July 2010 The Latest Word

Most of us know the value of taking time off from our employment to rest. We feel ready to start again with renewed energy and vigor upon returning from a restful period.

Ginny and I are tak-ing a sabbatical from July through September. The concept of sabbatical is grounded on the biblical idea of Sabbath rest. The example of Jesus, who frequently sought out a quiet place where he could meditate and pray, away

from the constant demands of the crowds, is a strong model for a sabbatical. The Bible says, “About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28-29, NIV).

Sabbaticals offer a pas-tor a chance to step away from the long hours of work, to find healing and rest, and then to return refreshed to his church family. The congregation benefits from the pastor’s

sabbatical through the opportunity to hear new voices from the pulpit. In addition, the church fam-ily learns to rally together as a community to care for the flock in the pastor’s absence.

Each month, I plan to update you on our sabbati-cal through the newsletter. When we return in October, we’ll enter into small groups to experience what it means to be Contagious Christians.

continued on page 2

Summer Restby Pastor Mitch

The Bible

“Our Christian experience must agree with the Bible. We will be taught by the Bible and fed by the Bible. But we do not believe in Christ because He is in the Bible: We believe in the Bible because Christ is in us.”—Claxton Monro

INSIDEWhat Kind of Hero Are You? on page 3

Who Is He? My Salvation! part 3 is on page 4

Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5

What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9

Timing is Everything is on page 7

Our Church Family page 10

Kid’s Page on page 11

For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church

Vacation Bible SchoolJoin us on July 19th thru the 23rd from

6pm to 8:30pm for Vacation Bible School. We’ll begin each eve-ning with supper at 6pm. There will be a some great songs, Biblical stories of heroes, crafts, games and more.

This year our theme will be heroes. We’ll be looking at some of

the people in the Bible whose names we don’t know, yet they did some great things.

The children will be learning how they each can be a hero.

Invite some friends who are between the ages of 4 and 14 and join us!

Call the office if you have any questions or need more information. =

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On July 3, Gustavo Ortega is first up with a message called What Came First Love or Forgiveness? A Pharisee invites Jesus to his house for lunch. As news of Jesus’ invitation spreads through the village, a well known sinner decides to attend. Tucked in her robe is a her greatest trea-sure, an alabaster jar of perfume. Through the course of the meal, her interaction with the Lord prompts him to say about her: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47). You don’t have to be perfect to

come to the Lord. Come as you are and let the Lord and he will do the rest.

Elder Vasco Brown is

our speaker on July 10. He is the pastor of the Los Angeles Central City and Pomona churches. Pastor Brown and his wife Vivia reside in Carson. Along with his pastoral duties, Pastor Brown’s artistic abilities find expression through his photographs

and video graphic talents. His message comes from a heart of love for Jesus.

On July 17 we’ve invited Elder James Dok to be our guest speaker. Pastor Dok survived the Khmer Rouge’s anti-intellectual, 1970s, cleansing in Cambodia. His struggle to survive is chronicled in the book entitled,

Salvation in the Killing Fields. His message of God’s love comes from a heart of rich experiences with the Lord. Elder Doc is the associate pastor at Norwalk as well as the pastor of the Cambodian group in Long Beach.

Vacation Bible School is July 19-23rd. The chil-dren will be learning about some unnamed heroes in the Bible. Five differ-ent people in the Bible whose names we don’t even know, did some great things by allowing God to use them in everyday situations. On July 24 Bill Aumack will summarize the stories of these five people and help us all learn how we too can learn to be Ordinary Heroes.

Plastic is very prevalent in our society. Generally plastic makes our lives a little better. But plastic also has the reputation

for being un-real, or fake. Sometimes as Christians we can also be a little fake. This can happen when we start putting our trust in something other than the real thing. Bill Aumack will bring us a message titled Plastic Jesus on July 31. Come and how learn how we inadvertently can start putting our faith in Plastic Jesus instead of the real deal.

