Since 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
More In This Series
“Galaxy Three: Magnificence in the Middle”
□ Job 16:19-21
• “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My is my
as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man
pleads for his .” (NIV)
• I.e., He is my —just as I am His .
□ Hebrews 3:1/2:17-18; 4:14-16; 7:25
• Four adjectives about the High Priest in Hebrews:
o (3:1)
William Johnsson: “Because we have such a high priest, the doors of heaven’s temple swing
open wide to welcome us. The command center of the universe no longer holds fear and
uncertainty for us—we there.” (The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier: Hebrews 105)
o (2:17)
Peter O’Brien: “Nowhere else in the Greek Bible are priests or high priests explicitly said to be
. But again and again the Old Testament asserts that Yahweh is
[Exodus 34:6—the first word of His self-revelation]. . . . The Gospels picture Jesus perfectly
reflecting the character of Yahweh, the one. Jesus is often entreated to
have ‘mercy’ (Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 17:15, and parallels), while this theme turns up in his teaching
(Matt. 5:7; 18:33; Luke 16:24).” (Hebrews 119-120)
o (2:17)
F. F. Bruce: “He is merciful because through his own sufferings and trials he can sympathize
with [ours]; he is because he endured to the end without faltering.” (Hebrews
87-88)
o (4:14)
William Johnsson: “Our faith rests on something solid, on Someone. . . . We have a great high
priest in heaven, and He guarantees that what we profess isn’t a matter of feeling or
philosophy, of speculation or possibility. At the heart of our religions stands a Man, and His
name is Jesus—a Man, but much more, for He is God’s Son!” (Hebrews 103)
• Two adverbs about the High Priest’s actions in Hebrews:
o Saves
Desire of Ages: “The Lord would be so bountiful to His human family that it could not be said
of Him that He could do more. In the gift of Jesus, God gave all heaven. . . . The atonement
for a lost world was to be full, abundant, and complete. Christ’s offering was exceedingly
abundant to reach every soul that God had created. . . . There must be enough and to spare.”
(565)
o Intercedes
Amazing Grace: “As our Intercessor, His office work is to introduce us to God as His sons and
daughters. Christ intercedes in behalf of those who have received Him. . . . And the Father
demonstrates His infinite love for Christ, who paid our ransom with His blood, by receiving and
welcoming Christ’s friends as His friends.” (68)
• Our merciful, faithful and great High Priest is interceding for us in order that He might save
us forever. Therefore, “my is my .”
□ “Magnificence in the Middle”
• At Calvary: John 19:18—“There they crucified Him, and with him two others—one on each side and
Jesus in the .”
• In Heaven: Hebrews 7:25
o John 16:26, 27—“The Father Himself you.” (John 3:16; Romans 8:32, 38-39)
o Zechariah 3:1-4—We do need an Intercessor to convince God on our behalf—we need an
Intercessor to silence on our behalf.
o 1 John 2:1,2—“My dear children, if anybody does sin, we have an advocate [ ] with
the Father—Jesus Christ, the atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world.”
“My Intercessor and My Friend”
The Village Church Seventh-day Adventist Church would like to invite all children to join them for a Virtual VBS & Pre-K VBS with singing, crafts, snacks and learning more about faith thru the life of Joseph in the BIBLE. If you have any questions you can email VBS.VillageSDACHurch@gmail.com.
July 13–17, 6:00 PM
Save the date! Pioneer, Andrews University and The Red Cross will sponsor a Blood Drive on Thursday, July 23 from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM in the Pioneer Commons. Extra precautions will be in place for your safety. More details to come including scheduling your appointment. All types of blood are needed so plan now to donate. Contact Larry Ulery at ulery@andrews.edu for more information. We're all in this together. Thank You!
Do you have the heart to serve the "least of these?" One of our Pioneer ministries provides a simple church service to those in the Juvenile Detention Center in Berrien Center. Saturday evenings at 6:00 PM we host an interactive Bible study and sing songs with the young people there. For more information and to get involved contact Rodlie Ortiz at rodlie.ortiz@pmchurch.org or call 269-471-6154.
