Church News

One of the several Filipino families that M.E.T.R.O. Men’s Ministry helped move to their new home.

Calgary M.E.T.R.O. Filipino Men's Ministry in Action

The heart of every ministry is the telling and living of the Bible. Every Christian is commissioned to proclaim the gospel, and every follower of Christ is to make disciples and teach them to obey everything God has commanded us.

The Bible clearly outlines the role of men. To name a few:

• Adam was placed in the garden to tend and keep it. • Moses freed the Israelites from slavery and led them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. • Abraham left his own country and people and journeyed to a foreign land to become the founder of a new nation. • Joshua was a man who led his family to worship the Lord. • Paul emphasized that every man should love his wife, just as Christ loves the church, and provide for his family.

Indeed, men play a significant role in God's work, their families, and communities. Calgary M.E.T.R.O. Filipino Adventist Church’s Men's Ministry has been fulfilling this role through Bayanihan, a virtuous trait of Filipino culture. It is a cooperative undertaking typical among Filipinos by extending help to families transferring to a new home or location. It refers to a fundamental aspect of Filipino culture: working together as a community to achieve a common goal. This Bayanihan program is M.E.T.R.O. Men's way of reaching others and fulfilling the great commission entrusted to them. May the Lord bless the work of our hands, for in due time, we will be rewarded abundantly. —Submitted by Mona Gumtang

Mario Franco and Marcelino Reyes.

Clockwise: Muelsie Pampo, Rex Manuel, and Roger Rodriguez.

Muelsie Pampo. The IT Support one-stop-shop for Alberta Conference

The Alberta Conference is excited to announce its first Help Desk. IT experts provide help for fast solutions to support our members on an add-on to pre-existing IT action.

Areas We Can Help

• Software & Subscription

Licensing – Microsoft 365, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics,

Azure, Azure AD, Windows

Virtual Desktop, Teams

Voice, Zoom, Adobe,

Google, SAGE and more. • Troubleshooting – Microsoft,

Google, Adobe, Zoom,

SAGE, and more. • New Users and New

User Onboarding • Printing & Printing

Troubleshoot • Internet • Economies of

Scale Purchasing –

Hardware, Software • Email • Training – Office 365,

Teams and other • Cybersecurity • Special Projects

Whom Do We Help?

• Employees • Churches (including volunteer church officers who use Office 365, Teams, and Zoom) • Schools • ABC Bookstore • Camp • Admin Office

Inquire for additional areas we may be able to help you. Contact us at helpdesk@albertaadventist.ca

Christmas Offering Aid to City’s At-Risk Youth

The church worship committee organized the Christmas offering, which was collected on the Sabbath closest to Christmas Day and voted by the church board. The monies collected from this offering have been donated to local charities in the Edmonton area in past years. Recipients of past offerings include Ronald MacDonald House, Hope Mission, and a local women’s shelter.

This year, an organization called YOUCAN Youth Services was selected to receive the offering. YOUCAN is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to empowering at-risk youth so they have the knowledge, support, and skills to remove themselves from harm's way. They assist young people at risk in transitioning into employment or back into education. Many of their clients come from broken homes and have experienced alcohol or drug abuse. Some even have been involved in gangs. Most have found themselves involved in the criminal justice system. YOUCAN’s goal is to engage young people to transform their lives by interrupting the cycle of harm.

On January 22, 2022, the Edmonton South Seventhday Adventist Church was pleased to present a cheque to YOUCAN Youth Services for $6,812.00, which represented the total of this year’s Christmas offering. The presentation was made to Sheyanne Lavall-Crouse, Donor Services manager for YOUCAN. —Submitted by Edmonton South Communication Team

2022 SAGE

ALBERTA

CONVENTION REVISITED

MAY 6-8

COLLEGE HEIGHTS SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

GUEST SPEAKER ELDER LOWELL C. COOPER

Canadian – born and a retired Vice-president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 6 @ 5:30 pm Banquet (for ages 50+) (Pre - registration required) College Heights Christian School Gymnasium

Watch for further information via emails/church bulletins

Sabbath, May 2 @ 9:15 am Church Service @ 10:30 am Sabbath School @ 3:30 pm Sabbath afternoon (includes Q&A) @ 7:00 pm Gospel Concert Sunday, May 3 @ 9:30 am

EVERY ONE OF ALL AGES IS INVITED TO ATTEND ALL SCHEDULED MEETINGS IN THE CHURCH. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A SAGER!

