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”
Mission and Strategy Statements Town Hall Meetings
Pioneer Youth Chapel
The Elders have finished! After many months of prayerful and concerted work, the draft of Pioneer's potential new mission and strategy statements are ready for your review.
Please join us at any of the identical Town Hall/Q & A sessions listed below to hear Pastor Shane and our elders present the drafts for your feedback. Our goal is to take your input, modify the drafts as needed, sent them back to the church board for final review, and begin implementation in the Fall.
Please join us for any of these important and impactful meetings that will help guide Pioneer's witness for years to come!
May 13, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM
May 18, Sunday, 9:00-11:00 AM
May 22, Thursday, 7:00-9:00 PM (Zoom only)
The Tent
Join us for a special Evangelistic Series presented by the Jr. High Students of Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. We hope you can join us in big white tent near Griggs Hall at 7pm starting Friday May 9 through May 18. There will be no meeting on Tuesday. Come and be inspired as our students share messages of hope, love, and the good news of Jesus. Your presence will encourage them, and more importantly, you can help bring someone closer to Christ. Bring a friend or family member and experience God's message together!
Holding Onto Jesus
Sunday, May 25, 3-5 PM Pioneer Youth Chapel What do we do when our life is shaken by illness, a great loss, or some other devastation? How do we find God when it feels like He isn’t there? Women of all ages are invited to hear Emily Gibbs share her testimony, and explore ways that we can have resilience in the midst of difficult experiences. Register by texting TRIALS to 269-281-2345. Questions? Email women@pmchurch.org.
AdventistGiving Online (AGO) Contributors
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."
Adventist Seniors of Michiana Meeting May 18.
Seniors 55 and up are invited to the Adventist Seniors of Michiana program to be held in the PMC Commons May 18. Bring a dish and enjoy the potluck starting at 1 PM followed by a program featuring Ken Denslow, recently retired Lake Union Conference President. His topic will be Project Amigo and Other Missions. For any questions call Cheryl Doss at 269-277-0767
Offering for May 10, 2025
Disaster & Famine Relief
This Sabbath, our church joins many others in collecting a special offering to support ongoing disaster relief efforts. Funds collected today support both Adventist humanitarian organizations, Adventist Community Services and Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Each serves in different geographical areas. Adventist Community Services responds to disasters of all kinds across the North American Division which includes the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Guam, and Micronesia. As we approach Christ’s return, the Bible tells us that crisis events will increase. Emergency Management records have tracked disasters for over 50 years and confirm tornadoes are touching down with greater impact, hurricanes are moving at greater speeds, and violent killings in the form of mass shootings increase with alarming frequency. Adventist Community Services stands ready to serve those affected by these and other tragedies. Some services provided are:
open collection centers to receive and sort donations, sending them to areas of greatest need,
provide emotional and spiritual care to the distraught,
and deliver essential supplies to areas hardest hit by a disaster.
1 John 3:18 tells us to love with action and in truth. Today, we ask that you give liberally, and we thank you for joining the team who extends the hand of mercy to people in crisis. Together we are serving communities in Christ’s name.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Love on the Move
Would you like to make a difference in our community? God's Hands 4 Kids has ways you can do that. GH4K loves the "True religion way to love the least of these" James 1:27. The Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner is being held on May 16 in a church in our community. We are working with the Berrien County Department of Health and Human Services to put this on. We are looking for childcare help. Also seeking gift baskets, gifts or gift cards. For more information contact Carol Jordan at Godshands4kids@gmail.com There is a presentation this Friday evening from Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. Ask for more info if interested.
Music Camp at Pioneer!
The Institute of Young Musicians for Christ is excited to be having a music camp at Pioneer Memorial Church! At our music camps young people ages 6-17 are offered an immersive, week-long musical experience. Our quality musical training—combined with fun, friends, and faith-building encounters— provides a truly incredible opportunity. The camp offers tracks for children 6-12 with or without musical experience and a track for teenagers with significant musical experience. To learn more and register, visit iymcsda.org/michigan. We hope to see you there!
Lamson Hall Upgrades with Maranatha
From May 11–June 8, 2025, Maranatha Volunteers International will be working at Andrews University to update the Lamson Hall residential rooms and suite bathrooms. Please consider volunteering and letting your family and friends know of this opportunity. All individuals (including local) should sign up at the Maranatha website: https://maranatha.org/volunteer-opportunities/.
