Dear Members and Friends of the Harrisburg First Seventh-day Adventist Church,

My wife, Theda, shared the following devotional last Monday at the Pennsylvania Conference Board of Education meeting:

As an English teacher, I have always found words to be interesting - - the sounds of words, like the word tintinnabulation, or the structure, but most especially the use of them.

Through my years of teaching, what I’ve attempted to do is teach my students to use words, and to use them as effectively as possible. And with that, they’ve sometimes surprised me…

Once when I was teaching a 3rd/4th grade classroom in one of our schools, our Home and School leader asked our students to encourage each of their teachers with a “report card.” Their springboard for this writing began with “Mrs. (fill in the blank) is quite a remarkable teacher. But the thing I like best about her is…” and here were some of their responses:

“…she’s nice”

“…she doesn’t get really mad when we are bad.”

“…I like how she teaches reading.”

“…she is so kind.”

“…she understands my ADD problem”

“…she yells at us less than Mrs. (fill in the blank)”

On the other end of the spectrum was a class I taught at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, MI. It was called Writing Improvement. There were two exit exams for this class: one was a grammar test, and the other required the students to write an in-class, well-developed paragraph with minimal to no grammatical and spelling errors.

At the end of the semester, I asked students in one of my classes to write one last in-class paragraph, just for fun, to share with their classmates. The springboard for this writing was “One of the best decisions I’ve made in my life was…” Cecilia, in one paragraph, shared a major turning point in her life: her journey through drug addiction to a decision to walk away from that lifestyle and into one that brought her back to clean living and working towards her college degree. Were her words effective? Effective enough for her fellow classmates to literally get up out of their seats, give her hugs, and encourage her to keep on keeping on.

Words of encouragement seem to come few and far between these days. But let me share some with you as I close, from Hebrews 10:23-25:

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

If our church family or I can be of assistance to you during this time, please do not hesitate to call: 717-652-6000 (church office) 717-652-6005 (pastor’s line)

God bless,

Pastor Dave Sanner

Announcements:

Let’s continue to pray to pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, but let’s also help…

The North American Division has created an offering code so that church members can give to assist in Ukraine.  If you are giving funds with an offering envelope, just label the offering "Ukraine." That offering will then go to the conference, and they will send those offerings through the church channels to Ukraine.  If giving online, use the following offering code: #31042-Ukraine. That money will also be directed through the church channels to Ukraine.

Sabbath Morning Services on March 12, 2022:

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Adult Sabbath School in the gymnasium (in-person only)

            Children’s classes are held in the church basement classrooms

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 noon Worship Service in the church sanctuary
            The worship service will be livestreamed through Zoom.

PLEASE NOTE that we are using Zoom for all our online public meetings. This will include the Monday “Promise and Prayer” and the Sabbath morning livestreamed Worship Service. (Additional detailed instructions are available on our website – harrisburgadventist.org.)

The Church Zoom link is:    https://zoom.us/j/5974917620?pwd=cS9PRHR1Qlh1ZFBjdjJwZU43YzNYdz09

To join manually by computer, tablet, or smartphone
1. Enter this meeting ID – 597 491 7620 and your name
2. Enter this Passcode – 424hfsda
To join by telephone (audio only)
1. Dial the access Number: 646-558-8656
2. Enter this Meeting ID when prompted: 597 491 7620#
3. The ‘Participant ID’ is not required, simply enter: #
4. Enter this Passcode when prompted: 00178096#

New Church Website

www.harrisburgadventist.org – The new attractive design can point you to our “Weekly Digital Bulletin” and information for members including our music and volunteer schedules. Here are other highlights:

• Attractive Design to Engage Visitors!

• Simplified Navigation!

• How to Find Us & When We Meet

• Blended Calendars for Church and School

• News (Pastor’s Message, Events)

• Zoom Connection Information

• Sermon Audio

• Giving (Weekly Appeals, Adventist Giving Link)

• Contact Form and Information

“Promise and Prayer”

Mondays at 12:15 p.m. online with Pastor Sanner.

