EPHESUS Preview Issue [Fall/Winter 2013]

4 Ask the Pastor 14 Bridging the Gap 18 Reaching Out

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In This Issue

“And the Word

became flesh and

dwelt among

us…”

John 1:14

December Graduates

Ask the Pastor

Induction Ceremony

Children’s Sabbath

Education Day

Thanksgiving Baskets

We Love our Seniors!

Bridging the Gap

Ephesus Men Give Back

Reaching Out

Baptisms and Profession of

Faith

Pray4Togo

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December Graduates Yeiszmen Johnson

Shambra Maxwell

Shantel McGill

Brook Williams

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Ask the Pastor

Are we obligated to tithe on

child support, pensions,

and retirement income? —

Sister M.

2 Cor. 9:7

When I calculate my tithe,

should it be on my net or

my gross income?

Proverbs 3:9-10 says

that God has asked for our

first fruits, which is the first

and best of all that we re-

ceive. That means we should

tithe from our total income

before taxes (gross).

Should I tithe if I am in

debt?

Tithing is an act of wor-

Pastor Pooler answers your questions

ship. If there is anybody in

the world who needs God's

wisdom/blessings in the area

of finances, it is a person

who is already in debt. Re-

turn Tithe & Offering! (Luke

6:38)

Is it OK to take my tithe

money and put it towards a

worthy cause?

Malachi 3 says we are

actually stealing from God if

we don't return an honest

tithe to your local church, as

well as give liberal offerings

as we are blessed.

Should I tithe from the

profits from the sale of my

house?

Any profit made from

the sale of a house ought to

be tithed upon, because it is,

in fact, part of our first

fruits. Even if the profits are

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to be reinvested in a new

home, a tithe should first be

given.

Should a person tithe on

an inheritance?

Because an inher-

itance is part of our

"increase," we should give a

portion of it back to the Lord

to honor Him.

What about insurance pay-

ments received upon the

death of a spouse-should a

person tithe on the lump

sum, or just on the interest

earnings?

Again, look at the prin-

ciple of tithing on our

"increase." If insurance pro-

ceeds are paid in a lump

sum distribution, a tithe

should first be paid on the

entire amount. If paid over

time then return as you re-

ceive. A tithe should be paid

on any increase received

(interest, dividends, etc.)

from the investment of those

funds.

Should I tithe on alimony

or child support from my

ex?

Alimony is part of your

income from which a tithe

should be given, but child

support belongs to the chil-

dren and isn't part of your

personal "increase. " unless

used on things other than di-

rectly for your child.

Wouldn't you be exempt

from tithing if you were on

a fixed income (Social Se-

curity, pension, annuity, re-

tirement, etc.) and barely

making ends meet?

Gods desire is to bless

His children, and it is for our

good that He has instituted

the principle of tithing in His

Word. For example: If our

church were full of retirement

age persons who held the

attitude that "I shouldn't tithe

on retirement or give an of-

fering" then our doors would

quickly close. Tithe and offer-

ings help sustain ministry,

fight back the curse of the

enemy and cures us from the

cancer of selfishness. (Luke

21:1-4)

"Don't tip God, partner

with Him! "

Have a question for the

pastor? Please send it to

Tiffiney Miles at

tiffalmil@yahoo.com

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Pathfinder and Adventurer Induction Ceremony The Pathfinder and Adventurer Induction Ceremony was held on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Ephesus. Fifteen Pathfinders, Adven-

turers and counselors were inducted into the club.

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Pathfinder and Adventurer Induction Ceremony The Pathfinder and Adventurer Induction Ceremony was held on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Ephesus. Fifteen Pathfinders, Adven-

turers and counselors were inducted into the club.

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Above (l-r): Anazelya Gibson, Jordan Reed, Kareem McClendon and Jordan Jones star in the drama “Super Detec-

tives” for Children’s Sabbath on October 5, 2013. The play took all of the kids through the Bible, finding the promis-

es of God to deal with challenges of life, including adoption, loneliness, bullying and death of a family member.

Children’s

Sabbath On October 5, 2013, the chil-

dren of Ephesus SDA hosted their

special Children’s Sabbath, under

the direction of Nina Nelson. The

abbreviated church service show-

cased children ministering through

song, prayer and scripture reading.

The service also included the

drama “Super Detectives” which took

four children discovered Bible verses

to tackle every day issues. For Chil-

dren’s Sabbath, Nina Nelson wanted

to encourage the church to “search

the Scriptures” for answers to every

issue in life.

“The Bible has answers for

challenges that children and adults

face,” Nina said. “And with today’s

technology and guidance from par-

ents, children can see how to search

the Bible and to hear what the Bi-

ble has to say about certain top-

ics.”

Nina also wanted to remind

the church that any person, young

or old, can share the Gospel.

“They can deliver a message to an-

yone of any age,” Nina said. Par-

ents and other adults are also en-

couraged to provide opportunities

for children to spread the good

news of Jesus inside and outside

church.

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Above (l-r): Pastor Prince Lewis, special speaker for Ephesus SDA Education Day, ooks on as Denise Marshalleck-

Smith, principal of Columbia Christian Academy (CAA), comments during the debate between the topic of Christian

education and public education during AYS Sabbath evening meeting.

The Education Department

hosted an education Sabbath on Oc-

tober 19, 2013, under the leadership

of Ryan Nelson.

Educators in the church were

acknowledged, and a special recogni-

Education

Day

tion was given to Anne Jones for her

many accomplishments while in the

education field.

The guest speaker for the day

was Pastor Prince Lewis from Flor-

ence, SC, who preached about the

importance of education and its

effect on salvation.

The Education Department

held an AYS program in the evening

to debate between the topic of

Christian education or public educa-

tions by assessing the advantages

and disadvantages of each.

A panel of educators, who

work in either a Christian or public

school, commented on their experi-

ence and advice on both types of

education.

The purpose of the AYS pro-

gram was to inform people about

both types of education in order to

make a better decision on which

school is right or their child.

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Every year, Ephesus church

gives back to the community by cre-

ating Thanksgiving baskets. The

community service endeavor was

led by Hospitality leader Anne Jones.

This year, volunteers donat-

ed food throughout October and No-

vember to fill up the baskets with

bread, collard greens, canned goods

and turkeys.

Pathfinders, Adventurers and

Singles’ Ministry also collected

canned goods from different com-

munities.

Because of the help and sup-

Left: The Pathfinders sort canned goods

that they collected from the community to

put into the Thanksgiving baskets.

Below: Bushels of collard greens that were

given for the Thanksgiving baskets.

Thanksgiving

Baskets

port from the church, over 60 fami-

lies were blessed with Thanksgiving

baskets this year.

Members took baskets to

friends and families in need. The

Pathfinders and Adventurers also

shared the blessings of God to vari-

ous communities in Columbia.

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We LOVE our Seniors!

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We LOVE our Seniors!

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Pathfinders and

Adventurers adopt

Grandparents

The Pathfinders and Adven-

turers have revived a tradition. The

two clubs have decided to adopt old-

er members of the church as their

grandparents.

This year, the Pathfinders and

Adventurers created a Adopt-a-

Grandparent program in which club

members were assigned to befriend

church members ages 70 and older.

So far, club members have adopted

31 church members.

Instead of having a traditional

Pathfinder end-of-the-year party, the

Pathfinders and Adventurers hosted a

luncheon on Sunday, December 15,

2013 to honor their adopted grand-

parents.

The event included a deli-

cious lunch prepared by Gwen Pres-

ton, music by Ephesus men’s group

Sons of Abraham, poetry by several

Pathfinders and a “Back-in-the-Day”

fashion show which Pathfinders and

Adventurers showcased fashions

from different decades.

The Adopt-a-Grandparent

program first began in the late 80s as

a requirement for the Pathfinder

club, but was later neglected. This

year, Pathfinder counselor Sarah

Wade brought back the requirement

in her Pathfinder class. The other

Pathfinder and Adventurer counse-

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lors also agreed to incorporate the

program into their classes.

Each Pathfinder was assigned

to one grandparent that he or she

chose, and if the grandparent had a

spouse, that person was also as-

signed to that Pathfinder. Adventur-

ers were given one grandparent per

Left Page: Pathfinder Kayla Barnes (top left)

with her adopted grandparents, Mr. and

Mrs. Edmunds.

Above: Ruby Robinson (left) with Pathfinder

Devonte Harris.

Left: Pathfinder Ajoua Boafo (left) sits with

grandparent Phillis Jamison.

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Adventurer class.

As part of the requirement,

the Pathfinders and Adventurers

must keep in touch with their grand-

parent at least once a week by call-

ing them and doing a follow-up by

sending them a card.

The Pathfinder and Adven-

turer counselors hope that the chil-

dren will be able to seek counsel

and wisdom from their grandpar-

ent , and to realize how the seniors

can play a valuable role in their lives.

Above: Pathfinder Milaun Johnson with the

Morrisons.

Left: Mr. and Mrs. Scott enjoy their time at

the luncheon.

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Ephesus Men’s Ministry

supported the annual fruit fund-

raiser by purchasing apples and or-

anges for the community.

This year, Men’s Ministry

walked across the street to the

Fresnius Dialysis Clinic to share

healthy fruit with patients that

come daily for dialysis treatment.

The staff was very happy to

receive 29 bags filled with fruit,

Christmas cards, brochure and flyer

inviting people to come and wor-

ship with their friends across the

street at Ephesus Seventh-day Ad-

ventist Church.

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Reaching Out: Children’s

Sabbath School Volunteers

with “God’s Fisher’s of Men” by Ganisha Gibson

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On September 28, 2013, the

children's Sabbath School depart-

ment hosted a service and breakfast

in the Waverly community for

“God’s Fishers of Men,” a nonprofit

ministry that helps individuals who

are homeless.

The outreach was indeed a

memorable one as the youth

demonstrated the love of Jesus with

eagerness, courtesy, and gusto.

Many hearts we're touched

as the children uplifted the name of

Jesus in praise and worship, being a

blessing receiving a blessing as they

served. The kids learned the value

of Acts 20:35 which says, " ...and

remember the words of the Lord

Jesus, that He said, 'It is more

blessed to give than to receive'."

The core goal of this commu-

nity service was for the children to

experience last quarter's Sabbath

School themes, focused on worship,

service, community, and grace in ac-

tion. All glory belongs to God who

made it all happen!

Each Sabbath “God’s Fishers

of Men” provides breakfast and

lunch for those who are homeless,

and the ministry also gives away

clothes and devotional services. We,

the youth Sabbath school division,

are asking that the compassion of

giving be continuous in supporting

this ministry as they endeavor to

share the love and Word of God with

physical and spiritual food to those

less fortunate.

Special thanks goes to

the parents, youth and everyone

who came out to give their time in

food preparations and gave dona-

tions towards this cause.

Let us keep giving, serving

and loving until Jesus returns!

"And The King will answer

and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to

you, inasmuch as you did it to one of

the least of these My brethren, you

did it to Me'." Matthew 25:40

How We Can Help:

“God’s Fishers of Men” is always in

need of items to help those who are

homeless. The ministry is asking for

t-shirts, blankets, socks, paper

goods, food and water. Monetary

donations are also acceptable.

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Baptisms and

Profession of Faith

Above (l-r): Lisa Evans becomes a member by profession

of faith, Shantel McGill gets baptized on December 21.

Left: U’Nita Putnam joined the Ephesus family on

September 14.

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“The event raises awareness about the imprisonment of Pastor

Antonio dos Anjos Monteiro and church member Bruno Amah,

imprisoned on false charges since March 2012.”

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO LEARN MORE

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Come Worship With Us!

Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church

7709 Wilson Boulevard

Columbia, SC 29203

803.786.2800

Pastor John Pooler, III

Service Times Sabbath Morning Praise and Worship 8:00am

Sabbath School 9:15am

Divine Worship Service 11:00am

AYS One hour before sunset

Wednesday Night Prayer and Bible Connection 7:00pm

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www.EphesusSDA.org

Every department,

Every ministry,

Every member,

has a story

for Christ.

Share it with us.