Jul 09 Latest Word

Whether kids are outgoing orreserved, boys or girls, we want themto grow in faith in Jesus. Many fac-tors contribute to a child’s faith devel-opment. There is, however, one factorthat stands above the rest. Let’s call itthe monkey see, monkey do factor.Or children tend to do as their parentsdo.

Ginny and I were visiting somefriends we hadn’t seen in a few years.As we entered the house we weregreeted not only by our adult friendsbut by their two boys ages 10 and 12-something. The boys hung aroundand joined in the conversation and allthe laughs. The boys helped with thesnacks and when we left they saidgoodbye as if we were part of their

family. As we traveled home wecommented on how the boys were justlike their parents; kind, hospitable andfaithful.

There are several Bible examplesof kind and faithful young people.Timothy was a young person whotraveled with the Apostle Paul, help-ing him accomplish his missionarygoals. In fact, there are two Bible let-ters named after him: 1 & 2 Timothy.We know something about Timothy’shome environment as he was growingup.

The Bible says: [Timothy], I havebeen reminded of your sincere faith,which first lived in your grandmother

continued on page 2

Promoting Faith in Childrenby Pastor Mitch

Vacation Bible School will be heresoon! This year VBS will be fromMonday, July 20th through Friday,July 24th. Please note that we arestarting on Monday night this year,not Sunday night.

Each day at StudioGo! the kids willexperience God’sWord, meet real-lifeservants, create fun-filled crafts and play

challenging games. And, through itall, they’ll come to understand thatwith Jesus, everyone wins!

Join us each day at 6pm for a kidfriendly supper. The program will

start at 6:30pm and fin-ish at 8:30pm.

Call 562.869.6013for more details. =

VBS: Studio Go!

Grace is a giftWhen we work an eight-hourday and receive eight hours’pay for our efforts, that is aWAGE.

When we compete with anopponent and receive a trophyfor our superior performance,that is a PRIZE.

When we receive something inrecognition for our service orachievement, that is anAWARD.

But when we can earn no wage,can win no prize and deserveno award — yet we receivesuch a gift — that is unmeritedfavor. That is undeserved kind-ness. That is GRACE.

IINNSSIIDDEE

Biased or Unbiased?on page 3

A Firefly Fourth onpage 4

Ginny’s Kitchen onpage 5

What’s happening?see pages 6 & 9

Our Current Crisis onpage 7

Kid’s Page on page 8

Our Church Familypage 10

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

Lois and in your mother Eunice and,I am persuaded, now lives in youalso. For this reason I remind you tofan into flame the gift of God, whichis in you throughthe laying on ofmy hands” (2Tim 1:5-6).

Timothy mir-rored the faithhe saw in hisgrandmotherand his mother.We can do thesame with our kids. It is never toolate to develop faith in our kids.This month, we’ve set aside 2 spe-cial days to help our kids grow infaith.

The first day is Kids’ Sabbath setfor July 11. Our purpose as a familyof God is to train our children in

leadership skills. This is bestaccomplished when children areencouraged to take part in theSabbath service that is fun and

builds self-con-fidence. Allchildren arewelcome toparticipate inthe Kids’Sabbathaccording totheir abilitiesand desires.Since most

children are naturally shy, just invit-ing them to stand-up in front movesthem along in the process of taking amore active part later as they gainconfidence. It is my personal goalto assure that all the children whoparticipate in the Kids’ Sabbath willsucceed. Give me a call at (562)869-6013 to make your child a part

THE LATEST WORDTHE LATEST WORD

2

of the service. Also, plan to stay forthe luncheon following the service.

The second opportunity toencourage faith in our kids comes atthe conclusion of Vacation BibleSchool on July 25. On that day,we’ll see and hear songs and reportson what the kids learned during theirweek at VBS. Also, the kids willpresent what they learned and a fewGod-stories. Let’s not allow anychild to be left behind, but includedin every opportunity to build theirfaith.

