For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church
Remember Your Mother
A Mother’s Love by Cary Fisher
H
ave you noticed that we often compare the attributes of God by our own human characteristics? For example, we tell inspirational stories on how people were able to forgive others under impossible circumstances and use it as an illustration on God’s forgiveness towards us. We might hear a story of a solder in war sacrificing his life for his friends, and discuss how it relates to Jesus dying on the cross for us. Now as we reflect
on God’s love, the greatest human example that we can find must be the love that a mother has for her child.
that person. A mother’s love is the closest form of an unconditional love that God has for us.
Like God’s love for us, a mother’s love begins as she brings life into this world. We also understand God by the way a mother nurtures a child, and provides and protects for him or her all throughout the child’s life. However, the most powerful attribute of a mother’s love is that no matter what a child does, a mother will always loves
The Bible says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Corinthians 13:7). God’s unconditional love allows me to believe that no matter how far away that we may have left God, God is always near us. God will never give up on us and we know that He has saccontinued on page 2
INSIDE
Small Group Outreach Event
T
he Outreach Event for our Small Groups will be May 2nd. We will be showing the movie “God’s Not Dead.” This would be a wonderful opportunity to invite your “adopt a friend” that you have been praying for as well as other friends and family members. There will be some door
Whoever you are, wherever you are, on Mother’s Day, remember your mother. Without her and your father, you would only have been a dream and a hope, never a reality. No wonder God gave us the commandment: “Honor your father and your mother ...” (Exodus 20:12, nrsv). God gave us life through them. —Charles Ferrell
prizes for the guests only.
Stewardship and Prayer page 3
Doors open at 6pm. We will have a time of worship at 6:30pm. Then there will be some snacks as we get ready for the movie.
Taste & Inspiration on page 5
Invite a friend or two and join us! =
What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Our Church Family page 7 At the Starting Gate page 8 Kid’s Page on page 9
THE LATEST WORD A Mother’s Love ... (cont. from page 1)
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May’s Sermon Calendar
as she brings life into this world.
May 2nd - Mystery of God - As we continue on our Alive in Christ small groups series, today’s message should remind us that God is always teaching us. God was teaching Paul a mystery that the Gospel is also for the Gentiles in Ephesians 3, and in a
May 16th Walking in Love - In Ephesians 5:2, Paul calls us to walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Do you walk with love for people, or is it a struggle? Hopefully, we can see through this study how to understand God’s immense love for us, and that love propels us to treat others as God has treated us.
” everyone and as Christians we need to be inclusive to the people around us. May 9th - Living in Unity - Paul writes to the people of Ephesus to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”
May 21st- Armor of God - In the final sermon in our Alive in Christ series, we are reminded that we live in a spiritual warfare, and we desperately need God’s protection. We are urged by Paul to seek God’s protection daily as he writes in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”
May 30th- Celebration Sabbath - This special Sabbath celebrates the completion of our Alive in Christ small group series. At this time, each group shares their God stories that came from their six weeks of studying the book of Ephesians. See you when the church gathers. =
The Latest Word V 27 N 05 BILL AUMACK
WE DID IT
rificed everything for us. world that wants to divide (Ephesians 4:4). We will As Mother’s day is comand separate people from spend this time talking ing up, we can thank our each other, God reminds about how the Holy Spirit moms for many things, but us that the Gospel is for can humble our hearts so the most wonderful unity can even be gift that a mother can possible, and how give us is by teachimportant unity is ing us the character to fulfill the purof God by the love A mother’s love begins pose of the body of she has for us. Christ.
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: May 2015 copyright 1992-2015
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May 2015 The Stewpot by Edward W. Fargusson, M.Div.
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Do you even pray?”
That question shocked me as a pastor, especially since my head elder was asking it very indignantly. The context was right after a board discussion regarding finances and the implication was clear: I was not relying enough on prayer to solve the financial problems of the church. At that time, we had just learned that the church finances were $230,000 over what we thought they were. No one had stolen any money and the church treasurer was not inept. It was a complicated scenario where we had just missed something. The result was an inaccurate accounting picture that accumulated over time. Part of the problem was the belief on the part of the members that God
Stewardship and Prayer was going to “bail out” the church every time the people prayed. The elder told me that in the past they prayed and God answered. The problem was that God had not actually answered in the way that they thought, and now they’re in trouble. They had prayed and kept on spending without paying close attention to how much money was really in the bank. Thankfully, with God’s help and the faithfulness of church members, we were back on track in just eight months. And, in case you’re wondering, that head elder and I remain good friends to this day. So how do prayer and stewardship intersect? How does faith play its role in church finance and stewardship? And how
Worship Schedule May 2 Cary Fisher
Mystery of God
May 9 Cary Fisher Living in Unity
May 16 Cary Fisher
Walking in Love
May 21 Cary Fisher Armor of God
May 30 Cary Fisher
Celebration Sabbath
should stewardship impact our prayer life?
to count the cost before beginning to build (see Luke 14:28-30).
