EPHESUS Preview Issue [March 2013]

God &

The Kingdom

2

In This Issue

Kingdom Builders 4 Pastor Pooler

Singles’ Day: What did YOU think? 7

Married Lovers’ Retreat 8 Rachel Paschal

Responsible Fatherhood/Church Anniversary 11

Engaged!: Stephanie O’Neal and Shaun Mathis 12

Wedding of Oren and Antrinette Brown 14

10 People, 12 Weeks, 1 Goal: BMORe 16 Tiffiney Miles

“It Takes Teamwork to Make a Dream Work” 18 Tiffiney Miles

In Loving Memory 20

3

Come Worship With Us!

Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church

7709 Wilson Boulevard

Columbia, SC 29203

803.786.2800

Service Times Sabbath Morning Praise and Worship 8:00am

Sabbath School 9:15am

Divine Worship Service 11:00am

AYS One hour before sunset

Wednesday Night Prayer and Bible Connection 7:00pm

4

world and lose his soul?” (Matt.

16:26).

It is not just the Kingdom

Building that we’re trying to do and

perceive in the sense of building a

greater edifice here at the church, or

acquiring new grounds or new build-

ings alone. I believe that’s important

and something we should pursue in

glorifying God, but if we don’t have

the mindset, what good will all that

be? Just like Judas, not having the

mindset, but having the land and

having the means to purchase the

land means absolutely nothing if you

don’t have Christ and Him at your

center and your core. So I believe it

is, in these last days, that Jesus is

very soon to come, and we as believ-

ers need to be about our Father’s

business.

It is my grand desire that eve-

ryone, at church and outside the

church, become Kingdom Builders by

going to work and shopping and

wherever it is that you spend your

time, that everyone can see the

Kingdom that is within you...if peo-

ple can see the Kingdom within us as

Christ sees the Kingdom within us,

that shows us that we have value,

and that value is that we are in the

ministry of reconciliation. We are

showing the world and proving to

the world that Christ has not only

died, but risen, and He has died for

our sins, and this is really the es-

sence of the Gospel.

I think a lot of people are

scared about these last days that

we’re going through. In a trepida-

tious way, people are fearful of the

PASTOR POOLER SHEDS LIGHT ON THE INSPIRATION

OF THIS YEAR’S THEME

T he question has been

asked, “What is behind

the theme of Kingdom

Builders?” As it is stated

even on those banners in the sanc-

tuary, in Luke 17:21, it is so im-

portant for us to recognize that the

Kingdom of God is the essential

point of the New Testament gospel.

When Jesus Christ began His minis-

try, He was trying to desperately es-

tablish the Kingdom of God. The

disciples were very deceived in

thinking that it was a literal kingdom

that would come, and a palace had

to be established, but Jesus had to

rectify His disciples [in] that the

Kingdom of God is a spiritual one

and is located in you, meaning that

God can use us, transform us into

viable parts of Kingdom Builders.

The reality is that this Kingdom that

God is speaking about is a spiritual

one, and the challenge for us is to

get a mindset change and to recog-

nize that we are to be used for His

glory.

I believe that Ephesus is at a

great point , [an] historical moment.

It is not by happenstance or chance

that we are placed here together as

pastoral family and church members.

These are the last days , and I believe

more than anything that Christ is

right now establishing His Kingdom,

and if we don’t recognize and realize

how important this is, we’re going to

miss out on the Kingdom, just like

some of the disciples did, because

we’re trying to build a literal one like

Judas, being caught up in the worldly

agendas, and thinking that it’s all

about the pursuit of how we look in

the world rather than how God sees

and perceives us. If we get caught

up, we will be just like Judas and sell

our souls for thirty coins and miss

out on the whole adventure. We’ll

make an investment here in the

ground like Judas did, and we’ll have

a nice edifice, but we’ll lose our soul;

and the Bible makes it very clear,

“What profits a man to gain the

5

Kingdom of God, and that’s people.

People are important to the King-

dom of God. Without people, there

is no Kingdom.

...God says, “I don't neces-

sarily need you, but I want you here.

