Life @ Montrose, March 17, 2010
WORSHIP THIS SABBATH
Montrose: Pastor Campbell is continuing the series on peacemaking with a message entitled "Living at Peace" based on Romans 12:18.
SABBATH EVENING VESPERS
For those interested in learning more about peacemaking and how to develop a peacemaking team in our congregation please come for an hour-long vespers program at 6 pm this Saturday evening at the church.
CHURCH BOARD BRUNCH
Last November our church board embarked on the first of a series of brunches that focus on the direction for our church. This coming Sunday all church board members and their families are invited to make sure they come to the Wilson home for a church board brunch retreat/planning meeting. The goal is for our congregation to formulate a mission statement and core values by the end of this year. I spent two years participating in a refocusing leaders program with Elder Maurice Valentine, who recently spoke at our church, so I am trying to guide our church leaders through a biblical process to help identify where we are going as a congregation.
ADVENTIST HERITAGE CLASS
Southern Adventist University has asked me to develop their online Adventist heritage class, which I will teach this summer. In preparation for this I am going to teach the class for members in our own congregation. College credit will be available for those willing to pay tuition. For anyone else who is interested in just auditing the class just to learn you are welcome to come, too (the majority of our church members who have college degrees already I suspect may find this class helpful as a review). Classes will begin on Tuesday evening, April 6, and continue weekly on Tuesday nights.
YOUTH RALLY IN GRAND JUNCTION
On April 17 there will be a full-day youth rally at the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church. If you have young people please encourage them to participate. I attended a planning session last week and I know that our youth will be blessed. More details soon to follow.
ABC BOOKMOBILE
On May 9 from 4 to 6 pm the ABC Bookmobile is coming to our church. Orders can be placed in advance up through April 26 by calling 1-800-765-6955.
WESTERN SLOPE CAMP MEETING
This summer's western slope camp meeting will be held from Thursday evening, June 3rd, through all-day Sabbath, June 5th. The meetings will begin with a keynote by our conference president, Elder Gary Thurber, on Thursday evening. On Friday there will be seminars and presentations by our two featured speakers for the weekend, Elder Jim Nix, director of the Ellen G. White Estate, and Gary Gibbs, the associate director of The Hope Channel. The ABC will also be coming out and youth programs are being planned. Please plan to save the date!
THE PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE
This past week has been incredibly busy. Last week on Thursday we concluded a week-of-prayer for our church school (followed up by a special chapel talk by Pastor Seth from Delta). I enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the kids at our school. I have 8 young people who are interested in learning more about baptism so we will begin a baptismal class soon. Afterward I had an Association of Montrose Clergy meeting and we learned more about the problem of Meth in our community. I also had a meeting that afternoon in Grand Junction to meet up with the new Adventist pastor in Moab since it was a half-way meeting point. Pastor Vincent is someone who loves the Lord and I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to meet him and rub shoulders so to speak with a colleague in pastoral ministry.
Friday was an even busier day and I went to pick up our citrus order in Loveland. It worked out perfectly because some very special friends of ours also flew in to Denver so they have been able to spend this week with us. We've tried to take some extra time off to spend time together as family and with our friends. When we have special friends like this who come to visit it reminds us how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful part of the country.
On Saturday night we had a lock-in with the Pathfinders. What is a lock-in? Simply a time where our young people can do fun things and work on projects together. This past Saturday night the lock-in was at our church school. We played games, including some running games in the gym, that I know wore me out! I'm so thankful for Heidi, Debbi, Bridget, John, and Lois who made the event possible. On Sunday morning the kids prepared a parent appreciation breakfast and even helped prepare the food, which helped them to earn their cooking honor.
We've got an active congregation, but in all the activity we must always make sure that we stop and listen for God's still small voice speaking to our hearts. It has now been a little over 10 weeks since the New Year began. I don't know how your walk with God is, but I'd like to encourage you to remember to take time for family worship and personal devotions. Perhaps what you were doing is working well, but maybe it isn't. If it is not it is never too late to start something new. If you want something simple why not start with the Gospels and pick up a copy and read Ellen White's class, Steps to Christ? As we behold Christ we become changed. Mrs. White writes about this: "By beholding we are to become changed; and as we meditate upon the perfections of the divine Model, we shall desire to become wholly transformed, and renewed in the image of His purity. It is by faith in the Son of God that transformation takes place in the character, and the child of wrath becomes the child of God" (ST, Dec. 26, 1892). As we behold Christ he changes us into becoming more loving and lovable Christians!
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