MBA Church Newsletter
April 02, 2003
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Monterey Bay Academy Church Newsletter - April 02, 2003
A Weekly Communication for the Church Family & Friends
http://www.mbachurch.org
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Contents
1. Pastor Update
2. Sabbath's Sermon Theme - March 5
3. Calling for Quilts and Pillows for Olive Grove
4. Friday Sundown Time and Sabbath Offering
5. Church Budget Update
6. Don't Forget the Time Change This Weekend!
7. Vege Truck Coming to Town
8. Try Prayerwalking
9. The Church and Iraq
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1. Pastor Update
Namaste!
The great sages (spiritual seekers) of all religions - including the Judeo-Christian faith tradition - have all stressed the importance of the discipline of silence in the pursuit of seeking God.
Nowadays when we think of devotional time and prayer we think of things like talking to God (petitions, praise, intercession, etc.), reading Scriptures, listening to spiritual music, and so on. Seldom do we practice silence.
Silence, to us in the pace and face of the 21st century is wasted time at best or "boring" at worst.
The Bible tells us that we must cultivate the art and discipline of silence each day if we want to experience at least these three things:
- The deeper enemies of our spiritual life, such as distraction, mistrust, and selfishness seldom surface in the presence of noise, talk, or worrisome thought. They will after a minute of silence and thereafter. This is important if you really want to know yourself, for the purpose of cleansing, as God knows you.
- The peace and rest you need in your soul so that you can function more fruitfully and contentedly in your day-to-day life.
- It is when you stop talking with your limited knowledge that the Spirit of God in you can communicate with God for your benefit. It is here that God is able to nourish you and love you in a way that is inexpressible.
Consider what the great sage Paul said in Rom 8:26-27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
Please take just five minutes each day - to begin with - to practice silence. Sit in a comfortable place, free from any distractions. It helps if you are not on a full stomach, or too hungry. Make a commitment before hand that you will not pay attention to any to-do item that comes to your mind or any ill thought towards anyone or yourself during this period of five minutes. Close your eyes and invite Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to love you and cleanse you from the inside. If nothing beneficial seems to have happened, please know that you are well on your way to letting God do His work in you. I promise that you will sense the joy of His presence as days pass.
Love,
Samuel
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2. Sabbath's Sermon Theme - March 5
This Sabbath, I will be sharing the third in a series of three sermons on the incredible evangelistic opportunity we have here at MBA. Pray that these messages will be anointed by the Spirit of God and received in love. --Samuel
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3. Calling for Quilts and Pillows for Olive Grove
Olive Grove is one of MBA's new student-led student ministry groups. We are in need of some quilts and/or pillows that we can spread on the floor to sit on, lean on. God has been blessing our time of prayer and silence with the students. We are running out of floor/quilt space. So, if you have some quilts and/or pillows you would like to donate please call me at (831) 768-1175. --Samuel
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4. Friday Sundown Time and Sabbath Offering
This Friday (March 4) sundown will be at 6:32 p.m. and the offering this Sabbath (March 5) will be for local church budget.
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5. Church Budget Update
God is blessing! This last month (March) we were nearly up to the new budget goal. Thank you for remembering to support your local church and its new focus on ministries.
Offerings to Date & Goals
Church Budget Monthly Goal $ 4,004 To Date $3,705.67
Computer & Projector Goal $10,000 To Date $7,009.92
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6. Don't Forget the Time Change This Weekend!
Be sure to turn your clocks forward this Saturday night before you go to bed. More information on daylight saving time.
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7. Vege Truck Coming to Town
The Truckload Food Sale is coming to the Soquel on Wednesday, May 7 from 4-6 p.m. Pre-order early by calling 1-800-843-8585.
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8. Try Prayerwalking
The North American Division's Prayer Ministries Department has a pamphlet on a new way to pray while you are walking. They define prayerwalking as "praying on-sight with insight." Download the pamphlet. 
To read this pdf file you will need free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
9. The Church and Iraq
Find out how the SDA church in Baghdad is doing now during the war.
The items below are from the March 31, 2003, issue of the North American Division Monday FAX:
** A STATEMENT ON THE WAR IN IRAQ has been compiled and is posted on the church's main web site.
** IRAQ REGIONAL CRISIS FUND -- ADRA has been deluged with called from people wondering what is being done for Iraqi refugees, and how they can help. Contact: http://www.adra.org or 800-424-ADRA (2372) to keep up with the news about Iraq relief or to donate to the Iraq Regional Crisis Fund.
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© 2003 Monterey Bay Academy Seventh-day Adventist Church. All rights reserved.