Stewardship and Prayer
Planning should include calculating the cost of future repairs on a church building. Over time, the roof and carpet will wear out, the parking lot will need resurfacing, and the paint will fade and peel. Plan on it and begin setting aside money. It is not a lack of faith to plan, but it is lack of faith to plan without praying.
So what is the role of prayer in stewardship? Begin with prayer. The essence of stewardship is caring for someone else’s property. In the parable of the talents, or the parable of the good steward, Jesus illustrates the principle that we are simply caring for that which really belongs to God. So why should we not begin by asking God what He would have us do with His gifts? Prayer is our means to communicate with God and discover who He is and His will for us. Plan. While prayer is foundational in all we do, it is not all we do! Prayer is never a substitute for good stewardship and good planning. While we should pray before we plan, we should plan. “This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate.” Steps to Christ, p. 70. But this does not mean we can pray and then abdicate to God the results of our lack of planning. Jesus himself counsels us
Ministry takes money. As Jesus counseled, don’t plan events without figuring out the cost. Have a budget and reserve raising money for the unexpected. Study. God gave us brains. Good stewardship requires us to use them. We should do our research, study His word, learn good financial principles, and get good advice. The goal is to learn what God wants us to do with His gifts. We should bathe our study in prayer so we can hear Him clearly. Act. Once we have prayed, planned, and studied, then we must apply what we have learned. Even this requires prayer because we must always move forward while listening. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in continued on page 4
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THE LATEST WORD Stewardship and Prayer (cont.)
“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” –John Wesley
“Prayer requires more of the heart than the tongue.” –Adam Clarke
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it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21, NKJV. Notice that God says we hear Him “whenever you turn,” and not while we are standing still; however, we must listen. Fail. I collect sayings and here are a few about failing: “Failure is failure only if we fail to try again.” “Success is getting up one more time than you fall down.” “Walking is a series of interrupted falls.” The programs and projects of the church are God’s and not ours. Setbacks can and will occur, but don’t give up. Prayerfully learn from them and move forward. Even if the failure was the result of human error, God does not stop working. If He did, there would be no redemption for fallen men. Expect Miracles. You might be tempted to think, as did my elder, that I don’t believe in miracles, but I do! I just don’t believe God’s providence is an excuse for me not to do what He asks. Once our church needed a new carpet. We could not afford to re-carpet the entire building at once so we broke it into three parts. We raised enough to complete phase one. Just
as we completed fundraising for phase two, God blessed a church member financially and he donated enough money to complete the entire project at once. I’ve observed that when God provides for the church, He does not do direct deposit. Instead, He blesses people who are then able to share that blessing with His church. Another time we were planning for evangelism and an opportunity arose to put ads on primetime television on major channels in our town. However, it was going to cost $1,000 over our budget. Our committee prayed. We believed we should move forward. After our commitment to act, I received a call from one elderly church member who told me that she had been putting aside money to donate to another ministry, but that God had impressed her to give it all to our evangelism plan. She handed me $1,000 in cash.
Stewardship of Prayer Do we need to exercise stewardship in our prayer life? Prayer is a part of the stewardship of my relationship to God. Just as I need to nurture my relationship with my wife, I must nurture my relationship to God. To nurture
my relationship with my wife, communication is one key element. When we spend time together, we communicate. If we are on a date and I do not pay attention to her, it will not help our relationship. The way I nurture my relationship with God is similar. Prayer is the channel of communication with God. If I don’t pray, my relationship to God will suffer in the same way that my relationship with my spouse will suffer if I don’t communicate with her. So not only is prayer a part of stewardship, I must be a good steward of my prayer life to strengthen my spiritual life.
