For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church Vacation Bible School by Pastor Mitch The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to the late 1800s. Teachers and leaders, whose hearts longed for children to understand the Bible, began local summer sessions meeting in schools. Often the children s Bible classes met throughout the summer. In 1898 Eliza Hawes, director of the children s department at Epiphany Baptist Church in New York City, started an Promise Island VBS Our Vacation Bible School this year is Adventures on Promise Island! Excitement and fun await as kids learn about promises that God made to Bible people. The kids will also see how those promises are for them too! This Everyday Bible School for slum children at a rented beer parlor in New York s East Side. Hawes continued her efforts for seven years. Around 1922, Standard Publishing produced the very first printed VBS curriculum. Enough material was provided for a fiveweek course for three age levels (kindergarten, primary, and junior. Wikipedia) Today, Vacation Bible School is an important ministry at the Downey Adventist Church. While it may last only one week in the summer, the children s experiences last a lifetime. This year VBS begins on Monday, July 16 and runs through Friday, July 20. We have a top secret event planned we can only share with you provide you do not divulge the secret to anyone except kids from kindergarten through junior ages. Okay, here s the secret: One of the Transformers shown continued on page 1 can be a life altering event as the children learn how to to live a life confident that God keeps those promises for us too. Join us starting Monday, July 16 thru Friday, July 20 from 6 to 8:30pm at the Downey Adventist Church. There will be a free dinner each night from 6 to 6:30pm. Don t miss the fun! = Equal in God s eyes The faith of America s founders affirmed the sanctity of each individual. Every human life - man or woman, child or adult, commoner or aristocrat, rich or poor - was equal in the eyes of the Lord. It also affirmed the responsibility of each individual. - Lady Margaret Thatcher INSIDE Where is Your Gear? on page 3 Survive or Surthrive? is on page 4 Ginny s Kitchen on page 5 What s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Financial First Aid on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid s Page on page 11
THE LATEST WORD VBS (cont. from page 1) 2 in the classic 2007 movie Transformers will be at VBS on July 16. This is very exciting. Adults must accompany a child if they wish to attend. The message for July 21 is the Spirit Led Life. The Spirit Led Life is not other-worldly or something reserved only for a select group of people. When we enter each day with the Lord as our guide we re taking the first steps of a Spirit led day and life. This life leads to real life and peace. You ll learn everyday steps from the book of Romans how you can lead the Spirit Led Life. New songs give us new perspectives about ourselves On July 7 Bill Aumack wraps up the Things God Can t Do series with the message God Can t Stop Loving You. Love is obviously very important to us. Consider how many times the theme of love shows up in our media. Love songs. Love stories. Books and articles on love. Then there is the whole list of songs, books, stories and articles on what to do when love fails. When you stop to think about it, you realize that we spend an amazing amount of time thinking about and looking for love. Most of us have heard that God is love. But we don t really understand what that means or what we should do about it. Invite a friend and join us for God Can t Stop Loving You. On July 14 the message is Sing a New Song. Some sing their new song, while others live it. Did you know that singing a new song implies singing an old song with new life? New songs give us new perspectives about ourselves and the life we re living. An essential component of a new song is a renewed heart. How can we have new songs? The Bible is our resource. We are reminded to take particular steps. Those steps will lead us to the place where new songs are crafted. If you re interested in a new song invite a friend and don t miss this message. We re planning a very special service for July 28. The message is What You Mean to Me. What does the Lord mean to you? Could you make a list of how God has blessed and helped you? What about making a list of what those closest to your heart mean to you? The Bible says: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35). In our service we ll focus on expressing our love and appreciation See you when the church gathers. = WE DID IT The Latest Word V 24 N 07 BILL AUMACK responsible for this LINDA AUMACK copy editor HATZUKO AISPURO paper distribution MITCH WILLIAMS pastor address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd. Downey, CA 90240 office: 562.869.6013 fax: 562.622.1691 downeychurch@gmail.com www.downeychurch.com distributed monthly issue date: July 2012 copyright 1992-2012
God, Webster & You by Linda Bewley Webster says armor means, defensive covering for the body... a quality or circumstance that affords protection... (Webster s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). God says,... be strong in the Lord and in his might power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV). I went for a walk at the park this morning. Even though it was early, there were lots of people out, and it was definitely a lively place. I saw bicyclists readying themselves for a ride to the beach and people playing volleyball and tennis. There were others, like myself, making the most of the track which is where I saw Samantha and Max. They cruised right by me at a fast pace. The first thing I noticed about them was that they were both wearing nice athletic shoes. Nothing unusual about that until I tell you that Max is a dog! Yes, you heard me, a dog a small, white Pomeranian who was sporting the coolest red and white sneakers. I couldn t help but stare at him and was amazed that he did not appear to feel awkward in his shoes at all. In fact, he kept up with Samantha not just while walking but when she was jogging as well. The next time they passed me, I asked Samantha if I could take a picture of Max. She was quite friendly and said, of course! I then had to ask Worship Schedule July 7 Bill Aumack Things God Can t Do #5 God Can t Stop Loving You July 14 Mitch Williams Sing a New Song Where is Your Gear? July 21 Mitch Williams Spirit Led Life July 28 Mitch Williams What You Mean to Me her about Max s attitude toward his shoes. She said he loves them, and he has been wearing them since he was eight weeks old. He knows when she gets out the shoes that it is time to go for a walk, and he loves that. The other thing she said is that the shoes help keep his little paws very white and clean, so it s a win-win situation. Check out Max s picture in this article. Is that not the cutest thing?! When you think about it, there is a shoe for every occasion. There are casual shoes, dress shoes, business shoes. And it doesn t stop there. It s particularly true when it comes to sports and exercise. Each has its own special foot gear designed to enable the participant s best performance. For example, a ballerina would be far less graceful donning a pair of cleats; a running back might not make it to the goal in tap shoes; and a basketball player would likely be heavily fined if he were to wear spiked shoes on the court! July 2012 Isn t it interesting that the Apostle Paul told us what kind of shoes Christians are to wear? Well he didn t really call them shoes, but he said we are to have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Those words are included in the list of items in Ephesians 6 where Paul outlines the armor we need to wear in order to be strong in the Lord. We are not strong, and are easy prey, if we fail to put on God s armor. That s a reminder I need almost on a minute-to-minute basis. I ve often wondered, however, about the term feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. What exactly does that mean? Is it an indication that because we have peace with God we are ready and able to share that with others? Does it mean that we are ready to follow God where he leads? Could it mean that we are ready to be on the move for Christ? Perhaps it is all of the above and more. Putting on God s armor every day helps us to accomplish our tasks and stand firm, just like a good pair of shoes. = 3
THE LATEST WORD Before the Father by Linda Fernandez Survive or Surthrive? 4 you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good Gen. 50:20...if I only hold on to the hand of my God, He will not only see me through, but cause me to thrive. There is a new word being bandied about I had not heard before, but it seems to be popping up all over the place these days. It is a takeoff of the word and meaning of survive. This new word is surthrive. When I tried to check it out on the internet, I found references to it everywhere from breast cancer survivor blogs to herbal ancestry websites to several financial pages. One of the definitions I found for survive was: continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship. The closest thing I found to a definition for surthrive was: not to just make it through to the other side of hardship, but to thrive through it and prosper afterwards. Thinking of that definition, I immediately thought of the story of Joseph in Genesis 50. If anyone could be seen as a surthrivor it would be Joseph. Of all the difficulties he faced he always made the best of a bad or even unjust situation. After years of fighting off resentment and probably even hatred for his brothers, he calmed their fears of retribution by telling them he realized that though they may have meant injury and evil toward him because of their own jealousy, God meant it for not only his good, but the good of his entire family and indeed, their nation. Thinking of Joseph brings to mind the book I am currently reading by Stormie Omartian, singer, songwriter and now bestselling author. In the book she touches on the abuses she received as a child and how after she became a Christian she was able to forgive not only her mother, the abuser, but her father, the enabler as well. I think of others I know who have suffered at the hands of their own parents or substitute parents either by direct abuse or by neglect. How easy it would be to stay in that victim mode and feeling fully justified in doing so. There are other types of hardships we face, however, that could be just as disabling if we allowed them to be. Financial hardships can cause a domino effect in all areas of our lives. Medical crises may cost us our employment or disable us in some way. I too have faced these kinds of hardships and know it is often difficult to see how God could make something good come of such dire situations. But I have also found that through the most trying of times, when the darkness won t seem to lift; if I only hold on to the hand of my God, He will not only see me through, but cause me to thrive through it and even prosper afterwards. Can I get an AMEN to that! Let s pray: Father, thank you for the assurance in Christ that no matter what we are facing, You will always be with us. =
