Sept 2009 Latest Word

We often refer to our congregationas a family. In the book of Romans,chapter 8 and verse16 it says, “TheSpirit himself testifies with our spiritthat we are God’s children.” Nodoubt about it, we are a family andGod regards us as his children.

Just like any family, kids are influ-enced by those around them. Mycousin and I watched as one of ourfavorite uncles took a bite of tobaccoand began to chew. In a few minuteshe was looking around for a place toexpel his mouth’s content. To twoyoung cousins, the thought of chew-ing and expelling looked like fun. Sowe ran to the kitchen and, after anexcited conversation, settled on coffeegrounds for our experiment. We soon

discovered that chewing coffee wasnot so hot.

What memories do you have ofimitating the adults in your family?I’m sure the stories would be captivat-ing and in many instances hilarious.However, some might tell stories of aperson in the church family whoseimpatience and forceful words sentdiscouragement into the heart.

After Ginny and I were baptized, Ifound myself appointed as a deacon.At that time, the worship service wasconducted in the fellowship hall. Thefirst day on duty, a lady came into theservice and it was my job to escort herto a seat. Because of my inexperi-

continued on page 2

Mentors Are Neededby Pastor Mitch

Small groups are forming againthis fall. The series beginsSaturday, October 1 andwill end on November21 with CelebrationSabbath.

Our small groupswill be meeting in vari-ous church member’shomes. Watch forinformation at churchabout where the small groups

will be meeting. There should be asmall group close to you.

If you are interested inleading or joining a smallgroup, please see PastorMitch or Bill Aumack.They will help you meetsome friendly folks whohave a small group near

you. =

Small Groups this Fall

Awesome God

When our lives are focusedon God, awe and wonderlead us to worship God, fill-ing our inner being with afullness we would neverhave thought possible. Aweprepares the way in us forthe power of God to trans-form us, and this transfor-mation of our inner attitudescan only take place whenawe leads us in turn to won-der, admiration, reverence,surrender and obediencetoward God.

—James Houston, TheTransforming Power of Prayer

IINNSSIIDDEE

Hanging On! is onpage 3

Profound Peace onpage 4

Ginny’s Kitchen onpage 5

What’s happening?see pages 6 & 9

Jesus’ Last Will onpage 7

Kid’s Page on page 8

Our Church Familypage 10

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

ence, I didn’t realize that when spe-cial music began, it was inappropri-ate to walk down the isle of the ser-vice to find a seat for the lady-whichI eagerly did. Onmy way back,feeling veryproud of myaccomplish-ment, I caughtthe annoyedexpression ofone of the lead-ing elders.Although I wasyoung, his facial message camethrough loud and clear. My deacon-ing days might have ended right onthe spot but for the kind words of agodly gentleman who witnessed theunfortunate encounter. I don’t recallexactly his words, but his compas-sion encouraged my heart to contin-ue in my new found faith.

This month’s series of messagesaims to encourage us be mentors toall those around us-especially thekids.

Throughoutthe NewTestament,Jesus is con-sistently men-toring his dis-ciples. A won-derful exampleis found inJohn 13:14-15:

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher,have washed your feet, you alsoshould wash one another’s feet. Ihave set you an example that youshould do as I have done for you.”

In our first service on September5, we celebrate the most importantservice of the month, Communion.

THE LATEST WORDTHE LATEST WORD

2

The message focuses on the Lord’slifestyle and what that means to us.The message is called Living theLife. With the Bible as our guide,we’ll see how we can let go of try-ing to be “good” and simply followthe example of our Lord’s lifestyle.

The message for September 12asks the question What Is a Mentor?To help us answer that question,we’ll open our Bibles to 1 Samueland review the story of God’s call tothe little boy, Samuel. The Biblesays, “One night Eli, whose eyeswere becoming so weak that hecould barely see, was lying down inhis usual place . . . . and Samuel waslying down in the temple of theLord, where the ark of God was.Then the Lord called Samuel.Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’” (1Sam 3:2-5, NIV).

WEDIDIT

The Latest WordV 21 N 09

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: September 2009copyright 1992-2009

With the Bible as ourguide, we’ll see how we canlet go of trying to be good

and simply follow theexample of our Lord.

continued on page 5

““

””

Mentors Are Needed (cont. from page 1)

September 2009September 2009

3

WWebster says “persevere” means“to persist in a state, enter-

prise, or undertaking in spite ofcounterinfluences, opposition, or dis-couragement” (Merriam WebsterOnline).

