The Emerald City Community Church in Seattle, Wash., was blessed to end the third quarter of 2016 with a visit from the Grace Tour on Sabbath, Sept. 24. Formed by young Adventists with unique, redeeming life experiences, the tour brings a thrilling message on the power of God's grace to cities throughout the United States and to foreign countries.
The morning service opened with personal testimonies by church members and a song service featuring Jill Monet before a sermon on perspective by tour leader Jeremy Anderson. Reflecting on Peter's experience walking on water in Matt. 14:28–31, Anderson emphasized we are safe if we avoid distractions and stay focused on Jesus. This allows us to strengthen our faith, which is the opposite of fear. Once Peter surrendered to God his human need to control events, he was set to become a true follower of Christ. After Pentecost, weak disciples were able to perform miracles as the Holy Spirit enabled them to put things in the proper perspective. When we come to church expecting to serve, our perspective changes. As the world becomes worse, we can become stronger.
Following lunch, a five-person panel of tour members provided answers to questions from the congregation such as how to become more active in church, how to deal with haters, how to combat fear and doubt, how to stay connected to God throughout the day, how to make church more interesting to young people, how to worship when we are overcome with the world's tragedies, and how the church should respond to social issues involving racial tension. Monet, Anderson and Kelly Lin then provided powerful personal testimonies to reveal how God's grace transformed their lives.
Information on Next Level Living, the nonprofit organization formed by the tour, can be found at www.jeremyanderson.org.
While in Seattle, visiting members of NAPS (National Association for the Prevention of Starvation) attend the afternoon Grace Tour program.
Jill Monet leads the Emerald City Praise Team: (from left) Audrie Crawley, Nicole Lyons, A.J. Woodson, Michelle Martin and Madia Logan.
Jill Monet leads in worship, preparing for the sermon.
(From left) Chasati Chambers, Jeremy Anderson, Kelly Lin, Javan Cornelius and Jill Monet form the Grace Tour panel to share and discuss questions posed by the audience.
Jeremy Anderson, organizer of Next Level Living and the Grace Tour, gives the sermon for divine worship hour.
Seattle-area local Kelly Lin shares her testimony.
