Please join us in celebrating the retirement of Barry Wilson after 35 remarkable years of service with the fire department, including his dedicated tenure as liaison to Andrews University. A retirement party will be held in his honor on Sunday, May 31, 1:00 PM at the Berrien Springs Oranoko Fire Dept.
The Galilean
The Galilean: 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 28, 2013
More In This Series
“The Galilean”—3
- □ Isaiah 43:19/44:3—“I will do a new thing. . . . I will pour water on those who are thirsty and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants and My blessing on your offspring.”
- □ Matthew 4:16—“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has dawned.”
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□ Matthew 15:25—“The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.”
- Clark Pinnock: “The triune God is a missionary God. . . . Missions are part of God’s strategy for transforming the world and changing history. One goal of missions is quantitative, to baptize and form congregations. The other goal is qualitative, to change life’s atmosphere, to infect people with hope, love, and responsibility for the world.” (A Wideness in God’s Mercy: The Finality of Jesus Christ in a World of Religions 78, 178)
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David Platt: “Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell. We owe Christ to the world—to the least person and to the greatest person, to the richest person and to the poorest person, to the best person and to the worst person. We are in debt to the nations. Encompassed with this debt, though, in our contemporary approach to missions, we have subtly taken ourselves out from under the weight of a lost and dying world, wrung our hands in pious concern, and said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m just not called to that.’
“The result is tragic. A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world.
“But what if we don’t need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions? What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for global mission? And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us?” (Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream 74, 75 emphasis supplied) - Ellen White: “Jesus is calling for many missionaries, for men and women who will consecrate themselves to God, willing to spend and be spent in his service. O, can we not remember that there is a world to labor for? Shall we not move forward step by step, letting God use us as his helping hand? Shall we not place ourselves on the altar of service? Then the love of Christ will touch and transform us, making us willing for his sake to do and dare.” (CEv 42)
- Robert Moffat to young David Livingstone: “Many a morning have I stood on the porch of my house, and looking northward, have seen the smoke arise from villages that have never heard of Jesus Christ. I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages— villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world . . . the smoke of a thousand villages . . . the smoke of a thousand villages.”
Will you go for Jesus? Will you give for Jesus?
Wilson Retirement
Andrews Academy’s Graduation Weekend Events
Congratulations, Andrews Academy seniors! May the same Lord who got you here lead you into the uncharted adventure ahead! “I am with you always,” is His promise. Everyone is invited to attend graduation weekend events. Class Night May 21, 7:00 PM at Andrews Academy, Consecration May 22, 8:00 PM at Village SDA Church, Baccalaureate May 23, 11:45 AM at PMC, Commencement May 24, 11:00 at PMC.
Hymnsing at The Old Rugged Cross Church
You are invited to a Hymnsing on 23 May, 4:00 PM at The Old Rugged Cross Church, 61041 Vermont Street, Pokagon, MI 49047. Please bring your Seventh-Day Adventist Hymnal. For further information, contact Melchizedek Ponniah at 269-876-7476 or melponniah@gmail.com.
Offering for May 16, 2026
Pioneer Operating Budget
Our churches should be sanctuaries, places of safety, not only in their physical structure but also in their psychological and spiritual atmosphere. Every person who enters, whether a regular attendee or a visitor, should feel genuinely welcomed and valued. We must be careful not to judge or criticize others based on appearances or perceived shortcomings. The church is not a place for the perfect—it is a hospital for sinners in need of healing and grace. Kathryn Davis, host of the Magnify podcast and seminary teacher, reminds us that “hiding our imperfections or harshly judging ourselves or others for those imperfections can be [harmful] to our mental health.”1
Jesus Himself faced criticism for spending time with sinners. His response was clear: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17, NIV).
As a church, our mission is to reflect Christ’s love and create a space where people can grow in faith without fear of rejection. Jesus was patient and kind, while Satan, the “accuser of the brethren,” seeks to bring shame and make us feel unworthy. Yet, Jesus reassures us, just as He did the woman condemned by the Pharisees: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no
more” (John 8:11, NKJV).
As we return our offerings today, let us also recommit to supporting a church that embodies Christ’s love—a safe and welcoming home for all.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Something in Common Sabbath School
Join us for the “Love Like You Mean It” Series! Sessions will be held in the Pioneer Commons each Sabbath morning from 10:30 to 11:30. Everyone is welcome!
- May 23: Session Seven - Love is Virtuous
- May 30: Session Eight - Love is Honest
- June 6: Session Nine - Love is Tenacious
- June 13: Session Ten - Love Never Fails