Dear Church Family,

Came across this quote in my email this week and thought it worthy of sharing:

I once read a statement that said, “I can do all things with a Bible passage taken out of context”. And this explains why there are a lot of wrong teachings done in the name of the Bible. A Bible verse, without its context, quickly becomes the pre-text for one’s own ideas and agenda or whatever the interpreter wants to convey. When the Bible no longer functions as its own decisive norm for our theology, the text, taken out of context, only legitimized the preference of the individual, resulting in the Bible losing its liberating and corrective power” Frank Hasel, PhD Associate Director Biblical Research Institute

In the news:

1. This Sabbath we will continue in our series on John with a look at the Crucifixion.
2. There will be no AYA this Sabbath.
3. This Sunday from 10-12 p.m., there will be a free roller skating social at the Twi-Lite Roller rink in Morrisown, TN. There will be a pizza lunch provided at 11:30 p.m. The event is free.
4. The school will be participating in the Greeneville Christmas Parade in downtown Greeneville this Sunday. All are invited to the event which begins at 2 p.m.
5. There will be a brief two agenda item church board meeting again this Monday at 7:30 p.m. via ZOOM.
6. We will have a mid-week Bible study meeting this Wednesday at 7 p.m. via ZOOM to discuss our next study series and venue.
7. Our board voted to make our annual Christmas offering go towards a new lighting system in the church sanctuary and foyer. This new system promises to provide much better light and yet blend in with our church structure so as not to be noticed. While the cost is significant, the board voted to move forward now as prices are rapidly increasing.
8. A church business meeting is planned for Monday, December 13 at 7 p.m. via ZOOM. We decided to try ZOOM in hopes for a stronger attendance. The meeting is for the primary purpose of reviewing this years budget. Here is the proposed church budget for 2022 for those who would like to review it in advance. Two main areas of icrease are the church insurance so that we can be adequately covered in case of fire and also an increase in school subsidy and worthy student aid. The overall church budget proposal represents an increase of roughly 3%.
9. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of the school as we sought to acquire the old church building in front of it. Sadly, as you may have seen in the paper, the request was denied. So we move forward, trusting God and his provision for us.
10. The board voted to create a fund by which we can draw from when special needs arise in our communty. This community benevolent fund is for non-members and while not fundned by the budget, can be conributed to by marking you tithe envelope community benevolent fund,
11. GAA is planning a sacred concert entitled, “Sing We Now of Christmas,” featuring choirs, handbells, band, strings, and scripture readings. The concert will be next Sabbath at 6 p.m. at the church. Note there was a mistake in the bulletin of 5:30 p.m. The correct time is 6 p.m.
12. Esther Murray’s mother took a fall this week. Please keep her mom and the family in your prayers.
13. You can pick up next quarter’s Sabbath School quarterly this Sabbath by visitig the literature room as you come in or go out the front door in the main nfoyer.
14. Sometime back we had missionaries Deon & Rene who work with AFM share a report of their mision work which at the time was over in Iraq. Now they are serving in Cambodia and have sent this report about their current experience. They are appreciative of you prayers and support. image
15. Isabel Robinson recently shared her testimony online about her journey with Jesus. If you would like to read her story, click here.

In His Service,

Pastor Jeremy