harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
LUKE 10:2
The question with each one of those who have received the message for this time should be, What can I individually do to advance the truth? Ask God to open the way, that you may have a share in the work that Jesus is doing, and labor with him for the salvation of perishing souls. Let the people
pray for the men whom their votes place in office. Let them ask God to grant them wisdom from heaven, in order that they may do their duties wisely and well, and be enabled to plan with that wisdom God has promised to give to those that ask him for wisdom. The Lord Jesus came to the world in order to represent to his workers the spirit that should actuate them, and the best methods whereby they should do his work.
—Ellen G. White, “Who Are Partners With Christ?” Review and Herald, July 17, 1894
What’s inside
4 The Welcoming Kingdom
8 Beginnings: Utah
11 Fundamental Belief Number 6: Creation
13 The Good Sabbath
17 Unwelcome Abundance
20 The Work That Needs to Be Done
23 Newsdesk
32 Arizona Conference
34 Central California Conference
36 Hawaii Conference
38 Holbrook Indian School
40 Adventist Health
41 La Sierra University
42 Loma Linda University Health
43 Pacific Union College
44 Nevada-Utah Conference
46 Northern California Conference
48 Southeastern California Conference
50 Southern California Conference
52 Community & Marketplace
58 Sunset Calendars
Recorder
Publisher Ray Tetz
Editor Alberto Valenzuela
Assistant Editor Connie Jeffery
Design/Layout
Stephanie Leal • Alberto Valenzuela
Printing
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Publishing Association www.pacificpress.com
Adventist Health 916-742-0429
Kim Strobel strobeka@ah.org
Arizona
480-991-6777 ext 139 Jeff Rogers jrogers@azconference.org
hen Jennifer and I visit our two granddaughters in Sonora, California, there is excitement when we exit the car in the driveway. Two little voices call out our names (“Jaja and Papa!”) and their little arms wrap around our legs. The next question is directed to Jennifer, “Jaja, did you bring crafts?” It is a scene of joy. But after a few days, the inevitable comes. We must say goodbye. “Can’t you stay longer?” With hugs and kisses, we tell them that we will see them again when they visit our house. We miss each other until we are together again.
This scene, familiar to other families at front doors, airports, and train stations, is told in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-16. Jesus and His twelve (soon to be eleven) disciples have shared the Last Supper, and Jesus has imparted His final teachings before the Cross. He closes with these words in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”1
It is then that we encounter a treasure of the Gospels, recorded only by John. It is Jesus’ prayer. Not the Lord’s Prayer that we are so familiar with—it is the personal prayer of Jesus to His Father. Thousands of these prayers had been offered by Jesus over His 33 years of life. They remain unknown to history. Yet this is one for the ages. Here is the meeting of God’s Son and His Father on the cusp of the great controversy’s great battle—will the Son of God fulfill His prophetic destiny to die for the rebellion of Adam’s race? The Garden struggle later that evening is just ahead. The
agonizing pain of the Roman crucifixion is coming. Worst of all is the anticipated complete separation of Jesus from His Father when He cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is divided into three sections as He prays for Himself, then for the disciples, and then—wonder of wonders!—for you and me. This prayer is worthy of many pages of commentary and much prayerful reflection. Here our Lord entreats His Father that “the love with which You loved Me may be in them” (John 17:26).
Jesus, the Word made flesh, prays, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (verse 17). As He reflects upon His ministry of three years, the Savior declares, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (verse 3). It is this specific declaration that speaks powerfully to us, His modern disciples, who are called to share the good news.
Last year the “2020 Religious Census: Religious Congregations and Adherents Study” was published.2 It examines the level of presence by 374 religious bodies county by county in the United States. Rather than counting individual believers, it focuses on the formal gatherings of these groups. Seventh-day Adventists were included in the data:
our congregations are present in 57% (1,805) of the counties across the country, we have a larger than average presence in large metropolitan areas, and there is an interesting map showing our presence in relation to the total population. Of particular interest was the high density of our congregations versus population on the West Coast of the nation. The data reveals to me that Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is being answered yet also remains largely unfulfilled.
The Apostle John records the post-resurrection encounter with Jesus and His disciples and inserts his own comment, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Are we giving people in our cities,
Adventist congregations are present in of the counties across the country. 57%
2025
Evangelism Theme
Jesus
towns, and counties that wonderful invitation to believe and have life in Jesus? Certainly, this remains at the very core and purpose of what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist today. We are called upon to represent the true character of God and in so doing issue the invitation to the welcoming kingdom of Christ. But can we do more?
Recently, the Pacific Union Conference Executive Committee voted to place a special emphasis on the work of outreach evangelism in 2025, adopting the theme “Sharing Jesus.” Without a doubt, our churches and schools—pastors, teachers, and members in our churches—are engaged in mission outreach every week in every year. Yet giving a special emphasis in 2025 provides an additional opportunity to reflect together on how we can more effectively be engaged in this essential calling as God’s church in the world.
One of the ways that the Pacific Union Conference will be supporting this effort will be through extra financial support to each of our seven local conferences. An additional $1.3 million above the regular annual evangelism appropriations to these fields will be given in 2025. This will be
designated as direct support for our local churches and schools as they find new and creative ways to be the welcoming kingdom of Christ in their communities. If you are interested in finding out how your church or school can participate, contact your conference officers for further information. Right now, planning is underway throughout the Pacific Union for training and inspirational events to support the “Sharing Jesus” activities in your community.
None of this will have any lasting effect unless we bring our plans before the Lord in prayer. Please join me each day in praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we look to 2025 and beyond. There are so many people who are longing for the answers that only Jesus can give. Our Lord’s invitation comes to us all: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).
Bradford C. Newton is the president of the Pacific Union Conference.
1Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.
2https://www.usreligioncensus.org/
Pacific Union Conference
Tough beginnings
In 1889 a group of literature evangelists was sent by the California Conference to Utah, though they found “the outlook was not at all flattering.”
At the General Conference session in March 1891, it was reported that G.H. Derrick was sent to Utah, noting that this was “perhaps the hardest field for labor in the United States.” It was also recommended that the work should be started “after a study of the people and the best means of reaching them.”
The GC minutes also included the following telling observation by R.A. Underwood: “The Congregationalists have expended more than $250,000 without accomplishing hardly anything in Utah. The Methodists and others have tried the work
Ellen G. White surrounded by ministers and attendees at the Reno, Nevada, camp meeting, 1888.
Pioneers in the West
By the Recorder editorial staff
Beginnings: Utah
with a similar experience, it being almost impossible to reach the people by means of preaching or teaching.”1
So it is surprising in those circumstances that the first Adventist church was organized in Salt Lake City with 20 members the following year. Perhaps due to the challenges, the work in Utah was assigned to direct General Conference supervision in 1894. The first camp meeting held in Utah was in 1896.
In 1902 the Pacific Union Conference recommended the organization of the Utah Conference, with a regular membership of 143 plus some isolated members. There were two ordained ministers and churches in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, and Logan.
Ellen White stops over
In 1883, on one of her journeys across the continent, Ellen White’s train stopped at Ogden. She and her party were taken on a tour of Salt Lake City and the Mormon Tabernacle, as well as the new temple under construction.
She commented, “We were gratified that we had this privilege of visiting the city of the Mormons; but we saw nothing very attractive in this place, and had no desire to make it our home.”2
In 1905, Ellen White stopped again briefly at Salt Lake City. She noted:
At Salt Lake we were met by several of our brethren, who urged us to remain with them
for a few days. By a hard struggle the church in Salt Lake City has built a good meeting-house. In a prominent part of the city our brethren are conducting a vegetarian cafe and a health food store; and all felt the need of counsel as to how to conduct the work in Utah.
This invitation we were obliged to refuse. We had cut short our work in Battle Creek because of the sickness of Sister Marian Davis, and had to hasten home as quickly as possible on her account. Our visit with the brethren at Salt Lake was a short one, but it was cheering to hear of the progress of our work in this citadel of Mormonism.3
In 1909 Ellen White stopped in Salt Lake City on her way home to California. She preached about living for Christ daily and spoke of the education of children. Her last words to the large congregation were:
My brethren and sisters, let us study the simplicity there is in the Word of God. Let us see what we can do to advance the cause of Christ in the earth. Christ was in this world as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. There were many who set themselves against his work. There will be those who will oppose you. But your work is to preach Christ and him crucified; and when you do this, the salvation of God will be revealed in the conversion of souls.
Ellen G. White, seated behind children with Bible open, and J. N. Loughborough on the right, at Reno, Nevada, camp meeting, 1888.
Since I left my home in California in April, I have visited many places, and have spoken to thousands of people. This is the last stop I expect to make before reaching my home again. I would leave these words with you: Carry forward the work in faith and humble dependence upon God. Let each believer have light in himself; then the blessing of God will rest upon you, and you will see the salvation of God in the advancement of his work in this field.4
These were very nearly Ellen White’s last words ever. On the train over the Sierra Nevada mountains it seems that she experienced heart failure due to the high altitude. Hardly any pulse could be detected. She was treated with hot water and peppermint and warmed up with hot water bottles. As the train descended to lower altitudes her condition improved, but it was a close call.
Utah a mission field
In 1901 it was reported that “Utah is a General Conference mission field. It contains three churches,
with a membership of 161, one unorganized company of ten members, and fifteen isolated Sabbath-keepers, 186 in all, a gain of seventy-one for the past two years. The working force consists of two ordained ministers, one licentiate, and two missionary licentiates. $2,338.10 in tithe has been raised toward supporting their own work.”5
It seems the brethren did not quite know where to put Utah in the geographical administration of the church. Initially it was a separate conference within the Pacific Union, but then in 1916 the InterMountain Conference was formed, made up of the former Utah and Western Colorado Conferences. It stayed part of the Pacific Union Conference until 1919, when Utah (or at least parts of it) became a Mission under the Central Union Conference. Eventually the Nevada-Utah Conference was organized in 1931, and it became part of the Pacific Union Conference once again.
2Ellen G. White, “Notes of Travel,” Review and Herald (Jan. 29, 1884), p. 66.
3Ellen G. White, “Notes of Travel—No. 3,” Review and Herald (Feb. 16, 1905), p. 8.
4Reported by W.C. White, “From Colorado to California,” Review and Herald (Jan. 20, 1910), p. 7.
5General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4 (April 4, 1901), p. 54.
Fundamental Belief Number 6:
Creation
By Connie Vandeman Jeffery
The Creation story has thrilled me since I was a child. In Sabbath School classes at church and in Bible classes at school, I discovered that this fundamental belief of Creation was intensely personal to me.
The summer I was 15, my parents let me travel across Canada—from Toronto to Camp Hope in British Columbia—with Pastor Henry Feyeraband and his team of musicians. I brought along my guitar and sang my heart out at each camp meeting we attended. At the camp meeting in Saskatchewan, I heard Berney Neufeld speak and watched his multimedia presentation called “God is Beautiful.” As I watched the slides and listened to his dramatic telling of the Creation story, I was moved beyond words. That evening I strummed my guitar and wrote my first song. It was about Creation, and I asked Berney Neufeld if I could call it “God is Beautiful.” He recorded that first simple song for me and sent it to Chapel/ Bridge Records. It later became the title song of my first album in 1973. And it wouldn’t be my last song on Creation. I find so much rich material in nature, in the Sabbath, and in the fact that God made us—you and me—in His image. And for me, Creation is all about Jesus.
It seems regrettable that Jesus is not even mentioned in the official fundamental statement on
Creation.1 In contrast, right at the beginning of his Gospel, John introduces the Word, and then declares, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” He goes on to tell us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:3, 14, NIV).
The one we call Jesus is identified as the means of God’s creation. The Creator God took on human form and came and lived among us. Surely this should be pointed out in our statement on Creation. (John 1 is not even mentioned in the supportive texts.)
Yes, it’s important to identify God’s creation of the universe and of our world. Yes, we want to talk about the Sabbath as part of this creative process. Yes, we want to state that man and woman were made in the image of God. But no mention of Jesus as Creator?