Activities in Okotoks Seventh-day Adventist Church During COVID-19

Clockwise: Adventurer Students wearing their masks; children's story time; Adventurers doing physical exercise with their teacher, Jerson Delima; the newly formed Ukelele Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed the world. Businesses were closed, people lost their jobs, and many succumbed to the virus. Ministering in and attending church have become more complex. However, the pandemic has also brought the Okotoks Adventist Church members opportunities. They were able to comfort people in emotional pain and share with those grieving the loss of loved ones the hope we have in Jesus. God is still in control.

Although the pandemic has been raging, the Adventist Church in Okotoks has kept busy. When permitted, the church stayed open for people to worship on Sabbath, and Zoom was available for people who preferred to attend online.

Every other Sabbath, the Adventurers Club started its program at 2:00 p.m. The club was led by Jerson

Delima, Roemie Laurente, some assistants, and parents. Six children were regularly attending. We are very thankful for the committed leaders of the club. Every other Sabbath, at 3 p.m. on Zoom, the Big Rock Master Guide Club is held under the leadership of the very-much-appreciated Pastor Romy Daquila. Twelve members are training for the Master Guide honor.

During this challenging time, the youth have been able to find ways to comfort and strengthen each other.

Our youth leader, Eredee Loriezo, encouraged and coordinated the youth activities in members' homes, like Bible studies and practicing for duties in church the following Sabbath.

Recently, 20 church members formed a ukulele group; two of the members are currently taking Bible studies. We praise God and thank Him for sending Scarlet Albeza Esperedion to the Okotoks Adventist Church. Scarlet is an international student volunteering her time to teach the ukulele group. The Okotoks Seventh-day Adventist Church has much for which to be thankful. We have had worries but also many, many more blessings. —Submitted by Ria Schurig Communication Director Okotoks Seventh-day Adventist Church

The wrong number

“Hello, I got a text from you,” A stranger named

Joe called me back on the phone.

“Yes, this is Pastor Jonathan,”

I responded. “I just sent a text out to my church members letting them know about the online church. There must have been a wrong number that I texted.”

“That is alright,” Joe responded.

“Are you interested in spiritual things?”

“Yes, I enjoy talking with

God.”

“Would you like to join us for church tomorrow?”

“Ok, I will.”

I texted Joe back with the link for church. It is amazing when God uses the wrong number to find someone interested in spiritual things.

Joe didn’t show up to the church, so I called him up again, and we started chatting.

He lives in Gameti and is interested in spiritual things.

“Would you like to start

Bible studies?” I asked.

“Ok” was his simple and yet faith-filled response.

“Would you like to do it now or a little bit later?”

We agreed to meet in about an hour and had our first

Bible study. I found out he doesn’t go to church or have a Bible but is interested in the things of God. We studied and prayed together.

Gameti is a small, airaccessible community of fewer than 300 people. A few months every winter, an ice road connects Gameti to Yellowknife.

I am amazed at how a wrong number ends up being a divine appointment and an ongoing Bible study. Please pray for Joe in Gameti.

Three days later, I stood in line, keeping socially distant and waiting for my turn. The person in front of me introduced herself as Jean to the person in the checkout line. The name was familiar for me, so I asked, “Are you Jean that I did Bible studies with about five years ago?”

She said yes.

We chatted for a while, and then I asked if she and her friend were interested in starting Bible studies again. She said yes, and her friend was starting to pray more these days. I asked where she was living now. Her response? Gameti.

Please pray for the Adventist Church work in Gameti, Northwest Territories. Please pray for each of the 33 communities where God is working to spread the three angels' messages of hope and wholeness.

