A British Winter’s Night concert will be an evening of lively traditional British tunes and ballads. From the popular Vaughan Williams Sea Songs and English Folk Song Suite, to the rousing tunes of the Irish Washerwoman and Country Gardens, this evening is sure to delight! The Andrews University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Denisse Santos-Gooden, will once again collaborate with the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band under the direction of Mark Hollandsworth. The two ensembles will take the stage at the Howard Performing Arts Center on January 31, 2026 at 8:00 PM. Start off your new year with toe-tapping tunes and swaying sweet melodies! Tickets are available at howard.andrews.edu.
How to be More Like Jesus
The Impregnable Gift
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
More In This Series
“How To Be More Like Jesus: The Impregnable Gift”
□ Matthew 16:13-21
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#1—Who is the of the Church?
- Jesus blessed Simon with these words, “You are Peter [petros—a small ], and on this Rock [petra—a towering ledge] I will build My Church.”
- Peter himself was never confused over who was the Leader of the Church—Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
- Deuteronomy 32:4—“The LORD is the .”
- Psalm 18:2—“The LORD is my .”
- Psalm 95:1—“Let us shout aloud to the of our salvation.”
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1 Corinthians 10:4—“The spiritual [petra] that accompanied them was
Christ.”
- Matthew 7:14—“The wise man built his house on the .”
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1 Corinthians 3:11—“No one can lay any other than Jesus
Christ.”
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#2—Who is the of the Church?
Matthew 16:18—“I will My Church.”
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#3—Who is the of the Church?
- Matthew 16:18—“I will build Church.”
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Acts 20:28—“Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own
.”
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#4—Who is the of the Church?
- Matthew 16:8—“The gates of will not overcome the Church.”
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Actually what Jesus is describing here is not a defensive stance (where the church is
trying to fend off the forces of hell)—rather He describes an stance
(where hell is trying to fend off the forces of the church).
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Revelation 19:16—“And on His robe He has this name written: “KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.”
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4 defining questions that declare the Church of Christ to be , a
fortified position unable to be captured.
- “Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His regard” (Acts of the Apostles 12).
- Richard John Neuhaus: “We must be sure it is the Church we are talking about: the Church in all its thus and so-ness, in all its contradictions and compromises, in its circus of superficiality and its moments of splendor.” (Freedom for Ministry: A Critical Affirmation of the Church and Its Mission 8)
□ John 6:14-18
- Desire of Ages: “Those were hours of large blessing to the disciples, but they had
- forgotten it all. They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds. God does this when [we] create burdens and troubles for [ourselves]. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching.” (380)
- “Send the storm and save the Church.”
- Desire of Ages: “Jesus had not forgotten them. The Watcher on the shore saw those fear-stricken men battling with the tempest. Not for a moment did He lose sight of His disciples. With deepest solicitude His eyes followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden; for these men were to be the light of the world. As a mother in tender love watches her child, so the compassionate Master watched His disciples. When their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and in they prayed for help, it was given them.” (381)
□ “I want to be more like Jesus, I’m following in His ways.”
- Then let us for His Church as He did.
- Then let us for His Church as He did.
Then let us His Church as He did.
- Ye Shall Receive Power: “Let all who believe the truth for this time put away their differences; put away envy and evil speaking and evil thinking. Press together, press together.” (188)
- GROW Groups are a third millennial strategy to "press together."
- One-step sign-up: www.pmchurch.org/growgroup
“UNTIED” “UNITED”
Andrews University invites homeschool and public high school students to attend Standout, taking place February 20–22. This event is designed to serve as a spiritual refueling experience for students who may not have regular access to Adventist revival programs or daily religious instruction. We invite you to learn more and register for this impactful weekend at: https://www.andrews.edu/splash/standout
Religious Liberty Offering
Seventh-day Adventists have stood firmly for religious liberty—for everyone—for more than 150 years. But do you know the reason why? Part of the reason is that, when our church was founded, almost every American state had Sunday-keeping laws on the books. Adventist pastors, farmers, laborers, and others were arrested, jailed, or fined for doing “secular work” on Sunday.
Even Wille White, son of James and Ellen, was arrested in Oakland, California, in 1882 for keeping the Pacific Press Publishing presses operating on a Sunday!
But that’s not the full story. The deeper reason why we continue to stand for religious liberty—in the courts, before legislatures, and through the pages of Liberty magazine—is because we want to reflect the character of the God we serve.
He’s a God who created us in His image and who has given each one of us the freedom to choose whom we will worship. He’s a God who, in the words of Ellen White, “desires only the service of love,” which “cannot be won by force or authority” (The Desire of Ages, 22).
Today, please help support this vital ministry of religious liberty. It’s a ministry that defends not only the rights of individual conscience, but also the ability of our church to continue to do its mission. And as we face uncertain days ahead, your prayers and support are needed now, more than ever.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries

