Theological Hmm: "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath?" But they wouldn’t answer him. Jesus looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. - Mark 3:4-5 (NLT)
Coming soon:
FIFTH SERVICE SABBATH MAR 30 is this week! The church will be open for Sabbath School @ 9:30am and as a gathering place for car pooling to area service projects, but no organized worship service will occur. Please see the sign up sheets in the foyer for remaining availability or find someone or some non-profit to serve his Sabbath! Tell them that God loves them like crazy AND invite them back to church next week. Sign up sheets are on the divider screen in the foyer. Please have one person from each group prepared to share a 30 second takeaway during announcements in church APR 6
PLEASE TAKE PICS! The tech team will be taking pics and videos at as many of the service sites as possible, but if you have permission from the local home owner / project, please get your phone out and take a group photo for our church newsletter and send it to: photos@toledofirstadventist.org before APR 6
CHURCH PAINTING continues this week and SUN - WED next week
"SOUP" (sometimes its subs or pizza or tacos...) FOR YOU RESUMES APR 3 (and concludes 5/22/19). We will be discussing Helmut Haubeil's book Steps to Personal Revival: Being Filled With The Holy Spirit" at 6:30pm. Books are available in the church office for a donation of $5 while supplies last. Let us show you how to lead a small group. Then you can tell others how somewhere else. Would make a great Six Week Group book
YOUNG ADULT BIBLE STUDY BEGINS APR 6 with my good friend Joel Camick who recently moved to and is working in Toledo. A huge OSU fan and good basketball player (he played on the basketball team for Mount Vernon Academy), I've known him since he was a toddler! But Joel is now in his 20's and loves God like crazy and wants to hang out with other young adults who want to love and serve God too. So make plans now to hang out with Joel every week starting SAT APR 6 @ 2pm in the youth room at church!
RE-CHARGE HIGH SCHOOL GATHERINGAPR 6 The Ohio Conference invites high school aged youth to a high school gathering scheduled April 6 at 10:30am, Worthington SDA Church, Worthington, Ohio. Join us for food, worship, and games! Please bring a change of clothes including a jacket (if it's cold) you don't mind getting dirty because there will be afternoon service projects available involving paint, pets, and the great outdoors! For more information contact Edward Marton: 567.274.7087 or emarton@ohioadventist.org
DOCUMENTARY SHOWING: "GETTING TO 1"APR 6 Every Christian in NW Ohio should be equipped to share the readily available resources to combat the rising infant mortality rate among black babies. This documentary helps do that. Please make plans to invite other Christian friends to join us @ 7:30pm. Stay tuned for specific room location but showing will be at church
SCRAPBOOKING APR 7 is from 10am - 8pm. Join the group! A great ordinary outreach
COMMUNION APR 13 Will you love and serve to the very end (cf. John 13:1)?
YOUTH PIZZA MAKING APR 13 Join us in the kitchen right after church
ADDICTION SMALL GROUP TRAINING Martin W. Hall, Executive Director of the Adult & Teen Challenge of NW Ohio will be available Sabbath afternoons in April @ 2pm in the Youth Room (hallway to the east / right of sanctuary) to train volunteers interested in helping or facilitating a small group for those struggling with addictions. Join us!
CHERRY STREET BREAKFAST VOLUNTEERS Breakfast is served from 6:45-8:45 7 days a week. Whether you are volunteering as an individual, family or group, they would love to have you! For additional information on signing up, contact Susan at sgraalman@cherrystreetmission.org or 419-214-3419
BATTLE PLAN CHURCH CHAT CONTINUES Encouraging texts and prayers are being solicited three times a day via group text. If you're willing to help, drop your mobile number on the card from the bulletin in the offering plate when it comes around. Or text Brandi Myers at (765) 716-2190 with your preferred time (7a, noon, or 7p). Then, each day at the appropriate time, you can text a prayer or verse or short devotional thought to encourage her and others. Please note: if you do not have unlimited data, messaging and data rates may apply. See your carrier for more info
¡VIVA VENEZUELA OUTREACH! In Venezuela, churches offer resources when they are hard to secure with the country in crisis. So if you want to help, you can donate non perishable food, over the counter medicine, and toiletries items in the black box on the table in the foyer
SIX WEEK GROUPS CONCLUDE Thank you for taking Jesus' Great Commission seriously and sacrificing six weeks of TV, sports, or other good things to make Acts 2:42 a weekly reality
FREE PANERA BREAD available FRI 9-10am. Come to side door under canopy. To reach the most people outside our church (which is the point of all our ordinary outreach efforts), left over bread will now be donated on Fridays after 10am and no longer available after. Sorry for any inconvenience
MEMORIAL FOR DR. DAVID KAWAKAMI is now archived and available to be viewed here
CAN ALZHEIMERS DISEASE BE PREVENTED AND EVEN REVERSED? Dr. David's presentation is now archived online and available to be viewed here
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS I am so proud of longtime Toledo First member and dear friend Will Frey. Recently, he gave me permission to share with you, our church family, that he has been struggling for years with alcohol. But he wants to quit! And as Brandi Myers shared in church last week, she is requesting prayer to combat her addiction to smoking. Whether you sign up to pray for her via group text, I assured them we would pray Philippians 2:13 (NLT) daily in their behalf which says, "13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." Will you join me? We're going to be the kind of church that prays, not condemns, people struggling with addiction!
