THE FISHERMEN'S NET NEWSLETTER
 April 2000 |
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[ Read this Fisherman's Net newsletter in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. ]
Published by New Covenant Ministries
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_ THE FISHERMEN'S NET \_ \_ "Come, follow me, Jesus said, and \_ \_ I will make you fishers of men." -Mark 1:17 \_ \_ -A Seventh Day Baptist Mid-Continent Association Publication- \_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ CONTENTS
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Columbine Revisited
I have found it to be the only way To really know Christ and to experience The mighty power that brought Him back to life again, and to find out what it means to suffer and to Die with Him. So, whatever it takes I will be one who lives in the fresh Newness of life of those who are Alive from the dead." The above poem was written by Cassie Bernall who two years earlier was involved in the occult including witchcraft, death and suicide. Her parents were deeply concerned about her and the friends she was choosing. But Cassie had returned home from a retreat a changed person. She told her parents, "I'm different now and I'm going to prove it to you." She did! Her whole life changed. She attended youth meetings, prayer and Bible studies. When two teenage gunmen burst into the library of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, Cassie was reading her Bible. That much is a known fact. Doubt has since been raised that one of the gunmen held a gun to her head and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" The possibility is that it was another girl who was asked this question and answered, "Yes, I believe." Cassie was murdered. The other girl was not. If that is now the case it really doesn't change the situation very much. Cassie was still a Christian that day she died on April 20, 1999. And it is also true that just a few weeks earlier she had said to her mother, "Mom, it would be all right if I died. You know where I would be. I would be in heaven and you wouldn't have to be sad." Her words were still fulfilled just as she predicted. Even if her last words were not, "Yes, I believe in God," Cassie still died a martyr. Not too long after an additional number of teenagers and adults were murdered while attending a youth rally at a church in Fort Worth, Texas. Some of them are reported to have actually said, "Shoot me, I am a Christian." They may have thought at first that it was a only a skit and that the gunman was only an actor but it was tragically a real situation and they also died in martyrdom.
Now this year a little 6 year old girl was shot and killed by another 6 year old classmate in her first grade class. In February two nore Columbine High School students were gunned down as they were closing up a fast food restaurant at the end of the day. Are you willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus? (Luke 10:25-37) It does take courage and commitment to do so. You may only be ridiculed even if you are not killed as Cassie was. If you make such a commitment to Christ, God will give a sense of peace. I suggest that you pray the following prayer- "God, I thank you for people like Cassie who are willing to die for Jesus. I know that it takes courage to follow You and I am willing to take such a stand. I want to take up my cross and follow Jesus. I thank You, God, for allowing your Son to die in my place. In Jesus' Name. Amen." |
THREE TREES
submitted by Mari Walters
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,"Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty," Then the second tree said, "someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull," Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me,"
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard. The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. The tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know not our ways, but His ways are always best.
Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church History
The Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church was not always known as such and has not always been sitting where it is now. The original church was called the "Pardee Seventh Day Baptist Church" and was located a few miles from where it now stands in Nortonville. The original church and the parsonage were moved to their present locations between 1900 and 1901. The move was very slow and gentle and pulled along by horses and a lot of manpower. The move was done so gently though, that the wife of Rev Hills actually lived in the parsonage during transit cooking meals and doing other household duties along the way.
The story of this church starts back in 1857 when 5 Seventh Day Baptist families came by wagon train from Farmington, Illinois to make a new home in a new land. The 5 families were: Dennis and Lyman Saunders and families; Anna Buten and Children, Charles and Alma; David Stillman and family and the Samuel Petty family. They finally settled outside of Atchison about ¼ mile off of present Hwy. 59 and 3 miles northeast of Nortonville on what is now the Melvin Nolting Farm. This is the site where the first known Sabbath services were held in the state of Kansas. (Note* A historical marker was dedicated on this spot on June 28th, 1952.)
Later that year another family settled from Farmington. Joshua Wheeler and family. They purchased land and started a farm at the West End of the settlement on what was known as"Seventh Day Lane".
On August 14th, 1863 by mutual consent the "Pardee, Seventh Day Baptist Church" was formed by 14 people. Sabbath services were held in the home of Dennis Saunders until 1865 when the "Lane School" was built. This is where the children from the settlement went for their education. Rev. A.A.F. Randolph was pastor there from 1863-1868 not including the months that he had spent at the settlement in 1861 and 1862.
The actual Pardee Seventh Day Baptist Church Building was built in 1882-83 and was dedicated in the Spring of 1883. The Rev. A.E. Main preached the dedication sermon. The total cost of the building was $2,000.00. The Rev. A.J. White was the new pastor in 1883. The church was located two miles north of Nortonville, at the Southeast corner of the Stillman farm. (Now owned by Anna Kleopper) In 1884 the church voted to build a parsonage and the name of the Church was changed to the Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church. Nortonville had become a town in 1873 Joshua Wheeler had procured the charter for the name change. The Reverend’s wife, Sarah White was the first pastors wife to live in the parsonage.
