A DIY Guide

A DIY Guide to Become the Healthiest University in the World (When Well-being Means More Than Being Well)

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, September 28, 2019
Program: 
Opening Music
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart! • Kenneth Logan
Introit
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart • Patrick Hawes
Songs of Praise
Hymns of Holistic Wellness: A Hymn Cycle—O for a Thousand Tongues (st. 1, 3, 5-6 of No. 250), It Is Well With My Soul (No. 530), Praise to the Lord (No. 1), The Blood, Above All
Prayer
José Bourget
Children's Story
Deck Yourself, My Soul, With Gladness • Johannes Brahms
Worship in Music
O Be Joyful • Philip Stopford
Homily
“A DIY Guide How to Become the Healthiest University in the World (When Well-being Means More Than Being Well)”
Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card, Tithes, & Offerings
Pioneer Operating Budget
Hymn of Commitment
I’d Rather Have Jesus • 327
Benediction
Closing Music
Alleluia • Théodore Dubois

“A DIY Guide How to Become the Healthiest University in the World (When Well-being Means More than Being Well)”
www.newperceptions.tv

» Forbes 

• “What Would You Pay for Extra Years of Perfect Health?” (www.forbes.com/sitesdavidrae/2018/06/19/perfect-health/#43ad19312ee2)
 

» Harvard University 75 years longitudinal study

• “The conclusion? According to Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one thing surpasses all the rest in terms of importance ‘The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.” (www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-a-life-of-fulfillment-a-75-year-harvard-study-says-to-prioritize-this-one-t.html)

• Waldinger: “It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship. It's the quality of your close relationships that matters.”

• Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant re two foundational elements to the study: “One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”
 

» 3 John 1-2—a prayer for Mens, Corpus, Spiritus

• English study of retirees: “Spirituality and religion appear to . . . bring [1] a sense of personal meaning; [2] control beyond one's own resources; [3] comfort; and [4] intimacy with a higher power; and they are life transforming, leading people to replace old values with new. . . The findings suggest that older adults who derive a sense of meaning in life from religion tend to have higher levels of life  satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism.” (www.academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/59/3/P123/563604)

• Canadian study of college students: “Canadian college students who are involved in campus ministries visited the doctor less. They also scored higher on tests of psychological well-being [PWB], and coped with stress more effectively.” (www.verywellmind.com/how-spirituality-can-benefit-mental-and-physical health-3144807)

 

» A DIY guide—5 strategies to grow spiritually (University of Northern Iowa)

• Be . Spiritual truths often come in the form of a still small voice that is difficult to hear above the chaos and confusion of a frantic lifestyle. Set aside time for solitude and meditation. [Go to www.pmchurch.org/projects/newwaytopray]

• Be to the spiritual. Spiritual experiences often come in unexpected forms and packages.

• Be and curious. An attitude of active searching increases your options and your potential for spiritual centering. Meditation may very well allow you to experience tranquility and peace.

• Be to pain and grief. Pain helps us focus on the widest questions of our being. It's a deepener. A life without pain leads to a sparse, shallow existence. Allow yourself to feel your pain fully, then ask, “What is it trying to teach me?”

• Be . Play is a pleasurable, freeing experience. It breeds spontaneous enthusiasm and celebration. When you make music, laugh, sing however you play—listen for sounds of the Spirit. (www.studentwellness.uni.edu/spirituality)

 

» 1 John 4:19, 10—L-O-V-E

Steps to Christ: “Such love is without a parallel. . . . The matchless love of God for a world that did not love Him! . . . The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child.” (15)

• The love story of Robert and Muriel McQuilken

 

“O Love that will not let me go”

 

Offering for December 13, 2025

Adventist Community Services

In Luke 10:30-37 Jesus tells a parable about a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan who came upon a man who had been beaten and robbed. When the priest and the Levite saw the man, they concluded that their help was optional. They could help, but they did not have to help, and in the face of competing priorities, they opted not to help. The Samaritan, on the other hand, did not see his help as optional. Not even the hatred between his country and the other man’s could overcome his compassion. He saw no alternative but to help. In Luke 10:37 Jesus tells us all to “go and do likewise.” As Christians we see each person in need as a beloved son or daughter of God and we are compelled to help.

Adventist Community Services, or ACS, is part of this response, serving communities in Christ’s name. ACS is the Adventist Church—you and me—helping our neighbors in need. Across the North American Division our offerings go to work, helping the hurting. Whether by providing food, teaching literacy, distributing diapers, organizing job fairs, or opening dental clinics, our help is not optional. It is the extension of God’s love to His creation. Today’s offering is an invitation to join the ACS team through your gift; to bring relief and comfort to your neighbors and to make compassion your priority.

North American Division Stewardship Ministries

Christmas Blessing Opportunity

Be part of a Christmas blessing this year! Chiang Mai Adventist Academy, which serves primarily Buddhist students from around the country, is looking for a set of Bible story felts to use in teaching the Bible in their Sabbath schools. FARM STEW missionaries will be going to Thailand in January and deliver them. If you have a felt set you would like to donate or would like to donate towards buying a new set, please contact Deby Andvik. (andvik@andrews.edu or call/text 269-277-4145

Christmas Breakfast

Let’s celebrate the joy of Christmas with good food, warm community, and grateful hearts! Join us on December 20, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM, before our main worship service. Bring your favorite breakfast dish to share and enjoy a wonderful time of fellowship as we celebrate the season together.
 

Journey to Bethlehem - Live Nativity Walk in Eau Claire

Walk into the advent story... Share in the expectation... Experience God's Glory... Journey to Bethlehem - Come join take this FREE 1 hour walking journey through the Advent Story on December 14 from 5-8 PM. Meet shepherds, the wisemen, Roman soldiers, a Biblical marketplace, Mary and Joseph and discover why Christ came to this earth. Groups Leave from the Student Activity Center located at 6295 W Main St, Eau Claire, MI 49111. Tours leave every 10 minutes between 5 & 8 PM, December 14. No Reservations required, ALS interpreter available, please contact us in advance. Wheelchair accessible journey on paved sidewalk. Questions? Call or text 269-405-5026 or email us at Eauclairecritters@gmail.com

Spring Semester GROW Groups

Spring semester GROW Groups will begin the 1st week of February. If you would like to lead a group please text LEAD to 269-281-2345 or click the link below to submit the attached form on or before December 15. https://pmchurch.org/ministries/growgroups/register

Pioneer Women's Ministries 2025 Advent Devotionals

Pioneer Women’s Ministries’ Advent devotionals will highlight a few of the promises of Jesus. To receive the “Red Letter Promises” daily devotionals by email for the first 25 days of December, text the word “ADVENT” to 269-281-2345. You can also receive a short daily text message preview of each day's devotional by providing your cell phone number when you register. We pray you will sense the nearness of Jesus during this holy season through these devotionals.

House of Prayer
Pioneer Earlyteen Loft

Please join us for House of Prayer Wednesday evenings at 7pm in the Earliteen Loft for a time of singing, Bible study and prayer.