Nov 2012 The Latest Word by Downey Church

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

Pastor Mitch and Ginny’s Farewell by Pastor Mitch

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

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

THE LATEST WORD

day and today and forever” day that will be “For the Serving the Downey (Hebrews 13:8). Let’s Lord himself will come Church family has been down from heaven, with the time of our lives. Over keep our eyes on Jesus who makes it possible for a loud command, with the the years, we’ve come to voice of the archknow many as famiangel and with the ly. You have opened trumpet call of God, your hearts to us Ginny and I feel we’re and the dead in and Ginny and I feel better people having Christ will rise first” we’re better people having known each known each of you. We (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). The angels of you. We love love you. will be busy gathyou. ering family and The Downey friends for the largChurch is led and us to say we’ll see you in est reunion ever. This is cared for by our Lord heaven. our final message and we Jesus. That is why we pray we’ll see you at the On November 24 the believe the greatest service. message is The Coming times of spiritual growth Reunion. A central mesYour God Is Big is the and renewal are just sage of the Seventh-day title of the message on ahead. Pastors serve for Adventist Church is the November 3. “I strongly a few years but the Bible Second Coming of our believe that the way we reminds us that “Jesus Lord Jesus. What a great live is a consequence of Christ is the same yesterthe size of our God. Our God is too small. We are not convinced that we are absolutely safe in the hands of a fully competent, all-knowing, ever-present God. That is why so many of us keep living as if everything depends on us” (John Ortberg). This message might just be the launch pad that expands your view of God. Invite a friend.

“

”

The message on November 10 is The Joy-filled Life. If I asked “What do the Golden Arches represent?” most would say McDonald’s. Christians are living, breathing representatives of Christ our Lord. The

Apostle Paul wrote, “You show that you are a letter from Christ . . . written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God . . . on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor 3:3). The letter metaphor implies we are representatives of Christ to tell of his goodness and mercy. Yet, too many Christians miss out on the joy-filled life by their “what’s wrong” attitude. The joy-filled life is available to all Christians. The joy-filled life flows from an attitude of what’s good and right and pleasing to God. This message shares how to find joy for daily living. continued on page 3 The Latest Word V 24 N 11 BILL AUMACK

WE DID IT

Pastor Mitch and Ginny Farewell (cont. from page 1)

responsible for this

LINDA AUMACK copy editor

HATZUKO AISPURO paper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMS 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

November 2012 Farewell... Friendship Day Celebration Sabbath is November 17. Celebration Sabbath marks the conclusion of the small groups’ study, 6 Weeks of You can’t walk on water, unless you get out of the boat. The service is a celebration of God’s goodness and how He is actively working in our lives. Along with one or two individuals from each of the small groups sharing their experiences, we have a special guest, Dr. Gerard Kiemeney, who will share his God-story. A luncheon is planned for Celebration Sabbath. The small groups are preparing their favorite soups with all the trimmings. Bring your appetite to sample the delicious varieties.

ouldn’t it be great if all your family and friends were together with you in eternity? Obviously, the answer is yes. The great news is that is possible. One of the ways you can help make that dream come true is by inviting them to church with you.

e sure to join us on November 24th at 5pm for a Retirement Party for Pastor Mitch and Ginny. This is going to be a black-tie event. So get out your fancy clothes, preferably black and white, and come prepared for a wonderful evening.

Worship Schedule

Every guest will get a DPB CD as gift. Invite a friend to join us Nov. 3rd.=

The location of the party and what’s going

to happen is a secret for Pastor and Ginny. Sign up to attend in foyer at church and you’ll receive a note in the mail with the details. Remember that Bill’s pocket is available for donations. Join us in this send off for Mitch and Ginny. =

November 17 Mitch Williams

Your God is Big

Celebration Sabbath

November 10 Mitch Williams

November 24 Mitch Williams

Joy-filled Life

invite your friend to your home for lunch or go out with them somewhere. Maybe an opportunity to share about your faith will present itself.

