There will be a fellowship dinner this sabbath in the commons. Visitors are welcome!
2 B Friends
2 B Friends: Ready or Not–Here We GROW!
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, January 12, 2013
More In This Series
“2 B Friends:
Ready or Not—Here We GROW!”
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□ The Research
- The British National Child Development Study (a longitudinal study tracking individuals born in the same week in 1958) reported in 2012 that of the men and roughly a of the women said they now have more than friends and relatives they get together with once a month or more.
- Regarding psychological health, these people ranked themselves significantly than the others with less friends.
- The researchers concluded: “Having fewer than friends at age 45 predicted significantly poorer psychological well-being at age 50.”
- The education men had, the more likely they were to have a larger social network—but the opposite was true for women.
- Being was associated with a smaller circle of friends.
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□ The Reason
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John 15:12-17
- “[Jesus is] our best and most sympathizing friend.” (5T 201)
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vv 13, 14 The Voice: “‘[13] There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends. [14] You
celebrate friendship if you obey this command.”
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I.e., when you read v 13 and v 14 together, Jesus isn’t so much describing His death the day
as He is commanding our willingness to die for our friends day.
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Craig Keener: John 15:12 “is emphatic that believers must love one another in the same way that Jesus loved
them (cf. 13:34), which means dying for their , as Jesus would die for them (15:13-14).”
(The Gospel of John 1004)
- John 15:5
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John 15:12-17
Friends and fruit—what do they have in common? You must them both.
Because friends and fruit are all about .
Acts 2:38-47
3000 brand new radical followers/disciples of Jesus Christ
And how do they GROW? (Acts 2:42)
o They share .
o They share .
o They share .
o They share .
Just as Jesus taught in John 15—first, you with Me and then you with each other, and thus you .
The simple mission of the church in Acts: CONNECT.GROW.SERVE.GO.
□ The Result
- Five VIP points about GROW Groups:
#1—They are about friendship, not .
#2—They are about short-term, not .
#3—They are about “interesting,” not “.”
#4—They are about growing spiritually and . #5—They are about growing together, not .
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Desire of Ages: “Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to impart this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” (641)
Friends and fruit are all about GROW
Fellowship Dinner
Pioneer Commons
Happy Birthday Merille Weithers
The flowers this week are in honor of Merille Weithers' 90th birthday. He's celebrating today with his children Debbie, Ted, David and Mimi, along with 4 of his 5 grandkids Simone, Dee & his wife Kailey, Caleb and Joshua. We're giving thanks to God for Merille's 90 years of life and the blessings of family, health, provision, grace and love.
AUSO Young Artists Concert
The Andrews University Symphony Orchestra is presenting its annual Young Artist Competition concert featuring this year Jonathan Clough, tenor, and Aiko Ayla, piano, as well as violinists Nikolaz Feliciano and Claire Yang. Join us on this unique evening of virtuosity and elegance, and enjoy the music of Clara Schumann, W. A. Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Donizetti, and Tchaikovsky. This concert is free, but patrons will have the opportunity to support the students of the Symphony Orchestra as they are currently raising funds for their music tour to California in March.
Offering for February 7, 2026
Pioneer Operating Budget
John Paul Young’s song “Love Is in the Air” became a worldwide hit in 1978. Its opening lines declare: “Love is in the air, everywhere I look around. Love is in the air, every sight and every sound.” Long before this song was written, Christians have been singing about love in the beloved hymn “Love at Home,” composed by John Hugh McNaughton in 1860. Its opening words remind us, “There is beauty all around when there’s love at home; There is joy in every sound when there’s love at home.” Reflecting on love, the Apostle John writes, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV). Love truly fills the air because God loved us first.
While many express love through flowers and gifts, Christians are reminded that the greatest act of love came from Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for a world He loves without end. The Apostle Paul affirms this when he writes: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25, NIV). Christ’s love, demonstrated on Calvary, is unmatched—its effects are eternal, securing salvation for humanity and restoring the universe.
Today, as we enter God’s loving presence and return our tithes and freewill offerings, let us receive His love with grateful hearts and commit to sharing that love with others. Indeed, love is in the air!
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
New DivorceCare group starting 2/4/26
If you are experiencing the realities that come with divorce or separation and are looking for a safe place to process it all and find a caring community that understands what you are going through, please join us Weds evenings from 6 to 8 PM in the boardroom. You can sign up on divorcecare.org or on at pmchurch.org in the Grow Groups section under Pioneer Life.
Honduras Mission Vespers
Come hear stories of answered prayers, stories and abundant blessings from our Honduras youth missions team. February 7, Sabbath afternoon 5 PM in the PMC commons.
You Can Lick Diabetes
Type II diabetes, by far the commonest kind, causes nerve and eye damage which can be completely reversed, along with lowering risk for heart attack and stopping further kidney damage through simple lifestyle changes. Join us on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM in the 6th grade Sabbath School room to learn several ways. The first meeting is this Monday, February 2, so register now by texting "DIABETES" to 269-281-2345, and bring your spouse or a supportive friend.
Sunday Music Series with Carla Trynchuk & Elena Braslavsky
Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Beethoven, Debussy, and the Jewish Ukrainian composer Meitus. Trynchuk, faculty at Andrews University, has performed internationally as soloist and recitalist in more than 15 countries. Braslavsky, formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, currently serves on the piano faculty of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Trynchuk and Braslavsky were classmates together at The Juilliard School. This will be a FREE recital on February 22, at 4:00 PM.
An Acoustic Evening with Sidewalk Prophets
We’re excited to be hosting An Acoustic Evening With Sidewalk Prophets this spring. In partnership with Great Big Family Productions, we’re hosting a night built around connection, stories, and songs. Because this is a small acoustic experience, seating is limited and will move quickly. If you or someone you know is planning to attend, we encourage you to get seats while they’re still available. The Howard Performing Arts Center is pleased to be able to host Sidewalk Prophets at our venue, however, all tickets will be sold online. Please click on the link to purchase your ticket.
Love on the Move
God's Hands 4 Kids, a PMC Grow Group outreach to our community serving foster, adoptive, kinship and guardianship families partnering with Berrien County Department Of Health and Human Services. As a gift to the families served by them and as a gift to the community of ministry leaders and professionals, we will be providing Hope for the Journey, a video conference on Trust Based Relational Intervention - trauma, on Sunday afternoons in February here at PMC. It is produced by Show Hope. For more information and to register go to our website GH4K.org