Remember the words of counsel about making Jesus the center of our doctrines?2 We certainly need to make Jesus the Creator the center of our Fundamental Belief on Creation. So let’s begin there—with Jesus, the Word, the Creator.
First: John’s amazing, inspired assertion in verse 3 that “Through him all things were made.” How do we understand that? We can say that Jesus was the divine agent in Creation. That as God, Jesus is the
one described in Genesis 1. That the Creator took on human form and came to us. But to really explain that will take an eternity to understand. So we simply emphasize with John that everything was made through Jesus.
Paul was equally categorical. Writing to the Colossians, he says, “For in him [the Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16, NIV).
Jesus Himself pointed to Creation when He was asked about divorce, telling His questioners, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning” (Matthew 19:8, NIV). Marriage was there right from the outset, from the creation of Adam and Eve. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female’” (Mark 10:6, NIV). Certainly Jesus believed in Creation. (See also Mark 13:19.)
So how do we present Creation to a world that has generally abandoned such a belief and chosen to accept the theory of evolution? In many ways, this is where what we believe varies so markedly from what most people consider the truth.
Instead of getting into “foolish and stupid arguments” (2 Timothy 2:23, NIV), why not take people back to Jesus? In many ways, alternative ideas about our origins and who we are can be seen as attempts to write God out of the picture. The stark truth is either God created or He did not. Similarly, either God exists or He does not.
Jesus’ statements clearly point to His belief in Creation. He also speaks with His heavenly Father and says that He continues working with Him: “My Father is always working, and so am I” (John 5:17, NLT). All of our beliefs hang on our convictions about God, His existence, and His nature. Without that, without Jesus as Creator God, we have nothing to say. There would be no salvation, no doctrine, no resurrection, and “then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1
Corinthians 15:14, NLT).
But Jesus is our Creator, He is alive, and He is “able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV).
What does the Creation story mean for us today?
As Christians, and as humans, it is important to understand where we come from. It is important to feel that we belong.
Belonging is a fundamental desire in each of us. Knowing we play a part in the big picture, that we are significant, that we are loved—these are key ingredients to meaning and fulfillment.
We were planned. We were part of God’s plan, and still are. We have a place, as well as a role within that place.
We have a home because God created it, making sure it was good and perfect before He put us there.
You and I were wanted, planned, cared for, provided for, and designed with a purpose. Through Jesus Christ we have life, and that life started at the very origin of the earth.
In our daily lives today, we can live a life of gratitude toward our Savior and Creator. Even though sin came into this world, through our free choice we can know that our “Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25, ESV) that He so carefully created for us.
The words of my first song echo in my heart. God IS Beautiful!
Connie Vandeman Jeffery is associate director of communication and community engagement for the Pacific Union Conference and the host of the video program “All God’s People.”
1https://www.adventist.org/creation/
2Ellen G. White: “Christ is the center of all true doctrine” (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 453). “Every true doctrine makes Christ the center, every precept receives force from His words” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 53). “Christ, his character and work, is the center and circumference of all truth, he is the chain upon which the jewels of doctrine are linked. In him is found the complete system of truth” (“Contemplate Christ’s Perfection, Not Man’s Imperfection,” Review and Herald, Aug. 15, 1893).
The Good Sabbath
By Sigve K. Tonstad
Few words are more conspicuous in the Bible’s account of Creation than the enthusiastic declaration: “God saw that it was good.”
As each day’s work was reviewed, that statement immediately followed. Light was good, dry land was good, plants yielding seeds and trees bearing fruit were good, sun and the moon were good, creatures of the sea and birds of the air were good, wild animals, domestic animals, and everything that creeps upon the ground were all good, good, good (Genesis 1:4-31).
Finally, when the creation of human beings was completed on the sixth day, the narrator fortified that word: “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NRSV, emphasis added).
It seems that material existence is both ecological (the link between living beings and their surroundings) and relational (how living beings interact with each other). By default, this web of connectedness must be considered by the Creator to be good as well.
Which brings us to the seventh day of Creation Week.
The Sabbath wasn’t an afterthought, a piece of peripheral business, or a simple add-on in God’s mind. Genesis identifies it as the crowning act of creation (Genesis 2:1-3). It puts a bright stamp of approval on what came before. It officially certifies all things by celebrating their existence and connectedness within the material world.
Moreover, the Sabbath is not only retrospective (a marker of the world’s origin), it’s also prospective (a marker of the world’s future).
In Genesis, there’s no divine commandment to observe the Sabbath—at least not explicitly— but there is a divine commitment to do so. When God rested on that day, He inserted Himself into the timeline of this world. He didn’t walk away to watch earth from a safe distance. No, the Sabbath demonstrates God’s personal involvement and commitment to the world and its inhabitants.
The seeds of blessing
I believe that the Sabbath belongs to what I call a theology of blessing. But, as we’ll see, the scope of that blessing is often eclipsed or compromised by sin.
We can recognize this Sabbath/blessing connection in the divine value of seeds. Seeds are the ecological marvel in God’s rule of abundance. “Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12, NRSV).
So, what exactly is the biology and theology of seeds? They’re an element of life that reverberates with renewal, diversity, sustainability, predictability, and abundance.
There’s a saying that insists you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. That may be true, until it comes to seeds. They ensure that a new plant will spring up when the mother plant is eaten, and the seeds of that mother plant are often far too numerous to number.
Another adage holds that there is no such thing as a free lunch. While this may be evidencebased, it’s soundly contradicted by the existence of seeds. Given these amazing kernels of life, especially as they were introduced in Genesis, there is such a thing as a free lunch. God’s
introduction of plants and fruit trees with seeds in them offers the concept of not only abundance and renewal but also future security.
The simple seed is the very ecological expression of what a blessing is. Even though non-human creatures were first in line to receive that blessing, it was subsequently bestowed on humans as well.
For the first time in the Bible, we hear God talking directly to what He has created. “And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’” (Genesis 1:22, NKJV). In other words, “Use your seeds.”
His words, His invitation, His command was a blessing to every living plant and animal on earth. In this way, Genesis announces that there is a purpose for nature and all its inhabitants. Each comes into possession of that Godordained bill of rights. This is the blessing that gives wings to the ecological message of the Creation account—and to the Sabbath.
So, it must follow that human beings are expected to act toward non-human creation within the boundaries of that blessing. Oppression and exploitation are ruled out. The various elements of human and non-human creation belong to each other in a relationship of mutual interdependence and support. We’re part of the same community—the community of creation. This world isn’t for us to use for our
own benefit alone. It’s a place where all life should exist in mutual admiration and protection.
Cessation
Cessation (to stop doing something) is the natural working principle of the Sabbath, whether we encounter it in the divine rest at creation (Genesis 2:2), the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8-11), or in the Sabbath “outposts” such as the Sabbath Year and the Jubilee (Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25).
The Sabbath sets another goal for our existence other than completing an endless to-do list—a way by which many measure success. Even if the ecological impact of cessation is secondary to the spiritual intent, the two go hand in hand.
Cessation teaches dependence. And it’s a powerful antidote for the sinful human desire for selfimportance. In fact, as the carefully choreographed manna experiment in Exodus demonstrates, cessation on the seventh day is another expression of God’s Sabbath gift (Exodus 16:1-30).
Cessation is also writ large in the two Sabbath outposts in the Old Testament—the Sabbath Year and the Jubilee. Leviticus 25:2-4 suggests that the land, not the tenants, are the primary subject of the stated requirement. The text says literally that “the land shall cease” or that “the land shall rest.” This land rest mandate is delivered with the same concern that we find with respect to the weekly Sabbath rest designed for humans to enjoy.
God’s weekly rest was and is to be an integral element of life for all created things. It demonstrates that we’re part of something much bigger than ourselves. We belong to a complex and life-affirming community of creation. To live out of harmony with this community plays right into Satan’s ongoing plan to derail our relationship with the Creator.
Plentitude
“Plentitude” means fullness that doesn’t extract benefit from one group—species, individual, nation, or otherwise—at the expense of another. This
fullness is not based on unlimited production or reckless consumption. It’s based on rest.
Fullness is a form of restraint. “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest [cease], so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed” (Exodus 23:12, NRSV).
As with the Sabbath Year, the weekly Sabbath is built with compassion “so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat” (Exodus 23:11, NRSV). This means that the Sabbath promotes contentment and compassion as complementary, non-competing interests. We can extrapolate backward and forward from these stipulations—backward to the Creation story (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:15) and forward toward the prophetic vision of the earth made new (Isaiah 11:1-10).
In the backward look, God commissions human beings to “fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28, NRSV). In the forward look, we have Isaiah’s vision that “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1, NRSV). It seems an intervention would happen when conditions were dire and expectations were low.
So, what of today?
Commercial ideals and practices value production over plenitude with respect to land management and the use of seeds, but they are nowhere more evident than in the industrialized treatment of animals.
When President Herbert Hoover promised Americans “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage,” he was not thinking of Genesis. Ironically, it is those chickens in every pot and cars in every garage that serve as the foundation of our present ecological crisis.
Author Brian G. Henning offers these mindnumbing statistics: “In 2007, 275 million tons of meat were produced worldwide, enough for 92 pounds for every person.”1
This was a fourfold increase in meat production since 1960; an unsustainable trend even as it vastly exceeds Hoover’s promise. Henning goes
on to report that “more than 56 billion animals are slaughtered each year; an average of 650 animals are killed every second of every day.”2
Today’s numbers look like this in the United States alone: “Approximately 25 million farm animals are slaughtered each day in the United States. Approximately nine percent—more than 850 million—of the animals reared for food in the United States each year never make it to the slaughterhouse because they have already died from stress-induced disease or injury.”3
What happened to God’s plentitude? What happened to God’s ideal of the community of creation? The answer is painfully obvious. Love of money happened. Appetite happened. Sin happened.
Sabbath to the rescue
Civilization is approaching a critical point that’s beyond the capacity of humans to correct. The victim in all of this is also the perpetrator. Us.
“Sabbath to the rescue” is not an empty slogan, whether at the level of theology, ideology, or practice. It views the world through a different lens; it comes with a distinctive set of perceptions. In studying and participating in the Sabbath ordinance, we learn of the goodness of the material world, in contrast to our entrenched traditions. We get an introductory lesson on ecology through the cascade of blessings in Genesis (Genesis 1:20-2:3). We’re offered an intermediate ecological lesson through cessation and the ecological working principle of the Sabbath and its outposts: the Sabbath Year, and the Jubilee. These prepare us for the advanced lesson: plenitude— belonging to a web of relationships that promote what’s good for all.
But Sabbath to the rescue may prove elusive if left solely to human discretion. The commission to exercise “dominion” (Genesis 1:26), reinforced by the commission to preserve and protect (Genesis 2:15), is not an invitation to turn our backs on select groups of fellow travelers on this earth. We’re warned not to stand before God in the defiant posture of
Cain, saying, as he did, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).
If we’ve done our reading correctly, the Sabbath will come to the rescue because, as Genesis shows and Isaiah confirms, it signifies God’s commitment to us. We just need to become more committed to Him—and to all of His creation.
Sigve K. Tonstad is professor of religion and assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. He is the author of several books, including The Scandals of the Bible, Saving God's Reputation: The Theological Function of Pistis Iesou in the Cosmic Narratives of Revelation, The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day, and Letter to the Romans: Paul among the Ecologists. This article has been adapted from Remembering: It Matters How We Tell the Sabbath Story (Oak & Acorn Publishing, 2023), pp. 169-191.
1Brian G. Henning, “Standing in Livestock’s ‘Long Shadow’: The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet,” Ethics and the Environment 16, no. 2 (Sept. 2011), p. 63. 2Henning, p. 64. 3www.animalmatters.org
Unwelcome Abundance
By Alberto Valenzuela
Those words, “unwelcome abundance,” have been percolating in my head for some time. I’ve tried to shake them off, but somehow they keep coming back. I wonder where they’re from—a book, a poem, a movie? Two other words also have come along: perspective and availability. Sometimes my mind makes connections that baffle me. But these words are more than just intriguing; they also make me consider my relationship with God.