We are inviting all youth to come out to Lake Chapin every Tuesday night from June 30 - August 11 at 6:00 PM to join us for Sun, Fun, and Faith! We will have boating, fun, and worship. Masks are encouraged and attendees are asked to remember social distancing. The Youth Department is asking for anyone with a boat who can bring it to out to Lake Chapin on Tuesday nights to contact Brooke Scott at 269-932-5783 via text or call.
Do you need a Sabbath School Quarterly? You can always download a digital copy, but if you'd like to have your own physical copy they are located just inside the main entrance of the church. Sabbath School lessons are available for the 3rd quarter for all children and adult divisions as well as Primary Treasures and Junior Guides. The church office is open Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM and Friday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. For more information, please contact the church office at 269-471-6565.
Will the church look any different? The sanctuary still smells new—and it will be just as you left it almost four months earlier. But yes, there will be a new awning entryway on the office (parking lot) side of Pioneer. The inside stairs going up and down from that doorway have been rebuilt with a new no-slip covering. Pioneer is eager to have you return.
That's why the doors to Sabbath worship at Pioneer are opening on July 11. Naturally, we all are carefully weighing our response to spaces opening up to the public in this season of the pandemic. Churches that are sacred space must also be a safe space. James Ford is chairing our reentry task force, and they have adopted the safest congregational protocol possible. Because we not only want you to be safe, we want you to feel safe.
To help us gauge your own perspectives, Richard Parke, co-chair of our Safety Committee, has created a short survey. The questions ask your initial plans regarding a return to our sanctuary. Your helpful response will assist your leaders in their planning for Pioneer's next chapter.
Whatever lies ahead for this congregation and this campus, why not claim God's promise, "I will go before you" (Isaiah 45:2). Knowing He goes ahead and prepares the way certainly makes what we don't know much easier not to know. May He be praised.
Pioneer office hours are now as follows:
Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
COVID-19 has taken a toll in our community and around our campus. As you already know most students have headed home to their families. However, we have some students who were not able to return home and are alone here on campus, many are from international locations with student visa which, means they are not allowed to work off campus to their visa restrictions, and since Andrews University is currently closed they are not able to work at all. Most of these students don't have transportation to get off campus. These students are also missing connection.
Pioneer wants to share God's love and blessings with these students for the next 6 weeks, until our campus opens up. Would you adopt a student? Here's how you can help:
Each student needs something different but we won’t know unless we ask them, and get to know them. Some students just need a ride to the grocery store, some students just need to hear that someone cares about them enough to call, others need groceries, but all need our love and prayers.
Other ways to help:
In no way was The Tent normal this year. After all, nothing has been! That is not to say, however, that it was not a win for the Kingdom of God. Although it was online only, God came through in a mighty way! With about 200 different video clips the whole thing came together against all odds. There were decisions for baptism and people tuning in from all over the world!
This was the 7th year of The Tent. Some of our preachers this year were in the first grade when this all began. That year, Pastor Dwight came to Ruth Murdoch Elementary School and asked the 1st graders which of them would like to preach when they were Junior High students. Well, some of those kids preached last week! These messages were driven by the Holy Spirit as they profoundly spoke to events that took place after the messages were even recorded.
It was not just the speakers who did well this year. Micah Leiterman and Marco Sciarabba Badenas welcomed guests every night with intros that were fun and engaging! What was awesome about their video clips was the way that these two students not only wrote the scripts but they filmed and edited the clips together.
The students came together in an incredible way to make the music as well. Each student created their videos for music individually and these were edited together to create music as a team. We had an incredible team of seminary students who helped bring all of this together, and we also depended upon the musical genius of Chuck Reid who did our fine-tuning.
What was most amazing about The (Virtual) Tent was the seamless way all of these pieces made a whole. This is what the Holy Spirit longs to do with us as a church! Imagine what God could do with a church connected to Him! The (Virtual) Tent is a call to action. This is a picture of what God can do in the worst of circumstances with people who are listening to His voice.
We are saddened to inform you that due to COVID-19 FLAG Camp will be canceled this summer. Thank you to each who has applied to be on staff. Please apply again next year for the summer of 2021. We will be working to make next summer a great and safe experience!
