For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church
Anticipation
Drought Resistant Christian by Cary Fisher
W
e all know that California is in a severe drought and in fact, experts have called it the worse drought in this state’s history. You may have seen pictures of lakes throughout California drying up, and we have a governor that has called for a state of emergency by ordering Californians to drastically reduce their use of water. We certainly should all try to do our part by finding ways to conserve as much as possible, and I
have heard many stories of people taking drastic steps in reducing their water usage. For example, my neighbor had spent thousands of dollars just a few years ago in beautifully landscaping the acreage around their house, but to save water, he spent thousands of dollars more in ripping out all of their lush vegetation to put in plants that are California native and drought resistant. Since the creation of the world, droughts have
always existed. In fact, some of the most memorable stories in the Bible have a drought playing a significant role in its narrative such as stories like Joseph, Moses, and Elijah. Obviously, water is crucial to our life in almost every way, and we just could not live without it. Water is also crucial in the Bible as it is referenced 722 times, but in scripture, it has multiple meanings that include the emphasis of water in a spiritual context. Amos continued on page 2
O
—Charles H. Spurgeon
INSIDE
Vacation Bible School ur Vacation Bible School this year is Bible Blast to the Past! Get ready for a lifechanging adventure. Each day begins at Blast to the Past Bash where kids will sing, shout, praise, pray, and be introduced to a Bible story and the daily theme.
It is not hard for the Lord to turn night into day. He that sends the clouds can as easily clear the skies. Let us be of good cheer. It is better farther on. Let us sing Hallelujah by anticipation.
Join us starting Monday, July 20 thru Friday, July 24th 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! =
Graduation Pics page 3 Church Family pics page 4 Taste & Inspiration on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Our Church Family page 7 Kid’s Page on page 9
THE LATEST WORD Drought Resistant ... (cont. from page 1)
“
While we can’t avoid the drought that surrounds California, we can be sure that we do not suffer from a spiritual drought. Jesus asked the woman at the well for some water and in returned offer her a “living water” to where he said, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst”
”
ing for us to be drought resistant Christians that partake in the living water that Jesus is offering us, and hopefully, we will spiritually never thirst again. So, starting in July, we are going to have a summer long sermon
July’s Sermon Calendar July 4th - The Freedom to Worship - This Sabbath falls on Independence Day, and we will celebrate together with a message that honors one of our country’s greatest freedoms. God values our freewill to love him, and we should be glad that this country does as well. July 11th - Pathfinders Investiture. The Pathfinders will wrap up their year with this service. Come out a support our young people. Bill Aumack will share about how Psalm 23 can help us in our daily lives.
2
July 18th - H20 in the Bible - We are starting our Drought Resistant Christians series. We begin with a message on how the Bible brings out the impor-
tance of water as it relates to life physically and spiritually. July 25th - Blast to the Past - We will reflect on our week of VBS that includes the VBS kids participating in our worship service and a message that sums up what we have learned throughout the week. See you when the church gathers. =
The Latest Word V 27 N 07 BILL AUMACK
WE DID IT
prophesied, “‘The days (John 14:4). While the series called the Drought are coming,’ declares the focus on planting drought Resistant Christian. We Sovereign Lord, ‘when I resistant vegetation around are going to study the will send a famine through our lawns seem to be the aspects of water as refthe land—not a famine of big thing now, I am callerenced in the Bible. food or a thirst for Hopefully, we can water, but a famine avoid the traps that of hearing the words could bring our of the Lord’” (Amos some of the most mem- spiritual life into a 8:11). Amos is orable stories in the Bible drought, and that we referring to a spiriare always drinking tual drought that will have a drought playing a from Jesus’s living happen to the chilwater. significant role dren of Israel.
responsible for this
LINDA AUMACK copy editor
ALEX AUMACK 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
distributed monthly issue date: July 2015 copyright 1992-2015
July 2015 Graduation Pictures
Worship Schedule July 4 Cary Fisher
July 18 Cary Fisher
The Freedom to Worship
H20 in the Bible
July 11 Bill Aumack
July 25 Cary Fisher
Pathfinder Investiture
Blast to the Past VBS Closing
3
THE LATEST WORD Pictures of Our Church Family Freedom Under God Our status of dominion [over creation] derives from God’s delegated authority. We do not exist as autonomous persons at liberty to do as we please. Our privilege of dominion does not mean freedom from God; it means freedom under God. Our commission to be subrulers under God carries with it enormous responsibilities. ... He intends for us to rise above the rest of the created order and to participate rationally and responsibly in his divine purposes. —Kenneth Cain Kinghorn, Christ Can Make You Fully Human
4
Our new Young Adults Group Join Us!