First, they make me consider the occasions when I’ve felt resolutely that the Lord expected something from me. Those occasions had to do as much with my personal life, my spiritual life, as with my life as a member of a religious organization. If I am to be frank, on more than one occasion the impression was so firm and clear that I let myself be carried away by it and the Lord resolutely blessed my efforts. But on more than one occasion—although the impression was clear—my opinion led me to other conclusions. In those situations, my religious convictions and my biblical and theological knowledge convinced me that what was presented to me could not be the right perspective. After all, the Lord could only lead me on a path that is according to His Word. Well, at least from the
perspective I had of His Word. I had the impression that the Lord had decided to manifest Himself in such an obtuse way that I would remain unarmed and would resignedly abide by His manifestation. In those cases, He did not disappoint me.
One writer has pointed out (in my opinion, wisely) that
All too frequently, in our commendable search for truth, we reject any perspective that differs from our own without understanding it or seriously considering its merit. Sometimes we resort to discrediting the integrity of those who hold opposing views in order to resolve inner confusion and bolster our confidence.1
As servants of Christ, our calling is to discover the message that God has for us and those around us. In creating a perfect world in which He placed humans, God made provision for our edification first through His direct contact with the humans— giving them precise instructions that were sadly not obeyed—and through His Word. God still speaks to us through that source of inspiration and direction. His precepts find application in every aspect of our existence, if our minds are open to the perspective He wants to present to us. That perspective can have a particular application for each of us—it is particular because God considers us individually. He doesn't view us en masse. He does not regard us as a group of believers. He considers us as His individual children. For a father, every child is special. Each child is unique. Each child is considered individually. God sees you, He sees me, as His son, as His daughter. Individually.
Our individuality qualifies us in a special way as children of the Most High. It means that God comes down from on high and establishes His "tabernacle among us" (John 1:14, literal translation). He has not been taking advantage of the circumstances, promoting a new campaign, or demanding a new commitment from us. He comes and sits at the table with us. Reads our newspaper. Watches the same show on TV with us. He spreads His blanket on the ground next to ours and rests with us. He is integrated into our life. He is real. He is palpable. And He has a special message for you and me. That
message can sometimes only be understood by you. Perhaps it is like that "little white stone" (Revelation 2:17) on which a secret new name appears for each of us. Sometimes that message can be understood by you, but it is difficult for you to put it into words.
All this is in relation to the first word, “perspective.” The other word I’ve been thinking about is “availability.”
Once God has manifested Himself through His Word, what should my response be? It is at that point, it seems to me, that we fail. We fail because we may not have been sufficiently available to understand the meaning of that call. The call could be as simple as the impression that we must pray for something or someone. Or it can be as complicated as the need to bring together the church board or the board of directors of the institution to discuss a larger plan. We fail because we are not available enough to accept that God is speaking to us in such a direct way. After all, we might think, God no longer calls men or women to be modern prophets. Or is He still doing so?
I was struck by the words of these writers:
Hearing the voice of God is not as difficult as some might think. It may even happen without our realization. As God has spoken throughout the ages, He continues to speak today in many different ways, including through an impression in a person’s spirit or through a passage of Scripture or via a prophetic dream. Since we were created to commune with God, He longs for us to draw near to Him so that we can know His heart and understand His will for our lives.2
In my experience, recognizing God’s voice is the key to building my spiritual life. "Doing something about it" is just as important as recognizing His voice, or even more important. It is not simply a matter of discerning the times and signs, it is what we do with that discernment that has the most
value. It is the availability you place in the hands of the Creator that causes the greatest impact on your spirituality. It’s what others notice.
When the Lord manifests Himself, it is not to entertain or impress us. Unless He wants you to do something special with His message, God is not in the entertainment business. When through nature, through a vivid impression, through a sermon that reaches you to the depths of your being—because you recognize it as His Word—He makes a special appeal to you, He expects the proper reaction. He expects your availability. He expects that you pay attention to His message and act appropriately.
For some that may mean leaving homeland and family to go to the mission field. For others it may mean taking up a career that was never in their plans. Some are called upon to make serious financial commitments. For many, it means putting aside old preconceptions and acknowledging that they've been wrong—that can be the hardest thing. Above all, it means putting the self aside.
Every soul should now be distrustful of self. Our own ways, our own plans and ideas, may not be such as God can approve. We must keep the way of the Lord to do his will, making him our counselor, and then in faith work away from self.3
If you are willing to accept the challenge of perspective and availability that unwelcome abundance presents to you, you can rest assured that the Lord has spoken to you.
Alberto Valenzuela is associate director of communication and community engagement of the Pacific Union Conference and the Recorder editor.
1Harold Faw, Psychology in Christian Perspective: An Analysis of Key Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1995), p. 16.
2Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema, When God Speaks (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2005), p. 60.
3Ellen G. White, “An Address in Regard to the Sunday Movement,” Review and Herald (Dec. 24, 1889).
The Work That Needs to Be Done
By Mila León
If we were asked about what the Bible says about money, a lot of us might quickly say, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10, KJV). However, this text is just a small part of the story. The Bible has over 500 direct mentions on this topic, showing that God cares about us having the correct view on riches. Deuteronomy tells us that God promised to reward His people with material success: big cities, luxurious homes, wealthy farms, and orchards (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). The Psalms also connect those who are righteous with wealth. “For thou dost bless the righteous, O Lord; thou dost cover him with favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12, RSV).
However, Jesus did not adopt an extravagant or indifferent approach to wealth. He prioritized spiritual principles above all else, consistently demonstrating a wise use of resources in His personal life. When providing food for the five thousand, He directed that
the excess food be collected to ensure nothing was thrown away.
The image that comes to mind, then, is one of equilibrium. Our primary goal should be to pursue the realm of God and His justice, assigning this the utmost importance. When we receive material things, we ought to see them as gifts from God, intended to meet our requirements and honor our Creator. Ellen White writes about the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: “In proportion to [the rich man’s] abundance was his obligation to use his gifts for the uplifting of humanity. This was the Lord’s command” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 261).
As followers of Christ, it is our duty to use our resources in a way that honors Him, which means being wise with our money. True economy means spending wisely, not saving excessively. God wants us to handle our lives thoughtfully so that we’re not so consumed by money issues that we lose our effectiveness in spreading His message.
When we establish a budget, the tithe is given top importance. We view this not as a burdensome obligation but rather as a thankful recognition of God’s benevolence and dominion over everything. As the portals to heaven widen and the gifts pour in, we come to understand that God’s assurance is constant and everlasting, holding true in contemporary times as it did in the era of Malachi.
As Christians, it is our job to show others how to live. This means always being totally honest in business and paying back what we owe. How do we avoid getting into debt in a world where you can buy stuff now and pay for it later? Do we have to pay with cash for everything we buy, even cars and houses?
Economists split debt into two categories: debt for buying stuff now and debt for putting money into something that might pay off later. Using credit cards, and accumulating debt for buying stuff, lets people get things they couldn’t afford otherwise. Debt for investing, however, lets people borrow money to put into something that could make them
money down the line. Getting a loan for school is a good example of this.
Every kind of debt has its good and bad points, but debt for buying stuff is especially risky because it can make you want more and more expensive things, pushing you further into debt to keep up with what you want. You’re always playing catch-up, but you never really do.
Taking on debt for investment can sometimes be a smart financial move, as long as it’s approached thoughtfully and not just to “keep up with the Joneses.” In 1903, Ellen White discussed the topic of debt and God’s work: “It is right to borrow money to carry forward a work that we know God desires to have accomplished.... We must do the work that needs to be done, even if we have to borrow money and pay interest” ( Counsels on Stewardship , p. 278).
As beings endowed with intelligence, made in the image of God, we are called upon to think deeply before making any significant financial commitments or taking on loans. Debt has the potential to turn into a crushing load, dragging us into feelings of guilt, stress, and anxiety.
Above all, we must understand that we are custodians entrusted with the Lord’s financial and property matters. As we anticipate the moment when Christ will declare, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant’’ (Matthew 25:21, KJV), we can start reaping the rewards of heaven through our dedication to handling a portion of our Lord’s earthly assets.
Mila León is a freelance writer from Tucson, Arizona.
Assisting families as they make educational decisions at key progression points in their student’s life
Kindergarten Scholarships
$750 $250 to
Ninth-Grade Scholarships
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• Not limited to members of the Adventist Church
• For full-time enrolled kindergarten or ninth-grade students
• Nominated by the local conference education department
• Regardless of other scholarship funds or tuition assistance
• Based on submission of online essay-based application
Application deadline: Varies by conference
To apply, scan the QR code.
Sharing Good News:
“All God’s People” to Air 300th Episode
In June 2024, the Pacific Union Conference’s weekly news vlog, “All God’s People,” will air its 300th episode. The plan started over lunch in early 2017, when Ray Tetz, communication director for the union, shared his idea with Connie Vandeman Jeffery. Jeffery, who is now associate director of communication and community engagement at the union, was working for Southern California Conference (SCC) at the time.
“When I joined the union communication team in 2015, there was already a clear intent to build a strong visual platform for sharing stories from the churches and schools,” Tetz recalled. After a year of working through various ideas and iterations, they settled on a weekly video program. “We felt it would be an effective and sustainable use of visual media,” Tetz explained.
Jeffery recalled that when they spoke, Tetz had a clear vision of what “All God’s People” could become. “I thought it sounded like a great opportunity, but I already had a job!” she remembered. An agreement was struck that she would work half time for the SCC and half time for the union, and Jeffery became the first—and thus far, only—host of “All God’s People.” Their first episode aired in May 2017. In January 2019, Jeffery began working full time for the union.
“We were always looking for ways to keep our vast constituency informed about what God was doing with the committed, talented people we have in our churches, schools, and other organizations around the union,” commented Ricardo Graham, former president of the union, who was leading at the time “All God’s People” came to be. “It has been, in my opinion, a success.”
Jeffery’s decades of experience in producing, hosting, co-hosting, and other areas of broadcast media lent themselves well to “All God’s People,” and she has enjoyed the work. Collecting news
from across seven conferences in five states—as well as Pacific Union College, La Sierra University, Adventist Health, and countless other entities—was a challenge Jeffery embraced.
“Connie’s background uniquely qualifies her to anchor the program,” Tetz commented, “but it is her great affection for the Adventist message and how it impacts our daily lives that has really made the program work.”
Tetz added that Jeffery’s enthusiasm and warmth, combined with the skills of Sean McCulley, video producer, provided the perfect mix for a successful show.
“I have had the best time being involved with this program,” Jeffery said. “We have an incredible team, and the stories we’ve been given the privilege of telling have been so inspiring.”
Over the last seven years, “All God’s People” has featured feeding and shelter programs, kindergarten classes having outdoor school in the forest, leadership conferences, and even a church member turning 110 years old.
Not all stories have been joyful, however; Jeffery says they’ve also covered their share of tragedies, including the Paradise and Maui fires and a school bus accident that resulted in the death of a young student.
“But even the sad stories were impactful,” Jeffery commented. “They show resilience, courage, and how our communities pull together to respond to a crisis.”
Nothing showcased human resiliency like the pandemic, and even while schools and churches closed their doors, the stories came pouring in— drive-by greetings, remote graduations, online ministries. And Jeffery herself was pushed to find her own inner resiliency to tell these stories.
“When we couldn’t go to the studio anymore, I had to learn how to do everything myself, from writing the
From the first episode airing in May 2017 (RIGHT) to the 300th episode (BELOW), the program “All God’s People” continues to share Adventist church updates from around the Pacific Union and beyond.
stories, to running the teleprompter, to filming, and then getting the recording file to our videographer for editing,” she shared. “I’ve never stretched myself so much technologically!”
