July 2013 The Latest Word by Downey Church

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

Sew Me in Your Hem, oh Lord

Summer Fun in July by Cary Fisher

irst of all, thank you for such a loving introduction to this wonderful church. My family has already been blessed by being a part of the Downey Adventist Church. As we continue further into summer, we realize how much fun the month of July is. During this month, we celebrate our country’s independence and on July 6th, I will share message on how to truly be free. On July 13th, we will discuss the

need to be connected with Christ as a church. It starts by tapping into the one that has created us. This message should prepare us as we embark on our VBS. I can’t wait to participate in Downey’s legendary VBS. On July 20th, we will focus on a blessing we will receive while teaching our children the love of God. I pray that we all are able to be involved in this wonderful ministry as Jesus taught his disciples that it is

actually our children who end up teaching the rest of us what it means to believe in Him. May God guide us as we serve in love and in unity as a church. On July 6th the message is Freedom in Christ. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1, NKJ). During this time a year, we reflect on the

Tuck me where your garment folds. Sew me in and keep me close. Stitch me in the linen folds. In your garment I will stay Where I’ll hear you speak and pray. Sew me in, oh precious Lord. Tuck me where your garment folds. —MaryAnn Sundby

continued on page 2

INSIDE

God’s Backyard Bible Camp VBS

Stormy Weather Ahead page 3

Your Bugle page 4

ur Vacation Bible School this year is God’s Backyard Bible Camp! Get ready for an outdoor adventure that starts in your own backyard and gets bigger as kids take the love of Jesus into their neighborhoods and communities! The children will learn about serving their family, their friends,

their neighbors, their commnity and Jesus. Join us starting Monday, July 29 thru Friday, August 2 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! =

Taste & Inspiration on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Planning for a Successful Retirement on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid’s Page on page 11

THE LATEST WORD Summer Fun in July (cont. from pg 1) freedoms that we have by The message on July children that often do the living in this great country, 20th is Becoming a Child. teaching. but let us also celebrate “Assuredly, I say to you, Our VBS program this our time with God. True unless you are converted year is focusing on freedom comes as we Mark 12:29-31. This are released from the passage is familiar oppression of sin as to most of us as it is we give our lives to We reflect on the freedoms where Jesus gives Jesus. that we have by living in this us the two most great country, but let us also important com“I am the vine; you are the branches. celebrate our time with God. mandments; love If you remain in me God and love your and I in you, you neighbor. If we stop will bear much fruit; and think about that apart from me you can do passage for a moment, and become as little chilnothing (John 15:5, NIV). we have to ask ourselves dren, you will by no means When we are connected what does it mean to love enter the kingdom of heavwith Christ, we are tapping God? How does that look? en” (Matthew 18:3, NKJ). into the one that created us Can other people tell? And With VBS coming up, this which allows us to live the most importantly, how will be an exciting opporlife that we are designed to can I tell if I love God or tunity to teach children live. Join us on July 13th not? But it’s more than the love that God has for for the message Fruitful that. Because we are told them, but like Jesus shared Living. to love God with all our with his disciples, it is our hearts, minds, souls and

“

”

strength. Another way to put that is to love God with everything we have. To love to the maximum. Sometimes we try to skate by doing as little as possible, but God asks us to do as much as possible. He is asking us to be Maximum People. Join us on July 27th as Bill Aumack brings us this message. See you when the church gathers. =

The Latest Word V 25 N 07

WE DID IT

BILL AUMACK

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

July 2013 The Word & You by Linda Bewley

od’s word says, “As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm” (Luke 8:23, 24).

ast Sabbath, while putting the finishing touches on the lesson for Primary, I had a very clear thought. Why not invite Margarette to give the lesson in Primary once a

Stormy Weather Ahead month? It seemed a great idea, so I planned to ask her if and when I saw her. Strangely enough, I saw her almost immediately upon arriving at church and, even more strange, I remembered to ask! (Unless you are someone who is often forgetful, you may not be able to relate to that statement!) I was very pleased when Margarette said she would be happy to help out. So I gave her the lesson book and told her she could pick any week she liked. She picked Sabbath, June 8th. Yay! What a great addition to our team of Sabbath School leaders!! Thank you, Lord!!! Little did I know at the time that a personal storm was on the horizon. Long story short, my

