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“ Let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23
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As Pennsylvania continues to battle the pandemic and much of our state remains on stay-at-home orders, ministry continues to happen.
- This week Reading Hispanic churches gave out 600 boxes of food during a drive thru food distribution afternoon in their community.
- Adventist WholeHealth is offering a weekly Thursday evening live "Keys to Living Longer" webinar series at 6:30 pm on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/adventistwholehealth/
- Blue Mountain Academy will share a big announcement live Saturday evening at 8:30 pm on their Facebook page as well as ours. Don't miss their big news!
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Planning for the 2020-2021 School Year
The Pennsylvania Conference Office of Education is working diligently to ensure that schools are prepared to continue to offer quality Adventist Education for the 2020-2021 school year regardless of the realities presented to us through this pandemic. Jeremy Garlock, superintendent of schools, is working with the Columbia Union Office of Education and with Pennsylvania Conference principals to analyze CDC recommendations for reopening schools in a safe manner. Together they are developing a conference-wide plan to safely reopen in the fall in line with the expectations recently announced by the Pennsylvania State Education Secretary. Jeremy is also actively working with his team to develop a conference-wide distance learning platform. This will ensure quality instruction in the event that reopening is delayed or if schools need to be closed again partway through the school year. This distance learning platform can also be used to facilitate instruction for homeschoolers or provide school startup options in areas where schools may not be available. Please pray for these initiatives so that students may continue to be served to the glory of God.
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Staying Healthy
Looking for ways to exercise? Boost your immune system? Want a few healthy recipes that even your kids will enjoy? Struggling with anxiety or fear during this pandemic?
Join our Staying Healthy Facebook group!
We are posting exercise videos, recipes, tips, and information, along with resources and links to Adventist WholeHealth (AWHN) live events with healthcare professionals to help you through this time--and beyond! There are great recipe videos featuring Burney Culpepper, Blue Mountain Academy principal, and his family that will make you laugh, make you hungry, and share a healthy recipe and all the steps to make it. We've also posted a few exercise videos with the Culpeppers for those looking for an intense workout. Want something a little easier? Or something you can do throughout your work day? Check out the exercise videos with Ben Parrish, Adventist WholeHealth Director of Health Ministries. We also have a series of Cooking with Amanda featuring AWHN's Amanda LaCamera sharing easy and healthy recipes your family will enjoy.
Unite with us in Staying Healthy by clicking here.
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Worship
As counties are moved to yellow, many of our churches are able to reopen for worship services. They are following CDC guidelines: limiting 25 people in the service at a time, wearing masks, cleaning/sanitizing, no socials/communions, and not yet starting children's SS classes. But it's good to be back in person with church families.
Others continue to meet via Zoom, conference calls or live on Facebook and/or YouTube. We hope churches will continuing offering live worship services on Facebook and/or YouTube as we connect with people beyond our walls and membership lists.
For those whose churches are not able to offer worship services, our conference leadership team invites you to worship with us:
· On our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaConference/
· By calling our audio line, call 605-472-5260 and enter code: 662834
· On our YouTube page, go to YouTube and search for Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Note you do not need to have a Facebook page in order to view our online worship service. Just click to proceed to the page without creating your own profile.
The worship services will be archived on both Facebook and YouTube for those who would like to enjoy the service later in the day, after your church service is over.
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Sabbath School Classes
We are also providing Sabbath School classes for children and adults. Here is the information for those classes. Please share this information to others in your church, but do not post this information online as we attempt to make the classes easily accessible for churches and safe from those who might want to disrupt the classes. Note that Zoom now requires passwords for all meetings--we've added the passwords below.