Bradford Newton, president of the Pacific Union Conference, said they always knew “All God’s People” was going to be something special with Tetz and Jeffery at the helm.
“Every single episode has just been outstanding,” he said. “Connie has been the anchor since the very beginning, and she is really what has made this production what it is. She’s the face of ‘All God’s People.’”
300 episodes in, they have covered over 900 stories, including their regular episodes as well as the occasional special. They have told stories from across a territory of 220,000 members, sharing in
grief and loss, celebrating rebirth and healing, and encompassing everything in between. They have covered social justice issues, women’s ordination, and religious liberty. And the thread tying every story together is inspiration.
“Staying true to our original intent of sharing stories rooted in local ministry that can inspire others for service has been important,” commented Tetz.
Jeffery shared that while working on “All God’s People” she has lost both her husband and her last brother. “It has been healing and inspiring to me personally to tell these stories,” she said, “and knowing they may just help others, too, brings me peace and joy.”
Each episode ends with a Bible text, and for the first couple of seasons, they included a short devotional thought. Now produced biweekly, episodes are all under eight minutes, and they can be found on Vimeo, YouTube, and the union website. They are short, digestible bites of inspiration to keep members connected to each other and their church, beyond locally.
Jeffery says the program has encouraged conferences to set up their own studios and create their own news videos. “The more media, the better!” she enthused.
Tetz added, “We really see our task as facilitating growth in visual programming across the union, not just in our own shop.” As conferences have begun producing more programming, Tetz says the union has continued to develop opportunities for those stories to be shared more widely. “We are also transitioning to topical storytelling, better integration of the program with our print and online media, and greater use of the assets being created by the conferences and institutions,” he explained.
Probably the most important impact “All God’s People” has had on the news and information functions of the Pacific Union is the development of a fully functional production space, used to produce all kinds of programs in a variety of settings, which, as Tetz pointed out, will benefit the union for years to come.
The 300th episode of “All God’s People” was
recorded on June 11 and aired on June 14. In addition to Jeffery, the team currently consists of Sean McCulley, videographer; Zac Codner, production assistant; and multiple proofreaders and detailers who make each episode come together.
“I’ve never done 300 of anything consecutively,” Jeffery joked. “Personally, this is the best job I’ve ever had!”
Newton added, “It’s hard to believe that with a very small team we have produced 300 episodes. The goal has always been to present who we are and what we do in our territory in a simple, inspiring way. Through the ministry of ‘All God’s People,’ we are proclaiming a living, loving Savior.”
While “All God’s People” will continue to be an important part of the union’s visual media, the union is also discussing and planning for additional innovation, such as a video version of the Recorder , which may bring the various components of the monthly magazine into a more visual form.
Tetz stated, “As a communicator and producer, it’s exciting to contemplate the many ways in which the establishment of the strong video production platform that has been developed over the life of ‘All God’s People’ will benefit the ministry of the Adventist church in the Pacific Southwest in the time ahead.”
Over the years, “All God’s People” has told stories ranging the gamut: joyful, sad, redemptive, encouraging, inspiring, community-building, and many things between.
Jeffery is committed to the value of sharing these kinds of stories. “We are a vibrant church,” she observed. “Every day, our members seek to make a difference in their communities and their churches, reaching out to others and serving those around us. And that is the very definition of church. Through ‘All God’s People’ we are seeking to inspire understanding and engagement in the Adventist mission.
By Becky St. Clair
First Pacific Union ACF Conference
Held in Hawaii
The Pacific Union hosted its first unionwide Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) conference on the picturesque campground of Camp Wai’anae in Wai’anae, Hawaii, in May of 2024. ACF is a ministry supported by local churches, resourced by conferences, unions, and the North American Division (NAD), that reaches Adventist students on secular campuses.
Ron Pickell, the current president of ACF’s Pacific Union branch, has a passion for campus ministry
that spans several decades. His work started as an individual initiative, but eventually the movement garnered support from conference leaders. There are currently 65 ACF branches in the NAD, and that number continues to grow. The NAD holds ACF conferences annually; unions also host their own conferences for the ACF branches within their domain. This is the first Pacific Union ACF conference, so the registration of around 100 young adults exceeded expectations. For many, this trip was made possible due to the assistance of the Pacific Union, which subsidized the students' tickets. Students arrived on the island on Tuesday and left on Sunday. During those six days, the students had workshops, devotionals, and activities that included touring the island, surfing, and visiting the Dole Plantation. The students had opportunities to explore the Bible together, participate in a Bible study each morning during breakfast, pray, and connect. Many of the students left feeling they had experienced meaningful growth in their faith. Worldviews were expanded because not all the attendees were Adventist; some were Christian, and others were just beginning to explore their relationship with God.
Part of the conference's success can be attributed to the keynote speakers. For the duration of the conference, there were three keynote speakers. Lindsey Syeh, a licensed mental health counselor and the Southeastern Conference young adult ministry director, presented workshops on navigating spiritual trauma, creating school-work-life balance, and creating a trauma-informed campus ministry. Zane Yi, associate dean for the Loma Linda University School of Religion, led the evening worship, highlighting the week's theme with the story of Jeremiah on the wall. He also spoke on topics such as balancing belief and doubt. Don Keel Jr., the young adult ministry and Adventist Christian Fellowship director at Georgia-Cumberland Conference, led workshops on the need for ACF and how to create a chapter.
“This is a ministry conference,” explained Pickell. “One of the elements that makes this conference unique is each year they write a Bible study that the students can bring back and use on their own campuses.” Along with a Bible study, ACF, through the collaborative efforts of Keel and his secretary Christian Rodriguez, also developed a comic book tailored to college students, offering creative ways to strategize and develop ACF on their own campuses. It is clear that the NAD is investing resources, time, and creativity into reaching this demographic.
“Key to ACF is training. It's a network; it's an inspiration to ministry,” said Pickell. The Pacific Union will continue investing in training and empowering the students to start chapters on their campuses and to live out their love for God in a secular environment.
Pacific Union Churches Use VOP Mental Health Event to Connect With Communities
Seeking to reach people outside their walls, over 200 Seventh-day Adventist churches across North America, including 25 in the Pacific Union Conference, hosted the short mental health series MindFit this past spring. The Voice of Prophecy (VOP) produced the event to empower churches to be practical and spiritual resources for their communities in battling a continent-wide mental health crisis.
“On a global scale, one in eight people struggle daily with mental illness—one in five in North America. The implication is clear: it is nearly impossible to live on this earth and not be affected by mental illness,” said Alex Rodriguez, associate speaker for VOP.
Each session of MindFit, a four-part event, commences with audiences watching a 30-minute episode of a docuseries hosted by Rodriguez, who traveled across North America to speak with mental health professionals and patients. The series sheds light on the history and prevalence of mental health challenges. It emphasizes that effective treatments are available and amplified by biblical principles. After each episode, a local church leader guides the audience through a provided study and discussion.
Over half of the 60 individuals who came to MindFit at Templeton Hills church in Templeton, California, were non-members. Pastor Zac Page led the local study and was impressed by its impact on his community attendees.
Before the event had even begun, one man called Page to ask what MindFit was about. Intrigued by the series’ content, the man chose to attend. Later, Page helped him access an online depression test. The man discovered he was clinically depressed, but MindFit helped transform his mental health.
“He told me MindFit healed him, that it helped him come out of a hole,” Page said. “He’s been coming to church some and got engaged with our homeless ministry and Bible studies. As he came in to one study, he said, ‘I need a little more Adventism.’”
One audience member told Page that she had received flyers for church events but never before attended one. When she saw an invitation to MindFit, she thought, “It is amazing that Christians are talking about mental health.”
“Just last week, that woman was at church,” Page
Pastor Zac Page presents MindFit to a large crowd of both churchgoers and community members at Templeton Hills church.
added. “At potluck, people were giving her hugs. It was obvious that she had found a community.”
Like Templeton Hills, Ceres church in Ceres, California, saw several individuals from the community attend its MindFit sessions. Audience participation was a highlight as well, with both members and newcomers repeatedly thanking study leader Sheri Darrough for presenting material they needed.
When the church held the VOP-created followup Bible study, “Peace Is an Inside Job,” Darrough again received several words of gratitude. However, in Darrough’s eyes, these affirmations were not the strongest evidence that God wanted her church to host MindFit
“The devil battled us,” Darrough explained. “Two days before MindFit, our pastor’s car was carjacked, and his laptop, which had everything for the series prepared on it, was stolen. We used my laptop, but the video, although downloaded, froze in the middle of the first session.
“We had issues like that every night,” she continued. “I believe, 100 percent, that MindFit was
needed, that it was good and important.”
For churches interested in hosting the event and receiving an advertising boost to draw in more community members, VOP will conduct a continentwide MindFit campaign on September 19-21 and again on January 2-4. In the weeks leading up to these dates, host churches will benefit from a mass social media campaign promoting the series.
“With approximately 6,500 Adventist churches dotting the landscape of North America, our denomination is uniquely positioned to be a center of healing for those who are struggling,” Rodriguez said. “We filmed MindFit to place churches at the forefront of the mental health conversation. May the love of Jesus be reflected through us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in bringing physical and spiritual healing to a world perishing in hopelessness.”
Visit MindFitEvent.com/Host to join the myriad churches serving their communities through this unique evangelistic event.
Amanda Blake is a writer for the Voice of Prophecy.
A Life Well-Lived: Bill Jamerson Passes Away at 100
Bill Jamerson was 100 years old when he died on March 27, 2024. Born the fifth living child of William and Ivy Jamerson, Bill spent the first 12 years of his life in the small town of Niles, Michigan, just a few miles south of Berrien Springs, before his family moved to Oakland, California. No matter where he lived, Bill spent as much time as he could in his favorite hobby: sports.
“Bill’s athletic prowess was not limited to one sport,” said Bill’s daughter-in-law, Carlene Jamerson, in her presentation of his life story at his 100th birthday celebration. “He played baseball, basketball, football—pretty much any kind of ball!”
His senior year of high school, Bill helped the varsity basketball team to a championship win, and up until the day he passed away, he remained an avid San Francisco 49ers and Giants fan.
Carlene shared that Bill was excited to serve his country, and in January 1943, he entered the U.S. Army. He became a skilled infantryman and was soon promoted to corporal, then sergeant. Realizing God had sent him into the war to heal and not harm, Bill accepted a demotion and a pay cut to become a medic, which is how he served the remainder of his time in the Army.
Somehow, Bill survived a Jeep being parked
on his chest, a beach landing in Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge, earning back his stripes and returning to the rank of sergeant. In the spring of 1945, Bill was awarded two bronze stars, and in October of that year he was discharged from service.
“Bill’s family has never heard about the lives he saved or the healing he rendered,” Carlene shared. “What we have heard about are the lives of comrades he was unable to save and his deep regret for being unable to save them all.”
His incredible compassion and care for others carried into all areas of his life. Called into ministry after the military, Bill received a degree in theology from Pacific Union College, and in 1951, Bill, his wife, June, and their three-year-old son, Gary, set sail for Bolivia as missionaries. There Bill was thrilled to be able to not only share Jesus with the people but also treat many of their ailments through his experience as a medic.
“Bill had a passion for missions,” shared Robert Robinson, teacher at Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, who worked with Bill in Southern California Conference’s Sabbath School department in the 1970s and 80s. “He was a huge fan of God, always singing the Lord’s praises, and very dedicated to his faith.
Something I heard him say numerous times was, ‘Work for the Lord and
show yourself approvable.’”
Robert worked closely with Bill for many years on Vacation Bible School and other evangelistic programs specifically for children, and he saw Bill’s dedication to reaching young people for Christ and seeing them be successful in life.
“He was passionate about kids continuing their education, whatever the next step might be,” Robert shared. “Whether it was finishing high school or heading to trade school or college or graduate school, education was a huge deal for him.”
