For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church
Bring a Friend to Jesus by Pastor Mitch he 1967 film, The Gospel Blimp, portrays a group of Christian friends who made plans to buy a blimp to evangelize their neighbors. The blimp could tow a banner displaying Bible passages. Gospel tracts called “fire bombs” could rain down from above. And if fire-bomb-gospeltracts and Bible-passage-banners were not enough, they planned to broadcast Christian music via loud speakers to all the inhabitants of Middletown as the blimp slowly cruised overhead.
T
The Gospel Blimp became a reality for the group of Christian friends, and so did the unintended consequences. As the blimp flew high overhead, instead of bringing a message of peace, it aggravated their neighbors
relaxing in their backyards with loud, unwanted music. At other times, the fire-bomb-gospel-tracts landed in the wrong places at the wrong time infuriating those below. The Gospel Blimp did catch the attention of Middletown. But the attention the blimp received was the opposite of their intentions. Instead of attracting folks to the gospel it repelled them. It wasn’t the gospel message that was the problem, the problem was the delivery method. Once the Lord has touched our hearts, the next step isn’t to hire a blimp to share the good news but to tell family and friends what Jesus did for you. Jesus healed a man who had an evil spirit and lived in the tombs. continued on page 2
Celebration Sabbath ovember 21st is Celebration Sabbath. We will be Celebrating what God has done during our Footprints in Spirituality series and in our Small Groups.
N
We’re inviting all of our small groups to participate by sharing the stories of personal growth and learning they’ve experienced dur-
ing the series. Thank God for his providence in leading us through this life-changing study. Every celebration needs some good food. So plan to stay after church for a feast that will be provided by our small groups. It will be a time of fellowship and sharing some food. Don’t miss it. =
The Discipline of Gratitude Gratitude … goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy. —Henri J.M. Nouwen
I N S I D E
That’s Mine is on page 3 Blessed Assurance is on page 4 Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Budget’s Don’t Count, or Do They? on page 7 Kid’s Page on page 8 Our Church Family page 10
THE LATEST WORD Bring a Friend... (cont. from page 1) world in the first century was it was passed by one person to another. No internet, billboards or media announcements were necessary. The gospel was passed by word of mouth. We’ll explore the ministry of Andrew and how the gospel moved from one person to another.
Sharing the good “news of Jesus with someone you know is natural.
2
The title of the message on November 7 is Bring a Friend to Jesus. Why bring a friend? Sharing the good news of Jesus with someone you know is natural. The reason the gospel went out to the entire
”
We continue the relational theme of sharing our faith with friends with a message on November 14 called How Friends Help You Grow. The Bible says: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Let’s make clear
that to “spur one another on” happens through prayer and loving one another and not through haranguing and criticism. Instead the word of God says we should be available to one another and look for ways to encourage one another. And when our lives are dedicated to God to follow his word in this manner we’re the beneficiary. “By watering others, he waters himself” Proverbs 11:24, (TLB). Plan now to be part of the Celebration Sabbath on November 21. All the small groups are invited to share what they’ve learned and experienced during our 7 weeks of Footprints in Spirituality. This is a joyous celebration of our Lord and Savior and what he is doing in our lives. A “sampling” luncheon is planned and each small group is continued on page 5
The Latest Word V 21 N 11
WE DID IT
When Jesus was getting into the boat to move on to other places, the healed man begged Jesus to take him along. Jesus said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed” (Mark 5:18-20).
BILL AUMACK editor
BILL AUMACK layout
LINDA AUMACK proof reading
LETTY DURAN distribution
MITCH WILLIAMS pastor
address mail to: (we like letters!) Downey-Florence 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: November 2009 copyright 1992-2009
November 2009 God, Webster & You
That’s Mine!
by Linda Bewley ebster says “treasure” means “wealth stored up or hoarded . . . a store of money in reserve. . . something of great worth or value. . . a collection of precious things” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary).
W
od says,”For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 NIV).
