March 2009 Newsletter

Midtown Herald

Church Newsletter of the Midtown Seventh-day Adventist Church

No. 9

March 2009

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

Marking Your Trail

Many of us are so busy we never take time to consider where we are going-or why. Yet we humans are the only creatures that God created with the capacity for self reflection. We can think about ourselves, evaluate our lives, and make changes in light of what we see.

Proverbs encourages us to stay on the path of wisdom to be careful not to stray "to the right or to the left" (Prov. 4:25-27). Is that the case for you? Use the questions below to "mark your trail" along the journey of faith. Take a look at your attitudes and behaviors using these "path" questions.

Influence on others: Whose life have you genuinely touched and changed for the better in recent years?
Direction and purpose: If you continue to work for the next ten years as you are now working, what will you have gained? Describe what your life will look like in ten years.
Honoring God: Can you cite ten things that you have done in the last year that you believe have clearly brought glory to God? Name ways in which you have honored Him at work, in your home, and in your community.
Avoiding evil: What one thing have you said "no" to in the past year in order to "remove your foot from evil" (Prov. 4:27)? What did it cost you? What did you gain?
Your testimony: What one characteristic would you say clearly distinguishes you from non-Christians in your workplace or neighborhood?
Looking back: Think where your life was ten years ago. Name three specific ways in which you have grown or changed for the better in that time. Or have you taken a step or two backward? If so, what practical changes do you need to make to turn your life around?

Staying on the path of wisdom encourages us to keep our eyes and ears open to what is happening all around us. Sometimes I think words fall on deaf ears -- or at least apathetic ears. When President Bush defended his economic bailout on TV, he mentioned this was a better option than a situation worse than the Great Depression. Are we listening? Leading economists warn that the worst is yet to come. Please remember, I do not like sensational hype, but the fact is -- the facts do not look good! One thing to remember, Satan uses the three steps forward, two steps back conditioning principle. He brings us to a crisis situation, and then lets the tension ease off. All the while he steadily gains ground. For instance: gas prices recently went sky high. They are back down, but not as low as before, and are rising again. In many malls, businesses are disappearing, thus threatening the lease payments of mall owners. There is a good chance we will begin to see some shopping malls sitting empty, too.

Many people have never heard of the Baltic Dry Index, which comes from the UK. This index measures the price of moving major raw materials by sea. Many economists and stock analysts read this index, as it provides an assessment of the international cost of moving raw materials, such as building materials, coal, crude oil, metallic ores, and grains. On December 5, 2008, the index had dropped by 94%, the lowest since 1986. What does that mean? There is a dramatic slowing of the international movement of raw materials, and the trickle-down effect could spell a shortage of some commodities as trade comes to a standstill. This month industrial output has dropped to its lowest level in 50 years. All indicators show we are not dealing with a simple slowdown of the economy, but a worldwide economic crisis. I think America is in for a rude awakening. And does not Bible prophecy tell us that there will be a crisis in "buying and selling?" (Rev. 13:17). Friends, we need to listen up on the path of wisdom.

Pastor Fry

PROPHETIC COUNSEL

"All should feel the necessity of keeping the moral nature braced by constant watchfulness. Like faithful sentinels, they should guard the citadel of the soul, never feeling that they may relax their vigilance for a moment" (CH 41).

"The mind must be trained to daily tests to habits of fidelity, to a sense of the claims of right and duty above inclination and pleasure. Minds thus trained do not waver between right and wrong, as the reed trembles in the wind; but as soon as matters come before them, they discern at once that principle is involved, and they instinctively choose the right without long debating the matter. They are loyal because they have trained themselves in habits of faithfulness and truth" (3T 22).

Pastor Fry

CHURCH NEWS

Organizational Service

At our Organizational Service, February 28, 2009, our attendance was 114 members and visitors, a record high surpassing even the Dr. Phil Collins service we had several years ago at the Convention Center. Photos of this special service can be seen on our website, MidtownChurch.net. Just click on "Photos" at the top of the page.

Sabbath School Quarterlies

Be sure to pick up your new Sabbath School Quarterly for April to June. This quarter's title is "The Christian Life", and the first few lessons are entitled "Love", "Faith", "Hope", "Life", and "Revelation". It looks like it will be an interesting and exciting quarter. We also have a couple of Teacher' s Editions available, as well as a couple of copies of E. G. White's Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons.

NAPS

NAPS is the National Association for the Prevention of Starvation, an organization of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. On March 7, two members of this organization, Ro-Jay Reid and Mia Pile, presented a brief introduction to this organization and the relief work it is doing, and to ask for donations to continue their work. If you were unable to give while these students were here, you can still mail a donation to NAPS at 7000 Adventist Blvd., Huntsville, AL, 35896.

Piano Platform

Thank you, Deacon Bob Garner, for constructing the rolling piano platform for our church. This beautifully crafted platform makes it easy to move the piano into and out of our storage area. We no longer have to lift the piano onto and off of a small rolling dolly. Bob's employer donated the materials, and Bob donated his time and talents to make this fine piece of furniture.

Pulpit

Have you noticed the nice new fringe around the base of our pulpit? Thanks to Rose Sheroian for her kindness in dressing up our pulpit.

