The President's Post
April 2017
I've been traveling a lot lately. Meetings at Bass Memorial Academy, anointing’s in both Mobile and Dauphin Island. I attended the retirement program for the CEO of Florida Hospital in Orlando (I'm on the board of trustees for Adventist Health System ). I also attended two days of meetings at our Union office in Atlanta: President's Council; Board of Education and Executive Committee.
At the recent BASS Alumni, I participated in the Alumni golf tournament and am thrilled to announce that the tournament raised $90,000 for our conference school! While on campus, I attended Allan Kea's very moving memorial service. The entire weekend was a real blessing. I told the Alumni that I don't have anything like this in my life. I didn't have the opportunity to graduate from an academy, but from a public high school. The difference in the two goes this way: I attended one class reunion in 48 years; whereas BASS Alumni get the opportunity to see their classmates and teachers every year. What a blessing and what a difference!
BASS is really doing well. Principal Bowes has assembled a great staff! They are seriously committed to Seventh-day Adventist Christian values and offer a rigorous classroom education.
Throughout the weekend, students performed outstanding pieces of music. I interacted with them and was very impressed by their behavior and politeness. I am so proud of our conference school!
On a more serious note, we have several churches, Anglo and Hispanic, in conflict. By conflict, I mean there is trouble in the church that has stalled or ceased the church from being the hope of their community. The reasons for the conflicts are multitudinous. Pride, jealousy, lack of humility, loss of spirituality are just a few of the reasons. But, the core reason for conflict in our churches, is due to a loss of mission. In several of our churches we have simply lost our mission. We have resorted to opening our doors on Sabbath morning, coming in and sitting down, listening and going home. We feel we are doing well when we pay our bills and keep the lights on. When guests attend our churches, do you welcome and include them in the services? When is the last time you did anything for or with a nonmember? Have you ever invited anyone to join you in a Bible Study?
Another area needs attention: Sabbath keeping has become extremely sloppy. The edges of the Sabbath are not protected as we've been instructed to do. We are losing the blessing of the Sabbath day because we don’t engage with our church family. When is the last time you invited someone home for a Sabbath dinner? When is the last time you invited your Pastor and his family to your home? We are losing the blessing of the Sabbath by lack of fellowship.
We need to stay the course by winning souls, growing deeper roots of spirituality, discovering a love for Jesus that leads to peace and growth. Conflict comes when we stop reading Scripture and cease applying the principles to our lives. Positive change comes from giving up our own agenda for the good of the whole body. Unity in scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy is not an option, it is not negotiable. It's a command! We must find our way through conflict and begin to focus on what really matters to Christ. Our church is prophetically brought into existence in Revelation 10. We have a special calling to be a prophetic voice to this planet before Jesus’ soon return. Nothing and no one should interfere with our purpose of existence. Please, my friends, come together with one another, look at our communities and see how badly people need Jesus. Set aside every argument, press together and re-discover our mission and with God's Holy Spirit leading us, we will make a difference for Jesus!
"It is important to believe God’s word and act upon it promptly, while His angels are waiting to work for us. Evil angels are ready to contest every step of advance. And when God’s providence bids His children go forward, when He is ready to do great things for them, Satan tempts them to displease the Lord by hesitation and delay; he seeks to kindle a spirit of strife or to arouse murmuring or unbelief, and thus deprive them of the blessings that God desired to bestow. God’s servants should be minutemen, ever ready to move as fast as His providence opens the way. And delay on their part gives time for Satan to work to defeat them.” PP p. 423
Camp Alamisco Convocation
BASS Camp Meeting
The Gulf States Conference invites you to our annual Camp Meeting at Bass Memorial Academy. The dates are May 24-27,2017. Check-in on Wednesday will begin at 2:00 p.m. Please call the conference (334)272-7493 to register.
Beginning on that Wednesday and Thursday evening we will have Elder Jim Gilley who has served the Lord in many positions, but we will probably remember him best as former president of 3ABN. Our main speaker over the weekend will be Dr. Joseph Kidder from Andrews Seminary. Destiny Works will be taking over for the youth and kids program. Please think of these Camp Meeting events as a time for recommitting ourselves to Jesus and to the work he has entrusted us with. For some of us that means taking back what we might have lost, and for others it means finding the Savior for the first time.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 07:00 PM
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Office of the President
Email: admin@gscsda.org
Website: gscsda.org
Location: 10633 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL, United States
Phone: 334-272-7493
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSCofSDA/?hc_ref=SEARCH