March 28, 2009

On Sabbath, March 21, we officially organized the Bethlehem Spanish Church in the Pennsylvania Conference. Brother Juan Tavarez has been the lay leader of this group for a number of years. Bill Peterson has worked extensively with this group and provide a coach to guide the lay leader along. After inviting the baptized members to come forward and sign as charter members, in answer to an appeal 5 others came forward to sign, who were being baptized that Sabbath afternoon. Then with a 3^rd appeal, a lady came forward to sign the book, who had joined the Lehigh Valley Church a number of years ago, but when she moved to New Jersey, had slipped away from church. Now she wanted to be an active Adventist again.

March 21, 2009

I was invited to conduct a reaping series of meetings with the Lehigh Valley Spanish church March 14-21. The opening message was on the Great Controversy theme, and my heart was once again stirred as I had the privilege of presenting this wonderful and comprehensive message of the plan of salvation and the soon return of Christ. Other topics through the week covered the gospel, signs of the second coming, the resurrection, the Sabbath, baptism, the millennium and the new earth, etc. On the last Sabbath afternoon, after 12 or more baptismal candidates from the Lehigh Valley Spanish Church and the Easton Spanish Church plant were baptized by Pastor Montalvo, he gave an appeal from the baptistery. I estimated 18 people came forward in answer to the invitation to plan on baptism in the future, including family and friends of those baptized that day. Elias Saud did a good job conducting meetings in Easton at the same time of the meetings at Lehigh Valley Spanish.

March 13

This week I was serving the Pennsylvania Conference by participating in the Columbia Union functions.

On Monday and Tuesday all the president’s from the Conferences in the Columbia Union meet in the President’s Council with the Columbia Union Officers. On Tuesday afternoon, we had the Columbia Union Board of Education, chaired by Ham Canossa. Dave Morgan, our PA Vice President for Education is also a member of that committee, and we spent about an hour together after the CUBOE meeting discussing PA Conference education items.

Wednesday, I served on the Columbia Union College Board of Trustees Committee meeting. While there I also interfaced with two dedicated Adventist business professionals in regards to some things that may help Blue Mountain Academy over the future. I was also asked to serve on a subcommittee to suggest potential names for re-naming Columbia Union College as it moves toward University status.

On Thursday I served on the Columbia Union Executive Committee, where there are an additional 3 members of this committee from the Pennsylvania Conference. Pictured here, you will see Pastor Dennis Austin, from the Pittsburgh and New Brighton district.

Also a young adult, Christina Ivankina, who joined her father in being one of the church planters of the Lewisburg SDA Church. She is about to begin evangelistic meetings with a couple of other young adults.

At this Union Committee, the Pennsylvania Conference Executive Committee had nominated Erin Clark to fill the position on the Union Committee that was vacated when Cheryl Schaffer moved to Collegedale, TN.

Elder Dave Weigely, Neville Harcombe and Seth Bardu lead our Union and are dedicated to the ministry and effectiveness of God’s work here in the Columbia Union

March 9

Sabbath, March 7 I was invited to the Stroudsburg Church for a special Sabbath of dedicating the new Church Officers and Ministry leaders for the coming year. My sermon for the worship hour message focused on the Leadership examples for a Christian leader found from the life of Moses.

In Patriarchs and Prophets I read:
“Moses was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all ages. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he stands without a peer.” p. 246.

After the worship hour message, we had an ordination service for two new church elders and a new church deacon.

In the afternoon I met briefly with the elders.

Then later, I introduced Pastor James Clark as the new district pastor for the Stroudsburg, Easton, Poconos Grace and Hope Fellowship churches and church plant. Pastor Clark’s primary responsibilities will be spiritual leadership for the Stroudsburg and Easton Churches, and directing and coordinating the work of the lay leaders who are responsible for the Poconos Grace church and the Hope Fellowship Church plant. Pastor Clark has a wealth of experience. He taught Bible and religion for 14 years in Greater New York Academy and had the privilege of seeing 36 of his students later enter the full time gospel ministry. He has been the pastor/leader of churches with a wide range of multi ethnic memberships, and he has led in several successful church building and fund-raising projects. He is a committed evangelist and mission leader. And we are blessed to have him join our Pennsylvania Conference Ministry Team. Pastor Clark comes to us from the Northeastern Conference.

February 21

Sabbath, February 21 was Pathfinder Sabbath at the Hampden Heights Church.

Pathfinders conducted the entire worship service. Two young ladies gave the Sabbath morning worship hour message.

In the afternoon the PA Conference Bible Achievement was conducted. Pam Schieb, one of the Pathfinder coordinators for the PA Conference does a magnificent job coordinating these each year.

Clubs this year at the Bible Achievement represented the Gettysburg SDA Church, Hamburg SDA Church, Hampden Heights SDA Church, and a club from the Hillside SDA Church in the Allegheny East Conference.

It was inspiring to watch each club work diligently to get the answer to the pretty tough bible questions.

Barry Tryon and Karen Schneider were invited to join me as judges for the event.

I am impressed with the dedicated leaders all across the Conference that we have who volunteer their time, energy and travel to support our young people in the great organization of Pathfinders.

Mark Sorensen, who has served as the Executive Director for the Pathfinder Council of the PA Conference is just one of many dozens who give their efforts to help our young people grow and develop through Pathfindering.

February 28, 2009

This week I was privileged to join the New Castle Church for worship. My sermon title was, “Whatever it Takes,” drawn from Mark 2:1-12 speaking of the paralytic who had 4 friends eager to bring him to Jesus for healing. Since there was not enough room in the crowd for these men to bring their friend on his bed into the presence of Jesus, they took him up on the roof. After tearing the roof off, they lowered him into the presence of Jesus.
After the worship service, I met with Elder Ken Knosp and the church elders in planning for the Evangelistic meetings beginning April 17.


Elder Knosp invited all the church members to join hands for prayer, and we went around the circle with each one praying for the upcoming evangelistic meetings.


The New Castle church has a good number of the members going out every week giving out bible study lessons!

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.