If you would like to honor the memory of someone who has passed away since last Easter, you are invited to bring a spring flower to place at the foot of the cross during the Processional of Hope at either service this coming Sabbath, April 19, 2025.
Prepared?
Turning Young Parents Into Vital Mentors
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
PREPARED?—Turning Young Parents into Vital Mentors
www.newperceptions.tv
7 Mentoring Practices for Parents with Children
• Practice #1—Parents must worship the of the child. (Luke 1:67-68)
—It’s one of the great laws of parenting: You can’t pass on what you don’t .
• Practice #2—Parents must declare the of the child. (Luke 1:60-63)
• Practice #3—Parents must pronounce the of the child. (Luke 1:76)
—Gary Smalley and John Trent: “Before the children can walk, they should be carried on the Sabbath and on the Holy Days to their father and mother to receive their blessing. After they are able to walk, they should go to them of their own accord, with body bent and with head bowed, to receive the Blessing.” (The Blessing 33)
• #4—Parents must focus on the of the child. (Luke 1:68-79)
—Donna Habenicht (How to Help Your Child Really Love Jesus):
• Show your children Jesus’ love through love: Hug your baby while you say, “Mommy loves you and Jesus loves you.”
• Paint a picture of Jesus: Instead of “Oh my, how sad you have made Jesus,” emphasize a smiling Jesus, “How happy Jesus is with what you have just done.”
• Encourage spontaneous with Jesus: “Jesus Christie feels so sad . . . please help her to feel happy soon.”
• Joyfully introduce Jesus through and pictures about His life: My Bible Friends is a beautiful way for youngsters to meet Jesus, and so is a picture of Jesus surrounded by children hanging in your child’s bedroom.
• “Remind them that Jesus hurts when they hurt. That He would love to take them in His arms and comfort them. Tell them Jesus can be their best friend, their forever friend . . . who never abandons them.” (130)
• “The most important and impressive thing you can do is to show your children openly how much love Jesus, and they will learn to love Him, too.” (130)
• Practice #5—Parents must confirm the of the child. (Luke 1:76-79)
—Re John the Baptist: “From childhood his mission had been kept before him, and he had accepted the holy trust.” (Desire of Ages 101)
• Practice #6—Parents must seek the Spirit’s of the child. (Luke 1:67, 80)
—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 earliest moments.” (512)
• Practice #7—Parents must control the of the child. (Luke 1:15, 80)
—Q: How can parents today create a “wilderness environment” for their children? A: You control what comes into your .
—The very word “wilderness” suggests “less” is better.
• Less .
• Less .
• Less .
“Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”
Pioneer Operating Budget
Charles Schwab, Bank of America, and Fidelity are among many financial institutions that provide financial advisers to help people invest their money to prepare for retirement. Christ gave solid investment advice, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV).
In other words, invest your treasures in the kingdom of heaven. God has a simple plan in place to finance His kingdom work here on earth. It’s so simple. First, He blesses His children, and then they return faithfully the tithe and freewill offerings. That’s it. As there are greater needs in growing God’s kingdom, He increases the blessings He gives to His children. So, the more faithfully we return, the more He gives. This is the divine partnership God wants His people to understand. There is no other plan, no substitute, no alternate. An all-wise God knew the right plan from the beginning. His investment system is fail-proof. Do you want to see God do a miracle? Let’s invest in Kingdom work and watch Him work His wonders.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Join us for a free vespers concert at the Howard Performing Arts Center lobby on April 25, 2025. K-Anthony and Friends will engage us in an awesome evening of worship and vibing.
Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Bach, Brahms, and the Ukrainian composer Silvestrov. 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. Please visit us at our website howard.andrews.edu to purchase your concert tickets.
Best buddies is a worldwide organization that fosters relationships between individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with others in the community. This April there will be a friendship walk on the Andrews campus. This will help us raise money for the organization, which then helps other chapters to be opened in new schools as well as programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. If you are interested in joining us for the walk you can sign up, and if you can not join us on April 27 you can still donate. All donations are welcome and appreciated.
The Memorial Service for Bruce Wrenn will be on Sabbath, April 26 at 5 PM at Pioneer Memorial Church. Visitation with the family will be in the Narthex from 4-5 PM.
The Institute of Young Musicians for Christ is excited to be having a music camp at Pioneer Memorial Church! At our music camps young people ages 6-17 are offered an immersive, week-long musical experience. Our quality musical training—combined with fun, friends, and faith-building encounters— provides a truly incredible opportunity. The camp offers tracks for children 6-12 with or without musical experience and a track for teenagers with significant musical experience. To learn more and register, visit iymcsda.org/michigan. We hope to see you there!
If you are a teacher/coordinator of a Sabbath School class that meets outside the PMC sanctuary, you are requested to inform your name, location and meeting time. This information will help to create a master list to assist visitors and members. Please mail your response to Melchizedek Ponniah, melponniah@gmail.com.
Pioneer Women's Ministries invites you to join us for 10 days of devotionals leading up to Easter (April 11-20). Together, we will consider what various individuals present at Christ's arrest, trial, and crucifixion might have thought and experienced. If you would like to receive daily text teasers and emails with the full devotional insights, please text the word "CROSS" to 269.281.2345.
From May 11–June 8, 2025, Maranatha Volunteers International will be working at Andrews University to update the Lamson Hall residential rooms and suite bathrooms. Please consider volunteering and letting your family and friends know of this opportunity. All individuals (including local) should sign up at the Maranatha website: https://maranatha.org/volunteer-opportunities/.