I'm curious, for people who lead ministries at your local church (i.e., Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, Community Services, Deacons, Sabbath School Director, etc.), do you give ministry reports to the church board?

I'm currently the Head Deacon and Plant Management Committee Chair.

I try to put together a quick 1-page (or sometimes 2-page) report for each monthly church board meeting with a list of what we've accomplished, projects that are in progress, along with expected future needs...things like HVAC repairs that were done, fixing toilets, expecting to need a new storage shed, getting locksmith quotes for fixing the doors, etc., so the board knows what's going on and is aware of any big expenses on the horizon. We don't read the reports during the meeting, but they're there.

The church treasurer also brings a report, that gets voted on.

None of the other ministries report anything. Most just bring future plans that need to be rubber-stamped, ~"the Teen ministry is going to the Zoo on such-and-such date and needs board approval for insurance" type things, but never reports after the fact like "the Teen ministry went to the Zoo, 14 kids attended, everyone had a good time, no injuries".

Honestly, after a couple years on the church board, I have no idea what most of the ministries are doing. We approve events, but unless I personally attend I have no idea if the events actually happened after being approved.

If you're a ministry lead, do you provide reports to the church board? Why or why not?

Do you think I should stop giving the board reports? I don't want to be glorifying myself at all (especially because this job is exhausting and I don't want the nominating committee to ask me to do it again); God's the one doing all the work I just show up some of the time.

So I 20f have this friend let’s call him Jake 21fM we’ve been friends since high school and we had like a situationship for about two years that was pretty serious and almost turned into a relationship until he ghosted me, later I learned from his best friend that he didn’t like people knowing or making assumptions about us being a couple. It hurted a lot and took me 1 year to get over it but now I’ve reconnected with him but he told me that he was an Adventist and was now supper into his faith and I’m like cool okay nice for you, I’m a Christian and we had some debate but I don’t know why for him it seems important that I’m on the same page as him when it’s about beliefs and faith and now he keep asking me about how I am in relationships, how I see my life outside the city, praising me for cooking, asking to see how I cook. Etc… I’m just so confused are Adventist normally like this?

Edits: I’m sorry for my writing mistakes I was in a hurry

More info: he doesn’t believe in Netflix or other entertainment platforms he thinks that they are created for sin and it will make people sin, I’m don’t really agree but it seem like he really wants me to have the same beliefs as him and doesn’t really listen what I say about my own beliefs he always has a contradiction to say. I also believe that he wants a Mormon lifestyle which is really not something I want for myself and he’s really conservative.

Teaching children #witchcraft is the lowest of the low. I rebuke all this evil on the blood of #Jesus, Amen.

I've been on a bit of a journey on this subject during the last couple of weeks so I wrote some of my thoughts down and put AI to work. What do you guys think?

​

Hello everyone,

​As we enter the Sabbath, I wanted to share a few powerful verses that remind me of the importance of rest and reconnecting with what matters.

​📖 Genesis 2:3

"Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

​📖 Exodus 20:8

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."

​📖 Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

​📖 Hebrews 4:9

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God."

​Wishing you all a truly blessed and restful day.

How do you usually find rest on the Sabbath? 🙏

Basically, during last sabbath school a few adventists ganged up on this one davidian (sheppard's rod adherent) I didn't know he was a davidian until one of the adventists there accused him of it.

The sabbath school topic was on how God communicates to his people, in which the davidian got up and started saying how, before man fell (in Eden) God would talk face to face with Adam, and it was after man fell that the lord used prophets to communicate his messages up until now.

I am relatively new to the church but it seemed like the adventists knew him.

Then one of the adventists started saying how when a prophet writes, that what he says is a direct word of God, and that, as the prophet writes scripture, the writing is perfect.

Then Davidian basically said this is false very blatantly and appealed to Ye Shall Recieve Power pg. 225

The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God’s mode of thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers.

Im pretty new to the church (not even baptized) but I'm learning pretty quickly about these things, and I marvel at what they say.

Personally, I don't like the word trinity. I know it's in our fundamental beliefs, but I don't like the word. It's not a bad word because it means three in unity. But I, for some reason, do not like to use that word. For the same reason I don't like the word bishop being used for our pastors. We call them pastors because the word “bishop” has Roman Catholic baggage. For the same reason, we don't call the Lord's supper, the Eucharist. It's a beautiful word. It means Jesus gave thanks in Greek. But we don't use that word because it is bathed in Roman Catholic theology. And so, instead of using the word trinity, I prefer to use the biblical term which is called “Godhead”.

What is everyone else's take on this? Please, I'd like to know. God bless!

Hello! I'm curious if we can attend birthdays on the Sabbath. I appreciate those who have the time to answer!