See you when the church gathers. =

WE DID IT

The Latest Word V 22 N 07

BILL AUMACKresponsible for this

LINDA AUMACKproof reading

LETTY DURANpaper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMSpastor

address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd.Downey, CA 90240office: 562.869.6013fax: 562.622.1691 [email protected]

distributed monthlyissue date: July 2010 copyright 1992-2010

Five different people in the Bible whose names we don’t even know, did some

great things by allowing God to use them in everyday

situations

“

”

Summer Rest (cont. from page 1)

July 2010

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Webster says “hero” means “a mytho-

logical or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability ... an illustrious warrior ... a man admired for his achieve-ments and noble qualities ... one that shows great courage ... the principal male character in a liter-ary or dramatic work ... the central figure in an event, period, or move-ment” (Merriam-Webster Online).

God says “Don’t let heroes brag

of their exploits. Don’t let the rich brag of their riches. If you brag, brag of this and this only: That you under-stand and know me. I’m God, and I act in loyal love. I do

what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things. These are my trademarks” (Jeremiah 9:23 The Message).

This morn-ing on my way to work, I was thinking about my childhood heroes. The

first one that sprang to mind was Mighty Mouse. Each Saturday morning found me watching him on televi-sion. In the opening song, he sang “Here I come to save the day!” And

save the day he did! He was always facing some sort of villain and, without fail, conquering them all. Silly, but it brings back fun and fond memories.

The other heroes that came to mind were The Beatles! John, Paul, George & Ringo. Why is it

they were always named in that order?! Like any other teenage girl of that era, my record collection, bedroom posters and magazines were all about The Beatles. I could not wait for the lat-est edition of Teen Beat or other fan magazine each month to see what new stories and pictures they contained. And of course I remember watch-ing their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Although they probably did not deserve it, there is no doubt in my mind The Beatles were elevated to hero status in my life at that time. How about you, do you have any heroes?

This year at Vacation Bible School, we are going to

be learning about heroes of a different sort. Heroes of faith. Heroes whose lives and actions really tell us more about God than about the people them-selves. And here’s some-thing that might be strange to some. These heroes were not people wise or powerful in their own eyes. They knew that their power and wisdom came

from God and that He alone was behind all of their success. You know, I cannot think of anything better to teach our chil-dren at VBS or at any other time for that matter. Children need to know that true

heroes are not the people we see in the media. They are not the latest and great-est rock stars; they are not the best-looking actors; nor are they the highest scoring or highest paid sports stars. In fact, true

heroes are rarely portrayed in the media at all. The truth that will change the life of a young person and the truth our kids need to know is that God is the Biggest Hero of Them All! H-E-R-O, GOD IS MY HERO! H-E-R-O,

GOD IS MY HERO! =

July 3 Gustavo Ortega

What Came First Love or Forgiveness?

July 10Vasco Brown

July 17James Dok

July 24Bill AumackOrdinary Heroes

July 31Bill Aumack

Plastic Jesus

Worship Schedule

God, Webster & You

by Linda Bewley What kind of Hero are You?

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Before the Father

by Linda FernandezWho is He? My Salvation! part 3

The plan of salvation in a nutshell er, um, a Shelby. My God is such an awe-some God! In my current life situation I am not able to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel’, but He has been providing small windows of opportu-nity here and there.

Recently, some of my husband’s family mem-bers were in town for a short visit. Having lunch together one day, we were having a typical get-together conversation with topics ranging from aging body ailments to happily awaiting a new arrival to the fam-ily. A male cousin went out to the car for something and upon his return promptly asked what John 3:16 meant and why some-one would put it on the license plate cover of their restored Shelby! (For our lady readers, Wikipedia says a Shelby is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang).

Now this was obvi-ously not the time for an in-depth Bible study, or a lengthy sermon, but I was able to share the Plan of Salvation in just a few brief minutes. This is how I broke it down: “John 3:16 is a verse in the Bible. It outlines God’s desire for us and the pur-

pose of the entire Bible in one verse.”

WHO: For God so loved the world: Because God loves us so much…WHAT: He gave his one and only Son: He was willing to send his only son to die for our sins…WHY: That whoever believes in

him should not perish: On the condition of believ-ing in His son, one does not have to die for their own sins…WHERE: But have eternal life: But can live in heaven with Him…WHEN: for eternity.

His next question was “How is it that a Christian would have a car like that? Shouldn’t they be driving an old ‘beater’?” My response was, “God is always looking to bless people, why not Christians?” It was then that I was able to share the

concept of tithing as we entered into a lively back and forth about how the guy may be being blessed for his giving.

D: “Oh, so he gives so he can get stuff?”

L: (With a chuckle): “No! “There is another verse in the Bible which suggests we cannot out give God.” I think God may have been saying, “Hey, I think this guy is trying to out give me, let’s see how he comes back after this!”

D: “But why would he put that on his license plate cover?”

L: “Some Christians are not the in-your-face type, but still want to share their faith with oth-ers. This is his way of

saying……Believe (not just in anything or in mate-rial things) …John 3:16 (but in what really mat-ters.”)

Father: That Shelby guy planted a seed. Hopefully I was able to water it. May another be a ray of sunshine upon it and yet another reap the harvest. =

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

“How is it that a Christian would have a car like that? Shouldn’t they be driv-ing an old ‘beater’?”

July 2010

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

From Ginny’s Kitchen

½ cup Agave syrup (found in Trader Joes, Fresh & Easy or Whole Foods)

¼ cup white sugar

2 T. white sugar (set aside for later)

3 T. corn-starch

¼ t. salt

¼ t. ground fresh nutmeg

1 T. fresh squeezed orange juice

1 T. grated zest of an orange

2 cups fresh strawberries (washed and cut into sev-eral times)

3 cups fresh rhubarb (washed and chopped in pieces)

1 T. butter

Favorite pastry crust for double pie crust. (I have used Marie Calendars frozen pastry crust found in the frozen section of Albertsons market.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) In a medium size bowl combine the follow-ing: strawberries, rhu-barb, Agave, white sugar, corn-starch, salt, ground nutmeg, OJ, and orange zest. Mix together and microwave 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and set aside.

2) Prepare half of flakey crust into a pie-shell dish. Fill with strawberry rhubarb mixture. Dot with 1 T. butter over top of mixture.

3) Place top crust on top of pie filling, flute pie edges. Cut 3 slits into and across the pie.

4. Sprinkle remaining 2 T. of white sugar over the top. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 60 min-utes.

Note from Ginny! When I was a child grow-ing-up, my grandmother grew rhubarb in her gar-den. I would break off a piece and It was crunchy and sour. In cooking rhu-barb you need to sweeten it to make it palatable.

The trick is how to bring out the sweet-tartness and have a tasty pie. I hope you will enjoy this recipe my family has enjoyed. =

As we celebrate America’s birthday, it’s interesting to note that clergymen wrote both the Pledge of Allegiance and the hymn “My Country ’Tis of Thee.” Rev. Francis Bellamy wrote the pledge in 1892. Rev. Samuel Francis Smith wrote the hymn in 1831. Both men were Baptist ministers.

The pledge was first used in public schools in 1892 during Columbus Day observances. “My Country ’Tis of Thee” was used as a national song before “The Star-Spangled Banner” was named America’s national anthem in 1931.

=

Patriotic Trivia

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

4 6 8 9 10

12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

8:07 pm sunset

8:04 pm sunset

8:00 pm sunset

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship James Dok

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Bill AumackPotluck

Visit www.downeychurch.orgC.S. - Community Service

S.S. - Sabbath School

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10:50 AM Worship Gustavo Ortega

10:50 AM Worship Vasco Brown

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10 AM C.S.

6:30 pm Band Practice

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Downey Adventist Church

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group



8:08 pm sunset



7:55 pm sunset 9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Bill Aumack



Vacation Bible School 6:30 to 8 PM

Office Closed

July 2010

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A few years ago, a friend of mind retired after his retirement plan was fully vested. He and his wife had carefully planned their retirement so they could purchase a comfort-able home in their chosen retirement location. Upon arriving, they rented a home and began to look for the retirement home of their dreams. They had the option of purchasing land and having a builder con-struct their dream home. This plan would require them to do a lot of the work them-selves, such as landscap-ing and painting. Or they could purchase an older home and modernize the areas of the home that needed improve-ment.

One day they noticed in the local paper that a residential builder had gone bankrupt and the local bank was offering a cul-de-sac of homes for sale. More out of curiosity than the possi-bility of actually purchas-ing one of these homes, he decided to attend the auction.

To his surprise there were only four people at the auction; the banker, the auctioneer, one other customer and himself. The banker asked my friend if he was interested. He replied that if the price fell within his price range he would consider buying. When the banker heard my friend’s offer he replied, “That amount would bare-ly cover the cost of materi-als for one these homes, let alone the construction expenditure.”

