What I Learned About Love From a Lady I Don’t Know         

Don Jacobsen's blog last weekend was titled What I Learned About Love From a Lady I Don’t Know. This a thoughtful reflection on one way to reach our community.

I don’t know the lady’s name. I know what people call her but I don’t think that’s her real name. Let me tell you what I learned from her …

There is in her city a Bridge Community. I mean it is a community that lives under one of the major bridges not far from the center of town. She fell in love with them. All three hundred of them. She wanted to tell them of Jesus’ love, but her heart said, “You can’t tell them about how much Jesus loves them if they’re hungry.

So every Tuesday for the last 15 years she has taken her crew of volunteers under the bridge and provided a hot meal for all 300 of them, adults, children, elderly, the working poor, those with passports and those without. She raises the money, trains her helpers, buys the food, and drafts a religious leader from the community and gives him/her eight minutes to tell them how much Jesus loves them. And they listen.

She also solicits clothes and distributes them. Through some of the trained medical and dental professionals she drafts she provides some simple health care. And job skills. The project has been going on long enough that many from the Bridge Community have been able to work their way out of poverty; some of them even come back now on Tuesdays to help. And scores of them show up regularly in area churches.

She explains, “Nearly 400 times in Scripture God speaks of His love for the hungry, the homeless, the sick, and those in prison. They represent the ache in His heart for the needy.” Rather that wring her hands, she gathers her people together to pray that God will lay on their hearts the same compassion He has. And then they work to demonstrate that love in tangible ways. She has taught me much.

But there’s more. Recently she visited one of the nations in the Islamic world. About 98% of the population claim loyalty to a different god than the Creator. As she walked the streets of the capital she found herself praying, “God, I want to be so bold as to ask that you will show us how we can reach a million people in this city with the gospel.” She mused, “I thought God would be pleased that I should make such an audacious request. But then in my heart I sensed God’s reply. I thought I heard Him say, ‘But there are 4 1/2 million people here, what do you suggest I do with the other 3 1/2 million?’” She said, “I had no answer.”

I learned so much from this precious lady who is half my age and whose real name I didn’t even know. I learned that if I wish to represent the heart of God I must be ready to offer help to those in need, and that I need to expand my prayer commitment to the lost. All of them. (Click here to read this online.)

Click here to sign up to receive the HOPE Heals weekly messages. Click here to go to their website, Hope-Heals.org.

Video Streaming

This Sabbath will be our first live stream of the sermon in our worship service. We are still in the learning stages. This will become a regular feature of our church. If you would like to check this out, click here to go to our YouTube channel (there you can set a reminder to notify you when we go live). It will go live shortly after 11:30 am on Sabbath Morning when Pastor T gets up to pray and speak.

Prayer Meeting – Online Bible Study with Laura Story

Join the I Give Up Online Bible Study with Laura Story: We will be going through this study at Prayer Meeting beginning this Tuesday (Oct. 29) at 6:00 pm in the Hearth Room. If you are unable to attend Prayer Meeting, but would like to go through the study, you may do so by joining the I Give Up Online Bible Study with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Bible teacher Laura Story to discover the peace and joy that can be found in living a surrendered life. You'll get FREE access to Laura's five study videos, FREE downloads of the first chapters of the book, I Give Up: The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life and study guide, printable Scriptures and affirmations, and other goodies! (Click here to read more.)

Operation Christmas Child

It is that time of year again! We have the opportunity to make a big difference in a child’s life by participating in Operation Christmas Child. These boxes may be turned in here at church anytime during the next several weeks, no later than November 23, 2019.

You will find plenty of boxes and supplies on the table in our Lobby. It would be wonderful if we could contribute more than 50 boxes this year for children around the world! For information and ideas on packing a box, click here – for a list of things to include and what cannot be included, click here.

For more information about the program, click here or speak with Carol Fennessy or Pat Martinsen.

Christmas Shoe Boxes cost $9.00 each to ship.

• Please remember to include a check in the box for this amount made out to Samaritan’s Purse (note OCC on the memo line) or include $9.00 in cash.
• Click here to pay this amount on-line and print out a label for your box if you would like to know where your box goes.
• If you would like to donate funds to help ship the boxes our children’s departments are preparing, please turn it using one of our tithe envelopes marked Operation Christmas Child.

You may donate funds directly of Samaritan’s Purse for their many outreach and humanitarian projects by clicking here.

Calendar Events

Called – Conference-Wide Women’s Retreat takes place this weekend (Oct. 25-27). A number of our ladies are attending. Let’s pray they experience a time of spiritual refreshment and have a wonderful time together!

