For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church
Pastor Mitch and Ginny’s Farewell by Pastor Mitch
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ollowing graduation from La Sierra College, Ginny and I began our service to the Lord in 1976 at the Modesto Central church. Through the years, we’ve pastored churches in the areas of Fresno, Los Gatos, La Crescenta and Downey. Only the Lord knew we would complete just over 36 years of ministry to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We accepted the call to pastor the Downey Church
in June, 1997 and have served our loving congregation there for 15 ½ years. Now the Lord is calling us to retire. Making the decision to retire is difficult for serving the Lord at the Downey Church is pure blessing. Ginny and I have felt your support and love throughout the years—even though my sermons are more than 30 minutes. Our final message at the Downey Church is sched-
uled for November 24. However, we will remain as your pastors through December but will not be attending the Sabbath services. We need the month of December to go through the computer and hand off all the necessary tasks of administering the Downey Church. In addition, we’ll be packing up all the books in my study and going through the various files that will continue after we leave. continued on page 1
Small Groups
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ovember 17th is Celebration Sabbath. We will be celebrating what God has done during our 6 Weeks Water Walking series and in our small groups. We look forward to hearing from the groups and how God has been working with each group. Additionally, there will be a special offering for Evangelism on the 17th. This offering helps our church provide more programs and outreach events to our friends
A Blessed Thought Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the particulars of our state, and to the multitude of God’s gifts, taken one by one. It fills us with a consciousness that God loves and cares for us, even to the least event and smallest need of life. - H.E. Manning
INSIDE Friendship Day page 3
and neighbors. Please don’t think of this as “fund raising”, but as “Faith Raising.” We desire to help as many people as possible develop a relationship with Jesus. Every celebration needs some good food. Please 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. =
Retirement Party page 3 Worry or Wait? page 4 Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5 What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Identity Theft on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid’s Page on page 11