Worship Schedule July 6 Pastor Cary

July 20 Pastor Cary

Freedom in Christ

Becomnig a Child

July 13 Pastor Cary

July 27 Bill Aumack

Fruitful Living

Maximum People

mom was admitted to the hospital on Monday. She was released on Thursday, only to end up back in the emergency room on Friday when she was again admitted into the hospital around midnight. Running to and fro the hospital all week, keeping up with deadlines at work and taking care of life’s ordinary business, all made for an extremely long week. Yet I couldn’t help but see God’s hand in my situation. When I asked Margarette to teach, I had no clue my mom would be in the hospital and that I would be so preoccupied with life’s challenges that I would be unable to prepare for the next week’s Sabbath School, but God did. And what are the chances that Margarette would pick the exact week I would need her most? The answer seems clear to me. She was following God’s lead. Each time things became more difficult this week, I stopped to think about the perfect timing and providence of God. He made

provision to help me when He knew I would need it most. While others may have been able to cruise through this situation and still prepare for Sabbath School, I’m happy God knows this child of His! He knew I would need backup and He came to my rescue in the form His children, Margarette and

Natalie (who also willingly helped). We know, of course, that God is always working, even if we can’t see it. But in difficult situations, it’s an amazing comfort to be reminded of His presence and to know that He is there to calm the storm. Wouldn’t you agree? =

THE LATEST WORD by Bill Aumack

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

“Blow the bugles,” declares the Lord. “They will keep your attention on God.” Numbers 10:10 (The Message)

t seems like the new bad guy that we blame everything on is our busy schedule. Everyone is busy, too busy. We don’t have time for things that seem important. We miss our children’s school programs or sporting events because we are “too busy.” We don’t take vacation time because we are so far behind already. We don’t have time to donate a few hours of time to church or other favorite charity. We don’t even have time to eat right because, you got it, we are too busy. There’s probably a whole host of reasons for this phenomenon. Here’s a couple that I’ve noticed.

If you’ve got to stand in line at the local Starbucks, you better be cool by messing with your phone.

Cell phones:

We have to be in touch with everyone we know at all times. I’m often amazed at how the people around me need to call someone and check something, or someone calls them to check about something very mundane. Obviously cell phones are great in emergency, or important, situations. But when did everything become important? We can’t go the store without calling someone to check on something. We can’t

get through a meal without someone needing to call us about something. Phones ring during worship services and funerals. And that’s just the actual phone calls, many of us get a lot more text messages than we do phone calls.

Internet (computers & smart phones):

The internet and being connected at all times is nearly an addiction for many people. We whip our smart phones to check facebook, email, messages, the news, YouTube and a thousand other things. It’s almost like a status symbol. If you’ve got to stand in line at the local Starbucks, you better be cool by messing with your phone. You wouldn’t want to be caught actually making conversation with the person next to you, or even worse, just standing there. Which leads us to the last item

We don’t know how to not be busy:

Many of us have no idea how to not be busy. We’ve always been busy. There’s always more things to do than time to do them all. We have no clue how to organize or prioritize our lives. We just live by racing here and there and

everywhere. Often times, we have no idea if one event is more important or worthy than another, it’s just another thing we have to do so we try to cram them both in. Obviously, more than just these three things affect the business of our lives. But I really think these are some of the key drivers. And naturally these things all effect our spiritual lives too. We don’t have time to read the Bible, study, pray or even have a quiet time with God. Then we wonder why we don’t “feel” spiritual or close to God. Did you know this is not just a modern, or firstworld, problem? This issue of being too busy or distracted has been around for quite some time. Numbers 10 tells of God’s command that Moses make two bugles for various purposes: summoning the leaders, sending the people to war, announcing worship, presenting offerings, calling everyone for a festival. “Blow the bugles,” declares the Lord. “They will keep your attention on God” (v. 10, The Message). What “bugles” draw our attention to God? Maybe church bells chime daily near your home. Maybe worship attendance continued on page 5

July 2013 Taste & Inspiration Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange & Cumin

saiah:28 24-26 says “When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.” We, as Christians, put our faith and trust in the word of God to instruct, inspire and teach us the right way. Whether that’s farming, eating or cooking and everything in between. It’s reassuring to learn through His word that God continues to make avail-

able the teachings and instructions we need to grow and prepare herbs, spices and plants as nutritious staples in our diet for healthy living just as it was way back then. INGREDIENTS: 2 oranges 2 TBLS olive oil 2 cups chopped onion 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 4 tsp chili powder 4 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground cinnamon 3 15.5 oz. cans of seasoned black beans (drained) 2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes in juice hot pepper sauce ie;

Your Bugle (continued from p. 4) serves as the “bugle” that calls you back to the Divine. Some people place a small dot-sticker on the face of their watch to remind them to pray whenever they check the time. A sticker on your cell phone or MP3 player might work even better. Maybe you set your Bible or devotions on the kitchen table before bed to remind you to start your day with God.