I don’t know about you, but that

makes me feel all the

more valuable. That

makes me wake up

with a sense of pur-

pose. That makes me

know that I have a pur-

pose here, that I must

be connected to God,

who is my Source. I’ve

got to get involved

with the various factions of the min-

istry, and how the Holy Spirit is try-

ing to bring me from being absent

and putting me front and center and

using me. I like to say to everybody

if God can use me, He can use any-

body. Some people come to me and

ask me all the time, “Hey, how do

outcome of the economy [and] to

what’s happening around them, and

they just really don’t know; they are

in absence, and the Bible makes it

very clear that we should not be in

absence. We know things and have

insight because we are Bible-

believers. We should not be afraid.

The only way we should be afraid

is when we lack. Ignorance is the

basis for fear. If we don’t spend

time in God’s word, if we don’t ask

Him to really show us who we are,

Psalms 139 tells us, “Lord, search

my heart.” That really is a transpar-

ent way of viewing it.

If we are the Kingdom of

God, we got to spend time building

ourselves up mentally, physically,

spiritually, financially; and those are

all not in succinct order, those are

all number one. Mentally, physical-

ly, spiritually, financially, we’ve got

to be fit. In these times, God has

invested so much in us, it would be

a shame for us to

simply bury our means

and not invest them at

this point. This is the

point where the Bible

says “Cry aloud and

spare not; lift up thy

voice as a trumpet.”

These are the times

that we’re living in.

The surface of my preaching,

the direction of my preaching, is

only going to intensify as the years

keep going because I know that

with every year comes a closer day

to seeing Christ return. I believe in

my heart of hearts that Jesus is

soon to come, so that’s really the

basis for the Kingdom Builders. I

hope that this will be electrifying to

the Body of Christ. We are still in

that Body-Building mode, but we’re

also Kingdom Builders. We’ve got to

reach out and stop the pettiness of

Christianity where we fight one an-

other and look for position, to be

validated, and look for pats on the

back to know that we’re valued. We

got to look beyond that now and get

beyond the devil’s schemes and re-

ally see what’s important to the

“I believe that Ephesus is at a great

point, [an] historical moment. It is not

by happenstance or chance that we are

placed here together as pastoral family

and church members.”

Cont. on page 6

6

you see that in the Scriptures? How

did you preach that message from

the Scriptures?” Let me be first and

foremost to say that it’s not I, but

it’s the Christ and the Holy Spirit

that is within me, and everyone has

that ability.

I would just ask that every-

one would fall in love with the word

of God, because of word of God is,

essentially, who Jesus is. As we get

closer and closer to the end time, I

just want you, as believers, to not

just believe that “Hey, Ephesus is

going to be built up because Pastor

Pooler and his family are here,”...but

that if we don’t all chip in, the King-

dom dies here, and we lose out on

so much of the advantages of what

God could have done.

...I give this charge to every-

one: study your Word, fall in love

with the Word, ask the Holy Sprit,

“Lord, teach me to read the word of

God. Not like people I’ve seen or

heard or [through] preachers, but

Lord, give me a personal revelation

and build up the Kingdom within

me”

7

“The message that Sister Blake brought to us was a fantastic

message...I think she helped a lot of people because a lot of us

are carrying baggage that we should let go. And she was speak-

ing from experience because she said that she had a lot of bag-

gage herself. The Lord came to her and told her to let it go, she

did, and her life was changed. That’s what God does.”—Elder

Robert Scott

Singles’ Day:

What did YOU think?

“[Audrey] did pretty good! Ba-

sically, everybody got prob-

lems. No one’s problem is big-

ger than the next person’s. But

if we pray and give our prob-

lems to God, everything will be

alright.”—Dalton Sease

Above: Audrey Blake, guest speaker for Singles’ Day

8

“W e are

g o i n g

t o

m a k e

this a pilgrimage,” says Michael

Thomas member of the Ephesus

Seventh-day Adventist church in

Columbia, SC. Mike and his wife

Patty joined about 200 couples at

the South Atlantic Conference’s

Married Lovers’ Retreat in Savan-

nah, Georgia February 15-17, 2013..