Bill himself earned a master’s in practical theology from the Adventist seminary on the campus of Andrews University, finishing some of it prior to a call to Peru for mission work and completing it upon
his family’s return to the United States in 1961. He then became pastor of three churches in Northern California.
His love for children’s ministry came to fruition professionally for Bill in 1964, when he received a call to serve as youth pastor at Orangewood Academy in Orange County, California. Over the years, Bill’s youth ministry took him to Nebraska and several places around California, including Glendale, Sacramento, and Paradise.
“Bill and June’s home became a haven for young people,” wrote Carlene. “It was not at all uncommon for the youth he ministered to—who are now doctors, nurses, teachers, pastors, and other professionals—to stay in touch with him and come back to visit with ‘Uncle Bill,’ as he was known.”
Robert added that Bill would probably name his top accomplishment in life being any young person he guided to commit their lives to Christ and be baptized.
“He was a good mentor,” Robert said. “He was a positive person, and he taught me a lot, too, especially about how to function as a church employee. Bill taught me how to be part of a revival.”
Bill was a skilled “off-the-cuff” speaker, and he frequently put together entire sermons while sitting on the church platform waiting for his turn to stand at the podium. He was notorious for responding to any question about his upcoming sermons or plans with the statement, “God hasn’t told me yet.”
At the time of his death, Bill had been married to June for 77 years. In 2020, the Jamersons were recognized by James Dobson’s Marriage Enrichment Program as the longest-married couple in the state of Nevada.
“More than once,” Carlene shared, “I was up early in the morning, reading in the living room, and overheard Bill telling June, as they lay in bed, just how much he loved her.”
In 2018, at the ages of 92 and 94, the Jamersons were living in a retirement center in Paradise, California, when the wildfires suddenly engulfed the town. As a bus driver desperately tried to get them to safety, flames blazed on both sides of the
bus, and June noted the windows were so hot you couldn’t touch them. Bill prayed out loud, pleading with God for safety. His prayer was granted to spare their lives, but they lost everything else.
Following the fire, and until Bill’s passing, Bill and June made their home in Dayton, Nevada, where the VA provided in-home care for Bill. When asked by the nurse what his goals were, Bill confidently stated, “To live until Jesus returns!”
“Bill is an example of a life well-lived,” Carlene stated. “He didn’t realize his pact with the Lord at age 19 was not only a commitment to heal the body, but also the soul, and his life of service, and the impact he’s had on thousands of others, will not be fully known until eternity.”
By Becky St. Clair
New Arizona Educators
As students file into their classrooms across the Arizona Conference, some are encountering new faces. In some cases, they are seeing a familiar face but in a different setting. Regardless of the situation, teachers spent a good portion of their summer getting their lesson plans created, unit plans developed, and standards-based learning objectives reviewed.
New teachers
Robert Christensen is taking over the teaching principal position at Adobe Adventist Christian School in east Mesa, Arizona. He comes from Minnesota, where he has spent the past six years working with special needs students in the public school system. “I am excited to see what God has in store for me as I begin this new journey,” he said.
Jenette Gandia is headed to Yuma to become part of the team at Yuma Adventist Christian School. She has been working as an educational assistant and substitute teacher in Gallup, New Mexico. She sees children as “beacons of light that can shape their sphere of influence.” She views her role as a teacher to be a living example of God’s love that the students can see, hear, and feel as they grow in Christ.”
Amalia Guerrero is joining Prescott Adventist Christian School as a kindergarten teacher. She worked for the San Pasqual district for the past two years, providing services to the Native American community. Guerrero believes that “God has led us to this new path in our lives.”
“I firmly believe that Jesus is returning soon and that we have a great work to do in spreading the good news.” Michelle Ritzer
Ana Lopez is new to the position of middle school teacher for Glenview Adventist Academy but has spent many years working both in the Arizona Conference education system and the public school system. She also spent five years at Holbrook Indian School teaching middle school. “All that I am now, I owe to God,” she said.
Michelle Ritzer is not a stranger to Arizona education. As a volunteer, she ran the outdoor education program this past spring for Arizona Conference elementary schools. She has spent the past 18 years teaching science at Prescott High School. An active supporter of Arizona Sonshine, Good News TV, and the ministries of the Prescott church, she is returning to Adventist education. “I firmly believe that Jesus is returning soon and that we have a great work to do in spreading the good news,” she said.
Carmen Sickler is joining the team at Glenview Adventist Academy. With over 12 years of teaching in elementary education, Carmen is excited about being a part of the team at GAA. “I am committed to nurturing young minds and fostering a love for learning,” she said. “I look forward to a wonderful year of growth and discovery with my students.”
Sharon Vecchiarelli has been working as a teacher’s aide in Yuma Adventist Christian School and is now joining the instructional team full time. After years in retail management, Sharon felt a call to education and began teaching at the Adventist preschool in Bishop, California, where her husband was pastoring. “I feel like life has come full circle, from being led to Christ through Adventist education and now getting to lead young people to Christ,” she said.
In-conference transfers
Cody Blake is an alumnus of Thunderbird Adventist Academy and is returning to his alma mater to teach science for the 2024-25 school year. He has spent the past six years across town at Glenview Adventist Academy teaching middle school math and science. His 15 years working at Camp Yavapines speak to his dedication to serving youth in the Arizona Conference.
Arlene Merginio is moving from Adobe Adventist Christian School to Thunderbird Christian Elementary. She has been teaching for a total of 10 years and has served the last five years teaching in elementary positions. “It is my desire to educate
“My passion lies in education and sharing the message of Jesus’ love with others.” Erika Stewart-Tapasco
students beyond the academics,” she said. “It is important to direct the students to know Jesus Christ.”
Erika Stewart-Tapasco has moved across campus from Thunderbird Christian Elementary to join the Thunderbird Adventist Academy team as an assistant dean and English teacher. She is a third-generation alumni of the academy and is pursuing her Master of Arts degree in education. “My passion lies in education and sharing the message of Jesus’ love with others,” she said.
By Jeff Rogers
Bonnabel Ordination
José Pablo Chan Bonnabel never planned to serve as a pastor. However, as he now freely admits, “God had other plans” for him. His 17 years working in canvassing ministry prepared him for the role that God placed on his heart and mind. Born in Panama, his family left during the Noriega war years and took refuge in Mexico. As he grew in a Seventh-day Adventist home, his grandfather, Pastor Jose León Bonnabel Ordóñez, played a major role in his accepting Jesus as his savior and being baptized at age 11. Bonnabel would begin his studies for a bachelor’s degree in musical education at the University of Montemorelos
and began his canvassing career throughout Mexico. It was during this time that he met his “friend, wife, and ideal partner in ministry,” Yndra Santana.
It was while serving as president of FESJA (Adventist Youth Federation) in Baja California that Pastor Rafael Soto encouraged him to accept God’s plan for him to become a minister. “It was such a clear invitation that I couldn’t say no,” Bonnabel said.
After six months of prayer alongside his wife, he accepted an invitation in 2018 to be a Bible worker in Nogales, Arizona, where he would later serve as a part-time pastor in the congregations at Sierra Vista and Douglas. Over the course of three years, he completed a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Andrews University. He currently serves as the pastor in the Tucson Esperanza District.
The focus for Pastor Bonnabel and his wife is to rely on God’s promises. “We know that our walk with God as His servants is just beginning, and we don’t know what the future holds for us,” he said. “But we know that that plans are from God and ‘they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11, TLB).
By Jeff Rogers
VBS Season Inspires Church Participation and Collaboration
This year’s Vacation Bible School season set new records in church participation and collaboration across the Central California Conference. From the smallest congregations to the largest, the spirit of unity and creativity was remarkable, enriching the lives of countless children and volunteers.
Church collaboration
A highlight of this year's VBS was the number of churches that participated. The children's ministries department was pivotal, providing two backdrops and additional supplies that rotated through the Bay Area and the greater Fresno area. In addition, the churches in the area worked together to ensure the VBS program was successful. Churches shared decorations, supplies, and volunteer staff, fostering a sense of community.
Bringing VBS to life
Creativity was on display this year at VBS. From murals to interactive sets, the churches were transformed into captivating environments for the children.
Leah Page, the VBS director for Templeton
Hills church, expressed her delight at witnessing the creativity each church brought to the VBS program. "It's wonderful to see how each church interprets the program in its unique way," she said. Her church created a stunning faux wave and surfboard for a photo booth, a hit with attendees of all ages. Templeton Hills had over 70 children attending, with the majority coming from the local community.
The decorations set the mood for the true message of VBS—Jesus’ love and salvation. The children left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of their faith by hearing Bible stories, praise music, and important Bible messages. The joy and wonder in the children’s eyes as they explored these settings are testaments to the program’s impact.
Pastor Bryan Bong, of All Nations church in Fresno, shared a testimony of his journey with VBS. Pastoring a church in an area with over 10 Adventist churches, he faced the challenge of helping
A child in Clovis raises her hand wanting to be picked to share the Bible Point.
Clovis “Parent and Me” preschool group.
The VBS praise team in Clovis leads worship.
his church have a unique message. They embraced children's ministries as a potential strategy after attending a children’s ministries workshop. Despite initial struggles, their persistent efforts bore fruit as more children and families started attending. Pastor Bong's story is an example of faith and community effort. "I always try to do a little extra in any ministry I work on," he said.
With the help of dedicated volunteers like Susan and her family, the All Nations church's VBS decorations came together. Pastor Bong’s vision for a successful VBS exceeded expectations, growing from 10 children on the first day to 18 by the end of the week. The culmination was a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, providing families with a bonding experience.
Nina Rigon, who led VBS for the first time at Clovis church, began planning in September 2023. The church organized fundraising activities, including recycling drives and a “Bubbles and Brunch” event. She also reached out to local businesses, church members, and special grants, raising $11,000.
With generous support and prayers, Rigon assembled a team of station leaders, young crew leaders, and volunteers. The program featured a preschool Parent and Me program. A mother from the preschool group shared that VBS helped her see God as loving rather than angry. Attendance grew from 66
children on the first evening to over 90 by the end of the week. This was highlighted by an altar call where 16 kids expressed a desire for Bible study and baptism.
Impact and looking forward
The most significant outcome of this year’s VBS was the children’s deeper connection with their Savior. Through activities and teaching, the message of Jesus’ love and the gift of salvation were communicated. The collaborative spirit not only made this year’s VBS possible, but also meaningful.
"I am really tired now, but so happy. How meaningful is this? I am so grateful to God. I already want to prepare for next year's VBS," said Pastor Bong.
By Lisa Plasencia
Templeton Hills registration booth.
RIGHT: Templeton Hills wave photo booth. FAR RIGHT: Bryan Bong, pastor of All Nations church.
The Clovis team introduces the Bible Point of the day.
Evangelistic Series Concludes With Baptisms
On Saturday, July 6th, the Samoa Tokelau church concluded their two-week series of evangelistic meetings with Pastor Nemaia Faletogo. Pastor Nemaia currently serves at the Washington Conference as the associate director of evangelism, but at one point he was at the very same Samoa Tokelau church beginning his ministry.
Pastor Nemaia spoke on the theme “Encounters with Jesus.” The Sabbath morning service featured Pastor Nemaia’s final message, which explored the encounter that Jesus had with the thief on the cross. His words resonated deeply with his listeners, reminding everyone of the transformative power of faith and the importance of having a personal encounter with Jesus.
The highlight of the day was the beautiful celebration of 19 baptisms, which resulted from the work of the entire church family as well as Pastor Nemaia during his evangelistic meetings. The atmosphere was electric with joy and reverence as heaven rejoiced alongside the congregation, witnessing these lives changed forever. Each baptism was a poignant reminder of the church’s mission and the importance of community support and spiritual guidance. The congregation's collective prayers and support were instrumental in guiding these individuals to this significant milestone.