Kindergarten Sabbath School Class at 9:30 am each Sabbath morning with Schwanda Morgan
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/184974626?pwd=djB3MEMxTE5EWEVld2lsck0xMFhVdz09
· Meeting ID: 184 974 626
· Password: 514911
Primary Sabbath School Class at 10:00 am each Sabbath morning with Julissa Boyce
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83075536270?pwd=aG12T0h2aDFZRW01SFM0a1lSbWd3UT09
- Meeting ID: 830 7553 6270
- Password: PSS
Junior Sabbath School Class at 10:00 am each Sabbath morning with Priscilla Gonzalez
Join Zoom Meeting:https://us04web.zoom.us/j/730050243?pwd=SVdzVkJRTDJERG5uZ016UFZiL3Uzdz09
- Meeting ID: 730 050 243
- Password: juniorPPT
Youth Sabbath School Class at 2:00 pm each Sabbath afternoon with Todd Casey, Youth Director
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/635995547
· Meeting ID: 635 995 547
· Password: worship
Adult Sabbath School Class at 10:00 am each Sabbath morning
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/332586205
· Meeting ID: 332 586 205
· Password: worship
Pathfinder Teen meeting at 1:00 pm each Sabbath afternoon with Doug Miller
All teen Pathfinders are invited to join this Zoom Meeting:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/531368271?pwd=dERPc0sxTUtuRmV1WFNBZE9pWWlPZz09
Meeting ID: 531 368 271
Password: 1LtgwW
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By My Spirit - Prayer
Prayer for the Holy Spirit is the foundation of success in God’s work and one of our strategic mission initiatives. As church members pray daily for the outpouring of the Spirit, we will see the promised blessing come. “To those who wait humbly upon God…is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 672)
We invite you to join with us in prayer through a variety of ways:
Share your prayer requests with us:
Unite with us in prayer:
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AWHN Welcomes Dr. Eddie Ramirez
Adventist WholeHealth Network's Board of Directors is excited to announce that Dr. Eddie Ramirez has accepted the call to serve as Executive Director for AWHN beginning in June of this year. Dr. Ramirez is a medical doctor, published author and international speaker. He joins AWHN from Weimar where he is currently the director of research for both Weimar Institute and Dr. Neil Nedley's depression program. He has published more than 100 studies in the scientific literature documenting the evidence of the health message. Dr. Ramirez has a passion to encourage and empower lay people to use the powerful tools of the right arm of the gospel to reach their communities and to improve their health. He is a co-author of the third edition of the textbook of Lifestyle Medicine of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the book Rethink Food together with Dr. Hans Diehl, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Joel Furhman and other lifestyle medicine leaders. Dr. Ramirez is married to Susan, a therapist and has three daughters Talitha, Rebekah and Elizabeth with whom he enjoys traveling.
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Connect with Us
We know that connecting with others is important, especially while we all stay safely home. It’s important to stay healthy. And those who have children at home may have bored kids at home. We want to be here for you, so we’ve started several new Facebook groups and invite you to join:
- Staying Healthy – Join this Facebook group on our Pennsylvania Conference Facebook page and enjoy exercise videos, resources, recipes and more. Direct link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaStayingHealthy/
- Families United Together – A place for families to connect, find resources and activities to build strong families who love and serve God, use their gifts to serve their communities, and build strong relationships. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FamiliesUnitedTogether/
- United in Worship – Miss our Sabbath morning worship service or during the week devotionals? We’ll archive them all in this group for easy access so that you don’t need to scroll through our page finding the video you’d like. https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnitedinWorship/
- United in Prayer – Unite with us in prayer for each other, for the ministries and needs of the conference, for the requests that come in from our website or prayer line. Currently, we’re spending two weeks praying for a different aspect of the pandemic or group of people impacted by it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaUnitedTogetherinPrayer/
- Youth Ministries – If you are between the ages of 13-18 or have teens, this page is dedicated to keeping you informed of events happening across the Conference. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAYouthMinistries/
- Young Adult Ministries – This group is for those over 18 and will include resources and events connecting young adults to each other, to Christ and to the Church. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAYoungAdults/
- Women United Together – A place for women to come together for encouragement, resources, and more. Watch for Bible studies, video devotionals, and live events. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAWomenUnitedTogether/
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