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.
Sing Praise to God • No. 29 st. 1-2, 4 congregation; st. 3 choir only
Words of Joy: from Psalm 100
Anthem of Joy
Psalm 23 • Craig Courtney
Prayer of Rejoicing
Vivian Raimundo
Words of Joy: from Psalm 98
Benie Shyirakera
Response of Rejoicing
Hymns of Joy in Creation
Homily
“A DIY Guide: How to Thank Your Healer”
Dwight K. Nelson
Hymn of Thanksgiving
Now Thank We All Our God • No. 559
Letters of Thanksgiving
For the Beauty of the Earth • Kenneth Logan
Invitation to Giving
What Gift Can We Bring? • Donna Kasbohm / Kenneth Logan; st. 1 solo; st. 2 women; st. 3 all; st. 4 men; st. 5 all
Procession of Thanksgiving: Gifts of Food, Song, Tithes and Offerings
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart! (No. 27, st. 1-2) The Lord Is My Light (No. 515, st. 1-2) For the Beauty of the Earth (No. 565, st. 1, 3) ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (No. 524, st. 1, 3) To God Be the Glory (No. 341, st. 1, 3) Praise God, From Whom All Ble
(Timothy Jennings, The God-shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life 57-58)
• #1—Worship a God of love and reject God-concepts that induce .
- 1 John 5:18—”Perfect love drives out fear.”
• #2—Practice regular meditation on some aspect of God’s character of love at least minutes per day.
- Neil Anderson: “Because Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him is the truth. . . . When you expose Satan’s lie with God’s truth, his power is broken. . . . We are not called to dispel the darkness; we are called to turn on the light. Deceiving spirits are like cockroaches. They come out only at night, and when you turn on the light, they head for the shadows.” (Victory Over the Darkness 162)
- Ellen White: “When the enemy comes with his darkness, sing faith and talk faith, and you will find that you have sung and talked yourself into the light.” (Mind, Character and Personality 650)
• #3—Be truthful and eliminate falsehood of any kind from your mind.
- Timothy Jennings: “This is particularly important for those who have suffered abuse. Abused children, because of the level of brain development, will misconstrue the meaning of the abuse and [will conclude] . . . typical falsehoods such as, ‘I’m ugly. I’m gross. I’m nasty, dirty, disgusting and unlovable.’ . . . While the facts of history can not be changed, the adult who has suffered abuse can reevaluate the historic event and apply the truth, that the awful feelings once experienced belong to the event, not to the self. The application of truth is healing.”(57)
• #4—Live to .
• #5—Establish relationships with people of loving and character, and terminate destructive and exploitive relationships.
• #6—Trust God with your and your life’s outcomes.
- Jennings: “One of the greatest sources of worry and fear is trying to make life turn out the way we want, rather than simply choosing what is right. . . and trusting God with the outcome.” (57-58)
• #7—Live in harmony with the physical design protocol for life such as regular sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise mind and body regularly, avoid toxins, and eat a balanced diet.
• #8—When mistakes are made, resolve as soon as possible, forgive those who mistreat you, and don’t hold to anger or grudges as such emotions activate the body’s inflammatory cascade.
• #9—Resolve , as unremedied fear truly destroys.
• #10—Wake up .
- Ministry of Healing:
“When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let gratitude as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven.” (253)
“My life is Christ nothing else really matters.”
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/.
