Out of His deep love for humanity, God changes our lives and asks us to move His love into our community and world. We are uniquely positioned at Andrews University to share the story of God’s love from the residence halls to the farthest parts of the earth. We accomplish our mission by engaging people across generations to be disciples of Jesus through the process of Connect. Grow. Serve. Go.
Pioneer Media supports the local ministry needs related to classroom and teaching technology. It also creates content for and manages Pioneer's online presence and produces our broadcast television program.
We have volunteer teams that help you to serve the church and the neighborhood in a variety of ways. The best place to serve is where you’re using your God-given gifts, talents, and passions the most.
Your financial gift helps support ministry here at Pioneer. From local to global ministry, keeping our facility safe and clean, to outreach and family growth activities, it all provides a space to worship, learn, and grow together. We invite you to Give Purposefully, Give Faithfully, and Give Joyfully.
Dwight 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.
• #1—"Take : The Seventh-day Adventists take a weekly break (24 hours [the Sabbath] from daily life to focus on family, God, friends, and nature. They believe this relieves their stress, strengthens their social communities, and provides healthful, consistent exercise."
- Exodus 20:11—"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
- Exodus 31:17—". . . and on the seventh day he rested and was ."
• #2—"Maintain a Healthy Body Mass Index (BMI): A low BMI is normally associated with lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol and incidence of cardiovascular disease. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet is the easiest and best way to keep your BMI down."
- Genesis 1:29-30—"Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has with seed in it. They will be yours for food. . . . [To] everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every plant for food."
• #3—"Get Regular, Moderate : The good news is that you do not have to run a marathon! Routine, low-intensity physical activity like a daily walk is enough to reduce your chance of cancer and heart disease."
• #4—"Spend Time with : A supportive, like-minded community is an important component of healthful living."
- John 13:35—"By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."
- National Institute of Health: "These findings [from 148 studies] indicate that the influence of social relationships on the risk of death are comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality such as smoking and alcohol consumption and exceed the influence of other risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity." (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910600/)
• #5—"Give : Giving back ensures you have a sense of purpose. When you focus on others, you are happier and less depressed."
- Luke 6:38—"Give and it will be given to you."
• #6—"Eat an Early, Light : A lighter meal at the end of the day will promote better sleep and a lower BMI."
- Lindsay Stokes MD: "In other words, short periods of fasting or stress result in healthier, more enlivened organisms. Fasting [going without food] makes [ourselves] stronger because their focus turns to sacrificing their broken pieces and regenerating the components that really matter." (Christianity Today Jan-Feb, 2017)
• #7—"Drink Lots of : The men in the study who drank 5-6 glasses of water daily reduced their risk of a fatal heart attack by 60-70 percent, compared to those who drank considerably less."
• #8—"Eat a Mostly -Based Diet: Nonsmoking Adventists who ate two or more servings of fruit daily had 70 percent fewer lung cancers than nonsmokers who only ate fruit once or twice a week. Likewise, Adventists who consumed legumes (peas, beans) three times a week had a 30-40 percent reduction in colon cancer. Lastly, Adventists women who ate tomatoes at least three to four times a week reduced their chance of getting ovarian cancer by 70 percent, compared to those who ate tomatoes less often." (Rosane Oliveira—www.ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2017/05/living-long-loma-linda/#gs.7ajbbe)
» Ministry of Healing
• Ellen White: "Know what it is to be free in Christ. . . . Meditate day and night upon His character. Then you will see His beauty and rejoice in His goodness. Your heart will glow with a sense of His love. You will be uplifted as if borne by everlasting arms. With the power and light that God imparts, you can comprehend more and accomplish more than you ever before deemed possible." (514)
“I Have Come that You May Have Life”
Offering for January 4, 2025
Pioneer Operating Budget
The first Sabbath of the New Year is an opportunity to press the reset button of our lives, goals, and relationship with God.
If you keep a prayer journal, take it out sometime today and reflect on how God has led in your life and your family’s life. During this self-evaluation, ask God what changes you need to make for the coming year. Then pray for the Holy Spirit to give you strength to transform each area of your life that needs a fix. Jesus emphasized the great principle of life when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).
The key word is FIRST. Many people seek the kingdom of God, but they allow the cares of this life to dominate and consume them so they don’t have anything left to give to God. Let’s put Christ and His kingdom first. Jesus didn’t say not to ask for other things such as happiness, security, success, or even money.
When God comes first, He will reorder our lives and show His power by blessing us in all ways according to His purpose. Sometimes He may even bless us through trials. Let’s ask God to empty us of self and fill us with the Holy Spirit each day of this year so we can do what He wants us to. North American Division Stewardship Ministries
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Pioneer 2024 Contribution Statements
Contribution Statements for 2024 will be emailed to you toward the end of January 2025. Please ensure that your email address is current. Should you have any questions regarding your email, please contact the church office. If you require a paper copy of your statement, please notify claudia.sowler@pmchurch.org.
AdventistGiving Online (AGO) Contributions
Your faithfulness is very much appreciated. To ensure that your donations are properly credited to your account, when contributing through Adventist Giving, please log in under your name, instead of contributing as a "Guest."
Spanish Sabbath School Class
Sabbath School is the perfect setting to rediscover the power of Bible study and prayer. In one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, we aspire to allow all our church members, students, and guests to study and learn in their language. To further this, we are establishing the Spanish Sabbath School Class so all our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters can join us in learning together in our weekly Sabbath School. With that, please grab your Spanish sabbath school lesson and join us starting Sabbath, January 4, 2025.
Something in Common Sabbath School
Something in Common Sabbath School presents "Marriage Oneness" by Tim Lundy and Robert Lewis
December 28 - Sexual Intimacy and Marriage Oneness
January 4 - Roles, Responsibilities and Marriage Oneness
January 11 - Family, Friends and Marriage Oneness
Everyone is welcome each Sabbath at 10:30-11:30 in Pioneer Room 141.
Care for Cuba
A group of students from Andrews University are preparing to embark on a life-changing mission in March of 2025. They will engage in evangelism, health care, and community outreach in Cuba. This mission trip has been going on for 11 years, and the impact has been tremendous, thanks to your help. Would you support this mission once again by donating right here in your church or give at www.careforcuba.org/donate? Thank you for your prayers as they prepare to send off students to serve and share Jesus!