At the start of Thanksgiving week, I want to thank God for our church family at Athol. We have been attending for just about 2 years, and we became members just last month.
We are excited about the future of our church as we look toward the soon return of our Lord. May God bless all our members, their friends, families, and community.
Thank you for welcoming us into the family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
On Assignment in D.C. and Athol Sermon Review
I recently decided to transfer my membership to Athol Church from the church I was raised and baptized in, Capital Memorial Church, on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. While I have attended a few churches over the years since I left Washington, I had never changed my membership because of my strong attachment. After all, my father was buried at this church, and there are It was kind of a childhood memory thing, so it took a while to make the decision.
On September 12, we spent the day at CMC visiting my old church family and emotionally preparing for the upcoming membership change. I spoke with many people about it, and they assured me that CMC would always be my home. But I am very happy to be at Athol!
The following is a chronicle of recent sermons at Athol (sorry, no more uploaded audio yet!) as well as a photo journal of a day in the nation's capital.
Let's see...
Yesterday, October 3, Pastor Ruf gave a very nice powerpoint presentation about the Bible and its reliability. I really enjoyed it.
Last week, September 26, we had a very interesting sermon by Ralph Diller, a local attorney, who spoke about how liberty and the true gospel go hand in hand.
On September 19th, Wellington Aguiar spoke about The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan within the realm of creation and science. He has recently written a book entitled, The Plot, which discusses the origin and demise of dinosaurs. You can email me if you would like a copy. (edward.a.rivera@gmail.com)
I missed September 12 when Johnny Johnson from Gardner SDA preached. We were in Washington, D.C. that Sabbath. Here are photos from our day in the nation's capital.
The Sanctuary at Capital Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Dunners, also visiting, are European friends who used to work at the Swiss Embassy in Washington.
The National Zoo
The National Cathedral
Georgetown (Wisconsin Avenue)
Where the White House used to be until the mid-90s(behind the new trees and barriers to the right)
The Old Executive Office Building
Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson Memorial (my favorite)
Washington Monument
Smithsonian Institution
The United States Capitol
Although it is an impressive place, I couldn't live there anymore... Too many people! I am at home in the country now... Praise God!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Recently...
As the weeks continue to speed by, I thought I had better get some more pictures up before I get so overloaded I just throw in the towel on this blog...
Over the past few weeks, we have had some good sermons. We had Brother Fines Baez, a theology student from Atlantic Union College one week.
The following week we had a very dynamic preacher from Brazil. Pastor Nelson Rossi, Jr. brought his family, music, a great powerpoint presentation and message from the Lord. He talked about how the Adventist church began in Brazil. I did the translating (He spoke mostly in Portuguese, but he had our attention). Some folks couldn't hear the interpretation unfortunately, so that was bad.
Just this past weekend, Pastor Ruf spoke on the vineyard and harvest of the Lord. He told us that we should have a Christ-like view of the richness of the harvest even though our human view might try to convince us there is none. It was interesting.
I hope to get some more sermons up soon, but I have been terribly busy with school, etc. Meanwhile, here are some photos!
Back when it was hot...
After a lot of powerwashing...
Church Potluck at the Alner's
Lifestyle Matters Outreach
UPCOMING SPEAKERS AT ATHOL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH
9/12 Johnny Johnson
9/19 Wellington Aguiar
9/26 Ralph Diller
10/3 Pastor Ruf
Please come and join us!
Over the past few weeks, we have had some good sermons. We had Brother Fines Baez, a theology student from Atlantic Union College one week.
The following week we had a very dynamic preacher from Brazil. Pastor Nelson Rossi, Jr. brought his family, music, a great powerpoint presentation and message from the Lord. He talked about how the Adventist church began in Brazil. I did the translating (He spoke mostly in Portuguese, but he had our attention). Some folks couldn't hear the interpretation unfortunately, so that was bad.
Just this past weekend, Pastor Ruf spoke on the vineyard and harvest of the Lord. He told us that we should have a Christ-like view of the richness of the harvest even though our human view might try to convince us there is none. It was interesting.
I hope to get some more sermons up soon, but I have been terribly busy with school, etc. Meanwhile, here are some photos!
Back when it was hot...
After a lot of powerwashing...
