Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

September 26, 2013 Volume 1, Issue 3 Mayfair SDA Church - Believe! Become! Belong! Inside this issue: Praise the Lord 1 Being A Deacon 2 Natural Healing 3 Bereavement Committee 4 Being A Deaconess 5 Adult Choir 6 Children s Choir 7 Editors Comments 8 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH Praise The Lord! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. The Mayfair SDA Church praise team is the congregation. Let me say that againour congregation is the team that gathers together on a weekly basis to praise the Lord. The praise team is not those who stand on the rostrum each week leading out in the service. The praise team is YOU! Then who are those standing in the front leading the congregation in song? They are members of the praise team who have been gifted and given the responsibility of coordinating the music for the congregation so that our corporate worship is done decently and in order to the glory of God. They have given themselves to practice and rehearsals so that the songs are prepared and reflect not only where the people are in their experience with God but where they can be, There were 5 original members but it has grown to 9 members. Those who lead our congregation are: Kimber Dailey, Lisa Marsh, Carol Percelle, Lisa Marsh, Joyce Curtis, Beverly Mitchell, Ella Holman, Portia Pontiflet, Gerald Marsh and Raquel Sylvester. The leaders of our praise team were selected in 2006 and have gone through various transitions. They have worked with the former musicians: Parker Fluence, Michael Mitchell, Bennie Henderson, Charles (Buddy) Ware, Pat Lloyd and currently Moses Walker. It was under the tutelage of Bennie Henderson that the leaders of the praise team became established, confident and a strong group. Mayfair seeks to have an eclectic style of music for its worship service. As pastor, I do not believe one type of music meets the needs of all people. The scriptures say to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. This is what we do at Mayfair and our leaders of the praise team seek to enhance our service by preparing themselves to lead out in this most sacred aspect of the service. It is not excitement and entertainment that we seek from our music at Mayfair. We seek to inspire, enhance joy, and create reflection all through the music experience in our service. You can be assured that when you come to Mayfair s services, whether Sabbath or Wednesday evening, our hearts and voices will be lifted up in praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. You can be assured this is what we do at Mayfair. By Dr. Lanston M. Sylvester, Praise Team Leader

P a ge 2 T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DEACON At the Stockton Mayfair S.D.A. Church the deacon s board is committed to following the biblical principles of what it is to be a Deacon. The deacon s board has a wide variety of duties and responsibilities to help make sure that not just the worship service but all functions at our newly built worship center has an environment of cleanliness, reverence and safety. Every man is committed to his calling and carry out the work of a deacon faithfully and reverently. Under the experienced leadership of Elder Gerald Marsh the deacons turn to him for guidance and leadership questions due to his previous experience as Head Deacon. Brother Ryan Brown presently holds the position as Head Deacon at the Stockton Mayfair SDA Church. He and his team of deacons are jacks of many trades. Some deacons also serve as Sabbath school teachers, audio visual techs, while others do a fabulous job of painting, gardening and cleaning. We look forward to the challenges of growing into our new worship center. Everything may not be the way we hope it to be, however, we are getting close. With his description of the elder s qualifications complete, Paul moves in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 to outline the requirements for the second ministerial office in the church the deacon. Scripture actually says very little about the duties of a deacon, but finds its origin in Acts 6:1-7, even though none of the seven men chosen for service were ever officially called diakonos, which is the Greek term we translate as deacon. But it is appropriate to refer to these men as deacons since the Greek verb for service in verse 2 (diakoneō) is a cognate for diakonos. In any case, it is clear from Acts that the deacons are to focus mainly on mercy ministries, such as the assistance of widows, while elders are tasked primarily with prayer and the ministry of the word (vv. 2-4). From the account of Stephen s teaching in Acts 6:8-7:60 and the fact that even Jesus can be described as a diakonos (Mark 10:43-45), it is clear that deacons are not barred from teaching. But since an aptitude for teaching is the only qualification for eldership that does not overlap with the things to look for in deacons, we know that deacons do not direct their attention to the formal instruction of God s people. Instead, they are to allocate wisely the church s resources, feeding and sheltering the needy in the congregation, helping them to get back on their feet and making sure the local assembly never neglects the pure and undefiled religion of visiting widows and orphans (James 1:27). Doing these things properly requires a special kind of person, one who is not double-tongued (1 Timothy 3:8). A deacon cannot say one thing and do another. He cannot promise things the church has not yet approved lest the person in need be disappointed when he does not receive what has been promised and then distrust the church. Not being doubledtongued also means that deacons cannot share everyone the dire situations to which they are privy lest they embarrass those brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing difficult times. Also, deacons cannot be greedy for dishonest gain (v.8). The funds entrusted to the diaconate are a temptation to many people, and the person who cannot be trusted with money must never be ordained a deacon. By Ryan Brown, Head Deacon

