December 2008 Newsletter

Midtown Herald

Church Newsletter of the Midtown Seventh-day Adventist Church

No. 6

December 2008

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

Prepare for an Overwhelming Surprise

"Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. God's people should be preparing for what is to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise" (GC 555).

"Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?" (Mark 13:4).

Within a week of His approaching death, Christ sat down with His disciples to talk of the future. He would be leaving, terrible persecution would come, but He would return. Purposefully no date was given. Their curiosity was no doubt great, but Christ had other charges for them. Instead, Christ focused on other issues, and His instructions apply to us just as surely as to the disciples.

Whether things go well or not, we must not be misled into a false sense of security. The disciples were looking at the beautiful and serene temple and grounds, but Christ predicted unprecedented destruction. "There shall not be left one stone upon another" (v. 2).

Nor should we allow ourselves to be deceived by false prophets (vv. 5-6). Scripture gives us ample information to allow us to identify and shun these "wolves in sheep's clothing." But to our shame, false teachings permeate our churches and television airwaves.

Furthermore, when natural calamities and world turmoil cascade in on us (vv.7-8), we must not be frozen with fear. These things must come (v.7). Persecution must also come (vv. 9-12). We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated in our witness or tripped up by bitterness.

Instead, we must "endure" and remain loyal to Him (v. 13). We must be at work to spread the gospel to (Columbia and the surrounding areas and) to all nations (v.10) in spite of opposition. And, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is" (v. 33).

As the events in the Middle East and elsewhere escalate and take on a character which could lead to the sort of conflagration Jesus prophesied, let us in this New Year, commit ourselves to the attitude of heart and life He commanded.

Pastor Fry

PROPHETIC COUNSEL

"When the storm of persecution really breaks upon us, the true sheep will hear the true Shepherd's voice. Self-denying efforts will be put forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back to follow the great Shepherd. The people of God will draw together, and present to the enemy a united front.. ..The love of Christ, the love of our brethren, will testify to the world that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Then will the message of the third angel swell to a loud cry, and the whole earth will be lightened with the glory of the Lord." (6T 401).

"Life is disciplinary. While in the world, the Christian will meet with adverse influences. There will be provocations to test the temper; and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian graces are developed. The standard is high to which we must attain if we would be children of God, pure, holy, and undefiled; but how could we reach this standard if there were no difficulties to meet, no obstacles to surmount, nothing to develop patience and endurance? Trials are not the smallest blessings that come to us. They are designed to nerve us to determination to succeed. Instead of allowing them to hinder, oppress, and destroy us, we are to use them as God's means of enabling us to gain the victory over self." (ST, February 10, 1909).

CHURCH NEWS

Thank You

A big thank-you, and God's blessings to all of you who came out and supported the December 3rd meeting with the conference brethren. It was an excellent and profitable time. We praise the Lord for His goodness.

Midtown to Become a Church in January

Guess what??? The Carolina Conference Executive Committee has voted to organize us into a Church. The date for the charter signing has not yet been set, but is expected to be sometime in January. Watch for announcements for the exact date, and plan to attend so that you can sign the charter and become a Charter Member of the Columbia Midtown SDA Church. Any family members or friends who are not Seventh-day Adventists but would like to take Bible studies to become a Charter Member are also invited to attend.

Donate Online

It is now possible to donate to our church Building Fund, or even pay your tithes and offerings, online. Just go to our website, MidtownChurch.net, and click on the "donate" button at the top or bottom of each page. You'll be directed to our secure payments page in which you can specify the amount and purpose of your payment. You'll be asked for your name, address, credit card number and amount. Then just click on the "pay" button, and your donation will be sent to our church's account in the PayPal bank. PayPal, owned by Google, is the largest online transaction processor in the world. It deposits any money donated into our account, where we can transfer it to our local bank or let it accumulate interest. Tell your friends who are thinking of donating to our Building Fund about this new, convenient way to send their donation to us.

Attendance

Our average weekly attendance at our Worship services for the year has increased again to 33. For the month of November, we had attendances of 32, 49. 36, 45, and 41. We're getting significant numbers of visiting travelers and other interested visitors, many of whom find us on the internet. In fact, if you Google "SDA church in Columbia SC", you'll find us at the top of the list of almost 16,000 entries returned! Our Google listing is complete with a map to our church, as well as a picture of our building. Thanks to the Lord for His help in getting our presence known to all who seek.

Discover Bible School

Our Discover Bible School, under the direction of Doris Sheriff, is adding students on a regular basis as we reach out with our doorknob hangers containing Steps to Christ and a Bible course enrollment card. A great big thank-you to all who take part in this ministry.

The Conqueror's Seminar at Midtown in September

Elder Gary Moyer, Conference Secretary, will deliver the sermon on Sabbath morning, September 12, and hold an afternoon seminar on how to conquer bad habits, overeating, temper, sin, etc. Be sure to attend this special service, and invite all your family and friends as well.

