Save the date! Pioneer, Andrews University and The Red Cross will sponsor a Blood Drive on Thursday, July 23 from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM in the Pioneer Commons. Extra precautions will be in place for your safety. More details to come including scheduling your appointment. All types of blood are needed so plan now to donate. Contact Larry Ulery at ulery@andrews.edu for more information. We're all in this together. Thank You!
Storm
Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark - 3
DVDs
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Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonSince 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Program:
As We Begin
Praise to the Lord • Johann Walther | We Are Singing, for the Lord Is Our Light • Traditional South African Melody
Praise
Praise to the Lord (1) • Blessed Be Your Name • Made For Worship • I Will Exalt You
Prayer
Choral Call to Prayer—A Future With Hope • Mark Miller Choral | Response to Prayer—God Calls To Us • Mark Miller
Ben Martin
Tithes & Offerings
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light • Wayne Wold
Children's Story
Bible Reading
John 15:1, 4-5 NIV
Worship in Music
I've Been in the Storm So Long • Traditional Spiritual / Jeffrey Ames
Sermon
“STORM: Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark”—3 • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
The Savior Is Waiting • 289
As We Depart
Praise to the Lord • Martin Shaw
More In This Series
“STORM: Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark”—3
- Two sides to the coin
- Jesus: “If you remain in Me [ are in Christ] and I remain in you [Christ is in ], then you will bear much fruit.”
- Two sides to the Salvation Coin:
- → Christ = forgiveness/justification
- Christ → = fruit/sanctification
- Galatians 2:20—“I am crucified with Christ [ are in Christ]: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me [Christ is in ]: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
- The “Christ is in us” side of the coin:
- John 15:5—“‘Abide in Me and I .’”
- Galatians 2:20—“Christ lives .”
- Galatians 4:19—“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed .”
- Ephesians 3:17—“ . . . so that Christ may dwell in through faith . . .”
- Colossians 1:27—“ . . . God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this [Gospel] mystery, which is Christ , the hope of glory.”
- Revelation 3:20—“‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will and eat with that person, and they with me.’”
- Jesus—“‘I am the Vine and you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much .”
- For God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—bearing fruit is a huge deal—because it is the only way to that the branch is truly connected to the Vine.
- Luke 13:6-9—“‘If it bears next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
- Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV—“The of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
- Job was bearing fruit that showed he had the faith of Jesus: “Though He slay me, yet will I Him” (Job 13:15).
- And what is “the faith of Jesus”? “I will put My in Him” (Hebrews 2:13).
- There will be a generation at the end of time that will demonstrate the faith of , because they have the faith of .
- And the faith of Jesus is revealed in the fruit of the .
- Desire of Ages 677: “‘Herein is My Father glorified,’ said Jesus, ‘that ye bear much fruit.’ God desires to manifest through you the holiness, the benevolence, the compassion, of His own . Yet the Saviour does not bid the disciples to bear fruit. He tells them to in Him.”
- Mike Mason—“Marriage, even under the very best of circumstances, is a crisis—one of the major crises of life—and it is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it turns out to be a healthy, challenging, and constructive crisis or a disastrous nightmare depends largely upon how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are. Yet ironically, it is some of the most hardened and crusty and unlikely people in the world who plunge themselves into the arms of marriage and thereby submit in almost total naiveté to the two most transforming powers know to the human heart: the love of another person and the gracious love of God. So be prepared for ! Be prepared for the most sweeping and revolutionary of a lifetime.’’ (The Mystery of Marriage: As Iron Sharpens Iron 60-61)
- One example to follow
- Matthew 4:4—“‘It is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every that comes from the mouth of God.”’”
- Psalm 40:8/Hebrews 10:7—“‘I desire to do Your will, my God; Your is within My heart.’”
- Psalm 119:11—“I have hidden Your in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
- Psalm 16:8-10—“I will keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at My right hand, I will not be shaken. . . . because You will abandon Me to the realm of the dead, will You let Your faithful one see decay.”
- Cameron Schofield: “If you don’t get anything else out of this study, I want you to listen carefully and get this. Take it home with you and do not forget it. How was it that Christ was able to give himself up into the hands of the Father? How was it that no matter how dark the malignity of sin was, how terrible the weight of guilt, how impossible it seemed that there was any way out, how did He conquer? He believed that God would keep His . By faith Christ was victorious! ‘And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.’ 1 John 5:4. Is your faith the faith of Jesus?” (Heralding the Loud Cry 94)
- Desire of Ages 677: “It is through the that Christ abides in His followers. . . . The words of Christ [in the Gospels] are spirit and life. Receiving them, you receive the life of the Vine. You live ‘by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4. The life of Christ in you produces the same as in Him. Living in Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ, drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit after the similitude of Christ.”
- If you want to abide in Christ and want Him to abide in you, everyday ask for the of Jesus as you read the of God.
“Abide in Me and I in you”
Save the Date: Blood Drive
The Least of These
Do you have the heart to serve the "least of these?" One of our Pioneer ministries provides a simple church service to those in the Juvenile Detention Center in Berrien Center. Saturday evenings at 6:00 PM we host an interactive Bible study and sing songs with the young people there. For more information and to get involved contact Rodlie Ortiz at rodlie.ortiz@pmchurch.org or call 269-471-6154.
