June 2024 FRESH Start

J U N E 2 0 2 4 , I S S U E 2
FRESH Start
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PORT CHARLOTTE SDA CHURCH
“The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end.
They are fresh every morning.” Lamentations 3:22, 23
W E
LO
VE
G O D

Last month, Pastor
Ben introduced the
mission statement
of this church:
“Love God, love
others.” I absolutely
love this mission
statement. Not only
do I think this
perfectly describes
the Port Charlotte
SDA Church, but I
also believe these
four words perfectly
encompass Christian
duty. When asked
in Matthew 22:37-
40, what the greatest
commandment is,
Jesus answered,
“You shall love the
Lord your God with
all your heart and
with all your soul
and with all your
mind. This is the
greatest and first
commandment. And
a second is like it:
You shall love your
neighbor as
yourself. On these
two commandments
depend all the Law
and the Prophets.”
Today we’ll discuss
the first part of our
statement, Love
God. Not only is this
the first part of our
statement but this is
also the greatest
Photo credit: Niquecoy Webb
by Gavin Forbes, Associate Pastor
commandment. My
question is, How do we love
God? That might sound like
a weird question, but take
some time to think about it.
How do I love God? It’s easy
to be loved by God. He
invented the concept.
WHAT
DOES IT
MEAN TO
LOVE GOD?
Photo credit: Ted Stringer

We’re told in
Romans 8 that
nothing can stop
God from loving us.
Not even demons.
That’s some pretty
intense love.
Whether you know it
or not, God loves
you. He loves you so
much that He sent
his only Son to die
on your behalf. Like
I said, that’s some
pretty intense love.
However, any onesided
relationship is
not good. So, how do
we love God?
How do we love
anyone? In my case, it
started with romance.
I saw my wife, and she
was all I thought
about. She was the
only one I wanted to
talk to. However, life
started to catch up to
us. We argued, got
irritated with each
other, and got
annoyed. However, we
still loved each other.
It’s easy to fall in love
with your spouse, your
friend, God -- but it’s
hard to stay in love.
So, how do we stay in
love?
Love God.
Not only is this
the first part of
our statement,
but this is also the
greatest
commandment.

We are unique from
the rest of God’s
creations. We are
given the gift of
choice. We were
created to love and
be loved, but we
have the option to do
that. Just like we have
the choice with
everyone in our life.
No one is forcing us
to love our spouse,
friends, or family. So
then why should we
love? 1 John 4:9-12
tells us, “In this, the
love of God was
made manifest
among us, that God
sent his only Son
into the world so that
we might live
through him. In this
is love, not that we
have loved God but
that he loved us and
sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our
sins. Beloved if God
so loved us, we also
ought to love one
another. No one has
ever seen God; if we
love one another,
God abides in us and
his love is perfected in
us.” In other words, we
are incomplete
without love. In
Genesis 2, God
breathed His spirit
into man, and God’s
spirit has been with
man ever since. We
are inseparable. Like a
marriage. We are one
with God from birth.
However, like a
marriage, sometimes
things fall apart, either
through wrong nature
or nurture. Maybe we
grew up with people
who abused the
scriptures, or maybe
there was never a true
Christian in our life.
Whatever the reason,
people walk away.
Even though we have
a choice, there are still
effects to our actions.
For example, I have
the choice to eat rat
poison, but that
doesn’t dull the effects
if I eat it. In the same
vein, we have a choice
to not love God back.
However, by design, there is
an emptiness in our life that
we need to fill. The whole
purpose of life is to fill that
hole. In our human and
stubborn state, we try to fill it
with worldly things such as
food, drugs, sex, work,
acceptance, alcohol—you
name it. At the end of that
tunnel is our own selfinflicted
destruction.
However, when we recognize
our need as God’s creation to
love God, that’s when we’re
truly filled.
So how do we give God the
love He deserves? That’s the
easy part. There are countless
verses about it, but it’s still
very confusing to us, because
it’s not like any love we are
used to.
One of my favorite movies is
“A Knight’s Tale,” starring
Heath Ledger. In one scene,
Ledger’s character, William, a
peasant who is quickly
becoming the best jouster of
his time, catches the eye of
Princess Jocelyn, and she
catches his eye. The time
finally comes for him to
profess his love for her.

