Communion Sabbath

This Sabbath we will be celebrating Communion during our worship service.

I know, it’s a bit unusual due to the fact that most everyone will be watching from home. We’ve never done it this way before.

But it’s been so long since we have had one, and we have no idea how long it will be until it will be safe for us to celebrate it together in person, so we thought why not try this at home.

The main thing is it will take a little thought and preparation on your part. If you wish to participate, you will need to think ahead to have the ingredients to make it happen.

The good news is, it’s not complicated (To download some instructions and the assignment for Sabbath, click here.)

If you live close enough to stop by the church, you can pick up some communion cups from the church found in the Operation Christmas Child drop-off box outside the west lobby entrance (side facing the school building). Take as many as you need for your family to use. These have a communion wafer when you peel away the first layer of the top, and then you peel the second layer for the grape juice.

If you can’t get by the church you may pick up some unleavened crackers and grape juice rom the grocery store. Triscuits, most Water Crackers, and Wasa Crackers are all unleavened as are many of the gluten free options.

Most importantly, pray that God’s Spirit will give us a clear picture of God’s love as we celebrate this important occasion. See you Sabbath! You can view it and participate on our Website, our Facebook Page, or our YouTube Channel.

God’s Got This

This week Don Jacobsen’s blog is titled God’s Got This. Some great facts and suggestions.

As I look around, may I list half a dozen indisputable learnings:

1. We’ve learned that even in the midst of one of the most devastating global events in human history, we can still trust the God who made the stars. Even though we’re in a mess, God’s got this.
2. It is confirmed that there’s an enemy loose in the universe and that he is still intent on destroying everything God ever made. Like the Book says, “An enemy has done this.” He is intentional, strategic, and relentless.
3. We have been alerted that it’s gonna get worse – much worse – before it gets better … (Click here to read the rest of the story.)

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

COVID Response Update

We continue to meet online only. We are currently not hosting any in-person events at our facility. For a more complete statement see below or click here.

Operation Christmas Child

The deadline for turning in your shoebox for Operation Christmas Child is this Sabbath (Nov. 21) by noon. Remember the $9 for shipping. There is a drop-off box outside the west lobby entrance (side facing the school building). It is checked and emptied regularly. It also has materials in it (empty shoe boxes, labels, etc.). For more information, see below.

Wall of Love

During the month of November our Wall of Love Project will be collecting for the Christmas Bells drive for Open Door Mission, an organization that provides emergency housing, meals, food, training and more for homeless and low income men, women, and families.

The Christmas Bells drive hopes to combine the effortsof many organizations to collect high need items for thepeople they serve. You are encouraged to donate to the Wall of Love by marking it on your tithe envelope or going to our online giving portal (by clicking here) and entering it the amount under Wall of Love.

Communications/Social Media Director

We are looking for a Communications/Social Media Director for our Church. This person will be responsible for communicating our mission and activities to our members and our community. They will use a combination of methods to reach as many people as possible. This would include keeping our website and calendar useful and up to date. It would also include using text messaging, Facebook (and other online social media), and emails along with the more traditional methods of mail, newsprint, radio, and TV ads as appropriate. If this sounds interesting to you and you would like to explore it further, contact either Kalvin Tuel (kalvin.tuel@gmail.com or 402-201-6370) or Pastor T (martinsent@gmail.com or 402-517-5333).

What’s Happening

Sunset this Friday – 5:00 pm

Sabbath School and Church is not meeting in person at church right now due to the increase in COVID cases in our community. See below or click here for more information about this.

Sabbath School Resources:

• Our Alternate Sabbath School Class meets online through video conferencing. If you would like to be a part of this group, please text Alfredo Diaz (920-216-3625) to get the information you need to join them.
• To study the current Sabbath School Lesson on-line, click here.
• Hope Sabbath School, click here.

This Sabbath Online:

• Our Worship Service begins online at 11:10 am with Mission Spotlight followed by the Children’s Corner. This Sabbath, we will celebrate a Thanksgiving Communion Service. To download some instructions and the assignment for Sabbath, click here.You can view it on our Website, our Facebook Page, or our YouTube Channel.
• To download and print a PDF copy of last week’s message titled Fluff or Truth?, click here. To watch it on YouTube, click here. To download the page with Bible verses, questions, and this week’s assignment, click here.
• You can watch any of our previously recorded worship services by clicking here.

Pathfinders and Adventurers are not currently meeting. For information about Pathfinders contact Holly Degerness (402-917-4718) or Marina Nolasco (402-215-6048); for information about Adventurers, contact Lori Knutson (lknutson@yahoo.com).

Prayer Meeting will not meet this next week. Our next meeting will be one week from Tuesday (Dec. 1) at 6:00 pm. We are going through the book of 1 John. We are still meeting on-line. For instructions on how to participate, click here. Contact Pastor T for more information (402-517-5333).

Thanksgiving is next Thursday (Nov. 27).

MLT will meet one week from Tuesday (Dec. 1) at 7:15 pm. For instructions on how to participate, click here. If you have any items that need to be considered, please text or email Kalvin Tuel (e-mail or 402-201-0630).

Operation Christmas Child

The deadline for turning in your shoebox for Operation Christmas Child is this Sabbath (Nov. 21) by 2:00 pm.