Mission Trip

Thinking of taking a winter vacation to some tropical land? How about combining your vacation with a Mission Trip? The Carolina Conference is sponsoring a Mission Trip open to anyone 13 years old and older. You must be in good health and have all vaccinations current, and you need a valid passport. The attendees will build a church, hold evangelistic meetings, and conduct a vacation Bible School for the local children. The trip is from February 25 through March 12, to Tepic, Jalisco, Mexico, near Guadalajara. The cost is $1000 per person, which includes air and ground travel, housing and food. To sign up, email or call the Carolina Conference Youth Department at ttaylor@carolinasda.com or 704-596-3200, ext 5713. The deadline for applications is January 12.

Hear Us on WBAJ

Did you know that you can hear Pastor Fry's sermons one week delayed on WBAJ (890 am), so that if you miss one of his sermons, or would like to hear it again, you can tune in to WBAJ and hear it. Beginning in January, Pastor Fry will be on WBAJ every Thursday evening at 5:00 pm.

Also, listen to the weekly Sabbath School program on Sabbath mornings at 8:00 to prepare for our own Sabbath School at 10. Pastor Doug Batchelor teaches the same lesson each Sabbath that we will be studying later that day.

Bob Sitko

CHURCH BOARD ACTIVITY

At our Church Board meeting on December 2, the members discussed Gareth Fome's Mission Trip expenses, the Building Fund, book distribution, and new Board members. (Gareth needs to raise $2000.00 for his required mission trip. Can anyone help him?)

Also, motions were passed to renew the Revelation of Hope internet domain, to order more Steps to Christ books for free distribution, and to approve the Conference Audit of our finances.

The next Board meeting will be on January 6 and will be the first for our new board members, Barry Nicks and Mary Ann Fry.

A NOTE FROM OUR TREASURER

The Lord is blessing our offerings and tithes. The Building fund is growing, but we must not forget that we need our own building, so please keep those fund raising letters flowing to your friends and acquaintances.

Thanks to all who are donating to our Church Building Fund by purchasing boxes of our delicious and nutrition Fund Raisins. So far, we've received over $50 in our donation jar for these Fund Raisins.

Mary Grace McPherson

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

Nicoleta Hodis on December 19
Penny Beihl on February 25

MIDWEEK AT MIDTOWN

We continue to have a good turn-out for Prayer Meeting as we study how to prepare for the last days. Come and join us for this enlightening study.

Because of the holidays, there will be no Wednesday night Prayer Meetings on Christmas Eve, December 24, or New Year's Eve on December 3 1 . Our next prayer meeting will be on January 7

Bob Sitko

FELLOWSHIP LUNCHES

Come join us for good food and fellowship every second and fourth Sabbath after the Worship Hour. It is a great time to get to know each other!

BITS OF WISDOM

If your mind goes blank, don't forget to turn off the sound.

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of the anxiety handle or the faith handle. Remember Philippians 4:13!

As the root is in the soil, the branch in the vine, the fish in the sea, the bird in the air, so the place of the Christian's life is in Christ. Physically his life is in the world; spiritually it is lifted above the world to be in Christ.

Mary Ann Fry

HEALTH BITES

Bilberry Jam

For hundreds of years, the bilberry plant (Vaccinium myrtillus), which grows in Northern Europe and Asia, has been used to make fresh jam. But it wasn't until WWII that the jam was discovered to have medicinal purposes. British Royal Air Force pilots found that when they ate bilberry jam before flying a mission, their night vision and visual acuity improved. More than 50 scientific studies have been published confirming the value of bilberry. The extract can help soothe tired eyes, which are problematic for many of those who read a lot, work at computers for long periods of time, drive long distances at night or have difficulty adjusting to dim or bright light How well your eyes adapt to dim light is directly related to the amount of rhodopsin (visual purple) in the retinal rod of the eye. The store of rhodopsin is depleted when you strain your eyes or have to adjust to the dark. Anthocyanoside, the active ingredient in the bilberry fruit, has been found to actually stimulate the production of Rhodopsin in the eye. According to the published report in the Bulletin of the Opthalmological Society of Egypt, in only 10 days, anthocyanoside improved visual acuity and night blindness in 100% of the severely nearsighted patients studied.

Karen Covington

TIP OF THE MONTH

To zip up your salad greens and veggies, add a handful of cut up grapes, peaches, pears, kiwis, cantaloupe, apples, strawberries, or oranges. Or toss in some blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, or dried cranberries.

VESPERS

Friday night Video Vespers have started back up. Each Friday, at 6 pm, you can watch an inspirational sermon from one of our church's great speakers, such as Dwight Nelson, Steve Wohlberg, C.D. Brooks, or others. The program lasts about an hour, and is a great way to start the Sabbath. Check our website, MidtownChurch.net, or call the Church at 803-834-9115, to find the location. These video programs are held in various members' homes in the downtown Columbia area, so check to
see who is currently hosting them.

Bob Sitko

SABBATH SCHOOL LESSONS

Our new Sabbath School Quarterlies, The Prophetic Gift, are available for you to pick up any Sabbath during Sabbath School. These quarterlies are effective in January, so be sure to get yours soon if you haven't already done so.

Midtown Church meets at the Capital Senior Center on Park Circle, behind Maxcy Gregg Park, Sabbath (Saturday) Morning at 10 AM for Sabbath School and 11:15 AM for the Worship Hour. Please come and join us for fellowship and worship.