ADDICTED? GET HELP HERE Martin W. Hall, Executive Director of the Adult & Teen Challenge of NW Ohio, welcomes anyone struggling with addictions to join his "Overcomers" group that currently meets at Compelled Church (8970 Jackman Rd, Temperance, MI 48182) on Mondays at 6:30pm in Room B-17
SUMMER CAMP MOHAVEN REGISTRATION Once again, our 50/50 deal for young campers 6-17 is available. All you have to do is register online at ohiosdayouth.org/camp-mohaven and pay your half while adding a message that Toledo First will be paying the balance. The church will be notified and pay the balance. Cub Camp (Ages 6-9) is JUN 9-16; Junior Camp (Ages 9-12) is JUN 16-23; Horse Camp 1 (Ages 8-12) is JUN 23-30; Tween Camp (Ages 12-15) is JUN 30 - JUL 7; Horse Camp 2 (Ages 13-17) is JUN 30-JUL 7; and Teen Camp (Ages 15-17) is JUL 7-14. Questions? Contact (937) 853-8456; youth@ohioadventist.org
CAMPANAS CRISTALIS Our bell choir, Campanas Cristalis, is raising money to purchase an additional large silver bell. To give, please mark your tithe envelope accordingly and place in the offering plate
SPANISH ADVENTIST GROUP OF TOLEDO meets each Sabbath in the Fellowship Room from 9:00am - 12:15pm. Please keep hallway and kitchen noise to a minimum
WOMEN'S PRAYER GROUP meets after worship in the church office
OPEN TABLE CONTINUES Mondays. Please pray for our volunteer's ministry to Lorie as she re-acclimates to life after being rescued from human traffickers
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY GROUP 10am-12noon for Bible Study with Regina Davis—at church and continues Sundays same time. Everyone is invited
JOIN YOUR ENTIRE CHURCH FAMILY FOR I REMEMBER WHEN ON APR 14 Please sign up to let us know you’re coming to the “I Remember When” Party on Sunday, April 14, 5pm. If you can bring something, please check the “food and drink donations” and let us know what you’ll bring. We’d love to have you join the fun—reminisce, chuckle, sing, and play a game or two. It’ll be fun for all!
BAPTISM APR 20 Easter is a great time to be baptized. Romans 6:3-4 says, "3 Have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."