From Ginny s Kitchen July 2012 Cherry Yogurt Dessert Freeze 1 cup crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs 1 T. Agave Nectar syrup or 2 T. Brown sugar 2 T. melted Earth Balance butter spread 4 cups cherry frozen yogurt, found at (Fresh & Easy market) 1 jar of Smucker s fudge topping 1 large fresh banana, sliced 1 container of whipped topping, fresh or frozen 2 pkg. chocolate covered almonds, crushed medium to small 1 bag fresh sweet cherries with stems left on 1. Mix together melted butter, crushed graham crackers and Agave. Press into a Tupperware 9 X 12 covered dish and freeze for 30 minutes. 2. Remove from freezer and spread yogurt over graham crackers. Spread fudge topping over yogurt and add the sliced bananas over the chocolate. Then add the whipped cream. Top with the crushed chocolate covered almonds. Freeze for 2 hours, setting flat. 3. Cut into 2 or 3 squares with one sweet cherry with the stem on each piece served. = Satisfaction of the Soul Dr. Laura Schlesinger, a popular radio host who offers advice regarding personal problems, is a strong advocate of getting one s spiritual needs met first. The psychologist insists that trying to find happiness through acquisition of things and seeking immediate gratification of one s wants will not satisfy one s soul. She writes: If we don t nourish our spiritual needs, no amount of material success or public recognition will fill us up. If we don t believe our life and work serve some higher purpose, no amount of activity or acquisitions will bring us peace of mind. Religion, I believe, is probably the most important component of a welllived life, because it points out the meaning of life and by teaching the values of cooperation, sacrifice, compassion and love provides a road to God. Parade Be sure to keep up with the latest news by signing up for the Wednesday email. You can sign up here www.downeychurch.org/signups.html or send us an email at DowneyChurch at gmail dot com and we ll add you. 5
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Downey Adventist Church 2 3 4 5 6 7 8:07 pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8:05 pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 8:02 pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. Vacation Bible School 6 to 8:30 pm 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams 12:30 Luncheon 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 7:57 pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams 29 30 31 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. Sabbath School C.S. Community Service
July 2012 Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES Bills are piling up. Mortgage payments are late. Creditors are calling at work and home. Your anxiety level is 100%, 24 hours a day. You need a financial ambulance! Maybe it s not quite that grim, but you re worried you might lose your job or there seems to be too much month at the end of each paycheck. You may need financial first aid. Even though you ve paid your debts, have an emergency account and money set-aside for your retirement, you are still anxious about your finances. Perhaps you were simply born with the fretting gene that kicks in even when a mere financial bandage is needed. Which of the above three categories best describes you? The one you think best describes you may also be identifying you as a worrier. Wither the circumstances are factual or simply perceived as a fact, you will appreciate the following: Worry makes us old before our time. It tires us, saps our strength, and Financial First Aid makes us ill. But, oh, how we enjoy worrying. We hug our worries to our breast and take them to bed at night. In the morning we feel worn-out as we stumble out of our warm covers, gathering them up for the day. While dressing we examine each one, taking them to the breakfast table to add to our daily worry schedule. Our worries are a vicious circle that continues day in and day out until we take them to our grave. 1 Worrier Category There are two types of worriers in the world: the major league or the chronic worriers (15% of the population) and the minor league or the acute worriers (50% of the population). The major league worriers fear one heart flutter to be a deadly heart attack. Minor league worriers are stressing over the 10 error in their bank reconciliation. The other 35% of non-worriers are the folks who cause stress and create the worry that the rest of us soak up like a sponge. Listed below are a few suggestions to assist you in becoming a calm financial administrator. God s Promises As Christians we have an abundance of Biblical promises to assure us we have nothing to worry about concerning our future financial needs. I personally like the passage from David s Psalm: I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.... They will be protected forever, Psalm 37:25, 28 NIV. Jesus saw fit to include our needs in what is commonly known as The Lord s Prayer, Give us each day our daily bread. The wellknown don t worry biblical passage in Luke 12:3, 26-30, explains our Heavenly Father takes care of the birds, flowers, and grass so surely He also provides for our basic financial needs. Although our financial security may never be sufficient, above all else, know that GOD is enough. Jesus concludes this call to be calm, especially during economic hardships, when He said: Your heavenly Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live continued on page 8 Worry is interest paid on trouble before it becomes due. Worries are like babies, the more you nurse them the bigger they grow. 7
THE LATEST WORD Financial First Aid (cont. from page 7) righteously, and he will give you everything you need, Matthew 6:32-33 NLT. Set A Limit Dr. Thomas Borkovec and his colleagues at Pennsylvania State University suggested one way to avoid dealing with excessive stewing over and over on financial and other issues is to contain it or isolate it by setting aside a worry-period for each day. Here are his guidelines: Schedule just 30 minutes daily to do your worrying. It must be in the same place and same time every 24 hours. If you catch yourself fretting over something at other times than your worry period, immediately focus on the task at hand and/or write down what your concern is and set it aside for your daily worry period. During the allotted worry period you are allowed to simmer over your list of troubles, but more importantly, you are to engage in constructive problem solving. According to this studies research, the average worrier cut their worry time 25% and their nightly sleeplessness by 40%. To get better results prescribe shorter and shorter worry periods as the weeks progress. By the way, be sure not to worry in your favorite chair as you just might begin your worry-cycle at unhealthy times like just before bedtime. Never Alone Worry is a hard taskmaster. Most of the time stressing about your finances can be so overwhelming that sharing your worries with your spouse and when appropriate, with your children could be beneficial. From the whole world s perspective, you are in the top 1% if you earn $34,000 or more. Taking them into your confidence might accomplish two things. One, they may come up with workable solutions that you hadn t considered and two; they might become more understanding and minimize their own financial demands as they see their parents struggling with the household budget. Remember, getting help isn t a sign of weakness; on the contrary, it s an indication of wisdom. Be Realistic The hard truth is that too often we are the source of our monetary problems. You may have overextended your finances when you bought your dream home and now the mortgage payments are eating you alive. Perhaps the gas guzzler you drive is now consuming $100s at the gas pump every week. Your love for eating at nice restaurants every day is exceeding your lunch allowance, or you can t resist shopping after work to buy the next new thing. Admitting you need to manage your spending decisions more carefully will not only reduce your stress, but will also begin to guide you through the process of insuring that your finances are no longer muddled, but manageable. = References: Mary Elsnau, Life & Health Magazine, October 1971 8... And Then Some Shortly after a business executive retired, someone asked him what had been the secret of his success. He chuckled softly, and then said that it could be summarized in three words: and then some. He explained that he had learned early in his career that the top people in any group were those who did what was expected of them and then some. Such people worked diligently, efficiently, faithfully and then some. They were thoughtful and kind to others and then some. They were reliable friends who could be counted on and then some. If an emergency came, they tried to do their share to deal with it and then some. In short, they were more than ordinary people, they tried to be extraordinary. That is precisely what Jesus expected and still expects of his followers. When he was teaching his friends about loving and serving others (see Matthew 5:43-48), he included these words, What more are you doing than others? (v. 47, NRSV). Christians do what is required and then some. =
July 2012 THIS MONTH Upcoming Events July Birthdays Geselle Huinquez 3 Pilar Centeno, Sr. 7 Bonnie Iversen 8 Alfie Macias 9 James Pond 9 Lucille Martinez 11 Janette Huinquez 12 Joel Huinquez, Sr. 13 Tania Puentes 15 Frances Menendez 19 Kristelle Meade 26 Kelly Gonzalez 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. Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women s Prayer Group Fridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice July 4 - Independence Day July 16-20 - Vacation Bible School July 21 - Luncheon 12:30pm The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month. Check out the audio and video sermon podcasts at www.downeychurch.org/ sermons.html Coming Soon August 4 - Hawaiian Shirt Day August 12 - Pathfinder Yard Sale & Car Wash August 25 - Parking Lot Party 9
THE LATEST WORD The Latest About Our Church Family Be sure to congratulate Victor Acuna and Evan Aumack on their internships. Ask them where they are working. As long as you are handing out congratulations, give one to Rick Gonzalez. He has recently joined the ranks of the retired. If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. = Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! = Blessed to be a Blessing God promised Abram, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you so that you will be a blessing (Genesis 12:2, NRSV). Especially on the Fourth of July, we in the United States remember that God has blessed us as a nation, too. That isn t to say everyone here has an equal share of resources. Our government isn t perfect, and our land isn t necessarily more beautiful than any other place on earth. It doesn t mean we alone model liberty and justice for all or that we do so flawlessly. Rather, God s promise to Abram and us means we aren t to hoard our blessings. We are to share our wealth generously, cultivate liberty and justice, and pass on to the world the gifts we enjoy in this land. = 10 Sinclair Lewis said, He who has seen one cathedral 10 times has seen something; he who has seen 10 cathedrals once has seen but little; and he who has spent half an On Sightseeing hour in each of a hundred cathedrals has seen nothing at all. That s good sightseeing advice, but it also prompts reflection on how we spend our time. Instead of trying to do and be as many things as possible, it s usually wiser to choose which commitments or activities are most important and focus on doing them well. =
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July 2012 Ponder This... = Let us disappear into praising. Nothing belongs to us. Rainer Maria Rilke = Despotism may govern without faith, but Liberty cannot. Alexis de Tocqueville = No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. Andrew Carnegie Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240 DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested 12