Southeastern California Conference

LEFT: Sasil presents at The Pursuit evangelistic series. RIGHT: Pastors stand with baptismal candidates.

CAFE Life: Moreno Hills Focuses on Youth Ministry

Klenth Sasil moved to Moreno Hills church last fall and became the youngest Filipino pastor in the conference. “I wasn’t sure where to start,” the youth pastor admitted. “When you get done at the seminary, there’s a lot to process, and I just felt lost.” He started by asking his senior pastor for a workspace that could double as a youth hangout.

His request was granted, and he set up CAFE Life:

Community, Authenticity, Friendship, and Experience. “I wanted to create a space where we could all just be real with each other and do life together,” he explained. As their first contribution to 2022’s year of evangelism, Moreno Hills youth created an evangelistic series for young people called “The Pursuit: Finding meaning and purpose in Christ,” which took place over five Sabbaths in January and February. As a result of their partnership with the Holy Spirit, 12 people were baptized. “Our focus was really the heart of God,” Sasil said. “We wanted to provide a chance for people to encounter God’s presence in an intimate way.” And, according to Sasil, the series was a success. “It’s not about having a fancy program or the number of baptisms,” he said. “It’s about seeing people transformed by finding a new pursuit in their lives.

That’s God at work.” Sasil enjoys seeing the youth become more at home in their church. CAFE Life provides a comfortable space where they can ask tough questions and have real conversations, and they’ve started inviting friends to come too. “They are very curious,” Sasil said. “They want to know what it means to be a Christian, and they’re looking for someone to share their struggles.” The church has been very supportive of CAFE Life. They offer financial support, furnish spaces, provide branded shirts for the youth, and even cook for them. The group gets together outside church at the lake, at restaurants, and for vespers at members’ homes.

Sasil said there are conversations taking place between several area churches to make CAFE Life regularly available to all their youth and young adults and to coordinate regular joint vespers programs. Their goal is to create a strong program that also includes youth who aren’t yet part of the church. “We’re just doing what we’re doing,” Sasil explained, “going where the young people are and focusing on relationship-building. Evangelism isn’t always sermons and Revelation—sometimes it’s just creating a safe space where we can show authenticity and experience Jesus.”

____________________ By Becky St. Clair

Jesus Is My Superhero!

“ Jesus, you’re my Superhero. You’re my star, my best friend” were the words of the theme song that echoed loudly through the outdoor amphitheater of the Loma Linda University church during the months of January and February. The Omicron variant spread quickly throughout our community, city, and state, and we knew that we needed to once again get creative while making Sabbath School happen for our families. The safety of our children was our priority, and creating a space where we had good ventilation with social distancing was our focus. We had a few days’ notice to prepare, and God more than delivered. In the thick of planning our first Sabbath with such limited time, we came up with our Bible Superheroes theme on a Wednesday afternoon. We did not have much time to order supplies. By God’s grace, we received a random donation of a giant box of superhero costumes. Unbeknownst to the donor, this was a huge answer to prayer. Anything we could have possibly needed to get us through the first program was in that box. God provided, even to the smallest request. Each Children’s Sabbath School class and our Adventurer Club were assigned a week with their own Bible hero. Children dressed up in character, helped decorate the stage, and were a part of the story. Each week, they presented their skit and taught us who our Bible superhero was, what they had done that was admirable, and how it still applies to our lives today. God’s presence was felt all around, and families were happy to be able to fellowship. The sounds of singing and laughter were the culmination of God providing! Children came each week excitedly dressed in their capes, ready to learn about heroes like Samson, Noah, Esther, David, and Moses, to name a few! The cutest little “animals” dressed up from our infant class were ready to load up the ark, while our older children proudly donned their shiny soldier costumes. This unexpected program transformed into something beautiful that touched many! We heard stories of children who put a stone from one of our family activities near their bed as a reminder of God’s love. The programs also encouraged families to worship together and elaborate more on the different superheroes. It was a reminder that God knew that this was exactly what our church families needed at that time. His faithfulness and glory reminded us that, in spite of current events, He is better than anything any superhero could offer.

____________________ By Shawna Campbell and Joanna Hartnell

Luke Oms portrays King Xerxes in the Queen Esther story.

LEFT: Valenzuela is ordained at the LSA outdoor evening service. RIGHT: Pastors lay hands on Leno during the prayer of ordination.

