Out of His deep love for humanity, God changes our lives and asks us to move His love into our community and world. We are uniquely positioned at Andrews University to share the story of God’s love from the residence halls to the farthest parts of the earth. We accomplish our mission by engaging people across generations to be disciples of Jesus through the process of Connect. Grow. Serve. Go.
Pioneer Media supports the local ministry needs related to classroom and teaching technology. It also creates content for and manages Pioneer's online presence and produces our broadcast television program.
We have volunteer teams that help you to serve the church and the neighborhood in a variety of ways. The best place to serve is where you’re using your God-given gifts, talents, and passions the most.
Your financial gift helps support ministry here at Pioneer. From local to global ministry, keeping our facility safe and clean, to outreach and family growth activities, it all provides a space to worship, learn, and grow together. We invite you to Give Purposefully, Give Faithfully, and Give Joyfully.
Dwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
• American Psychological Association: “This generation is significantly more likely (27 percent) than other generations, including millennials (15 percent) and Gen Xers (13 percent), to report their mental health as fair or poor, the survey found. They are also more likely (37 percent), along with millennials (35 percent), to report they have received treatment or therapy from a mental health professional, compared with 26 percent of Gen Xers, 22 percent of baby boomers and 15 percent of older adults.” (www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/gen-z)
• APA: “More than nine in 10 Gen Z adults (91 percent) said they have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress, such as feeling depressed or sad (58 percent) or lacking interest, motivation or energy (55 percent). Only half of all Gen Zs feel like they do enough to manage their stress.” (Ibid)
• Baby Boomer Plus:
• Alzheimer’s Association: “By 2025, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia is projected to reach 7.1 million — almost a 27 percent increase from the 5.6 million age 65 and older affected in 2019.” (www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures-2019-r.pdf)
• Dean and Ayesha Surzai: “While every chronic disease you can think of . . . is in decline, deaths due to Alzheimer’s have increased nearly 87% in the last decade. The next decade could be even worse: 10 percent of people over the age of sixty-five will develop some form of dementia, and people over the age of eighty-five have a 50 percent chance of developing the disease. . . . Alzheimer’s may in fact be America’s third-most deadly disease, behind only heart disease and cancer. The question is no longer if we will develop the disease, but when.” (The Alzheimer’s Solution: A Breakthrough Program to Prevent and Reverse the Symptoms of Cognitive Decline at Every Age 2)
» GOOD NEWS
• Our Depression—Jesus
• Isaiah 53:4
• Psalm 88:1, 14, 18
• Derek Kidner: “There is no sadder prayer in the Psalter. . . . [with] its witness to the possibility of unrelieved suffering as a believer’s earthly lot.” (Psalms 2:316, 319)
• Business Insider: “According to a report analyzing data from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index, major depression diagnoses are rising at a faster rate for millennials and teens compared with any other age group. Since 2013, millennials have seen a 47% increase in major-depression diagnoses. . . . The most prominent symptom of major depression is ‘a severe and persistent low mood, profound sadness, or a sense of despair,’ according to Harvard Medical School.” (www.businessinsider.com/millennials-mental-health-burnout-lonely-depress...)
• Psalm 22:1-2, 6
• Desire of Ages: “Christ’s agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. He came forth calm and serene. A heavenly peace rested upon His bloodstained face. He had borne that which no human being could ever bear; for He had tasted the sufferings of death for every man.” (694)
• Our Dementia—Jesus
• John 21:18
• Wes Youngberg: “I tend to think of dementia as a temporary cognitive impairment associated with recent exposures to one or more dementogens that collectively cross a threshold level, leading to decreased functionality in judgment, communication, organization, and the normal functions of daily living.” (Memory Makeover: How to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Reverse Cognitive Decline the Natural Way 33)
• Dean and Ayesha Sherzai: “If we had to name a single food that plays the biggest role in the development and progression of Alhzeimer’s, it would be . . . . is one of the most destructive compounds we can ingest, and we’re consuming more of it now than at any other point in human history.” (100)
• Dale Bredesen: “Chronic inflammation [the body’s response to what it perceives is an “attack”] can arise . . . when we regularly ingest inflammation-triggering foods such as sugar. . . . Sugar is like fire, a source of energy but very dangerous. . . . Our bodies recognize sugar as poisonous, and therefore rapidly activate multiple mechanisms to reduce its concentration in our blood and tissues.” (The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline 48-49)
• Our Dependence—Jesus .
• Hebrews 2:13
• Ministry of Healing 249: “If in our ignorance we make missteps, the Saviour does not forsake us. We need never feel that we are alone. Angels are our companions. The Comforter that Christ promised to send in His name abides with us. . . . Those who suffer most have most of His sympathy and pity. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and He desires us to lay our perplexities and troubles at His feet and leave them there.”
"I will put my trust in Him"
Offering for April 18, 2026
Pioneer Operating Budget
The Bible makes this interesting analogy: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV). Today, we are sitting in church because someone sharpened you and shared the gospel story. This is so true in the life of Riley. Anthony (the writer of this appeal) had driven for approximately an hour on a cold fall day to fulfill a stewardship weekend appointment he had with a small congregation. The service went well.
He preached on the topic, “It’s a matter of the heart.” After the hymn of consecration and the benediction, during the transition time before potluck, he chose to mingle and talk to people. He chose to start with brother Riley, who was sitting at the media booth. After introducing himself, he asked Riley if he was the one responsible for streaming. Anthony had brought with him a recorded instructional video on how to complete the newly designed tithe and offering envelope.
They didn’t get very far into that part of the conversation before Riley began to share with him how he started to attend the church. He identified three people who showed unwavering love and acceptance to him. He eventually got baptized.
Riley’s testimony reminds us of the words of Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with loving kindness” (KJV). Let’s remember the job we have as a local church to sharpen each other. As we give to help our local church programs, may we experience and show God’s unrelenting love.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Young Adult Mission Trip in Peru!
Maranatha Volunteers International invites young adults, ages 18-28, to join Catalyst, a service experience for their age group. Build a church for the Calapuja Adventist Church, operate medical clinics, and lead VBS programs. Learn more at Maranatha.org/volunteer or call 916-774-7700.
ZOOM IN! Summer Camp 2026
ZOOM IN! to God’s Amazing World at The Crayon Box Summer Camp, running June 1–August 20, 2026. Children entering Kindergarten through age 12 will enjoy a summer filled with nature, science, creativity, teamwork, and play as they explore how God’s hand is at work all around them. Each themed week encourages campers to notice the small wonders, big ideas, and amazing details of God’s creation. Located on the beautiful campus of Andrews University, The Crayon Box offers a safe, joyful, faith-centered place for children to spend their summer vacation with on-campus adventures, campus field trips, and visits from zoo and wildlife educators. Enrollment is open now at andrews.edu/services/crayonbox/summercamp. Space is limited. Forms are due May 18, 2026.