Friday, May 21, 2021

Dear Church Family,

Self-denial and the cross lie directly in the pathway of every follower of Christ. The cross is that which crosses the natural affections and the will.

White, E. G. (1958). The Faith I Live By (p. 151). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

In the news:

1.This Sabbath we will have baccalaureate (definition: a religious service held at some educational institutions before commencement, containing a farewell sermon to the graduating class.) for the worship hour and our principal, Randy Nomura will be sharing the morning message.

2. AYA this week will be at 7 p.m. with Darby Jones sharing a concert in our sanctuary.

3. It is hoped that we can resume fellowship dinners in the coming weeks but in order to do so, we need several teams of volunteers to make it a reality. Please contact the church office if you are willing to be a team leader or serve on a team.

4. . Just a reminder that masks are merely optional at this point as we are returning to normal status this Sabbath based on a recent board action. So while masks are welcome, they are merely optional at this point.

5.. We celebrated the graduation of our 8th graders on Wednesday evening and our seniors on Thursday evening. Both services were very beautiful and we wish to congratulate all our graduates. The senior speeches stood out to me in that as our seniors gave counsel to the younger students, the most common theme was to put God first in all you do. AMEN!

6.. The GAA yard sale will be receiving donations beginning June 7 in anticipation of their upcoming sale on June 27.

7. Author and speaker Melody Mason will be with us for Sabbath, May 29. She will share Sabbath morning and Sabbath evening for vespers. In anticipation of this weekend, you may wish to read her book, “Daring to Ask for More.” Here is a schedule with the topics she will be sharing: 11 a.m. – Growing an Above and Beyond Walk with Jesus / 5 p.m. – Growing an Above and Beyond Devotional Life / 6:15 p.m. – Growing an Above and Beyond Faith, even when God is Silent.

8. Tina and I want to thank all those who came out for the baptisms last Sabbath evening. It was a wonderful celebration and we were so thaankful to have our church family celebrate it with us.

9. Remember that VBS is slated for July 18-23 at our church.

10. Don’t forget to make your reservations for our annual church camp out at Cades Cove, July 30 – August 1. Click here to be taken to the CADES COVE reservation site. Remember, reservations need to be made soon if you plan to camp as sites are filling up. We usually congregate in the A & B sites as much as possible.

11. Prayers are requested for Jonathan Dietrich and his family as they travel from Chad back to the states. Also, Nancy Blankenship is continuing to improve nicely and appreciatse your continued prayers. Sherry Edwards is at Life Care Nursing home and appreciates visitors. Also remember Garland Hawkins who continues to recieve tests and if all goes well will have a heart valve repair done on June 8.

12. Braden Ball & Jayden Cushing created this video of the Costa Rica trip. They shared a teaser at the recent program in April. Here is the full program.