As my friend turned to leave, the banker called him back and said, “If you can return with a cashier’s check for that amount of money, we will accept your bid and you may have first choice of any of these cul-de-sac homes.”

Because they had spent the last twenty years faith-fully saving their money for their retirement home, when the door of oppor-tunity opened, they were able to purchase a better home than they could ever have imagined.

My friend’s experience demonstrates not only how important it is to save, but how timing can be more significant. The wise man from the Old Testament, King Solomon, said it

well in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every pur-pose under the heaven.” Many times we fail to seize the right oppor-tunity or take advantage of an important moment in time. Not because we do not have

a great plan or lack deter-mination, but because we move too early or too late.

The model of the four seasons yearly rotation may assist us in becoming effective in our timing, whether it is for an indi-

Timing is EverythingStewpot

by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES

continued on page 8

The wise man from the Old Testament, King Solomon, said it well in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every-thing there is a season, a time for every pur-pose under the heaven.”

Ultimately, for each of us, the key to making correct deci-sions, develop-ing purposeful goals and see-ing a project through to a successful con-clusion, is to understand, discern and uti-lize each of the four seasons.

Usually, the best time to:

⇒ go banking midweek, approximately thirty minutes after the doors open.

⇒ purchase shoes in the afternoon because your feet have swelled a little and your shoe will fit better.

⇒ go to the supermarket to buy groceries is between mid-morning and mid-afternoon on Tuesday and Wednesday. Best because the shelves are full, the crowds are minimal, and the departmental managers are available to answer questions.

⇒ acquire major home appliances is in the spring and after Thanksgiving as this is when manufacturers generally clear out their inventories.

⇒ fill a pharmacy prescription mid-month, as drugstores are the busiest at the beginning or the end of the month when seniors receive their Social Security checks.2

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vidual project or a lifetime goal. In addition, the won-derful biblical story of the courageous Jewish orphan girl, Esther, will clearly illustrate the benefits of seasonal timing.

WINTER PLANNING

If you choose to be successful in life or a specific project, winter is the best time to plan and strategize for the spring planting. This is the time when you begin to reflect on your dreams, set your goals, determine your purpose, and make plans to fulfill your objective. Esther spent many long winter seasons for years in exile with her people before she was elevated to be the Persian Queen. And yet, during that extended period of her life, she had ample time to associate and understand the needs of her Israelite community. Consequently, when she became queen, she knew the heart and soul of her nation’s people, what they desired and what she was required to do in order to

save them.

SPRING PLANTING

The successful indi-vidual knows that when spring arrives, it is time to put the plans in motion. This is not the time to sit back and continue day-dreaming. This is the time to sow the seeds for the upcoming harvest. The book of Esther explains that before a Persian Queen could be crowned, Persian law required that she spend twelve months in preparation prior to her appearance before the monarch. It was during this twelve-month period that Esther found favor with the king’s eunuch, who guided and instructed her how to conduct herself throughout this appearance so as to win the king’s favor.

SUMMER PRODUCING

When the summer sea-son arrives, it is time to take action and coordinate the inner workings of your

project to see if your plan is on track. In Esther’s case, this was the time for her to go before her hus-band, the king, and request his presence at a special banquet prepared for him and Haman. Summer is also the time to take cal-culated risks and venture into uncharted waters. Mordecai reminded Esther that if she did not take this chance and present a case for the salvation of the children of Israel, her future would be the same as her own people.

FALL PROSPERING

For those who have planned, worked hard, taken risks and cultivated their dreams and aspira-tions, the fall is always the best season. This is when you see the results of your four seasons of work. On the other hand, the out-come can be disenchant-ment, disillusionment and regret because of missed opportunities and meager preparation. In the story of Esther, the fall season was a time for rejoicing

when the King of Persia ended Haman’s evil con-niving for power and hung him on his own gallows. Also, the winter plans to save the Jewish people by Mordecai was rewarded when he was promoted to second in command.1

Ultimately, for each of us, the key to making correct decisions, develop-ing purposeful goals and seeing a project through to a successful conclusion, is to understand, discern and utilize each of the four seasons. Remember, tim-ing is everything. =

References:

1. John C. Maxwell, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes In A Leader’s Day: Revitalize Your Spirit And Empower Your Leadership, Nelson Business, 2000, Concepts from pp. 317-332.

