A British Winter’s Night concert will be an evening of lively traditional British tunes and ballads. From the popular Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite, to the rousing tunes of the Irish Washerwoman and Country Gardens, this evening is sure to delight! This concert will also feature our newly formed Andrews Brass, an ensemble of student musicians. The Andrews University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Denisse Santos-Gooden will take the stage at the Howard Performing Arts Center on January 31, 2026 at 7:30 PM. This is a change from the original time of 8:00 PM. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the SMC Brass Band will not be able to join us this year. We hope you choose to start off your new year with toe-tapping tunes and swaying sweet melodies! Tickets are available at howard.andrews.edu.
Gone to the Birds
Lessons from the Divine Ornithologist - Part 4
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
More In This Series
"Gone to the Birds: Lessons from the Divine Ornithologist"—4
The Rooster and the Dove
www.newperceptions.tv
- The Rooster
- Mark 14:66-72
- Desire of Ages: "In that gentle countenance [Peter] read deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there. The sight of that pale, suffering face, those quivering lips, that look of compassion and forgiveness, pierced his heart like an arrow. Conscience was aroused. Memory was active. . . . Once more he looked at his Master, and saw a sacrilegious hand raised to smite Him in the face. Unable longer to endure the scene, he rushed, heartbroken, from the hall." (713)
- The Dove
- Mark 1:9-13
- Matthew 10:16—"'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.'"
- 1 Corinthians 10:13—"No temptation has seized you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
- 2 Kings 6:12—"'None of us, my lord the king,' said one of his officers, 'but Elisha the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.'"
- Psalm 50:15—"Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you!"
- John 16:13—"'But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.'"
- Conscience
- Isaiah 30:21—"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
- 1 Corinthians 8:4, 7—"So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. . . . But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled."
- Romans 14:23—"But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
- SDA Bible Commentary: "The Christian should never violate his conscience. It may require educating. It may tell him that certain things are wrong that in themselves may not be wrong. But until convinced by the Word and the Spirit of God that a certain course is proper for him, he ought not to pursue it. He must not make others the criterion for his conduct; he must go to the Scriptures and learn for himself his duty in the matter." (SDABC 5:641)
- The Dove and the Rooster
- Our High Calling: "As we yield to the influence of the Spirit of God [the Dove], our conscience [the Rooster] becomes tender and sensitive, and sin that we have passed by with little thought, becomes exceeding sinful." (153)
- Which is why we must ask for both Gifts:
Dear God—give to me please a clear conscience sensitive to sin. I don't want to drink the Kool Aid and suck up the poison. I know full well what sin is—my conscience immediately goes into Red Alert. So please grant me Your power to obey Your Voice. And please give to me, dear Jesus, Your baptism of the Holy Spirit. Even as He came upon you, let Him come upon me, too—everyday. So that daily I might hear and obey the loving voice of Your Spirit through my Conscience, I humbly pray. Amen.
2 Birds, 2 Gifts, 1 Voice
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made Angel Tree possible this Christmas. Because of your thoughtfulness and generosity, many of our students/student families experienced a warmer, more joyful holiday season. We extend a special thank you to the Lake Union for their generous support and partnership. We are deeply grateful for your continued giving and support of Belong Ministries and for walking alongside us throughout the academic year to serve and uplift our students at Andrews University.
Michigan Advance Partners
The Conference leadership is tasked with guiding the churches in proclaiming the gospel in their areas. They do this in at least four ways. First, they provide pastors and specialized personnel like Family Ministries. Second, they encourage conference-sponsored evangelism activities done through pastors and members. Third, the conference supports and supervises Adventist schools. Fourth, they collaborate with the local congregations to build churches, schools, and other facilities.
For much of this work, the Conference depends on the local church and its members for their financial contributions, as the tithe only covers the salaries of the pastors and other specialized conference ministries and personnel. To finance the remainder of these projects, most conferences collect an offering once per month. The name for this offering may vary in some conferences, but it is generally called Conference Advance. While each giver must decide for themselves how much to give, it is recommended that each of us give the equivalent of 1.2% of our income. When this offering is collected, the local treasurer will then forward it to the conference.
Thank you for your committed support to the conference initiatives through your giving and for not becoming “weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:2, 9, ESV).
May you receive the bountiful blessings of God today.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
God's Hands 4 Kids, a PMC Grow Group outreach to our community serving foster, adoptive, kinship and guardianship families partnering with Berrien County Department Of Health and Human Services. As a gift to the families served by them and as a gift to the community of ministry leaders and professionals, we will be providing Hope for the Journey, a video conference on Trust Based Relational Intervention - trauma, on Sunday afternoons in February here at PMC. It is produced by Show Hope. For more information and to register go to our website GH4K.org
Please join us for the next Master Guide Toolbox event at the Andrews University Seminary, February 6-7, 2026! Share with your friends, colleagues, students or in your newsletters! If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Logan at cjhlogan@gmail.com. Spread the word!
Parent Circle is a new discipleship space where parents of kids ages 4–12 connect, study the Bible, and grow together while their children are in Sabbath School. The resource area features a lending library, as well as support for completing youth and children’s ministry certifications. Join us on any Sabbath, anytime from 10:30-11:30 AM.
A British Winter’s Night concert will be an evening of lively traditional British tunes and ballads. From the popular Vaughan Williams Sea Songs and English Folk Song Suite, to the rousing tunes of the Irish Washerwoman and Country Gardens, this evening is sure to delight! The Andrews University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Denisse Santos-Gooden, will once again collaborate with the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band under the direction of Mark Hollandsworth. The two ensembles will take the stage at the Howard Performing Arts Center on January 31, 2026 at 8:00 PM. Start off your new year with toe-tapping tunes and swaying sweet melodies! Tickets are available at howard.andrews.edu.