Conclusion Prayer and planning are not incompatible, but rather integrated. Prayer is integral to my being a faithful steward. Prayer is communicating with God and that is what equips us to build our relationship with Him and to be faithful to Him. =
May 2015 Taste & Inspiration Fannie Farmer’s Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients
Directions
4.0 medium potatoes peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).
salt to taste
2. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole.
fresh ground pepper to taste
3. Cover the bottom of the casserole with a single
3.0 tablespoons flour 4.0 tablespoons butter 1.5 cups milk
Pilar & Phillip layer of potatoes.
is almost covered.
4. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, flour and a few dots of butter.
7. Dot with the remaining butter.
5. Repeat until all of the potato slices are used. 6. Pour milk over the potato slices until the top
8. Bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft. Enjoy! =
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The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Downey Adventist Church Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1 7:37 pm sunset Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. – Sabbath School C.S. – Community Service
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9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary Alive in Christ #3
2 pm Pathfinders 6:30 pm God’s Not Dead
7 pm Band Practice 9 am Pathfinders
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8 7:42 pm sunset
9 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary Alive in Christ #4
7 pm Wed. Fellowship
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7 pm Band Practice
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4 pm Bible Study
15 7:47 pm sunset
16 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary Alive in Christ #5
7 pm Band Practice
7 pm Wed. Fellowship
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2 pm Pathfinders 4 pm Bible Study
22 7:53 pm sunset
23 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Pastor Cary Alive in Christ #6
7 pm Wed. Fellowship
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7 pm Church Board
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7 pm Band Practice
4 pm Bible Study
29 7:57 pm sunset
30 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship
Pastor Cary Celebration Sabbath
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7 pm Wed. Fellowship
7 pm Band Practice
4 pm Bible Study
May 2015
Upcoming Events May Birthdays Chris Martin – 1 Dudley Meade – 1 Victor Zamora – 4 Linda Aumack – 6 Michael Fernandez – 6 Kaye Navarro – 10 Grace Huinquez – 10 Byron Molina Jr. – 11 Bill Aumack – 17 Ray Munguia – 18 Frank Duran – 23 Mimi Gonzalez – 26 Michael Parras – 27 Alex Aumack – 28 Phillip Mondragon - 28
Wednesday - 7 p.m. Wed. Fellowship Friday - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice Saturday - 4:00 p.m. Bible Study May May May May May May May
2 - Pathfinders @ 2pm 3 - Pathfinders @ 9am 9 - Mother’s Day Sabbath 12 - Fellowship Luncheon @ 12:30pm 16 - Pathfinders @ 2pm 25 - Memorial Day - Office Closed 30 - Celebration Sabbath
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 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.
July 20-24 - VBS
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THE LATEST WORD The Latest About
Our Church Family Congratulations to Anita Dominqu and Grasiela Elva Lopez. They were baptized on April 11th. Be sure to welcome them to the family. Graduates Needed. If you know someone who is graduating from Kindergarten, 8th grade, High School,
or College - please let us know. We’d love to recognize them and celebrate with them.
newsletter. =
Help us find everyone who is graduating this year!
If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the
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! =
Memorial Day
At the Starting Gate
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“
s it enough to think today Of all our brave, then put away The thought until a year has sped? Is this full honor for our dead? Is it enough to sing a song And deck a grave; and all year long Forget the brave who died that we Might keep our great land proud and free? Full service needs a greater toll, That we who live give heart and soul To keep the land they died
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to save, And be ourselves, in turn, the brave! —Annette Wynne =
There’s a good reason they call these ceremonies ‘commencement exercises,’” Utah Senator Orrin Hatch once said. “Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.” The same is true of baptism. Both events are often approached as an end point reached with relief: “Well, at least that’s done!” With the degree — or salvation — in hand, some people feel no further need for education — or spiritual growth. Just remember: You’re at the starting gate, not the finish line. Well-wishers encourage new grads,
“Don’t stop now; you’re on a roll. Even greater things are ahead!” And Hebrews 12:1 (NRSV) urges the baptized, “Run with perseverance the race that is set before [you].” While a diploma bears the seal of the graduate’s school, Christians themselves are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30) and the cross of Christ. To take full advantage of each, we must continue learning and growing. =
May 2015
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May 2015
Ponder This... = “For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh = “Why shall I wait for someone else? Why don’t I raise my voice?” —Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, age 17 = “If at first you don’t succeed, do it like your mother told you.” —Author unknown
Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240
DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested
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