I heard a joke the other day about two ladies (from Maine) who were discussing the seasons. One lady asked, “When was summer this year? The other lady, somewhat puzzled that she didn’t recall this fact, said, “It was on Tuesday, and last year it was on Friday.” For the last two days, I have been in Maine, enjoying the fellowship of about 25 pastors on the AC campground known as Mechanic Falls. Last night, I sure was thankful for a number of comforters, which kept me nice and cozy while I slept. I likened the room where I stayed to the frozen tundra. Nevertheless, I slept in great comfort and warmth.

Sometimes, life is a lot like my sleeping quarters. Things on the outside are out of my control. It might be something I see coming, and, in many cases, it’s quite unpredictable.

The Advent Christian Mission in the Philippines is in a time of transition. Jeff and Penny Vann have “worked themselves out of a job” at Oro Bible College and are now back in the States waiting for deployment to another part of the world. They worked at OBC for 13 years, and among their students are three young men who have graduated and gone on to grad school. They have received their master’s degrees in theology and are now back at OBC as professors. All of this means “a job well done” to Jeff and Penny. In addition, they worked with the Philippine conference, and Jeff was also Field Leader of the Mission. That job as Field Leader has now been taken over by Jeff Walsh.

 ADVENT CHRISTIAN VILLAGE ANNUAL MEETING
The annual delegate meeting of the Advent Christian Village, Inc., will be held Friday, November 20, 2009, at 1:00 p.m., in the Bixler Memorial Chapel, Dowling Park, Florida. Each conference that is a member of the Advent Christian General Conference is a member of the corporation and entitled to one delegate for each 100 members or major fractional part.

Remodeling of the denominational offices in Charlotte, N.C., continues with the texturing of the upstairs hallway, the painting of the office doors and trim. Over the last two and a half years, we have renovated the conference room, replaced all 43 windows, refurbished the Venture Bookstore, and painted all the offices on the second floor. We are thankful for the special gifts that have enabled us to make our building a more functional and attractive place for ministry. We plan to install new carpet in the upstairs hallway and finish the repairs on the basement floor before the 2011 convention.