Retirement Party

See you when the church gathers. =

November 3 Mitch Williams

November 3rd is Friendship Day. This is a great day to invite your friends to church. We won’t make them stand out or do anything that will make them uncomfortable. They can just come and hear the good news about the gospel. After church

The Coming Reunion continued on page 3

THE LATEST WORD Before the Father by Linda Fernandez

Worry or Wait?

T “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life….” Matt. 6:25a

here are so many texts in the Bible that tell us not to worry about the things in our lives; things like clothes, food, drink, even about tomorrow. But what if we are not worried about our lives, but about God’s plan for our lives? How do we go about trusting Him to take care of everything? How do we know when and where to start, when to wait and when to stop? God has that covered as well.

Acting Too Soon? Ps 106:13 But

they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

Acting Too Late? Joshua 18:3

How long will you wait before you

“Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Ps. 27:14

Requirements:

Ps. 119:166 I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands. Is. 26:8 Yes Lord, walking in the way of your laws; we wait for you. Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God, maintain love and justice…

Nothing Happening?

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for my God…..

– Corrie Ten Boom “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.” – Rick Warren “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry” – Mark Twain “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened”

Getting Started: Ps. 5:3

In the morning, Lord, you heard my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Ps.37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…

worry pits.

– Mark Gorman “Only 8 percent of our worry comes to pass, 92% of our worry is wasted.”

begin to take possession of the land that the Lord has given you…?

Facing Tough Decisions? Ruth

1:13 Wait…until you find out what happens.. The above is just a few of the scriptures our Lord has provided for us no matter where we are in our worry stage. But what do we do with the “what ifs” that always seem to find their way into our minds. I found some quotes by others that may also help us dig ourselves out of our

-Leo Aikman “Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night” As I was going over the many examples of the times God’s people needed to trust in him, I thought about the manna. That first week must have been very hard for them to trust that their food would be provided, but soon I can imagine they grew to rely on his faithfulness. Let’s pray: Father, help us to bring our worries to you and to trust in your plan for us. =

November 2012 From Ginny’s Kitchen Pastor Mitch’s Birthday Cake Ingredients needed: 1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix. I use Duncan Hines cake mix, made per cake directions. 3 eggs ½ c. vegetable oil 2 round 8” pans that have been lined or sprayed with PAM. (I make them the day before and freeze them. Easier to cut horizontally across when frozen). 2 (8 oz.) boxes of Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares 1 carton (13 oz.) whipped butter 2 cartons (8 oz..) whipped cream to whip or 1 large container of Cool-Whip 1 pkg. (8 oz.) peanuts (unsalted) or rinsed and dried before using in recipe

Directions: 1. Make the chocolate cake according to directions and freeze cake in round cake pans. Wrap with foil or Saran Wrap. The day you make the cake: 2. In the microwave, melt Baker’s Baking Chocolate squares 1 ½ boxes. (Do 1 minute at a time and stir, careful not to burn). Refrigerator left over Bakers for chocolate curls for the top of cake. 3. Take the whipped butter and stir into hot melted baking chocolate squares. Add peanuts and stir together and place into refrigerator to cool and thicken. 4. Whip the whipped cream, with sugar and vanilla per direction or use cool-whip. Keep cool.

5. Now it is time to split and each cake horizontally across. You will have four thin layers. Place 1 layer of cake on a pretty cake-platter. Begin spreading fillings between each layer: Place first cake layer, then top with ½ of chocolate and nuts mixture in center and near to edge. Place second cake layer on top of the first, then fill with layer ½ whipped cream mixture in center and near to edge. Place Third cake layer on top of the second, fill with remaining chocolate and nut mixtures in center and near to edge

6. To finish the cake add the remaining chocolate squares curls. The chocolate curls are made with a potato peeler or use a grater. Spread the chocolate curls all over the top of cake. Immediately refrigerate cake and keep cool until ready to serve. =

Add the fourth and final cake on top. Top the final layer with the remaining whipped cream.