T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 P a ge 3 NATURAL HEALING God s Plan for your Health Headaches, toothaches, diabetes, kidney stones, stress, liver problems, high blood pressure, cancer and more. Do you have a plan for your health? 3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. I m Bernelda Gonzales, lifestyle counsellor, medical missionary and massage therapist. Attended M.E.E.T. Medical Missionary School as well as employed in their Our Home Natural Health Retreat, other health retreat and years of working with individuals with various diseases and conditions to help them overcome by using God s plan. God has a plan for our life/health to bring our bodies back into balance and ease. If you need assistance in overcoming the smallest of illness to potentially fatal diseases by using God s plan, which involves using natural remedies for medicine and with His guidance through much prayer (prayer is the essential key of God s Plan.), contact me at (718) 807-6484 or email me at more4god@hotmail.com and experience God s Plan for your health. By Bernelda Gonzales, Lifestyle Counselor

P a ge 4 T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 BEREAVEMENT COMMITTEE Greetings, My name is Portia Pontiflet and I am Mayfair s Bereavement Committee Leader and have been for the past five years. I have two additional team members working with me, Elder Ernest Pontiflet aka Bishop, and Andrea Smith. Serving God and the church in this capacity has been quite a rewarding experience. What does the Bereavement Committee do? Help families go through their grief over the loss of their loved one... Relieve the family from any additional stress or pressure the loss may cause... Conform to their needs and provide support during their sensitive time... Provide strength and hope to the bereaved by calling and praying with them... Although not mandatory, if requested we will visit the bereaved family at home... Most importantly we follow up with the family to insure needs have been met... The loss of a loved one is a life changing experience. The bereavement committee members have found over the years that all cases are different, because the families and their needs are different. Some families have never encountered this situation before and have no idea what to do. Although we may not know what all their needs are, we do know one thing, and that is they in need of our support and services from our church. Our experiences have taught us to be sensitive and patient with the bereaved family. We give them time to morn and are ready and willing when they are ready for our support. Our minds are focused on the family and our willingness to serve with listening hearts and compassion, which is done by spending quality time with them as long as needed. In the past few years I have experienced the loss of close family members, my mother, father, sister and aunts. I had to deal intimately with their arrangements. Therefore, I learned to be patient, as well as available. God has so graciously granted me favor, in how to deal with various situations that each family may encounter. Many times I have found after visiting I have been so encouraged and uplifted myself. God has His way of showering His blessings down on me, especially after asking Him to make me a blessing today. The bereavement committee has been truly blessed when we make calls to the families or visit the families, take food to their homes or send a card. The families which have been served have been grateful, and have expressed their thankfulness in various ways. Let us continue to support our families as we go through our trials, tribulations, troubles and heartaches. And pray that the pains we experience will soon be over. Blessings! By Portia Pontiflet, Bereavement Team Leader

T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 P a ge 5 DEACONESSES Beloved let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7 The Deaconess is a servant who is consecrated and dedicated to the high calling of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The deaconess should exhibit a spirit of love and grace and exert such a holy influence that the entire congregation will be permeated with the fragrance of their presence. Duties: Prepare the Lord s Supper Visit the Sick and shut-in Assist Deacons Prepare for Baptism Service Goals for the year: Out-Reach Ministry Visit Rehabilitation Centers Nursery Homes By Holline Sanders, Head Deaconess