Sunset this Friday – 6:28 pm

This Sabbath at Church

• Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall, 9:20 – 9:50 am.
• Sabbath School (10:00 am)
• Traditional Sabbath School Class, Church Sanctuary: Studying the current Sabbath School Lesson (click here to read it on-line).
• Alternative Sabbath School Class, Hearth Room – Quest for Glory: So You Want To Be A Hero: We will look at the individual stories of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 to see what made them a hero of faith and how we can apply those principles to our lives. Click here to see a basic outline of our study.
• Worship Service (11:15 am) – This Sabbath, we will continue our sermon series The Sermon, based on Matthew 5 – 7. Pastor T’s sermon will be a continuation of last week’s sermon and is titled “When You Pray …”, Part 2. The book, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings provides important insight into this passage as does Desire of Ages, Chapter 31. Live Stream the sermon by clicking here.
• To download or print a PDF copy of last week’s sermon titled When You Pray … , click here.

Women’s Ministry is hosting a cooking class this Sunday (Oct. 27) at 1:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall of the church. Please RSVP by texting Andria (402-949-0006) or Mary Jane (402-250-4770).

Pathfinders & Adventurers meet this Monday (Oct. 28) at 6:30 pm. For information about Pathfinders contact Holly Degerness (402-917-4718) or Marina Nolasco (402-594-0671); for information about Adventurers, contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).

• Click here to download a copy of the 2019-2020 Pathfinder Calendar.
• Click here to download a copy of the 2019-2020 Adventurer Calendar.

Prayer Meeting meets this Tuesday (Oct. 29) at 6:00 pm. We will be doing the I Give Up Bible Study, Part 1. For more info contact Pastor T (402-517-5333).

Response Worship Summit, October 31-November 2, 2019 at College View Church in Lincoln NE. Three days of rich worship experiences, captivating speakers, biblical preaching, and expert equipping. Pastors, worship leaders, and worshippers who long to get beyond the show and back to the substance, join us as this year we worship through the riches of inspiration, instruction, and experience within the Psalms. For more information and to register, visit www.responsesummit.org.

Potluck After Church one week from Sabbath (Nov. 2) in the Fellowship Hall. If you’re a member, please plan to bring your favorite dish to feed your family plus a few more. If you’re a guest, just show up and enjoy it!

Daylight Savings Time Ends, November 3 – turn your clocks back one hour.

Christmas Cookie Exchange, December 8 at 2:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Watch for more information.

From Bible Gateway’s Weekly Brief

Experience the “Fizz of Energy” from Christian History: What do you know about the growth and impact of Christianity from the apostles to the present day, not only in the Western world but also globally, including the development of Eastern Orthodox and Armenian Christianity, as well as considering Christianity in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Baltic and Slavic states, and India? And why is it important to have this knowledge? Bible Gateway interviewed Stephen Backhouse, author of the Zondervan Essential Companion to Christian History. (Click here to read more.)

The World as It Was When the New Testament Was Written: When you read the New Testament, do you intentionally try to think like a first-century Jesus follower to capture the visceral excitement of the early Christians? What was the first-century understanding of the kingdom of God? What is the real meaning of the resurrection in its original context? As 21st-century people, how do we recover the adventure of what it was like to live as Christians in the first or second centuries in the world of Second Temple Judaism amidst Greco-Roman politics? In this Q&A, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird talk about their book, The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. (Click here to read more.)

Bible Reflections – The Cursed and the Blessed: Recently, I’ve wondered how often I allow my circumstances to dictate how I feel about God …"  (Click here to read more.)

Learn about and download the free award-winning Bible Gateway App by clicking here.

Check Out the entire Weekly Brief by clicking here. To subscribe to any one of their many email newsletters and Bible Studies, click here.

Church Positions

There are several positions we need to fill here at the church over the next few months. If you are interested in any of these, or have suggestions for someone to fill these, please contact Kalvin Tuel (e-mail or 402-201-6370) or Pastor T. (e-mail or 402-517-5333).

• Head Elder: The Head Elder works as the Pastor’s Associate here at church in providing for Spiritual leadership and direction. He/She also functions as the Chairman of the Church Board.
• Treasurer: The Treasurer manages the finances of our church. He/She maintains the financial records, pays our bills, and is instrumental in planning and maintaining our budget.
• Sabbath School Secretary: The Sabbath School Secretary orders and maintains the supply of Sabbath School lessons for all our Sabbath School Classes. They also collect the Sabbath School Offering each Sabbath morning from the classes.
• Junior Sabbath School Leader: The Junior Sabbath School Leader coordinates the teaching and activities of the Junior Sabbath School Class (Ages 10-12).
• Communications Director: The Communications Director coordinates and publishes the Golden News (email Newsletter), and develops other means of getting information to our members.

Outreach/Community Service Opportunities

Help for Survivors of Current Natural Disasters: ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) works with other disaster relief agencies to assist survivors of the many current natural disasters. To find out how you can help, click here.

