The Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church service on August 18, 2018 took place in the academy auditorium since the electricity was out at the church. The girls were not present since they were at the Laurelbrook Lodge for the Girls Purity Weekend.
The program began with Pierre Joubert welcoming everyone and making a few announcements. Prayer meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Jeremy Westcott played an introit. The congregation had a silent invocation and then sang “Great is Thy Faithfuness”. Pierre Joubert had the main prayer; the congregation responded with “Hear Our Prayer, O Lord”.
Gustavo (sophomore) then called for the offering. Clifton Brandt and XXXXX then collected the morning offerings; the loose offering went to the local church budget. The congregation sang the doxology, and Pierre Joubert prayed for the offering.
Hannah Perez told the children a story after letting them look for a treasure in a bag. She talked about how other people are different like the books they pulled out of the bag.
Pierre Joubert then read Lamentations 3:21-24 “21 ¶ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” Benny (sophomore) played a trumpet solo for special music.
Rich Sutton discussed the topic “I Love Starting New”. The congregation sang “I Will Sing of Jesus’ Love”. Rich Sutton had the closing prayer.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Hannah Perez – wife of Richar Perez, the campus chaplain and boys’ dean / works in the school kitchen
Pierre Joubert – teaches some of the academy science and math classes
Rich Sutton – Laurelbrook president
Following are some notes on the sermon by Rich Sutton:
- The school is looking to having several small groups of Bible studies in Dayton and eventually a church plant.
- The greenhouses are being transferred to a site nearer the garden.
- Lamentations is a book looking back at what Israel could have been by following the Lord.
- Lamentations 3:21-24 “21 ¶ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
- Lamentations 3:25-26 “25 The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him. 26 [It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
- Every day Rich gets up with renewed energy, ready to start a new day.
- How do you renew your spiritual life?
- 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Seeking God’s Word in action gives us faith in His Word. His promises He uses as currency for His work and are backed up by the Cross.
- Ellen White says that no one who receives God’s Word is exempt from difficulties and trials. The true Christian takes these problems to Jesus.
- Lamentations 3:27 “[It is] good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”
- The yoke keeps the team on the right path, the inexperienced with the experienced.
- The Waldensian pastors trained in the dead of winter and then were sent out two by two to witness, the experienced with the inexperienced.
- [At this point, Rich called all the boys to the front and asked them to pair up with a staff man so that person could mentor the boy]
- Lamentations 3:28-32 “28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne [it] upon him. 29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. 30 He giveth [his] cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.”
- Many projects Rich builds have the money supplied by the power of God.
- We need to pray for the Holy Spirit in the many projects that are contemplated this coming school year.