Harrisburg First SDA Church

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

Our daughter, Gillian, has always struggled with stage fright. She’s a wonderful pianist, but performing in front of people has never been easy for her. Through the years, however, she has come to realize that her gift goes far beyond the performance. Let me let her share in her own words what she’s learned …

“I haven't been playing as much lately as I should, so I don't perform as often as I used to. When I perform, I still get nervous. But I've learned some things about nerves and performing.

I hate performing. It's much easier to just not perform. Why put myself through the stress? It makes no sense.

But then I look at it from another point of view. So, now for what I've really learned.

First, I am my harshest critic. No one has ever told me that I have to play a song perfectly. No one but myself. Now I just play each song to the best of my ability. Like my mom told me, that's all I can do. And lots of times, even when I do hit a wrong note or hit a key too hard or not hard enough, lots of times I'm the only one who notices my mistakes (well, besides family who listened to me practice the same song over and over again).

And anyway, even if I totally forgot a song and had to start over or had to skip a whole section, really, what's the big deal?

One Performance = Five Minutes of my Life.

Five minutes of performing compared to everything else that happens in my life is not that serious of an issue. I'm learning to take perspective into consideration.

Most importantly, I've learned that music touches people. It reaches people who I may not otherwise come into contact with. Once I played an arrangement of "Like a River Glorious" for church. It started with a single, soft, sweet melody line. Harmonies were added. Then the song developed into a smooth-flowing, peaceful stream of music. Later I learned that one of the members had convinced her mother to come to church for the first time that day. And the mother loved my special music. The music made church that much more appealing to her.

I've come to see that I've been given the gift of music. And I need to use that gift. It's one of those 'use it or lose it' situations. Not only is it an outlet for my emotions, it is an outreach to those around me.

Sure, it's hard for me to perform still. But I try to remind myself that a couple hours of nerves on my part might be giving a listener a much-needed lift. God could be working through me to send a message to someone who needs it desperately.

It's an amazing thought—God using someone who is so unsure of her up-front capabilities to further His work. But if God is using me, I guess I better keep doing what I'm doing…”

It is Christ who gives the gifts and the Church grows into maturity “as each part does its work.” What gift has Christ given you?

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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 26, 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 30, at 7:00 PM in the gym with a study of “Fit for the End Time” (#17).

The March Church Board Meeting is this Monday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Communion is scheduled for Sabbath, April 9, during the worship service.

A Fellowship Meal will also be held on Sabbath, April 9, following the morning services. 

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!

Bibles Needed for the 5th-8th Grade Classroom. “Our classroom needs some new Bibles. Many of our old ones are falling apart. If you feel led to donate money toward this purchase, we would really appreciate it! (I will order them when we get the money together. Our Bible curriculum uses a specific translation, and having the same edition allows us to use page numbers, so we are not looking for donations of other Bibles at this time.) Let me know if you would like to help and how much you would like to give. Thank you so much for considering it!

Sheri Sandstrom, 5th-8th Grade Teacher, 717-805-1003.

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.

Pennsylvania Conference Events

• 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. Register for at - https://paconference.org/laurel-lake-camp-workbee/
• One-day Women’s Retreat – “Whole and Holy”, April 2, 2022, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pa.        
• 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.