Wrong and Glad of It

Volume 5 Pittsburgh Number 11 Seventh-day Adventist Church November 2020 Wrong and Glad of It

ave you ever been wrong about something and been glad you were? I have! In fact, I had H that experience just this week. That may seem like quite an admission coming from your pastor, but I am very happy to admit it. Because as COVID came on us, our Fall evangelism plans were scuttled and we were encouraged (strongly) to do some kind of online event. Well, I wasn’t the least bit interested because this seemed destined to be a total waste of time and money. But, because, like most pastors, I was scrambling to figure out ways to continue to spread the good news we have as a church, I reluctantly committed to do one. Reluctantly might be a generous word. Perhaps resignedly or matter-of-factly would be a better descrip- tion. I felt pressured. I sensed zero excitement. I searched for some way we could find any hope of having personal contact with the one or two people who might happen to attend our on-line program. In that search I discovered a company called SermonView that seemed to offer some hope that contact could be made with the viewers. Our churches contracted out with them in the smallest way possible because I wanted to fulfill what I felt pressured to do, but I didn’t want to waste the church’s money on something I believed didn’t stand much chance of success. Turns out, I was wrong. Very wrong! In fact, at the time of writing this, we are well over halfway into the series and we are still having more than 30 people view it every night. I know, from the portal SermonView provides that many of those people are not members of our church. They are asking questions. Our own members are being blessed as well and they are asking questions. The message is going out in ways it never would have, and to people it never could have, if COVID hadn’t reared its ugly head. I am so glad I was wrong. I would hate to think that all of this time, effort, and money would be poured into putting on an on-line Midnight Cry series and there would be no result. But because God has a way of winning even against the best the devil can throw at us, I was wrong and I am glad of it. Truth is marching on. —Pastor Stewart Pepper

The church carpet needs to be replaced. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the funds in hand to put this need behind us?

We are more than 3/4 of the way to our goal. We only need $8,750 more!

Let’s Make This Happen By the End of 2020! Coming Events

 Thought you missed this year’s rummage sale? You are in luck. The Rummage Sale, part 2 will be held on Sunday, Novem- ber 1, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come one, come all. So much was donated, there’s still plenty to chose from! Tell a friend! Bring a friend!  Remember the Midnight Cry Online Prophecy Seminar continues through Monday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. each evening.  Attention all Pathfinders, Adventurers, and Staff: The annual Pathfinder Induction Service will be held on Sabbath, Novem- ber 7 and practice will be held the evening before (Friday, November 6) beginning at 6 p.m. Please see the Pathfinder page for more details pertaining to this special service.  Calling all men: Don’t miss Men’s Ministry Sabbath with speaker Pastor John Kent on November 14. See the back page for RSVP information.  Pastor Pepper and family will be on vacation from November 26-28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Get Inspired with Jackie Oduogo

his month’s article is from an interview with Jackie Oduogo, a member from our church who has 2 teenagers, and has been able to lose 24 pounds this year! By adopting small changes, she’s been able to experience fantastic results! It’s cer- tainly not for everyone, but increasing your intake of Example Daily Menu T fruits and vegetables, drinking 2 liters of water every day, adopt- Breakfast Smoothie ing a plant-based diet, exercising regularly, and spending time Papaya, pineapple, and hibiscus tea with Jesus is a prescription for success. blended

