Aug 2013 The Latest word by Downey Church

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

Change

A Cool August by Cary Fisher

hile July has been a hot one for Downey, August should be a cool month for our church. We start the month by finishing our VBS, and I want to thank all of you who have spent so many hours in making this a precious ministry for our children. We all know of stories where a child had given his/her heart to Jesus during a VBS, so let’s pray for the children that will walk through the doors of

our church this year. There may be some that will have their moment with Jesus as well. Praise God!! After VBS, we will move on to our annual “Parking Lot Party” which will be held on Saturday, August 24th. Being this will be my first one, I personally can’t wait!!! This year, it will have a “Luau” theme, and we can look forward to a wonderful night of island style music, games,

activities and food. Be sure to bring your Hawaiian shirts, joyful spirits and invite as many as people that you can. Remember that this evening is one of our unique outreaches for our families, friends and community. It is our opportunity to show that we want to get to know the people around us, and they are always welcome to the Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church. God had placed this church to be in continued on page 2

Change keeps occurring throughout all of life. Sometimes it brings joy, and sometimes it brings strife. Change what you should; but you still have a voice — How you accept every change is your choice. —Peggy Ferrell, Prayers and Poems

INSIDE

Parking Lot Party - Luau Style

Do You Know My Name? page 3

Your Talents page 4

he party will begin at August 24 at 5:30pm. This year we have a Luau theme. Come ready to enjoy the party Hawaiian style. There will be food, worship and fun in our parking lot. Show off your artistic side in the pavement drawing

contest, or play some ping-pong, volleyball or basketball or just hang out by the fire and enjoy the food and fellowship. Bring some picnic food to share, some lawn chairs to sit in, invite some friends and enjoy the evening with us. =

Taste & Inspiration on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Where Should I Pay My Tithe? on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid’s Page on page 11

THE LATEST WORD A Cool August (cont. from pg 1) bors as ourselves.

words to help us.

On August 10th, our very own Downey Praise

After that, I will start a five part sermon series by using the biblical accounts that followed the day of the Pentecost (Acts Worship is as much a 2:42-47) on definAs far as the ing what makes a part of our lives as worship services church. We will eating or sleeping... begin on August for the month, August 3rd will be 17th with a mesa wrap-up sermon sage titled “Why for our VBS. My Were You Made”. message, titled “Who Are Band will lead the service In Acts 2:46, 47, God’s Our Neighbors”, will be a with music. Their theme people met every day in continuation to Bill’s mes- this year will be on how the temple courts to praise sage the week before as a music affects us. As you God. Worship is as much a focus on Mark 12:29-31 know, music has great part of our lives as eating and the greatest command- power to affect our emoor sleeping, and in fact, we ment according to Jesus. tions. Movies have used are God’s creation for the Hopefully by then, we will music for years to enhance purpose of giving honor certainly understand Jesus’ the viewing experience. and glory to him through words to love God with all The Bible also talks about worship. our hearts and our neighmusic and it gives us some On the 24th, my title is “To Lead, You Need to be Led”. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In other words, we gather together to learn from each other and from the Word because it is God’s desire for us to continually grow in our understanding of Him. As we allow ourselves to be discipled, we will understand more and more His will for our lives which leads us to our next message. On August 31st , “Moving Forward”, will be a mes-

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sage about the miracles we can see when we are being used by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:43 writes, “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” Hopefully, as we understand the start of the Christian church, we will have a clearer picture of our identity as the Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we can see God’s incredible plans he has for His people and His Church. See you when the church gathers. =

The Latest Word V 25 N 08 BILL AUMACK

WE DID IT

this area for a specific reason. We are certainly here to show the people of this community God’s love for them, and it is outreach events like this event that help fulfill that purpose.

responsible for this

LINDA AUMACK copy editor

HATZUKO AISPURO paper distribution

Cary Fisher 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

August 2013 The Word & You by Linda Bewley

od’s word says, “He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’” (Mark 9:36-37.)

ast Sunday at the gym, I was surprised when the gym employee greeted me by name. After all the years I’ve been going to this particular location, someone there knew my

Do You Know My Name? name. Granted, it was the person I speak with almost every Sunday as it is the day of the week I am there most consistently. Still, I was impressed that he had taken time to remember my name. It made me feel welcomed. It also reminded me of my early days at the Downey Church. When I first started attending and even after I was baptized, the pastor always referred to me as “dear.” “Hello, dear, how are you today?” “Have a nice week, dear.” He was a very nice man, and it was okay with me that he did not know my name. I didn’t expect anything else. Then something happened. Pastor Jan Kaatz came to Downey as an associate pastor. Although it’s been about

Worship Schedule August 3 Pastor Cary Who Are Our Neighbors

August 10 Downey Praise Band

August 17 Pastor Cary

Why Were You Made

August 24 Pastor Cary

To Lead, You Need to be Led

August 31 Pastor Cary

Moving Forward

30 years ago, I doubt that I will ever forget this experience. When Pastor Jan greeted me at a Friday evening Bible study, he said, “Hello, Linda.” I was more than surprised. In fact, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that a pastor would take the time to remember my name. It was a small act but one which made me feel welcomed and played a part in helping me feel that I was part of the church and at home there. One of our favorite times of the year is fast approaching. Vacation Bible School! It’s a time when our whole church comes together to focus on children. And not just the children who regularly attend our church but also those who come to visit us from the community or neighboring churches. A lot of work goes into pre-

paring for VBS. There’s music, stories, food, games and more. We want to make sure the children eat a good dinner and have fun. But more important,

our hope is that they learn about Jesus. So now it’s our turn. Our turn to learn their names and cause each of them to know that God, too, knows them personally. It’s our privilege to help each one of them know that they are special in God’s eyes. And it’s our turn to welcome them with open arms and help them feel at home so that they, too, may want to be part of God’s family. Are you ready? =

THE LATEST WORD by Bill Aumack

Your Talents Before the Father is on hiatus while Linda fights cancer. Your prayers on her behalf are appreciated.

T All gifts are useful. All gifts are holy.

“Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.” —Henri J.M. Nouwen

he book of Numbers contains endless instructions about the offerings Israel should make — gold and silver vessels, flour-and-oil mixtures, incense and sacrificial animals. Hidden in there are “six covered wagons and twelve oxen” (7:3, KJV) that the leaders offer to God. Although many of the commanded offerings were impractical for daily living and likely easy to comply with — what use were silver bowls and incense while wandering the desert? — giving up wagons and oxen surely required more thought. They may not seem as holy as gifts of money, fancy utensils and expensive fabric, but they were indeed precious: They would transport the Tent of Meeting from place to place. Likewise today, some people offer money, or other large gifts; others donate art supplies for Sabbath school, casseroles for funeral luncheons, a computer for the church office. All gifts are useful. All gifts are holy. Sometimes the most overlooked gifts are the talents and the skills

that we each have been granted by God. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us gifts for the common good of the church body. In fact, one of the Adventist Church Fundamental Beliefs has to do with Spiritual Gifts. It lists those gifts as “faith, healing, prophecy, proclamation, teaching, administration, reconciliation, compassion, and

self-sacrificing service and charity for the help and encouragement of people.” That list is kind of scary for most of us. We don’t think we have the gift of healing. We all have bad images of faith healers on TV in our heads – that’s not us. We don’t think we are prophets, teachers or evangelists, that just sounds plain old scary. We might be ok in compassion or administration or even reconciliation, but we have no idea how to use that at church. And so

we make up lots of reasons not use our gifts. But we often over look that last one. Self-sacrificing service and charity. That is pretty much a catch all for nearly everything else. Most would agree that a musician who uses their talent for the glory of God is using their spiritual gift. Well, which one of the gifts is that? Service!

How can you use your gifts to serve? It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It may be a seemingly small thing. Helping with kitchen duty at a fellowship luncheon. Cutting apart crafts for the little ones in Sabbath School classes. Helping with some maintenance issues around the church. The needs are many. The real questions is, are you ready to use your talents for God’s glory? All gifts are useful. All are gifts holy. =

August 2013 Taste & Inspiration Barley Greek Salad

ast month in this article we referred to Isaiah 28:24-26 and meant to qualify it with part 1 because the plan was to write part 2 this month using the same scripture and then part 3 next month. (It all ties in.) It mentions the use of wheat, caraway, cumin, barley and spelt. We believe most of us have heard of or are familiar with the first 4 items. But spelt? Not us. We’ll get back to you on that one. Last month’s recipe contained cumin, which is referred to in this scripture. This month we’re using barley. We continue to be inspired by God’s word in learning about and using the nutritious foods that He continues to make available to us and is pleasing to Him for our mental, emotional, physical and especially spiritually healthy living. Next month we’ll share some

farming, well, maybe more like gardening experience.

Barley Greek Salad Prep Time: 10 min

Pilar & Phillip

Inactive Prep Time: 3 hr 20 min

diced

Cook Time: 45 min

1 shallot, minced

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Ingredients 1 cup pearled barley Kosher salt 2 cups yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 1 small red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed and

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.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper Directions Combine the barley, 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the barley is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool.

Combine the tomatoes, feta, olives, mint, bell pepper and shallots in a bowl. Add the cooled barley. Whisk together the red wine vinegar and olive oil in a separate small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Dress the salad and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cook’s Note: It’s best to make the barley salad at least 3 hours ahead of time so the flavors have time to mingle. Enjoy! =

Downey Adventist Church Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

7:53 pm sunset Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. – Sabbath School C.S. – Community Service

3 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship

Vacation Bible School 6:00 - 8:30 PM God’s Backyard Bible Camp!

Pastor Cary

7 pm Band Practice

9 7:46 pm sunset

10 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Band Sabbath

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

16 7:39 pm sunset

17 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

23 7:31 pm sunset

First Day of School at AUS

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Hawaiian Shirt Sabbath

7 pm Downey Church Board

7 pm Band Practice

5:30 pm Parking Lot Party!

30 7:22 pm sunset

31 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

August 2013 Stewpot by Gordon Bottling, DrPH, CHES

conference president was recently visiting a college campus and was asked a simple but profound question by a student. “Why can’t I pay my tithe to wherever I want? Maybe I would prefer to give it to the Red Cross or the International Justice Mission. They do a good work too.” This is not much different than statements I have personally heard from church members. “I give my tithe by paying my grandchildren’s school tuition.” “I give my tithe to 3ABN because they are my church now.” “I give my tithe to another ministry because I don’t trust the church.” “I give my tithe directly to the foreign mission because I want to cut out the middleman.” Giving patterns have changed over recent years. One younger Christian wrote about scrutinizing how the church spends its money, “Where exactly is our money going? Is it helping others? Or is it being spent on elaborate Christmas pageants? Are you building the kingdom? Or are you building your kingdom?”1

Where Should I Pay My Tithe? Part 1: Spiritual Reasons Some argue this is generational thinking but I find such calls for better accountability coming from all ages, and frankly I welcome more transparency of how the church uses money. I am not arguing against the relative merit of all the above mentioned uses of money. I believe that all of those causes and ministries are worthy; but I believe that those are offerings and not tithe by definition.

Tithe is God’s Not Mine “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”2

We are all familiar with that text but do we really think about what it means? Tithe belongs to God, as does everything. We admit His ownership when we surrender 10% back to Him of what He has stewarded to us. The point is that we are robbing God if we control it instead of Him. We are to bring the entire amount into His storehouse and leave it in His control and not ours. Tithe is one way of living out, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”3

Storehouse of Malachi In the Old Testament the temple was God’s method to communicate His message of Salvation to planet earth. The sacrificial system was the object lesson and the priests were the teachers. There was little debate in Malachi’s day over what God meant when He said, “the storehouse.” The temple contained the storehouse and all the activities of the temple were supported from there. The entire tithe came into the storehouse and all the means were continued on page 8

“Giving is more than a responsibility—it is a privilege; more than an act of obedience—it is evidence of our faith.” — William Arthur Ward (192194), American Educator7

“I have held many things in my hand, and have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands that I still possess.” - Martin Luther6

THE LATEST WORD Where Should I Pay Tithe? (cont. from page 7) used to teach the plan of salvation.

The Church is God’s Method Today “The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through his church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth his glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to ‘the principalities and powers in heavenly places,’ the final and full display of the love of God. Ephesians 3:10.”4

That quotation encapsulates the mission statement for today’s church. The church is tasked with carrying the plan of salvation to the world. While we don’t have a temple or priesthood, we do have the same mission as the temple of the Old Testament.

So all the tithe is needed in the storehouse to fund God’s mission.