Beginning Friday evening,

the couples took part in a rousing

devotion. After devotion, couples

had an opportunity to mingle and

get acquainted with each other.

Each couple was given a per-

sonalized program and welcome

letter. Each couple was also given a

booklet of Marriage Tips and Les-

sons to live by.

Over the course of the long

weekend, couples attended four

seminars:

Friday Evening:

"The Cornerstone of Your Home is Jesus -

You Can Do It - He Can Help"

Sabbath Morning:

"The Foundation of Your Home is the Bi-

ble - When in Doubt - Do the Book",

"Because the People in Your Home are Im-

perfect, When you Mess up, Fess Up"

Sabbath Afternoon:

"The Purpose of Your Home is Intimacy -

It's Not Good to Be Alone"

Sunday Morning:

"The Priority of Your Home is About

God's Glory - It's Not About You"

"The Witness of Your Home is Contagious

- So Pursue Love"

Dr. David and Teresa Ferguson,

presenters for this years retreat,

stressed Doing The Book (Living

God's Word). Each couple was

asked to do the Book (Bible) by ex-

periencing various Bible verses in

their marriage. For example: ‘Bear

one another’s burdens,’ ‘Love your

neighbor as yourself,’ ‘A soft answer

turneth away wrath,’ ect...

Couples were asked to think

about what God is getting out of our

marriage and is the Glory of God

present in our marriage.

Couples were asked to get

vulnerable with each other and trust

God with the results.

The presenters stressed the

importance of Yoking up with God

and allowing Him to teach us how to

love and treat each other. Instead of

(Above) Dr. David Ferguson leads a workshop for the South Atlantic Conferences’

Married Lovers’ Retreat. (Above Right) Micahel and Patty Thomas share a laugh

during a discussion session. (Below Right) A packed house of about 215 couples attend

the Friday evening session, “The Cornerstone of Your Home is Jesus - You Can Do it -

He Can Help.”

Married

By Rachel Paschal

Lovers’ Retreat

9

allowing our anger and unforgiveness

to destroy our marriages (Do The

Book) 2 Corinthians 10:5 - “Casting

down imaginations, and every high

thing that exalteth itself against the

knowledge of God, and bringing into

captivity every thought to the obedi-

ence of Christ.”

Husbands and wives were

challenged with exercises to

strengthen their relationship. Exer-

cises included (1) Spouses sharing

with each other areas in the marriage

where they know they need to im-

prove and make commitments to do

so, (2) Spouses sharing with each

other a vulnerable situation and the

other spouse expressing empathy,

Cont. on page 10

10

acceptance and concern, (3) Spouses

sharing an experience with each

other that brought them joy and the

spouses rejoiced over each others’

happiness. (4) Spouses praying

with each other concerning their

marriage.

The Married Lovers’ Retreat

was more than workshops. Saturday

afternoon allowed down time to re-

lax at the hotel or enjoy a walk along

the Savannah River. And Saturday

night included romantic carriage

Sam and Rachel Paschal, Family Life Leaders at the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church, take a night time carriage ride

through Savannah, GA at the Married Lovers’ Retreat. When commenting on the workshops and the information presented to the

couples, Rachel noted that, “It was like a light bulb went off. . .Do the Book!”

rides through downtown Savan-

nah and a fun filled round of Love

and Marriage Game and Talent

Show.

Before leaving, husbands

and wives took part in a marriage

vow renewal ceremony, officiated

by South Atlantic Conference

president, Elder William Winston

and his wife.

Mark your calendars now

for the 2014 Married Lovers Re-

treat to be held in Greenville, NC.

Dr. and Mrs. Wintley Phipps

will be the presenters for the retreat

next year.

11

A workshop presented by a guest presenter

will look at the challenges men are facing in

the world as they seek to parent their kids,

and the vital role fatherhood plays in the

success of the next generation.

