SABBATH SCHOOL

Jesus, Provider

and Sustainer Philippians 4:19

The Church at Study 9:30 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Superintendent: Earl Biggs

WORSHIP HOUR Praise and Worship………………………………………Youth Choir

Hymn of Praise…No.579…’Tis Love That Makes Us Happy

Intercessory Prayer…………………………………Gene Bernardo

Praying for Revival & Transformation in Discipleship, Birthdays & Anniversaries,

Chesapeake & Mountain view Next week: Women and young adults for a passion to know Jesus better,

New Jersey

Offering Appeal……Conference Advance……Robert Reeve Next Week……Church Budget

Children Story…………………………………………………….Puppets

Special Music………………………………………………..Youth Choir

Scripture Reading…John 15:9-17…Rafael, Moses, Samuel

This Love Thing

Is About To Get Messy Gil Clelland

Song of Commitment………….No.578………….So Send I You

Benediction………………………………………………..Gord Rayner

Sunset this Sabbath 6:06 pm Next week 6:16 pm

Please send all the bulletin related information to: bekorben@gmail.com

Announcements Today

1. Today after church service – meet with A.C.E.S. Principal Patricia Ferreira-Lopez and pastor Alex regarding plans for Kindergarten opening in the Fall 2013. It will be informal session of hearing from parents interested in Christian education.

2. TONIGHT at 5 pm pastor Alex will facilitate in the Bible Study Class on “Who is Michael the Archangel”! Elder Cameron Munro who was previously scheduled to teach on “What Heaven Is” had lost a cousin and visiting away. He will lead the study next Sabbath, March 2. March 9th study has been reassigned to address revelation 17, as the interest is growing in the upcoming election of the new pope. Don’t miss the Biblical study on the “8th head.” We welcome your questions and suggestion of topics for study. For more details see the schedule in the foyer.

Tomorrow

3. Pathfinders Club is meeting TOMORROW at 11 am at the YMCA Bob Hayward branch, continuing the water safety and swimming honor work. Each student is to bring $4 fee.

4. School of Evangelism class TOMORROW! February 24 at our church. Class will be taught by Halsey Peat on “Church History, part 2.” Classes begin at 10:00 am and continue to 4:00pm.

5. You are invited to a Baby Shower honoring Anniekay and Kirmane Allen Sunday, February 24th 4:30-6:30 PM in our Fellowship Hall. Please join with us as we welcome the blessing of another new addition to our church family.

6. Joint elders meeting, TOMORROW Sunday night, February 24, 6:30 pm at home of Gord Rayner. Elders of Spanish, South & North churches are coming together to plan alignment and cooperation for growth.

Later Events

7. ABC BOOKMOBILE will be at the Church on Feb. 27th, 2013. Don't forget to order your BOOKS. Call 800-263-3791 for orders. Thanks

8. A witnessing opportunity will be organized together with students of Western Ontario on March 2. Bring food for potluck, and be prepared to go door to door with young people.

9. "A woman of excellence is worth more than precious stones." On Sabbath March 2 from 08:30-09:30 hours join us in praying for our mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives.

10. The next Table Tennis club meeting at the church is on Sunday March 3rd 3-5 PM and will continue every 2nd Sunday. Players of all skill levels are welcomed and basic instruction will be provided. If you are interested, please talk to Rixon Gultom or Don Topper.

11. We invite you to celebrate with us the Lord’s Supper, March 9th at 11 am. This is our first annual Communion Service. Prepare your hearts to come with submissive attitude, seeking to be transformed as we commemorate incarnation and sacrifice of God.

12. Outreach to homeless. We serve next on March 9. The team of 12 volunteers has already signed up. Please remember to be at 696 Dundas Street Ark Aid Christian Mission at 6:15 pm. Parking is available behind the building. Dinner begins at 7 pm with 15 minutes devotional time and ends at 8 pm, followed by a clean up. Volunteers are welcomed to prepare a devotional. Next opportunity is April 20. Please consider your schedule and sign-up to serve on May 18, June 15, 29; July 20, August 17, September 21, October 19, November 16, December 21. A sign-up sheet is available in the foyer at the main announcement board. We invite a rotation of volunteers, so everyone can participate.

13. Next AY (Youth) Vespers of BASICS series will be March 9th at 6 pm.

14. Youth Mission Trip - A mission trip will be taking place this summer to Manitoulin Island, Ontario (July 4-15). This mission trip will consist of running a Vacation Bible School, as well as other community-related projects. Application forms and a deposit of $50 are due Thursday, March 14. If you would like more information about this mission trip, or are in need of an application form, please talk to Lanita (lanita.resendes@gmail.com or 519-852-9360)

15. Mark your calendars and plan to come and enjoy a evening of swimming, volleyball, floor hockey, and even more games at The Boys and Girls Club on Sunday, March 24th from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. ($2.00 per person for this event)

16. The next general church potluck will be held on Sabbath March 30th .Please bring an item from the section of the first letter of your last name. Feel free to bring additional items from any category. A-C Drink/Juice, D-F Salad/Raw vegetables, G-I Bread/Bun, J-M Main course/Casserole, N-R Cooked vegetable/Soup, S-Z Dessert/ Fruit.

17. Disaster Preparedness Certification Training is offered April 5-7 at Oshawa. Community Service is preparing a team at each church prepared to coordinate relief efforts in cases of disaster. Additional training for Chaplaincy is available in addition to this on June 16-20 at Camp Frenda.

