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Unity in the Body of Christ – Pastor Alex Harter


Full Service


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Spring Meadows Seventh-Day Adventist Church Briefing Document – July 19, 2025

I. Introduction

This briefing document summarizes the key themes, announcements, and spiritual messages from the Spring Meadows Seventh-Day Adventist Church service on July 19, 2025, as well as supplementary information from the church bulletin for the same date. The central theme of the service was “Unity in the Body of Christ,” delivered by Pastor Alex Harter.

II. Key Announcements & Events

The service began with a series of important announcements for the coming week and month, including:

  • Memorial Services:Gladys Nigel: This afternoon, July 19, at 5:00 PM in the Bogus Chapel. The community is encouraged to support Fred, Christina, and their family.
  • Deacon Horace Eubanks: Passed away yesterday; his service will be held on Friday, July 25, at 11:00 AM at the church. Prayers are requested for Durrett and the family.
  • Youth & Young Adult Gatherings:EMU Gathering: Wednesday, July 23, at Pastor Alex’s house. RSVP with Pastor Alex.
  • Young Adults Beach Day: Tomorrow, July 20, at 10:00 AM at Cocoa Beach. Attendees are encouraged to bring beach towels, sunblock, and frisbees. (Instagram: @SMCYoungAdults)
  • High School Lake Day: Sunday, July 27. Contact Pastor Oso for more information.
  • Dwell (Young Adult Vespers): Friday, August 1, at 8:00 PM in the Boggess Chapel.
  • Family Sunday Beach Day: Sunday, August 3, at Ormond Beach Park. Contact Pastor Alex Harter for details.
  • YA Home Gatherings: Saturday, August 9, at 1:00 PM at a church member’s home for lunch. RSVP via text to 909-654-0331.
  • Community Outreach & Fellowship:Food Pantry Outreach: Collecting specific items for July: plastic/paper grocery bags, canned vegetables, rice, and bottled juice. Donations can be placed in the designated bin in the Narthex.
  • Church Potluck: Monthly potluck on Sabbath, August 2, at 12:30 PM. Attendees are asked to bring a picnic dish to share.
  • JOY (Just Older Youth 55+) Event: River Boat Tour and potluck picnic on Sunday, August 10, at 10:00 AM (arrival 9:30 AM). More information in the newsletter.
  • Camp Kulaqua Church Retreat 2025: Friday, November 7, through Sunday, November 9. Registration forms are available online at springmeadows.org and at the welcome desk.
  • Church Operations:Church Office Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
  • Contact Information Updates: Families are asked to email the office with changes to address, phone number, or email (office@springmeadows.org).
  • Baptism and Baby Dedication Requests: QR code available for requests.
  • Financial Update (as of July 1-18, 2025):Year to Date Budget Needed: $83,025
  • Year to Date Budget Received: $45,184.92
  • Year to Date Over/Short: -$37,840 (for the current period)
  • Overall Fiscal Year Over/Short (ends June): -$118,204
  • The Finance Committee is working on a new budget. Members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the budget and how offerings are used, particularly noting the high percentage of the budget dedicated to fixed costs. A long-term goal is to “burn the mortgage” to free up funds for community outreach.
  • New Members: Carmen Giurgescu and Mihai Giurgescu are transferring from Forest Lake SDA Church.

III. Sermon and Spiritual Themes: “Unity in the Body of Christ” by Pastor Alex Harter

Pastor Alex Harter’s sermon focused on the concept of unity within the Christian church, drawing parallels between natural strength and spiritual togetherness.

A. Strength in Unity (Children’s Story)

  • Biblical Foundation: Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “The one may be overpowered, 2 can defend themselves. A cord with three strands is not easily broken.”
  • Nature Analogy: The Loblolly Pine tree.
  • Can grow up to 120 feet tall.
  • Named for growing in “boggy or muddy” ground (common in Florida).
  • Can grow 2 feet in a year.
  • A “moon pine”: a Loblolly pine was sent to space on Apollo 14 and replanted.
  • Its pine needles grow in bundles of three, held together at the base.
  • Lesson: Just as individual pine needles are weak but a bundle of three is strong against elements like hurricanes, so too are individuals stronger together. “Being together makes us stronger in nature.”
  • Application: “Together our family can be stronger. Together our church can be stronger, and together with Jesus we are undefeatable.”

B. The Church as the Body of Christ

Pastor Harter addressed the common question of how unity is possible in a diverse church, especially given the various “human systems” it can resemble (business, army, hospital, family). She asserted that the church is “all of them” and yet distinct, emphasizing that conflict arises from these conflicting systems.

  • Core Question: “How can God really expect unity in such conflicting systems?”
  • The Answer: The Body of Christ.The church is “the apple of God’s eye,” the “bride” that Jesus longs to reconcile and live with forever.
  • “God doesn’t want heaven without you, and you are the body of Christ.”
  • “Anyone anywhere can belong to the bride of Christ.”