IMMERSION YOUNG ADULT RETREAT APR 19-21 Ohio Conference invites you to a high school gathering scheduled APR 6 at 10:30am, at Worthington SDA Church. Enjoy food, worship, and games! Q’s? contact Edward Marton: 567.274.7087 or emarton@ohioadventist.org
STOP THE BLEEDING APR 23 If someone were to be stabbed or even shot in front of you, would you know what to do to help them? A free class is being offered by ProMedica to teach people what to do in a trauma situation. Join our church security team members in the Fellowship Hall for this important one hour class @ 7pm
ABBREVIATED CHURCH BUSINESS MEETING APR 23 There will be an abbreviated church business meeting in the Youth Room (off east hallway) on TUE APR 23 @ 6:30pm prior to the Stop the Bleeding class in the Fellowship Hall @ 7pm
YOUTH SPRING CAMPOUT at Camp Miakonda either May 3, or 17 (the first nice weekend of those two dates.) So save the date(s) and start collecting water guns and asking your parents if they will come help us play Bible Smuggler again! Contact Jen Landeros for more info
SECURITY TRAINING MAY 7 Please mark your calendars and join us from 6-8pm for annual training including de-escalation techniques and active shooter response training
MOTHER'S DAY TEA MAY 11 coming soon. Stay tuned for more info
MEN'S RETREAT AT CAMP MOHAVEN MAY 17-19 All men ages 16 and older are invited to be part of the annual Ohio Conference Men’s Retreat at Camp Mohaven May 17-19. Ask at the church office for a brochure or visit www.ohioadventist.orgfor details
JESUS MADE INVITATIONS SO WILL WE Save the dates NOV 13-20 for our fall "If it's important to God..." evangelistic series preached by me where I hope all our small groups will gather
LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE is a half hour television talk show focused on living a full, healthy and balanced life. It features panel discussions, interview and demonstration segments focused on whole life health, including fitness, nutrition, relationships. outlook and more. You can find the programs each week on Sky Angel Faith and Family TV, Uplift TV, DirecTV channel 368 or 378, Hope Channel, NRB Network, faithfortoday.tv, lifestyle.org, Roku, AppleTV, and AmazonFire TV. Please check these networks’ websites for air times or call Faith for Today at 805.955.7681
LEADERSHIP TRAINING ARCHIVE is avail online. So if you missed it 12/1, you can now watch and send me your TF Takeaways
JESUS MOVIES What's your fave? Faith, Hope & Love, Christmas Grace; The Nativity Story; The Star; The Conscientious Objector (2004); The Ultimate Gift; Shadowlands; The Shack; Cutback; Soul Surfer; Grace UnPlugged; End of the Spear; The Mission; Beautifully Broken; Running for Grace; Steve McQueen: American Icon; The Resurrection of Gavin Stone; Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed; Is Genesis History?; God's Not Dead; Fireproof; War Room; The Case for Christ; The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry; Amazing Grace; Once I Was a Beehive; I Can Only Imagine
GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE If you've never heard of the Geoscience Research Institute, here's their website https://www.grisda.org Established in 1958, this organization is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church with a mission to discover and share an understanding of nature and its relationship with the Biblical revelation of the Creator God. It has all kinds of resources and articles related to intelligent design and evolution and dinosaurs and many other interesting subjects. I enjoy reading their quarterly email update. You can subscribe by clicking here and filling out the form asking to be included in their quarterly e-newsletter
ONLINE BIBLE STUDIES The Discover Bible Study series is online. Anyone can enroll and complete them in the privacy and comfort of their own home. Good for friends and family interested in becoming acquainted with the Bible and finding answers for facing the issues and challenges you deal with every day. Remember and refer others to this website: biblestudies.com
PRAYERS AND PRAISES Because we need to be praising God with our lips (Psalm 63:3), here's another alternative...email CathieH directly at heathcs@sbcglobal.net with your praise. Yes, it can be anonymous, if you prefer. Just specify in your email you don't want your name mentioned. You can still write your prayers & praises and put them in the box at the foot of the cross in the foyer at the courtyard exit doors. Cards and pencils are provided
BEST COMMENTARIES ON DANIEL AND REVELATION Want a chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse practical but thorough commentary on the book of Daniel or Revelation from an Adventist viewpoint? Here's what I use and recommend Daniel: Wisdom to the Wise and Revelation of Jesus Christ
NEW SERMONS Please see church website for sermon archives and more info at tfsda.org
MAR 30 - Fifth Service Sabbath (church is open for Sabbath School and as an organization / car pool location but no organized worship service)
APR 6 - Remember Me (Pastor Mike preaching from Luke 23:26-43)
APR 13 - Deep Sorrow (Pastor Mike preaching from Luke 23:44-49) *Also Communion
APR 20 - Buried (Pastor Mike preaching from Luke 23:50-56) *Also Baptism
OUR WELCOME We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, y no habla ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rail, or could afford to lose a few pounds. We welcome you if you sing like Andrea Bocelli or can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re just browsing, just woke up, or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than the Pope, or haven’t been in church since little Joey’s baptism. We welcome service dogs and their handlers. We welcome Muslims, Jews, politicians, and sinners like us. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk- food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems, or you’re down in the dumps, or you don’t like “organized religion;” we’ve been there too. If you blew all your offering money at the casino, you’re welcome here. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, who work hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or come because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid, or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters, bleeding hearts...and you.
OUR STORY Our church website at the very bottom of the home page has an excellent downloadable resource featuring our story and explanation of our unique Christian Adventist emphasis. It's called the Toledo First Assimilation Manual and if you've never read it, I would encourage you to do so. And don't forget, God loves you like crazy. And so do we (2 Corinthians 5:13-14 NLT)