July 4 is a very special day inAmerica. It’s the day we celebrateour Independence. It’s the day wecelebrate our right to rule ourselves.Political freedom is a great thingand our right for religious freedomis absolutely wonderful. However, in

WEDIDIT

The Latest WordV 21 N 07

BILL AUMACKeditor

BILL AUMACKlayout

LINDA AUMACKproof reading

LETTY DURANdistribution

MITCH WILLIAMSpastor

address mail to: (we like letters!)Downey-Florence Seventh-dayAdventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd.Downey, CA 90240office: 562.869.6013fax: [email protected]

distributed monthlyissue date: July 2009copyright 1992-2009

We can do the samewith our kids. It isnever too late to

develop faith in ourkids.

continued on page 5

““

””

Promoting Faith (cont. from page 1)

July 2009July 2009

3

WWebster says “judge” means to“form an opinion about

through careful weighing of evi-dence and testing of premises . . . tosit in judgment on . . . to form anestimate or evaluation of . . . to holdas an opinion” (Webster’s NinthNew Collegiate Dictionary).

GGod says “Do not judge, or youtoo will be judged. For in the

same way you judge others, you willbe judged, and with the measure youuse, it will be measured to you.”Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)

I took a vacation day last week. Ihad plans to see a friend visitingfrom New York. She is a friend Ihad not seen in about 27 years. Youknow me and my never-ending loveof snooping around till I find peopleI’m looking for. Well, she is one ofthem. We attended junior highschool together back in the 60’s andthen moved in separate directions.Her family eventually moved toOhio and the last time I saw her, I

went to visit her there. That was in1972.

I have to admit I was a bit ner-vous at the thought of seeing heragain after all these years. Whatwould we talk about? Is it possiblethat just because we were goodfriends then that we would feel thesame now? And underlying all ofthose thoughts and more was the factthat I knew she was of a differentfaith than mine-a faith which I donot understand. I am aware thatpeople of this faith have a reputationof being very zealous in theirattempts to convert others, and Iwondered whether that would be anissue that day.

On any other day of that nature, Ithink I would have been consumedwith thoughts of “where are wegoing,” “what are we going to do,”and “what on earth should I wear?!”You know how we women are.Uncharacteristically though, none ofthose thoughts concerned me thatmorning. Instead, I found myself

praying over the day. Although Iwas not thinking about what to wear,I couldn’t help but feel that God wastalking to me about how to dress forthe day. I was reminded, as I havebeen several times in the past coupleof months, of the verses inEphesians that tell me I need to wearGod’s armor-not the kind of out-ward, impenetrable clothing of asolider, but the armor God provides.Truth, righteousness, a shield andshoes fitted with the readiness thatcomes from the Gospel of Peace.On top of that, the verses I read toldme that I needed to clothe myselfwith the Lord Jesus Christ and thatwould include humility, compassionand kindness (Romans 13:12,Colossians 3:12 and 1 Peter 5:5). Iwas not sure why God was remind-ing me of these things but felt Imight see the reason later.

It was in that frame of mind thatI went to meet my friend. We had alot of fun catching up on our lives,and it didn’t take long for me to

July 4Bill AumackIn Dependence

July 11Mitch Williams

Kid’s Sabbath

July 18Gustavo Ortega

San Felipe Expedition

July 25Mitch Williams

VBS Closing Program

Worship Schedule

realize that we are alike in manyways. I was completely flabbergast-ed when we discovered, for the firsttime, that we had similar circum-stances happen in our young livesjust prior to the period of time wefirst met. It was something we hadnever shared with each other before.But I think the most important thingthat happened is this. After all wassaid and done, I recognized that myfriend was wearing the right cloth-ing, and I’m not talking about herphysical dress. I mean to say that Irecognized in her the very things Ihad studied that morning. It hit meat the end of the day, and I felt asthough God were speaking to meagain. “Don’t judge a book by its

God, Webster & You

by Linda BewleyBiased or Unbiased?

continued on page 5


4

Every country has a celebrationthat signifies patriotism. In theUnited States that holiday is theFourth of July, Independence Day. Iam a huge fan of Fourth of July fire-works. This fondness for fireworksis part of my fabric. It stems frompleasant memories of childhood.

