| November 15, 2018 ◊ Issue 1 |
| | "Not Mine, But Yours"
The Columbia Union ASI inspired members to let God use their businesses, career paths and every aspect of their lives to spread the gospel at their fall convention on Nov. 1 to 3. The event, themed "Launch Columbia 2018—Not Mine, But Yours," encouraged attendees to be ready to embark on unconventional journeys as God uses the unusual to finish the work of the gospel.
"With spirit-filled sessions on topics such as success God’s way and God’s crazy call on our lives, and an engaging panel discussion on multi-generational ministry engagement, it was transformative event," said Mark A. Brown, CUASI president.
Presenters shared their successes and failures, allowing attendees to be transparent with each other. “What was most rewarding was to see the conversations inbetween that the sessions created,” Brown said. He saw people sharing testimonies, praying and encouraging each other. The convention ended with an agape feast and a prayer of consecration over the businesses and ministries. The newly elected CUASI leadership hopes that this event and other activities planned will allow the organization to reach three goals: - Lead attendees to grow in their understanding of God’s call on their life and in their desire to serve Him with their best
- Connect with fellow Columbia Union constituents and be strengthened as they unite in Him
- Worship God with their whole heart, moving them to join us in confessing to Him that all we are and all we have is “not mine, but Yours.”
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| | | — Photos provided by Calvin Runji, SceneAlive.com |
| | A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Columbia Union ASI Newsletter. It is our privilege to connect with you and initiate this ongoing conversation within the CUASI family. With all that is happening in the world around us—political and economic uncertainty, natural disasters, terrorism at home and abroad, morality being questioned and tested at all ages and social levels—it is of utmost importance that we unite and position ourselves to be used by God to do His will as we live our day-to-day lives.
At the CUASI fall convention, we presented our three-tiered CUASI Engagement Model, which includes: - training (biblical entrepreneurship, financial and steward, and evangelism and spiritual development),
- collaboration (conventions, area meetups, and informational breakfasts)
- action (member-led ministries, ASI growth, and multi-generational engagement).
Through this newsletter our hope is to inform our readers of and encourage participation in the many initiatives and activities that we hope will empower us all to fulfill our individual and collective calling. So, please enjoy its feature articles and take note of the calendar of events. And spread the word by forwarding this to others and inviting them to join us as we keep this conversation going.
God bless and I look forward to meeting you at an upcoming CUASI event. Your fellow servant, Mark A. Brown, CUASI president |
| | | | GOD'S PROMISE Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. — Mark 11:23, New International Version |
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| | CUASI PRAYER REQUESTS This month we are praying for: |
| Farm Stew
Founder/President Joy Kauffman wants her organization to be an official non-government organization in South Sudan. As they complete the registration process, please pray that their bid is successful.
Reginald Alexanderis waiting for a heart transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Please keep Reggie, his wife and three children in prayer.
Praying for Power Ministryis planning a youth-centered prayer and praise event. Please pray for the organizers and the planning process.
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| JOIN THE PRAYER LINE
Call 570-354-0272 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. to pray with Sharon Pruitt, CUASI vice president for spiritual development, and other CUASI members. |
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| | | December 11 — Free biblical entrepreneurship webinar: "The Purpose of Wealth." More details to come.
January 17 — CUASI Adventist Business Professionals Networking Event, 5 to 8 p.m., Silver Spring Civic Building at Veteran's Plaza, 8525 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD, 20910.
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| January 24 — Free biblical entrepreneurship webinar: "7 Hindrances of Growth." More details to come.
April 4–6 — CUASI Spring Convention, North American Division headquarters. More details to come.
April 7 — Youth Prayer & Praise Summit in Pine Forge, PA. More details to come.
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| SHOP LIKE A PRO Let’s just confess that shopping is something we love to do! Whether you are into gadgets, cars, homes, clothes or shoes, everybody has got a weakness for something. We all need help in this area. So what can we do to spend less while shopping?
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| Stop Store Wandering: You go to the store to purchase one item, but find yourself in several other departments “just looking or window shopping.” The result is, you are going to overspend or spend money on something not within your budget. Know what you want before leaving to shop and stick with the plan.
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| | Check Your Attitude: If you are having a terrible day and “feeling blue,” that’s not the best day to go shopping. Your financial mental and emotional state will be questionable at best. Don’t use shopping as therapy or medication. |
| Examine the Price: It’s not on sale or discounted just because the price is lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The manufacturer’s suggested price does not matter if everyone is selling the item for the same price. The question is, can you get the item at a sale/discounted lower price elsewhere or at another time?
—Ruthven Phillip, CUASI vice president for finance © Give2Getrich, LLC 2018 (Republished with permission.) |
| Our mission is to obey the Holy Spirit’s call to encourage, empower and equip Adventist members of Columbia Union to work together to finish God’s work in these times in harmony with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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| CUASI Board: Mark A. Brown, president; Andrew Baker, vice president for membership; Ruthven Phillip, vice president for finance; Eddie Gonzalez and Margaret Anderson, co-vice presidents for communication; Sharon Pruitt, vice president for spiritual development, and Subodh Pandit, vice president for evangelism Sponsor: Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president, Columbia Union Conference Newsletter Managing Editor: Michele Joseph |
| Click here to to the CUASI newsletter. |
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| Email us! We want to hear from you. |
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