July 2015 Taste & Inspiration Baked Ziti Ingredients
Directions
• 1/2 lb ziti pasta
Preheat oven to 350.
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
Boil ziti, following package directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese grated • 3 cups spaghetti sauce • 1/2 cups parmesan cheese grated
Mix all the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella with the ziti.
Pilar & Phillip Spray a 13x9 pan with Pam.
Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
Cover the bottom half of the pan with about half the sauce.
Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Put the ziti mixture on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce on top of ziti.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and it is lightly golden. Enjoy! =
Sign up for the Wednesday email newletter on our webpage at http://www.downeychurch.org/Signups.html. If you are having problems, just email us at downeychurch@ gmail.com and we will add you to the list. You can also sign up to get notice when this newsletter is available on the web. Saving paper is also good for our pocket and the earth.
5
Downey Adventist Church Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1
Friday
Saturday
3
2
8:07 pm sunset Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. – Sabbath School C.S. – Community Service
5
9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary
6
7
2 pm Pathfinders 4 pm Bible Study
7 pm Band Practice
7 pm Wed. Fellowship 9 am Pathfinders
4
9
8
10 8:06 pm sunset
11 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack
Pathfinder Investiture 7 pm Wed. Fellowship
12
13
14
7 pm Band Practice
15
4 pm Bible Study
17
16
8:03 pm sunset
18 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary
7 pm Church Board
7 pm Wed. Fellowship
19
20
21
22
7 pm Band Practice
23
4 pm Bible Study
24 7:58 pm sunset
25 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship
Vacation Bible School
Pastor Cary
12:30 pm Luncheon 7 pm Band Practice
26
27
28
29
31
30
7:53 pm sunset
7 pm Wed. Fellowship
7 pm Band Practice
4 pm Bible Study
July 2015
Upcoming Events July Birthdays Geselle Huinquez – 3 Grant Fisher – 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 Kristelle Meade – 26 Kelly Gonzalez – 26 Ethan Morales – 30 Noemilyn Luna – 31
Wednesday - 7 p.m. Wed. Fellowship Friday - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice Saturday - 4:00 p.m. Bible Study July July July July July July July
If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.
4 - Independence Day 4 - Pathfinders @ 2pm 5 - Pathfinders @ 9am 11 - Pathfinder Investiture 12 - Yard Sale 20-24 - VBS 6 to 8:30pm 25 - Fellowship Luncheon @ 12:30pm
The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month.
Coming Soon 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.
Aug. 1 - Hawiian Shirt Day Aug. 22 - Teacher Dedication Aug. 29 - Fiesta Parking Lot Party Sept. 12 - Pathfinder Camporee
7
THE LATEST WORD The Latest About
Our Church Family so we can get it into the newsletter. =
Congratulations to Juanita and Armando Cabrera. Their baby, Victoria America, was born on June 4th. She weighed 9lbs.
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. If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office
Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =
On Vocation? Use GPS! Communing with God
A
fter Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, pilot Buzz Aldrin requested via radio that people pause to give thanks for the achievement in their own way. When his broadcast ended, Aldrin read a verse from the Gospel of John and took communion, which his church had sent to space with him.
8
“It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements,” the astronaut said. “At the time, I could think of no better way to acknowledge the enormity of the Apollo 11 experience than by giving thanks to God.” =
M
any vacationers rely on a global positioning system to get them easily to a destination. But in every season of life, God sends us on vocation — following his call to both feed our passions and serve others. Our “calling,” Frederick Buechner said, is “where [our] deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” But is there a GPS for vocation? It’s not as detailed or predictive as we’d like. It doesn’t name our destination at the outset, and it offers general instructions rather than specific directions. And we may end up “recalculating” our life route more
often than our vehicle GPS recalculates our vacation route. Even so, we travel in safety. This “GPS” might stand for God’s Peace and Strength, or Gospel Promises Sustain, God Provides Salvation or Go! Proclaim! Serve! The GPS guiding our vocation speaks to us through Scripture, worship, trusted Christian friends, life events and the silence of our heart. Listening, we hear our Guide’s calm voice and continue on vocation. —Heidi Mann =
July 2015
9
July 2015
Ponder This... = “Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” —Charles M. Schulz = “A commitment to love and justice demands the transformation of social structures as well as of hearts.” —Mary E. Hunt = “Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” —Henry James = “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.” —Corrie ten Boom
Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240
DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested
10