Heaven Is For Real

I found it interesting that on the same day the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off toward the International Space Station, Dr. Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned theoretical physicist, declared that there was no room for heaven in his vision of the cosmos.  One, on its way to discover more of what lies out there in space; the other telling us that no matter how much we explore we won’t find heaven. 

Does heaven truly exist?  And if it does or it doesn’t, will we have to wait until information from the Space Station or Dr. Hawkings tells us?  

Click here to read more.

CENTRAL HAPPENINGS & NEWS

Concerning Tithe: Recently some of you have come to me concerned about whether we, the pastors at Central, are advocating for a redirecting of the tithe dollar from its already established channels.  Your questions were sparked because of what a presenter allegedly alluded to during a recent sermon preached from the church pulpit.  I believe we were able to answer some of your questions adequately and alleviate some of the fears you might have had.  But in case there are others in the congregation who still have questions, we want to take a few moments to clarify our position.

While we, the pastors at Central, want to be and are supportive of the ministry spoken about during the sermon hour and believe it is very needed at this time, we wouldn't encourage anyone to redirect their tithe from regular, established channels which supports the global efforts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in taking the everlasting gospel to the entire world.

Withdrawing tithe from these channels would impact the effectiveness of the church’s outreach efforts not only in Northern California but also globally.  Because we are a worldwide denomination and not a congregational church we encourage each of our members to support our unified, global mission by returning tithes through the established channels.  Now we understand that there might be some exceptions to this rule, but we would discourage making these exceptions the rule. 

If we were asked whether an individuals should give to this ministry we would encourage its support through offerings and love gifts, all the while remembering the needs of the local church.  For the record, this ministry is a separate ministry of Central church. Therefore the pastors of Central church may not always embrace the views shared by this ministry.

If you still have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Mike or myself directly.  For your convenience we are providing a link that will provide a thorough study in the writing’s of Ellen G. White on the question of tithe put together by the church’s Biblical Research Institute. Click here to read article.  God bless you as you continue to support God’s work with your time, talents, and treasurers. – Pastor Chris

This Week (April 27-May 3): Tuesday @ 7:00 PM - Prayer Meeting with Pastor Chris – The Problem With Lust; Sabbath @ 9:00 AM Morning Manna –TBD; @ 9:30 AM - Central Study Hour with Pastor Mike + Children/Youth/Adult Sabbath School; @ 10:50 AM - Worship Service with Pastor Chris – Disappointed Expectations

Fighting Cancer Through Diet & Lifestyle Changes began last night and will continue April 29, 30, and May 5-7 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Learn more about fiber, proteins, antioxidants, nutrition basics, and more through experienced presenters and doctors. Cooking demonstrations and food sampling also included. Cost is only $5/night or $20 if you register for all six classes on opening night.  Tell a friend!

Israel In Prophecy Seminar: Plan to join us for this exciting seminar with Steve Wohlberg, speaker/director of White Horse Media. Presentations include: All Eyes On Israel, 7-Years Of Tribulation, & Israel, Babylon & Armageddon. Seminar will run from May 8-10 @ 7 PM each evening. Colorful invites for you to share are available at the church hostess desk.

Enjoy Working With Children?  Teri Yan is looking for several individuals who can commit to a couple of hours the evenings of May 8-10 (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday) to help with a small children's program that will be conducted in conjunction with the Israel In Prophecy seminar.  Your help is urgently needed so parents and grandparents are free to attend these important meetings. Please call Teri @ (916) 812-5556 if you can help.  Please act now!

Discipleship University Bits & Pieces: Many have been asking whether the last three DU seminars were recorded and put on CD.  The answer to that question is yes!  You are welcome to pick up your copy from the CD Room whenever it is convenient for you.  Others have asked when Pastor Chris will be concluding his seminar on "How to Study the Bible". A date has been set so please mark your calendars ad join us for Sabbath, May 17.  Thank you for your interest and support in Discipleship University.

BULLETIN BOARD - An assortment of happenings, announcements, and resources from around the Seventh-day Adventist Church

News & Announcements

A $1 million initiative that will partner with ministries to create new resources for evangelism and church growth has been approved by the Pacific Press® Board of Directors. Through the "A Million Streams of Light" initiative, Pacific Press® will offer seed money to help church departmental ministries, supportive ministries, and local church ministries create and develop new evangelistic products and programs. MORE.

Black vegetarian Seventh-day Adventists are at lower risk for heart disease compared with their meat-eating counterparts, according to results of a new Loma Linda University Health study. The study, available online in the journal Public Health Nutrition, compared the cardiovascular risk factors between black vegetarians and non-vegetarians who are part of the ongoing Adventist Health Study-2. MORE.

Adventist Christian Fellowship Institute (ACF), May 16-25, is a short term mission training to prepare students, young adults and church leaders in establishing Adventist campus ministries for Christ on public college and university campuses. This year it will take place at Union College in Lincoln, Neb. Registration closes April 30. MORE.

Atlantic Union College is seeking candidates for the position of president.  The detailed posting is available on the college Web site www.auc.edu. Send nominations and resumes to the e-mail address of the administrative secretary for Dr. Donald King, chairman of the Search Committee, at pwillmott@atlanticunion.org. 

ACS "A Haven for the Homeless" – May 3will be Community Services Sabbath. Here is a video you can show to illustrate one aspect of the Adventist Community Services work taking place in Coatesville, Pa. There, an Adventist community center is providing a safe haven and a chance at a new life for those who have nowhere else to go. Over 30 years ago, the Coatesville First SDA Church (of the Allegheny East Conference) opened their doors to the homeless in their community, turning the Sabbath school rooms into a shelter every week from Sunday to Friday morning. VIDEO.

GYC West is open for registration! Go here to learn more.

Resources

The Truth About 666: An elegant 874-page hardcover edition of The Truth About 666 and the Story of the Great Apostasy is now complete.  Written and published by Adventist historian and scholar Edwin de Kock, the book comes with a data CD of its  contents and complete index.  If you would like to order this exciting book, please e-mail us at info@AdventistsAffirm.org or order online.

Women & the Word Of God: Some of the very best published articles and books on the Biblical role of women are included on this CD-ROM. They have been transferred onto disk for ease of research.  These may be read on your computer, transferred to your favorite PDF reader on an iPad, or printed. Order here.

ABOUT CENTRAL HAPPENINGS

Dear friend,

We would like to warmly welcome you to Central Happenings – a weekly e-newsletter from your pastoral staff to inform, update, and keep in touch.

It was George Bernard Shaw who once quipped, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”  Ask anyone and they will tell you how true this is.  Healthy communication is a prerequisite to healthy relationships, and no less for the church family.

We plan to make Central Happenings a pithy and relevant read with the obvious goal to simply communicate.  You can expect each edition to contain:

Pastor’s Blog - a refreshing Biblical insight from your pastors.

Central News & Happenings – important info on news and events taking place at Central.

Bulletin Board – includes various news, resources, programs, and/or initiatives taking place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church locally and around the world that may impact you.

We trust you’ll find Central Happenings (not to be confused with The Central Connection put together by Central’s Communication Department) another great resource that will allow you to stay in touch with your church family.  As your pastoral staff we look forward to continuing to reach out to you, including through this new way, as we seek to press together for the work at hand and in preparation for the soon return of Jesus.

Your Pastoral Staff