1 Volume 5 Number 10 October Charleston Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church Last Sabbath our Jewish brothers and sisters worshiping at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pitts- burgh experienced the situation that most believers in congregations worldwide fear, an active shoot- er. The shooter doesn’t deserve more attention so I only mention it to say that its worth considering what believers through history have had to face for the simple act of worshiping. As I reflect on the Pittsburgh event it seems as if there is a certain lack of surprise, for these shoot- er situations are becoming so prevalent. Furthermore, this act of cowardice reminds me of the challeng- es early Jewish Christians faced as they were persecuted for being both Jew and Christ followers. For the first century, Hebrew believer it was hard to be a serious committed Christian living in an unpredictable world of persecution, which came from both Jews and Romans. It was certainly not politically correct to be a Jewish Christian in the first century. How about today, is it becoming easier to stay the course be- lieving in the creator God openly without fear of intolerance, animus, angst, ostracism, or even violent reactions? How you answer will depend greatly on your perception of perseverance. The principle of perseverance is pervasive in Biblical book titled Hebrews, which is an address to Jews experiencing persecution for believing in Christ. The author of this book understands the plight of the Jewish Christian has tempted them to give up and go back to traditional practices associated with Jewish temple theology. Reading statements like "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" we are reminded not to trust in our own faith, but rather the faithfulness of Christ to keep His word on our behalf. The passage in Hebrews 10:23-25 succinctly states the Church has always struggled with things like doubt, hopelessness, mistrust, fear of the future and an overall lack of intestinal fortitude, but we are to remain faithful regardless of our feelings or circumstances. The righteousness of Christ on our behalf comes from faith not feeling. All of our insecurities can be overcome by meeting together, encouraging one another, and doing so habitually until Christ comes. Therefore, let us never stop meeting together, shooter or no shooter, persecution or peace, security or chaos. Christ will keep His word, and so as the day approaches, let us persevere in the covenant of His faithfulness to save us, for "In just a little while He who comes, will come and will not delay…we do not belong to those who shrink back and are de- stroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved" (Hebrews 10:36-39). Pastor Joel Klimkewicz 2 Campaign For Community (formerly known as Ingathering) is here!!! We will begin November 10th, and will continue through the end of Decem- ber. We need kids, adults, ALL ages, to gather funds to provide aid to WV residents in need , and help send a kid to summer camp! Half of all funds we collect go to Moun- tainview Conference for disaster relief and other projects in all parts of West Virginia, while the other half stays right here in our church to serve the needs locally! We invite EVERYONE to participate. Ask how you can be involved, whether providing transpor- tation and supervision as we go door to door in the neighborhoods, or increase in your offerings. (Monetary donations should be marked “CFC”.) Would you like to support our school, but you aren’t sure how? Well, we have Charleston Church come up with a “BAA School Supplies Wish List” that is just a bit different than the usual list! Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. They can be taken Sabbath Platform Coordinator directly to the school, or dropped off with Laura Hoffman at the church. If you Schedule would like information about “sponsoring” a stu- dent’s tuition, Contact Laura H. or Michael Koch. November Thank you for your support! 3 Tom Bailey • We would like to ask everyone to collect General Mills box tops for the school. Please turn them 10 Michael Koch in regularly and spread the word to your friends! 17 Bill Hoffman Due December 1 (For a for list of hundreds of 24 Gary Riley participating products, Go to www.boxtops4education.com ) NOVEMBER Birthdays Prayer Requests 4 April Woods Please remember each other in your prayers. There are many who are suffering physi- cally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. This month, let us lift up Laura Mallory 7 Jack Neal and family, Pastor Klimkewicz and family, Pastor Gustavo & Vanessa Parada, The 12 Annabella Luttrell Briggman family, the Hoffman family, Elaine Wright, Margaret Miller, Mildred Hinkley, 14 Karen Grigsby Orel Ferrell, Becky Wright, Pam Phannachitta, Linda Smith, Shelly Hairston, Bill Gibson, 15 Pat Callender April Woods, Karen Hoffman, Lillian Doran, Dawn Fields, Carol Turner, Demetria Prin- 17 Larry Murphy dle, Daniel Hosu, Wanda Nida, Karen Grigsby, Okie & Angie Richardson, Deanna Cole, 20 Bridget Luttrell Portia Gibson & baby Paxton, Paul Ferrell, Harry Gaynor, and Jeremiah Yeager, as well 25 Johnatan Marrufo as many, many others. 26 Jason Johnson 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, If you have a November birthday and thanksgivings be made for all people and your name is not here, please let Dawn Wadsworth know so we **If you have a prayer request or know someone you would like us all to remember in prayer, can update our information. please contact me by November 28th in order to be in the December issue. The Messenger is a monthly publication of the Charleston and Ripley, West Virginia, Seventh-day Adventist churches. Editor—Dawn Wadsworth If you have questions, comments, or news items, you may contact me at (304) 356-9724, [email protected], on Facebook, or 577 Knapp St, St. Albans West Virginia 25177. 3 C O U R A G E By Elder Michael W. Koch And Joshua said unto them, fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. Joshua 10:25. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24. Be of good C O U R A G E: Confronting the demons. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principali- ties, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked- ness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. Overcoming the obstacles. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. Understanding the risks. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26. Relying on God. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own under- standing.” Proverbs 3:5. Always believing. “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39. Going the distance. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7. Expecting the best. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13. Remember to honor US Military Veterans on Happy Veterans Day, November 11th, 2018. Thanksgiving November 22, 2018 4 The youth at the Boulevard SDA Church and the Boulevard Adventist Academy participated in the 5th Annual “Treats Not Tricks” Food Drive. The flyers were distributed October 27th and again on October 30th. We asked our community to place non-perishable items in bags and leave them on their porch on November 3rd. The Adventurer and Pathfinder Clubs, BAA students, and other children & volunteers in our church family will pick up the food items then sort & stack them into a “Tower of Thanks”. Each year, the tower has grown (See below). The food collected will be shared between the local West Side Food Bank and the Thanksgiving baskets that our church prepares and gives out. The Food Bank has appealed to our church for help and this is our opportunity to share food as Christ did when He fed the 5000. This food drive requires much labor and support, and we appreciate you, our church family, for donations as well as adult volunteers - that helped prepare flyers, chaperoned, and drove. An area will be available to drop off additional donations of non-perishable foods in the church lobby until mid November. Monetary donations should be marked “TNT Food Drive”. Stay tuned next month to see how much more we’ve grown! 2014 2015 2016 2017 We were asked to sing and preach Sabbath October 13th in Lewisburg, so we obliged. However, my bike is in the shop so we used cars to get there. The church said they wished they had known how good the singing and preaching was because they would have invited tons of people.