July 4th, 2020

Dear Family and Friends,

If I had a garden (which I don’t!), I guess I would be glad I haven’t had to water it all week! But since I have kids (kinda the same, maybe?), I haven’t been as glad for as much rain as we’ve had ;). Hopefully you’ve been able to stay dry and be blessed!

Here is what you need to know:

  • Sabbath School on ZOOM:  we’ll be hearing from Steve Ebsen for Sabbath School. Join us on our Zoom video chat. https://mountvernonsda.com/ (top right corner for Sabbath School).
  • Sabbath Service (in person, and livestream): We will be opening the church doors tomorrow at 10:50am and start an abbreviated service at 11am. We will have a Sermon by Steve Ebsen called “Abraham’s Seed Becomes a Nation”. “The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, knew God as the God of Promises.  Just over 400 years later Israel was reintroduced to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Who would now fulfill those promises (Ex 2:15; 6:2-7).  The seed of Abraham, Israel, had grown large in number over those intervening years and now God would lead that nation out of Egypt to the promised land (Gen 15:13).  There remained yet another unfulfilled promise, that being the making of Israel to be a blessing to all nations.  God began the fulfillment of that promise in Israel’s “founding documents”.  There has been much confusion over the years by Israel and now modern Christianity over those “founding documents”.  We will investigate that and ask what steps we can take to ensure the fulfillment of that promise in our own lives.”. Please join us in person (following protocols below) or via our livestream on YouTube or Facebook. https://mountvernonsda.com/ (top right corner for church)
  • Important:
    • If you are not feeling well, PLEASE STAY HOME. This includes any symptoms related to COVID-19 ( Fever, Cough, Tiredness. Other symptoms can include: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Muscle aches, Chills, Sore throat, Loss of taste or smell, Headache, Chest pain. This list is not all inclusive. Other less common symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness.
    • Attendees are to pre-screen themselves prior to arriving on location:
      • No one with a temperature 100.4 may not attend the service.
      • Individuals with a household member that has been diagnosed with COVID-19 may not attend the service.
    • Please exercise extra caution if you are a Senior or part of a Vulnerable Population.
    • Doors will open at 10:50pm. Please respect others’ personal space as you enter.
    • We will not have a bulletin this week so as to limit contact. To this end we will not be shaking hands or giving hugs (foot taps are still cool though!).
    • Masks are now REQUIRED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE SERVICE per Governor Jay Inslee. Our Washington Conference has asked that we comply with these orders.
    • We will have a few sanitizer bottles for use, please use as needed.
    • Please follow tried and true protocols for staying well, including good handwashing, covering sneezes and coughs, and staying home if you are not well.
    • We have marked off the pews with flowers to allow for seating to comply for social distancing. Please only sit in rows with flowers on them. Leave at least six feet between you and other groups that are not from your household.
  • Please continue to pay tithe and offerings here (and save our Treasurer from having to handle paper money and checks):  Giving. There is also a mobile app: iPhone/iPad users: ‎Adventist Giving on the App Store; Google Play: AdventistGiving. We know that this is a difficult time for many of you, with uncertain jobs, health concerns, kids home without school and more. If any of you are struggling to put food on the table, or to get the food or perhaps medication, please contact the church office: 360.416.0443 or email: office@mountvernonsda.com and we will see how we can help.
    • A big shout out to those using the mobile giving app, and for those sending in checks. Surely we are blessed to be faithful to God as He is faithful to us!
  • Links to access Sabbath School apps:

Speaker Schedule:
July 4 –  Elder Steve Ebsen
July 11 – Pastor Don Bryan
July 18 – Pastor Tyler Long
July 25 –  Pastor Don Bryan

Upcoming

  • Registration is now open for the 2020 Skagit Adventist Academy Golf Tournament! The Dennis Carman Memorial Golf Tournament will be July 12, 2020 at Avalon Golf Links. Tee Times Will Be Assigned. Golf Tournament fundraiser for 18 holes is $125.00 per golfer and includes unlimited range practice, power cart, dinner and exciting prizes. First Prize Team – 4 pre-season tickets to the Seattle Seahawks! Proceeds will benefit Skagit Adventist Academy’s Worthy Student Fund. Online registration here ==> https://forms.gle/uMw4qoLpMSuRQ5pT7. Paper registration and digital forms available at the School Office. Please email any questions to Sheryl Carman – sheryl.carman1@gmail.com.
  • Washington Conference 2020 Mini-Camp Meetings – The conference is planning area Mini-Camp Meetings this fall. The one for the northern part of the conference will be held at North Cascade SDA on October 30, 31. It will be a time of spiritual growth, discipleship, coaching, and community of faith connections. More details later.

We want to ask you for your continued prayers for God’s leading in our Church Revitalization process. Please ask the Lord how He would like to use each of us to make a greater impact on our community for His sake and His glory.

I’m in a huge time crunch this week and while my creative skills are intact, they not fast enough to get this email out in a timely fashion if I were to share something more personal with you today (and I’m sorry, I really enjoy sharing!). Instead, I’ll leave you with some verses that have been on my mind this week:
Matthew 22:36-40 “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”
2nd Corinthians 10:4-6 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Matthew 22:15-21 “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’  They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’”
Romans 12:17-19 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
With all that is going on around us, it can be so hard to not get caught up in the drama of it. These verses have been on my heart and mind because we are called to a higher level of action and reaction. I truly believe that God is asking us to seek Him rather than argue about statistics for any of the debates happening now. As Christians, we are called to remain above reproach and to live our lives in a way that Honors Christ, after whom we call ourselves Christians. Of course this isn’t easy, but if we can focus on God and remain in close communion with Him by spending time with Him, we can respond more appropriately, than we might otherwise. So commune with Him my Friends, and don’t let yourself be distracted by anything else.
P.S. Please make it a point to join us in our Prayer time on Wednesdays (link above). Whether you are local and available in person, or connected from a distance – Prayer time is on Zoom right now and you can join us, so please do! Acts 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

Smiles,
Melissa Baskett
Admin Assistant
Mount Vernon SDA Church
360-416-0443
www.mountvernonsda.com