GGod says, “Blessed is the manwho perseveres under trial,

because when he has stood the test,he will receive the crown of life thatGod has promised to those who lovehim” (James 1:12 NIV).

On my way to work one day,while driving at about 35 mph, Inoticed something hanging from mycar’s antenna. When I came to astop light, I realized it was a spiderrolled up in a ball and connected toits web; and the web was stuck tothe antenna. As I sat at the light, thespider unfolded its body and triedcrawling to the antenna, but then thesignal changed, and I was off again.The spider curled up in a ball oncemore and seemed to be hanging onfor dear life. Part of me wanted to

stop the car, get out and rescue thelittle creature, but the other part ofme (the part that was on my way towork and already running late) said,“oh well!” and kept right on truck-ing. Each time I came to a stop, Ichecked for the spider. He was stillholding on. By the time I got ontothe freeway, I was almost holdingmy breath for the littlething. Would youbelieve, it managedto hold on until Igot to my destina-tion and parkedmy car? I did nothave time tocheck it out butinstead ran up tothe office. Bymid-morningcuriosity got thebest of me. I tooka break and walked downto my car. The spider was stillthere, alive and well. I took thatopportunity to put him on the groundso he would not have another wild

ride when I got ready to leave forhome.

Don’t you just love lessons fromnature? Well, here goes. There havebeen times that I have heard aboutspiders and webs in connection withour spiritual lives. The examples

I’ve heard, though, havebeen about sin or being

caught in Satan’s web.However, the spider

and web attached tomy antenna hadanother lesson instore for me. Thespider’s lesson wasabout holding onto

God. That spidershowed characteris-

tics none of us shouldbe without. Tenacity,perseverance and

strength. God asks us tobe tenacious and to hold onto Himagainst all odds. When it seems dif-ficult or impossible, we are to perse-vere. But we are never required to

Sep. 5Mitch Williams

Communion

Sep. 12Mitch WilliamsWhat is a Mentor?

Sep. 19Mitch WilliamsA Second Chance

Sep. 26Mitch WilliamsA Window in Time

Worship Schedule

do it in our own strength. Just as thespider’s web provided strength for itto stay attached to my antenna, Godprovides strength for us to remainconnected to Him.

Perhaps a man named Asaph saidit best. “Whom have I in heaven butyou? And earth has nothing I desirebesides you. My flesh and my heartmay fail, but God is the strength ofmy heart and my portion forever”(Psalm 73: 25-26). =

God, Webster & You

by Linda BewleyHanging On!


4

“Therefore, having been justified byfaith, we have peace with Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:1

As we continue (re)discoveringthe promises of God, I see a picturein my mind of someone runningthrough a forest as if being chasedby some unknown predator. Duckinglow hanging tree limbs, slashingthrough matted undergrowth, sweat-ing and panting, she looks backtoward an unseen pursuer.Fear mounts with everytwist and turn in hereffort to escape.Frantically she jumpsover fallen debris andexposed roots, deter-mined not to fall, lestshe be overtaken.

Feeling as if shehas been going in cir-cles, so tired andunable to take anotherstep, she comes upon aclearing in the woods. Should sheenter? Will it be safe out in theopen?

She hesitates for just a moment,but the clearing calls to her some-how. With her first step, there is

peace. Wonderful, glorious peace.She no longer hears her pursuercrashing through the trees and brush,she knows only rest. Fear is gone.Was this place here all the time shewas running? It is immense, whydid it take her so long to find it?

Dr. David Jeremiah wrote a booktitled, “Captured by Grace.” Hedescribes a traveler in a similar situ-

ation. He is notfrantic however, butrather searching.

His clearing was inthe shape of a cross.I liked that. As Iwas reading, I saw

myself in the illustra-tion, not as a seeker butas someone seemingly

hunted with no appar-ent way of escape.I guess that’s howI felt for most ofmy life; runningfrom memories

of past mistakes,trying to be better on my own,always afraid of making the next bigblunder with my ‘enemy’ alwaysclose behind.

I still have a tendency to allow

myself to return to that harried, wor-ried state of mind. Life can be sohard. The difference now is that Iknow where that clearing is and Iknow the way back no matter wherefear and uncertainty may take me.My desire is to remain in the clear-ing always, but I know that I mustlive life and that trials are still outthere waiting for me. I have foundthough; the more I come to theclearing, the easier it is to face diffi-culty.

