IOWA-MISSOURI

St. Louis Central Church Thanks Local Healthcare Providers with Gift Boxes

Norman Njihi Jeremy Claridge

(left) Nurses at a local provider receive their gift box.

(right) Two young people help deliver the boxes.

The St. Louis Central Church’s personal ministries team recently delivered gift boxes to local healthcare providers and other essential workplaces as a way of thanking them for their service.

The church had been looking for ways to reach out to the community during this challenging time, and the idea for the boxes came about when church members who work in a local hospital shared that they and their coworkers had been receiving free food like pizzas and donuts—gifts for which they were grateful but felt conflicted about consuming because of the negative impact such foods have on their immune systems.

So, the team decided to surprise them. Nine boxes were delivered to various inpatient and outpatient medical centers in the area, including a COVID-19 unit, and another four were delivered (with the help of some young members) to area skilled nursing facilities and non-medical essential workplaces.

Each box contained healthy snacks, notes of appreciation, a “thank you” poem, spiritual tracts and fun colorful decor to brighten their day.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. The church members who work at the hospital reported back that their coworkers were grateful for the packages and have been asking questions about the church. The personal ministries team praises God for the warm welcome the boxes received, and they hope this will further strengthen the members’ witness in their workplaces during this unprecedented time.

The Apostle Paul often speaks of maintaining a perspective of thankfulness as an integral part of the Christian faith (e.g., Col. 2:6-7; 1 Thes. 5:16-18). As someone who gladly suffered much hardship for the cause of Christ, he saw the importance of remembering what God has done, is doing and will do for us in all circumstances.

This project was simple, fun, cost-effective and allowed for various age groups to get involved. It’s easy to complicate things when it comes to outreach—thinking that it needs to be highly sophisticated or complex. The St. Louis Central Church hopes their experience will encourage others to reach out and continue showing thankfulness in all things.

Amy Son Ikpeama is chair of the Personal Ministries committee at the St. Louis Central Church in Missouri.

Amy Son Ikpeama Devon Andersen

(left) Members prepare to deliver the boxes. Pictured (l-r): Pastor Rob Alfalah, Melissa Morris, Amy Son Ikpeama, Nancy Burkett, and Claridge family

(right) Devon Andersen, church member and hospital worker, takes a selfie with coworkers after receiving their box.

Sunnydale Introduces Nine New Staff Members for 2020-21 School Year

Sunnydale Academy began their 2020-21 school year with nine new staff members. Please join us in welcoming them!

Donna Alfalah

Donna serves as a cafeteria assistant. She has six years of food service experience, and two years of baking experience. She’s married to Pastor Lou Alfalah, and together they serve the Sunnydale Church. They have an adventurous young son named Jonah.

Kirk Baker

Kirk teaches science. He comes from Medford, Oregon, where he taught for seven years. He has a degree in biology from Burman University. For eight years he has been married to Cheria, whom he met in freshman biology class in college. They have two children, Colby (5) and Cameryn (3).

Andrew Boaz

Andrew teaches U.S. history, government and vo-tech classes. He comes from Arizona, where he taught social studies, P.E. and career and technical education classes. He holds degrees in history and applied human behavior. He has been married to Melissa for 26 years. They have four children ranging from 22 to 29, and one grandchild.

Melissa Boaz

Melissa teaches English. She comes from Arizona, where she taught various subjects including English, science and all subjects for middle through high school. She also previously served as girls’ dean at Holbrook Indian School, and as recruitment director at Jefferson Christian Academy. She holds an undergraduate degree in education and is currently working on a master’s in English from

(l-r, top row) Donna Alfalah, Kirk Baker, Andrew Boaz, Melissa Boaz (l-r, bottom row) Joseph Choi, Elizabeth Quigley, Patrick Quigley, Georgia Russell, Victoria Tobing

Grand Canyon University. She has been married to Andrew for 26 years. They have four children ranging from 22 to 29, and one grandchild.

Joseph Choi

Joseph teaches music. He comes from Hagerstown, Maryland. Originally from South Korea, Joseph has lived in the U.S. for 33 years and is fluent in four languages: Korean, Portuguese, English and Spanish. He holds an undergraduate degree in music with emphases in conducting and trumpet from Southern Adventist University; a master’s in orchestral conducting from University of Hartford; and is working on a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Maryland. Joseph is married to Angela, and they have a son, Nathaniel, who is in eighth grade.

Elizabeth Quigley

Elizabeth teaches foreign language, assists with various other classes and manages the library and yearbook. An alumna of Sunnydale, Elizabeth holds a degree in long-term care administration from Southern Adventist University. After spending time working at summer camp, she discovered a passion for working with young people and decided to work in education.

Patrick Quigley

Patrick teaches P.E., world geography, running intramurals and also serves as an assistant chaplain. An alumnus of Sunnydale, Patrick holds a degree in biology with a biomedical emphasis from Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon. While in Lebanon, he taught ESL classes for a year, which provided a chance for him to discover his passion for teaching young people.

Georgia Russell

Georgia teaches health classes and serves as head gymnastics coach. An alumna of Sunnydale, Georgia holds a nursing degree from Union College. She has 12 years of experience as a gymnast and is excited to be coaching again.

Victoria Tobing

Victoria teaches Bible classes and also serves as an assistant chaplain. She previously taught at Maxwell Academy in Nairobi, Kenya; College View Academy in Lincoln, Nebraska; Orangewood Academy in Garden Grove, California; and Springfield Junior Academy in Springfield, Missouri. She holds an undergraduate degree in religious education from Union College and is pursuing a master’s in counseling. Victoria’s passion is teaching young people about Jesus by living life alongside them.