Congratulations to the baptismal candidates: Abigail Tufele, Olivia Tufele, Maylnn Mino, Peter Ah Hee, Celeste Sipili, Khyanna Lilo, Rina Nazareth, Jillayne Faoa, Kavmy Matin, Anais Ofisa, Achilliez Ofisa, Aiga Ofisa, Aggie Ofisa, Amayah Lawton, Azahria Lawton, Cimmeria Paileulu, Aizehn Paileulu, Titus Paileulu, and Zealand Paileulu. Their commitment and faith serve as an inspiration to all.
By Miguel Manzo
A Seventh-day Adventist Boarding Academy Serving Native American Youth Since 1946
Holbrook Hosts Native American Camp Meeting
Native American Camp Meeting (NACM) is a very special time of year. It is a time of gathering, camaraderie, spiritual uplifting, and renewal. Holbrook Indian School (HIS) has been blessed to be the host site for this beautiful event for our brothers and sisters three years running. One of the most important people who spearheads this event is Pastor Dale Wolcott. We are thankful to him for his dedication and passion in his role as director of Arizona Conference Native American Ministries.
This year’s featured speakers were Bill Payne, associate director of Voice of Prophecy Ministries; Dennis Bizahalani, retired lay pastor; and Tamara Peshlakai, licensed clinical social worker. Attendees also had the added blessing of listening to the Melashenko Family
Singers on Sabbath afternoon. “Jesus Calls Us” was this year’s theme, and it is clear that Jesus indeed called each of these individuals to share His word, hope, and gospel through speech and music.
The most special time of Native American Camp Meeting is when attendees stand up to share their testimony. Not everyone who attends is from the Seventh-day Adventist faith, and it is a beautiful thing to
hear how Christians from other denominations learned about NACM.
A woman named Elizabeth shared that Pastor Wolcott crossed paths with her and talked to her about Native American Camp Meeting. Wolcott shared the NACM brochure with her and invited her to attend the event. Elizabeth, who is a Baptist, shared about her heartbreak when she heard the news that our student, Kiarra Gordon, her distance niece, was killed in the bus accident of August 2022. She had reached out to Kiarra’s mom and extended family, who told her that HIS had planted a tree in honor of Kiarra’s memory. Elizabeth made sure to take a picture of it while she was here. At the end of her testimony, she sang the hymn “Amazing Grace” in Navajo for all who were there. She was very grateful for the invitation to attend NACM.
Holbrook Indian School (HIS) is a first- through twelfth-grade boarding academy operated by the Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. HIS also manages a firstthrough eighth-grade day school on the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Eighty-seven percent of funding comes from individuals who have a desire to support Native American ministries and Christian education. Your generosity makes a difference in the lives of our students, their families, and the communities they serve. Thank you for your support.
Another woman by the name of Sally shared that she had been a student of HIS back in the day. She told us that she had learned a lot while she was at HIS, especially about Jesus and God. She asked for prayers for her husband, Gary, that he would return to the Adventist faith and to God. Sally was also grateful for the opportunity to attend NACM, and at the end of her testimony, Pastor Wolcott asked if he could pray for her husband with everyone there. We bowed our heads and pleaded with the Father on Gary’s behalf.
So many heartwarming stories were shared with us during testimony time at NACM that there simply isn’t enough space in one article to share the depth of each life story told. It was very clear that, in conjunction with this year’s theme, each person who spoke or attended Native American Camp Meeting was called to be there— be it in service or to offer their testimony of hope. We thank God for the opportunity to continue opening our campus for this blessed event and pray that we will be able to do so for years to come.
By Kimberly Cruz
Norma
Melashenko Family Singers
Pull Up a Chair
The power of “pulling up a chair” is the most important thing I’ve learned about being a hospital chaplain. When I pull up a chair at a patient’s bedside, I send a signal that I care enough about them to sit with them, look them in the eye, hear their story, hold their hand, and minister to their spiritual and emotional needs. There is no timetable when I pull up a chair.
In the last 38 years, I’ve been a youth pastor, dormitory dean, academy Bible teacher, choir director, academy chaplain, college chaplain, university religion teacher, K-12 principal, and senior pastor. I thought I had a good grasp on all facets of what it means to be an employee for a faith-based institution. Then I became a hospital chaplain.
I had visited lots of people in the hospital. Isn’t chaplaincy just visiting people in the hospital? What does it mean to minister to patients as a hospital chaplain? Here are a few revelations I’ve had since responding to this new calling.
Each patient room is a unique experience.
As a pastor, when I visited church members in the hospital, I had some frame of reference for who they were—common ground to help me relate to their situation. As a chaplain, when I walk into a patient room, all I know is what is on their chart: physical malady, religious background, age, gender. That’s about it. Most of the time I don’t share a similar religious background with my patients. I don’t know their family or their story or their fears. I don’t know if they want to live or die. All I know is they are a child of God who is lying in a bed because something has gone wrong with their body.
Leave expectations at the door.
When I bring an agenda into a patient’s room, I don’t see the patient as they need to be seen. If I steer a conversation to a place that makes me comfortable, a patient may wonder if I’ve truly seen or heard them.
I’m not the fix-it guy. I tend to want to fix problems. When something goes wrong with my car, I fix it. When there’s something
wrong in my house, I fix it. You have a problem? I’ve got a solution. It isn’t helpful for a patient when the chaplain thinks they can fix or provide solutions to a patient’s problems. Trite solutions, happy catchphrases, and religious platitudes do little to help a suffering soul.
Dwelling together in suffering is living God’s love.
When a patient shares their story, they often share deeply rooted mental or spiritual pain. My nature is to steer clear of or fix human suffering. However, when I dwell with patients in dark spaces and allow my suffering to coexist with theirs, healing, understanding, and self-compassion can show up in unexpected ways.
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us. To dwell with another in the valley of the shadow of death is to be like Jesus.
Pull up a chair.
I’m tall—6'6" from floor to crown. Early in my chaplaincy journey, I noticed patients would crane their necks to look at me as we talked. I began pulling up a chair next to their bed so we could see eye to eye. I’ve discovered pulling up a chair sends an unexpected sacred message.
All day patients lie in bed as doctors, nurses, CNAs, and therapists move in and out of their rooms tending to physical needs. Clinical providers do their jobs with kindness but nearly always in brevity. As a chaplain, I’m the only member of the care team who isn’t there to do a task—I’m not there to measure anything, adjust medication, or dress a wound. I’m there to hold space for a soul. So, I pull up a chair.
By Mark Witas, Mission and Spiritual Care Leader for Adventist Health Glendale
La Sierra’s President-Elect Advises Grads to Follow God’s Call
With its traditional early commencement on the morning of June 16, La Sierra University granted a total of 368 degrees to 364 individuals in a graduation ceremony under canopies on Founders’ Green.
The capstone event, which drew graduates’ family members and friends from around the state, nation, and world, also spotlighted graduates and campus members who received awards for their service and achievements and headlined La Sierra’s incoming president, Christon Arthur, who gave the commencement address. Arthur officially began his role as president on July 1.
The ceremony coincided with Father’s Day, and during his welcoming remarks, La Sierra University Interim President Richard Osborn, who later presented the graduates with their degrees, called on fathers of graduates to stand and be recognized. He then called for mothers of the grads to do the same, in a belated Mother’s Day tribute. He also cited the campus’s oasislike beauty and drew attention to its three parable sculptures from Luke 15 and the completion of a project that provides videos in which Kendra Haloviak Valentine, professor of New Testament Studies, describes the stories depicted in the sculptures.
Arthur, in his commencement address titled “Your Time to Shine,” began by noting that many of the
graduates started their collegiate journey during the covid pandemic and its resulting business and school closures. “You have made it crystal clear to all of us that you have the capacity to overcome. Nothing can stand in your way,” he said.
Arthur recounted his upbringing as the youngest of six siblings raised by a single mother on the Caribbean island of Grenada. He became the first in his family to go to college. “God has a future for you that's bigger than your circumstances,” he said to the graduates.
Arthur cited the biblical stories of Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah, individuals who made themselves available to God’s call to follow and to act on behalf of others. Arthur also wove into the narrative contemporary examples of renowned civil and human rights advocates Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu.
“It’s possible that…God will create circumstances that you can walk into and fulfill His promise for your life,” Arthur concluded. “As you begin your careers, don’t become so wrapped up in your success that God does not move in your life. Leave room in your schedule for God to act. And when God asks this profound question, ‘Who will relieve the suffering of my people?’ there’s only one appropriate answer, ‘I’m available, Lord.’”
By Darla Martin Tucker
Left to right, Gian Simmons, alumni relations director; John Thomas, dean, La Sierra University Zapara School of Business; John Brunt, university trustee; Bradford C. Newton, chair, Board of Trustees; Christon Arthur, La Sierra University president-elect; April Summitt, provost; Chang-ho Ji, school of education dean; Friedbert Ninow, H.M.S. Richards Divinity School dean; Marjorie Robinson, vice president of student life.
The Power of Walking: Steps to Better Health
Walking is one of the most simple, accessible forms of exercise available and offers numerous health benefits. From enhancing mood and reducing stress to improving cardiovascular health and managing diabetes, walking is a versatile, low-impact exercise that can be integrated into daily routines.
Karen Studer, MD, associate professor and chair of preventive medicine, shares the benefits of walking and integrating more steps into your daily activity.
Alleviates stress
Walking helps reduce stress by decreasing cortisol levels, also known as “the stress hormone.” Cortisol levels rise in response to stress, which increases inflammation in the body and is a significant cause of food cravings. Consistent walking can lower the amount of cortisol in the bloodstream over time and reduce stress.
Walking, particularly brisk walking, also stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. Walking with friends fosters social connections, which are crucial for mental wellbeing. “If you’re walking with a friend or in a group, you’re cultivating relationships and becoming closer to friends or loved ones,” Studer said.
Improves cardiovascular health
Walking is an excellent way to boost heart health, providing numerous cardiovascular benefits. Whether on a treadmill or walking outside, Studer recommends walking at a brisk
pace for optimal health benefits. To know if you’re walking fast enough for cardiovascular benefits, Studer suggests the “sing/talk test,” which is walking at a speed fast enough that you can still talk but not sing.
Helps control blood sugar
When too much sugar floats around the bloodstream, individuals are more susceptible to diabetes, kidney disease, strokes, and heart attacks. Walking at a brisk pace helps send sugar into the cells where they belong. “When we exercise, our cells open up to take in sugar for energy,” which is why walking helps control blood sugar, Studer said.
To control your blood sugar, Studer suggests the best time to walk is after a meal. “It's an easy way to make sure your blood sugar doesn't go too high.”
Improves sleep
One less obvious benefit of walking is the impact it has on a good night's sleep. “A lot of people don't realize that the body needs to be tired out during the day to sleep well at night” Studer said. “We get better sleep when we move throughout the day.” If you're not tiring out your body during the day, walking may be the key to improving sleep quality.
One of the best, most natural things that we can do for our bodies is to move. To learn more about preventive measures for your health, explore primary care at Loma Linda University Health or call 909-558-2870.
By Alyssa Hunt
PUC’s Nursing Program Scores High NCLEX Rankings
The nursing program at Pacific Union College achieved a 100% NCLEX pass rate for the December 2023 graduates, demonstrating how PUC adequately prepares students for NCLEX and their careers beyond.
“As a leader of a nursing program, it is the best feeling to know that you are providing your students with quality education that prepares them for success,” said Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences Kimberly Dunker. “The PUC nursing team is so excited about the students’ accomplishment.”
The department has an overall pass rate of 96%, representing students in the nursing 2023-2024 academic year. Students in quarters 2-4 maintained an exceptional 100% NCLEX pass rate.
Dunker and her team have worked hard with their students, making changes in their curriculum that best support graduates.
They use readiness resources through books and products, which have been incorporated into the curriculum and mapped to ensure that students are prepared for NCLEX. In the last two quarters, the sixth quarter students’ NCLEX readiness exam was 90% or higher. This demonstrates to the nursing instructors that their program adequately prepares the students for NCLEX with a 90% or higher predictability they will pass their licensure exam.