You will find plenty of boxes and supplies in the Drop Box by the west Lobby Door (door facing the school building). For information and ideas on packing a box, click here – for a list of frequently asked questions about what can and cannot be sent, 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.

COVID Response Update

If you have been following the news, you know we are seeing the highest rate of COVID infections and hospitalizations we have ever had here in the Omaha area since the beginning of the Pandemic.

Because of this, our Church Board this week voted to discontinue all in-person activities and only hold online services going forward. We will re-evaluate this at our board meeting each month and will return to our building as soon as it seems safe to do so.

This means there will be no in-person Worship Services, Sabbath School Classes, Pathfinders, Adventurers, Prayer Meetings, Board Meetings, or MLT Meetings at our Church Facility.

We will continue to livestream our Worship Service each Sabbath beginning at 11:10 am with Mission Spotlight and our Children’s Corner. You can view it on our Website, our Facebook Page, or our YouTube Channel.

Prayer Meetings, Board Meetings, and MLT Meetings will continue via our Church Zoom Channel. Click here for instructions on how to join one of these meetings.

As we move forward from here, we will use the Pastor’s Blog, Golden News, our Website, and Remind to keep you informed.

I know this is disappointing. It felt like we were just getting some momentum building back up – and however we may frame it, it feels like a step backward.

However, Jesus’ mandate to love each other (see John 13:34-35) means we will not expose others to unnecessary risks. We will not provide more opportunities for COVID to expand in our community.

It also means we will look out for one another. Please call and check in on people God brings to your mind. They may not need any specific help, but a thoughtful conversation can change the outlook of an otherwise bleak and lonely day.

Above all, keep your connection with God secure. Don’t neglect to spend time with Him in the Bible and talking with Him in Prayer. This is where your strength to survive, and even thrive will come from.

(To download and print a copy of this information – plus some additional COVID resources, click here.)

Life Line Screening

Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings will be in our community on Monday, January 20, 2020 at Golden Hills Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Ultrasound screenings to Identify risk factors for Cardiovascular disease include; Carotid Artery (plaque buildup-a leading cause of stroke), Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (an enlargement or weak area in the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body), Peripheral Arterial Disease (hardening of the arteries in the legs), a Heart Rhythm Screening (an EKG to detect Atrial Fibrillation-irregular heartbeat) and an Osteoporosis Risk Assessment for men and women. Being proactive about your health by knowing your risks helps you and your doctor address problems early.

Register online TODAY by clicking here or calling 1-866-229-0469 to receive your discount and preferred appointment time.   

Worship Service DVDs

There is a video recording made of each week’s worship service. It is available on DVD. If you would like to receive these please contact Lori Knutson (402-980-5018).

Miscellaneous Information

Remind is our emergency alert service. To get notices through Remind, you must be signed up. You can do this by simply texting the message @tmartinse to the number 81010 (or 941-787-5566) – click here for more detailed instructions.

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.

Video Streaming: We are now live streaming our sermons each Sabbath – you can watch it on our Website, our Facebook Page, or our YouTube Channel.

On-Line Church Directory Information: If your contact information has changed in the last few months (phone number, email, address, etc.) please either log on to the Church Directory App and correct it or send a note with your updated information to Judy Carroll (402-290-3306).

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.

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.

Golden News – our church e-mail newsletter, directly to tour inbox! If you would like to receive our weekly, e-mail newsletter, the Golden News, directly to your computer, click here and enter your information in the space provided.

Lippincott Family Updates: Check out the latest update from Lorilee and Bryon Lippincott about their family’s experiences serving God in Asia by clicking here. To check out their website, click here.

Adobe Reader: To read and download many of the documents we post here you need Adobe Reader installed on your computer. To get a free copy of the latest version, click here.

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 begin this process, click here, then select First-Time Registrant and follow the instructions. If you have completed this in the past three years, you should get an email reminder when it is time for you to renew your certification. For more information, contact Pastor T (402-517-5333).

Last Week’s Sermon

To download and print a PDF copy of last week’s message titled Fluff or Truth?, click here. To watch it on YouTube, click here. To download the page with Bible verses, questions, and this week’s assignment, 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 COVID-19 Virus Pandemic that is rising here and around the world
• Diane Harrington’s nephew Luke who is fighting COVID
• Gary Parker has COVID and several broken ribs from a fall.
• That God will bring healing to our country and willcontrol the direction of our country and world. May He come soon!!
• The Holy Spirit – to fill and guide our church
• The Future of Our Church – Please pray that God will make His will and the path to achieving it known and that we will have the courage to follow wherever it leads
• Our Church Leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Board Members, Sabbath School Class Leaders, Pathfinder/Adventurer Leaders, etc.)
• The Lippincott Family
• Kevin Klesh (Safety in his work as a Police Officer)
• Those dealing with Health Issues: Bill Agan, Al Bakerlis (Diane Harrington’s brother-in-law), 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, Jane (Mary Jane Agan’s daughter-in-law), Janice (Elma’s friend), Brett Knutson, Reagan Knutson, Ginger Kroeker, Dagny Martinsen, Steve Newton (and family), Melody Parker, Gary Parker, JoAnn Swensen (Les Swensen’s step mom), Charise Talley, Cindy & Bob Tice (Elizabeth Knutson’s parents)

Pastor T’s Contact Information

martinsent@gmail.com or call/text 402-517-5333.