G
A friend of mine was describing the task she and her husband were undertaking to clean out their garage. Part of that included getting rid of some of their children’s old toys. That required some discretion, because as soon as their daughter saw one of her old toys about to be discarded, she immediately exclaimed, “that’s mine!” and wanted to play with the toy. Wisely, my friend allowed her daughter to play with the toy and when she finished, it was put back in the box to be taken away. Now this may sound like some-
thing only a child would do, but it actually reminded me of myself. Many are the times I’ve cleaned out a closet in my lifetime. Inevitably I will find things or items of clothing that I have not used in a long time. Yet I say, “Oh, I can’t get rid of that. I might need it some day.” And sometimes it’s true. You may not use something for years and the minute you give or throw it away, you have an immediate need for it. So I have found myself, through the years, acting much like my friend’s daughter,
Worship Schedule Nov. 7
Nov. 21
Mitch Williams
Mitch Williams
Bring a Friend
Celebration Sabbath
Nov. 14
Nov. 28
Mitch Williams
Bill Aumack
How Friends Help You Grow
A Classic Thanksgiving
retaining unused, unnecessary things that go back into the closet. Luckily, I only have one closet! This story came to my mind when I was reading the book of Ecclesiastes recently. There is a time for everything, as written by King Solomon in Chapter 3. Included in his list is, a time to be born, a time to die; a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to be silent and a time to speak; and there is even a time to keep and a time to throw away. Imagine that. Here’s some Biblical wisdom that can be applied to a household chore such as cleaning out a closet! I guess it’s human nature to collect things. Face it, we all like our stuff. Perhaps we even feel a false sense of security in the things we own-things that can be lost in a moment. I think we’re wise if we follow the advice of King Solomon. But when it comes to things and stuff, Jesus said it best: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21) =
3
THE LATEST WORD Before the Father
Blessed Assurance
by Linda Fernandez “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10: 22, 23 “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!” Lyrics from the song, Blessed Assurance uring this time of thanksgiving, my thoughts usually drift toward giving thanks for the health and well being of my children, grandchildren, family and friends. However, as I was observing in one of the Sabbath School classes recently, the teacher was reinforcing the fact that Jesus is our only path to Heaven.
D
4
As we travel through this refresher course on God’s promises, I thought that is such a great promise and assurance we can hold on to and
claim. It’s amazing how God works things out along our paths. Soon after attending that young Sabbath School class, an opportunity to teach the very young children in church came up. The regular teacher wanted to attend a KIDS IN DISCIPLESHIP mentoring program for parents, teachers, grandparents and others of influence in the lives of children. While it has been many years since teaching this age group, I am looking forward to the challenge. As I prepare, I began to think back on those early days with youngsters this age. For them, the answer to every question was JESUS! Who floated in a basket in the river? “JESUS!” Who prayed in the lion’s den? “JESUS!” Even though having been taught the Bible stories
correctly, for so many lessons, the answer actually was JESUS, in their young minds they just couldn’t go wrong with that answer. What a lesson they taught me back then. A lesson I can still hold on to today. The questions in my life these days are much heavier and far more complex, yet when all the worrying and fretting is done, the answer still remains…JESUS! As I mentioned before, it always amazes me the way God works things out in our lives. Initially, I thought I would be helping during this time of teaching, but I am beginning to think I am the one who needs a refresher course on trusting in that Blessed Assurance. These little ones may be just the ones to help teach the teacher. Gracious Father, help us to learn from our children in thanking you for the assurance of not only spending eternity in Heaven with you, but also counting on your presence in our day to day lives. Yes, JESUS is the answer! =
Gleaning with the Adventurer Club n Sunday, November 8, the Adventurer Club with be Gleaning to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. Everyone is welcomed to join us!
All crops gleaned help feed the homeless at the soup kitchens in Orange County
street. You will also see a bike trail going through the park – follow the trail to the field.