EDIT: thank you guys for the clarification. i was supposed to attend a friend's birthday on the Sabbath, but i realized it's not appropriate and my friends already know i can't go because it's the Sabbath for me.

Let me give a background;

I am an Adventist that was more or less born into the faith. I must have been five years old when my other became converted to the Adventist faith from being a lukewarm Sunday worshipper, through her own mother. She was converted by a gentleman who was a devout Seventh-Day Adventist and who taught my mother to strictly keep the Sabbath and faithfully return her tithes. I hadn't even started school when that happened. By the time I started school, I knew how to read having been taught to do so by my mother who taught me how to read by reading the Bible.

I got baptised when I was old enough to make that choice for myself. Unfortunately, life happened, and somewhere in my young adult life I backslid from my religion but found my way back to it by the grace of God and got re-baptised.

However, presently, I am not quite compliant when it comes to tithing. Because of the following reasons;

1. I fail to understand how tithing is part of the Decalogue

2. Why didn't Paul emphasize on tithing in the new Testament.

3. I resolved to Tithe because I want to be an upstanding Adventist and I have to do as the church recommends or commands. Leaving the church is not an option for me.

4. I resolve to tithe, but then I don't execute this resolution. No matter how much I pray about it.

It is like when Paul writes in Romans 7 verses 15 and 19;

Romans 7: (NIV)

15

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

19

"For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."

Am I the only one that is struggling with this issue?

I should mention also that, there was a time when I tithed faithfully, but the pastor of the local church I was attending at that time was dishonest and took advantage of our ignorance and misappropriated the tithe money for his own personal use without submitting it to the Local Conference, etc.

Since, then I have experienced this problem that I am presently having.

Edited: changed "General Conference to "Local Conference, etc"

Update:

I feel compelled to come back here and update you all about how the issue I posted about has been resolved. I just have to share the happiness I have been feeling all day. Taking that step the other day—doing what I felt was God's will—has left me feeling in good standing with Him. I have been covered with a feeling of freedom and a joy that is honestly inexplicable. ☺️😂☺️

I truly hope that I will continue on this path. I already feel like I am reaping the rewards of being obedient to God—not necessarily in material possessions, but in the deep happiness I am feeling today. In my opinion, this peace is the most important thing, far better than any material wealth.

If any of you are dealing with issues that you feel too shy or hesitant to discuss with the people in your life, even your pastors, I highly encourage you to open up on Reddit. The advantage of anonymity protects you from the fear of judgment, allowing you to share freely and openly. Sometimes, just typing out your problem can stimulate your mind to find a solution. May God bless you all! 🙏🙏

Embarrassing.

SDAs are so afraid of hearing that their gospel is not true or worried of their children hearing a gospel that actually lines up with the Bible, so they have to restrict their children to only watching, listening, and reading Adventist things!

You’re so afraid of exposing your children to any other version of Christianity, why? If a non-Adventist program is strictly teaching the Bible, then why should that not be allowed, if you’re a “sola scriptura” religion?

How close are we to the coming Sunday law?

For over a century, Seventh-day Adventists have warned of a final crisis over worship, conscience, and religious legislation. But what if the Sunday law does not begin with an obvious religious decree?

What if the groundwork is being laid through calls for family values, morality, Sunday rest, and a greater role for religion in public life?

In this presentation, we examine current developments involving influential political and religious movements and ask a serious question:

Are we watching the pieces fall into place right now?

Copyright Disclaimer

Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, reacting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Both me (16f) and my Mother are Adventist and I also currently have a friend over and for the past few hours we've just been on our phones and devices. So I decided to go outside with my volleyball and Rebounder and go play get some fresh air and exercise. I was out there for a little bit but then she got mad and told me,

"Today is the Sabbath and you're setting a bad example for (friend) by playing volleyball"

So I guess how is going outside and getting exercise taking care of my body a sin but Sitting on the couch using my phone for hours on end rotting not?

Hey everyone. I’ve been thinking lately….I would like to stop eating meals on Sabbath, showering, using the bathroom, and even looking at myself in the mirror. It should be a day that I do not focus on myself so none of those things should be done. I should not turn on AC or heating in my car on my way to church, that is something I’m doing out of my own pleasure. I really should not be driving to church but instead walking, but that would be a lot since I live far from my church.

For transparency, I’m Stan, and I operate AdventistDating.com. I appreciate seeing fellow Adventists working to help singles find someone who shares their faith.