Used Stamps Needed! Your used stamps can help Christian Record Services for the Blind raise money. Just tear them off the envelope, being careful to include the entire stamp and bring them to church. Put them into the container provided out on the table and we will take care of getting them where they need to go.

Miscellaneous Information

On-Line Church Directory Information: Now you can sync our church directory directly to your Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire device with a Free App! You can search for other members – and then email, call, or text right from the directory app. It’s easy!

• Go to your device’s App Store.(Click here for Apple products, click here for Android devices, or click here for Kindle Fire.
• Search for Instant Church Directory.
• Enter your email as it’s listed in our church directory.
• Follow the directions on the screen to complete the login process.

Lippincott Family Updates: Check out the latest update from Lorilee and Bryon Lippincott about their family’s experiences serving God in Asia. To access a PDF copy of the most recent update, click here. To access a PDF copy that includes all we have received from 2019, click here; 2018, click here; 2017, click here; 2016, click here;  2013-2015, click here. To check out their website, click here. Don’t forget to check out Sharing Dots for Kids. To sign up for their e-mail newsletter, click here.

Free Estate Planning & Wills: Norm Zimmerman, Trust Director for the Kansas Nebraska Conference, is available by appointment to assist anyone who needs Estate Planning, Wills, etc. For more information contact Norm (402-617-2001).

On-Line Giving Available! Our church offers on-line giving through our website. If you would prefer to give electronically or if you are going to be away and want to stay up-to-date with your giving, click here. Adventist Giving now has an App you can download directly to your smart phone to make the process even easier. For an iPhone, click here. For Android phones, click here.

Our Church E-Mail Newsletter, Directly to Your Computer! If you would like to receive our weekly, e-mail newsletter, directly to your computer, click here and enter your information in the space provided in the lower right-hand portion of our church home page.

Adventist Screening Verification

Verified Volunteers has changed their name to Sterling Volunteers. The NAD has decided to select a parent name that can remain in their publications and website landing pages on a permanent basis. The name chosen for all our background screening and training needs is Adventist Screening Verification.

In cooperation with the Kansas Nebraska Conference, we are working with Adventist Screening Verification to provide background checks and on-line education for our church officers and everyone who works with our children. This helps ensure that we have some training to help us recognize and avoid situations that would put our children at risk. In addition to our elected Church Officers, everyone who works with Pathfinders and Adventurers, Children’s or Youth Sabbath School Classes, Children’s Church, and VBS must go through this training and submit to a background check (there is no cost to you or to our church). It will take about an hour of your time.

To go to the website where you begin this process, click here and then select First-Time Registrant and follow the instructions. For more information, contact Pastor T (402-517-5333).

Last Week’s Sermon

To download or print a PDF copy of last week’s sermon titled When You Pray … , click here.

Prayer Watch

There are several people and concerns that we are praying about, for more information about any of these or to request something to be added to our list, feel free to contact Pastor T. (402-517-5333)

• The Holy Spirit – to fill and guide our church
• Our Church Leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Board Members, Sabbath School Class Leaders, Pathfinder/Adventurer Leaders, Etc.)
• Bev McNeal and her children as they mourn the loss of Ron.
• Donna & Gary Parker continue to have serious health problems. Donna is at Nebraska Med Center and Gary is at Hillcrest Heath and Rehab in Bellevue.
• Raul Calderon, Larry Carter, Ron Egger, Gary Jeffers, Michael McKinnie, Dusty Mayhew, Floyd Morrison, Darin Stotler, Irvin Surber, Christian Willey, Gary Wilson, & Thaddeus Woolsey (inmates Pastor T. is studying with)
• The Lippincott Family
• Kevin Klesh (Safety in his work as a Police Officer)
• Those dealing with Health Issues: Mary Jane Agan’s father, Al Bakerlis (Diane Harrington’s brother-in-law), Heather Boulais (UC Student), Tammy Burville (Amy Newman-Holub’s cousin), Tanya Callahan (Elizabeth Knutson’s sister), Brenda Carroll (Judy Carroll’s sister-in-law), Dennis Cushman, Emma (Mary Jane Agan’s granddaughter), Tammy Gagne, John Hiers, Irene (Mike Guy’s mother), Jane (Mary Jane Agan’s daughter-in-law), Janice (Elma’s friend), Dick & June Klein, Brett Knutson, Reagan Knutson, Ginger Kroeker, Paul Lostaglia, Dagny Martinsen, Steve Newton (and family), Melody Parker, Donna & Gary Parker, Sheila and her brother Paul, Dane Swensen, Donald & JoAnn Swensen (Les Swensen’s father and step mom), Charise Talley, Cindy & Bob Tice (Elizabeth Knutson’s parents)

Pastor’s Contact Information

To contact Pastor T, leave him a message by clicking here.  

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