New Members

With the approval of the transfers in membership of Susan Balcerzak, Helen Koon, and Marion Marple, our membership will total 54! Not bad for a church that started the year with only 48 members.

On the Radio

Pastor Fry is moving again, but not far. He can be heard on WBAJ on Tuesday mornings in April at 7:00 instead of 7:30. 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. You can also hear his sermons from our Sermon Archives on our website, MidtownChurch.net.

Also, listen to the weekly Sabbath School program on WBAJ 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.

Prayer Request Cards

If you have any prayer requests to bring to the Lord during Worship Service, and again at our midweek Prayer Meeting, please fill out one of the Prayer Request cards and give them to one of our Deacons at the start of the service.

Church Business Meeting

At the March 7 Church Business Meeting, Bob Sitko presented the Clerk's report of church growth in 2008 (increased from 27 to 48), attendance growth in 2008 (average increased from 25 to 34), and listed 65 decisions made by the Board in 2008.

Mary Grace McPherson presented the Treasurer's report for 2008 and reminded all members to fill out their tithe envelopes properly.

A question was raised whether we plan to present any evangelistic series this year. A Sabbath Conference is planned, but we need to begin planning an evangelistic series as well.

The question of whether to move an excess $5K from our church budget to an interest-bearing (SURF) account was discussed. A motion to move $5K to the Building Fund SURF account was made, seconded, and carried.

A motion to make Pastor Fry tile Head Elder was made, seconded, and carried.

Attendance

Attendance so far this year is averaging 53 people! Thanks to ail of you for inviting your family members and friends to come and worship with you. We're also 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 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.

Thanks to all who are helping distribute our doorknob hangers, which are plastic bags imprinted with WBAJ information, and containing books and pamphlets as well as Discover Bible School enrollment cards. If you would like to distribute some of these hangers, please see Pastor Fry for materials and locations to be covered.

Bob Sitko

CHURCH BOARD ACTIVITY

At our Church Board meeting on March 3, the members discussed making Pastor Fry our Head Elder so that he could represent our church in official business. Since the meeting, Pastor Fry has been elected to this position. Gary Beihl, formerly Head Elder, will continue to serve as an Elder. We also discussed having Doris Sheriff serve as a buyer's agent to locate a commercial property for our church building.

Motions were passed to: Nominate Pastor Fry as Head Elder; Enter into a Buyers Agency Agreement with Doris Sheriff to locate a property for the church.

Bob Sitko

A NOTE FROM OUR TREASURER

Building Fund

Our goal of $ 100,000.00, for a down payment, is slowly gaining ground. We have approximately $69,147.00 so far. Keep praying and working towards our goal so we will be able to purchase our own much-needed church building.

Fund Raisins

Thanks to all who are donating to our Church Building Fund by purchasing boxes of our delicious and nutrition Fund Raisins. We now have regular or Vanilla yogurt covered varieties.

Mary Grace McPherson

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

Members who will be celebrating their birthdays soon:

Gary Suber on April 12
Becca Qunter on April 23
Eugene McPherson on May 6
Gareth Fome' on May 10
Doris Sheriff on May 17

MIDWEEK AT MIDTOWN

Attendance at our Midweek at Midtown Prayer and Bible Study hour continues to remain high. If you haven't yet stopped in, it's never too late. We welcome all members and visitors to join our group and participate in the Bible Study. We also pray for the needs recorded on our Prayer Request cards from our Worship Service. Stop by any Wednesday evening at 6 PM here at the Capital Senior Center.

Bob Sitko

FELLOWSHIP LUNCHES

We're experimenting with alternating Full Fellowship Lunches with Light Fellowship Lunches. On the second Sabbath of each month, we have a Full Lunch, and on the fourth Sabbath of each month, we have a Light Lunch consisting of soups, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. It is hoped that this will reduce the time and expense necessary to hold two lunches each month.

BITS OF WISDOM

The Giants Just Keep Coming

We must face them in God's strength. We cannot go backward. Therefore we must go forward. We have our Almighty God versus the giants in our lives. He defeats them one-by-one. King David believed before he behaved-perspective? The giant used fear. David used faith. God was David's giant and Goliath was outnumbered! When faced with a mountain (with God's help), I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath-or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine!

Mary Ann Fry

HEALTH BITES

Stop strokes, Leg Cramps, Gum Disease-But Not Colds!

Scientific research has discovered that Vitamin A and C, taken together with a natural substance called "Rutin" (which is the fleshy portion of an orange's citrus pith) will cut the likelihood of strokes! The Rutin from citrus fruit is an example of what is known as bioflavonoids, which are found in the pith-all natural and completely safe, and effective. Your odds of suffering a stroke when you combine Rutin with Vitamins A and C are cut by a whopping 75%! This was the conclusion of research done at Cornell University. A separate study done at Washington University confirmed the findings.

Karen Covington

TIP OF THE MONTH

For a pre-spring berry sorbet for two, toss 2 cups of frozen, mixed berries or strawberries into a blender with 4 tbs. of orange juice and, if you'd like, a splash of lime juice. Blend until smooth, then scoop into two bowls and serve immediately.

VESPERS

Friday Night Video Vespers

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

Church Location

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.