The Blessing of Tithe Let’s not miss the blessing promised by God. He tells us that if we obey

on this that He will bless us so much we can’t begin to receive it. Does this mean that if I pay my tithe I will be rich? That if I just get the formula right, then I will be overrun with worldly goods? Of course not! Tithing is much like the Sabbath; God gave it to us as a blessing. The book of Hebrews reminds us that the Jews failed to enter into the blessing of the Sabbath because they did not “enter into My rest.”5 The Sabbath is a way for us to acknowledge that God is in control of time and we are not. We set aside everything and focus 24 hours on our relationship with Him and trust that the six days we labor are better for having not worked for ourselves on

the seventh. When practiced right, the Sabbath is our way of saying that six days blessed by God are more productive than seven that are not. Tithe is our way of saying that 90% of our money blessed by God is better than 100% that is not. Tithe is all about faith and not about what we see. Therefore, I tithe by faith. It is the faith that includes giving to where God directs and then trusting Him to take care of the money. My focus in tithing is on God and not what I want. My focus on tithe is on my relationship to Him and not on how fruitful my money is or how it is used. Tithe is more about what I do with the 90% than what happens to the 10%. Tithe is not about money at all, but about my faith and trust in God. The great blessing is in my relationship with God.

4 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9 5 Hebrews 4:5 6 Internet, Tony Cooke Ministries, Great Quotes and Thoughts Regarding Stewardship, Tithing, and Giving 7 Internet, Fred Lambert Ministries, Tithe and Giving Quotes

Brief Bio of Ed Fargusson Ed Fargusson currently serves as Human Resources Director and Assistant to the President of the Northern California Conference. He has spent 20 years as a pastor and 10 years in church administrative work. He and his wife Anne have twin sons who attend Loma Linda University School of Medicine.

Stay Tuned In part two next month, I will talk about the practical side of where to give tithe. = References 1 Robert Jewe, “Why I Won’t Give to Your Church,” Leadership Journal, Spring 2013: p. 37 2 Malachi 3:8-10, New King James Version 3 Proverbs 3:5-6, New King James Version

Some people give God a tenth—a tenth of what they ought to give.7 (Anonymous)

August 2013

Upcoming Events August Birthdays Zelina Archila – 1 Gabriela Miranda – 5 Gabriel Miranda – 8 Frank Duran Jr. – 8 Armando Paredes – 9 Byron Molina, Sr. – 15 Orlando Archila – 15 Sarah Guerrero – 15 Marylene Morris – 25 Stella Martinez – 25 Kirk Bathgate – 27 Samantha Ramirez - 27 Celene Aispuro – 31

Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer Group Fridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice No Pathfinders or Adventures during the summer. Aug 3 - VBS Closing Program. Refreshments after church Aug 19 - First Day of School at AUS Aug 22 - Church Board 7pm Aug 24 - Hawaiian Shirt Sabbath Aug 24 - Parking Lot Party - 5:30pm

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

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

Coming Soon October - Small Groups Begin October 26 - Fall Party

THE LATEST WORD The Latest About

Our Church Family Congratulations to Sam Aispuro. He recently qualified to be a motorcycle officer. Be sure to ask him about it. Linda Aumack would like to thank everyone who so generously helped at her father’s memorial service.

Thank you so much for your love and care.

Untapped Resources

hile taking photos of the earth, the space shuttle Columbia made a surprising discovery: Underneath the harsh Sahara Desert were 26 lakes, as well as miles of underground rivers. That region’s inhabitants face tough conditions because those abundant resources haven’t yet been tapped. Churches often suffer a similar problem. Congregations can’t reach their full God-given potential unless people discover and use their gifts. When we tap into our talents,

Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

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

For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =

A Radical Decision

I however, God promises that we “will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11, NIV). =

n Conformed to His Image (Zondervan), Kenneth Boa writes: “We need to review frequently the truth that our performance and our acceptance by other people has nothing to do with our dignity and value, since this is determined by God and not by the world. When we suffer rejection and indifference, the pain will be real, but it need not destroy us, since we have made the radical decision to look to God and his resources alone for our

true and unchanging identity and worth.” St. Paul made a similar point: “With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. … It is the Lord who judges me. … The Lord … will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5, NRSV). =

August 2013

Ponder This... = “No life of faith can be lived privately. There must be overflow into the lives of others.” —Eugene H. Peterson = “Awareness of the divine begins with wonder.” —Abraham Heschel = “The best prayers have often more groans than words.” —John Bunyan

Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240

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