***Names have been changed in the article.

—Submitted by Jonathan Geraci Pastor, Yellowknife Adventist Church

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND

RED DEER SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

CHURCH NEWSMAY

20-21

2022

Ctrl+ Alt + Delete

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

ORLANDO PULE

Director for family, singles, women’s & men’s ministry in the Ontario Conference

Orlando was born and raised in New Zealand and proud of his Samoan and Tongan heritage. He is married to Pastor Liz, and they both serve as co-Directors for family, singles, women’s & men’s ministry in the Ontario Conference. He is a father to Gabriel, Isaiah, and Samuel, and they bring a lot of joy to their home. Orlando loves being a disciple of Jesus and passionately craves to see the person of Jesus truly honoured in the way we live and love. He is passionate about justice advocacy work, meaningful community engagement, building leaders, and creating virtual spaces for God to transform lives.

FRIDAY

7:30 PM WORSHIP

SABBATH

11:00 AM WORSHIP

5:30 PM PRESENTATION

7:30 PM WORSHIP

More info:

Dr. Lyle Notice

Youth Director Phone: (403) 342-5044 ext 227

freshalbertayouth.ca

lnotice@albertaadventist.ca

Ten Words and a New Beginning

For some of us, the new year is the time when we resolve to take better care of ourselves—exercise, eat healthily, and, perhaps most important of all, evaluate and concentrate on our relationship with God. The last two years have been challenging for many of us, but God has been our refuge and strength even as we move forward from crisis to crisis. Nevertheless, these adverse times have brought closeness to both each other and the Lord.

"Not With Our Father, but with Us"

It was the first Sabbath of the new year; David Hamstra, our senior pastor, extended a timely and inclusive welcome and new year greeting to all those physically present as well online viewers. He introduced his topic with some sense of humor by saying, "You may have heard about this year twenty-twenty, but have you heard that twenty-twenty won [2021]? And what is this year going to be? twenty-twenty, too [2022]?” Pastor Hamstra's question to the audience was, "What is it that we expected out of this new year anyway?” The encouragement from Pastor Hamstra was to be optimistic and hope this year will give us a new beginning.

Pastor Hamstra indicated that the ministerial plans for the first quarter of this year would be to address the Ten Commandments. Why? He explained that this series is significant and essential: God offered His people a new beginning by giving

You may have heard about this year Twenty- Twenty, but have you heard that Twenty- Twenty won. And what is this year going to be? Twenty -Twenty too?"

Pastor David Hamstra delivering his message.

the Ten Commandments. Pastor Hamstra reminded the congregation that things were not normal for God's people for the many, many decades they lived outside the Promised Land. When God offered a return to normalcy, He offered them the Ten Commandments. Pastor Hamstra remarked that if some of us were asked where the Ten Commandments could be found in the Bible, we would refer to Exodus 20. However, we were introduced to Deuteronomy, where the Ten Commandments are also found.

One of the key texts for this sermon was Deuteronomy 4:12–14. Pastor Hamstra pointed out some crucial points to note in this verse: There is a distinction between the Ten Commandments and the rest of the instructions that appear in Deuteronomy. It was something the people heard with their ears—the words God spoke out of the fire. Pastor Hamstra emphasized that in the original language of the Bible, the Ten commandments are never called the “Ten Commandments;” they are called the “Ten Words.” He also pointed out that they heard ten words when God spoke out of the fire. He emphasized that the Ten Commandments are in a class set apart from the rest of the instructions the people get as a part of God's law.

Why Is It Called the “Ten Words”?

Pastor Hamstra passionately and thoroughly explained that as well. He said that when we say the Bible is God's Word, it is because it has God's message for us. When God gives them “Ten Words,” He gives them the principles that govern a particular domain of human activity in the world in which we live, and we would call that “domain morality.” "The Ten Commandments are ten principles that describe the moral structure of reality," Pastor Hamstra said, explaining that God is giving these Ten Words that describe what is moral reality, and that is why the commandments are called a transcript of His character. The character has to do with our moral nature. God is showing us His character because He is the one who constructed reality. Pastor Hamstra mentioned that the exciting thing about character is you only know what people's characters are if you get a chance to observe them through time. Practically, we see their characters in the correspondence or lack thereof between what they claim they are about to do and what they do. That is why the Ten Commandments are introduced with this big historical lesson. There is a short one in Exodus, but Deuteronomy expands it. God lives His life by it and invites us to do the same.