God’s people get distracted easily, whether with tent-pitching in the Sinai Desert 3,500 years ago or with jam-packed schedules today. We all need a “bugle.” What’s yours? =

Pilar & Phillip Tapatio, El Cholula or Sriracha plain yogurt 1/2 a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro PREPARATION: Grate enough orange peel to measure 1 1/2 tsp. Juice oranges. Heat oil in heavy large sauce pan over med-high heat. Add onions, sauté approx. 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices let cook for 3-4

minutes. Add in beans, tomatoes and half the orange juice. Simmer over med. heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often about 15-20 minutes. Mix in orange peel and remaining juice. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt & pepper. Ladle into bowl to serve and garnish with a dollop of yogurt and nice pinch of cilantro. Enjoy! =

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.

Downey Adventist Church Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

8:07 pm sunset

6 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship

Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. – Sabbath School C.S. – Community Service

Pastor Cary OFFICE CLOSED 7 pm Band Practice

12 8:05 pm sunset

13 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

OFFICE CLOSED 7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

8:02 pm sunset

20 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

26 7:58 pm sunset

27 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

7:53 pm sunset

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 12:30 Fellowship Luncheon

July 2013 Stewpot by Gordon Bottling, DrPH, CHES

enjamin Franklin is often quoted as saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy and wise.” With a little stretch this same quote can be applied to having a successful retirement. Being healthy is the first requirement for enjoying one’s sunset years, followed by having an adequate income. And finally, the accumulation of experience and wisdom will give this final phase of your life significance, value and meaning. To encourage you to think along these lines, these three concepts are expanded below.

Health The first concern when planning for retirement is health and wellness. If you are not in great shape for your age and have lost strength and vitality, the other concerns such as “will my money last?” or “what will I do during those sunset years?” are meaningless. An interesting survey from the National Bureau of Economic Research by James Poterba, Steven Venti and David Wise shows that being healthy

Planning for a Successful Retirement in retirement cuts both ways: individuals in their 50s who were in the healthiest 20 percent not only had three times the assets of the least healthy but also spent down their capital more slowly. Poterba states, “People in good health have lower health care costs, so they have less of a drain on their resources.”1 Today, whether you are in your 30s or are only a few years from retirement, it is important to know your biochemical numbers: • What is your cholesterol level? If it is under 145 mg/dL it is unlikely that you will have heart disease, but if it’s over 200 mg/dL you are twice as likely to have a heart attack as even the average American. • What about your hypertension numbers? Is your blood pressure in the excellent range of 110/85? Or sadly, you don’t know what it is and might be among the 20 percent of adults totally unaware that they have high blood pressure or its consequences on their cardiovascular system.

• What about your glucose? Is it under 95, the ideal, or will you go into retirement like a third of Americans who are unaware that they are diabetic and with no thought of the aftereffects of daily dialysis, kidney failure or neuropathy? Even if your family history indicates that you are prone to high blood pressure or high glucose, you don’t have to resign yourself to that condition. New research on genes, called “epigenetics,” indicates that 70 percent of your health and well-being is up to you, not your forefathers. Learning as much as you can and putting into practice the fundamental wellness principles of nutrition, physical exercise, positive attitude, beneficial sleep habits, loving people and reducing stress will add years to the retirement phase of your life.

Wealth In today’s volatile markets relying on your portfolio can sometimes seem futile. However, if during your working years you matched your employer’s 401k or 403b contribution, added at least 10 percent extra in savings and diversified your continued on page 8

“It is not what you gain but what you give that measures the worth of the life you live.” — unknown

“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history.” — E. G. White, Life Sketches, p 196.

THE LATEST WORD Planning for a Successful Retirement (cont. from page 7) stocks and other money funds, you can expect to draw between two to four percent during your retirement years. Two additional areas that will make life a little easier are having a parttime job and having absolutely no debt.

Baby Boomers are planning to pay off their house in their retirement years. Add to that the fact that more and more individuals of retirement age are straddled with school debt and that over 20 percent

Career After age 45 your knowledge and life experience are more important than your credentials. This is also true at 65 or 70 when for whatever reason you need or wish to stay in the work place. Employers like to see that you not only are competent, but still learning and adapting. Taking short courses in areas of interest and pursuing projects that force you to master new proficiencies or technology will help your marketability.

Debt-free

Being debt-free should be the goal of every individual and couple as they face their sunny retirement years. One of the guidelines my wife and I determined to follow for retirement was that we could not even think about it until we had retired our mortgage, and fortunately, now that we are at retirement age our house is debt free. However, surveys indicate that 70 percent of

were not on track to get credit cards paid off. Some financial planners call the five years before retirement the most important block of time in your life. It is the time during which you should give serious planning to your budget and expenses for your retirement years.

