October 8, 2021 | Newsworthy @ Gracepoint Adventist Church

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Join us this Saturday, October 9, 2021
10:00 am Live In-person Service
11:30 am Adult & children's discipleship class(es)
11:30 am Second Look

The next Potluck is November 6th - it's a Thanksgiving theme!

OCTOBER is PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH!
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Fanatics
 
The most common fanatic in America is likely living in your neighborhood. They often have signs in their yards, stickers on their cars, and sometimes tattoos on their bodies that tell their story. They are commonly known as sports fans. You may have had some other person in your neighborhood in mind, but I would dare to say that there are more sports fanatics in your community than any of the others.
 
Have you considered how irrational it is to be a sports fan?  As a reformed sports fan, I recently was reminded of how weird it is to align your heart and wallet with a group of strangers that make a very good living playing a game for a part of the year. I started down the path of reform many years ago when I realized that if my favorite baseball team lost a game, I had a bad day. Just because twenty-five guys I didn’t know were unable to win a game against a different group of guys just like them. The fact that they played 162 games a year meant my summer could be rough even when they were winning the majority of their games. Don’t even get me started on the fact that these mercenaries would play for the enemy if enough money was thrown their way. (The fact that the last sentence brought up a 41-year-old memory says it all.)
 
Have you ever been to a restaurant that plays sports on TVs when a local team was playing an “important” game? How attentive were the people to the other humans they came with? Did you experience the roar when the hometown scored? This fan thing is big.
 
We seem to be designed to root for things. Every one of us does it in one way or another. Some of us try to make it seem more palatable by saying we “pull” for a team or a politician a band, or particularly an underdog. We have our reasons, some “rational” and nearly all emotional. This is so deep that history records this tendency from the beginning of historical records. The empires of the past built enormous buildings for the staging of games. We still build the largest gathering places in most communities for the playing of games. And in most places, the largest portion of those stadiums is for the fans.
 
I don’t think it’s bad for us to want to support someone involved in a challenging endeavor. I think it may come from the God-given, built-in, need to love.  We love seeing someone succeed particularly if we feel like we have a relationship with them. (Hence the “fan” phenomena.) The biggest fans among us know the names and statistics of at least the star players in the arena. Celebrated people in almost any field can gather fans. I’m a fan of thinkers. I’m a fan of certain podcasts, performers, even a few actors. We call them celebrities because we celebrate them.
 
It’s a really broken life that is entirely lived in the celebration of people we don’t know. It produces deep loneliness if it is ever really considered.
 
The best fan experience is still the one shared with another human. Going to baseball games with my son is still a highlight. Loving something is fun but loving someone is deeply human. God called us to love our family, and our neighbor, because as is always true of God, His callings are multi-dimensional blessings.
In closing, I want to remind you that God is your greatest fan. Your successes are recorded by Him. Your failures are heartbreaking to Him. He knows all your stats. He comes to all your games. And He always cheers for you. And like baseball, He is rooting for you to get home.
 
 
Blessings,
 
 
Walt
 
 
Go team!
 
Tell Your Pastor Thank You

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. “Take a moment to thank your pastor in person and to pray for him or her,” said Ministerial Director Jim Lorenz. “Our pastors are leading churches during a challenging, stressful time, and they need our support more than ever!”

Elder’s Digest offers a number of great ways that congregations can express thankfulness to their pastors this week or any time!
Dave Callahan passed peacefully to his rest on Sabbath morning, September 25.  The church family is invited to attend the graveside service at 10:30 am on Friday, October 15th, at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery at 5810 Midway Rd in Dixon.  
60+ Diners Group

Orchid Thai -  Tuesday, October 26
835 Twelve Bridges, Lincoln

RSVP text 916-718-5041
Mishael Birth
https://tinyurl.com/gpfalltea

Thanksgiving Potluck

November 6 at 12:30 pm
(after Discipleship classes)

Please bring your favorite Thanksgiving-themed dishes with enough to feed six extra people. This is our first fellowship potluck in a long time and we want it to be special.
Religious Liberty Discussion

On Sabbath afternoon, the NCC sponsored an online panel discussion, “Finding a Way Forward: Vaccine Mandates and Religious Liberty.” Attorney Steve Allred, NCC religious liberty liaison, served as the moderator of a panel that included three physicians, two attorneys, and NCC President Marc Woodson.

They discussed questions such as “How should Christians know when to go along with what is best for society and when to go against the flow?” and “Does claiming a religious exemption from the vaccine undermine other requests for religious accommodation?”

The panelists encouraged church members to be kind and respectful even when they disagree with each other. “[Satan] is brilliant at dividing God’s people so that we are so enmeshed in argument that we cannot finish this work and go home,” said physician Eric Walsh. “We have got to enter into this discourse with love and understanding, hear each other out, and be convinced that at the end of the day, we need to have the character of Christ.”

In his closing thoughts, Woodson challenged people not to forget the Church’s primary calling: sharing Jesus with those who do not know Him. “We must be the body of Christ, and we must work together in unity,” he said. “Let us focus in on what our mission is.” 

So far, the discussion has garnered about 4,000 views on YouTube and Facebook. (Go to hour 2, minute 17 to watch the wrap-up.) The North American Division is sponsoring a similar panel discussion this Sabbath.

NCC Upcoming Events 

Friday, Oct. 8 - Roseville Business Leadership Training is for Placer County business and community leaders who want to create the best work environments possible. The free workshop will be presented at the NCC office by The Table Group, a Patrick Lencioni Company. Space is limited, so register now!

This weekend, Oct. 8-9 - The NCC African American Ministries virtual convocation, Engaging the Vision, Living the Dream, will be a time of inspiration and encouragement. Wesley Knight, pastor of the Revision church in Atlanta, will be the guest speaker.

Oct. 22-24 - Juniors and seniors in academy, high school, and home school are invited to attend Surge, this year’s Jr/Sr Retreat.

Oct. 23 - The NCC Prison Ministries Rally & Training Day will be held at the Sacramento Central Church.

Every Thursday - The NCC Prayer Team invites you to join the weekly conference-wide prayer call.

Learn about other events throughout the conference.
Leoni Meadows
Executive Director Craig Heinrich reports that Leoni Meadows Christian Camp & Retreat Center has begun the process of restoration. “The well guy was here and made good progress on activating two of our three wells,” he said. “Things are looking up!” Donate to the Leoni Meadows Recovery Fund.
Our next host date for The Gathering Inn:
Wednesday, October 20.  

If you have not signed up to volunteer, you may do so by emailing office@graceisthepoint.org.
Exercise class is back!
Tuesdays at 9 am

Bible Study class is back!
Tuesdays at 10 am


Both of these classes practice social distancing.

Office Hours

10-5 Monday - Thursday
10-1 - Friday


916-624-4877
office@graceisthepoint.org

 


Please be sure to welcome the following members who joined our church family in 2021:

Terence & Diane Leslie joined us from Carmichael SDA Church.
Oleg Tarsiuk joined us from Sacramento Slavic SDA Church.
Joe & Sylvia Franklin joined us from Victoria SDA Church, Loma Linda, CA.
Terence & Diane Leslie joined our church from Carmichael SDA Church.
Audrey Welty joined our church by baptism.
Amira Simpson joined our church from White Memorial SDA Church.
Kendal Cornell joined our church from Carmichael SDA Church.
Garry, Dianne, and Andrew Binder joined our church from Auburn SDA Church.
William (Bill) Mattingly joined our church by baptism.
Samone Johnson-Smith joined our church by baptism.
Genesis Ceballos joined us by baptism.
Asher Thomlinson joined us by baptism.
Martin Christiansen joined us by profession of faith.
Lisia Albuquerque joined our church from Paradise SDA Church,
Linda Cornell joined our church from Carmichael SDA Church,
Andrea Polston joined our church from Pacific Union College SDA Church,
Carrie Purkeypile joined us from Antelope Hills SDA Church,
Lisa Brostovski and Sadako Lascelles joined us from Granite Bay Hilltop SDA Church,
Rena Jones joined us from Carmichael SDA Church,
Brooke Lewis joined us from Carmichael SDA Church and
Irvin and Anita Sprenger joined us from Minot SDA Church, Minot, ND.

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