Directions to Incredible Edible Park
WHEN: Sunday, November 8 TIME: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. WHERE: Incredible Edible Park, 15058 Harvard Avenue, Irvine, CA 92612 BRING: Hat, gloves, water, consent waiver form (see Irene if interested)
From the 5 Fwy. Exit Culver – go west on Culver – turn right on Walnut – turn left on Harvard – go down Harvard until you cross the railroad tracks. As soon as you cross the tracks, you’ll see the Incredible Edible Park on the left side of the
From the 405 Fwy: Exit Culver – go east on Culver to Irvine Center Drive – turn left on Irvine Center Drive – go down to Harvard and turn right – keep going down Harvard approximately 150 yards – the Incredible Edible Park will be on the right side. If you cross the railroad tracks, you’ve gone too far. =
O
November 2009 With Love From the Kitchen of Ginny Williams Eggplant Parmesan olive oil cooking spray “Pam” medium eggplant peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices. jar favorite spaghetti sauce 1 box “Progresso Italian” dry bread crumbs 1 jar of “Vegannaise” mayo or use Kraft Mayo with olive oil (“Vegannaise” is found at Von’s market in the refrigerator section by health food). mozzarella cheese shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Spray a baking sheet with “Pam” and drizzle 1 T. olive oil over top of baking sheet. 2. Peel and cut eggplant into ¼ thick slices. 3. Spread Vegannaise on both sides of eggplant. 4. Dip and coat each slice in Italian bread crumbs. 5. Place on prepared cookies sheet and broil for 7 minutes on each side. 6. Top each slice with 2 or 3 T. spaghetti sauce and some mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until hot and cheese is melted 8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese =
Bring a Friend... (cont. from page 2) invited to prepare its favorite soup and one entrée. The small groups will select a station in the fellowship hall and will serve their food items to those who attend. Save your appetite for this extravaganza of flavor.
November 11th is Veterans Day. Remember to fly your flag in support of the soldiers who have given so much to us. Did you know that it’s tradition to wear a poppy to show support for the Veterans? Get out those flags and poppies!
In addition to all our plans for Celebration Sabbath, we’re filling up the baptismal pool and inviting anyone who wishes to be part of the baptismal service that day. This is the third baptism we’ve celebrated this fall. If you’re interested to learn more about being baptized or just have a few questions please call Pastor Mitch at (562) 869-6013. November 26th is Thanksgiving. It’s a day to express our thanks to God for the blessings we have. It seems sometimes we forget the
‘expressing our thanks’ part and the day is just about food and football. Not that food and football is all bad, but the day should be more than that. On November 28th, Bill Aumack’s message is A Classic Thanksgiving. We know about classic Coke, classic cars and classical music, join us on that day to see what the Bible says about classic thanksgiving. See you when the church gathers. =
5
Downey Adventist Chur ch Sunday
Monday
1
Tuesday
2
Wednesday
3
Thursday
Friday
4
5
Saturday
6 4:57 pm sunset
7 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams
7 pm Women’s Prayer Group
8
9
10
11
6:30 pm Band Practice
12
13 4:52 pm sunset
10 AM C.S.
14 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams
7 pm Women’s Prayer Group
15
16
17
18
6:30 pm Band Practice
19
20 4:47 pm sunset
21 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams Celebration Sabbath
7 pm Church Board 7 pm Women’s Prayer Group
22
23
24
25
6:30 pm Band Practice
26
12:30 PM Luncheon
27 4:44 pm sunset
28 9:30 AM S.S. 10:50 AM Worship Bill Aumack
6:30 pm Band Practice
29
30 Visit www.downeychurch.org C.S. - Community Service S.S. - Sabbath School
November 2009 Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES ow many times have you said to yourself: I just don’t know where all my money goes or I can’t seem to make ends meet when it comes to my finances? Believe me, you are not alone with these thoughts, especially in the current financial recession.
H
The best answer to this financial dilemma is a household budget. I know, as soon as you read “house-
“Make yourself rich by making your wants few.” — H.D. Thoreau hold budget” you have the feeling of being sent to your room as a teenager, getting a “time out” or standing in the corner as a child. For the majority of people, going on a budget just sounds disagreeable. And when we observe the way our national leaders disregard finances, it’s no wonder the average American dislikes and even ignores developing a household budget. Many of the readers of the Stewpot may have failed to establish a personal financial plan or budget in the past because you hold on to one or more excuses for not doing so. Below are four common excuses, presented in a “tongue-in-cheek” manner. Most of them are unfounded and illogical, but we continue to use them as ways to get ourselves out of developing a plan. The bottom line is that having a budget is actually a liberating experience.
