Baton Rouge Visits Messiah’s Mansion in Jefferson

JEFFERSON, TEX. – Messiah’s Mansion, a full-scale model of the Israelite sanctuary in the wilderness, was put on display in Jefferson, Tex., during the first weeks of November 2022. Oklahoma Academy tours with this replica model and Jefferson Academy Seventh-day Adventist Church was joined with several other area Adventist churches to host the event. The Baton Rouge Seventh-day Adventist Church has a special relationship with Jefferson Christian Academy (JCA), so they made contact and arranged to plan a church road trip! This was a chance to view and to learn about the full-scale model of the sanctuary, as well as the Israelite experience in the wilderness. We got an up-close understanding of the Gospel in symbols. 

Our church family was eager to attend. We had 10 families sign up, which included all of our Jones Creek Adventist Academy (JCAA) schoolteachers. Marcos Cruz, the fifth through eighth grade teacher at JCAA, asked if it would be okay for him to invite the kids in his class—well, yes! It was the first weekend of November which is our church potluck, so we left immediately after the fellowship meal with a carpool and caravan of eight vehicles for the four-and-a-half hour ride. We were welcomed at JCA later that evening with the friendliest faces and the most wonderful meal. We occupied 12 rooms on campus which included one large room for our boys and one large room for our girls. On Sunday morning, we were fed a delicious breakfast before an extensive tour of the campus, then we were sent on our way with delicious loaves of homemade bread and fond memories of Christian fellowship.

Since we were a large group, Messiah’s Mansion set up a special morning tour for us. It was important for us as adults, and even more important for our children, to learn about the plan of salvation. The tour is broken into five sections: Overview, Courtyard, Holy Place, Most Holy Place and the High Priest, and it was a powerful evangelistic tool. Over 2,000 people took the tour during the time it was displayed in Jefferson, Tex. Many other denominations brought tour buses full of guests to tour and learn about the sanctuary. We thank God for allowing us this opportunity and for the privilege of safe traveling mercies for everyone. “Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?” Psalm 77:13. 

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By Tracy Francis