Responsible Fatherhood

March 9, 2013

Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church

102102102ndndnd

Guest SpeakersGuest Speakers

AnniversaryAnniversaryAnniversary

Looking Back...Reaching Forward

Friday, March 15th Memorial Service: 7:00pm

f Pastor Victor Bartley

from the West End Seventh-day Adventist

Church

Saturday, March 16th Divine Worship: 11:00am

j Pastor Calvin Preston

from the West End Seventh-day Adventist

Church

March 13, 15, and 16, 2013

12

Engaged! O n Saturday, February 9th, Shaun Mathis surprised his now fiancé, Stephanie O’Neal with a marriage proposal during the Ephesus church service.

Stephanie recounts the event: “When the pastor called me down to do the transfer [of membership reading],...I’m thinking, ‘Okay, this is weird.’ But I didn’t think about that! ...And then I heard the music playing, I was still kind of like in disbelief. Then I saw his family walking through the door and my friends, and that’s when I started crying.” The couple plans to get married in April of 2014.

13

Engaged! O n Saturday, February 9th, Shaun Mathis surprised his now fiancé, Stephanie O’Neal with a marriage proposal during the Ephesus church service.

Stephanie recounts the event: “When the pastor called me down to do the transfer [of membership reading],...I’m thinking, ‘Okay, this is weird.’ But I didn’t think about that! ...And then I heard the music playing, I was still kind of like in disbelief. Then I saw his family walking through the door and my friends, and that’s when I started crying.” The couple plans to get married in April of 2014.

Photographs by Nicholas Blocker (Around the Block Photography))

14

(Above) Newly Married Oren and Antrinette Brown are surrounded by the some of the ladies of the bridal party. From Left: Marsha

Fields, Esther Munoz, Quaneta McDaniel, Shay Torres, LaQuanna Lowe, and Taneisha Wells.

(Right) Oren and Antrinette Brown pose for pictures after the ceremony.

(Below) Tynaisia Ealey, Jonae Finnie, Taliah Ealey, Sanaih Atchinson, and Dominique Atchinson

15

A Wedding

Ceremony

Uniting

Oren &

Antrinette

Brown

Sunday

February

24, 2013

16

BMORe

T his year, the Health Minis-

tries of the Ephesus Sev-

enth-day Adventist Church

wants to help others re-

claim their health so that they can

glorify God through their bodies.

One of the ways that Health

Ministries is educating the church

about the importance of health is

through the BMORe study. BMORe,

which stands for Multicenter Obesity

Reduction, is sponsored by the USC

Cancer Prevention & Control Pro-

gram and lead by Katherine Shavo,

the Intervention Coordinator for the

study. Mrs. Shavo explains more

about this project: “We are looking

to see if a diet high in flavonoid

foods, with physical activity and

meditation, will reduce markers of

inflammation inside people.” Yolan-

da Robinson, leader of Health Minis-

tries, also goes into further explana-

tion about BMORe: “The BMORe is

a healthy-living program that is pro-

moting prayer and claiming God’s

promises and having a more peace-

ful state of mind. The study can be

done to see that it can contribute

to people to be more at peace and

less stressed.”

Ten members from the

Ephesus church have volunteered

to participate in this study. Before

the sessions began, the partici-

pants attended a clinical in which

height, weight, and blood pressure

were taken, and after the 12-week

study is completed, measurements

will be taken again in order to show

how adopting a healthier lifestyle

has been beneficial.

Participants meet every Tues-

day for the sessions. Each partici-

pant was also asked to bring a sup-

porter every week, someone who

would not only provide encourage-

ment but to hold him or her ac-

countable for doing weekly assign-

ments. Each session is broken up

into different segments: exercise,

education, meditation, and cooking.

Participants get active in the 10-30

minute Exercise segment which in-

volves strength training and cardio.

In the Education segment, Mrs.

Shavo teaches the class about sever-

al health topics, such as how to read

labels and how to set realistic health

goals. For the Meditation segment,

the participants are asked to share a

Scripture or any inspirational mes-

sage. The participants also do a

Body Scan exercise to help release

Health Ministries leader Yolanda Robinson, right, is in the USC Cancer Prevention &

Control Program kitchen making a black bean hummus.