Glenn Valenzuela and Starla Stephan Leno Ordained to the Gospel Ministry

This past February, Southeastern California Conference (SECC) ordained two pastors: Glenn Valenzuela, TK-12 campus chaplain at La Sierra Academy (LSA), and Starla Stephan Leno, discipleship and care pastor at the Azure Hills church. Born in Texas, Valenzuela was raised a sports-loving Catholic who ultimately converted to Adventism at 15 years old. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Adventist University (SAU) and a master’s degree from Andrews University. During his junior year at SAU, Valenzuela realized his passion was studying the Bible and sharing what he learned with others. “I had a moment of clarity,” said Valenzuela. “At that moment, I decided to pursue a degree in religious education, and from that point on, God continuously blessed my journey into education and school chaplaincy.” As TK-12 campus chaplain, Valenzuela creates opportunities for LSA students to be servant leaders. At all grade levels, students participate in planning in-reach and outreach programs to help one another become actively involved in the spiritual life of the LSA campus and community. “I’m very intentional about being available to all students for conversation, prayer, ministry, or just to hang out and laugh,” said Valenzuela. “It’s a joy to help students realize their potential and help them experience the genuine love and transforming grace of God.”

Leno serves her Azure Hills congregation in similar fashion. As discipleship and care pastor at Azure Hills church, she coordinates church ministry efforts to ensure that people at any stage of their spiritual journey continue, find, or enter a salvation experience with Jesus Christ. “I've come to understand my pastoral role as coming alongside my church members and empowering them to minister to others,” explained Leno. “I am not separate from but rather right next to our congregation, helping them to use their gifts to spread the gospel.” Before ordination, Leno served as a registered nurse for more than 30 years and then felt the Lord calling her to full-time ministry. When her three children went off to college, she returned as well and completed degrees in human development and human services; then she went on to complete a master’s degree in theological studies at La Sierra University School of Divinity. “God has pulled together all the broken pieces of my life and put them back together to form a unique ministry,” said Leno. “I minister and connect with others about the things I’ve struggled with most strongly.” SECC is blessed to have these pastors serving, both of whom are dedicated to creating opportunities to bring people to Jesus Christ so that they can serve others as well.

____________________ By Danni Thaw

So Much More: SECC Hosts Events for Youth and Their Leaders

In February and March, the youth ministry department of Southeastern California Conference (SECC) hosted two events meant to strengthen and encourage both the church’s young people and the pastors who serve them. The Youth Ministries Summit, designed for young adult, youth, and children’s ministry leaders, had a threefold purpose: to build camaraderie, to inspire mission, and to further equip leaders for effective ministry. “Youth ministry today brings new challenges and is different than it was in the past,” said Aren Rennacker, youth ministries director. “We’re encouraging our pastors to get creative and think outside the box.” Rennacker took a unique approach, inviting participants to share not only ministry efforts they were proud of, but also something they tried that failed. “Sharing ‘epic fails’ requires honesty and humility, but hearing that everyone tries things that don’t work is encouraging,” said Somer Knight, event attendee and family ministries pastor at Redlands church. “It was a reminder to bring our best, to lean on wisdom learned the hard way, and to not be frozen by past failures.” The Youth Summit ended with a panel discussion between Patty Marruffo, executive secretary of SECC, and Dilys Brooks, chaplain at Loma Linda University. Questions for the panelists were submitted ahead of time by participants, and no topic was off-limits. “They are both thoughtful, articulate women,” Knight said, “and I really appreciated their authenticity and care for each question.” During The Experience, a spiritual retreat for middle school students, four presenters gave 12-minute presentations on a spiritual tool: prayer, Bible study, service, and sharing our faith. Students then rotated through breakout sessions to dig deeper into each one. “For this age group, church means going to a building on Sabbath,” said Gatra Suhari, event presenter and youth pastor at Azure Hills church. “It’s so much more than that, and in order to help these kids see that, we need more events like The Experience.” “Faith can seem kind of isolating for this age group,” Knight said. “The Experience is an opportunity for them to see there’s a bigger community of kids who care about doing things God’s way. They’re not alone in their faith, and we’re here to support them along this journey.” Around 100 students attended, and Rennacker said the feedback has been entirely positive. “The church is all about community,” he added. “When our young people are given an opportunity to experience the beauty of community, we’re instilling in them an appreciation of what the church can provide for them for the rest of their lives. It’s honestly a huge win-win, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Pastors share breakfast with SECC President Park at the Youth Summit. Students bow in prayer at The Experience.

____________________ By Becky St. Clair