However, after
William trips over
his words, she’s not
fully convinced he
loves her. He says
that he will win the
tournament for her,
which really irritates
her. He asks her,
“Jocelyn, how may I
prove my love to
you?”
“How? Do you ask in
earnest?”
“Yes.”
“If you would prove
your love…”
“Right…”
“You shall do your
worst.”
“My worst… what do
you mean?”
“Instead of winning,
to honor me with
your high
reputation… I want
you to act against
your normal
character and do
badly.”
“Do badly?”
“Lose!”
“L-losing proves
nothing, except that
I’m a loser.”
“Wrong! Losing is a
much keener test of
your love. Losing
would contradict your
self-love. And losing
would show your
obedience to your
lover and not to
yourself!”
“Really?!”
“What is your answer?”
“… I will not lose.”
“Then you do not love
me.”
Later, when the
tournament starts, the
flag is raised, and
William’s team is
cheering him on. He
puts his helmet down
and starts to gallop.
Then he stops, looks
up at the princess, and
stops his horse. His
teammates yell at him.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
“I’m losing.”
“WHY?”
“I don’t know.”
One thing that my dad does
is scratch his back on the wall
corners. He’s like a grizzly
bear in the forest rubbing his
back on a tree (if you don’t
know what I’m talking about,
look up grizzly bear scratches
back on tree—that’s my dad).
A few Christmases ago, I
found an amazing back
scratcher. I thought of him
and knew it was something
he’d love and use every day.
When Christmas morning
came, he opened it up with a
blank look on his face. I could
tell he had no idea why I got
this for him. It was a soulcrushing
experience. The
jokes on him, because he uses
it every day. We want the
person to see our vision, not
to shut it down. It’s the same
with God.
He died on our behalf so that
we could be with Him.
However, He doesn’t want

our money, talents,
skills, or even our
perfection in return.
He wants our
brokenness. He
wants our
imperfection.
Ephesians 5 tells us
to walk in love as He
loved us, by giving
up Himself for our
sake. When we love
someone, we give
ourselves to them.
God wants us to do
the same. He knows
that there’s nothing
we have that He
doesn’t have, but He
wants to build us up
and fix us. However,
He can’t fix us until
we give Him
permission. We do
that by surrendering
to Him, casting our
yoke on Him,
putting to death the
sins of the flesh, and
picking up His cross.
“Take my yoke
upon you, and learn
from me, for I am
gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will
find rest for your
souls.” Matthew 11:29
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
In February, we began the project of taking
photos, creating name badges, and placing
them on adults as they enter the church. The
badges make it easier
to follow up with
people who have
been absent, and
helps people put
names to faces.
If you haven’t had
your photo taken
yet, please see a
photographer in the
foyer between 10-11
on Sabbath
mornings.
THANKS TO OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS
for all the extra time and work they put in to
make this project possible.
Wave Williams Ted Stringer Niquecoy Webb

THESE ARE JUST
SOME OF THE
FRIENDLY
FACES WE’VE
CAPTURED

UPCOMING
Events
Women’s Ministry
JUNE 2: Service Day to visit shut-in women of
the church and present gift baskets.
JULY: Women's Study Group on the book
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World,
by Joanna Weaver. Meetings will be online
every Thursday evening starting in July.

