MBA Church Newsletter
February 26, 2003

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Monterey Bay Academy Church Newsletter - February 26, 2003
A Communication for the Church Family & Friends
http://www.mbachurch.org
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Contents
1. Pastor Update
2. 'The Olive Grove' Prayer Ministries
3. Mexico Mission Trip Sabbath, March 8, 2003
4. Sundown & Offering
5. Church Budget Update


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1. Pastor Update

Namaste!

(I found out the actual meaning of this Sanskrit word is "the divine in me greets the divine in you". What a great way to greet you since you are all temples of the Holy Spirit.)

I am so excited to share this news with you. And if you have been praying for this I want to thank you. Either way, I invite you to share in my joy. I am talking about the "Olive Grove" Prayer Ministries. Please take a moment to find out what happened on our campus Tuesday evening. I've given a brief account below.

I also praise God for another group of students that have begun meeting in the boys dorm (obviously boys) this Monday and will continue doing so for Bible Study and prayer in Jeff Tatarchuck's room. He had 9 students there this Monday who are all excited about it and wishing to meet twice a week!

What a week! My personal desire and prayer has been that MBA will give birth to many small groups of prayer and discipleship on our campus (and community) as a reflection of our desire to "abide in Christ" as the branch abides in the vine. So, I am naturally elated.

Consequently, I want to invite you to make sure that your spiritual vine is being tended to. You alone are responsible to make sure that you are your soul is being nurtured - not your spouse, not your friends, not your family, and not your pastor (if you listened to Dave Kaplan's sermon this Sabbath)!

Jesus said, in John 15:4-5, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

What an invitation! Let's not put this one in the trash by accident. Let us take up God on His incredible offer.

Think of it this way. God, who must run a universe and attend to billions of people, is willing to take time to be with you. What do you need to put aside to be with Him?

As Galatians 5:25 says, let us "keep in step with the Spirit."

Love,
Samuel

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2. 'The Olive Grove' Prayer Ministries
Several students have been meeting in the church for the past four or five months to spend some time in exploring different ways of experiencing the presence of Christ - i.e, silence, solitude, journaling, spiritual reading, prayer, meditation, intercession, etc.

It was their desire to open this up for more students. So the idea of "The Olive Grove" was born. According to John 18:1-2, it was a favorite "hang out" place for Jesus and His disciples.

So Seniors Rika Gemmell and Jimmy Cunningham announced the idea at chapel last week and put up posters inviting students to the Olive Grove. Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first day we officially started "The Olive Grove" Prayer Ministries here on campus.

In order to capture the ambience of the original Olive Grove of Jesus' time, we "gave up" electric bulbs and went with candles that Dean Ruth kindly donated. Students were invited to the "upper room" balcony of the church and were asked to remove their shoes as they came in. About 25 of them came in quietly and sat down on blankets spread out on the floor as Courtney Walstrom played some soft music on her stereo in the background (I guess we weren't that authentic after all).

Thanks to Julianne Guinasso, a light snack was set out (Wheat Thins, cheese, and fresh grapes), and everyone made themselves comfortable - some sitting, some lying down.

One of our students (Tim Hsu) led the group out in a time of sharing spiritual experiences, interspersed with times of silence. The object was to acknowledge that God is alive and active in our lives.

I was so blessed, and the students seemed to be refreshed and grateful that such an opportunity is available to them at MBA.

I want to ask you to keep this prayer ministry in your prayers. It's different from a typical prayer meeting or Bible study. The goal is not just Bible study or verbal prayer - although they may be part of any given evening. The main purpose is for the students to experience some rest, reflection and rejuvenation in experiencing the presence of Christ.

You may read more about this ministry soon in our website www.mbachurch.org

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3. Mexico Mission Trip Sabbath, March 8, 2003

Again, thank you for your part in making the Mexico Mission Trip happen. Apart from the money that the students themselves raised towards their own expense, the MBA Church contributed the biggest chunk of finances to enable this mission trip. Thank you!

On March 8 the entire group (at least most of us) will come together to share our experiences with you folks. Come and hear the difference your prayers and support have made in Mexico. We will also have some video clips of our trip and the children of "El Oasis." Be there!

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4. Sundown & Offering
Sundown this Friday will be 6:00 p.m., and the offering this Sabbath will be for the local church budget.

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5. Church Budget Update
God is blessing our giving! Here is the summary for February:

Offerings to Date & Goal
1. Church Budget Monthly Goal $ 4,004 To Date $ 3,190.57
2. Mexico Mission Trip Final $ 2,985.73
3. Computer & Projector Goal $10,000 To Date $ 6,357.15

The second offering project for this quarter will be the computer and projector for the church.

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© 2003 Monterey Bay Academy Seventh-day Adventist Church. All rights reserved.