C. Five Identifiers for Unity in the Body of Christ (The “Five B’s”)

Pastor Harter outlined five crucial aspects of unity, challenging past theological pendulum swings between behavior and grace.

  1. Believe (John 17:20-23):
  • Main Idea: Our faith in Christ Jesus is what unites us to Him and to each other.
  • Quote: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in me and I in You, That they also may be one in us. That the world may believe that You sent me…” (John 17:20-21).
  • Crucial Point: “I can belong because I believe. Behaving is not what helps me belong to Jesus.”
  • Analogy: Pulling up a Chair: The story of her daughter Gisela at Sabbath school highlights the importance of making space and showing welcome to others. “I wonder how often people would come to believe in Jesus if we would just pull up a chair.”
  1. Belong (Ephesians 4:3-6 & Romans 6:3-5):
  • Main Idea: Believing in Jesus leads to belonging to His family, the church.
  • Paul’s Teaching: The New Testament church was “intensely relational.”
  • Analogy: “A Christian without a church would be sort of like a soldier without an army or like a football player with a without a team…”
  • Baptism as a Step of Belonging (Ephesians 4:3-6): “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.”
  • Baptism as a Symbol of Union (Romans 6:3-5): “For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection.”
  • Clarification on Baptism: Pastor Harter explicitly stated that “baptism proclaims salvation,” it “doesn’t produce salvation.” Salvation comes “by grace through faith.” You “must come to God just as you are.”
  1. Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31):
  • Main Idea: When we are baptized, we become part of the diverse body of Christ, where many different parts make up one whole.
  • Quote: “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body, 1 Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27)
  • The “Best Way of Life”: Love. The sermon highlights that the transition to 1 Corinthians 13 (the “love chapter”) is key: “Now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.” This “way of life” is love.
  • Love as the Indicator of Belonging: “Love forgives, love supports, love pulls up a chair… That’s the one indicator that we belong… It is love.”
  • Illustrative Story: The pastor shared a personal story of her mother’s persistent, loving presence at her dying uncle’s bedside, contrasting it with the grandmother’s focus on doctrine. The uncle’s final, difficult words were “I love you.” This demonstrated that “Love pulls up a chair and listens… Love is the best of all.”
  • “The Body is a Blending”: Jesus brings together “people from all walks of life… to one place where they open His word and learn of him.”
  1. Beneficiaries (Galatians 3:26-28):
  • Main Idea: As children of God through faith in Christ and baptism, we become beneficiaries of Christ’s love and sacrifice.
  • Quote: “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, and all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There’s no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
  • No Distinction: “The ground is level at the cross, therefore we are one.”

IV. Special Moments and People Highlighted

  • Praise Team (Led by Milton Torres-Hage): Recognized for “amazing music” and being “a blessing.”
  • Jasmine and Sophia: Thanked for assisting with announcements last minute.
  • Elder Jack Leach: Thanked for leading the “Prayer for the People” and “Invitation to Give.” He was praised for his deep understanding of finances tied to his heart for Jesus.
  • Rivera Family (Jose, Eliza, and baby Arias Daniel): Celebrated for their baby dedication.
  • Arias Daniel is 5 months old. His name “Arias” means “lion” (symbol of courage and strength), and “Daniel” honors his grandfather and the biblical prophet (faith, wisdom, fidelity).
  • His birth was an answer to prayer for a third child, following Jose and Eliza’s baptism a year prior (February 19, 2024). Arias is seen as “a sign of God’s blessing and his favor.”
  • The congregation committed to pray for and support the Rivera family.
  • The family received a blanket from the church’s quilting ministry as a token of love and support.
  • Sydney White: Recognized for her service as a summer intern and dedication to ministry.
  • She is going to Palau as a student missionary in one week.
  • She is studying theology and has “accepted the call to ministry.”
  • A special prayer of commissioning was offered for her by Pastor Shane and other church leaders, laying hands on her.
  • Sydney, with her sisters Reagan and Mackenzie, performed a special song, described as “beautiful” and “so fitting.”
  • Tech Team (Val Prusia, Eric Prusia, and others): Received applause for their vital behind-the-scenes work in sound, live stream, and cameras, enabling the service to run smoothly and exemplifying “the body of Christ in action.”
  • Pastoral Staff: Pastors Shane Davis and Jonathan Osorio were present and actively participated, with Pastor Alex acknowledging Pastor Brian Cassell’s absence.

V. Call to Action/Concluding Thoughts

The service concluded with a strong emphasis on practical unity through love and active participation in the church body.

  • Final Hymn: The congregation sang “Blessed Be The Tie That Binds,” emphasizing shared joys, sorrows, and prayers that unite believers.
  • Pastoral Blessing: A prayer asking God to help the congregation “share that salvation,” “share that love,” and “pull up a chair so that others can belong to your body.”
  • Reminder: Elders were available for prayer after the service.

The entire service underscored the Spring Meadows Seventh-Day Adventist Church’s vision of “Bringing Jesus to our communities” through a unified, loving, and supportive body of Christ.

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