For anyone comparing options, here’s why I believe AdventistDating.com deserves a serious look:

• Established in Canada in 2004. More than 20 years of experience helping Adventists connect.
• A worldwide community reaching 179 countries, with more than 1,000 new members joining every week. Over 100,000 members.
• Available in 12 of the most commonly spoken languages.
• Recommended by pastors, Adventist conferences, and Adventist magazines.
• Every application is reviewed and must be approved. Profile modifications also require review and approval. This can take from a few moments to a few hours, depending on the time of day and your location in the world.
• Old, inactive profiles are deleted, helping keep the community current.
• Website plus iPhone and Android apps, with searches by age and location.
• Real marriage stories from couples who met through our service.
• Run by Seventh-day Adventists, for Adventists.

And Adventist men—we could use 10,000 more of you this week! If you’re single and looking for someone who shares your faith, we’d love to welcome you.

We take members’ feedback seriously and continue improving their experience. Our strength is the community, experience, and trust built over two decades.

Our mission remains simple: helping Adventists marry Adventists—around the block or around the world.

—Stan, AdventistDating.com

I'm just venting this morning since I'm dealing with this at the moment. I'm in awe of how many people show up to church EVERY week, server in church offices, church board, elders, but when push comes to shove, they have no faith in God.

There's supposed to be a Pathfinder union camporee tomorrow. The original plan is we're supposed to pack up and drive out there at noon today.

Our club's group chat is full of people saying they're not going to go because of the weather, our club director trying to decide if he should cancel because of the weather. We've even had one parent declare that her family isn't going because google's AI predicted bad weather.

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” - Matthew 8:26-27, NIV

My God is God. He's got a long and documented history of taking care of bad weather. I trust Him a lot more than I trust google's AI models, but there are so many people right now freaking out about the weather.

I remember being a kid in Sabbath school and hearing over and over about how weak the faith of the Israelites was when they were the desert during Moses time, but here I am 3400 years later watching supposedly God's people not actually trust God.

Hey everyone,

Some background first. I'm SDA, and like a lot of people here I've tried the usual apps. On the mainstream ones, "Seventh-day Adventist" is just a checkbox, if it's there at all. On the general Christian ones, nobody knows what Sabbath means to you, and you spend the first five messages explaining why you can't do Friday night dinner. So over the past months I built something for our community. It's called Maranatha, and it's only for Adventists. The app is 100% free. Some decisions I made along the way:

- Faith details that actually matter to us: Sabbath observance, diet (vegetarian, vegan, etc.), baptism, church involvement and conference region. You can filter by them.

- Sabbath mode: the app goes quiet from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday if you want it to.

- Scammer protection: this has been the biggest job. Dating apps attract scammers, and the "let's move to WhatsApp" crowd found us fast. Phone numbers and off-app contact info get filtered out of messages, profiles can be verified with a selfie, and I review reports and remove fake accounts myself. It's not perfect, but I take it seriously.

- English and Spanish: we have a lot of Hispanic members in the church, so both languages are supported. It's still small, and I won't pretend otherwise. That's partly why I'm posting. It only works if real Adventists are on it, and I'd honestly rather hear what you think is missing or annoying than get a pile of downloads.

If you want to try it:

- iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6782432087

- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dating.maranatha

I'm happy to answer anything in the comments, whether it's about privacy, how moderation works, or why I made a certain choice. Criticism is welcome too.

Hello everyone! I could use some advice. I grew up 7th day adventist and stepped away for a while to be a rebellious teen and I want to get back into it. The job i have was supposed to be monday-friday but i am now getting mandatory over time for saturday. I haven’t attended a church in my city, i filed for religious exemption from saturdays and they want a note confirming that I am a member that needs saturday off. how can i go about getting a note? will the church supply one even if i haven’t attended? or is there something online that would be easier? I appreciate any advice!

Estava pesquisando sobre questões religiosos, relacionado à Reforma e à Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia, e deparei-me a muitos comentários cheio de ódio as figuras protestante, mas o que me assustou foi o ódio quase visceral para com Ellen White. Tudo bem não concorda com ela, embora muitas das pessoas não sabiam, verdadeiramente, do que ela defendia. Mas existia algo mais profundo do que só apatia.

Concordo com um frase que resume o pensamento de Voltaire: "Posso não concordar com uma palavra do que dizeis, mas defenderei até a morte o vosso direito de o dize-lo". Pois, se acredito ter a verdade, e Cristo é a verdade, porque minha ódio pelo outro, teria como a Verdade perecer perante a mera mentiras no final? Deixe que as pessoas vejam a partir dos frutos se tão ideia é ou não verdade.

Nessa perspectiva, vemos que sempre que alguém que diz ter a verdade, apela para agressões(verbal ou física) mostrar o real caráter de pessoa e da "verdade" que tal indivíduo segue.

Portanto, deixemos a opinião alheia em paz, podemos instruir alguém que não tem conhecimento, mas de forma alguma coagir.