CAMPUS UPDATE
Our parking lot had a new look on May 19 after twenty faithful
volunteers spent two hours of their Sunday morning installing 57
new parking blocks. It’s looking much fresher.
Please thank this group of hard workers, led by our property
manager, Duane Morauske.
Photos submitted by Duane Morauske

On May 18, 2024,
the Pathfinders and
Adventurers had
investiture, which
corresponds with
the end of the school
year, typically in
May. Investiture is a
sort of “graduation”
for the Pathfinder
and Adventure
clubs. Over thirty
kids in the
Pathfinder and
Adventurer clubs
participated in the
ceremony with three
representatives from
the Florida
conference.
Elijah, one of the
Pathfinders, did the
welcome with an
excellent voice and
tone of excitement.
Seith Andi and Jed
Lorenzo Myr B.
Toboso played the
opening song
“Amazing Grace,” by
John Newton on
violins.
The Adventurer club
director, David
Molina, called on the
Adventurers to
receive their
certificates for
completing their
INVESTITURE
by Jed Lorenzo Myr B. Toboso
Photo credits: Niquecoy Webb

He played a photo
slideshow of the
activities and events
that happened
throughout the year.
The Pathfinder
director, Lucy
Poincy, then called
the Pathfinders to
receive their
certificates.
The Adventurer
director recognized
the three
Adventurers who
had perfect
attendance, and the
club staff and
representatives. Dr.
Molina also thanked
all of the staff and
representatives from
the conference, and
gave each one cards
of appreciation.
Mrs. Poincy,
commended most of
the club who had
perfect attendance
and thanked the
Pathfinder staff and
representatives for
their help in running
the club. Mrs. Tria
Shurtliff, the wife of
Pastor Ben Shurtliff,
gave both directors
and their families
appreciation cards
and flowers. Pastor
Ben, congratulated all of the
Pathfinders and Adventurers
for their accomplishments
throughout the year, then
prayed and ended investiture.

BOOK DRIVE
Thanks to YOUR generosity,
we filled a bookcase with 245
children’s books to donate to
Kid’s Thrive. This local
program’s goal is for every
child in Charlotte County to
be able to thrive and be
successful in school and life.
The single mothers who
picked them up were very
excited!
Photos submitted by Donna Judy

And the Award
Goes To...
by Laura Dancek
Representatives from our church were
presented with the “Advocacy in
Action” Award at the Drug Free
Charlotte County’s 2024 Annual
Prevention Awards Breakfast on May
10. We received this award to affirm
our church’s support of Kids Thrive, a
collaborator with Drug Free Charlotte
County.
A big thank you to our church family.
Your donations to the diaper and book
drives, and to the single mom’s
ministry have benefited families in the
community, some of whom have been
impacted by drug abuse and are in
recovery. Because of you, many
families have had better lives.
Many local officials were present for
this special event. The guest speaker
for the awards banquet was Ashley
Moody, the Attorney General of
Florida. She encouraged listeners to
consider what their unique strengths
are and to find ways to benefit others,
and the community, with them.
Photo credits: Laura Dancek

A few years ago, our church conducted
healthy cooking classes in the grand
hall for single mothers.One of those
mothers was homeless at the time. She
asked for prayer as she was looking for
housing for her family. She mentioned
her connections with the Lighthouse
SDA congregation. Since then, she was
baptized by Donna Dunbar. God has
blessed her life and she was honored at
the awards breakfast with a scholarship
as she pursues an education in social
work.She received a standing ovation
for the courage to turn her life around,
with the support of many in the
community.
Years ago, Donna Judy, our children’s
ministry leader, wanted an outreach
program the children could be
involved in. At that time we were
working with Bay Front Hospital as it
is the local hospital that has labor and
delivery. The children actually went
to the hospital to deliver the baskets to
the nursing staff. They in turn
provided them to the single mothers
in need.
After COVID that door never opened
again and we connected with Charlotte
County Health Department which has

led us to Kid’s Thrive. Our mission
outreach has led to a new ministry for
single moms. Donna shared, “It is
God’s blessing that has lead us on this
journey.”
More than 90% of our church’s
ministries are currently internally
focused. If you are a ministry leader,
how can you shift some of your focus
externally, to the community, to share
God’s love with those in our town?