10 people

12 weeks

1 goal

By Tiffiney Miles

17

stress and anxiety. The last seg-

ment is Cooking, and the partici-

pants learn how to cook healthy

meals from the kitchen.

After each session, partici-

pants are given homework assign-

ments to apply what was learned.

The goal at the end of the BMORe

study is for participants to adapt a

healthier lifestyle that will stay with

them for the rest of their lives.

Not only is Health Ministries

involving church members in a

health study, but they are also in-

volving women in the church to be-

come active through the Divas Half-

Marathon in North Myrtle Beach on

April 28, 2013. The marathon is

13.1 miles, and women are asked

to train every week in preparation.

The women who are participating

are split up into different teams,

and the teams meet once a week

to train, and each team member is

also asked to train at least two oth-

er

days out of the week. There are

currently about ten women from

Ephesus who are raining for the half

-marathon.

When it comes to future

events, Health Ministries is also

looking forward to restarting the

exercise classes after the BMORe

study is completed. The ministry is

also wants to work with local

churches to have a walk or mara-

thon within the community. Ephe-

sus members can also look forward

to hearing a health emphasis at the

beginning of every month from a

Health Ministries committee mem-

ber.

Katherine Shavo (left), Intervention Coordinator of the BMORe study, demonstrates at the USC Cancer Prevention & Control

Program kitchen how tofu can be cooked in several ways.

18

“It Takes

Teamwork to Make a

Dream Work”

F or the month of February,

the Adventist Youth Soci-

ety (AYS) Department

placed its emphasis on

knowing the importance of African

American history and culture. With

February’s theme called “It Takes

Teamwork to Make a Dream

Work,” AYS leader Natasha Jones

explains the main purpose of the

February AYS programs. “From the

Black Youth Convocation to The

Great Campmeeting, our aim was

‘Edutainment’: to try and get eve-

rybody involved and entertained

but educated [and] looking back at

the past.”

The first AYS program in

February “Black History: A Thing of

the Past,” took the Ephesus church

members on a journey into African

American history by watching a

short video clip of prominent Afri-

can Americans and their historical

impact. “if we didn’t have those

people to build that foundation,

then we wouldn't have our first

black president. It’s 2013 but we’re

still having first blacks. If nothing

else, that’s a good enough reason

to still be looking at black history,”

says Natasha.

Involving the youth into the

AYS programs is of high importance

for the AY council. “What I have

been hearing from the young people

is that they just want to be consid-

ered in the programming,” Natasha

states, “so what we try to do is to

look at things that are considered

fun.” For one AYS program, church

members were divided into differ-

ent groups and were asked to create

a portrait that depicted different

families from the Bible by using only

shapes. The children were asked to

explain the portrait while other

groups guessed at which Bible fami-

ly was represented.

For March, the AYS

Department will be collaborating

with other ministries to provide pro-

grams geared towards every age.

“In March, we have our Centennial

coming up, so Music Ministries is

going to be doing a concert one

weekend.,“ Natasha says. “We are

also coupling up with Singles’ Minis-

tries and planning a talent show at

the end of the month, which will be

Youth Day also. “ AYS is also plan-

ning a program that will look into

women’s history.

The AYS Department is very

excited about its upcoming events

and is hoping that more families will

come out and participate in future

programs.

Ephesus church members participating in a musical skit called “The Great Campmeeting,” one of the programs tied into February’s AYS theme “It Takes Teamwork to Make a Dream Work”.

19

Upcoming AYS Events March 23rd Tri-State Youth Federation

March 30th Youth Day

May 2013 Mid-Week Youth of Prayer

Ephesus church members participating in a musical skit called “The Great Campmeeting,” one of the programs tied into February’s AYS theme “It Takes Teamwork to Make a Dream Work”.

20

In Loving Memory

21

“It was

In Loving Memory

22

www.EphesusSDA.org

Every department,

Every ministry,

Every member,

has a story

for Christ.

Share it with us.