ES What steps have you taken to lose weight, and what was Mid-Morning ultimately effective? Grapefruit juice, freshly made JO In 2017, I joined a gym, and was going for 2 hours each day, but I only lost 10 pounds in the 3 years I was going to the Lunch Smoothie gym. In June of this year, I realized I needed to make additional Prunes, Figs, Kiwi, and Orange Juice blended lifestyle changes. This is how I was able to meet my goals: Being CONSISTENT with my exercise. Even when I felt too Mid-Afternoon lazy to wake up in the morning, I pushed myself. Tea of licorice, green aniseed, and Being DISCIPLINED with what I ate. I had to resist my craving. ginger Reduced bread and sugar from my meals. In fact I do not put sugar in my tea. Dinner ES What was your reason for making these lifestyle changes? Chia Water JO My main reason when I started walking was to keep fit, but when my sister challenged me Chia seeds and lemon juice in water to lose 10 pounds in a month I accepted the challenge. I started with running a total of 10 minutes a day and walking 1 hour, I kept increasing my running time/speed and reducing my walking time and soon I was running 3 miles and went up to 15 miles. During this time I was drinking fat burning homemade juices (green apples, pineapple, cucumber, grapefruit, celery) and adding fat burning spices (turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon) to the drinks. I was also dieting (plant-based, rich with fruits, vegetables, and nuts, but light on calories).

ES You mentioned you’re not eating meat or drinking cow’s milk at home. Was it hard to move away from animal-based products? JO I have not been a big fan of meat and milk. I use almond or soy milk for my smoothie. I don't cook meat and I don't use lots of eggs in my house. In fact a tray of 12 eggs can last more than a month in my house and, if I use eggs, I boil 2 only. I got rid of deep- fried foods; instead I bake. When cooking, I use 1 teaspoon of oil for a meal for 8 people.

ES What is a typical day like for you? JO I wake up at 6 AM. I begin with reading a scripture and praying for God to protect me from COVID, since I am running out- doors. I drink a glass of water (20 oz.) with a sliced or squeezed lemon early in the morning. Next I go outside and walk/run for a minimum of 1 hour and maximum of 2 hours depending on the energy level. While exercising, ackie’s Favorite Verse 1 John 5:14-15 This is the confi- I have been able to listen to Desire of Ages, New Testament books, and The Great Controver- dence we have in approaching sy. Then I drink water (20 oz.) upon returning, stretch for 10 minutes, and then shower. Three J God: that if we ask anything days a week for 2 months, I just had smoothies, juices, and teas. The rest of the 4other 4 days I according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ate normal food but in small portions. At night (7 PM) I drink hibiscus tea which is a fat burn- ask—we know that we have what we ing herbal tea and add cinnamon or turmeric in it. Then I go to bed and sleep for a minimum of asked of him. 7 hours and maximum of 8 hours.

(continued on p. 5)

The Bridge and The New Brighton Spot are monthly publications of the Pittsburgh and New Brighton Seventh-day Adventist churches. Pastor—Stewart Pepper. Editor—Kathy Pepper. If you have questions, comments, or news items, you may contact Kathy at 304-992-5920/[email protected]. Let’s get to know our A while back, Cliff Lockley and I were talking and we began to realize we know our church family, but all of us have stories that we would love to Family share and others would love to hear, so this month we continue with Family and Friends. This column includes stories about our church family—things that will help us get to know one another a little bit better. Each month as space permits we will meet at least one or two new peo- Friends ple/families. —Kathy Pepper