My dad was a proud UnitedStates citizen. If we attended anevent where the National Anthemwas played, my brothers, sisters andI had better be on our feet with handover heart demonstrating respect. Wegrew up in a patriotic home and cel-ebrated Fourth of July in properform. The holiday started with a tripdowntown to watch the Fourth ofJuly parade. We continued the cele-bration with a traditional barbequeshared by family and friends. Theday ended with the family pilinginto the car and driving to a prede-termined ‘perfect location’ for fire-works.

As an adult, I find it hard tobelieve that some people do not cel-ebrate the Fourth of July with thesame enthusiasm as I do. Manyyears, my husband chose sleep overwatching fireworks. For the first fewyears of our marriage this was a fric-tion point. Eventually, I decided itwas easier to leave “the party poop-er” at home. My children, all orsome, attended fireworks with me,but some years I went alone. I am adiehard!

For me watching fireworks is adeeply significant experience. As Istand under a darkened smoky skywith flashes of brilliance dancingbefore my eyes, I am reminded ofmy privileged position. Not just as aUnited States citizen with all the

freedom due one, but as a Christianand an even greater freedom. Beinga free citizen mirrors the freedomthat I have in Christ. Whether I am aU.S. citizen or a citizen of anotherfree coun-try, it is ahigh call-ing andshouldnever betreatedlightly.Watchingfireworksis a yearlyreminderof thatprivilegeand muchmore thantradition.As I look skyward, I’m also remind-ed of my station. I am not Creator. Iam created. It’s important to remem-ber that in a world where so oftenthings get out of order. My freedomin Christ is free to me but my Saviorpaid a very high price. Likewise, thefreedom that I enjoy is a gift boughtby hard sacrifices and courage.

So I celebrate.

One year on the Fourth of July, Ibroke with tradition. My familyspent the day working around thehouse instead of the normal festivi-ties. Many projects desperately needour attention and we decided toforego the barbecues in order toknock out some of those necessarytasks. I had been battling a summercold for several days prior. A betterplan would have been to get somemuch-needed rest but that is notwhat I did. After putting in a longbusy day of work, I was exhausted.

When nighttime rolled around, eventhough, I desperately wanted to gowatch fireworks, I didn’t have theenergy. I resigned myself to the factthat I would be missing them.

Before putting my wearydisappointed self to bed, Imade a cup of tea and steppedoutside on the porch to drinkit. There was a field directlyacross from my home. I oftenwatched the orioles feed there.It is likely home to many arodent, snake, insect and othernighttime creature. On thisnight it was aglow with fire-flies. The field glittered with aGod designed fireworksextravaganza, a heavenly dis-play. As I sat watching thefireflies dance and flash abeautiful Fourth of July

pageant for this tired audience ofone, I felt both insignificant in thepresence of such beauty and hum-bled by the lavish gift. I had neverseen that many fireflies at one timeand I haven’t since. The conductorof the universe had orchestrated afirefly fourth, maybe in my honor ormaybe just because that is what Hedoes.

Every good and perfect gift isfrom above, coming down from theFather of heavenly lights, who doesnot change like the shifting shadows.(James 1:17 NIV) =

Darlene is a writer who travels with herhusband, Mark across rural UnitedStates as he builds power plants.

Article Source: www.faithwriters.com

Independence Day

by Darlene HightA Firefly Fourth

Red, White & Blue

July 2009July 2009

5

With Love From the Kitchenof Ginny Williams

Rhubarb, Strawberries, &Blueberries & drop of vanilla-yogurt

1. Rhubarb: 3 cups of cleanedrhubarb and cut into ½ inch slices. 1tsp. cinnamon spice, 1/2 tsp. of freshgrated ginger, ¼ tsp. sea salt. Onecup of water with l T. of cornstarchdissolved. Place all ingredients in apot. Bring mixture to a boil, andcook on low heat for approx. l0 min-utes, stirring to prevent burning.

