February 9, 2009

This last Sabbath I had the privilege of joining the Pleasant View Church near Halifax, PA.



Recently the volunteer lay pastor, Joe Weigley led out in a series of meetings with materials from evangelist David Asherick.



Here is Joe standing by the recently added prayer tree in the church sanctuary. There are specific names on the leaves on this tree, that represent those individuals the church family are praying for.



Joe told me of plans for 2 evangelistic meetings during this year. Joe has encouraged another lay person to join him for the next meetings and they will alternate with the preaching.

Then I drove down to Carlisle, PA, and joined Juan Lopez and the PA Conference Hispanic Pastors at the weekend long, “Festival of the Laity.” Elder Reuben Ramos of the Columbia Union has led out in developing and presenting a “School of Theological Disciples,” which has been training lay leaders for ministry and mission. This Sabbath approximately 75 members graduated from the 1st course.



Among the graduates was lady whose daughter is a member of the Reading Spanish church, but she herself is not a Seventh-day Adventists. This weekend, this lady graduated from the School of Theological Disciples and will soon be joining the Adventist Church.



Elder Lopez invited me to have the message for the service. I shared the message from Luke 9 and 10, where Jesus sent out His disciples and then Jesus sent out the 70 others. Then I shared from Acts 1 and 2, which was Jesus graduating His disciples from their first school of instruction by being with him physically while He was on earth, to now being the teachers themselves as Jesus through the Holy Spirit worked through them.



Elder Ramos gave a closing appeal and there were some precious individuals who came forward during this service, to give their hearts to Jesus.

February 3, 2009

LAUREL LAKE CAMP RUMORS
Rumors abound regarding Laurel Lake Camp. Here is what is happening. Rick Bianco has just put out an excellent brochure for 2009 Summer Camp registration. I got one in the mail at my house yesterday. I think this is the earliest I have seen our LLC brochure go out, and I hope that you will encourage the young people you know to attend summer camp this year. To view the 2009 Laurel Lake Camp Brochure, go to the PA Conference website, www.paconference.org and click on “Ministries” then scroll down and click on “Laurel Lake Camp. I encourage you to forward it along to any young people or families that you know.


Someone has said that the Conference is closing the camp and selling the property. This is news to me! I want to know just who is selling the camp and what they are receiving for it.
The truth is, we have asked Vernon Bramble, a long-standing Seventh-day Adventist member, who has an excellent corporate background in finance, who has served as the Treasurer of our HVCA school in Philadelphia, and been a financial consultant for a number of non-profit corporations, including some turn-around situations, to conduct a cost analysis and business plan for Laurel Lake Camp. He is well into a thorough review of camp operations and has already begun to make a number of excellent recommendations.


In December, Vernon gave a general overview of his work to the Conference Executive Committee In the next few weeks he will be conducting a strategic planning session with Gary Moran, Rick Bianco, Mo Pelley and Karen Schneider, and involve others interested in the camp along the way. For us to have a viable camp program at Laurel Lake Camp, we need to establish some short and long term goals, strategies and benchmarks to reach. Vernon Bramble has very knowledgably engaged us in this process.
This does not mean that plans are being made to close camp. But with any endeavor, there is not the availability of indefinite and infinite resources. To recognize that and seek to find a way to have a future is not to say there are plans on the table to close and sell. It is actually to be a good steward of God’s resources, people and mission.
Vernon will be giving a complete presentation with his recommendations to the Executive Committee in February.


As it is within your power, please communicate with those you know the details I have shared here.
If you or anyone else have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

January 4, 2009

What does it mean to become a Mission Intentional Church, and how does a church go about becoming Mission Intentional? On January 4, 2009, in Harrisburg,, 3 Pennsylvania Conference Churches, Reading Kenhorst, Chambersburg and York came represented by their Pastors Church Board members and key leaders to a PA Conference sponsored day to prayerfully examine the issue and opportunities in becoming Mission Intentional.




To open the day, I shared a few key thoughts from the writings of Ellen White that give the principles for why we should be developing Mission Intentional Church and structuring the church specifically to be accountable for mission.
Our guest speaker was Elder Jim Brauer, the President of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.



Also attending were members of the PA Conference Executive Committee, Elder Frank Bondurant from the Columbia Union, Elder Ray Pichette and Elder Glen Altermatt from the Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Elder Bill Peterson, Assistant to the President for Mission in the PA Conference and Tami Horst our PA Communication Director organized our day of learning and growth.

I am very affirming of our churches who are willing to take seriously the gospel commission and the Adventist calling, and move their churches forward in mission, and not remain satisfied with status quo.

January 17, 2009 - York Springs Church

Blue Mountain Academy sent 15 students on a mission trip January 15-17. Because Pennsylvania is a Mission Field, these 15 students, under the leadership of Pastor Dave Ferguson, went to the York Springs SDA Church in York Springs, PA, and spent their time in mission cleaning, painting and working on the York Springs Church.



Sabbath, the BMA students conducted the worship service, gave the sermon, told the Children’s story and had special music. In the afternoon they were available for outreach activities as requested by the church. Dave Ferguson reported to me as I spent an hour with the BMA group on Friday, that this group of students would probably not be able to take part in a foreign mission trip experience, but here they were able to contribute in a significant way. Singing praise songs and laughing as they painted and worked, the BMA students seemed to be having a great time.



The PA Mission Trip took flight when Abby Hartwell approached Rob Gettys, principal of BMA, with the concept of doing mission right here in PA where there were so many churches that could use a team of students to come and work with the church.



Mr. Gettys strongly endorsed the concept and recommended Abby talk with the Chaplain, Dave Ferguson, who then coordinated the project.



3 churches were communicated with and the York Springs Church was selected. The students “roughed it” as they slept 3 nights on the floor of the Gettysburg Church. Everyone of these students told me of how glad they were to be a part of this project.


If your church would like to host/sponsor a BMA, Pennsylvania Mission Field, Mission Trip, contact Rob Gettys or Dave Ferguson at Blue Mountain Academy.

January 17, 2009 - Hershey Church

The Hershey Seventh-day Adventist Church is located in the town the “bills” itself as the “Sweetest Town on Earth.” With all the chocolate and candy manufactured in Hershey, there certainly is a sweet smell in the air. And there is a sweet atmosphere in the Hershey Seventh-day Adventist Church. I had the privilege to visit the Hershey SDA Church January 17 and present the morning worship message.



During the worship service, the Church Elders joined me as we conducted an ordination service for 1 Elder, 2 Deacons, and 2 Deaconesses.


In the afternoon, I had the privilege of spending some time with Volunteer Lay Pastors Mike Knapp and Tyler Kruger. Mike reported to me that 4-5 years ago the average Sabbath morning attendance was about 30-40. Presently, the average Sabbath morning attendance is 80-100. Hershey is one of 3 churches that are completely led by a Volunteer Lay Pastor. The Lebanon, Pleasant View and Hershey Churches, being led by dedicated, competent lay people, are enabling us to start a new work in the Pittsburgh region, which currently is the least entered metropolitan region/city in North America with the Adventist message. So many members of the Hershey church are willing and dedicated to taking up various ministries and responsibilities, much as Ellen White outlined that churches should do, to enable pastors to evangelize other regions. And God has blessed the Hershey Church. I appreciate the leadership of Mike Knapp and Tyler Kruger in Hershey.

January 16, 2009

On Sabbath, January 10, I joined the East Suburban Church for morning Sabbath School and worship. After the worship service, we had a combined meeting with the East Suburban and Greensburg Churches. I shared with them that we had selected Donald Lewis to be the Volunteer Lay Pastor of the East Suburban Church and Brandon Yorty to be the Volunteer Lay Pastor of the Greensburg Church.

Donald is retired from the U.S. Veterans Hospital system and has been serving as the Head Elder at East Suburban Church. He also just completed the lay pastor training course taught by Jim Wibberding. Donald was baptized by Bill Peterson in Gulf States a number of years ago, and was trained by Bill there in Church ministry. Brandon had served as an elder at East Suburban a few years ago under David Livergood. Then Brandon and his wife moved to Michigan where she completed a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and the University of Michigan. They then returned back to Western Pennsylvania. Brandon works for the Department of Aging, overseeing the financial accounts and bills for some 60-70 elderly individuals. Brandon and his wife are moving to the Greensburg community.

We have placed the East Suburban and Greensburg churches under the district leadership of Elder Bob Williams. He will coach and advise the Volunteer Lay Pastors of these two churches as they will have the majority of the leadership and spiritual direction for the churches.

Later in the afternoon I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. David Anderson, DDS., to be the new Volunteer Lay Pastor for the Washington Heights Church. Dr. Anderson is a graduate of Pine Forge Academy, Oakwood College and Howard University. In addition to operating a dental practice in the Pittsburgh area, he is also a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry. Dr. Anderson grew up watching his father serve as a church elder and also as a lay pastor. He has served, himself, as a church elder, a head elder, and in a number of local ministry positions. We praise God for his willingness to bring spiritual leadership to the Washington Heights church family.

Bill Oblitely had recently served as the Volunteer Lay Pastor, Bill has been a professor at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the computer department. He was selected for a Fulbright Fellowship and is currently serving in Ghana for one year before returning to Pennsylvania. Bill has served on our Conference Executive Committee, the Union Executive Committee and the Conference Constitution and By-Laws Committee.

December 15, 2008

Pastor Balio had a mission emphasis for the weekend, and the members of Maranatha, Spanish Church 1 and Lawndale, had an inspiring Sabbath at Huntington Valley Adventist Academy.

Pastor Balio had a mission emphasis for the weekend, and the members of Maranatha, Spanish Church 1 and Lawndale, had an inspiring Sabbath at Huntington Valley Adventist Academy.

Vernon Bramble, HVCA School Board Chair came by to welcome the churches and encourage all families to consider Christian Education for their children.

Pastor Balio led the Sabbath School time through the Fruits of the Spirit, by inviting all the gathered members to nominate different members as to which Fruit of the Spirit they had. Then he divided up the entire assembly to one of 9 groups representing the different Fruits, for prayer and encouragement.

Pastor Balio led the Sabbath School time through the Fruits of the Spirit, by inviting all the gathered members to nominate different members as to which Fruit of the Spirit they had. Then he divided up the entire assembly to one of 9 groups representing the different Fruits, for prayer and encouragement.

I was invited to give the Sabbath morning worship message, entitled, “Give Away Your Church,” based on Mark 10 and the story of the Rich Young Ruler and Jesus’ invitation to him to join the mission of Jesus.

In the afternoon I conducted a brief seminar. Part of that was an exercise where 8 different groups were formed around a particular church ministry. Each of these groups then brainstormed on how that particular church ministry was to be about reaching the lost.

Approximately 340 members were there on Sabbath morning.