URGENT help needed for God's Closet this evening

It's going to be a late night! If you can spare any time this evening to help sort clothes, please drop by the Fellowship Center.

God's Closet needs your help today

Today is sorting day for God's Closet. There are literally mounds of clothes that need to be sorted. If you have 30 minutes, an hour or two, or more, to help, stop by the Fellowship Center today. They'll be sorting until 6 pm, or until they're done.

The children in need in our community thank you!

Vancouver Today — e.Update May 9, 2012

                             May 9, 2012
 

From Pastor Roger - What's your name? If someone asks for your name, the answer is automatically out of your mouth, before your brain has even processed the question. It works that way because you have processed that information so many times it's saved in an auto-response area of your brain. It's as automatic as lifting a fork to your mouth. In modern English, your name is what was written on your birth certificate: Jane, John. In many ancient cultures and even some cultures today, your name is a description of you, and it could change over time. In crossword puzzles, the clue "name" is often used for title, and vice versa. So, what's your name? There's a familiar song, "His Name is Wonderful." The lyrics are based in Isaiah 9:6 "…And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." If you were to do a study of the names of God, you would find a very long list. Jehovah-Shammah (Ez. 48:35) "The Lord who is present." Jehovah-Rapha (Ex. 15:26) "The Lord our healer." There are many more descriptions or names of God. So, what's your name? What name would your spouse give you? How would your children describe you? What about your coworkers? The person who sits near you in church every week? The driver in the car on the road with you? More importantly, what name would God give you? Would you be called Faithful? Are you Trusting? It is our fervent prayer that "the Lord who is present" would be able to call this church and its members Faithful, True-to-His-Will, Just, Loving, Giving — that without much time for thought, we would be true reflections of all of the names or characteristics of God.

What's happening >Sign up for the Gardening Club (see attachment). >Future concerts: • June 23, 7:30pm, King's Heralds THIS WEEK Wednesday, May 9 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   7:00pm Elders Thursday, May 10 12noon God's Closet 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pm The Journey   Friday, May 11 9:00am God's Closet 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, May 12 9, 11am Pastor Danny Kim —        "The Hardest Thing" 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope NEXT WEEK Sunday, May 13 9:00am Men's Group 4:00pm CHIP 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Monday, May 14 7:00 Pathfinders 7:00 School Board Tuesday, May 15 6:30pm CHIP Wednesday, May 16 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   Thursday, May 17 8:00 am CAA Spring Picnic 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pm The Journey 7:00pm CAA Awards night   Friday, May 18 6:00pm Shabbat Service   Sabbath, May 19 9, 11am Pastor Danny Kim — "New Creation" 10:00am Sabbath School 3:00pm Adventurers & Discovery Clubs 3:00pm Ken Hamilton Memorial

Fwd: Vancouver Today — e.Update May 5, 2012

                             May 5, 2012
 

From Pastor Roger - Trust enough to honor  You've all heard the statement, "You can't get blood out of a turnip." What about water out of a rock? In Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, we read about Moses bringing water out of rock. Not just a trickle or a little stream, but gushing water — enough to quench the thirst of thousands of people and all of their livestock. A show of power, miracle of faith and, yet, a reminder of our weakness. God gave Moses specific instructions in Numbers 20:6. He was to speak to the rock and it would "pour out its water." (NIV) In his frustration with the non-stop grumbling and venting he had endured, Moses struck the rock. Not once, but twice. There are some important lessons for us in this story: God's instructions were specific, and Moses clearly failed to follow orders. Yet God didn't humiliate Moses by withholding water. As far as the people knew, Moses had done as God commanded. I am so glad God doesn't expose us, but gives us opportunities for redemption over and over again.   We could certainly understand if God chose to withhold the water, but he didn't withhold His blessing from the people. Can't you just feel the frustration Moses must have felt? How often have you felt this kind of frustration with the drivers around you? With your colleagues? Your family? I'm so glad God doesn't get frustrated with me, and I rejoice that he continues to pour out His blessings.   There was a definite consequence to Moses' disobedience. "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." Numbers 20:12, NIV God's love and mercy was evident in giving Moses a peek at the promised land. If we had to rely on our obedience to receive eternal life, we'd all be lost. Thankfully, God steps in and covers our tracks with His love and mercy. He not only opens the doors to His kingdom, He stands there with arms stretched wide to welcome us. There was a popular Christian song in the 70s: Anybody here wanna live forever, say "I do!" Anybody here wanna walk on golden streets, say "I do!" Anybody here sick and tired of livin' like ya do? Anybody here want a home with love forever, say "I do!" Do you trust God enough to honor Him as holy? Enough to want a home with Him forever? Say "I do!"