The Seigfrieds — Dan, Ayo, Levi, and Micah

Daniel (“God is my judge”) and Ayo (“joy”) Seigfried (German origin, “victory and freedom”) met while Ayo was visiting Oberlin College. She was lost, which she says is a common theme in her life. She had already asked someone for directions, but when she stopped and asked another random guy (as Dan says), he walked her to the professor's office. When she went back to Oberlin, she did not remember him, but he remembered her and four years after that first meeting he asked her to marry him. They’ve now been married for 18 years. Dan’s favorite color is blue; Ayo’s is red. Dan loves Ethiopian food; Ayo loves Thai food. Besides English, Dan speaks a little German and Ayo, a little French. While Dan is a born-and-raised Pittsburgher (although he did spend a few years in Michigan), Ayo has lived in 2 countries and 8 states. Ayo spends her free time reading, hanging out with friends, and listening to music, while Dan’s hobbies include music, biking, hiking, geography and maps. Ayo has a Bachelor’s in Music Education and a Master’s in Special Education; Dan has a Bachelor’s in Music and History, and Master's in Nursing Anesthesia. He also spent a year in seminary at Andrews University in Michigan. Before having children and becoming a stay-at-home mom, Ayo was a special education teacher at a high school and loved working with the special needs children. Dan is a Nurse Anesthetist, but says his most interesting job was that of taxi driver in Pittsburgh the summer after he graduated from college. If they could spend a year doing whatever they wanted, Dan would travel the world and Ayo would like to work with teenagers who might be having challenges in a group setting. The couple have two children—Levi (8) and Micah (6). Levi means “joined together.” Dan and Ayo picked this name when they were engaged. It was more than 10 years before they had Levi, but the name stuck because they both really liked it. Levi is in third grade, speaks a little French, and loves the colors green and orange. He is creative and says he “likes to make things.” His favorite food is apple dumplings and he enjoys playing baseball with his dad and reading. Micah (“Who is like God?”) is in first grade. He is full of energy and loves soccer. His favorite color is yellow and his favorite food is pizza. Micah’s favorite book of the Bible is Jonah and Levi’s is Genesis. Dan and Ayo both enjoy the Psalms and Dan’s favorite passage is Psalm 40:1-3, while Ayo’s is Jeremiah 29:11. Both Dan and Ayo have many responsibilities at church. Dan is an elder (he spent many years as the head elder, leading the church for more than a year when the church was without a pastor), and one of the church pianists, as well as the leader of Men’s Ministry. Ayo is the Sabbath School Superintendent and one of the organists. When asked what type of church ministry interests her most, Ayo says, “I like working with small groups of people. In the past, I have led small groups for women and worked with the young adult groups at church. I enjoy connecting with people in small group settings or one on one.” Dan says that music ministry appeals to him most and is what he is passionate about. Although Dan points out that it has been a little stressful dealing with COVID at work, since it’s his job to put breathing tubes in the COVID patients, he and Ayo have spent much time lately trying to stay connected with family and friends on the phone, on FaceTime, on Zoom or doing things together outside. They encourage people to try to stay connected and reach out to those who might be all alone. An Dedication Opportunity These pictures are proof that there is always work being done in and around the church. Thank you to all who take part in keeping our On a recent Sabbath morning Maga and David church and grounds looking nice! Louis brought their son Nathanael to the Lord for dedication. Pastor Pepper spoke to Maga and David, as well as the entire congregation about how the right influ- ence on this little one will give Nathanael a greater opportunity to accept Christ. The pastor then had a prayer of dedication for Nathanael and his family. We have the best ChurchNOTE: Family and we know it! We pray you know COVID is making clearance how much we love you and pray that God will bless you abundantly! checks take longer to process, so parents wishing to attend Path- finder/Adventurer family events should see Don- Parents, don’t forget to text Lisa or your child’s teacher if you cannot attend na or Lisa to start your a meeting, so you can be sent a link to join by Zoom. child clearances today!

Pathfinder and Adventurer Bike-a-thon Results

The kids miles are as follows: One more 53 (Ivan) 10.5 (Ahlora) Bike-a-thon Sponsors, be on the look- 50 (Richie, Emma C.) 10 (Beecher) Bike-a-thon until Union out for a letter reminding you about 36 (Gama) 8.5 (Emma M.) your pledges and the miles completed 32.5 (Owain) 8 (Jaden) Camporee and three by each participant (also listed to the 25 (Shiloh) 7.5 (Annette) left). 23.5 (Janvier) 3 (Ade) more until 22 (Lachlan) 2.5 (Chelsea) Oshkosh 20 (Brendon, Valek, Lacqueeta) 1.5 (Eli) 2024. 14 (Eliava) 1 (Amayah)

Steel City Rummage Sale 2020, Part 1

Surprise, we did it again! We made it through our 2020 Rummage sale . . . only to find there was so much stuff donated that we added another sale date the following Sunday, No- vember 1, and then even more donations came in to entice shoppers to come back two Sun- days in a row. Thank you to all who supported our club through your donations and shopping. Nearly $800 was made on the October sale date towards helping families by keep dues and event fees low and to off-set the club's operating costs. The second date will happen the first day of November, so you will have to wait until the December newsletter to hear part 2.