Church Potluck at the Alner's
Lifestyle Matters Outreach
UPCOMING SPEAKERS AT ATHOL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH
9/12 Johnny Johnson
9/19 Wellington Aguiar
9/26 Ralph Diller
10/3 Pastor Ruf
Please come and join us!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Last Sabbath Together
The most precious thing a church has... Young people! These fellows spent their last Sabbath together for a while.
They have been together Sabbath after Sabbath for sometime. Just last year, Kelvin Bidwell, on the far right, went off to college. In just 4 days, young Andrew MacLean, on the far left, will be off to college himself. Peter and Kendall are still in high school, but their day is coming.
I thought you might want to take a look at these fine strong young men. I told Andrew he already looks like a professor! May their lives be in God's hands in the days ahead.
Here is Ernie's Sabbath School class.
Yours truly preached this Sabbath. I preached on the Sanctuary. Perhaps the sermon will be up one day!
Adding Sermons
One of the things that we have been wanting to do for a little while has been to get some of our church sermons on the internet. While it has taken some time, we are now beginning to get some of them up. It does take some time, but it will be worth it when it is done. Kind of like our church paint job!
Actually, there should be some more photos of the church paint job project coming soon. Ernest, Deane, and some others have been repairing some of the clapboard, and there has been some powerwashing going on as well.
Back to the sermons... This next batch of sermons (not sure how many) will actually contain the entire worship service. It is actually nice to listen to the entire service when you have time. It really gives you a better feeling for the personality of the church. We may go to just sermons in the future, though.
In any case, enjoy!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Stay Tuned...
This blog began as a result of the church painting project. I hope to be able to post some interesting things related to the Athol Seventh-day Adventist Church in the future. So keep checking from time to time. I will try to update it each month at least.
One thing that occurred this week was the funeral of a young girl from Orange, Massachusetts. This precious young child drowned in Millers River the day after July 4th. It is such a tragedy...
Devon Wright was a special little girl of a mere 11 years. I was asked to play guitar and accompany a group of family friends and relatives for a song at the end of the funeral. The name of the song is "Angel" by Sarah Mclaughlin. It was a privilege to be able to play this song for Devon's mother. I pray that during the few moments that we played, she might have experienced the peace of God amidst this storm of life.
As I played, I looked into her eyes and could see that she was searching for meaning and peace through the music. It was the only time I saw her raise her head.
Later, at the cemetery, I was able to speak with Devon's uncle, who happens to be a church friend of mine. As I left, I thanked God for the doctrine of the state of the dead. It is something that many, even within Christianity, misunderstand.
If you would like to understand more about the state of the dead, read this:
The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later. (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 6:15, 16; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:1-10.)
One thing that occurred this week was the funeral of a young girl from Orange, Massachusetts. This precious young child drowned in Millers River the day after July 4th. It is such a tragedy...
Devon Wright was a special little girl of a mere 11 years. I was asked to play guitar and accompany a group of family friends and relatives for a song at the end of the funeral. The name of the song is "Angel" by Sarah Mclaughlin. It was a privilege to be able to play this song for Devon's mother. I pray that during the few moments that we played, she might have experienced the peace of God amidst this storm of life.
As I played, I looked into her eyes and could see that she was searching for meaning and peace through the music. It was the only time I saw her raise her head.
Later, at the cemetery, I was able to speak with Devon's uncle, who happens to be a church friend of mine. As I left, I thanked God for the doctrine of the state of the dead. It is something that many, even within Christianity, misunderstand.
If you would like to understand more about the state of the dead, read this:
The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later. (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 6:15, 16; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:1-10.)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Phase I Finished
After we got going on this project, I realized that there is still so much to do. May God give us the strength and cohesion to move forward. Here is a bit from Wednesday. We started on July 5th and finished Phase I (scraping) on July 7th.
Here are a few final photos and videos from Wednesday...
Project Manager's Report & Appeal
Pastor Ruf's Spiritual Application & Having Some Fun
Here are a few final photos and videos from Wednesday...
Project Manager's Report & Appeal
Pastor Ruf's Spiritual Application & Having Some Fun
Monday, July 6, 2009
A "Scrapy" Bunch from Athol
Welcome to this new blog. This is a good time to visit. We have undertaken a great big project, to paint our church. When you see the size of the church and the size of our membership, you will understand that it is a big project.