Ministry An area that secular retirement specialists fail to talk or write about is how we spend the last third of our lives. I believe some of that time should be devoted to giving back to our families, our church and the larger society. Not only should you be having fun with your grandkids, taking trips you have dreamed about and doing other things on your retirement bucket-list, but it’s a good time to volunteer at your local church in its

ministries. It’s interesting that the only text in the Bible that speaks of retirement is concerning the high priest who by Levitical rules was to retire at the age of 50. Numbers 8:25 goes on to say that he was to continue to assist the next high priest, not just ‘ride off into the sunset’. Billy Graham, in an interview about his book Nearing Home, speaks of two paths of retirement. “Either we can use it to indulge ourselves or we can use it to make an impact on the lives of others.....Pray and ask the Lord to show you what you can do as you transition your time and talents. Get involved in your local church and other ministries that point people to Christ. This will stretch you and challenge you to grow deeper in your faith.”2 By assisting church outreach, such as championing the Pathfinder club, advocating wellness programs, adopting church landscaping or maintenance, or espousing mission and evangelistic projects, you will remain a productive servant in your senior years. Ellen White put it a little differently, but with the same theme in mind: “It is better, far better, to die of hard work in some home or foreign mission field, than to rust out in inaction.”3

Conclusion By now I’m sure you realize that a successful retirement is a combination of factors and having each in balance will determine whether those golden years are lived to the fullest. =

Resources: 1 “Six Secrets of Retirement,” Money Magazine, March 2013. 2 Chuck Bentley, “Billy Graham, America’s Pastor on Nearing Home,” Do Well Magazine, 2013, Vol. 3, Issue 1: p 12. 3 Ellen White, The Retirement Years, p 30.

“A greasy burger is worse than a bear market.” — Money Magazine, March 2013: p 64.

July 2013

THIS MONTH

Upcoming Events July Birthdays

Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer Group Fridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice

Geselle Huinquez – 3 Pilar Centeno, Sr. – 6 Lesley Mendez – 7 Bonnie Iversen – 8 Alfie Macias – 9 James Pond – 9 Lucille Martinez – 11 Janette Huinquez – 12 Joel Huinquez, Sr. – 13 Frances Menendez – 19 Isacc Perez – 21 Kristelle Meade – 26 Kelly Gonzalez – 26 Ethan Morales – 30

No Pathfinders or Adventures during the summer. July July July Aug

4 - Independence Day 4-5 - Office Closed 29-Aug 2 - VBS 3 - Fellowship Luncheon

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

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

Coming Soon August 24 - Parking Lot Party October - Small Groups Begin October 26 - Fall Party

THE LATEST WORD The Latest About

Our Church Family Congratulations to Elissa Luna. She made the Top 100! The top 100 what you may ask? You’ll have to ask her. Congratulations to Ale Marquez (Vic Acuna’s girl friend) graduated AA from El Camino College. She

Congratulations to Kristelle Meade. She is going to Andrews University next year.

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! =

Take Care of First

Dwell in Unity

egendary Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden often inspired his team with stories. Here’s one that former players cite as a favorite: As a college baseball player, Bowden had never hit a home run. Finally, he hit one down the rightfield line, into the corner. He ran past first base and looked to the coach, who waved him on. Bowden made it home and hit the plate, thrilled to have his homer. But as he was accepting his teammates’ congratulations, the opposing pitcher

is headed to UC Davis to continue studying Environmental Science and Management.

took the ball and threw to the first baseman. The umpire immediately called Bowden out because he’d neglected to touch the base. Reflecting on the incident, Bowden said, “You have to take care of first base. If you don’t honor the Lord first, then it doesn’t matter what else you do.” Similarly, we need to take care of first things first. Unless we honor the Lord in all we do, nothing else will matter. =

onsidering the staggering height of redwood trees, we assume they must need incredibly deep roots. But these giants have extremely shallow roots, growing only 4 to 6 feet deep. Instead of heading downward, the roots extend outward — spreading out as far as 125 feet. Stability occurs because the roots intertwine with those of neighboring trees. This network allows redwoods to stand tall despite strong winds and storms.

In a similar way, such interconnectedness keeps the body of Christ standing strong. Psalm 133:1 urges believers to “dwell in unity” (ESV). In order to inhabit one another’s lives, we must share our stories, offer forgiveness and provide encouragement. Through those actions, our roots spread wide as we support our brothers and sisters in Christ. =

July 2013

Ponder This... = “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” —Harriet Braiker = “Don’t speak unless you can improve the silence.” —Spanish proverb = “Little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” —Charles Spurgeon

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

DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested