Southeastern California Conference

LEFT: Crumpacker, Ash, Satiya, and Munson participate in joyous baptism. RIGHT: Founders of the prayer group assemble to pray. Left to right, Dolly Moen, Dee Lee, Doreen Henry.

Divine Appointment in Desert Hot Springs

Living back East with college degrees, Ash and Satiya never dreamed that they would one day be homeless in Desert Hot Springs. After an 8-mile walk from Morongo Valley, they were exhausted and dehydrated. With no place to go, they sat in front of a business complex. With his wife in the hospital, Russ Crumpacker decided to grab a bite to eat. When he got out of the car, he saw the two homeless people and invited Ash and Satiya to eat with him. They could not believe that Crumpacker would want to be seen with them, especially the way they looked. Expecting rain that night, he also took them to the store and bought them more blankets and a tarp to keep them dry. When he dropped them off in the Morongo Springs Nature Preserve, he gave Ash and Satiya his phone number. The next day, they made the decision to reach out to Crumpacker. He brought them to his home while praying all the way. Crumpacker had cracked ribs and his wife had undergone a hip replacement—both caused by recent falls—and he needed work done around his house. He invited them to stay and help, paying them for the projects that he would have paid other people. He brought them to church in Desert Hot Springs the next Sabbath. Ash and Satiya felt like they had found a home. In their first study with Cecelia St. Clair, the church’s Bible worker, Ash and Satiya accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. On Sabbath morning, April 16, the church held a very meaningful communion and Easter service. Crumpacker and Glenn Munson, Desert Hot Springs church pastor, baptized Ash and Satiya together, with strong support from their new church family. This support had begun before they’d even heard of the church. The Desert Hot Springs “Church on Fire” prayer group had been meeting every Friday evening in the sanctuary to pray for their church family, their community, and their leadership. Hands had been laid on the very pew where Ash and Satiya sat on their first visit, and they were prayed for in this way even before they met Crumpacker. Led by Dee Lee, prayer ministry leader, “Church on Fire” is a group that comes together every Friday evening to pray. They close the evening by physically placing their hands on the pews and praying for the person who will be sitting in that seat. And God continues to send new people from the community to fill those seats. It is clear the Holy Spirit is at work in Desert Hot Springs church.

And God continues to send new people from the community to fill those seats. It is clear the Holy Spirit is at work in Desert Hot Springs church.

____________________ By Dolly Moen

Valley Fellowship Holds Lifesaving Blood Drive

On the weekend that most Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, Baron Sovory, pastor of the Valley Fellowship church, used the message of Christ’s lifesaving blood to urge church and community members to give as Christ gave. The congregation responded to the national blood crisis—a critical shortage of blood due to the coronavirus pandemic—by partnering with the American Red Cross to host a community blood drive. Held on Sabbath, April 16, 2022, the Valley Fellowship blood drive was organized by leader Deborah Enix Williams with team members Ruth Grando, Melinda Ancrum, and Al Fairley. “Hosting a blood drive coincides with Valley Fellowship’s core values of loving our neighbors through relevant, life-transforming ministry,” shared Sovory. “With a simple blood donation—about 30 minutes of our time—we have the ability to help save the life of someone who could be a coworker, loved one, or neighbor. I thank Valley Fellowship for answering the urgent call for more blood donors. Every person who participated is a life saver!” Valley Fellowship’s blood drive attracted almost as many first-time blood donors as long-term blood donors, and most of the participants were invited by a family member. Donna Belvedere, a seasoned donor who has given blood for over 46 years, arrived with her daughter Shelby, who started donating blood at the age of 16 and has given blood for 20 years. Sonjanetha Scott, the community services leader of the Sixteenth Street church and a regular blood donor, was persuaded to give blood by her brother-in-law, Larry Scott, a Valley Fellowship elder and a first-time blood donor. Laura Ulibarri, a medical scribe, coached her mother Donna Ulibarri through her first blood donation, and Sovory’s mother, Rosalyn Sovory, as well as his daughter, Joelle Sovory, joined him in donating blood. By the end of the blood drive, 30 church and community members donated one pint of blood each, surpassing the goal of 20 donors set by the American Red Cross. Because each blood donation can be separated into multiple components—packed red blood cells, plasma, or platelets—one donation could potentially save up to three lives. The Valley Fellowship church blood drive is one of hundreds of Regional Blood Drives scheduled across the country throughout the year. Coordinated by the Office for Regional Conference Ministries (ORCM) in partnership with the American Red Cross, the Regional Blood Drives recruit African American and Hispanic American blood donors to meet the needs of sickle cell patients; however, all races and ethnicities are encouraged and invited to give blood. To host a Regional Blood Drive at your church, register at https://rebrand.ly/rblood.

ORCM Communications Director Darriel Hoy (far right) and Baron Sovory (second from left) serve with the Red Cross team. Larry Scott, Valley Fellowship elder, gives blood for the first time.

____________________ By Darriel Hoy