SPECIAL TRIBUTE
by Laura Dancek
On May 5 we honored Don and
Betty Pierson for their
many years of service in our
church and in the global
work of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. They worked
for the world church for more
than forty years as Don served in
different areas related to finance.
They retired 25 years ago but
kept very busy working at our
church.
Betty was co-leader of
Community Services, taught in
the primary Sabbath School, and
volunteered at our church school
for many years. Don has served
on the finance committee, and
many times as its chair, for many
years. Recently they stepped
down from their duties.
Pastor Ben presented them with
a plaque that reads, “Presented
to Elder Don Pierson in
appreciation of your faithful and
dedicated service to our church
family. Your ministry has lit a
path directing us toward the love
of Jesus. We appreciate all you’ve
done through the years, and we
have all been blessed. Presented
with love and gratitude by the
members of the Port Charlotte
SDA Church.”
It’s been a great privilege to have
these two special people in our
church family and we love you
both dearly!
Photo credits: Ted Stringer

SAFETY IS
by Laura Dancek
On April 25, a special presentation was
given by Tammy Wilkie, from the
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Ms.
Wilkie is the coordinator for Project
LifeSaver, whose primary mission is to
provide timely response to save lives and
reduce potential injury for adults and
children who wander due to Alzheimer’s,
autism, and other related conditions or
disorders.
The main focus of the presentation was to
share information about programs offered
Angela Denis, Tammie
Wilkie, and Diane Sedgwick
in our county. In addition to Project Lifesaver, our county offers Take Me
Home, Red Dot, and IRIS (Integrated Response for Intervention and
Support). She also talked about scent preservation kits which store a
person’s unique odor so families can be ready with an uncontaminated
scent article for K9 responders to begin searching for a missing loved one
fast and bring them home safe. Information on all of these programs are
available online, or you can call Tammie Wilkie at 941-575-5345.
Angela Denis, who attends our church, requested this presentation. Over
thirty people attended the event, and the recorded livestream has had
over 80 views.
Photo submitted by Angela Denis

A PRIORITY
by Mark Miller, Safety/Security Leader
These are certainly
uncertain times that
we are living in and
it sometimes causes
us to think about
things we would
rather not think
about. That is why
the fourth Sabbath
in March was
designated as “Safety
Sabbath” by the
Florida conference.
A day to get better
prepared for
potential disasters of
all kinds that may
come our way.
At the Port Charlotte
SDA Church, we
observed safety
sabbath a week later
than scheduled due
to possible bad
weather and a
schedule conflict. On
a beautiful Sabbath
day, at the close of
the service, an alarm
was sounded and our
first fire drill began. As
we have a somewhat
elderly population, we
were concerned about
the ability of some of
our congregation who
use walkers and or
wheelchairs to be able
to evacuate the
sanctuary in a quick
and orderly fashion.
But with the help of
our safety team and a
great group of deacons
and deaconesses, we
emptied the church in
less than six minutes.
The whole
congregation was
directed to a safe area
in the parking lot away
from building. Once
the sanctuary and
classrooms were
cleared, the “all clear”
was given, and
everyone was able to
return to the sanctuary
or to their cars to head
home.
All in all, for our first
drill, things went smoothly
and we now feel a little more
confident that we will be
ready for a real emergency.
In February we invited a
sheriff from our county to
come and conduct an
educational seminar on
active shooters. Again, these
are not the types of things we
like to think about that will
happen to us, but we must be
vigilant and prepared. We
are trying to remain
welcoming, yet safe for all
our members and visitors.

KIDS’ J.A.M. FUN
April 25 was another fun day to learn about Jesus.
Families will gather again next fall when the
weather cools
down.
Port Charlotte
Seventh-day Adventist
Church
941-629-1333
2036 Loveland Blvd.
Pt. Charlotte, FL 33952
www.pcsda.net
FRESH Start Editor:
Laura Dancek
pcsdacommunication@gmail.com