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| Moving Southwest '4' Ward eNewsletter |
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| March 11, 2025 |
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| Message From Our President |
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Dear Southwest Region Conference Family:
We have reached that time of the year where the sun is shining, the grass is growing, the flowers are blooming, the days are longer, Spring Break is coming (or is here for some), and with the warmer weather temperatures, it means many things, but two in particular for our conference: 1) It’s public evangelism time, and 2) Camp Meeting time is fast approaching!
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Across our conference territory, churches and schools are either currently in evangelistic revivals in harmony with the North American Division’s “Pentecost 2025” initiative, or they’re getting ready to begin! We ask that you pray mightily that God would do something miraculous throughout our five-state territory, and that men, women, boys, and girls would accept this wonderful Advent message and Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!
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Our annual Conference Evangelistic Meeting will be held in Dallas, TX beginning March 22, and continuing through April 5th. The Evangelist will be yours truly, Dr. Carlton P. Byrd; our special opening night musical guests will be gospel recording artists, Stephen Manders and Decree; and the venue will be “The Dallas Project,” 7710 S. Westmoreland Road, Dallas, TX 75237. Revival services will be held nightly at 7 PM except on Monday and Thursday evenings. For more information, please visit goodnewsrevival.org, southwestregionsda.org or thedallasproject.org.
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Our Southwest Region Conference Education Department had its “Learning Expo” from March 5 through March 9 at Lone Star Camp in Athens, TX. Students from six of our eight schools (Bethel – Texarkana, TX; Emmanuel – Hammond, LA; Excel Christian Academy – Houston, TX; Martin Luther King Christian Academy – Baton Rouge, LA; Shiloh Excel Christian School – Little Rock, AR; and Southwest Adventist Junior Academy – Dallas, TX) were in attendance and participated.
Our “Learning Expo” consisted of Outdoor School, a Science Fair, Spelling Bee, Carnival, and Robotics Tournament where nine teams from across the Southwestern Union Conference participated!
Also, for Sabbath worship, yours truly, Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, shared the morning message, coupled with a special musical presentation given by our 100-voice Southwest Region Conference School Mass Choir! For Sabbath Vespers, students testified on “Why They Believe in God” and “The Blessings of God on Their Lives.”
Congratulations to our Conference Education Superintendent, Ms. Lawanna McCoy, our Education Team, Office Staff, Principals, Teachers, and most importantly, Students, for a job well done!
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We’re a little over three months away from our 2025 Camp Meeting season! This year’s Camp Meetings (English and Spanish) promise to be Spirit-filled! Our theme this year is, “Let It Rain!” We want the power of God’s Spirit to rain down on us as we engage in Pentecost 2025 evangelism initiatives! Camp Meeting for our Spanish members will take place May 23-26, and Camp Meeting for our English members will take place June 11-14. Both Camp Meetings will take place at Lone Star Camp in Athens, TX.
For our English Camp Meeting, our special guest speakers will include Dr. Abraham Jules, Atlantic Union Conference President; Pastor Claudia Allen, Associate Pastor – DuPont Park SDA Church in Washington, DC; and Pastor Taurus Montgomery, Pastor, Motivational Speaker, and Author; Our special musical guests for English Camp Meeting will be gospel recording artists, Fred Hammond, LeAndria Johnson, Stephen Manders & Decree, Gale Jones Murphy, Myron Butler, and the Southwest Region Conference Mass Choir!
At English Camp Meeting on Friday, June 10th, the Texas Health (Advent Health)/Huguley Hospital Mobile Medical Unit will be onsite at Lone Star Camp. From 2-6 PM, the medical mobile unit will offer free ministry services to those in attendance. All present are invited to benefit from these free services including flu shots, immunizations (adult and children), adult hepatitis A&B vaccines, adult TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria, pertusis/whooping cough) vaccine, and biometric screening (BMI, total cholesterol, and blood glucose).
Kindly note that Camp Meeting Housing Reservations (for both Camp Meetings) can be made beginning Monday, March 17, at 8 AM. Reservations will be given on a first come, first served basis and can be made via our website at southwestregionsda.org. For more information, please give us a call at the conference office at 214.943.4491. Please note that the new (additional) housing lodge will be completed by Camp Meeting and will be available for reservations. Additionally, the new Health Food Store and Cafeteria restrooms will also be completed!
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We’re excited about our 2025 Summer Camp which will take place June 15-22 at Lone Star Camp! Our Camp Director this year is Pastor Jason North, and our Associate Camp Director is Mr. Bob Allen. This year’s summer camp experience promises to be the best ever! The theme is, “Fun, Friends, and Faith!” There will be indoor and outdoor activities, horses, aquatics, splash pad, rock climbing wall, and much more! There will be three tracts for campers: 1) Cubs – ages 7 to 9; 2) Tweens – ages 10 to 12; and 3) Teens – ages 13 to 15. The “early bird” registration is $249.00 (through March 31) per camper, the regular registration is $299.00 (April 1 through June 1) per camper, and the late registration is $349 (after June 1) per camper. Limited space is available. Please register now!
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In association with Southwest Adventist Junior Academy (SWAJA), free tickets are available to Southwest Region Conference members and friends for “Basketball Night” this Saturday night, March 15, at 7:30 PM at the Texas Legends and Salt Lake City Stars “G” League Basketball Game! The location is the Comerica Center, 2601 Avenue of the Stars, Frisco, TX 75034. The Texas Legends are the “G” League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks and the Salt Lake City Stars are the “G” League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. To secure your free tickets, which must be secured prior to Saturday night, please email info@thedallasproject.org, or call 214.943.4491. If you’re in the Dallas area, come join us for a night of free fun and fellowship!
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In addition to returning a faithful and honest tithe and local church offering, please support our “Moving Southwest ‘4’ Forward” (Evangelism, Adventist Education, Media Ministry, and Youth/Young Adult Ministry) initiative. Large or small, all gifts are needed and appreciated as we seek to tall a dying world that Jesus saves!
You may remit your charitable gift for “Moving Southwest ‘4’ Ward” in one of the following ways:
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Thank you very much for your continued prayers and support.
May God continue to bless you is my prayer.
Sincerely,
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Dr. Carlton P. Byrd
President
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We’ve had several pastoral transitions in our conference since our last eNewsletter. We welcome and congratulate the following new Pastors to the Southwest Region Conference, along with acknowledging and congratulating several current Pastors relative to their new assignments.
Our thoughts and prayers are with these Pastoral families as they transition.
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| Ministry Life Around the Southwest Region Conference |
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“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open you” (Matthew 7:7)
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Tithe funds are used to expand the global gospel ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, primarily in the territory of the Southwest Region Conference. We thank you for your honesty and faithfulness to the ministry of the Southwest Region Conference through the returning of tithe. Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of God’s people! Remember, “salvation is free, but ministry takes money!” Let’s “Move Southwest 4 Ward” in ministry!
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