saviour as our very best and honored Friend, so that we would not in any action grieve and offend Him.
White, E. G. (1923). Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (p. 387). Pacific Press Publishing Association.
In the news:
1. This Sabbath I will be sharing the message as we continue our series in John.
2. This Sabbath afternoon at 4 p.m. at the church, there will be a memorial service for Miriam Mathews, mother of Ken Mathews and a member of our local congregation. Due to health issues, she had been in the nursing home for some time and thus many may have never been able to meet this kind lady. But tomorrow, you will have a chance to learn about her life and the legacy she left.
3. Norm Draper will lead out in AYA tomorrow at 7 p.m. with a time of testimony and praise.
4. This Sunday from 3-5 p.m. there will be a special tea party for girls grades k-8th. This will be a very special party for the girls that has involved lots of planning and care. I believe the girls will thoroughly enjoy it.
5. The Church Pavilion project is underway and we are in the very early stages of the construction project. Right now, there are stakes posted in the exact location where the pavilion will be. That said, beginning now and until the project is complete, we are asking that no one be in that lower grassy area behind the church. Parents are asked to help us make certain that no children are in that lower green space either as they could get hurt or cause interference with the project. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Here is a picture of our head deacon Dan Thomas working with Milton Siepman to place the stakes where they are to go.
6. Remember that Sabbath, May 29 will be a special day as we welcome Melody Mason as our guest speaker. She will be sharing for the worship hour, as well as that afternoon and evening. Her emphasis will be on prayer and the devotional life.
7. I apologize that I forgot last week to include the link for making your reservations for our annual church camp out this July. Click here to be taken to the CADES COVE reservation site. But as I said last week, reservations need to be made soon if you plan to attend as sites are filling up. The campout will be at Cade’s Cove July 30-August 1 and you will want to bring your bikes and camera as often we see wildlife including bears. Remember when making your reservations that we usually congregate in the A & B sites as much as possible.
8. Rhoda Kanna, our health ministries leader shared the following video with the church board this week on ways to help protect yourself against COVID-19. This was originally shared at the Living Hope Seventh-day Adventist church and has some great information, especially as it relates to ivermectin.
9. Last Friday I confirmed with Elder Randy Skeete that we are looking forward to this fall when he will share a 3 week prophecy series with our community. The dates for this are October 29-November 20. This will be a nightly event so please block out these three weeks on your calendar and be praying who God would have you bring to this amazing series.
10. Speaking of evangelism, are you familiar with this series that came out a couple yeears ago by Laymen’s Ministries entitled, The Days of Noah? We recently watched it as a family and wow, was I impressed. Must say parts 2 and 3 were my favorite but this series is well worth your time and most worthy of sharing with others. Here is a special half hour preview of the series. It gives such a clear and beautiful picture of our message in a way that is different from a typical evangelistic series. While it doesn’t cover everything that a full series would, I see it as a great pre-cursor to Bible studies or a full prophecy series. You can access it for free if you are an AMAZON prime member. Not sure about other streaming services but you can order DVD’s at their main website. Here is the trailer for this incredible series.
11. Next Friday at 7 p.m., we will have a special vespers in which GAA will share a mission report from their recent trip to Costa Rica. This will take place at the church.
12. Let us prepare our hearts this week as we anticipate our celebration of the Lord’s supper on Sabbath, May 1st.
13. We have a vespers and supper planned at our home for Sabbath, May 15 at 6 pm. I am excited to be baptizing our two boys in the stream in front of our home where so many memories have been made. We hope you can join us for this special time.
14. Here’s an overview of what’s coming up in the next several weeks as you seek to plan your calendar:
April 25 – Girls Tea Party Social at 3 p.m.
April 30 – GAA Vespers at church at 7 p.m.
May 1 – Communion Service at 11 a.m.
May 1 – Dianne Ondrejka’s Memorial at 4 p.m.
May 1 – Spring Concert & Strawberry Festival at 7 p.m.
May 8 – Youth Sabbath with Lilly Beth Andrus preaching
May 8 – Adventurer / Pathfinder Investiture at 6 p.m.
May 15 – Vespers / Baptism / Supper at Arnall home at 6 p.m.
May 19 – 8th Grade Graduation at 7 p.m.
May 20 – Senior Graduation at 6 p.m.
May 22 – Senior Baccalaureate
May 22- Darby Jones Concert at 7 p.m. for AYA.
May 29 – Melody Mason speaks for Sabbath morning, afternoon and evening
15. Here is another installment in our Gardening with Carl series.
In His Service,
Pastor Jeremy
The Greeneville Chronicles 