Stir in 2 packages Stevia. Stiragain. Set aside to cool

2. Strawberries: 1 large package offresh strawberries cleaned, andsliced and smashed in another bowl.Add 1/3 cup Agave (found at TraderJoe’s ). Add 1 T. maple extract. Stirall these together in bowl. Then addto rhubarb mixture and stir well untilblended. Chill!

3. To Serve: Spoon into a decora-tive dish, rhubarb and strawberriesmixture. Add 1 T. blueberries ontop and then 1 T. vanilla yogurt(Yoplait Light, Fat Free)

Note: If you don’t want to useAgave or Stevia, use 1 ½ cups ofwhite sugar. =

Webster & God(cont. from page 3)cover.” Clearly, I had approachedthe day with preconceived ideasabout someone simply because oftheir chosen faith. It makes methink of the times when I share thefact that I am a Seventh-dayAdventist Christian. I hate to saythis, but I often wonder in whatkind of “box” they will immediatelyplace me. What stereotype belief orpersonality will someone automati-cally assume simply because I aman Adventist. And that makes meuncomfortable. Yet that is exactlywhat I did. OUCH! Well, lessonlearned.

I am glad that God revealed allof this to me and very thankful forthe day I had to reunite with a longlost friend. It turned out to be quitea blessing, particularly consideringwe were dressed alike! =

our celebration of our independenceit’s important to remember that weare dependent on God. Join us onJuly 4 as Bill Aumack brings us amessage entitled “In Dependence.”In the land of plenty, it’s far too easyto forget about how dependent onGod we are. We tend to think we dideverything ourself. Let’s take thetime to remember that we need God.

Did you know one of our leaderswas selected to take part in anadventure called San Felipe expedi-tion? Gustavo Ortega was invited tobe part of the expedition and applyhis geological knowledge and train-ing to scour a coastal shore for anyevidence of a sunken galleon. Theexpedition’s discoveries are on dis-play in San Diego at the floatingmuseum, the Star of India.

The expedition searched the cen-tral Baja Coast for evidence of agalleon out of Manila and bound forMexico City. The galleon, SanFelipe, sought safety from a storm inthe port of Acapulco after 6 monthsat sea. It is thought the galleon wentdown as the crew lost control of theship’s steerage while the windpushed the uncontrolled vessel intothe coastal shallows.

On July 18, Gustavo will tell thestory of the San Felipe expedition aspart of a Bible message. Bring afriend to hear God’s word.

See you when the church gathers. =

Promote Faith (cont. from page 2)

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4

5 7 8 10 11

13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

8:06 pm sunset

8:04 pm sunset

7:59 pm sunset

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Gustavo Ortega

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship VBS ClosingMitch Williams

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

S.S. - Sabbath School

9

10:50 AM WorshipBill Aumack

10:50 AM Worship Kids’ Sabbath

610 AM C.S.

6:30 pm BandPractice


12

Downey Adventist ChurDowney Adventist Chur ch ch

7 pm Women’sPrayer Group


7 pm Women’sPrayer Group7 pm ChurchBoard

8:08 pm sunset



FellowshipLuncheon

VBS - 6 to 8:30pm

PathfinderCarwash

Park Event

7:54 pm sunset


There is no question in any ofour minds that these last twelvemonths have been a tumultuous peri-od, particularly in the areas of

finances and employment. The eco-nomic statistics the United Statesgovernment has been reporting to usover the last six months have beenstaggering. This short quiz cannot dojustice to the figures that are dailythrown at us, because there are somany, but see how you do on theseitems that have been in the news.

1. As of May 2009, our Federalbudget deficit had reached…

a. $1.8 trillion c. $2.8 trillion

b. $2.4 trillion d. $3.1 trillion

Answer: a. To help you get yourmind around this figure, consider itas 1.8 trillion seconds - and that isequivalent to approximately 57,000years. (Source: Bottom LinePersonal, May 1, 2009)

2. What would you guess is thenational credit card debt?

a. $580 billion c. $970 billion

b. $690 billion d. $989 billion

Answer: c. This is 50 percenthigher than the last economic slow-down in 2000.