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

6:01 pm sunset

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

9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams Friendship Day

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

3 pm Pathfinders/ Adventures

7 pm Band Practice

9 4:54 pm sunset

9 am Pathfinders/ Adventures

10 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

16 4:49 pm sunset

17 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

Mitch Williams Celebration Sabbath 12:30 Luncheon 3 pm Pathfinders

23 4:46 pm sunset

24 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams

7 pm Band Practice

30 4:44 pm sunset

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

5:00 pm Retirement Party

November 2012 Stewpot by Julie Cunnington Masterson

hile waiting in line at my bank, I accidently dropped a credit card on the table we were slowly circling. The card rested there for a few minutes before I realized it was missing and retrieved it. But that’s all the time it took for someone to replicate my card numbers and damage my credit. The next 14 months were run by the credit card that went astray. Have you experienced anything similar? Your credit history could be ruined by someone hacking into your computer or opening credit accounts in your name. The police might knock on your door, search warrant in hand, because your name, address and phone number have been connected to a Web site containing child pornography. Are identity thieves actually invisible stalkers using endless scams to grab families’ assets? The Internet does have countless stories claiming identity theft is an epidemic and even attorneys are victims. This might be overstated, but realize, if you do business with a

Identity Theft: A Modern Epidemic bank, frequent an ATM and/or enjoy any type of an electronic device, identity theft is only a matter of time. Who is to blame for this epidemic? The

companies who don’t take sufficient precautions with their customers’ personal information, the creditors who approve credit card and loan applications without sufficiently verifying identity and the hackers who systematically breach banks’ firewalls to access their customers’ data. Money Magazine claims, “It’s time for all of us to concede that our data ultimately cannot be defended-which is why it’s only a matter of time before your identity is compromised in some way, big or small.”1 What can a person do to protect themself and their family? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Stay safe, stay Informed Thieves rely on your lack of familiarity with your indebtedness. So make sure you have personal knowledge of each and every credit transaction. That’s reason enough to stay acquainted with all billings, paying special attention to their billing cycles. The Kiplinger magazine has an online 10-question quiz you can take to see if your identity is now at risk. To find the quiz go to Kiplinger.com/ magazine/links/. This Web page also explains how to stay safe while traveling and the various tricks ID thieves use.

2. Order your credit report at least once a year Be sure to get your credit report from three different bureaus, but not all at once. Compare the reports with each other and your records, weed out the folk whose names are similar to yours but who have bad credit and over time you could raise your credit score. To create your own free credit monitoring service, go to www. annualcreditreport.com/. continued on page 8

To find out if a identity thief has been passing bad checks in your name call SCAN at 800.262.7771, consumer. inquire@certegy.com

Remove your name from credit bureau mailing lists or preapproved, unsolicited credit and insurance offers by calling 888.567.8688 or www. optoutprescreen.com

THE LATEST WORD Identity Theft (cont. from page 7) 3. Use ONE credit card for all Internet purchases With only one monthly “Internet credit card statement” you can easily spot unauthorized transactions. By keeping track of your spending habits you find out your spending priorities. My father used to say, “Don’t tell me what you treasure, just show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you treasure.”

4. When you dispute a charge Write a letter to your credit card company. State the reasons why you dispute the debt and include any supporting documentation, like the records that show you were not at that location on that date. Immediately close any accounts that might have been tampered with or opened without your knowledge. Acting quickly is vital. Contact the correct agencies to fix all your inaccurate information and to report the identity theft. Fill out the Identity Theft Affidavit (FTC) form you’ll find at www.ftc.gov.

File a police report with your local police department and if the identity theft took place within another area, file a report in that area. This

documentation will support your claims to credit bureaus, creditors and debt collectors or other related companies. Maintain a document list of the police report, Identity Theft Affidavit, statements showing the fraudulent charges, records of accounts opened without your consent and copies of all the letters sent to credit bureaus and creditors.