“Prophecies of Hope” - an in-depth interactive study of Bible prophecy will continue on Wednesday, March 16, at 7:00 PM in the gym with a study of “Prophecy’s 1,000 Years of Peace.”

The March Church Board Meeting

Is moved to Monday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Funds are especially needed

In our “Combined Budget” fund to cover our ongoing operating expenses and monthly school subsidy. Your church, school, and conference need your continued support. Contributions for tithes and offerings can be made online from the church website (harrisburgadventist.org) or mailed directly to the church address at 424 N Progress Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17109.

Contributions are also needed in the following local church funds: (Please mark your contributions as indicated.)
Capital Improvement Fund             Funeral Dinners Fund

Food Pantry Needs

We are preparing our boxes using the following:
            • BOXED MASHED POTATOES / BOXED RICE
            • BOXED MACARONI AND CHEESE
            • SPAGHETTI SAUCE (no need of any pasta)
            • CEREAL AND BOXED MILK
            • PANCAKE MIX (COMPLETE) AND SYRUP
            • VEGETARIAN SOUPS / TOMATO SOUP
            • PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY

            • CANNED FRUIT / JUICE/ PUDDING CUPS /COOKIES

The above foods make good boxes and are easy to prepare. We currently have an abundance of canned vegetables, pasta, and beans. Only vegetarian foods may be distributed. Please check expiration/best sold by dates.

We open the food pantry the 3rd Thursday of each month from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Volunteers are welcomed!

THANK YOU!!!
 

Harrisburg Adventist School

Details for the 2021-22 school year are available on our school website –
https://www.haschool.org/home.

Help spread the news!

Amazon Smile

If you are making purchases on Amazon, please make your purchases through Smile.amazon.com and choose Harrisburg Adventist School. The school will receive a percentage of the purchase and there is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting HAS!

We appreciate all the support that you provide to us each year! Please keep HAS in your prayers during these uncertain times.

Tim Brown, HAS Principal

Pennsylvania Conference Events

• Lay Bible Worker Training, March 13 to March 18

• Conference-wide elders training is on Sunday, April 3, with guest presenter Dr. Joseph Kidder from the Andrews University Seminary. ALL elders are encouraged to attend.

• Work-bee at Laurel Lake Camp on Sunday, March 27.  Projects will include work in the lodge removing the carpet, the tile, and the base cove and installing wood underlayment; cleaning up the cabins; organizing the tool shop, and painting the prayer room.  Women and men of all ages are invited to help get Laurel Lake Camp ready for the summer programs.

• One-day mission trip to Blue Mountain Academy on Sunday, May 15.  The purpose of this work event is to get our BMA campus cleaned up and ready for Camp Meeting.

Details on these and Pennsylvania Conference Announcements regarding spiritual, family life, women’s ministry, and youth events are shared at https://paconference.org/events/

The PA Conference Youth Department Facebook page - Here's the link:

            https://www.facebook.com/PAYouthMinistries
 

HFSDA Current COVID-19 Procedures:

During the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we want to emphasize the importance of keeping our church family, guests, and community safe.
Masks are not required at this time. However, we do encourage individuals to continue to practice the appropriate safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus, including the wearing of masks, physical distancing, and good hand hygiene. If you feel ill, even with symptoms of a cold or flu, please stay home and join our online worship.

Here are our ongoing plans for Sabbath services:

1. The church has been cleaned and will be cleaned as needed between services. The water fountains will not be available for use. Please plan to bring your own water bottle and take the empties home with you.

2. Adult Sabbath School begins at 9:30 a.m. in the gymnasium and then divides into smaller classes for the lesson study.

3. Children’s classes will begin at 9:30 a.m. in their designated classrooms on the lower level.

4. The worship service will begin at 10:45 a.m. in the sanctuary. Seating will be every other row in the back one-third of the sanctuary as indicated with gold cords. Please be mindful of the need to social distance, and refrain from gathering in the lobby of the church. Following the worship service, fellowship is encouraged out-of-doors or in the gym during inclement weather.

5. The worship service will be livestreamed to the gym for the overflow.

6. We will link the service through Zoom for those who may choose to stay home.