Sunday afternoon, at 1:00 o’clock, scores of people were gathered around the main entrance of the church awaiting the cutting of the ribbon by mothers of the church, Evelyn Lopez and Sis. Elva Ritchie. The district pastor, Danny Major, gave opening remarks and officially opened the doors. The Chief Counselor, Ian Knowles, and Island Administrator, Dr. Preston Cunningham brought greetings, Mrs. Theresa Cartwright, wife of Member of Parliament Lawrence Cartwright, was also in attendance to represent her husband. Elder Winston Ash, VBA President and Pastor Hugh A. Roach also brought greetings. Timely and sobering remarks were brought by Dr. Leonard A. Johnson. The keynote address, which was presented by Union President Dr. Patrick Allen challenged members to maintain good social relationships, carry out the mandate of evangelism and conduct church business professionally. He also laid the cornerstone at the completion of the service.

C. Melvin Lewis (Conference Treasurer) initiated the Thanksgiving offering which included financial gifts from the union, conference, and sister churches represented by their pastors. Alfred Watkins and Warren Rodgers, Church Building Coordinator, extended expressions of thankfulness and gratitude to the many contributors, patrons and workers including the faithful members, VBA, Dorothea Ritchie and The Adventist Long Island Association, local businesses and individuals who assisted in the completion of the church. The weekend was indeed a blessing and tremendous success. To God be the glory! - Pastor Major

Evangelism Update Evangelism continues to be the main focus of the administration, pastors and Joshua team members of our conference. We give God the praise and the glory for what has been achieved thus far, but we must continue to press toward our goal of 1,000 baptisms for this year. Grant's Town, New Providence, Real Harvest, and several other churches in New Providence are engaged in outreach activities. Dr. Leonard Johnson is conducting a weekend reaping campaign in San Salvador, and Pastor Dannie Clarke is starting a reaping campaign in North Andros. Since the last report revealed that we are fewer than 100 short of our goal of 1,000, we are confident that by the end of these efforts, the Lord will give us 100 plus. In addition, our Union evangelist, Pastor Guy Nembhard, is coming for a reaping campaign December 10 to 14. Each Joshua team member should have one prospect ready for baptism. Let us pray for a good harvest of souls. God is ready and able to use us to bring others to Him.

Be Thankful.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who

are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,

and they can become your blessings.

-Author Unknown

Education Corner Learning to read is much like riding a two-wheel bicycle. Before the child can travel on his/her own, he/she must know how to hold the handlebars, balance, push the pedals, and build up speed. Likewise, to read a book, your child needs to sound out words, recognize common ones such as "the", understand what the text means, and read fast enough to make sense of the story. The following skills need to be learned in order for a child to be able to read:

1. Phonics

2. Word Recognition

3. Fluency

4. Spelling & Writing

5. Comprehension

Phonics. Knowing the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters of written language is essential for reading. Phonics gives your child tools she can use to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words she hasn't seen before.

Word Recognition. Many common words in English, such as "the" and "one", don't fit the phonics rules, so your child needs to memorize them. As he gains more experience reading, he will also instantly recognize other common words. This makes it easier to focus on the meaning of the text.

Fluency. To read fluently, your child must not only be able to recognize words instantly, but also be able to divide the text into meaningful chunks. For example, "lock of hair" must be read as a group to make sense. She builds fluency with lots of practice and experience listening to teachers and parents reading aloud.

Spelling and Writing. Your child increases her knowledge of how print works when she spells and writes on her own. When she makes each letter, she learns to associate a sound with it. At first she may write "book" as bk because she hears the /b/ and /k/ sounds. With instruction, she learns correct spelling. Reading and writing reinforce each other .

Comprehension. To read, your child must understand the meaning of the words. He builds comprehension when he discusses what he thinks a book will be about and summarizes what happened in a story.

His understanding increases as his vocabulary expands. That is why parent and caregivers need to speak "naturally" and not use "baby words" around young children. Comprehension is an aspect of reading that doesn't come naturally and has to be taught. As you read to your children (or they read to you), follow these suggestions:

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Praise Reunion to Meet All persons who took part in Praise Reunion Concert I and II are requested to attend a very important meeting today at 4:00 p.m. at the Living Faith Church, Old Trail Road. - H. Dorsette, Director

Children's Ministries Director Says Thank You Thank you to all of our parents and children's ministries leaders who worked so hard to make our children's weekend a smashing success. A special thank you especially goes to our wonderful "little jewels" who willingly used their talents on Children's Sabbath to the honor and glory of God. Our hearts were thrilled as we watched them act, recite, sing, and preach. The children's concert in the afternoon was a kaleidoscope of musical talent that made us beam with pride. Let us continue to work with them as we teach them to be Jesus' little disciples now.

We also appreciate the overwhelming support of our parents and members at our fabulous fun day. Your support helped to make the event an unforgettable experience for our children. Finally, we express gratitude to Mr. Nelson Bain and Mr. Ray Jennings who hosted our concert and fun day respectively. Once again, thank you to all, and we look forward to an even bigger and better children's weekend next year! -Cheryl Rolle, CM. Director

Grant’s Town Crusaders All former Grant’s Town Crusaders are invited to attend a Reunion Church service at the Church on December 6, 2003. All former members of the church are also invited

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Cat Island Crusade Needs Volunteers A special campaign is being conducted in Cat Island between December 1 and December 7, 2003. Volunteers are needed to assist in Cat island for a week or a week-end. Housing is being provided. If interested, please call Pastor or Sis. Duncombe at 322-5510 or 341-4021. - Pastor J. Duncombe

Breath of Life Church Dedication The Breath of Life Church dedication will be held on Sunday, December 14, 2003, at 1:30 p.m. You are cordially invited to join us in this special service to the glory of God. Pastor Ducnombe, the officers and members solicit your prayers and support.

Volleyball Games tonight: Men – Bethany vs Breath of Life; Maranatha vs Living Faith. Women– Maranatha vs Breath of Life; Bahamas Academy vs Maranatha Church and Living Faith vs Breath of Life.

Additionally all male and female teams are requested to be at the Gym tonight with the view to completing the regular season. Extra games will have to be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights. All Team fees are requested to be submitted tonight.

Hour of Music at Mary Ingraham Home Senior citizens are reminded that a weekly hour of gospel music is available at the Mary Ingraham Home in Emerald Gardens every Sabbath afternoon from 4:30 to 5:30. The New Englerston SDA Church choir will be our special guests. Next Sabbath’s guest choir will be from the New Providence SDA Church.- J. Admiral Forbes, Coordinator

SDA Burial Society to Meet The SDA Burial Society meeting will be held on Monday, December 1, 2003, at the Grant’s Town Church Annex. Members can become financial. Persons interested in joining are especially invited. - H. Moncur

Philadelphia to Host Rally The Philadelphia SDA Church is hosting a Thanksgiving Concert and Rally tomorrow evening, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003, beginning at 7:00 o’clock. at the Church in Elizabeth Estates. Everyone is invited to come and bring a generous offering.

Ollie’s Opportunity Hunt "OOH" is lending a hand. Job placement for domestic help. Register now at 393-2693

Crisis Management Committee to Meet All members of the Crisis Management Committee are requested to meet on Tuesday, December 2, 2003, at 6:00 p.m. at the Conference office.