Calendar for November:

Nov. 1 (Sun.) — Rummage Sale – 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. – See the article above. Nov. 6 (Fri.) — Practice Induction Service 6 - 8:30 p.m. Please bring a sack dinner or eat before arriving on time! NOTE: Don’t forget to double check that you have all Nov. 7 (Sab.)—Induction Service 11 a.m. – Wear Full Class A uniforms Full Class A uniform pieces and get them ironed before and be prepared! Meal to follow service. Mrs. Jennifer sees you Sabbath, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. for our Nov. 8 (Sun.) — Club meeting – 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (12:30 - 1 p.m. club Induction Service! PBE (Path. Bible Experience) and ABC (Adv. Bible Challenge). Nov. 15 (Sun.) — Club meeting – 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (12:30 - 1 p.m. PBE (Path. Bible Experience) and ABC (Adv. Bible Challenge). New Brighton Seventh-day Adventist Church Volume 5 Number 11 November 2020

Note: The information in this section pertains to the New Brighton Church only, although anyone is welcome to attend any of their events.  The Midnight Cry Online Prophecy Seminar with Pastor Pepper continues through November 2, at 7:00 p.m. each evening.  The next Business Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.  The Peppers will be on vacation from November 26-28 for Thanksgiving.

Each week we come to church and greet familiar faces, but do we really know the people? Beginning this month, and as room allows in coming editions, we will be running a continuing section, letting members and friends of the church tell a little more of the story they call their life.

Mary Kester

Mary Ann Javens’ mother knew God wanted her to name her little girl Mary Ann because that was the first name that came to her mind when Mary was born. Seventeen years later, Mary added the name Kes- ter to her name by marrying Dale Kester, whom she met on a hayride when she was 15. Mary and Dale never really dated during high school because Mary’s mother wanted her to wait to date. But they were married on October 24, 1952, after both graduating from New Brighton High School earlier that year. In the years that followed, Mary and Dale were blessed with 7 children (4 boys and 3 girls). In recent years Mary has lost her husband and two daughters. Before getting married Mary worked as a secretary at Reliable Motor Parts. After marriage and several children she cleaned house for many church members and also cleaned the church. Her favorite job was cleaning Bobby Meiter’s house because he told her to clean his house like it was her own. Mary’s favorite color is blue and her favorite dinner is chili with cornbread. She speaks a little German and a little Spanish. She enjoys kitting, crocheting, drawing, and coloring. She also enjoys going for rides in the car and if she had a chance to spend a year just doing whatever she wanted, she would like to drive around and see as much as she could (nothing in particular), just as much as she could. Mary is a caring, cheerful person who seems to always have a smile on her face. She has two nicknames—Blondie (given to her by her Uncle Ken) and Penny Feather because when she was little she picked up lots of pennies that others stepped over. Her favorite Bible book is John and her favorite text is John 3:16. She is still hoping that God has something more for her to do at the wonderful age of 85. When asked how she is coping in these trying times, Mary says, “I’m staying home like I’m supposed to and relying on God for everything because He is still in control.” Thank you, Mary for that wonderful reminder!

Inspired, continued from p. 2

ES Do you still prepare separate food for your children? JO No, the children are eating the same foods as I am. They will drink the juices and smoothies, and eat the same foods as I do. I don’t prepare separate meals for them. I’m only making food once.

ES What books or appliances have you used to assist you with your journey? JO I have been using 3ABN’s Jeremy Dixon’s Cook:30 Recipes, and Dr. George D. Pamplona-Roger’s Healthy Juices. For juices I use a centrifugal force extractor (similar to a Breville Juice Extractor), and a Ninja Blender to make smoothies.