Deuteronomy 5:1–4

As Pastor Hamstra immersed us in this history lesson from Deuteronomy, we learned Moses was going to teach Israel those things God had instructed him to teach them: the structure of morality. Here, he's speaking to the children of Israel on the border of the Promised Land after they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years to allow the generation that was fearful of entering Canaan to die off. Pastor Hamstra mentioned that many of these children were not born yet when God spoke to their parents. Their mothers and fathers heard this, and they were to instruct their children. Those stories were to be a living reality in their lives, just as if they were there hearing God speaking to them from the mountain.

Deuteronomy 5:5–6

We were reminded that after Israel heard God speaking out of the fire, they were afraid, so Moses went up to meet God instead. Here, God reminded His people that He is their God, who brought them out of Egypt. Sometimes, we forget the preamble. Addressing the congregation, Pastor Hamstra asked what the preamble to the Ten Commandments is, and affirmed with the answer, “I brought you out of Egypt, I rescue you, I want the best for you, I want to save you.”

Deuteronomy 10:1–2

When Moses saw the people had broken God's covenants—His agreement—he also broke apart the tablet of stone, the Ten Commandments Lord had written. God said it’s time to make a new one. He is going to make a new covenant. The Lord will dwell with His people in this new covenant—a new beginning.

Deuteronomy 10:4

We were reminded that God himself wrote the Ten Words. He did not employ any other writer to do this. He authored this. He offered a new start—a new covenant.

A New Beginning After a New Beginning

Pastor Hamstra emphasized that we thought 2021 was going to be our new beginning. Now, we are in 2022, a new beginning after a new beginning. How many new beginnings is it going to take? God offers a new start over and over again, but there is a new covenant time coming again.

As Pastor Hamstra wrapped up this appealing historical lesson and message from God’s Word, we were taken to Jeremiah 31:3 and 31–34 and Matthew 5:17–19. He stated that the preamble to God's new covenant is the same: He loved us with an everlasting love.

God is promising restoration to His people after being exiled in Babylon. He is reminding His people that He loved them with an everlasting love. The preamble to God's new covenant is the same: “I love you; I am doing these things for you.” We were reminded that God did not come to destroy His laws or the prophets but fulfill them. Pastor Hamstra stated that when God makes this covenant with Israel, He calls on heaven and earth to witness that this was a permanent moral structure. The difference between the old and new covenants is not in the structure of moral reality—God doesn't say, “I am going to get rid of my law”; the difference is going to be how we develop moral character.

We were reminded confidently that we would, at times, fail to live up to God's moral structure; we will, at times, fail to keep our promise to Him and each other; we will, at times, be faithless; but if we remember, at those times, that God is faithful, He will not deny us.

The Ten Commandments are ten principles that describe the moral structure of reality."

—Submitted by Ina Martin, Edmonton Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

Integrated Microsoft Office 365 and Zoom licenses are available for a special discount for all Alberta Conference Churches.

Contact us today for more information and pricing: OFFICE 365 + ZOOM helpdesk@albertaadventist.ca

All smiles after baptism.

Musical Tribute at the baptism, Brandon, Sheryl, and Hersea Napod.

Roel Aranda baptized by Pr. Rudy Alvir.

Katelynn Thanaki shared a testimony before baptism.

Received Bibles as gifts from the church.

London Quines, baptized by Pr. Moises Ruiz.

Taking the baptismal oath.

The Church Marches On

Despite masks, mandates, isolation, and quarantines, God's children are still tuned in to His Word and the call to be disciples. Recently, at the Red Deer Seventh-day Adventist Church, there have been several baptisms. Youth and adults, each responding to God's truth and mercy for salvation, have publicly proclaimed their allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Our pastor, Rudy Alvir, commends the work and activities of the small groups continuing in the church, providing nurture and encouragement to its members in their everyday living experiences. The sense of belonging is met. The reality of growing in faith and relationship with God and one another becomes the norm. The willingness to be of service to our neighbors and community is all part of our desire to meet together, focusing on the Word of God and opportunities to respond to known needs. There were four individuals baptized. What a blessing!

Our sincere best wishes go out to these new members of our church, with our prayers that you continue to grow in Christ.

In times like these you need a Saviour, In times like these you need an anchor; Be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid rock! This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One; This Rock is Jesus, the only One. Be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid rock!"

(“In Times Like These” [Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, #593]) —Submitted by Jane Holmes, Small Groups Ministry