18. The harsh weather getting you down? Need to get away? How is that Spiritual life of yours? Good news. Want to get away come to the Women's Ministries Convention in Niagara Falls April 5-7, 2013. We all can use a refreshing break. Please keep in touch with your Women's Ministry Team for all the details.

19. April 20th is Bring a Friend Day at our Adventurers Club! You and your child(ren) 4 to 9 years of age are invited to participate in an age appropriate class followed by a social hour. Guests will be given a gift by their class Counselor and, if you were invited by an Adventurer, he or she will be given a special certificate. So mark April 20th at 4:30 p.m. in your calendar. For more information, please contact Lucy Simoes.

Notifications

20. For all the events on the church calendar, booking of the fellowship hall, and ministry planning please contact Sandi Rusek sandirusek@hotmail.com or Yolanda Ndiweni ndiweni@hotmail.com

21. Inviting ALL to our mid-week church service on Wednesday night at 7 pm. It is time for extra prayer, deeper Bible study, and testimonies.

22. Family Ministries Cruise - The eight-day cruise aboard Carnival’s Splendor departs from New York on October 24 and travels to San Juan, St Thomas, Grand Turk, and back to New York on November 1, 2013. Payment Plan available. Registration has been extended. Give undivided attention to your spouse; receive resources and Christian marriage tips from dedicated professionals. Visit www.AdventistOntario.org and click on Events to register.

Health TIP

Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk of Heart Disease

Vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, according to a new study in the March issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Published ahead of print January 30, 2013). Researchers followed 44,561 men and women in England and Scotland and found that the vegetarians were 32 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease, compared with those who ate meat products (red meat, poultry, and fish). The vegetarians were also slimmer and had lower total cholesterol and blood pressure.

These findings are consistent with other large population studies showing vegetarians have less incidence of and death from heart disease.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

Feb 24 Bisi Olawoore Mar 6 Steve Beckles

Feb 25 Esther Stephen Mar 10 Rafael Gaspar

Feb 25 Heather Gay Mar 10 Mary-Jane Gibson

Mar 4 Clara Baptiste Mar 11 Adrian Carter

Bible Trivia & Cultural Relevance This week my son Daniel asked me if he can read Apocrypha from my library. I directed

him to annotated Cambridge edition, so he’s reading extra chapters of Daniel, about Bel & the Dragon, Susanna, books of Maccabees. In the past few years similar questions were raised from time to time, either from adults who find an old Bible with 73 books, or from teens attending a Catholic High School and learning about the Bible with apocrypha. Could we read it? Should we read? Is it of any importance to our 21st century?

For one – these writings help us to understand cultural environment in which Jesus came, a mindset and beliefs of the times when disciples tried to understand the Gospel of Jesus. Secondly, Ellen White had all 73 books in her personal Bible, and she even referred to some of the Apocrypha in her writings. Thirdly, you could better understand the culture and traditions of the Jewish community today, if you care to connect and do cross-cultural ministry. For instance, do you ever wonder why some menorahs have 9 branches instead of 7?

In days of Jesus there were two dominant groups in the church – Pharisees and Sadducees, and they had one thing in common – both hated Jesus! They were as opposite from each as can be. Pharisees on the extreme right, totally separating themselves from the culture, sunning anything that was not produced by them, criticising secular art just because it was secular, labeling sinful everything that did not have their copyright trademark. They tried to preserve their identity by completely separating from the world. To them Jesus was flaming liberal – mingling with sinners, doing taboo things, breaking their rules of holiness. On the other extreme were Sadducees, assimilating with the culture so much that one could not tell the difference between them and Greco-Roman cultured intelligencia. They were abandoning their identity for sake of acceptance, to be cool. They were believing and living just like the pagan world. They drink worldly drinks, ate regardless of Biblical instructions, lived common law, and considered church a business. To them Jesus was a fanatic, radical extremist, believing in the Kingdom of God, instead of the kingdom of this world, preaching resurrection, believing in Creation and claiming that God was Love! In such a culture Jesus started countercultural revolution, against both extremes, being IN the world, but not OF the world, mingling with people in their reality, but offering Gospel values. Apostles continued this revolution, freely quoting cultural secular poets, latest art production, and using cultural worldview to invite people to consider greater supernatural reality of God.

As an Adventist, are you a Pharisee conservative, fighting for points that separate “us from them,” even if such are unbiblical; a Sadducee, so worldly that your value system is “get-get,” and you are willing to compromise any and every thing to be cool and popular; or a Disciple, following Jesus Revolution of countercultural life of simplicity and giving?

As I read Gospels I find that Jesus did pay attention to the cultural setting of his day. John 10:22 tells us about Jesus engagement with people at Hanukkah, the fest of Maccabean Dedication of the Temple in mid-December (Menorah’s 9th branch). I wonder where Jesus was and what He was up to in February, on Purim (this weekend! & the reason for Menorah’s 8th branch). The feast commemorating liberation of Jews by Esther from Haman was the most joyous one of all feasts. Scholars examining Gospels say that John 5 describes the Purim, as it is the only feast that fell on the Sabbath in AD28. The most joyous celebration was the occasion for Jesus to heal, declare Himself Son of God, and announce Himself to be equal with God. He probably attended one of 480 synagogues that were in Jerusalem that year to hear the reading of the Scroll of Esther. He probably ate the "Haman's ears" cookies. He definitely observed the commandment to give gifts to the poor, and did even more in healing. He used their cultural understanding to communicate greater message of God's preservation of His unbelieving people. Stay relevant, like Jesus. Connect, mingle, and serve.

your servant, pastor Alex Golovenko