By Larry Young 

Each one of us came into the Seventh Day Adventist church under different circumstances. I was raised a Methodist, and for me that was a big “nothing burger”. Then I met Cheryl, a rejected ex-Adventist and single mom with a child, an annulled marriage, and a family with major screws loose. It took God to turn all that around and bring us together as a giving church family. Every person in our church has a story to tell, a testimony of how God either brought them into the church, or how they were raised in the church, and everything in between. 

We have been told we have no guarantees for tomorrow and that all we have is today. As true as that is, we have a church full of people who are here for many different reasons, but the most important fact is that YOU ARE HERE TODAY, and each one of us has the opportunity to share a little bit of our own walk with Jesus with each other right now. Tomorrow may be too late, because the person who you spoke with today may not be open or available like that ever again.  

Over the years, Cheryl and I have been members or guests of numerous SDA churches from San Diego to Oregon and even to the Florida Keys. There were so many chances for us to reach out to others with words of encouragement or to be a blessing in Christ, but we got distracted or busy or we just went our way. The largest church we were ever a part of was the Milwaukie SDA church, which grew and moved temporarily into the “New Hope” church, with nearly 2,000 members at its peak. The opportunities for outreach were vast, but we got lost in the crowd, and because of self-focused leadership, that church was hollowed out from the inside, and it eventually collapsed and disappeared altogether. 

Sandy church could easily have disappeared over the years for a number of reasons, but it hasn’t, because there are enough people in our membership and leadership who put Christ first in their lives, even when there wasn’t a pastor here to guide or lead the flock. But now significant change is arriving here at Sandy church! This Sabbath, our nominating committee report will have its first reading and our new pastor Matt Parra and his family will be joining us officially for the first time.  

Change is always uncomfortable, and our reactions to this much change can determine whether we will be part of the solution or part of the problem going forward. I believe we need to rejoice and be glad for all these new opportunities, to grow and to explore new directions and to glorify Christ in new ways in a world that is truly going insane. Praise Jesus for His guidance and mercy and grace. Each one of you is precious in God’s sight, and you are here right now, and that’s awesome! Don’t let any opportunity to encourage or to be a blessing to others slip away. We need more Jesus in every way, and His Spirit is right here with us every step of the way. Past, present, and future…It’s always all about Jesus!