ES You’ve mentioned that the ingredients for the smoothies and juices has increased your grocery bills; looking back was it worth it? JO It really cost me some money, but looking back it was worth it. I did invest a lot in weight loss by buying two books for making vegetarian meals. The books are by Jeremy Dixon, who owns New Zealand’s Revive Café. He cooks those meals in his restaurant, through this I lost the reason for eating in restaurants. Elizabeth Shniper and Your Health Ministries Committee Pennsylvania Conference Bulletin Board

720 Museum Road Hours: Need to Contact the Reading, PA 19611 Monday-Thursday Office? Phone: 610-374-8331 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Fax: 610-374-9331

Join our Facebook page United Together in Prayer United together with members and friends of the Pennsylvania Conference to pray together for one another, our pastors and teachers, our churches and schools, our ministries, and our communities. Post a prayer request. Comment on a prayer request to let people A Constituency Votes know you're joining On Sunday, October 11, 2020 delegates to the Pennsylvania them in prayer or Conference Special Constituency Session voted plans to move post a prayer on the Pennsylvania Conference office to a new Mission and Evan- their request. Let's gelism Center headquarters that will be located on the campus of unite together in Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) in Hamburg, Pa. prayer! The new Mission and Evangelism Center will feature an efficient office space layout with individual offices, conference rooms for pastor, teacher, committee and board meetings, something that must take place off-site at the current location. It will also provide offices and classrooms for the CORE Evangelism Training School for young adults. The center will be equipped with space to film and edit videos and to livestream events, enabling a stronger connection with members across the state and resources to create evangelistic videos to reach the Pennsylvania mission field with the message of Jesus’ soon return. Its location on the campus of BMA will enhance the partnership between the school and the Conference, as well as with Adventist Whole- Health Network, also located at the academy. “We are excited about the doors God is opening to enable the Conference to have a modern, debt-free building to better serve God’s mission,” states Gary Gibbs, president. “We believe the new Mission and Evangelism Center will further the mission and ministry of the Pennsylvania Conference, enabling us to more effectively unite together to fulfill His mission to reach everyone, everywhere.” The new facility will be located in the building where the BMA health food store is located. The Conference will use approximately 13,000 square feet of the underutilized 36,600 square foot building, leaving plenty of room for the store and BMA industries which employs twenty-eight students. Construc- tion to renovate the building is expected to take approximately 12 months once permits are granted. The current office was built in 1926 as a personal residence with eight bedrooms. The Conference purchased it in 1951. The conference has had several unsolicited offers to purchase the current office building. The funds for investing in the new Mis- sion and Evangelism Center are coming from the sale of the current building, depreciation, restricted donations, and Union grants, allowing us to move into the building debt-free.

2nd Sabbath of each month of each 2nd Sabbath

Fellowship Dinner: Fellowship

day Adventist Church Adventist day

New Brighton, PA 15066 PA Brighton, New

●

newbrightonpa.adventistchurch.org

707 5th Street Street 5th 707

New Brighton Seventh Brighton New

9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10:45

Worship Service: Worship School: Sabbath

1st Sabbath of each month of each 1st Sabbath

2437

939

412

Pittsburgh, PA 15214 PA Pittsburgh,

●

Fellowship Dinner: Fellowship

●

day Adventist Church Adventist day

pittsburghsda.org pittsburghsda.org

Pittsburgh Seventh Pittsburgh

4021 Evergreen Road Road Evergreen 4021

10:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:15

Sabbath School: Sabbath Service: Worship MEN’S MIN STRY sABBATH

November 14, 2020

Our speaker for this year’s Men’s Ministry Sabbath is John Kent, pastor of the Simple Way Church in Carnegie. John will speak for the 11:00 a.m. worship service. All men are encouraged to stay af- terwards for a lunch that will be provided, followed by an interactive afternoon session just for men. Please RSVP to Dan Seigfried at 412-918-9237.

Making connections with each other and with God

15214 PA Pittsburgh,

Road Evergreen 4021