Pastors’ Update 04-12-2024

Hi Everyone and Happy Sabbath,

I was finally able to make a long overdue trip to Southern Oregon this week to visit our members there. Everyone is doing well and we were blessed with beautiful weather! Warmest greetings from folks up that way!

We will be meeting in our new hall in Red Bluff for Sabbath services tomorrow. We have leased the hall for 24/7 access, and are delighted with the improvements we have made in the past couple of weeks getting ready for the move. Special thanks to John Cornelison, Aaron and Laura King, Tom and Victoria Provine, Sherry Tunstall, Phil Magnon, and several others for helping with the improvements and the move to our new location. For those of you planning to meet in Red Bluff, please note the new address below.

The Passover, NBMO and First Day of Unleavened Bread are now less than two weeks away. I am sure you are in the annual throes of de-leavening your home, vehicles, and work space, just as Linda and I are these days. Of course, preparing for these days physically, reminds us to consistently work on riding our lives of sin and continue our struggle to overcome sin and the evil of this world. No doubt we will be hearing, reading and studying about these coming Spring Holy Days and topics over the next couple of weeks.

Feast of Tabernacles registration this year for our assigned site (Redmond, OR) begins on Sunday, April 28th, and for those who want to transfer to another site, registration takes place on Sunday, May 12th. If you have any questions, you may contact our Festival Advisors – Bob Besore` (Stockton), John Cornelison (Redding), and Mark Fike (Reno). 

Camp registration is now open through the COGWA Portal. If you plan to volunteer to help at one of our camps, or you plan for your children to attend camp, please register at the link in the Camp announcement below. There seems to be some confusion about the Sequoia camps for this year. The preteen and the teen camp will run simultaneously, starting on the same date (July 14th). However, the camps will be operated separately. Everything for the two camps will be run separately, but the same facility will be used.

For your planning purposes: All brethren are invited to a summer Church campout at Gurnsey Creek Campground, near Mill Creek, California (between Lake Amador and Lassen National Park), June 28-30. Please plan to join us for a weekend of Sabbath services in the woods, fun and fellowship. There’s space for tents, trailers, and RVs (we have reserved a group camp site with bathrooms, but no hook-ups for RVs). The group campground fees have been paid. There is no entrance fee for our campsite. Please let us know if you’re interested and/or have questions. For more information, you may call or email Tom Provine (530-520-6061 or tomprovine@gmail.com).

We are also planning NorCal all-COG church picnics at the Newton-Besore Ranch on Sunday, May 26th, and at the Rossmoor Sportsmens Picnic Pavilion on Sunday, June 23rd. We have decided to cancel our Donner Lake picnic this year because of a conflicting activity we discovered is scheduled at the lake that same day. Please reserve these special social outings on your calendar.

NBMO (Monday, April 22nd) – Please sign up for one of the NBMO locations (Lodi, Rossmoor, or Red Bluff) on the lists at the announcement tables. 

From Tom Provine (Redding congregation) - As we get close to the Night To Be Much Observed on Monday, April 22, we are planning to have a shared meal with the brethren at our new hall in Red Bluff, at a final cost of  $25 per person. The meal will be buffet-style with steak, chicken, and sides. Please plan to bring drinks, unleavened bread, and dessert. If cost is an issue for anyone, please let us know and we will make sure it is covered; we want to have all who are able to come. Please sign up this week if you have not already, or contact the Provines. (530) 520-6061 or  tomprovine@gmail.com. 

We will have Sabbath services tomorrow for the Stockton, Reno and Redding congregations at 2:30 pm. For those who cannot meet in person with us, the webcast will originate from Redding this week (2:30 pm).