The lead professors for quarter six include Professor Nicolette Piaubert for theory, Professor Christa Reiger and Serah Choi for simulation, and Professor Sandra Ringer for management. Additionally, Hannah Saravanakumar, director of the AS program, and Helene Linzau, curriculum chair, provided leadership and dedication to ensuring that PUC nursing students are ready for graduation.
Historically, the Napa program under the leadership of Debbie Wallace, director of LVN/Med Teach/EMT-P to RN off-campus programs, has had 100% pass rates. Now, the Angwin program shares that statistic.
Additionally, PUC maintains high standards with 780 direct clinical hours compared to many programs in California that only require the minimum number of direct care hours (500). The focus on direct care clinical hours, simulation, and expert teaching promotes students’ readiness for practice.
Our graduates are given preference in area hospitals because their transition to practice is seamless, and they are well prepared for their technical RN careers. The nursing program has several external agreements with local hospitals for PUC students who attain 150 practicum hours in the last quarter of the program toward their first job in that hospital.
The nursing department has continued to be a growth area for PUC by introducing the online associate to bachelor’s degree program and the online MSN program. Additionally, program quality improvements, new innovative delivery methods, and strategic partnerships have resulted in a 44% growth over the past three years.
PUC received a grant of more than $203,000 from the Health Resources and Service Administration for a Nursing Loan Faculty Program. This grant will provide PUC with the resources to give forgivable low-interest loans to MSN students who will become nurse educators.
Adventist Health and PUC continue their partnership to better serve rural communities in Central and Northern California, including Tuolumne, Lake, and Mendocino counties. This partnership is already operating multiple ASN sites on Adventist Health campuses and is in the process of developing more. This collaboration furthers the college’s goal of growing its nursing program and helps meet the rising need for highly qualified healthcare professionals in these areas.
By Kimberly Dunker and Ally Romanes
Celebrating a Century of Faith
One hundred years ago, in June 1924, President Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, which declared all Native Americans to be American citizens. George Milkan, a fourtime NBA All-Star, was born in Joliet, Illinois. George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, was born in Milton, Massachusetts. That same month, a new church community was also established. Salt Lake Central Seventh-day Adventist Church’s journey began a century ago, founded by a small group of African Americans committed to creating a place of worship and community where everyone would be accepted regardless of their ethnic origin.
During the weekend of June 20 and June 21, 2024, members from across the Nevada-Utah Conference (NUC) celebrated the 100th anniversary of Salt Lake Central church. This milestone not only stands as a testament to the church's resilience but also to God's faithfulness, grace, mercy, and love. The theme embraced by the church this year, "We made it this far by faith," reflects this resilience. Leon Brown, executive vice president of the Pacific Union, reminded the attendees of the role of God’s love in their journey. “Despite the challenges the church may
face,” he said, “we are going to make it because God is madly in love with us.”
Down memory lane
The celebration was also a time of recollection and reminiscing. Byron Dulan, vice president for regional ministries of the North Pacific Union, shared a personal connection that spans generations: “My father was baptized in this church in 1937. For us to move forward, we have to know our past because we are not just a part of history; we are a part of His [God's] story.”
Karen Schneider, NUC treasurer, shared how the Salt Lake Central church helped her family 40 years ago. “My dad, a trucker in the 1970s, was on the road away from his family a great deal. In those years, when it was a quick trip to and from our hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho, he would take his young family along for a ride. One Friday in 1974 (before I was born), my mom and sister joined Dad for a roundtrip ride to Salt Lake City, Utah, on a Friday. As was often the case, the unexpected occurred and my family found themselves sleeping in the truck that night in Salt Lake City. On Sabbath morning, they determined that even though they were worn out from the previous day
The Salt Lake Central Seventh-day Adventist Church is a diverse, multiculural, multi-ethnic church.
• The Rwandese young men’s group sings before the Sabbath morning sermon.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Oneil Madden, pastor of the Salt Lake Central church, welcomes attendees to this year’s annual convocation. Karen Schneider, NUC treasurer, shares how the Salt Lake Central church helped her family 40 years ago. Virgil Childs, Pacific Union Conference vice president for Black Ministries, encourages the members to continue to have faith in God and move forward. Chanda Nunes-Henry, NUC executive secretary, and spouse, Keith Henry, greet the congregation. Earl Canson and Byron Dulan share the importance of remembering history.
and the weather was cold, it was necessary to go to church. My dad hailed a cab, telling the driver to take them to the closest Seventh-day Adventist church. The members of that church were welcoming and kind—a living example of Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” In our family, over the decades, this story has been told not only as a reminder of that ‘one time we were stuck in Salt Lake City’ but also as an example of why we should welcome guests at our own church with kindness and a Sabbath meal. This story has impacted our lives and those we have encountered, replicating the kindness shown to us so long ago. That ripple of generosity started at Salt Lake Central church in 1974 and continues today. I have the privilege to say thank you for being a true example of God’s chosen people.”
Stories like this highlighted the church’s role in the personal histories of many families throughout the years and also encouraged the congregation to honor the past while looking forward to the future.
Looking forward
As Salt Lake Central celebrates its centennial, it also looks to the future with hope and anticipation. The
church remains committed to its mission of serving God and the community. Initiatives to engage the younger generation, outreach programs, and community services are at the forefront of the church’s vision for the future. Oneil Madden, pastor of the church, stated his vision to remodel and reopen the fellowship hall: “We want to make this place a community hub where people can come together and get to know each other.”
The celebration's centerpiece was Virgil Childs' keynote address titled "Skin Deep Religion," delivering a compelling message. Childs, Pacific Union Conference vice president for Black Ministries, urged the congregation to transcend surface-level faith and embrace a profound, transformative relationship with God. Referencing Good to Great by Jim Collins, Childs warned, “Good can be the enemy of great,” and challenged the church to strive not just to be a good Adventist church but the best church for the community.
The 100th anniversary of the Salt Lake Central church is more than a celebration of the past; it is a reaffirmation of faith and community—faith that has sustained it for 100 years and will continue to do so for many more.
By Neat Randriamialison
LEFT: Brad Newton, Pacific Union Conference president, congratulates the Salt Lake Central church on their 100th anniversary. RIGHT: Donal Mcleod, pastor of the Las Vegas New Life church, leads the congregation in prayer.
Women With a Higher Purpose
The air buzzed with excitement as the morning sun rose over Leoni Meadows. Over 500 women had gathered at the annual Hispanic Women’s Ministry retreat, creating a sense of anticipation and camaraderie.
Paul Guevara, NCC coordinator of Hispanic Ministries, looked out at the crowd with pride. “Never has there been a reunion as big as this in the last 20 years,” he exclaimed, addressing the sea of smiling faces.
The event's theme, “Belleza Entre Las Cenizas” (Beauty Among the Ashes), beautifully mirrored the surrounding landscape. Around Leoni Meadows, grass, flowers, and small trees were beginning to sprout from the land, a visual symbol of renewal and growth. Lisa Marsh, Women's Ministry director for NCC, passionately shared her vision of uniting women in our churches to reach women in Northern California communities. This vision resonated deeply with the attendees.
Florinda Guevara, organizer and volunteer director of NCC Hispanic Women’s Ministries, has tirelessly worked with her team on their strategic plan to engage, train, support, and empower women leaders at the church level. One key component of her plan was the NAD Women’s Ministry Leadership Certification. At this year's event, they celebrated the hard work and dedication
When asked about the attendance, Florinda shared, “About half of these women are non-Adventist or not members of our churches. They have been warmly invited by a church member to be here. Witnessing the Holy Spirit's work in our community is a true blessing and a testament to the power of unity and outreach.”
The event had historic attendance, driven by a clear purpose to connect women to an abundant life with Jesus and a reliance on the Holy Spirit. Florinda quoted Ellen G. White: "There is a higher purpose for woman, a grander destiny. She should develop and cultivate her powers, for God can employ them in the great work of saving souls from eternal ruin" (Welfare Ministry, p. 145).
By Laurie Trujillo
Restoring Dignity
Pleasant Hill church recently received a significant addition to its community services toolbox: a brand-new shower trailer. A decade in the making, this idea is the culmination of several iterations, community research, and generous donations.
The head pastor, Mitch Williams, said, “The necessity for hygiene services for the unsheltered was of eight women who completed all four levels to earn their certification. One recipient, her eyes gleaming with pride, shared her experience. “I've gained a wealth of knowledge about effective leadership principles, communication and conflict resolution, problem solving and decision making, visioning and goal setting, mentorship and counseling, running small group ministries, and practical strategies to reclaim lost members,” she said. “I am thrilled to contribute to my church's efforts in reaching out to the women in my neighborhood.”
glaringly apparent. Our team already provides food to approximately 100 individuals weekly, and we deeply understand the need. This trailer represents the next phase of our community service, a step toward restoring dignity and enhancing well-being.”
With this knowledge, a generous grant, and local
church fundraising, they procured a 26-foot trailer with four bathrooms and showers. The trailer is available for service at the church, and hygiene kits, haircuts, and other volunteer services are offered.
By Ken Miller
Health Interests Open Doors to Ministry
Mount Shasta church has a proactive health ministry that draws many community members from all walks of life. Patti Guthrie, health evangelism coordinator, said, “A broad spectrum of people come through our doors because health, diet, exercise, and life are a language without walls.”
With the financial assistance of the Northern California Conference, the Mount Shasta church recently hosted a free dental, medical, and eye care clinic. Attendance for the clinic topped 50 people. Some were already involved with the church’s robust health ministry, and others were personally invited by pastoral staff.
Medical volunteers staffed the clinic from as far away as Loma Linda and Sacramento. When asked, Coral Parrish, a local chef who made sack lunches for everybody, stated, “This type of outreach is just what the community needed.”
To maximize the effect of the church's outreach, each participant was given a survey. The surveys assessed interest in further contact with the church, with the following areas ranking highest: plant-based cooking, weight loss, depression recovery, Bible study, and diabetes reversal. Guthrie explained, “Hosting healthy
living classes opens many avenues of discussion, appreciation, and occasionally Bible study!”
Deidra Cazneaux, a community volunteer, concluded, “The level of care and compassion by the providers and the organizers was noticeable and a tremendous blessing to those who came for services. This clinic was a beautiful example of God’s people being the hands and feet of Jesus.”
By Ken Miller
Sabbath School Goes to the Synagogue
On a Sabbath back in May, an entire Sabbath School class from Loma Linda University church (LLUC) took a field trip to radio host and Torah scholar Dennis Prager’s personally established synagogue in the San Fernando Valley, The Torah Minyan. Their visit was facilitated by Prager’s assistant and program producer, Allen Estrin, and built upon a decades-long dialogue and friendship between Dennis Prager and LLUC member Janine Colburn.
The Rational Bible Sabbath School class was founded in 2022 and is based on Dennis Prager’s recorded lectures at the University of Judaism, together with his commentary volumes on the Torah —the first five books of the Old Testament. The class aims to compare Jewish and Christian teachings, using Adventist commentaries and Ellen G. White’s Patriarchs and Prophets .
A total of 17 members from LLUC arrived for Sabbath at the synagogue. When Prager rose to give the sermon after the morning prayer session, the group was astonished to hear him say he had totally changed his sermon in anticipation of their coming. Whereas the “Torah Portion” for the day was to be in the book of Leviticus, Prager spoke instead more generally, titling his talk, “The Most Important Texts in the Torah.”
After a potluck lunch, Prager invited the LLUC Sabbath School leaders to participate in an interview for the benefit of his own members still present, around 150 in number.
During the interview, class leaders were asked questions about the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its origins, beliefs, primary founder, and the denomination’s general approach to Sabbath-keeping. Afterward, many Minyan members stayed by to ask further questions and field questions about Judaism from the group. Prager himself asked for a copy of Patriarchs and Prophets when he was shown one, and blessedly, the group just happened to have one to give him.
As the class was leaving, Prager invited them back, saying, “Let’s have an annual Adventist Day at the Torah Minyan!”
