Laurelbrook Academy SDA Church

Sabbath services on February 10, 2018 began with a song service led by Abril (sophomore), Rachel (junior), and Mariangela (junior), accompanied by Jara (sophomore) on the piano.  The opening song was “Tell Me the Old, Old Story”. Dyaine (senior) welcomed everyone.

Citlali (senior) read the scripture reading – 1 John 4:8 “He that not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Fabiola (junior) then read a mission story from Belize about a wife whose husband moved to another town on the other side of the country due to his new restaurant.  She prayed that God would help her husband go to the Adventist church. One night she found him searching the Scriptures after watching an Adventist TV program.  They went to church the next Sabbath.

She then called for the Laurelbrook Missions Offering, which was collected by Itzel (sophomore) and Citlali (senior) and which goes to support Laurelbrook mission trips. 

Sarah (senior) had the superintendent’s remarks on the different kinds of love.  Jissel (sophomore) and Heissel (sophomore) then announced the classes and had the closing prayer.

The congregation then became four Sabbath School classes, one taught by James Brenneman in the church sanctuary and one in the back of the sanctuary “behind the glass” taught by Elizabeth Castle, one in the CNA House taught by Ricardo Reid, and one in his house taught by Rich Sutton.

Following are a few notes from the theme talk:

1. Four different types of love are mentioned in the Bible – close friendship, romantic love, love between close relatives, love of Jesus.
2. Friendship love is a very common type of love.
3. 2 Timothy 3:3 “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,”
4. The love of Jesus is the highest type of love in the Bible, most commonly mentioned In the New Testament.
5. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
6. How do we become like Jesus to also love others like He did?
7. 1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
8. We can accept the indwelling presence of God – and love like Jesus did.  We are like branches grafted to the main tree (God).

Personnel Other Than Students:

Elizabeth Castle –works with the social services department of the Laurelbrook Nursing Home

James Brenneman – teaches some of the academy English and social studies classes

Ricardo Reid – assistant boys’ dean / local head church elder

Rich Sutton – Laurelbrook president