Feeling unlike yourself this time of year? You might be experiencing the winter blues—or, for some, a more severe form called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). (Check with your medical provider.) This low mood often begins in Fall and lifts by Summer as sunlight—and serotonin—increase. To beat the winter slump, try using a SAD lamp, exercising, brightening your space, going outdoors more, planning meaningful activities, and keeping a steady sleep routine. Invite someone into this plan and make your spirit bright this coming winter! Prov 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine...”.
Chasing Hope
From an Empty Tomb
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight 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.
Offering
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Program:
As We Begin
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright • Sharon Rogers
Praise
Christ Is Alive • Mighty to Save • How Deep the Father's Love for Us • Because He Lives
Prayer
Ben Martin
Children's Story
That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright • David Johnson
Processional of Hope
Dwight & Karen Nelson / Christ the Lord Is Risen Today • 166
Sermon
“Chasing Hope: From An Empty Tomb” • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card, Tithes & Offerings
Hymn
He Lives • 251
As We Depart
Alleluia • Théodore Dubois
More In This Series
“Chasing Hope: From an Empty Tomb”
- “The Instinct of Hope”
Is there another world for this frail dust
To warm with life and be itself again?
Something about me daily speaks there must,
And why should instinct nourish hopes in vain?
'Tis nature's prophesy that such will be,
And everything seems struggling to explain
The close sealed volume of its mystery.
Time wandering onward keeps its usual pace
As seeming anxious of eternity,
To meet that calm and find a resting place.
E'en the small violet feels a future power
And waits each year renewing blooms to bring,
And surely man is no inferior flower
To die unworthy of a second spring?
—John Clare (1793-1864)
- The Narrative of Hope
- Matthew 28:1-10
- Desire of Ages: “The earth trembles at his approach, the hosts of darkness flee, and as he rolls away the stone, heaven seems to come down to the earth. The soldiers see him removing the stone as he would a pebble, and hear him cry, Son of God, come forth; Thy Father calls Thee. They see Jesus come forth from the grave, and hear Him proclaim over the rent sepulcher, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ As He comes forth in majesty and glory, the angel host bow low in adoration before the Redeemer, and welcome Him with songs of praise.” (780)
- The Promise of Hope
- 1 Peter 1:1-3
- 1 Corinthians 15:13-19
- Earnest Becker: “The soberest conclusion that we could make about what has been taking place on the planet for about three billion years is that it is being turned into a vast pit of fertilizer.” (The Denial of Death 283/in Lewis Smede’s How Can It Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong? 132)
- 1 Peter 1:3-5 The Message: “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.”
- Lewis Smedes: “We may as well be very candid: Christian hope is fixed on the last square of our date book. Hope bets that the last square is not that closed closet commonly called a coffin, but a front door into a new world where everything is right, right in all its dimensions. There will be an intermission, of course, between my arrival at my own private last square and the arrival of the new world. But I will not feel as if I need to wait for it to come. In fact, when I find myself in the new earth, I will feel as if I got there at the moment I left the last square of my calendar. It may be light years away, but in the new dimension it will seem like tomorrow.” (How Can It Be All Right, When Everything Is All Wrong? 124)
- Rubem A. Alves: “Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it.”
“And the future starts now!”
With This in Mind...
Seeking Voices for Sabbath Video Series!
Adventist Learning Community is producing a short series exploring Sabbath keeping and its impact on everyday life. We're looking for individuals to interview who joined the Adventist Church within the last 15 to 20 years and are comfortable on camera. If you're open to sharing your experience and how Sabbath has shaped your life, please contact Luke Bowers at lbowersweb@gmail.com, we'd love to hear from you!
Belong: Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving tradition continues, just a little earlier this year! We’ll be serving Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, November 16 at 6 PM If you would like to contribute a dish, please let us know by texting the word "TOFURKY" to 269-281-2345 to select an item or two from the list!
Fellowship Dinner
Pioneer Commons
There will be a fellowship dinner held in the commons this Sabbath following the second church service. Visitors are welcome.
Adventist-Muslim Relations Group
Join us to pray for active missionaries and explore how to build bridges between Adventists and Muslims. We meet at 6:30 PM on the first and third Monday each month in the Leadership Lab of the Campus Center at Andrews University.
Join the Traffic Ministry Team!
We’re looking for volunteers to serve in our Traffic Ministry, helping direct vehicles and assist members and guests as they arrive and leave. Your friendly presence helps ensure safety and creates a warm first impression for everyone coming to worship. If you’re interested or want to learn more, please contact Derill Legoh 732-379-1300.
Offering for November 8, 2025
Annual Sacrifice for Global Mission
In 1857 David Livingstone was invited to receive a tribute and speak to students at Cambridge University in England. He had left behind a prosperous life in Europe to devote himself to preaching the gospel on the African continent.
As he stood in front of the students, he uttered the following words, People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay?—Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?—Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! . . . I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which HE made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us.
Today, we continue our tradition for every member of the Adventist church to give sacrificially so the General Conference can continue with the endeavor of Global Mission.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Howard Center Presents...Rachel Barton Pine
Rachel Barton Pine, a renowned violinist, suffered a life-altering accident in 1995 when she was severely injured in a train accident, resulting in the loss of her left leg and significant damage to her right foot. Through resilience and determination Pine has overcome her challenges and has become an acclaimed American concert violinist whose infectious joy and passion transforms an audiences’ experience of classical music as they listen to her play. She has performed with the world’s foremost orchestras both locally and internationally and is a leading interpreter of the great classical masterworks. Please join us on November 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Howard Performing Arts Center for a heart-warming concert by Rachel Barton Pine.
Adventist Seniors of Michiana (ASM) Meeting
Let’s dig into autumn with our ASM meeting on Sunday, November 9, 1:00-3:00 PM. We look forward to hearing from Randy Younkers with an update on the Noah’s Ark archeological site in Turkey. CHANGE IN VENUE: We will be meeting in the Pioneer Memorial Church Commons. All seniors aged 55+ are welcome. Bring your favorite potluck dish to share. For further information, contact Christine Rorabeck at 734-904-2001.
Katherine Smith Celebration of Life
We are saddened to share that Katherine Smith, 95, passed away on August 8, 2025, in Mesa, AZ, from complications of Alzheimer's. A former Associate Dean of Women and Pioneer Memorial Church co-Head Elder, she was a fixture in the Berrien Springs community for over 50 years. An informal Celebration of Life will be held at the Pioneer Memorial Church Commons on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 5-7 PM. Please join us as we share fond memories and fellowship together while enjoying a light supper. Share your favorite memory with Susie at livrefou@hotmail.com. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Neighbor to Neighbor at https://www.n2nhelps.com.