2. Michael Kaplan, The Best Time to Do Everything, Bottom Line Personal, July 1, 2008, p. 1.

Timing is Everything (cont. from page 7)

Church Wide Yard Sale

Start getting your junk, oops, your stuff together for a Church Yard Sale on Sunday, August 1. The proceeds will go to help fund the CD the praise band is making.

July 2010

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July Birthdays

Pilar Centeno, Sr. – 7 Bonnie Iversen – 8 Lucille Martinez – 11 Alfie Macias – 18 Susie Munguia – 21 Wayne Lewis – 21 Kristelle Meade – 26 Ethan Morales – 30

If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.

Upcoming Events2nd Sunday - 10 a.m. Community ServiceThursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer GroupFridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice

July 4 - Independence DayJuly 5 - Church Office ClosedJuly 19-23 - VBS from 6 to 8:30pmJuly 24 - VBS Closing Program & Potluck

The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month.

Coming Soon

August 1 - Church Yard Sale 8amAugust 21 - Hawiian Shirt Day & Summer Beach Party October 9 - Small Groups Series “Contagious Christian”

THIS MONTH

If you are looking for a new, fun way to read The Latest Word online, be sure to check out the newest format at http://issuu.com/downeychurch. Same great content in a richer environment. Be sure to check out all the reading modes. As usual, you can still get read it at our website at www.downeychurch.org.

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The Latest About

Our Church FamilyCongratulations to our

newest members, Joel, Grace, Jocelyn, Geselle, Jasmine & Joel Jr. Huinquez, and Khalil Meade. They were baptized on June 12th. Be sure to welcome them into the family.

Albert Jackson’s fam-ily is mourning the loss of some family members in a

house fire. Please remem-ber them in your prayers.

We sor-rowfully report that Marylene Morris suffered the loss of her sister. Please remember the entire family in

your prayers.

Congratulations to Letty Duran and Mike Garcia. They were recently engaged.

If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. =

Thank you to every-one who has been saving Campbell Soup Labels for education and Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

On the Campbell Soup labels, all that is really needed is the UPC (the bar code). You don’t have to save the entire label, just the UPC bar code.

For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon.

Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =

Someone has said, “Vacation is what you take when you can’t take what you’ve been taking any longer.”

There are good rea-sons to take a vacation every year: spending time with friends and loved ones, experienc-ing physical and mental refreshment, enjoying changes in scenery and routine, and preparing for another year of pro-ductivity.

Please enjoy your vacation! Try to be faithful to the Lord by attending church while you’re away, if you have the opportunity.

Just remember that during vacations and weekend getaways, you’re especially missed by your friends at church. The work of the church suffers because no one can fill your place of responsibility quite like you.

God’s work goes on all summer long. Your presence and gifts are needed to enable the church to be strong and vigorous throughout the entire year. When you’re away, please bring or send your offer-ing before you go.

Have a wonderful summer! =

Vacation TimeRose Mary Hart has

been a letter carrier in rural West Virginia since 1969. In an interview for a magazine, she said,

“For my first seven years as a letter carrier I tried to do the job as effi-ciently and promptly as I could. But in 1976 I [met Jesus] and now I enter into my work differently. I have started to listen to people on my route in a new way. I have begun to share their pain and joy. When I listen, I can hear their turmoil inside. I hear domestic violence. I’ve even broken up a few fights. I’ve seen latchkey

kids sitting out on their steps in 10 degree weather because they forgot their key. I hear the frustration of working mothers. They come out and talk to me. Sometimes I don’t even have time to think about a response. But I do what I can, and sometimes word comes to me that some-thing I said was heard. I just walk down the street, but I think I made a differ-ence.” =

-Quoted by Bob Olmstead, First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto, Calif.

Making a Difference

July 2010

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July 2010

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Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240

Return Service Requested

DATED MATERIAL

Ponder This...

= “Outward as well as inward morality helps to form the idea of a true Christian freedom.”—Meister Eckhart

= “To fly the American flag, then to cheat another citi-zen — or anyone else — is to make a mockery of patrio-tism. A true patriot will be a person of integrity and hon-esty, a quite trustworthy American.”—Charles Ferrell

= “If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly find fault with, you will not do much.”—Lewis Carroll

July 2010 The Latest Word

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