The Message Bible puts ourverse like this: “By enteringthrough faith into what God hasalways wanted to do for us-set usright with him, make us fit for him-we have it all together with Godbecause of our Master Jesus. Andthat’s not all: We throw open ourdoors to God and discover at thesame moment that he has alreadythrown open his door to us. We findourselves standing where we alwayshoped we might be-out in the openspaces of God’s grace and glory,standing tall and shouting ourpraise.” v.1,2

Father; Thank you for that won-derful place of peace you have pro-vided in Christ. =

Before the Father

by Linda FernandezProfound Peace

The alarm clock has wakenedme, dear God, but I want to talk withyou before it rings again. I need tothank you for this comfortable bedand a good night’s sleep, for goodhealth and strength, for an enjoyableweekend, for a wonderful churchand worship service, for friends andfamily who care and love, for you

and all that you bring to our lives,for the opportunities to serve you.

Be with me throughout this dayand the week ahead. Let me do mywork honestly, willingly and respon-sibly. As I meet people, help me tosee them as your children and yourloved ones.

I know you will lead me in what-ever circumstances this day holds. Ilook forward to the adventures youand I will share together. In Jesus’name, I pray. Amen.

—Peggy Ferrell,from Prayers, Hymns and Poems

Monday Morning Prayer

Ginny’s Park Wraps


5

With Love From the Kitchenof Ginny Williams

1 package, Mission multigrain flourtortillas 1 6oz jar of artichokes drained andwhizzed in a food processor untilspreadable consentiency1 small carton of freshly madeHummus. (purchased at Trader Joesor Fresh & Easy market.) 1 medium size, red bell pepper, cutinto long strips.1 medium size, orange bell pepper,cut into long strips.1 package of sun-dried tomatoes(julienne-cut).1 package of spring-fresh-salad mix,in a box from the market.wax paper or deli wrap -paperFoil

Add one teaspoon of cumin spiceand l teaspoon fresh lemon juice to

the Hummus and stir all together.

Lay a sheet of waxed paper/deliwrap-paper down and then lay aflour tortilla on top.

Fill tortillas with : 2 Tablespoon of Hummus1 teaspoon of artichoke spread3 strips of red and orange bell-pep-pers EACHAbout 4 sun-dried tomatoesOne small handful of spring freshsalad

Roll each tortilla up with mix-ture. Wrap with wax paper or deliwrap-paper. Cut in half on the diago-nal. Then wrap all in foil.

These will keep for a few days.So make ahead and keep in therefrigerator. =

From young Samuel’s response itseems a conversation is about tobegin with God. What comes nextmight surprise you.

A Second Chance is the title ofthe message on September 19. Whatif you would like to be a mentor toyour children and those around youbut you don’t feel qualified? Wemay not realize it but all of us arementors in one way or another tothose around us whether adult orkids. All of us have experienced thepositive influence of family andfriends as well as the church family.Unfortunately, we’ve also felt theimpact of the opposite attitudes

toward God and man in our lives.Some simply feel they have nothingto offer for they were not intentional-ly discipled when they were young.There is good news of A SecondChance.

Just as the Lord God brought thepeople of Israel into “flourishingcities you did not build” (Deut 6:10,NIV), so the Lord is willing to bringus along with Him to a better under-standing of how to be a mentor. Amentor is a person who loves Jesusand follows him. Does that soundlike you? This message is for all ofus.

The final message on September26 is called A Window in Time. Whatdo you want your child to be whenhe or she grows-up? No dream istoo big for our children or ourselvesfor with God nothing is impossible.The Lord is opening a window ofopportunity for all of us to grow inhim. How to seize the day of oppor-tunity as our own is the gist of themessage.

See you when the church gathers. =

Mentors... (cont. from page 2)

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5

6 8 9 11 12

14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

7:07 pm sunset

6:57 pm sunset

6:47 pm sunset

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams

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

S.S. - Sabbath School

10

10:50 AM WorshipMitch WilliamsCommunion

10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams

710 AM C.S.

6:30 pm BandPractice


13

Downey Adventist ChurDowney Adventist Chur ch ch

7 pm Women’sPrayer Group


7:16 pm sunset


FellowshipLuncheon7 pm Women’s

Prayer Group6:30 pm BandPractice

7 pm ChurchBoard

OfficeClosed

First Day ofAutumn

NationalGrand-parents Day


Did you know that Jesus had aLast Will and Testament? Look atthis, from the writings of Ellen G.White: “The last words of Christwere, ‘Go ye into all the world…’This was Christ’s Last Will andTestament to his followers whowalked with him during the years ofhis earthly ministry, and to thosewho should believe on him throughtheir word.” RH, 11-06-94.

Okay, I know that this is not thekind of Last Will and Testament youwere expecting. But the concept isthe same. Christ’s last words wereHis legacy to us because He knew ifwe followed His last wishes, all Heworked for while on this earth wouldbe realized….the salvation of man.

For ThoseWho FollowAfter

You see, thepurpose of aLast Will andTestament is toleave instruc-tions for thosewho followafter. In mostcases, the LastWill andTestament leavesinstructionsregarding assetsand their disposi-tion. But moreimportantly, theLast Will andTestament is thetestator’s last opportunityto influence those who come after.

Conditions ReflectValue

It is very common for conditionsto be placed upon bequests (giftsfrom a Last Will and Testament),and it is these conditions that canhave a profound influence on thebeneficiary. Very often, we havegrandparents who leave educationaltrust funds for their grandchildrenwith the condition that the childrenreceive the funds only if they attendAdventist schools. And as a parentwho has seen all three of his chil-dren through our Adventist educa-tional system, I can testify to thevalue of Adventist Christian educa-tion.

Hence, the Last Will andTestament is the means bywhich those who come afterus can know what we value

most. And in the case ofJesus’ last words, it isquite obvious that Hewanted us to follow inHis footsteps. Why?Because He knew that

to do so would bring usgreat joy, peace, andeventual salvation.

In the same vein, ourLast Will and Testamentcan have a profoundimpression on our childrenand heirs. The instructionswe place in our Last Willand Testament will identifywhat we want for our chil-dren and what we value

most of all.

Ellen G. White

Take the example of our Lord’sservant, Ellen G. White. I know youhave enjoyed her writings, whichhave endured long after her death in1915. And the reason why we con-tinue to be blessed by new worksfrom her 100 thousand pages ofwritings is because she recognizedthe importance of having a Last Willand Testament.

Her Last Will andTestament. At the age ofeighty-four, Ellen White preparedher Last Will and Testament,bequeathing her writings for “theimprovement of the books and manu-scripts held in trust by them, andherein provided; for the securingand printing of new translationstherefore; for the printing of compi-lations from my manuscripts; forgeneral missionary work of theSeventh-day Adventist denomination;for the support of mission schools,under the Negro Department of theSeventh-day Adventist GeneralConference; for the support ofMission Schools for the illiteratewhites in the Southern States,….”

If you ever wondered what wasimportant to Ellen White, you onlyneed to peruse her Last Will andTestament to find out. Other thanproviding for her children andgrandchildren, the bulk of her estatewent to the Seventh-day AdventistChurch for missionary work.

And what effect do you think thatLast Will and Testament had on herchildren? James Edson White andWilliam C. White were both


7

Jesus’ Last Will andTestament

Stewpotby Dennis YoshiokaDirector, Trust & PropertyManagement

continued on page 11


8

Sept. BirthdaysPilar Centeno, Jr. - 5Pat Novinski - 6Will Stephens - 6Kean Aispuro - 9Elora Chavez - 9 Ingrid McMahan - 10Shelby Jackson - 11 Roxanne Chavez - 12Dolores Gamboa - 13Amber Macias - 15Mitch Williams - 19Hector Archila - 21Enoch Aispuro - 22Partricia Jackson - 23Eloy Luna - 23 Dennis Navarro - 26Jackie Licon - 29

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


9

UpcUpcomingomingEEvvenentsts

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

Sept 5 - CommunionSept 24 - Fellowship Luncheon

after the serviceSept 26 - Church Board 7pm

The Latest Worddeadline is the 5thof the month.

Coming SoonOctober - Small Groups Start UpOctober 24 - Fall PartyNovember 21 - Celebration SabbathDecember 5 - Kids SabbathDecember 19 - Community Christmas

this month

Small Groups are startingagain in October. If

you are willing open yourhome, let us know!


10

The Latest About

Our Church Family

Congratulations to EthanMorales, DavidGuerrero andMartha Guerrero-Patino. They were allbaptized on August 1.Be sure to welcomethem into the familyof God.

Also welcomeCharles andMinerva Racho intothe Downey family as they trans-ferred their membership to Downey.Welcome!

Congratulations to AlonsoOrtega who will bestudying abroad in Italyfor a the first semesterthis year.