In 1900-1901 the church and parsonage was moved to its present location as described above. The first Sabbath service held in the church after the move was the second Sabbath in March 1901. Dedication services were not held until March 19th 1902. Rev. G.W. Hills was the pastor during this time in the church’s history.
From that time until the present the Nortonville, Seventh Day Baptist Church has had several renovations made, including the Steps and ramp outside, and the steeple. But for the most part only the names and faces have changed over the years. Many Pastors have preached the Word of God in this old church, many families have come and gone. The sanctuary of the church is still intact with its beautiful woodwork trim and the wooden floors and ceiling, and the message from the pulpit still remains the same for us all; For without Jesus in our hearts eternal life is not possible.
Reprinted from http://home1.gte.net/loboc/norton/nortonvi.htm
The Grain Silo
A North Loup Photo Memory by David Boles
The big white tower you see in the background is the North Loup
grain silo. That silo greets your entrance into North Loup along with
signs from the Lion's Club and the Seventh Day Baptist Church. The silo is
where grain for money exchanges are made. Farmers bring in their grain,
store it in the silo, and get paid for their product. Since North Loup is
an agricultural community, getting paid for the land you sow is vital to the
local economy. You can see wisps of snow where the creek bed meets the
land bridge.
The Bible Sabbath Association
Scholarship Fund
by June Narber Harrison
Dear Sabbath Observing Friend,
We now have entered the 21st Century. In this exciting time, we must be looking toward the future of the Sabbath-keeping community. Our future lies in reaching the younger generation to continue on with the torch of truth regarding God’s word, and especially the truth about which day is the Christian Sabbath. Such truth can be taken for granted by those of us who know it. However, considering the hundreds of millions of professing "Christians" in society who worship on Sunday, it is a precious truth that needs to reach these people, as well as the rest of the world who do not even know Jesus Christ as of yet.
We at the Bible Sabbath Association have created a scholarship fund that is in the form of an essay contest. The next scholarship contest is scheduled to begin the fall of 2000 and conclude in the Spring of 2001, being the official "2001 BSA Essay Scholarship Contest". We desperately need financial support in order to have the funds to award the promised prizes. We also hope to raise enough money to guarantee that the scholarship can continue for yet another season. We ask that you consider donating any sum of money designated for the BSA Scholarship Fund.
What is The Bible Sabbath Association (BSA)?
The Bible Sabbath Association is a fifty-plus year old non-profit organization that promotes the truth of the Seventh-day Sabbath. It is a non-church affiliated organization comprised of believers from many different Sabbath keeping churches, backgrounds, and beliefs. We stand in unity in the beliefs that the Seventh day of the week is the Sabbath-the Biblical Day of rest for Christians; that the Bible is the inspired word of God; belief in obedience to the Ten commandments; and that Jesus Christ (also called Yahshua in the biblical languages) is the son of God and the promised messiah/savior of the world. BSA has a variety of booklets for sale that promote the Sabbath Day truth; as well as those that tell the history of Sabbath Keepers throughout the ages. The Sabbath Sentinel is a free bi-monthly magazine that BSA publishes that is of interest to the "at-large" Sabbath-keeping community; the editor of this magazine as well as the assistant editors all volunteer their time. BSA is governed by a constitution and by-laws, with a 12-member board of directors that is elected by the BSA membership every four years. The current Board of Directors for BSA is comprised of eleven men and one woman. They each give of their time for BSA service with no financial compensation. They receive no salary for serving on the Board of Directors or for any of their time dedicated to promoting the business/service activities of BSA.
What does the BSA Essay Scholarship Contest consist of?
The contest is open to all students who are in their Junior year in high school (or home schooled students that are one year away from being college-bound at the approximate age of 16-17) and to all college age students up to the age of 25. To apply for this scholarship, the applicants need to request an application from the BSA office. Along with the application, they will need to submit a recommendation letter from their high school or college counselor (or teacher) AND a recommendation letter from their church minister. The contest will be comprised of an essay entry per applicant. The essay must answer a question from the theme of this year’s contest, "The Sabbath Community: Observance and Growth Issues". Applicants will be asked to answer two questions within an essay body format. Potential questions that might be asked include: 1) Why is the Sabbath Important to you and How do you keep it Holy? 2) How do you believe is the best way of promoting the truth of the Seventh Sabbath to local communities or the world at large? or 3) How do you think cooperation can be promoted among Sabbath keepers of different denominations or doctrinal positions? These questions are aligned with the mission and purpose of BSA. In the process of this contest, we hope to generate ideas from our youth of importance to the Sabbath community at-large.
