"The Matchless Charms of Christ" is the theme of a unique week of devotion series taking place at the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church but intended for viewing at colleges and churches across the division. Scheduled for January 12-19, 2008, the series features not one speaker, but individual presentations by all 13 of the senior pastors of the Adventist college and university churches in the North American Division.
To allow as many as possible to enjoy this special event, the Loma Linda Broadcasting Network (LLBN) and the Loma Linda University Church media services department will partner to broadcast the event to LLBN's international satellite television audience.
Meetings will take place in the LLU church sanctuary, one in the morning and one in the evening. Each pastor will be featured at one of the programs. LLBN will broadcast each service live, and offer a repeat of each service the following day, to allow for more convenient viewing in various time zones.
The idea for this special week of prayer and revival grew out of an annual retreat that the senior pastors hold each year.
"It's gone on long enough! If we expect the tourist traffic to increase and more visitors to return to Lake Evangelism, we must highlight the matchless charms of Jesus," says Hyveth Williams, senior pastor at the Loma Linda Campus Hill church. "His encounter with the woman at the well shows us that his method of soul-winning was both tough and tender."
"What an irony that it would be refreshing just to spend a week thinking about Jesus," says Tim Mitchell, senior pastor of the Pacific Union College church. "We often have an ulterior motive for talking about Jesus, as if he's the key to persuading people to do what we ourselves want them to do for our institution, church, or project. I'm interested to see what Christ will surprise people with—'more than we can ask or even imagine,'—if we release Him from our controlling clutches to work through His Spirit."
"To hear and participate in a week of devotion featuring some of the best preachers in the church will be a real blessing for those living in the area of Loma Linda," says Fred Kinsey, the North American Division assistant to the president for communication. "I am grateful that the pastoral team of the Loma Linda University church had this vision and made it a reality. But I am most excited about their willingness to make the series available on LLBN so that individuals across the North American Division can also benefit by what will be presented."
The programs will also feature outstanding music presentations. Featured artists include Adventist favorites such as Wintley Phipps and the King's Heralds. Other programs will spotlight outstanding Christian artists such as Steve Green, Michelle Tumes and Chiz Rider, and the groups Selah and Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. Each musical guest will perform at both the morning and evening services of a single day. Sabbath services will feature the wide range of talents in the Loma Linda University church music department.
Churches with satellite broadcasting capabilities are invited to host viewing events during the "Matchless Charms of Christ" series. Programs will be broadcast live on LLBN at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, with repeats of each day's broadcasts taking place the following day at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. For a complete schedule of the week, including each pastor's appearance and the musical features for the day, go to the Loma Linda University church website at www.lluc.org. Check back on the website throughout the week for audio podcasts of the programs and photos taken during each service.
