Triadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church

July 2021

• Triadelphia took part in the Clarksville July 4th Parade again. Thanks to the true genius of Decorators Susan and Nilde, the float was spectacular. Austin Charles-Marcel played his violin with Tracey Williams at the piano – both playing familiar patriotic songs. A newly-designed fan with Triadelphia’s pictures was well received by parade viewers. Thanks to Rick Roberts for driving his pickup and to Mike Jones for the use of his trailer.
• VBS happened again this year - July 19-24 with an average of 25-30 children each evening. The story of Noah was the theme brought out in songs, crafts, food, and games. Thanks to Peggy Lee’s organization again, it was an unusually precious experience for all.

June 2021

• Our slow return to normal: the children returned to in-person Sabbath School on June 5, the adult Zoom class began meeting in the parsonage, and we had our first fellowship meal since March 2020. Afterwards a number of our church family went out distributing literature in the community.
• On the 12th we celebrated the baptism of one of our youth, Vicki Pita. In the afternoon Investiture was held for both the Pathfinders and Adventurers.
• We shared our memories of Bob Blom, Triadelphia member for 25 years, on the 13^th. He fell asleep in Jesus on May 25.
• On the 19^th Dr Gerhard Pfandl gave a presentation from his Daniel and Revelation Seminar series. In the evening, we had a vespers and farewell for members who will be leaving us: Jude and Grace Edwards, Linda Friday, Sue Hinkle, Cami Oetman, Donna Rapp, and Lee Schroader.
• Vespers on the 26^th was led by Buzz Ropka in our “Chapel in the Woods.”
• June was the first month of our summer events: Literature Evangelism the first Sabbath of each month, a Sabbath afternoon walk on the second, a study of Daniel and Revelation the third, and vespers in our “Chapel in the Woods” on the fourth Sabbath.

May 2021

• Sabbath, May 1, we said goodbye to the Beaven family, on their way to Japan for military service.
• A number of our deacons, elders and A/V team helped with upgrading the lighting system in the sanctuary. It’s so much better. Thank you, guys.
• The Pathfinders and Adventurers presented a meaningful and delightful worship for both the First and Second services.  
• We had a Spring Cleaning day on May 16, organized by the deacons.
• Sunday, May 23, was a large Yard Sale.

April 2021

• Our first Communion Sabbath since COVID began was held April 10, with COVID-safe measures.
• After a number of hurdles, we are inches away from officially submitting our building plans to the county for approval.
• On the 20th, our Pathfinder Bible Experience team won a second place in the union level PBE. They did amazingly this year against a number of difficult odds, and Triadelphia is very proud of our Pathfinders!
• Another food drive on Sabbath, April 24, allowed us to provide an impressive amount of items to the Ellicott City Adventist Food Bank.  

March 2021

• The church board agreed to keep our online directory, but to ask members to update their information and pictures in the next few weeks.
• Our first 2021 outdoor worship service was held March 27! It was great to be together again, even though chilly!
• Our children’s classes produced a terrific 13^th Sabbath Special Feature the 27^th.
• We had another Food Drive for non-perishable items on the 27^th, and as before, Triadelphia members brought an amazing amount of food.
• Another “Bagging & Distributing Literature” event for our community was conducted during the afternoon of March 27!

February 2021

• We continue praying for several members currently facing the battle with COVID.  
• Triadelphia’s WhatsApp group, with over 80 members on it, moved to Signal on Friday, the 5^th.  It’s a great way to share pictures, prayer requests, interesting insights, and more – to stay connected.
• On the 20^th, our Pathfinder Bible Experience team competed at the Conference level and did not miss a single question! They now progress to the union level on March 20.
• Another successful Drive-By Food Drive was held on the 27^th with church members generously bringing a lot of non-perishable food items for the Ellicott City Adventist and Glen Elg Methodist Churches’ food banks.
• A group of members on the afternoon of the 27th prepared and distributed door hanging bags containing a note from our church along with a condensed version of The Story of Redemption and an offer for Bible studies. Around 600 books were passed out in a few hours. Some members were able to talk and pray with those they met.  

January 2021

• Triadelphia participated in “Ten Days of Prayer” January 6-16 via Zoom, both with the Conference in the mornings and Triadelphia’s group in the evenings.
• This year’s Pathfinder Bible Experience team learned Hebrews, James, and 1 & 2 Peter. They successfully scored over 90% correct at the first (district) level on January 23, and proceed to the conference level on February 20.
• On Sunday, the 24^th, Adventurers met in the church parking lot for an interactive and tangible prayer experience, moving around to seven different prayer stations doing activities that illustrated each station’s prayer theme.
• Triadelphia is partnering with Ellicott City Adventist and Glen Elg Methodist churches to provide food to those in need this winter. Sabbath, January 30, was the first of this series of Drive-By Food Collections. Two more food drives are scheduled for February 27 and March 27.

December 2020

• On the 5^th, Triadelphia bade farewell to two of our more active members, Fred and April Hardinge, who have moved to Colorado.
• For the first time we had to move our outdoor services to the fellowship hall due to snow and much colder temperatures.
• In spite of the enforced Covid-style of worship, we enjoyed a precious Christmas worship on December 19.   

November 2020

• The public hearing on November 16^th to discuss our construction project went well, lasting only 15 minutes. We can now submit blueprints for the building permit process. This phase takes about a year to complete.
• On the 21^st Triadelphia members brought non-perishable food items to the Thanksgiving Food Drive, sponsored by our Community Services Committee. The food was then driven to the Glen Elg Methodist and the Ellicott City Adventist Churches to assist with their regular food distribution programs.
• On the 27^th, 35 Triadelphia members and family gathered at the homes of three Triadelphia members to help with yardwork and leaf raking. The weather was 60 degrees, a perfect post-Thanksgiving day for working off the holiday meal!

October 2020

• Triadelphia’s October started with the baptism of Ethan Rosales, son of Josh and Kimberly, on the 3^rd. Ethan was baptized by his grandfather, Pastor Rodolpho Rosales.
• The “Forecasting Hope,” online evangelistic crusade continued all month with about 12 virtual Bible workers following up on leads. We connected with 17 individuals for positive contacts and three have begun Bible studies with Pastor Sam via Zoom.
• Signage related to our construction project went up on the edge of our property, and remained for a month and a half. A public hearing is scheduled for November 16 by Zoom. If no problems arise at that meeting, we can move ahead to submit blueprints for the building permit phase.
• The Pathfinders and Adventurers produced a Fall Festival on the parking lot the 31^st. The event began with vespers in the outdoor chapel to close the Sabbath. Then followed a fun evening of glow-in-the-dark games, crafts, and a baked goods auction with Magdiel playing auctioneer. A highlight of the evening was the “donation-in-the-pots” event between Christi and Angela.  Angela ended up with fewer donations and the pie-in-her-face punishment! Over $1,500 was raised for the clubs, not including online contributions.
• Children’s Ministries via Zoom is still keeping our children connected with each other, with Jesus and with their church. Even children from other congregations have been joining in – from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee! This ministry also includes “Porch Drops” and mailings for distributing SS supplies, little fun gifts such as pencils, stickers, etc. and notes of encouragement. Although the continued isolation hampers get-togethers, the children have enjoyed several “play dates” in the church parking lot with their bikes, roller blades, scooters, etc. and a swimming pool party at Mt Aetna.

September 2020

• The church board met by Zoom on the 17^th and voted to increase the amount set aside for evangelism this fall. They also asked the Building Committee to assess whether or not our new construction should include any changes in light of the pandemic.
• The Adventurer Club members and parents visited several of our church members at home on Sabbath, the 26^th, to brighten their day.  They sang, recited their memory verse, and prayed for the members.
• On that same Sabbath, a few of our members went down to DC to “The Return” - a Christian event calling people back to commitment to God.  Some of us helped pass out 20,000 copies of Modern Revivals - a book based on the 27^th chapter of the book, The Great Controversy.  Others passed out copies of the complete book. There was a lot of interest in these handouts.  
• A special online prayer meeting is happening every night from 8:00 – 8:30 PM via Zoom.  This is leading up to the online evangelistic crusade that runs from October 9 to November 2 with David Klinedinst, director of Evangelism and Church Growth for the Chesapeake Conference.

August 2020

• Triadelphia held an afternoon pool party on the 16th at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center Pool. Even with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, everyone had a fun time celebrating summer at the pool. 
• During the church board meeting on the 20^th, the Building Committee reported that the permitting process for our new construction is moving ahead again. With the pandemic, the county had halted that process for everyone.
• The board also voted to move ahead with hosting an online evangelistic crusade this fall, October 9 to November 2, with David Klinedinst, director of Evangelism and Church Growth for the Chesapeake Conference.
• Our second vespers in the new outdoor chapel was on Sabbath, the 22nd. Alex Partyka shared what he has learned about God’s character, especially in light of his less-than-ideal decision making while growing up.
• The board met again on the 27^th to vote in Nilde Itin as superintendent of our adult Sabbath school. She is an Administrative Secretary at the General Conference.
• Triadelphia celebrated a few marriages this summer: On July 3, Daniel Glassford and Crystal Zhang were married at Sandy Point State Park in Maryland. Kayla Howard married Skyler Schell near Columbus, Ohio, on July 12. Carla Friday married Jamaal Roberts at Triadelphia church on August 3. And on August 12, Jo Ashton married Austin Menzmer in an outdoor ceremony in Collegedale, TN.

July 2020 news:

• Triadelphia’s newly-renovated “Chapel in the Pines” is completed and allows for up to 100 attendees at a time (within COVID-19 regulations). It is well-shaded and offers a refreshing place to worship, even in the heat.
• July 18 was our first Sabbath of “in-person” worship. It began with an outdoor worship in the “chapel” at 8:00 AM, followed by a Sabbath School class at 9:00 AM. Another outdoor Sabbath School class (also livestreamed) was at 10:00 AM on the lawn near the parsonage. At 11:00 AM we held our first “in-person” worship service in the sanctuary in months, limited to 50 attendees! This service was also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
• July 18 also saw a group of members meet in the Fellowship Hall for a special farewell event for our students who will be heading off to school soon. That was followed by a vespers dedication of the outdoor chapel.