What's happening >Sign up for the Gardening Club (see attachment). >Future concerts: • June 23, 7:30pm, King's Heralds THIS WEEK Wednesday, May 2 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   Thursday, May 3 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pm The Journey   Friday, May 4 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, May 5 9, 11am Pastor Roger Walter       Sabbath Thru the Ages 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope    NEXT WEEK Sunday, May 6 9:00am Men's Group 4:00pm CHIP 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Tuesday, May 8 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pmYoung Adult Wednesday, May 92 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   7:00pm Elders Thursday, May 10 12noon God's Closet 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pm The Journey   Friday, May 11 9:00am God's Closet 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, May 12 9, 11am Pastor Danny Kim 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope

Vancouver Today — e.Update April 25, 2012

                             April 25, 2012
 

From Pastor Roger - Let them build Me a sanctuary ...Chapter 3 "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." CET 204.1 A quick review of miracles Every building site we looked at was beyond our budget. But God found this site, which not only met our budget and space needs, it came ready-made with a traffic signal.   We need dirt. $600,000 worth of dirt, which God provided for less than 1% of that cost after a special prayer meeting.   With only 5 minutes left before Maranatha pulled the plug on our project, Pastor VJ called from the County offices, with permit in hand. Thanks to the intervention of Elmer Armstrong's neighbor (and God!) the nearly two-year permit process was finally over. There was no direct connection to the sewer line on St. Johns Road. We were going to have to go through one of our neighbor's properties. A providential encounter led to a mutually beneficial arrangement with a new subdivision that brought in money.   Before we put up all the sheetrock, everyone was invited to go to the space where they would be most involved and write their favorite Bible verse or promise. This is a church full of promises  — promises fulfilled, promises being fulfilled, and promises soon to be fulfilled. Please search your hearts and see what God has promised you as you partner with Him. Donations to help with the mortgage payments should be marked on the tithe envelop on the line labeled "Building Fund". If you would like to make a major gift to help pay off the mortgages, the parking lot loan currently has a balance of $448,000 and the church loan currently has a balance of $1,668,000. Donations of $50,000 or more allow us to pay down the balance of the small loan and reduce our monthly payments. Malachi 3:10-12 "...'Test me in this,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,' says the LORD Almighty."

What's happening >Sign up for the Gardening Club. See the attached flyer for more information. >Future concerts: • June 23, 7:30pm, King's Heralds THIS WEEK Wednesday, Apr. 25 4:00 Discoverers, Adventurers 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   7:00pm Church Board 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Thursday, Apr. 26 7:00pm The Journey   7:00pm CAA Board Friday, Apr. 27 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, Apr. 28 9, 11am Pastor Roger Walter       What is Tolerance, Part 2 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope     NEXT WEEK Sunday, Apr. 29 9:00am Men's Group 4:00pm CHIP 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Tuesday, May 1 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pmYoung Adult Wednesday, May 2 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   Thursday, May 3 6:30pm CHIP 7:00pm The Journey   Friday, May 4 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, Apr. 28 9, 11am Pastor Roger Walter       What is Tolerance, Part 2 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope

Vancouver Today — e.Update April 18, 2012

                             April 18, 2012
 

From Pastor Roger - Let them build Me a sanctuary ...Chapter 2 "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." CET 204.1 Owner to renter When we first thought of selling the old church building, no one was interested in church buildings, except to tear them down and use the land for a more profitable structure. The time did come when God led us to put the building on the market. In a very short time, we received offers that were well within reason. One offer was perfect: The Vineyard Fellowship of Vancouver wanted to rent, with option to purchase, and the offer was for our asking price. That gave us time to get our building plans approved and begin building. Or so we thought. Bureaucratic red tape extended our timeline beyond anything we could have imagined. After two years, the Vineyard Fellowship completed the purchase of the building, and we went from owner to renter. New building, big plans Nearly four years elapsed from the time we accepted the offer from our friends in the Vineyard Fellowship to our first Sabbath in our new building. We wanted to stop paying rent as soon as possible so that money could go into paying for the new building. We started with two million dollars. Those funds came from selling Fir Grove School to the Vancouver School District and from selling the old church to the Vineyard Fellowship of Vancouver, and many of our members at that time had been giving sacrificially for several years. We wanted a church that could become an evangelistic center for Clark County. We also wanted one that could be well located and be attractive to people to visit. What we really wanted would have cost us eight to nine million dollars but we knew that was not practical. In the end, we designed and built a facility that cost about six million dollars. Later, when the land next door became available for additional parking, we borrowed and bought that for $625,000. Clearing the debt We didn't have a lot of wealthy members in our congregation, so with God's help we each chipped in as much as we could. When it was all said and done, we still needed about $2,250,000 to finish the building and buy the parking lot land. That money was borrowed from the North Pacific Union Conference Association Revolving Fund in two different 20-year loans. We have been making payments on those loans for a number of years, but if they go full term, the last payment will not be made until 2026. Our mortgage payments are $19,541 per month. Since May 2011 our church member offerings to the building (mortgage) fund have been averaging $14,598, nearly $5,000 per month less than the payments. Here is what it looks like (blue=member donations, maroon=mortgage payments): If we continue to give to the building fund at this rate, we will quickly use up the reserves we have set aside to be able to continue making our payments on time each month. Please search your hearts (and personal budgets) and see what God and you together in partnership can do to make this a better picture. As we have learned in recent sermons, you cannot out-give God. He will bless your faithfulness. Donations to help with the mortgage payments should be marked on the tithe envelop on the line labeled "Building Fund". If you would like to make a major gift to help pay off the mortgages, the parking lot loan currently has a balance of $448,000 and the church loan currently has a balance of $1,668,000. Donations of $50,000 or more allow us to pay down the balance of the small loan and reduce our monthly payments. Malachi 3:10-12 "...'Test me in this,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,' says the LORD Almighty. 'Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,' says the LORD Almighty."

Sorrow in our family Reporting the deaths of: >Greg Hamilton's father, Duane K. Hamilton >25-year-old Vytaus Leonavichus, son of Leta Ayres >20-year-old Nathan Hettman, son and stepson of Dan and Stephanie Hettman What's happening >Friday, Apr. 20, 7:00 pm:  Songs of Ascent, The gospel through word and song. songsofascent.org Pick up a LIFE Journal bookmark at the greeter's desk in the foyer. >Future concerts: • June 23, 7:30pm, King's Heralds THIS WEEK Wednesday, Apr. 18 4:00 Budget 6:30pm Youth Bible Study       Thursday, Apr. 19 7:00pm The Journey   Friday, Apr. 20 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Songs of Ascent Concert  Sabbath, Apr. 21 9, 11am Pastor Roger Walter      What is Tolerance? Part 1 10:00am Sabbath School 3:30pm Marguerite Barger Memorial Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope    NEXT WEEK Sunday, Apr. 22 9:00am Men's Group 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Monday, Apr. 23 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Tuesday, Apr. 24 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Wednesday, Apr. 25 4:00 Discoverers, Adventurers 6:30pm Youth Bible Study   7:00pm Church Board 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope Thursday, Apr. 26 7:00pm The Journey   7:00pm CAA Board Friday, Apr. 27 6:00pm Shabbat Service 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope  Sabbath, Apr. 28 9, 11am Pastor Roger Walter       What is Tolerance, Part 2 10:00am Sabbath School 7:00pm Prophecies of Hope

Fwd: News from Grenada

From Dan Weston - Please pray that his time will be safe and productive for the kingdom!