P a ge 6 T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 MAYFAIR ADULT CHOIR We Sing Because... The Mayfair Adult Choir has a blessed history of dedicated service. The choir aided (through songs) in ministering to those who sing in the choir as well as the congregation. Because of our church leaders foresight, the choir has been opened to ALL who had a desire to sing, thus we have had several members baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Willingness, dedication and desire to praise God, is the only prerequisite. We have learned to come with a joyful noise and witness the angels joining in as we sing praises to our God. Our current choir members are: Soprano -Portia Pontiflet, Ruth Byrd, Holline Sanders and Beverly Mitchell Altos - Michelle Curtis, Ella Holman and Stella Williams Tenors - Elbert Holman, Ernest Pontiflet, Joyce Curtis and Carolyn Lovejoy Basses - on Smith and Gerald Marsh (Tenor/Bass) The choir is blessed to have Sister Patricia Lloyd as our pianist/conductor. Our Praise team also will join us on occasion to accent the choir. All of our members are actively involved and leading out in several other ministries in our Church. They are Elders, Deaconesses, Sabbath School Teachers, Community Service workers and Ushers. When the announcement and invitation to witness in song is made each first (1 st ) Sabbath, they come from every corner of the church to render special music. On October 19th, Music Ministry will host a music workshop featuring our adult and children s choir along with other guests. The choir s future goals are: To extend our hand to those in the community who would like to participate in the choir so that we could have a true community choir. Singing to or elderly who are shut in care facilities. Bring the message in song to other locations in and around the Stockton area. Christmas caroling We sing because..psalms 33:3 says to Sing unto Him a new song. We sing because..god has brought us over many dangers toils and snares. We sing because..we are happy in the glory of God. By Stella Williams, Adult Choir Leader

T h ird I s s u e V olume 1, I s s u e 3 P a ge 7 MAYFAIR CHILDREN S CHOIR Thank you for your support There is no doubt in my mind that we have the best children in the world. God has truly blessed us with wonderful, hardworking children. These are the best years of their lives and we are blessed with the opportunity to mold them to be servants of the Lord, and we here at Mayfair are aiming to do just that. Our children s choir has been doing a wonderful job and making beautiful contributions to our church service. They have performed every fourth Sabbath of the month and on fifth Sabbath for Youth Day. The children also perform when we have special events, such as our upcoming Choir Day on October 19 th and our December program. We recently realized that we need more community involvement, so the music department is planning to have a community children s choir. We will invite children from the community to join our choir and are looking forward to how it will bring us closer to the community. As the children s choir director, I count it a blessing and an honor to be given this opportunity to work with our children. In our rehearsals, we laugh, we play, we act silly, we bebop, we work hard to perfect our songs, we sometimes cry, but most of all we PRAY. Our children have learned to pray and ask God to help them in many ways. We sing to His name, honor, and glory, and we often pray that others be blessed. Please let me take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to our children for all their hard work. But we all know, with children comes parents, and our choir could not be successful if I did not have their support. THANK YOU parents for all your support over the years! You have truly been a tower of strength. And to our church family, who have lovingly supported our children over the years, I also THANK YOU. You sing with us, you laugh with us, you clap, you shout, you compliment our children, and you thank them for their hard work. You could not find this much love for our children anywhere else but at Mayfair. Elder Holman is like a child himself when it is time for the children to sing. We extend a very special thank you to Elder Holman for his support. Last but not least, our Pastor, Dr. Lanston Sylvester, has been a constant advocate for our children. We are blessed to have such a wonderful church family and we thank you for your continued support of our growing children s choir. May God be praised! Thank you all! By Carol Percelle, Children s Choir Director

Volume 1, Issue 3 Mayfair Seventh-Day Adventist Church 6940 North El Dorado Street Stockton, CA 95207 Mailing Address: PO Box 690818 Stockton, CA 95269 We re on the Web! www.mayfairsda.org A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS We would like to thank all those who have willingly helped to make the Mayfair newsletter a success. Without you we would not have a newsletter to publish. The various ministries in the church we have highlighted so far are the pillars that make Mayfair SDA Church what it is today. We have more ministries to feature in our upcoming newsletter and we hope that you fine it rewarding, informational, and a blessing. Share it with someone so that they may get to know us as a church body and know that we are on the Move for God s Kingdom. On another note, the holiday season is fast approaching and we pray that you and your family take some time out to spend quality and memorable time with each other. No one knows what tomorrow holds. Sometimes we plan our day but we do not know what the day may bring. Hug each other a little tighter, say I love you more often with meaning and take the time to show kindness to someone in need. We may be individuals but when we come together, we are one body in Christ. By Angela Brown and Dwight Brown, Editors