5. Once a victim, always at risk BUT by taking these simple precautions you can go a long way to shield your family from this crime. a. Place passwords on bank, credit card & phone accounts. b. Don’t carry your Social Security Number card.

mation you have online by using secure connections and virus protection programs. f. Use a firewall program especially if you have high-speed Internet which keeps your computer connected 24 hours a day and be sure to secure your browser. g. Consider unplugging your Internet when it is not in use. h. Don’t download files from people you don’t know. i. Take advantage of “Fraud Fighter” security features your financial institution offers. Choose the ones that work best for you. These can be particularly important if you or someone you love suffers from dementia or other disabilities. 2 j. “Be aware that thieves use obituaries to set up several of their

their Social Security number. Also consider omitting the person’s hometown and state. This information assists thieves in obtaining vital records from the county clerk’s office”.3 As a dedicated steward, you are accustomed to managing your finances in harmony with biblical principles. Jesus explained, “ ‘I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves,’ “ Matthew 10:16, NIV. Use this issue’s information to protect your family AND remember the promise that’s just as alive today as it was when Malachi first proclaimed, “ ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ “ says the LORD Almighty, “ ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it,’ “ Malachi 3:10 NIV. References: 1. Money Magazine, August 2005, p. 27. 2. Identity Theft Repair Kit, communityservices@azag.gov; 800.352.8431

c. Guard your mail from theft. d. Don’t give out personal information over the Internet. e. Keep safe the infor-

scams. Consider “not including in the obituary the deceased’s specific date of birth or their date of death. These dates facilitate thieves in obtaining a copy of the death certificate, which often includes

3. Karen Barney, program director, Identity Thief Resource Center, San Diego, Calif. www. IDTheftCenter.org

November 2012 THIS MONTH

Upcoming Events November Birthdays Laura Luna – 3 Sandra Gomez – 3 David Chavez – 4 Juanita Cabrera – 5 Norman Markussen – 6 Kevin Torres – 9 Clarice Murray – 10 Esther McPhoy – 10 Mark Pond – 12 Ava Meade – 13 Yolanda Pena – 15 Melissa Archila – 16 Gustavo Ortega – 17 Alex Chavez - 18 Evelyn Vierna – 20 Araceli Sanchez – 21 Mark Toban – 22 Beverly Kauffman – 24 Flor Munguia – 27

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

3 - Friendship Day 3 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 3pm 4 - Set Clocks BACK one hour @ 2am 4 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 9am 6 - Election Day 11 - Veterans Day 17 - Celebration Sabbath 17 - Pathfinders @ 3pm 22 - Thanksgiving Day 24 - Retirement Party @ 5pm

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 Dec. 15 - Pathfinder Induction Dec. 22 - Christmas Program

Nov. 4

THE LATEST WORD The Latest About

Our Church Family We want to wish Pastor Mitch and Ginny the best as they enter this new phase in their lives. Enjoy your retirement. We love you guys! Praise God that Linda Fernandez’s surgery went so well. Continue

to pray for her complete healing. 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! =

A Simple Act

raditional thank-you notes are rare in this age of texting and social networking. But California lawyer John Kralik set out to change that. On January 1, 2008, at a low point in his life, Kralik vowed to send one note of appreciation to a different person every day for one year. Although it took him a bit longer to reach the 365-note mark, Kralik’s intentional focus on grati-

tude changed his life. “I saw how much I had been blessed by so many people in different ways,” he says, “and acknowledging their blessings seemed to make them multiply.”

thank-you note, Kralik said he’d learned that “gratitude is a path to the peace we all seek.” =

After Kralik documented his experiences in A Simple Act of Gratitude (Hyperion), people wrote to share how the effects of gratitude rippled out. By the beginning of 2012, having written his 860th

Discover the Iron

f one should give me a dish of sand and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes and search for them with my clumsy fingers and be unable to

detect them. But let me take a magnet and sweep through it, the magnet would draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction.

The unthankful heart, like my fingers in the sand, discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find in

every hour, some heavenly blessings. … The iron in God’s sand is gold! —Henry Ward Beecher

November 2012

Ponder This... = “Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.” —Elizabeth Bibesco

= “Look forward and be hopeful, look backward and be thankful, look down and be helpful, look up and be humble.” —Unknown

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

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