3. How many United States banksfailed in 2008?

a. 21 c. 25

b. 23 d. 29

Answer: c. If you chose d., youare correct for those in the first fourmonths in 2009. Interestingly, therewere only 3 bank failures in 2007

and none in2006. (Source:Internet - Bankfailures &Assistance, April

29, 2009)

4. During this current recession,approximately how many individ-uals have been laid off?

a. 2 million c. 4 million

b. 3 million d. 5 million

Answer: b. (Source: USA Today,April 23, 2009)

5. How many credit card accountshad their interest rate raised dur-ing the period March 2007 toFebruary 2008?

a. 30 million c. 70 million

b. 55 million d. 85 million

Answer: c. During this periodnearly one in four consumers hadtheir interest rate increased,resulting in at least $10 billion inadditional financial charges.(Source: USA Today, April 23,2009, page 28)

6. The Dow Jones (stocks) isdown approximately how muchfor the first four months of 2009.

a. 5% c. 15%

b. 10% d. 20%

Answer: b. (Source: USA Today,April 23, 2009, page 67)

7. What percentage of Americansover age 45 would like the govern-ment to assist families who arefacing foreclosure to stay in theircurrent homes?

a. 83% c. 71%

b. 78% d. 68%

Answer: d. However, if youchose a., you would have been cor-rect for assistance for those who hadlost their employment to keep orpurchase health insurance. If youchose b., that would have been cor-rect to provide unemployment bene-fits for as long as people are lookingfor work, and if you chose c., youwould have been correct to makehome mortgages more affordable.(Source: AARP, May & June 2009,page 68)

8. In the first four months of 2009,how many houses in the U.S.defaulted into foreclosure?

a. 1.3 million c. 788,750

b. 988,765 d. 678,940

Answer: c.As of the lastday of April,according to theCenter ofResponsibleLending.

9. Which state leads in the numberof default or foreclosed propertiesin America?

a. California c. Florida

b. Nevada d. Arizona

Answer: a. California had the

July 2009July 2009

7

Our Current CrisisStewpot

by Gordon BottingDrPH, CHES

continued on page 11

“One who thinks that money can doeverything is likely to do anything formoney.” (Anonymous)


8

July BirthdaysEwan McMahan - 4 Pilar Centeno, Sr. - 7 Bonnie Iversen - 8 Lileth McMahan - 10 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 itin.

July 2009July 2009

9

UpcUpcomingomingEEvvenentsts

1st Sunday - 10 a.m. Community ServiceThursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer GroupFridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice

July 11 - Kids’ Sabbath & LuncheonJuly 12 - Park EventJuly 19 - Pathfinder CarwashJuly 20-24 - VBS 6pm to 8:30pm

The Latest Worddeadline is the 5thof the month.

Coming Soon

August 1 - Teacher DedicationAugust 29 - Summer ConcertSeptember 5 - CommunionOctober - Small Groups Start Up

this month

We are Going to the Park!

Save Sunday, July 12, for our party at the park.

There will be food, games, andactivities for the whole family.

Mark the date and plan to bringfriends and family for a day of

fun.

Watch for more details at church.


10

The Latest About

Our Church FamilyCongratulations to Virginia and

Erik Concha. Ranewas born on June 4that 12:04pm. Raneweighed 7lbs 13ounces and he was20 inches long. Erikmade it here in timefor the birth. His unitlet him come hereahead of time and hearrived on May 31st.Praise God!

Congratulations to AmberMacias and Christopher Rayas.

Amber gave birth to Marley LovaeRayas on June 13, 2009.She was 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 21inches.

Congratulations to EvanAumack who is SanGabriel Academy’s StudentAssociation President for2009-2010.

If you have any ChurchFamily news, please con-tact the church office so we

can get it into the newsletter. =

Congratulations to our graduates!They have put a lot of work intotheir studies and we celebrate theirachievements with them. May Godcontinue to bless you in whatever isnext in your life.

CollegeLOURDES ORTEGAUC Davis Major in Environmental PolicyAnalysis and Planning Minor in Communication

SUSIE DURANCal State University, Long BeachB.A. in Education & TeachingCredentials Honors: Magna Cum Laude

JANETH CUYUCH-PEREZMedical Assistant Degree

MELISSA ARCHILA

Downey Adult SchoolLicensed Vocational Nurse

RICARDO MARTIN GONZALEZRio Hondo College AA in Fire Technology

High SchoolSKAILER GODOYWarren High School

VERONICA LOZANOManuel Arts High School

CALETTE GARCIALos Altos High School

Eighth GradeEDUARDO LOZANOHorace Mann Middle School

KRYSTELLE MEADEAdventist Union Schoolwith honors

Pre-SchoolMICHAEL A. RAMIREZPre KRobert Hill Lane Elementary

=

Congratulations to our Graduates

Did you know that you canget Downey Adventist Churchsermons on iTunes? It’s true.Do a search for “DowneyChurch” and download ser-mons to your MP3 player orcomputer. Too cool!

July 2009July 2009

11

highest total number with over57,000 in the month of April.Florida was second with 30,000+ inJanuary. However, Nevada has thehighest rate in the nation. (Source:Bloomberg, April 29, 2009)

10. Which city in theUnited States has thedubious honor ofbeing the top foreclo-sure city?

a. Sacramento b. Orlandoc. Chicagod. Las Vegas

Answer: d.Sacramento was 6th, Orlando was8th, Chicago was 3rd. Florida hasfour cities in the top ten, followed byCalifornia with three. (Source:Internet, May 2009)

11. Because of the changing econo-my, how many individuals havedecided to plan to work five addi-tional years before retiring?

a. 11% c. 24%

b. 19% d. 46%

Answer: c. If you chose a. 11%,that would be the number of individ-uals who are planning on 1-2 moreyears. If b., that would be the num-ber who are planning to work 3-5more years. If d., these are notchanging their retirement plans.

(Source:“Money,” USAToday, April 22,2009, page 1B)

12. At the end of2008, what per-centage ofAmericans over45 were confi-dent that they

had enough money to retire?

a. 73% c. 59%

b. 68% d. 45%

Answer: c. If you checked b., youwould have had the correct answerwhen AARP asked the same ques-tion in April 2008. (Source: AARP,May & June 2009, page 68)

13. Which of the following namesis not correctly named as one ofthe top financial bubbles?

a. The Dutch Tulip Bubble b. The North Sea Bubble c. The Mississippi Bubbled. The 1920’s Bubble

Answer: b. The real bubble wasentitled the South Sea Bubble.(Source: Manias, Panics, andCrashes: A History of FinancialCrises, Charles P. Kindleberger &Robert Aliber)

How did you do? Did some ofthese questions make you thinkabout your own economic situationand what you need to do regardingyour household finances? Nextmonth’s Stewpot will be dealingwith how to survive this downturnand stay afloat during this recession.=

Current Crisis (cont. from page 7)

Pathfinder Car Wash

Bring your dirty cars to Downey Church onSunday, July 19 for a car wash.

The Pathfinders are raising money to go toOshkosh Wisconsin for the Camporee.

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

Return Service Requested

DATED MATERIAL

July 2009July 2009

PPonder This...onder This...

= “America stands on two great pillars — faith andmorality. Without these, our foundation crumbles.”—George Washington

= “He who has received must give; it is better to givemuch, but it is essential to give a part at least.”—Giovanni Papini

= “The road of life twists and turns, and no two direc-tions are the same. Yet our lessons come from the jour-ney, not the destination.”—Don Williams Jr.

= “You’ll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try toget even with him.”—Lou Holtz

Documents

Jul 09 Latest Word