FRESH Start August 2024

A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 , I S S U E 5
FRESH Start
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PORT CHARLOTTE SDA CHURCH
Embracing
Outreach
The Port Charlotte Seventh-day
Adventist Church loves God and loves
others. God has called us to love more
than those within the walls of our
sanctuary. He placed us , His church, in
this location to be God’s love to the
world -- to our community of Charlotte
county. In this issue you will read about
some of the things we are doing, as well
as our future plans to reach more.

Radio:
One MoreWay
to Reach Out
BY BEN SHURTLIFF, SENIOR PASTOR
How many of you remember being measured
against a door jam at home as you were growing
up? If you visit my home, Gage’s and Hope’s door
jams have measurement marks and dates to
show the latest height they have reached.
Sometimes we are not aware of the growth until
we look back on pictures. That is one reason I
love our newsletter. It is filled with pictures and
articles that document the life of our church. I
invite you to think of this particular newsletter as
a milestone measurement of the reach our
church has into the community around us. On
July 27th our church kicked off a capital campaign
to raise funds for our very own radio station to

oadcast from our campus into our community.
That is an outreach milestone. We have not yet
reached out via radio waves to our members and
neighbors in Charlotte County. Twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred
and sixty-five days a year, we will be able to
share the gospel to our friends and neighbors!
Harry Selent and Ron Myers, of Radio74, have
been on the inside track of getting this radio
station from a dream to a reality. When you see
Harry, let him know how much you appreciate his
faithfulness in seeing this opportunity through.
Your past faithful giving has already made it
possible to purchase most of the necessary
equipment to be able to broadcast. Your future
support will enable us to purchase the radio
tower that is still needed. We estimate the cost of
the tower and installation between $12,000 and
$20,000. We do not want to spend any more
money on the tower than necessary. However, as
you all are aware, the tower will need to be
hurricane-rated and that may turn out to be more
expensive than we originally thought. We will
soon have the exact figures for the tower,
permitting, and installation. In the meantime we
are raising funds, raising prayers, and raising our
hopes that soon and very soon, we will be able to
share with our community in ways we have never
been able to before.
I invite you to
think of this
particular
newsletter as a
milestone
measurement
of the reach our
church has into
the community
around us.

Outreach, in terms of the church, can mean
to reach out to others with the Gospel.
Outreach takes on an additional meaning
when we out reach what we have been able
to do previously.
Thank you for your part in expanding our
reach and providing one more avenue for
our future brothers and sisters in Christ to
come home.

107.3
CAP TAL
Campa gn
FM 107.3
You are invited to be a part of something
extraordinary through the Capital
Campaign. Together, let's reach our
community, one heartfelt donation at a
time.
DONATE
$12,000

July 20 marked a joyous
milestone for our church
community as our
Spanish congregation,
under the leadership of
Pastor Art Grayman,
dedicated their new
worship space. Located
in the spacious room
with a cathedral ceiling
at the community service
center, this area will now
serve as their new
Sabbath morning
sanctuary.
As you enter the room,
greeted by a charming
lounge area to the left
and a welcoming counter
straight ahead — new
features that create a
sense of belonging and
make it feel like a true
church home. The space
also includes provisions
for setting up tables and
chairs, perfect for
communal potlucks and
gatherings.
The congregation’s
inaugural worship service
in this new venue was
Celebrating
a New Home
for our Spanish
Congregation
by LAURA DANCEK
Photo credits: Niquecoy Webb

filled with high spirits. Senior
Pastor Ben Shurtliff delivered a
special message, underscoring
the significance of this new
chapter. The worship area has
been thoughtfully designed
with movable chairs and
flexible setups, allowing it to be
used for various functions
throughout the week.
Additionally, the room is now
equipped with a state-of-theart
audio-visual system,
generously donated by the
Grayman family in memory of
Prudence Grayman, enhancing
the worship experience for all.
Hundreds of hours of labor
were spent remodeling this
facility. Thank you to all who
helped make this a reality.

Our #1 Outreach:
PCAS Begins a New
School Year

When school bells rang on August 13 they marked the beginning of
our school’s 54th year of educating students from our church and
community.
We have much to praise the Lord for, as this year we welcome five
new teachers to the staff. Enrollment on opening day was 113.
Prayers are being answered! No other type of outreach could be
more important for our church to invest in than teaching young
people about the love of God.
Photo credits: Delia Mercado

Reprinted with permission from the
4Kids newsletter
We believe the Church is the answer
to the foster care crisis, which is why
we are intentional about cultivating
strong relationships with churches all
across SWFL. Some churches choose
to focus their efforts on foster parent
recruitment or responding to
CarePortal requests, but Port
Charlotte Seventh Day Adventist
Church has their hand in many onramps
with 4KIDS!
When the pastor and foster/adoptive
dad, Ben Shurtliff responded to an
outreach communication we sent, he
expressed sincere interest in getting
involved! Just 10 weeks later, he
facilitated two 4KIDS presentations at
their services, had one of our staff
members share in a sermon, and
paved the way for the congregation to
become the leading
CarePortal church in
Charlotte County!
One of these CarePortal
requests in particular
involved an expecting mother
who was fully resolved to not
keep her baby. Port Charlotte
Seventh Day Adventist
Church took the lead on this
request and helped raise
over $3,000 for this mother.
Because of our partnership
with Aspire Women’s Clinic,
through CarePortal, we were
able to see this mother shift
her focus to choosing life,
because of the resources
provided to her via
CarePortal churches.

This church has already served 13
children since joining CarePortal on
April 1st of this year, saying "yes" to
every request we've asked of them so
far. Most recently, they have collected
a dozen diaper bags full of supplies
for our Back To School Backpack
Drive!
We are so blessed to work alongside
this church to make sure
every child has a loving
home and the opportunity
for a bright future. Thank
you, Port Charlotte
Seventh Day Adventist
Church for making an
eternal impact for kids and
families in need.
Photo credits: Laura Dancek

Our church received this letter of congratulations from the Executive
Office of the Governor of the State of Florida,
due to our partnership with 4Kids.

A U G U S T 2 0 2 4
I S S U E 5
Fellowship Dinner
September 7
Bring a few dishes of food to share.
If you would like to be part of the
fellowship dinner team, contact
Andrea at ‭(941) 916-8508‬.
941-629-1333
2036 Loveland Blvd.
Pt. Charlotte, FL 33952
www.pcsda.net
The church newsletter is available on our website.
Subscribe at the bottom of any page of our website
to receive future issues in your email:
pcsda.net
FRESH Start Team:
Photographers:
Laura Dancek
Ted Stringer
Niquecoy Webb
Wave Williams
Writers:
Don Byard
Laura Dancek
Editor:
Laura Dancek
Contact us at:
pcsdacommunication@gmail.com