Make a Difference! (Matt. 25:31-46)

roger walter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Senior Pastor   http://bit.ly/qO3Vg

Seventh-day Adventist Community Church of Vancouver

Begin forwarded message:

From: DAN WESTON 

Hello all,

I am sending this to everyone I can think of at the moment who may have some interest in my trip to Grenada.  If you don't want to receive further messages please reply and ask me to delete you from the list and I will do so.  I don't want to be a bother.  If you think of others who may have an interest, please feel free to forward.

I arrived on the island of Grenada as scheduled at 7:30 last Tuesday evening.  I was met by Sue Bartels and their two children Stephen (15) and Sarah (12).  (I am here because John Bartels has some health issues that have made it necessary for him to be away for several weeks for treatment and the building project of a Christian television studio is right in the middle of construction, so he asked me to come and be his eyes and ears for a while.)  It was already dark when I arrived so I didn't get to see any of the island on the way to the house where I am staying.  I was taken to the site of the TV station the next morning and stayed busy the rest of the week.  The house where I am staying is about a mile from the construction site so I have been walking back and forth morning and evening.

Sue had graciously provided some groceries to last me a couple of days.  On Thursday afternoon she took me shopping in St. Georges for groceries.  St. Georges still has many of the 18th century buildings.  The streets are very narrow and steep.  I went to an open-air market where I purchased some produce from the local growers and was accosted to purchase various articles made by local artisans.  A very interesting place.  I did go to an Ace Hardware store and an IGA supermarket as well to purchase some items.  Sue chose Thursday afternoon because that is when the shipments of fresh groceries arrive on the island and the shelves are freshly stocked at the IGA supermarket.  They even have a small mall with a dozen or so stores next to the IGA store.

On Saturday I attended a local SDA church in St. Georges where the Bartels' family are members.  There are about 13,000 SDA members on the island of Grenada.  The total population of the island is somewhere around 110,000.

Today I spent doing laundry and preparing for tomorrow when I expect to meet with another engineer from the island and plan to make some ground resistance measurements to verify if the grounding system design will be adequate to protect the electronic equipment inside the building.

The weather has been, well, tropical!  It is not as humid as Guam was and not as hot.  More like Hawaii, actually!  Even though it is the "Dry Season", it has rained several times, sometimes quite heavy.  It is the tropical type of rainstorm where it rains for a few minutes and then the sun comes out again.  Yes, I did bring an umbrella!  However, I need the umbrella more for shade than for protection from the rain.  I forgot to add sunscreen a couple times and have gotten a small amount of sunburn – it doesn't take long when the sun is directly overhead.  Maybe I will actually have some tan when I return!

I discovered that the buses don't run on Sunday, so I didn't have transportation to the beach today.  Bummer! - a tropical island and I can't even get to the beach!  I will check into a rental car for next weekend.  I would like to visit the rest of the island.  The locals call the southern part of the island the city and the northern part the country, so it must be less densely populated on the northern part.  I am on the southern part not far from St. Georges in a community called St. Pauls.  I still haven't been able to locate the house or the construction site on Google maps.

Grenada doesn't have very much level ground – either you are going up or down.  The roads are all very narrow and the people drive on the wrong side of the street!  The people are friendly and I have been treated well so far.  Fortunately they all speak English, although there is some local dialect that sometimes makes it hard to communicate.  On top of that the foreman on the construction site stutters which makes it harder to understand him.

More later.. :)

May God bless,
Dan