Sun, Fun, and Faith!
We are inviting all youth to come out to Lake Chapin every Tuesday night from June 30 - August 11 at 6:00 PM to join us for Sun, Fun, and Faith! We will have boating, fun, and worship. Masks are encouraged and attendees are asked to remember social distancing. The Youth Department is asking for anyone with a boat who can bring it to out to Lake Chapin on Tuesday nights to contact Brooke Scott at 269-932-5783 via text or call.
Sabbath School Quarterlies
Do you need a Sabbath School Quarterly? You can always download a digital copy, but if you'd like to have your own physical copy they are located just inside the main entrance of the church. Sabbath School lessons are available for the 3rd quarter for all children and adult divisions as well as Primary Treasures and Junior Guides. The church office is open Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM and Friday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. For more information, please contact the church office at 269-471-6565.
Going Home July 11
Will the church look any different? The sanctuary still smells new—and it will be just as you left it almost four months earlier. But yes, there will be a new awning entryway on the office (parking lot) side of Pioneer. The inside stairs going up and down from that doorway have been rebuilt with a new no-slip covering. Pioneer is eager to have you return.
That's why the doors to Sabbath worship at Pioneer are opening on July 11. Naturally, we all are carefully weighing our response to spaces opening up to the public in this season of the pandemic. Churches that are sacred space must also be a safe space. James Ford is chairing our reentry task force, and they have adopted the safest congregational protocol possible. Because we not only want you to be safe, we want you to feel safe.
To help us gauge your own perspectives, Richard Parke, co-chair of our Safety Committee, has created a short survey. The questions ask your initial plans regarding a return to our sanctuary. Your helpful response will assist your leaders in their planning for Pioneer's next chapter.
Whatever lies ahead for this congregation and this campus, why not claim God's promise, "I will go before you" (Isaiah 45:2). Knowing He goes ahead and prepares the way certainly makes what we don't know much easier not to know. May He be praised.
Office Hours
Pioneer office hours are now as follows:
Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Adopt a College Student
COVID-19 has taken a toll in our community and around our campus. As you already know most students have headed home to their families. However, we have some students who were not able to return home and are alone here on campus, many are from international locations with student visa which, means they are not allowed to work off campus to their visa restrictions, and since Andrews University is currently closed they are not able to work at all. Most of these students don't have transportation to get off campus. These students are also missing connection.
Pioneer wants to share God's love and blessings with these students for the next 6 weeks, until our campus opens up. Would you adopt a student? Here's how you can help:
- Check in on them once a week - send a text, call them on the phone, pray with them, get to know them.
- Be willing to provide at least one meal a week or groceries for the student to cook with.
- Be willing to drive them to the grocery store if needed.
Each student needs something different but we won’t know unless we ask them, and get to know them. Some students just need a ride to the grocery store, some students just need to hear that someone cares about them enough to call, others need groceries, but all need our love and prayers.
Other ways to help:
- Sponsor a fruit/veggie box to be delivered weekly through Cafe Bon Appetit (269-471-3161 ext. 0 or email linda.brinegar@cafebonappetit.com)
- Get a group together and host a carry-out meal for students. (thank you to the groups who have done this already)
- Take a treat to the residence halls
- Offer to give a student a ride to the grocery store.
- Donate to Student Life Relief Fund
- United Way of Southwest Michigan
Report: The (Virtual) Tent 2020
In no way was The Tent normal this year. After all, nothing has been! That is not to say, however, that it was not a win for the Kingdom of God. Although it was online only, God came through in a mighty way! With about 200 different video clips the whole thing came together against all odds. There were decisions for baptism and people tuning in from all over the world!
This was the 7th year of The Tent. Some of our preachers this year were in the first grade when this all began. That year, Pastor Dwight came to Ruth Murdoch Elementary School and asked the 1st graders which of them would like to preach when they were Junior High students. Well, some of those kids preached last week! These messages were driven by the Holy Spirit as they profoundly spoke to events that took place after the messages were even recorded.
It was not just the speakers who did well this year. Micah Leiterman and Marco Sciarabba Badenas welcomed guests every night with intros that were fun and engaging! What was awesome about their video clips was the way that these two students not only wrote the scripts but they filmed and edited the clips together.
The students came together in an incredible way to make the music as well. Each student created their videos for music individually and these were edited together to create music as a team. We had an incredible team of seminary students who helped bring all of this together, and we also depended upon the musical genius of Chuck Reid who did our fine-tuning.
What was most amazing about The (Virtual) Tent was the seamless way all of these pieces made a whole. This is what the Holy Spirit longs to do with us as a church! Imagine what God could do with a church connected to Him! The (Virtual) Tent is a call to action. This is a picture of what God can do in the worst of circumstances with people who are listening to His voice.
FLAG Camp Update
We are saddened to inform you that due to COVID-19 FLAG Camp will be canceled this summer. Thank you to each who has applied to be on staff. Please apply again next year for the summer of 2021. We will be working to make next summer a great and safe experience!
COVID-19 Updates
For your safety, Pioneer Memorial Church offices are now closed until further notice. Pastors and staff continue to work remotely to serve your needs.