There will be a fellowship dinner this Sabbath in the commons. Visitors are welcome!
Roommates, Bad Dates, and Soul Mates
Roommates, Bad Dates, & Soulmates-Part 3
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Program:
Opening Music
It Is Well • Carrie Grusselle
Songs of Praise
O Magnify the Lord • Who You Say I Am • Bless His Holy Name • 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
Prayer
Lindsey Pratt
Pioneer Baptisms
Jonathan Raveloharimisy and Favour Oluwatosin Adesina with Ben Martin
Children's Story
William Dos Reis
Amazing Grace • Michael Lewis
Worship in Music
Crown Him with Many Crowns • Paul Thompson
“Roommates, Bad Dates & Soul Mates”—3
Dwight K. Nelson with Rebecca Puii Fanai, Alexander Hales, and William Dos Reis
Connect Card, Tithes, & Offerings
Michigan Advance Partners
Hymn of Commitment
Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners • 187
Benediction
Closing Music
Love Divine • John Zundel
More In This Series
“Roommates, Bad Dates and Soul Mates”—3
www.newperceptions.tv
» Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
• #1—“Two are better than one” because you have someone to share the . (Financial benefit)
- “Research has shown the financial benefits of marriage. Long-term marriage offers a 77% better rate of return than staying single and total wealth of married persons increases 16% year over year. In other words, the you are married, the more money you make. . . . [I]f this was the reported returns on a stock growth fund, we’d all be jumping in.” (www.moneyunder30.com/financial-benefits-of-marriage)
• #2—“Two are better than one” because you have someone to help you . (Emotional benefit)
• #3—“Two are better than one” because you have someone to keep you . (Physical benefit)
• #4—“Two are better than one” because you have someone to help you . (Security benefit)
» A great love story most have never heard . . .
- C. S. Lewis: “We feasted on love; every mode of it, solemn and merry, romantic and realistic, sometimes as dramatic as a thunderstorm, sometimes comfortable and unemphatic as putting on your soft slippers. She was my pupil and my teacher, my subject and my sovereign, my trusty comrade, friend, shipmate, fellow-soldier. My mistress, but at the same time all that any man friend has ever been to me.” (Quoted in Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts 142)
- Les and Leslie Parrott: “If there is a lesson to be gained from this amazing love story, it must be that partners without a spiritual depth of oneness can never compete with the fullness of love that enjoy. Marriage, when it is healthy, has a mystical way of revealing God; a way of bringing a smiling peace to our restless hearts.” (142)
» The third strand
• Jeremiah 9:24—“Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know [yada] me, that I am the LORD.”
• Genesis 4:1—“Adam made love [yada] to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant.”
• God takes the same word for “making love” [yada] and declares “That’s what I want in a relationship with you—the between a husband and a wife—I want you to know me like Adam knew Eve.”
• Alan McGinnis: “There can be no intimacy without .” (The Friendship Factor 105)
• Alice Fryling: “[Sex] is an expression of intimacy, not the to intimacy. True intimacy springs from verbal and emotional communion. True intimacy is built on a commitment to honesty, love and freedom. True intimacy is not primarily a sexual encounter. Intimacy, in fact, has almost nothing to do with our organs. A prostitute may expose her body, but her relationships are hardly intimate.” (www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/three-lies-about-premarital-sex/)
• Don’t miss Adventist Engaged Encounter with Jeff/Twyla Smith (Nov 1-3).
• Ecclesiastes 4:12—“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
- The Third Strand—Proverbs 18:24/John 15:13-14
- #1 Felt Need—How to grow a relationship with God
- Jennifer Schwirzer calls it “going .”
- “A New Way to Pray” (www.newperceptions.tv/newwaytopray)
• R
• R
• R
“Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners!”
Fellowship Dinner
Pioneer Commons
Offering for February 14, 2026
Adventist Television Ministries Evangelism
The Bible records different methods of spreading the gospel, and in today’s society, media plays a vital role in fulfilling that mission. For many years, the North American Division has partnered with life-changing ministries such as It Is Written, Voice of Prophecy, Breath of Life, Faith for Today, La Voz de la Esperanza, Jesus 101, and LifeTalk Radio. These ministries cast the net far and wide, reaching people who might never set foot in a church. Many of the souls they touch become interested leads for local churches to nurture and bring to Christ.