Excuse #1: Hanging on to old budget myths. When you and your spouse start thinking about developing a sound financial plan,
Budgets Don’t Count Or Do They? you quickly fall back on such time honored myths as, “We just don’t have the time,” “We didn’t get the accountancy gene,” or “Putting together a budget, whoa, that’s a lot of hard work.”
Perspective: When you look at the whole scheme of money management, it seems that comparing the one or two hours a month it takes to develop a budget to the 160 plus hours you work to earn your money, it is time very well spent. If you work an average of over 2,000 hours per year, it definitely seems worthwhile to put an additional one to two percent of that time deciding just where that money is going to go.
Excuse #2: You love financial arguments. Instead of relaxing and enjoying a quiet evening reading a great book or enjoying your favorite hobby, a favorite pastime seems to be having heated discussions about each other’s spending habits. You would rather argue with your spouse about who spends the most money and
throw economic grenades at each other, as if you don’t get enough pressure from work, relationships or life as a whole.
Perspective: Having a prearranged, spouse-approved system to direct your spending decisions is a must. For nearly 40 years, my wife and I have practiced this simple rule: if it’s not in the budget and costs more than $100, let’s discuss it first, so there are no hard feelings and the household budget remains intact. Well planned budgets or spending plans reduce and eliminate blame games. This should give you more time to talk about how or how to pick better mutual funds in your 401k.
Excuse #3: Financial bungee jumping. Keeping an account of every item purchased seems very mundane to the majority of individuals. They would rather play the proverbial Russian roulette with their personal finances. Receiving bank notices with a $35 bank charge or a $75 penalty for a credit card infraction are the only times they have a momentary glimpse of what a household budget could and would do for continued on page 11
7
THE LATEST WORD
8
November 2009
this month
Nov. Birthdays Laura Luna - 3 Sandra Gomez - 3 David Chavez - 4 Juanita Cabrera - 5 Norman Markussen - 6 Clarice Murray - 10 Noemi Morales - 10 Esther McPhoy - 10 Daniel Lewis - 12 Mark Pond - 12 Ava Meade - 13 Melissa Archila - 16 Gustavo Ortega - 17 Jasmine Amezaga - 18 Alex Chavez - 18 Evelyn Vierna - 20 Araceli Sanchez - 21 Mariah Chavez - 22 Mark Toban - 22 Rebecca Stephens - 23 Beverly Kauffman - 24 Flor Munguia - 27
Upc oming Even ts 2nd Sunday - 10 a.m. Community Service 3rd Saturday - Adventurer Club Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer Group Fridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice Nov 1 - Time Change. Set clocks BACK one hour Nov 21 - Celebration Sabbath & 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 If you are looking for a new, fun way to read The Latest Word online, be sure to check out the newest format at http://issuu.com/downeychurch. Same great content in a richer environment. Be sure to check out all the reading modes. As usual, you can still get read it at our website at www.downeychurch.org.
December 5 - Kids Sabbath December 19 - Community Christmas January - Bible Marking Series
9
THE LATEST WORD The Latest About
Our Church Family We sorrowfully report the passing of Marylene Morris’ son, Dean Morris. Dean grew up in the Downey church and was living in Ohio. He is survived by his wife Bev and daughter Krystal. Please remember the entire family in your prayers as they mourn the passing of Dean. Congratulations to Alex Chavez. He was recently baptized here at the Downey Church. Welcome to family Alex!
10
Bill’s friend, Mikey, does a very cool project to help the troops. He could use our help. Early Christmas morning, Mikey’s family meets with
other families to visit with sick and injured recruits at Marine Boot Camp in San Diego. They give them a bunch of goodies, including letters from children and adults to try to encourage them in their healing process so they can fulfill their mission to serve and protect our country. They need 1000s of letters and your help is SO appreciated. The deadline to mail letters is 11/16/09!
