Pastor Kurt Thomas, Senior Pastor
What a tremendous Sabbath of worship we experienced at Apple Creek Seventh-Day Adventist Church for Music Day!
Under the theme “An Entire Day of Praise,” our sanctuary was filled with music, ministry, fellowship, and the proclamation of the Word. Fittingly, the message that crowned this special worship experience was:
“This Ain’t the Finished Song.”
We were especially blessed to welcome home Dr. Jason Bulgin, a son of Apple Creek, who shared the Word of God in a creative and deeply meaningful way.
Using the language and principles of music, Dr. Bulgin reminded us that life, like a musical composition, contains different movements. There are high notes and low notes, moments of harmony and seasons of dissonance. There are rests we did not expect, changes in tempo we did not choose, and passages we may not immediately understand.
But through it all, God remains the Great Composer, and He is still writing our song.
Rejection is not the finished song.
Failure is not the finished song.
Disappointment is not the finished song.
The painful pitfalls along our journey do not have the authority to determine how the composition ends.
Sometimes we make the mistake of judging the entire song by the difficult measure we are presently experiencing. But a rest is still part of the music. A difficult passage does not mean the Composer has abandoned the score.
God sees the finished composition while we can see only the measure we are presently living.
What an encouraging word for anyone passing through a difficult season: do not mistake where you are for where God intends to finish.
A Son of Apple Creek Comes Home
There was something particularly meaningful about receiving this message from a son of Apple Creek.
Dr. Bulgin’s return reminded us that the seeds planted in our children and young people today may produce fruit that we will not see for years. Someone once nurtured within the life and ministry of this congregation returned home and poured back into the church that helped shape his journey.
May we therefore never underestimate what God is composing in the lives of the children and young people sitting among us today.
An Entire Day of Praise
The richness of Music Day was also seen in the wonderful variety of ministries that shared their gifts with us.
We extend heartfelt appreciation to Odayne Rhoden, Sharol Stone, Intercession, Trin3ty, Witness, Dale Brown, Rozenyah, Jenine Burt, Rayon Dove, the Next Gen Community Choir, the Ontario Adventist Philharmonic Orchestra, The Waltons, and The Plummer Boys.
Each ministry brought its own expression of praise, yet together they created a beautiful testimony to the diversity of gifts God has placed within His church.
Whether through voice, harmony, choir, ensemble, or instrument, we were reminded that sacred music has the ability to encourage the discouraged, strengthen faith, communicate truth, and lift our hearts toward Jesus.
To each participating ministry: thank you for sharing your gifts with the Apple Creek family and for helping to make this truly an entire day of praise.
Thank You, Sister Zoe
I want to place on record my heartfelt pastoral appreciation to Sister Zoe Rhoden and the Music Ministry leadership for the tremendous vision, coordination, sacrifice, and work invested in bringing this special day together.
What the congregation experienced on Sabbath was the visible result of many unseen hours of preparation, planning, rehearsals, communication, scheduling, adjustments, prayer, and attention to countless details.
Sister Zoe, thank you for your leadership and for continuing to use your gifts in service to God and His church.
I also extend sincere appreciation to all the departments and ministries of Apple Creek that worked collaboratively to support Music Day. From those who served publicly to those whose work took place quietly behind the scenes, your cooperation demonstrated an important truth: ministry is strongest when the body of Christ works together.
To every leader and volunteer who contributed in any way, thank you. This was not simply the accomplishment of one ministry; it was a beautiful collaborative effort for the glory of God.
The Great Composer Is Still Writing
Perhaps this is the message we should carry with us long after the final note of Music Day has faded.
Someone may presently be experiencing rejection.
Someone may be struggling with disappointment.
Someone may be wondering whether a mistake has ruined the rest of the story.
Someone may be living through a chapter they would never have chosen.
Remember the message:
This Ain’t the Finished Song.
Do not put a period where the Great Composer has written a rest.
Do not judge the entire composition by one difficult measure.
And do not walk away simply because you cannot yet hear how the next movement will sound.
Trust the Composer. He is still writing.
To Dr. Jason Bulgin, thank you for coming home and allowing God to use you to minister to the Apple Creek family.
To Sister Zoe and the Music Ministry leadership, thank you for your vision and dedicated service.
To every guest ministry, every Apple Creek department, and every person who contributed, thank you for making this a memorable day of worship.
And above all, to the One who gives us the song, sustains us through every movement, and already knows how the final measure will sound
To God be all the glory!
“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6