But it had to be done, and it had to be done by us. And it is really teaching us something. Later, we will understand exactly what that is. But for the moment, join us as we put some "sweat equity" into our little piece of heaven on earth.
We are having fun and our characters are surely being built for eternity!!!
Let's start with Ernest. He is on the top left of this photo. Ernest is the boss. He won't say that, but he is our leader and he leads by the example of his work ethic. He can work us all under the table.
to his right is Peter and on the bottom left with the hard hat is yours truly.
Now it is not very often you will find your pastor right there with you up on a ladder scraper in hand, but our Pastor Ruf in not your average pastor. Besides being a man of God and scholar, he is a hard worker, too! Thanks for being there, Pastor Ruf!
Next in line is our first elder, Ernie. In this shot, he is looking after our tools and keeping them in good shape, so the work can continue advancing. In the body of Christ, each one of us has a different, yet critical function. Ernie also gives a lot of encouragement when your bones are getting weary!
They say that behind every successful man is a strong woman. Well, here are two strong and lovely ones. First, we have Brenda, Ernest's better half. She has a great sense of humor and a genuine sensitivity to the needs of those around her. She is always looking our for my little ones! God bless you, Brenda.
Jane is Pastor Ruf's bride, and she was our July 5th barbeque queen. She roasted veggie dogs until we had all had our fill. She is also an excellent speaker, professional nurse, and diligent paint scraper!
Lourdes is another lady who enjoys working hard.
Kristine is a solid member and actually sort of brought us to Athol. It started with Sabbath morning rides for my mother-in-law. After we visited a time or two, we decided to join in all the fun, and now we are painting the church!
And here is Bill. He made quite an entrance when he showed in the big International flatbed. He did some welding to the fire escape stairs. Later, he joined the rest of us for some enjoyable paint scraping!
Kristine and Brenda like to talk... And why not?
Here is Deane not letting a few bushes stop us...
My favorite workers...
Hey, I'm a dad after all!
Some other photos of the festivities!
Now that you've had a look see, come on down and join in the fun! We will let you know when Phase II of the Church Paint Job will be...
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" Philippians 4:13
VIDEO - DAY 1
VIDEO - DAY 2
But it had to be done, and it had to be done by us. And it is really teaching us something. Later, we will understand exactly what that is. But for the moment, join us as we put some "sweat equity" into our little piece of heaven on earth.
We are having fun and our characters are surely being built for eternity!!!
Let's start with Ernest. He is on the top left of this photo. Ernest is the boss. He won't say that, but he is our leader and he leads by the example of his work ethic. He can work us all under the table.
to his right is Peter and on the bottom left with the hard hat is yours truly.
Now it is not very often you will find your pastor right there with you up on a ladder scraper in hand, but our Pastor Ruf in not your average pastor. Besides being a man of God and scholar, he is a hard worker, too! Thanks for being there, Pastor Ruf!
Next in line is our first elder, Ernie. In this shot, he is looking after our tools and keeping them in good shape, so the work can continue advancing. In the body of Christ, each one of us has a different, yet critical function. Ernie also gives a lot of encouragement when your bones are getting weary!
They say that behind every successful man is a strong woman. Well, here are two strong and lovely ones. First, we have Brenda, Ernest's better half. She has a great sense of humor and a genuine sensitivity to the needs of those around her. She is always looking our for my little ones! God bless you, Brenda.
Jane is Pastor Ruf's bride, and she was our July 5th barbeque queen. She roasted veggie dogs until we had all had our fill. She is also an excellent speaker, professional nurse, and diligent paint scraper!
Lourdes is another lady who enjoys working hard.
Kristine is a solid member and actually sort of brought us to Athol. It started with Sabbath morning rides for my mother-in-law. After we visited a time or two, we decided to join in all the fun, and now we are painting the church!
And here is Bill. He made quite an entrance when he showed in the big International flatbed. He did some welding to the fire escape stairs. Later, he joined the rest of us for some enjoyable paint scraping!
Kristine and Brenda like to talk... And why not?
Here is Deane not letting a few bushes stop us...
My favorite workers...
Hey, I'm a dad after all!
Some other photos of the festivities!
Now that you've had a look see, come on down and join in the fun! We will let you know when Phase II of the Church Paint Job will be...
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" Philippians 4:13
VIDEO - DAY 1
VIDEO - DAY 2
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