Speaker

Dwight K. Nelson

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.

Offering

Saturday, December 02, 2017
Program: 
Praise
O Come Let Us Adore Him • Bread of Heaven • Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
Prayer
José Bourget
Children's Story
Festival Fanfare for Christmas • John Wasson
Worship in Music
And the Mountains Echoed: Gloria! • Robert Longfield
Sermon
"Have Yourself a Windy Merry Christmas" • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card, Tithes & Offerings
O Come—A Carol Cycle

“Have Yourself a Windy Merry Christmas”
www.newperceptions.tv

  • The Missing Person
    • John D. Witvliet": "Our Christmas cards, carols, and crèches delight in the characters of the Christmas story. In pageants, there are a lot of parts to go around: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus; the angels, the shepherds, and Magi; perhaps even Elizabeth and Zechariah, Simeon and Anna. But for all the times and ways the story is told, one key participant is almost impossible to find: the ." (Christianity Today December 2017 p58)
  • Missing No Longer

The Holy Spirit Shows Up . . .

  • #1—In .
    • Luke 1:15—"'Your son will be filled with the even before he is born.'"
    • Desire of Ages: "Even the babe in its mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty through the faith of the praying mother. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth. If we will live in communion with God, we too may expect the divine Spirit to mold our little ones, even from their moments." (512)
  • #2—In a .
    • Luke 1:35—"'The will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'"
  • #3 —In an .
    • Luke 1:41—"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the ."
    • Luke 1:67—"His father Zechariah was filled with the and prophesied, 'Praise be to the Lord!'"
  • #4—In a .
    • Luke 1:80—"And the child grew and became strong in the ."
    • “[The Holy] Spirit loves to the children and discover to them the treasures and beauties of the Word. The promises spoken by the great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul of the child with a spiritual power that is divine.” (Child Guidance 495)
    • Jean Twenge: “. . . many tech CEOs strictly regulate their own children’s technology use. When New York Times reporter Nick Bilton talked to Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs in late 2010, he asked Jobs if his kids loved the iPad. 'They haven’t used it,' Jobs said. 'We how much technology our kids use at home.' Bilton was shocked, but he later found that many other tech experts also limited their children’s screen time, from the cofounder of Twitter to the former editor of Wired magazine. So even people who love technology—and make a living off of it—are cautious about their kids using it too much. As Adam Alter put it in his book Irresistible, ''t seemed as if the people producing tech products were following the cardinal rule of drug dealing: Never get high on your own supply." (iGen 292)
  • #5—In the .
    • Luke 2:25-26—"Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the was on him. It had been revealed to him by the that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the he went into the temple courts... and took the child in his arms and praised God."
  • Christmas primer on how to be daily baptized with the Holy Spirit:
    • #1—The Set-up:
      • 15 minutes every morning—alone with Jesus.
      • Read one story from the Gospels—reread it to relive it.
    • #2—The Ask:
      • "Please baptize me with the same Holy Spirit that baptized Jesus in the story I just read."
      • "Morning by morning [Jesus] communicated with His Father in heaven, receiving from Him daily a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit." (Signs of the Times November 21, 1895).
    • #3—The Thank-you:
      • “Thank you for the fresh baptism I’ve received from you today.”
      • 1 John 5:14-15—"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him."
    • #4—The Go:
      • Proverbs 3:6 Message: "Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track."
      • Move into the world with your Friend the Holy Spirit.
    • Download the free book: www.steps-to-personal-revival.info

"And with that He breathed on them and said,
'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:22)

We Mourn

 Lorraine Drew, a long-time member of Pioneer, passed away on May 14, 2025. A celebration of her life will be held on May 25, 2025, at 4:00 PM, in the Pioneer Sanctuary. Visitation will be held in the Narthex at 3:00 PM.

Offering for May 24, 2025

Michigan Advance Partners

The COVID-19 pandemic caused thousands of deaths around the world and made people rethink their purpose in life. We’ve all been affected by this. Recent wars displaced millions from their homes creating major cultural, political, and population shifts. These crises created openness in spiritual things.

People are searching for meaning and peace. They’re hungry to make sense out of all the chaos in the world. Churches in our conference can be that haven and point of contact for people to hear about Jesus.

Offerings collected monthly for Michigan Advance Partners give opportunities for ministries in all churches to be funded so it can plant seeds of hope and love. Now is the time to invest in God’s work. Why not ask God for bigger requests so He can bless us abundantly? We don’t need to wait until we have more to give more. We can flex our faith in God now.

Note the promise, "The time has come when we are to expect large blessings from the Lord. We must rise to a higher standard on the subject of faith... The Word of God is our endorsement. We must take it, simply believing every word. With this assurance we may claim large things, and according to our faith it will be unto us” (That I May Know Him, p. 226). Today, let’s lay all on the altar and give our all to God. 

North American Division Stewardship Ministries

Widow and Widowers Bird Watching Brunch
11356 S Lake Chapin Rd, Berrien Springs, MI 49103

We are inviting all widows and widowers to join us for a nature walk at 9:00 AM, June 1, at the home of Dave and Terri Village. We will also be having a vegetarian potluck and a birdwatching presentation with boat rides to follow. We hope to see you there! 
 

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 22, 7:00 PM at Andrews Academy
  • Consecration May 23, 8:00 PM at Village SDA Church
  • Baccalaureate May 24, 11:45 AM at Pioneer Memorial Church
  • Commencement May 25, 11:00 AM at Pioneer Memorial Church

Pioneer Business Session

Dear Valued Pioneer member, please plan to attend the upcoming Business Session to be held on May 27, at 7:00 PM. The topics to be discussed and voted upon include the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year budget which has been inserted in your bulletin.

Something in Common Sabbath School

Something In Common Sabbath School presents The Five Love Languages DVD series.

  • May 17- Love Language One: Words of Affirmation
  • May 24- Love Language Two: Quality Time
  • May 31- Love Language Three: Receiving Gifts
  • June 7- Love Language Four: Acts of Service
  • June 14- Love Language Five: Physical Touch
  • June 21- Growing in Love

Everyone is welcome to join us in PMC Room 141 each Sabbath morning from 10:30 - 11:30 AM.

Mission and Strategy Statements Town Hall Meetings

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)
House of Prayer Series Led By Pastor Dwight Nelson

“How to Pray for Rome NOW: Following Jesus in Today’s Headlines” 

House of Prayer Spring Series, 7 PM, Pioneer Earliteen Loft, May 2025 

  • May 7 “The Sea Beast and Jesus” (Revelation 13) 
  • May 14 “The Little Horn and Jesus” (Daniel 7 & 2 Thessalonians 2) 
  • May 21 “The Purple and Scarlet Woman and Jesus” (Revelation 17) 
  • May 28 “The Babylonian Queen and Jesus” (Revelation 18) 

“Prophecy is fast fulfilling. More, much more, should be said about these tremendously important subjects. The day is at hand when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever. This day of the Lord hastens on apace. . . . Great pains should be taken to keep this subject before the people. The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly. The fearful warning of the prophecy is addressed to every soul. Let no one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised. Let no one's interpretation of prophecy rob you of the conviction of the knowledge of events which show that this great event is near at hand.” (Fundamentals of Christian Education 335)

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)

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.

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