Southern California Conference

A Vision for Community: North Hills Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary

It is impossible for one church to maintain any dynamic influence over such a geographic area and population.” These words, preserved from board meeting minutes at the Pomona church in 1972, marked the start of the North Pomona project—

North Hills church today—to expand the ministry in the developing region of Pomona Valley. For 50 years, the North Hills church has strived to be a dynamic influence for good—and for God—in its community. The theme, to “be bold” for Christ, was felt among all who commemorated this significant anniversary. In his message concluding a series on Acts, Tim

Cress, senior pastor, reflected on the bold influence of the early church and noted North Hills’ similar focus today. “What I love about the history of our church is that its focus has been on outsiders and not insiders,” he said. “North Hills has asked, ‘Who are we to our community?’ from day one.” Cress emphasized that it takes everyone to steward their influence. What does this influence consist of?

“Cross-conference week of prayer for schools, VBS programs, and small groups,” he said. “Working with community partners, other churches and religious groups, city council people, or nonprofit organizations in our city—this is what it takes to have influence in our community in the name of Jesus. Influence is not a ‘me’ thing; it’s a ‘we’ thing.” North Hills has been led by seven pastors who all have committed to this vision of positive influence for the community in which they serve. These pastors

“ were recognized for their leadership, and several were interviewed in a special video message shared during the service. Tom Schroer (1995-2005) noted that during his time at North Hills, “the conference was pro sending pastors to the purpose-driven church. My eyes were open to a new way of doing ministry.” When Schroer interviewed, the board told him they didn’t want to continue doing church the way they’d done it in the past, that they wanted to be more involved and more relevant. “Doing things that would meet the needs of the community,” his wife, Kay Schroer, added. This attitude is especially relevant today as churches have had to adapt to new methods of ministry during the pandemic. Terry Benson (2005-2018) talked about his hope for the church—then and now. “What shouldn’t change is having a heart for Christ and then having Christ’s heart for people and for the community,” he said. “If we aren’t making a positive difference in the community, then who are we? That’s not the church Jesus established.” “My wish is that everyone decides to commit to be the church together,” added Cress. “The mission Jesus gave us isn’t only for paid pastors; it’s for everyone.”

An attendee examines a photo mosaic prepared especially for the event.

Six of the pastors who had led the congregation during the 50 years were present at the celebration.

___________________ By Araya Moss

LEFT: The worship team leads song service during an outdoor program. MIDDLE: The New Life team collaborates with the Long Beach church to host a Sabbath morning worship service together. RIGHT: Attendees worship together and enjoy fellowship at a New Life beach vespers.

New Life Church: A Young Adult-Led Church Plant Centered on Christ, Creativity, and Community

On February 8, 2020, a group of young adults met at Temple City church for the first evening worship service of a brand-new church plant: New Life church. A Christ-led vision was coming to life—a church plant led by and for young adults. Yet, they couldn’t know what would happen next.

A few short weeks later, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and the world shut down. For many, plans were postponed. Events were canceled. Projects were shelved.

But the New Life team believed too much in the vision to abandon it. They pivoted their plans, moving online and outdoors.

The online context helped foster a collaborative spirit, and meeting outdoors cultivated a casual and open community, which held to New Life’s values. “It forced us to be very creative,” shared Jon de la Paz, Temple City church elder and New Life director. “Planting a church in the pandemic has forced us to be creative, both in worship and in growing our community.” The idea of intentionality runs through everything

New Life does. Their mission is “Inspiring new life with

Christ through creativity and community.” Their goals include pursuing the unchurched and “dechurched” by sharing God’s love and making a relationship with Jesus irresistible to this current generation. “We’re not just about starting a contemporary worship service; it’s not just about the music,” de la Paz explained. “It’s about being very intentional about our culture and communication and starting with a new DNA of the church.” Through the years, this burden had been increasingly weighing on de la Paz’s heart. “In looking at my generation, I realized there was a big need in my local context, and in the conference, for a church that was really actively seeking and reaching out to the young adult population,” he shared.

The support of the parent church and its senior pastor, Brett Poynter, has been invaluable. A symbiotic relationship supports healthy growth in both groups; while they may have a different focus, growth in one encourages growth in the other. When Adam Hicks joined Temple City church as associate pastor in 2022, he began to work with New Life as their first pastoral presence. “My favorite part of this experience so far has been fostering a commitment to creativity and growth in a Christ-centered community and seeing it echo throughout the church, our community, and our conference,” de la Paz said. New Life church begins meeting weekly at 11 a.m. starting this month, on the Temple City church campus. Connect with and follow New Life church online at www.newlifesocal.com and on Instagram at @newlifesocal.

___________________ By Lauren Lacson

Love Me TV Series Shares God’s Words Through Music

It all started 15 years ago. Schubert and Yolanda Palmer, members of Vallejo Drive church, had recently completed production on a CD of inspirational worship songs when, as they put it,

“Yolanda heard God speaking to her, not audibly, but with the distinct impression, ‘Put my words to music.’” As songwriters, the husband-and-wife team thought perhaps God was impressing them to create another original production. But through fasting and prayer, “it dawned on us that God was impressing us to do, not another concert, but a very special musical for these end times, showcasing God’s Ten Commandments, in

God’s own words!” And so the Ten Commandments Love At Work (L.A.W.) musical was born. “From the outset, God impressed us to make this musical a collaborative effort,” they said. This meant it would be a diverse production in many ways: multi-artist, multi-ministry, multimedia, multi-ethnic, and with clergy and laity working together.

The L.A.W. musical was a springboard to a brandnew Bible study series in song. Entitled Love Me, the weekly 27-episode musical TV show is all about God’s incredible love. This series airs every Sabbath afternoon on Hope Channel. As with the original musical, the series focuses on the Ten Commandments wrapped in God’s love.

“The Lord showed us that as we are studying the Ten

Commandments to present it all about love,” Yolanda shared. “The purpose for this series is to lead men and

Watch & Share

Love Me Promo: https://bit.ly/lovemepromo Time: Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Direct TV: Channel 368

Online: www.HOPETV.org

On Demand & Recent Episodes:

www.HopeTV.org/shows/LoveMe/episodes Facebook: fb.com/OfficialLoveMe YouTube: https://bit.ly/ytloveme

Ten Commandments L.A.W. Musical:

https://bit.ly/loveatworkmusical A clip from the Love at Work musical, filmed at the Washington National Cathedral. The audience included 300 invited guests of Chaplain Barry Black from Capitol Hill and 200 Adventist world leaders. The team partnered with 16 churches, their respective conferences, the GC, Adventist Health, and Washington Adventist University.

women, boys and girls, to the foot of the cross.”

It’s no secret that music is a powerful tool for memorization; that’s why all the key doctrinal texts in the program are presented word-for-word in song. It was important that the content of the program come directly from Scripture—and what better way to incorporate these concepts than in song? This format helps viewers memorize these important passages easily. “When it’s in your mind, it’s easier to share in a Bible study because we already have the Scriptures embedded,” Schubert shared. The series has proven to be an effective tool for both in-reach and outreach alike. Pilot programs at SCC churches, including Vallejo Drive and Pasadena, and in other states have each resulted in baptisms. There has been wonderful feedback from non-Adventist viewers; many have shed tears when the love of God became clear to them and others have shared that the program opened their eyes to Bible truth. Still others have eagerly asked, “Can I share this program with my family, with my minister?” A simple way to spread the message, the Love Me series has opened doors for outreach and evangelism. Catch up with the latest episodes today—and share with a friend!

___________________ By Lauren Lacson

LEFT: The student missionaries from SOULS West are dedicated in prayer at the start of their practicum at Ojai church. RIGHT: Baca presents on the first night of the Revelation of Healing seminar.

Prayers Answered in Ojai Valley

In a small, secular town with a population near 8,000, Ojai Valley church welcomed 61visitors during a twoweek Revelation of Healing seminar this January. Efforts began last year, with several prayer groups faithfully meeting. Yet, after conversations with members, David Gardner, pastor of Ojai Valley church, realized more evangelism work was needed. Inspired, the church applied for a grant from the Pacific Union

Conference Evangelism Endowment Fund. Soon after it was approved, Lizelle Oreno was hired as a Bible worker, and the church was ready to hit the ground running. An evangelistic event was new for the congregation, and members were initially discouraged when two speakers canceled. “But God answered prayers we hadn’t even prayed,” said Gardner. “God was prepared ahead of time and sent Anthony Baca, director of SOULS

West Bible College, and a team of ten students, out of nowhere!”

The ten Bible-workers-in-training knocked on doors, administered surveys, and posted flyers in local businesses. The event was also shared through Facebook ads. However, the most effective method was radio, where Oreno shared brief ad segments on local Christian station KDAR 98.1. Then, she and Baca were interviewed about the seminar, and they invited people to attend.

One man heard Oreno’s radio ad for Bible studies and contacted the church, hoping to find a spiritual mentor. Oreno also met the man’s wife and invited her to the seminar. While there, the wife took diligent notes. After sharing with her husband, he was impressed to attend; after that, both attended every night. The husband, who unbeknownst to Oreno had been convicted of the Sabbath a few years prior, made his decision for baptism.

One of the Bible workers met a woman who was interested in attending, despite her belief in New Age spirituality, a popular practice in the area. While waiting for the trolley to take her to the seminar, the public transport missed her stop. Her car had been broken for six months. Determined to go, she prayed to God, “If you want me to go to the seminar, then you have to make my car start.” Her car started, and she attended—every single night. As soon as the seminar ended, her car stopped working. She has since been attending Sabbath services and Wednesday Bible studies. “God did the unimaginable,” reflected Oreno. “I didn’t have high hopes: the community is New Age, this is my first time working at a church, and it felt like the odds were against us. But it’s undeniable that this is something God did.” As of April, there have been three baptisms since the seminar ended. “In many ways, this campaign has exceeded our expectations,” said Gardner. “Follow-up and future events will continue the work of winning souls and reaping a harvest. God does answer prayers.”

___________________ By David Gardner and Araya Moss