Crescent City SDA Church

March 14, 2025

Dear Crescent City SDA Church Family and Guests,

In Luke 15:3-7, Jesus tells the parable about the lost sheep. In the story, we can read between the lines of this faithful shepherd who took his sheep to a safe area where they could graze and drink. In this allegorical vignette, the herd of sheep were “hiding” in plain sight, grazing or resting in open country. The shepherd was also visible, protecting the flock from a bear or wolf.  The lost sheep in this parable was lost due to its own foolishness, not because the herd was hard to find. However, once lost, the sheep got into a situation it didn’t know how to get out of.  And even if released from the “trap” it was in, the sheep had no idea which direction the safety of home was. Being rescued seemed impossible.

It was typical for the shepherd to count his flock at night before calling it a day.  Then the day came when he discovered one sheep missing.  Safely sheltering the sheep he has, the shepherd goes looking until he finds the lost sheep. He does not scold the sheep. HE REJOICES, and brings it safely home. Calling his neighbors to come and celebrate, the shepherd rejoices that the lost was found!

This parable illustrates God's immense love and unwavering pursuit of each individual, highlighting the joy in heaven when even one sinner repents, emphasizing the value of every soul. 

The sheep was lost. But the shepherd did not wait for the sheep to find its way home, but went out to secure it. God pursues those who wander away. He doesn’t wait for us to find Him when He knows we are in trouble. He finds us!

The heart of God is like a parent searching for a lost child. What parent, if their child is lost or separated from them, would not go to extreme lengths to find their lost child? They would literally leave everything behind to search for their child who had wandered off.  So, it is with God!

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Our Sabbath School and the Worship services are live and viewable via Zoom. Two Adult Sabbath School classes are presented each week. One of them is viewable via Zoom. The Junior/Earliteen Sabbath School class meets in the Pathfinder Room. Cradle Roll and Kindergarten classes are available for younger children. If you are unsure where the rooms or classes are being held, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the greeters for directions. The Worship service is in the Sanctuary and via Zoom. The Zoom Meeting ID# and Password are listed below.

Zoom access for Crescent City SDA Church meetings:

Meeting ID #: 993 5770 413

Password: 4642738

You can join by going to Zoom.us, click on join a meeting, and then enter the Meeting ID # and password; or by dialing 1 669 900 9128, entering the meeting ID# and password as prompted; or accessing through the Zoom app.

March 14 – March 21, 2025

Friday 14^th Sunset 7:23 PM

Sabbath 15^th

         Worship Leader, Wilmer Hechanova; Church Worship, Kelly Kinsley

Sunset 7:24 PM

Tuesday Bible Study: Genesis 6:00 PM

Wednesday Community Services 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Prayer Group 5:00 – 6:00 PM

Church Bible Study, VOP Discovery Lessons 6:00 PM

March 22, 2025 – Worship Leader, Bob Phang; Church Worship, Stacy Glass

March 29, 2025 – Worship Leader, Ginger Finley; Church Worship, Verlyn Benson

Fellowship Luncheons are usually on the first Sabbath of the month, but because of special Sabbath events, please note the weekly updates for any changes.

Tithes and offerings are being collected during the 11:00 AM Worship service each Sabbath. Other options include the locked offering box on the rear wall of the Sanctuary, the link to Adventist Giving on our church website:

https://crescentcityca.adventistchurch.org

or you can download the Adventist Giving app. Tithes and offerings may also be mailed to Crescent City SDA Church, P.O. Box 1905, Crescent City, CA 95531. Please designate where the funds are to be deposited: tithe, church budget, Little Red School House (School), special projects, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to be part of our church family, in person or via media. Please reply to this email (or ccadventistchurch@gmail.com) if you have specific prayer requests. The Prayer Ministry team is active and cares about your needs—let us know!

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If you are one of God’s followers who wanted to explore and take a different path that caused you to sin, you may be trapped with no way out.  You don’t know what to do. But here’s the good news, should you wander off . . . know that you have a heavenly Father who will go searching for you because that is the heart of God. In fact, He will be smiling and rejoicing, carrying you all the way back home.  All you must do is submit to His strength and allow Him to carry you back to safety. And when He gets “home with you” He will rejoice with all of heaven, because the wandering little one is now back in the fold.

Let’s not give up on anyone who may have wandered from the faith or who is not currently in the fold. Let’s pray for them. Let’s search for them. Let’s love them. It’s what Jesus does and it’s the heart of the Father. Let’s see if we can find some lost sheep and set off a great celebration in heaven.

Keep your eyes on Jesus so that YOU will not stray away and get lost,

Verlyn