Can Home-Schooled Individuals Apply?
Yes. Home schooled young adults can apply. They will need a recommendation letter from a leader in their community that is aware of their academic/service history and a recommendation letter from rather a minister/elder or leader in the Sabbath community that is aware of the youth’s dedication to the Seventh Day Sabbath. The recommendation letters serve as an introduction to the young person; they also are "practice runs" as most academic programs at some point often require recommendation letters for applicants. Only home-schooled children enrolled in a verifiable home-school learning program are eligible.
Where Can the Scholarship Be Used?
The awarded scholarships will be mailed directly to the trade school or university that the winners are scheduled to be enrolled in for the Fall Semester of 2001. The prize money can be used at any institute of higher learning. Trade schools, beauty schools and other career preparing institutes are approved for this scholarship disbursement. The student must remain in the school for the duration of the semester it is awarded. It is not transferable to another college unless request is made prior to the fall semester of 2001. The scholarships awarded are a one-time award. They are not renewable for the following year. However, former winners are eligible to reapply for the current scholarship contest if they fall within the age restrictions and are enrolled in some academic/trade school program. Schools in international areas are also approved for the purposes of this scholarship award.
When Does the Scholarship Contest Start? What are the Prizes? Who can Apply?
The contest will start in August of 2000, with applications being accepted through February 1st 2001. Each applicant will be requested to subscribe to The Sabbath Sentinel for one year along with his or her application entry (free of charge). The winners of the essay contest will be awarded a first prize of $750; second place $500, and third place $250. Scholarship money will be paid directly to the trade school/college or university the student has been accepted at for the fall 2001 school year. The contest is open to international students from other countries. It is also open to any Sabbath keeping Christian regardless of church or organizational affiliation. No one that is related to any member of the BSA Board of Directors may apply for the scholarship. We consider this a conflict of interest.
How Will the Contest Be Judged? What are the Other Rules of the Contest?
The entries must be written in legible handwriting of the applicant. If in doubt about the readability of handwriting, applicants are welcome to submit a typed version of their essay ALONG with the handwritten copy. This is not a requirement, but might be helpful in the cases of not so easily read handwriting. Four judges from a strong academic background will judge the contest. The Board of Directors will choose the judges based on their academic merit; experiences; dedication to and observance of the Seventh Day Sabbath. Two judges will be members of The Bible Sabbath Association at-large and two will be from the Sabbath community at-large. They will each be from one of the different Sabbath keeping organizational backgrounds (i.e. Church of God, Seventh Day Baptist; Seventh Day Adventist; independent etc) We feel this mixture of judges will made the judging of the contest very fair and balanced.
The entries will primarily be judged on how well they answer the given questions; the applicants’ financial needs; the applicants’ service and background; the applicants’ dedication to the Seventh Day Sabbath; the applicants’ career goals and plans for the future. All of these areas are equally important. Academic background achievements and service projects will also be looked at, but are not the main factors in the determining of the winner of this contest. An applicant with a low GPA but with a great essay would get a higher rating than an applicant with a high GPA and poor quality essay.
Contest winners’ essays will be published in a future issue of the BSA’s magazine, The Sabbath Sentinel.
How Can I Donate To the BSA Scholarship Fund?
Please consider donating to the BSA scholarship fund. Send donations to our main BSA office. Donations can also be given over the telephone with a credit card; and they are tax deductible. The goal this year is to raise $4,000 to give the scholarship program a firm foundation to build from.
All donations given to the BSA scholarship fund will be used 100% for the prizes awarded. No money received will be used for any other purpose. The BSA budget has no money allotted for the scholarship fund, so we ask money be donated specifically for this cause. Without donations, we do not have prize money to award to our worthy youth. The applicants to this contest will have to answer in-depth questions pertaining to the Sabbath and will require hard work on their part to creatively construct solutions to the presented questions-at-hand. Through this scholarship program, we support the educational objectives of our Sabbath-keeping youth. Our youth are very important to us, as they are the future of the Sabbath-keeping congregations. Please consider donating to the BSA scholarship fund. Send donations to our main BSA office. The goal this year is to raise $4,000 to give the scholarship program a firm foundation to build from. ALL DONATIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO THE BSA OFFICE MADE OUT TO THE BIBLE SABBATH ASSOCIATION AT 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718. Please designate money donated is to be used for the scholarship fund.
The chairperson for the scholarship committee is June Narber Harrison. She can be contacted for information pertaining to the methodology or dynamics of the scholarship fund at PMB 193, 6325-9 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC 27615; by email at ejnarber@mindspring.com or mail can be sent to the main BSA office and it will be forwarded.
Thank you very much for your interest in our scholarship program. We pray that you will consider being part of this exciting service project.
Sincerely, June Narber Harrison
Scholarship Chairperson and BSA board member.