Jesus illustrated this principle in Matthew 13:47-48 (NIV), “The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore.” Adventist Television Ministries are modern-day fishers of men, casting the gospel net into cities, homes, and even the “concrete jungles” where traditional methods may not reach. Ellen White emphasized this work over a century ago, “Again and again I am instructed to present to our churches the work that should be done in our large cities. There is a great work to be done, not only where we have churches already established, but also in places where the truth has never been fully presented.” (Evangelism, p. 32). Brothers and sisters, we are all called to be fishers of men. Today, through our offerings, we can support Adventist Television Ministries as they continue to spread God’s message of salvation. Let’s give generously.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Young Adult Mission Trip in Peru!
Maranatha Volunteers International invites young adults, ages 18-28, to join Catalyst, a service experience for their age group. Build a church for the Calapuja Adventist Church, operate medical clinics, and lead VBS programs. Learn more at Maranatha.org/volunteer or call 916-774-7700.
Andrews Symphony Fundraising Concert
Thursday February 19 at 7:30 PM, the AUSO will be giving a free performance of movie soundtracks and broadway tunes to raise funds for their music tour to California this coming March. This short performance is kid's friendly and promises to be an exceptional evening of great music. Bring your cellphone!
Academy Day March 3
All eighth-grade students are invited to attend Academy Day on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Come and see the exciting programs Andrews Academy offers and experience one day with us. While there, you will worship together, go to several classes, and participate in some games and activities. Lunch will be served, and T-shirts and prizes will be given. Registration begins in the gym at 7:30 AM, the full day of activities will begin at 8:00 am and will conclude by 3:15 PM. Call 269-471-3138 to RSVP or with any questions you may have. (Eighth graders in NAS, RMES, VAES, and Eau Claire SDA schools are already preregistered). Drop off/pick up is either in the circle drive or in the parking lot (8833 Garland Ave, Berrien Springs).
With This in Mind...
At some point, we all worry about the future because we want answers and a sense of control. Yet the future is beyond our control, which can lead to anxiety and a loss of peace. Occasional anxiety is normal, but persistent fear of the unknown can disrupt daily life. Because anxiety develops through complex neuropsychological processes, patience and compassion are essential. If you find yourself being anxious, keep in mind this gentle invitation for the Omniscient One, “Be anxious for nothing…let your requests be made known to God…” (Phil. 4:6–7). He promises peace.
Ruth Murdoch Elementary School Visitor's Day
Students who will be in the first through eighth grades next school year are invited to visit Ruth Murdoch Elementary School on March 3. Make friends, meet teachers and have fun! Grades 1–6: 8:15–11:30 AM; Grades 7–8: 8:15 AM–3:30 PM. Parents, please call 269-471-3225 to register. (A special Kindergarten Visitors' Day is being planned for April 8).
Happy Birthday Merille Weithers
The flowers this week are in honor of Merille Weithers' 90th birthday. He's celebrating today with his children Debbie, Ted, David and Mimi, along with 4 of his 5 grandkids Simone, Dee & his wife Kailey, Caleb and Joshua. We're giving thanks to God for Merille's 90 years of life and the blessings of family, health, provision, grace and love.
AUSO Young Artists Concert
The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra is presenting its annual Young Artist Competition concert featuring this year Jonathan Clough, tenor, and Aiko Ayla, piano, as well as violinists Nikolaz Feliciano and Claire Yang. Join us on this unique evening of virtuosity and elegance, and enjoy the music of Clara Schumann, W. A. Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Donizetti, and Tchaikovsky. This concert is free, but patrons will have the opportunity to support the students of the Symphony Orchestra as they are currently raising funds for their music tour to California in March.
New DivorceCare group starting 2/4/26
If you are experiencing the realities that come with divorce or separation and are looking for a safe place to process it all and find a caring community that understands what you are going through, please join us Weds evenings from 6 to 8 PM in the boardroom. You can sign up on divorcecare.org or on at pmchurch.org in the Grow Groups section under Pioneer Life.