Thank you to everyone who has been saving Campbell Soup Labels for education and Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated. On the Campbell Soup labels, all that is really need is the UPC (the bar code). You don’t have to save the entire label, just the UPC bar code. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =
Get more info here: www.mikeysfunnies.com/archive/ 20091013/index.html
Food Drive nce again our church will do a Thanksgiving food drive. The food we donate will be given to the Downey PTA HELPS to benefit people right here in Downey.
O
Last year we did really well by filling up the the back of Bill’s truck.
That was great. However, there was more room in the truck
The bed can be expanded from 5 feet long with the tailgate up to 6 and 1/2 feet long with the tailgate down and the gate installed (as pictured). Additionally there is a trunk under the pickup bed. We’d like to fill up all that space this year.
others. Duet. 15:11 says, “Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” This is something God is very clear about and we want to actively follow His word as best we can.
This is a big challenge for us. That would mean we would need at least a 175 bags of food (quite likely more than that).
Our deadline so the Downey PTA HELPS has time to organize the food is Nov. 7. Please bring your non-perishable canned and dried food to church so we can fill up the truck and follow God’s command. =
The food drive isn’t something we take lightly. Several times in the Bible we are commanded to care for
November 2009 Budgets Don’t Count-Or Do They? (cont. from page 7) their financial freedom. The only time you feel the need to develop a money management program is when you are in financial free fall.
Budget Basics
Perspective: To be honest, having a comprehensive budget will allow you to have regular nights out with your spouse and friends, as well as the dollars and cents to pay for those concert tickets and the babysitter. It will also allow you to have the funds needed for annual family trips to a theme park or maybe even an African safari.
3. The key to a budget.
Excuse #4: Half-hearted blowouts. The ultimate excuse for not having a budget is having a half-hearted one. This is the budget you have in your mind, but which is quite different from the one in your spouse’s head. Consequentially, they both add up to 150 percent of your combined 100 percent salaries. This lackadaisical thinking falls under the same category as that of the individual who believes that if there are checks in the checkbook, there certainly is money in the bank.
Perspective: A household budget that truly reflects every aspect of your financial needs and also plans for emergencies and other unforeseen financial crises will save you a lot of headaches and sleepless nights.
1. Make a conservative income projection. Include only your current salary, plus other “known” monthly incomes, such as interest from a savings account or income from rental property. Do not include “hoped for” tax refunds, cost of living raises or end of year bonuses. Considering Murphy’s Law, these “hoped for” incomes probably will not happen to you in the current twelve month period.
2. Know and understand your budget. There are generally
three sections to your budget: o Firm or known amounts that never change, such as the monthly rental/mortgage payment on your “If your outgo exceeds your home or a vehicle payment. income, then your upkeep o Flexible or variable will be your downfall.” amounts, such as utilities
— Bill Earle
and telephone accounts. If your home is heated by gas, but cooled by electricity, it makes sense that the gas bill will be higher in winter and the electricity bill higher in summer. o Fixed or limited amounts will be those items that are left, such as groceries, clothing, entertainment or allowances. This section often determines whether or not a budget will work for you.
The key to staying within your budget is to tailor it to your financial income. Like the parable of Jesus, where one steward was given five talents of money, another three and another one, so it is in our modern society: if you make $25,000 a year, that is what your household budget should reflect; if you earn $50,000 a year, your budget should reflect that amount; if your salary is $80,000 per year or more, you can obviously have a larger budget. The average credit card balance of the majority of individuals or families is approximately $10,000. This is usually because over the years their monthly expenses typically exceed their monthly income by only $100 or $200-and the debt just keeps on going up and up and up. =
References: Some concepts from “Budgeting Basics 1: Reasons Not to Budget” by Matthew Pryor, Sound Mind Investing magazine, January 2009, page 6.
11
November 2009
Ponder This... = “I have so much to do (today) that I should spend the first three hours in prayer.” —Martin Luther = “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” —Robert Caspar Lintner = “When I give, I give myself.” —Walt Whitman = “A coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” —Unknown
Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240
DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested