I love the colors of Autumn, red, gold, vibrant orange, mixed with the never fading green of pine in the landscapes that surround us. It's beautiful! Unfortunately, the economic picture is not as grand. Beneath the grey skies of recession the reality of double digit unemployment brings great concern and fills many with worry. We are troubled about what tomorrow brings. Threatening clouds on the horizon as reported in our daily news suggest that the worst may not be over.  It's hard to appreciate the simple pleasure of fall colors when our minds are troubled and fearful.  Yet, I believe that is the blessing which God intends through His creation. He wants us to absorb the blessing of His handiwork for it speaks of hope and the assurance of His care.  Every color that delights our soul speaks of the Creator's love; they remind us that God's thoughts toward us are good and not evil.

Jesus taught this lesson on several occasions, but, perhaps most notably in Matthew 6:25-34.  He reminded His listeners to think about God's provision for the smallest and what some would call the insignificant of life, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet ... even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (6:26, 28, 30). Minds filled with worry fail to see God's provision. To such He says, look, consider. We must open our eyes to the evidence that surrounds us. The God of heaven has made provision for the needs of men and gives special attention to the concerns of the faithful. The only thing worry accomplishes is weakening of our faith.

Jesus points to the smallest most insignificant things in nature that have His attention and then ask this important question: "Are you not of more value than they?” (v. 26). The cross is the sum of our value to God for He died to save us.  Understanding our value to God will overcome our worry. The price paid for our salvation testifies that we are of great value to Him. We must recognize this value and respond to His love with trust.  Each day brings new challenges, but, each challenge can be met in the assurance of our Savior's faithful provision. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." (v.33).

Drink in the color and beauty of Fall and as you eyes enjoy the canvas of the Lord's painting be assured of His never-ending love. Those He loves, He cares for.

It is hard to believe how fast our first semester has flown by! Just as every day seems to fly by because we are doing so many exciting things in the classroom, our first quarter is now only a memory. I keep waiting for a week when nothing is going on so that I can display one of my “catchy” little sayings, most of which I gleaned from my father. But every week we have something noteworthy to post on our school sign.

I have been impressed with the strengths of the school and know everyone is working hard to provide our children with the best possible program. Just last week we added a new component to the school program. On October 13 our School Board voted unanimously to begin an athletic program with a strong, Christian emphasis. We have been working with the students on their soccer skills in Physical Education, and have now graduated their hard work to a nearby soccer field where we are working towards playing a few games with other Christian schools. We want to invite any of our 4th-8th graders in the church that are interested to contact the school for more information.

We are also developing this outreach program in an effort to promote the school and, more importantly, promote our love of Jesus. We have a road-sign ministry in the mornings giving our neighbors an opportunity to smile and give a simple HONK! Our 7th and 8th graders hold up four signs that say: If you, Love, Jesus, HONK! The community has responded with an overwhelming HONK! Along with this program, we are visiting the Windsor House each month, featuring a different classroom. In fact, one of the residents was a patient of Dr. Eddlemon. It really is a small world when we invite Jesus to be a part of our lives!

If we have a program that you would like to sponsor, we would appreciate your assistance. God is blessing our programs; your support, whether financial, physical, and/or through prayer, helps us to provide these opportunities to all of our students. We would like to extend our gratitude to our parents, church members, and community, who are making tremendous sacrifices to have these children in our great school.

The Eddlemon Adventist School and Child Development Center Home & School Association hosted the semi-annual "Family Breakfast" in October. The Family Breakfast is held on the last day of Week of Prayer. The families join their students for an early morning breakfast at school.   We provide the food and the students provide the smiles! This is a special time for everyone who participates. The students enjoy having their families eat, at school, with them. They also love having their families attend chapel with them. Pastor Ryan Hodgins was the Week of Prayer speaker this fall. Thank you Pastor Ryan!

We will be kicking off our annual fundraiser soon. This years’ event will be the Read-a-TON, I mean, Read-a-THON! Kathy Bailey is the Read-a-Thon coordinator. We have some exciting learning opportunities planned for the students that we hope will translate into dollars earned for the school. Stay tuned for more details in the next few weeks. Be thinking about which students you want to sponsor in this reading challenge. The students will rise to the occasion and Read-a-TON!

Please remember our FREE MONEY programs. If you need more details about any of the following programs, please contact me or Beverly Mortimer, in the school office. We receive rebates from the following companies, when you link us to your purchases:  

Target Credit Card - sign up under Eddlemon;

Office Depot - tell the cashier to credit Eddlemon (#70091217-they have a list);

Ingles Advantage Card - link your card to Eddlemon (#11485);

Publix - pick up a key-chain card in the church lobby;

We also collect aluminum cans, ink cartridges, BoxTops, and Campbells’ labels.

We have a few students who need some temporary, and or, one time financial assistance. If you are being led to help these students stay in school, please contact Steve Blake or myself. All financial information and donations are kept strictly confidential.  

A big thank you goes out to Dickey and Ruth Shelton for, once again, making the birthday cakes for our monthly celebrations. The kids sure look forward to your cakes! We thank you for your time and talents.

We ask that you keep everyone associated with the school in prayer. There are many challenges facing our students every day. Satan works hard to discourage and disappoint. We thank God that He is a BIG, BIG, BIG GOD! We know He is in charge of our school. We thank Him for His blessings every day. The church family is one of our biggest blessings - WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR EDDLEMON ADVENTIST SCHOOL.

K-1 High Honors: Alexine Dodson, Amber Bethea, Laysha Labra, Mekka Roberson

2-3 High Honors: Amanda Blake, Catherine Evans, Dana Hudgins, Jonah Tary, Kayla Chandler, Kelli Hopkins, Kevin Perez, Ta'Layla Harper

2-3 Honors: Kalin Miller, Summer Spears

4-6 High Honors: Ashley Blake, Ashlynn Dodson, Jacob Anderson, Kelsey Perez, Matthew Baker, Matthew Fowler, Nicholas Decker, Sarah Spears

4-6 Honors: Autumn Mitchem, Cheyenne Mixon, Emma Evans, Emyl Gaffney, Jeffrey Tary, Lindsey Doornbos, Tanarea Pearson, Tiara White, Xavier Baca

7-8 High Honors: Lucia Hudgins, Shelby Spears

7-8 Honors: Andrew Anderson, Brian Crandall, Heidi Perez, Jasmin Mitchell, Valerie Palacios

On November 14, we will have a Thanksgiving fellowship meal. There will be a planned menu and we would like to have everyone's participation. Look for the sign-up sheet in the church foyer. We are asking for you to bring a prepared dish or make a monetary contribution. Also, designate the number of family members.

Women’s Ministries Retreat at NOSOCA Pine Ranch: Carolina Conference celebrated Women’s Ministries Retreat's 20th Anniversary. We had a wonderful time celebrating and taking part in this retreat. We received a wonderful spiritual blessing; had good food and joyful time celebrating with one another. The Spartanburg SDA Church had the largest number of women attending the retreat this year. Hats off to our ladies. We hope that many of you who haven*t had the opportunity to go to the retreat will plan to join us next year.

Women’s Bible Study: Each Sabbath morning (9:30-10:30) in Colburn Hall. (Round-table discussion of Chapter Luke)   Facilitators: Leah Henry and Barbara LaFave.

Prayer Breakfast: November 21, beginning at 8:15 through 9:15. Come join us for breakfast and a morning of devotion with our Prayer Ministries Coordinator, Beverly Mortimer. Please sign-up in the foyer, if you plan to attend.

Cooking Class: Would you like to learn how to make gluten? If your answer is yes, then come and join on November 15. Marcia Trott will demonstrate how to make glutton. Time: 5:30 pm

Thanks: Many thanks to each and every one of you who participated in our Special Fellowship Meal on October 17. You were a blessing and you provided abundantly. Speaking of blessing, the Women's Ministries department is truly blessed in the many ways you contribute to the department. Thank you for your donations, the items you contribute for our “Gift of Love” gift bags and your precious time helping

Homebound, Elderly and Sick Members - Please keep the number below handy. These ladies are willing to help out in your time of need in the following areas:

Sheri Blake (316-9719), Lily Ackerman (266-8438), Phil Braithwaite (949-5210), Avadene Stutler (574-8800)

A one day Vegetarian Seminar will be held on Sunday, November 8, from 1:00 - 5:00 pm at the Eddlemon school gymnasium.

Margaret Grant RD,LD will be the presenter. Margaret has been the administrative dietitian a Andrews University, and she was also the manager of the Food and Nutrition Department at Florida Hospital. She now holds the position of Nutrition Co-ordinator for the Denny's Restaurant Chain. Her topic will be The Health Benefits of a Plant-based Diet. There will be several food demonstrations as well as food sampling and informational handouts.

The seminar is for those who are thinking about becoming a vegetarian, are in the process of transitioning from meat to a plant based diet, or just want to learn more about the plant-based lifestyle.

Please call Barbara LaFave at 541-1301 if you plan to attend.

A few months ago the church voted in a spiritual gifts committee whose purpose is to work with individual members to discover and apply their spiritual gifts in ministry. This committee met a few weeks ago to begin the work.

Like with the world-wide church, the Spiritual Gifts Committee believes in the priesthood of all believers where every Christian is a priest or minister and thus has a ministry to perform. This committee also believes that to fulfill the great commission (Matt 28:19, 20) the church is to utilize the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Matching our gifts to ministry will inspire a sense of belonging and purpose when individually we find our place in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit has provided every necessary gift for the accomplishment of the mission.

Through a process that will be announced in the coming weeks, the spiritual gifts committee hopes to work with each member to understand who God has uniquely made them to be and encourage and motivate them to find a place of meaningful service that is consistent with their spiritual gifts and passion. Members of this committee are: Reuben Dedmondt, Kevin Watson, Tracy and John Watson, Calvin Odhiambo, Kim Keggler, David Trott (ex-officio), Pastor Ryan Hodgins (ex-officio), Pastor Jerry LaFave (ex-officio).