Pioneer Offices Closed  —  

for Christmas December 24-26.

 

Speaker

Dwight K. Nelson

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.

Offering

Saturday, November 09, 2019
Program: 
Opening Music
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God • Max Reger
Songs of Praise
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God—506 • Before The Throne Of God Above • Lord Have Mercy
Prayer
Ben Martin
Children's Story
Marvelous Grace • Kenneth Logan
Worship in Music
Love Unfailing • Kenneth Logan
Homily
“A DIY Guide to Better Sexual Health: Taming Your Tiger”
Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card, Tithes, & Offerings
Global Mission
Hymn of Commitment
Whiter Than Snow • 318
Benediction
Closing Music
Symphony No. 3: Maestoso—Allegro • Camille Saint-Saëns

“A DIY Guide to Better Sexual Health: Taming Your Tiger”
www.newperceptions.tv

» THE TIGER

• 64% of young people, ages 13–24, actively seek out pornography weekly or more often.

• A study of 14- to 19-year-olds found that females who consumed pornographic videos were at a significantly greater likelihood of being victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault.

• A Swedish study of 18-year-old males found that frequent consumers of pornography were significantly more likely to have sold and bought sex than other boys of the same age.

• A 2015 meta-analysis of 22 studies from seven countries found that internationally the consumption of pornography was significantly associated with increases in verbal and physical aggression, among males and females alike.

• Porn sites receive more regular traffic than Netflix, Amazon, & Twitter combined each month.

• 35% of all internet downloads are porn-related.

• The “teen” porn category has topped porn site searches for the last six years.

• At least 30% of all data transferred across the internet is porn-related.

• Recorded child sexual exploitation (known as “child porn”) is one of the fastest-growing online businesses.

• 624,000+ child porn traders have been discovered online in the U.S.

• Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with about $12 billion of that coming from the U.S.

• In 2018 alone, more than 5,517,000,000 hours of porn were consumed on the world’s largest porn site.

• The world’s largest free porn site also received over 33,500,000,000 site visits during 2018 alone.

• National Center on Sexual Exploitation (www.endsexualexploitation.org/wp-content/uploads/NCOSE_Pornography-PublicHealth_ResearchSummary_8-2_17_FINAL-with-logo.pdf)

• Denny Burk: “A growing number of young men are convinced that their sexual responses have been sabotaged because their brains were virtually marinated in porn when they were adolescents. Their generation has consumed explicit content in
  quantities and varieties never before possible, on devices designed to deliver content swiftly and privately, all at an age when their brains were more plastic—more prone to permanent change—than in later life.” (in Meet Generation Z 61)

» THE TAMING

• Luke 5:17-20

Desire of Ages: “Oh, wondrous love of Christ, stooping to heal the guilty and the afflicted! Divinity sorrowing over and soothing the ills of suffering humanity! Oh, marvelous power thus displayed to the children of men! Who can doubt the message of salvation? Who can slight the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer?” (269)

 

Five Steps (Maybe Six) to Overcoming Pornographic Addiction*

» Admit your .

• To yourself for honesty—Romans 7:14-15

• To God for help—2 Chronicles 20:12

» Confess your .

• To Jesus for cleansing—1 John 1:7

• To someone else for accountability—James 5:16**

» Surrender your and .

• To the Holy Spirit—1 Corinthians 6:18-20

• To the Lord—Joshua 24:15

» Worship your .

• Daily through prayer—Daniel 6:10/Psalm 55:17

• Daily through His Word—Joshua 1:7-8/Psalm 119:9-11

» Consecrate your .

• Take up your cross—Mark 8:34-35

• Obey His commands—Luke 19:13

» Turn in your .

• Jesus’ radical counsel—Matthew 5:29-30

• The Father’s radical warning—Revelation 21:6-8

 

*For further study/reflection:

1. www.wikihow.com/Overcome-a-Pornography-Addiction-As-a-Christian

2. www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/august-web-only/sexuality-sexual-temptation-repression-sure-fire-failure.html

** ADVENTIST RECOVERY MINISTRIES: The Journey to Wholeness (269.281.1520/harelene.e.smith@gmail.com)/GROW Groups: “Sexual Purity for Men” & “Conquer”

 

 

“Friend, your sins are forgiven”

 

(Flyer, TV, Google search, name of person who invited you, etc.)
Offering for December 21, 2024

Pioneer Operating Budget

This time can be a busy time for many! If you have children in school as I do, it is a blur of Christmas programs, family traditions, and various gatherings of the people I love. It can be a time of great joy or a time of great sorrow, depending on many factors. Once all the busyness of the holiday is done, things actually slow down and reset.

One beautiful thing I have noticed is that where I live, there tends to be a stillness and a quietness in this season.

The days are shorter, the weather is colder, and all of that combined slows me and my family down, and we simply adjust our pace to enjoy the rhythm of winter. I recently ran across the term “wintering,” referring to easing into the softer pace of the winter season.

As we look back on this year, let’s take time to reflect on how God has shown up for us this year. Was there a difficult thing your family went through? Is there a way you can see how prayer helped you navigate that time? Our offering today is for the local church budget. Let us give today from hearts grateful for all that we recognize God has done for us.

North American Division Stewardship Ministries

Backpacks for Berrien Food Collection

Backpacks for Berrien will be collecting single-serve, non-parishable food items for Berrien Springs school children in need throughout the month of December. Please see the collection bins and needs lists in The Commons and inside the entrance to the office. Thank you for your help!

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.

Communion Service

 On Sabbath December 28, we will celebrate the Communion service together during the 11:45 AM service. Associate Pastor, John Glass, will present his message, "God Will Provide."

2024 Financial Gifts

Thank you for your charitable giving in 2024! December 28 will be the last worship service to return your tithes and offerings. If you wish to mail your donation, please ensure it is post-marked by December 31 to be included in your 2024 tax-deductible receipts. For an online contribution, go to www.pmchurch.org/giving.  You will have until 11:59 PM EST, December 31, 2024.

Note: The Pioneer Memorial Church offices will be closed from Tuesday, December 31, through Thursday, January 2, and will resume normal operating hours on Friday, January 3, 2025.

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.

150th Anniversary Commemorative Blanket Available

Looking for a luxurious and thoughtful Christmas gift? These limited-edition, 100% wool blankets are crafted from the wool of the sheep raised at the AU Agriculture Education Center to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Andrews University. Made at
Mountain Meadow Wool Mill with natural, undyed wool, these high-quality blankets are perfect for family, friends, or anyone who values something special and meaningful. With only 45 still available, they’re truly one-of-a-kind! To learn more, go to the Made at Andrews store (www.madeatandrews.com) and search for "Logo blanket."

Prayer and Financial Support - Honduras Mission Trip

Your prayers and financial support are requested for the Pioneer Youth Mission Honduras team. The team will partner with the Hogar de Niños to provide a Friendship Camp. Scott Schalk and Glenn Russell will lead the Friendship Camp for about 75 children from the surrounding community. There will also be a special camping retreat for the Hogar de Niños, something these youth have never experienced before. The Hogar desperately needs a bus. Donations should be made to Pioneer Youth Missions Honduras.

2024 Advent Devotionals

Pioneer Women's Ministries invites you to share in the joy of the season by registering for this year's Advent devotionals, "Why Did Jesus Come? Going beyond John 3:16." Women and men are invited to join us as we dig deeper into God's amazing love, care, and deep desire to spend eternity with us. Devotionals will be sent daily December 1-25, 2024. You can receive a brief synopsis of each day's devotional by text and the full devotional by email by texting the word ADVENT to 269-281-2345. We look forward to sharing this blessed season with you.

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