If you have anyChurch Family news,please contact the churchoffice so we can get it intothe newsletter. =

Thank you to everyone who hasbeen saving Campbell Soup Labelsfor education and Box Tops forEducation. That is greatly appreci-ated.

On the Campbell Soup labels, allthat is really need is the UPC (thebar code). You don’t have to savethe entire label, just the UPC barcode.

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

Please give your labels to LindaAumack. Thank you for your sup-port! =

Be Transformed

Labor Day weekend — it’s atime to rest from our labors. But thisis also an opportunity to reflect onour daily work and discern whetherour effort is thankless and uninter-esting or something that gives usdeep and lasting satisfaction. Godintends for our work to be muchmore than a job, much more than adaily grind. It should be, instead, avocation — which means, quite lit-erally, a “calling.”

In Romans 12:2, Paul challengesus with the words: “Do not be con-

formed to this world, but be trans-formed by the renewing of yourminds, so that you may discern whatis the will of God — what is goodand acceptable and perfect.”

The apostle’s advice, then, is tobe transformed by the renewing ofyour minds. Paul says be trans-formed by discovering what theLord God is calling you to do. =

—Homiletics

Saturday, September 5thInvite a friend to this renewing service.


11

bequeathed for their lifetimes “10%of the net proceeds of said propertiesfor (their) sole use and benefit…”However, shortly after their mother’sdeath, these two sons relinquishedall claims from their inheritance,leaving the funds to work exclusive-ly for the benefit of the church.

Her Trust. Not onlydid Ellen White have a Last Willand Testament, she also created aTrust with her will. Her Trustappointed five trustees to managethe estate. The original trusteeswere William C. White, ClarenceC. Crisler, Charles H. Jones,Arthur G. Daniells, and Frank M.Wilcox, who were charged withthe management of the estate forthe purposes identified above.

The trustees were appointed forlife, but she also provided for vacan-cies from this Board of Trustees tobe filled by the ExecutiveCommittee of the GeneralConference of Seventh-dayAdventists, in the event that the thensitting board could not agree on areplacement.

The Benefit. So, as youcan see, we benefit from the contin-ued writings of Ellen White becauseshe had the foresight to set her wish-es to pen and paper. And by creatingher Last Will and Testament, sheensured that the words given her by

the Lord Jesus Christ would be per-petuated till His coming.

You and I may not have as exten-sive an estate or as noble a calling asSister White, but we do have lovedones who we want to our death. Thiscan only be done if you’ve madepreparations beforehand and in suchform that they will be carried out.

State of California

Without a Last Will andTestament, did you know, for exam-ple, that the State of California willconsider you an atheist? I say thatbecause without a will, the State hasno provision to give any portion ofyour estate to charity. It doesn’t mat-ter if you have been an Adventist forthe past fifty years and returned titheall your life — without a will, noneof your estate will ever go to thework of the church.

And if you are a parent withminor children, without a Last Willand Testament, the State of

California will decide who raisesyour children. And although thecourts will undoubtedly do the bestjob they can to place your childrenin a loving home, the people theychoose may not share your Adventistvalues or lifestyle. So the only wayto influence the decision of whoraises your children is to have a LastWill and Testament.

Where Will YourAssets Go?

Remember, there are only threeplaces your assets can go after youare gone: family and friends, charity,or the government. If you would liketo give only to family and friendsand your favorite charity, you musthave a Last Will and Testament.Otherwise, your assets may go tosome of your family, or to the gov-ernment, but never will they go toyour favorite charity.

So if you haven’t already doneso, please take the opportunity tomake your wishes known. Get yourLast Will and Testament done. Justgive your local Conference TrustDepartment a call and I am sure theywill be happy to help you.

Remember, Jesus had one, EllenWhite had one — shouldn’t youhave one too? =

Jesus’ Last Will (cont. from page 7)

Small Groups Starting Again in October!

Our Small Groups will be starting up again in October with astudy series called “Footprints & Spirituality.” Watch for anopportunity at church to sign up for a group near you!

Let us know if you would like to help facilitate a small group.

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

Return Service Requested

DATED MATERIAL


PPonder This...onder This...

= “It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless onehas plenty of work to do.”—Jerome K. Jerome

= “God gives us the ingredients for our daily bread, buthe expects us to do the baking.”—William Arthur Ward

= “Conscience is the perfect interpreter of life.”—Karl Barth

= “Education is an investment, not a cost.”—Eddie Basha

Documents

Sept 2009 Latest Word