The Rational Bible Sabbath School class meets every Sabbath at 10:30 a.m. in the Family Ministries Complex of Loma Linda University Church, Room 2410. All are welcome.
By Janine Colburn
Prager leads the impromptu Sabbath School discussion panel.
Dennis Prager (center) smiles with two LLUC members.
Danielle Berumen and Gabriel Morales Ordained to the Gospel Ministry
This past May and June, the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) ordained two pastors: Danielle Berumen and Gabriel Morales.
Pastor Danielle Berumen serves as the Children’s and Family Ministry pastor at Calimesa church. She began her full-time pastoral career in April 2016 and joined Calimesa in March 2022.
Pastor Berumen holds a bachelor’s degree from La Sierra University and a master’s from Andrews University. Her journey into ministry began in college when she felt a clear call from God, shifting her path from pre-med to pastoral ministry.
"My ordination was more special than I anticipated it would be. It was so meaningful to be affirmed and encouraged," said Pastor Berumen. Her multicultural background and bilingual abilities allow her to minister to a diverse community.
Pastor Berumen views her role as holding the door open for all people to encounter Jesus. She loves spending time with her family, including her husband, Manuel “Manny” Berumen, and their two children, Eiza (4) and Judah (2).
Pastor Gabriel Morales, who serves as the young adult and media pastor at Azure Hills church in Grand Terrace, California, also brings a rich cultural heritage to his ministry. He began his current role in February 2023. A graduate of Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico and Andrews University, Pastor Morales
helps collegiates and young professionals deepen their relationship with Jesus and creates meaningful worship experiences through multimedia platforms. "What’s significant about ordination is the affirmation and support received from my community," shared Pastor Morales. "For me, I have always been convinced of my calling. Ordination is just a public expression of what God has already been doing through me."
Drawing from his Puerto Rican roots, Pastor Morales incorporates the warmth and hospitality of his culture into his pastoral approach. He enjoys running, drinking delicious cafecito, rooting for New York sports teams, and spending time with loved ones.
SECC is blessed to celebrate the ordination of these dedicated pastors, who enrich their communities and spread the love of Jesus Christ. Congratulations to both! By Danni Thaw
Morales smiles with his family after ordination.
United Filipino company celebrates new company status with a certificate.
Newly Organized United Filipino Company Recommits to the Great Commission
“
We are glad to be here to establish, inaugurate, and celebrate this milestone in the life of the United Filipino company,” John H. Cress, Southern California Conference (SCC) executive secretary, said at the congregation’s company organization this spring.
At first, the congregation was recognized as a Sabbath School group by the Central Filipino church in 2009. Under the leadership of Pastor Nester Ramos, the group became known as the United Filipino group. In 2016, they began meeting at the East Valley Adventist School chapel in Baldwin Park. Membership quickly grew to almost 100. Today, retired pastors Rey Torres and Simeon Rosete Jr. and church elder Edgar Policarpio assist Edbert Carceler, district pastor of United Filipino company and Haven company, to cater
NOTICE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE
REGULAR CONSTITUENCY SESSION
Please take notice that the 66th regular Constituency Session of the Southern California Conference of Seventhday Adventists is called to convene as follows:
Place: White Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church 401 North State Street, Los Angeles, California
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Time: 7:55 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., or until business is completed
The purpose of this session is to receive reports; to elect conference officers, the Vice President for Education, the Executive Committee, and the Bylaws Committee; and to transact any other business that may properly come before the delegates in session.
Delegates are invited to join with the SCC Prayer Team for prayer from 7:00 – 7:50 a.m.
Velino A. Salazar, President • John H. Cress, Executive Secretary
to the needs of the flock.
Many people came together from Haven company, East Valley Adventist School, Central Filipino church, San Gabriel and Foothill zones in the Asian/Pacific Region, SCC, and the Pacific Union Conference.
James G. Lee, SCC vice president, challenged the church to make disciples and bless others. “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is concerned with God’s purpose of creating a people who would respond to Jesus in faith and obedience,” he said, “and who would be a source of blessing to all they come in contact with.”
Kathleen V. Diaz, SCC CFO/treasurer, presented an evangelism check for $2,500. Vinh Nguyen, Asian/ Pacific Region director, talked about the importance of redefining ministry.
VicLouis Arreola III, Pacific Union Conference vice president for Asian Pacific ministries, shared five key points for guidance on what’s needed for a healthy, growing church: spiritual renewal, training members for ministry, evangelism, Bible seminars, and discipleship.
Looking forward, Carceler talked about the purpose of the church. “We have the privilege to hasten the soon return of Jesus, and that can only happen when everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit,” Carceler said. “With that power, we go out and move forward until we reach our destination. The train that passed by a few minutes ago is a reminder that we are a movement. We should be on the train—the gospel train—to move forward.”
By Araya Moss
Is Faith” Video
Series
“ SCC Members Share Powerful Personal Testimonies in “This
Itried my whole life to do everything the best that I could, I tried to make everybody happy, I tried to make the best decision that I could, and it didn’t seem fair that life hurt so much,” shared Anthony Paschal Jr., from Vallejo Drive church.
Lizette Uribe from Adonai church shared about difficulties she experienced in her spiritual life. “It was very difficult to have a relationship with God because the relationship that they expected me to have toward God was that of a father and a daughter, and although I did grow up with my dad, he wasn’t emotionally available.”
Gabran Arruda from Pasadena church shared how he discovered a deeper understanding of God’s love for him after drifting away from his faith. “God is present with me, and I can have faith that I am loved and that I can be content within His love. His love is enough—His love is more than enough,” he said.
“Wherever we are on our faith journey, God looks at us and says, ‘I have always been with you.’ There is a God out there who has compassion on where we are in our stories,” shared John Aitken III from Temple City church.
Since the launch of a new video series entitled “This Is Faith” in January 2024, members have courageously shared about struggles they’ve experienced with their job, health, relationships, substance abuse, family life, spiritual life, and much more. Although each one is unique, the stories are ultimately about how God showed up, no matter what each person was going through.
When we share our stories, we never know who they will touch. It can seem scary to share about difficult times we have experienced, but God often uses these moments to encourage others. One online commenter pointed out how one of the stories resonated with them: “I’ve dealt with a peoplepleasing mentality all my life. I can totally relate to that pain.” What a simple yet powerful tool for ministry—letting others know they’re not alone!
The series is available in video and podcast format. Learn more about how to participate and watch or listen at https://scc.adventist.org/this-is-faith.
By Lauren Lacson
PHOTOS: MICHELLE NOLAND
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Calendar
Pacific Union College
Publication Workshop (Sept. 8-10). The Visual Arts, Communication, and English Departments at Pacific Union College are sponsoring Publication Workshop. This event offers practical, hands-on training and valuable tips for kickstarting your school's yearbook, newspaper, or video yearbook. For more information and to register, visit pubworkshop.puc.edu.
Fusion. New first-year students attending Pacific Union College this fall will begin Fusion Orientation starting Sunday, Sept. 18 through the 22nd.
PUC Fall Quarter Begins Sept. 23. Faculty and staff at Pacific Union College look forward to welcoming new students and seeing returning students this fall. For those interested in attending PUC, there is still time to register for fall quarter. Contact PUC Admissions at admissions@puc.edu or visit explore. puc.edu to apply.
Connect Ministries is a group of Pacific Union College students passionate about Jesus and sharing through music and worship. The bilingual team leads worship services, retreats, youth events, and any programs where they can inspire other young people to become worship leaders. Any school or church interested in having them visit, please email connectministries@puc.edu.
Add PUC news in your church bulletin and support Adventist education. With many updates to share at Pacific Union College, we designed a printable bulletin insert for churches to use. Just print the PDF double sided and cut in half, then include as a bulletin insert. Download at puc.edu/bulletin.
Subscribe to the PUC Now Newsletter. Stay up to date with Pacific Union College by subscribing to their monthly newsletter at puc.edu/subscribe. From campus stories and alumni features to student interviews, you’ll be in the now with PUC.
Classified Employment
Full-time church administrator: Discover Life Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sonora, CA, seeks a people-skilled, task-oriented church administrator. Responsibilities include working with pastors, overseeing communication, facilities, scheduling, and special projects. Full-time with health, PTO, retirement benefits. Must be an SDA member with strong organizational and communication skills.
Wanted: part time housekeeper and home manager for senior single female owner who travels a lot. Live in South Shores Country Club, Henderson Nevada, in guard-gated community, private suite. Take care of house, some cooking, some dog care in exchange for living very well. Perfect for the semiretired person who wants a great lifestyle and a great place to live. Some compensation. Must have a car and pass background checks. Email curtismyrna@verizon. net and tell me about yourself or call Myrna at 310613-9549.
Holbrook Indian School is currently in need of an Assistant Girls' Dean and an Industrial/Vocational Arts Teacher. These are paid positions. In addition, there is an opening for a volunteer married couple with mental health training and experience to fill the role of House Deans in an off-campus housing capacity at the Eagle's Nest. If you or someone you know are mission-minded and would like to serve Native American children, please see or share our jobs page at HolbrookIndianSchool.org/jobs.
Pacific Union College is seeking faculty positions in the area of History. Major duties include the responsibilities of assessment, planning, development, and implementation of classroom experiences and course objectives. We desire those who will be committed to a collaborative working environment, as well as those who possess dedication in furthering the goals of excellence in student success and critical thinking skills. Most importantly, we desire those interested in bringing students closer to Christ by nurturing the whole person and embracing concepts for lifelong learning. If you are interested, please contact Human Resources at HR@puc.edu or call 707-965-6231. Located in the Napa Valley, Pacific Union College is one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States, with views of mountains, vast forests, sunshine, and temperate summers and winters. The college's mission is to learn with purpose, rise in faith, and serve with love. Employees work in a tight-knit and faithcentered community that supports and encourages one another. If you enjoy working in a collaborative and caring atmosphere, you belong at PUC. We offer generous employee benefits, including tuition subsidies, housing assistance, medical, dental, vision, moving expenses, and retirement contributions.
Room/Work Exchange offer in SoCal for female. Busy professional needs your help with 15 hours of housekeeping/week in exchange for rent. Located 2 hrs drive from LLU. Must be able-bodied, English speaking, SDA, and not allergic to my cat. Background check and interview. More info: www.room. theexceptionalprofessionalyou.com.
Evangelism Projects Coordinator needed at Quiet Hour Ministries to assist in developing and
implementing and reporting for various mission projects. This is a full-time (32 hours per week) in-office position located in Redlands, CA, with potential for international travel. For more info or to apply, visit: qhministries.org/jobs.
Marketing Director needed at Quiet Hour Ministries to plan and direct successful fundraising and marketing through a variety of methods. This is a full-time (38 hours per week) in-office position located in Redlands, CA, and includes some national and international travel. For more info or to apply, visit: qhministries.org/jobs.
Andrews University seeks candidates for a full-time, tenure-track Ph.D. biochemistry faculty position for our ACS-approved program, starting July 2024. Duties: mentor undergraduate students to excellence in faithreflective professionalism; teach biochemistry and chemistry courses and labs; champion undergraduate research; promote an all-inclusive, equitable learning environment. For more information, email: chemistry@ andrews.edu.
Jesus 101 is looking for a Production Department Assistant to assist with editing, production, and media department needs. This is a full-time (38 hours per week), in-office position located in Riverside, CA. Position includes generous employee benefits. For more information or to apply, visit: https://www. adventistmediaministries.com/available-positions/.
Retired couple seeking an estate management/ care-taking opportunity. He: 30 years attorney/ commercial real estate trust manager, Navy veteran, and California Highway Patrol. She: 37 years pediatric registered nurse (current licenses in Indiana and California). Oversight of estate and related vendors, plant-based chef, driver, care for homebound person, child, pet, or plants, etc. Looking for longterm situation (greater than 1 year) and separate housing onsite. Compensation based on duties assigned. References available. Bondable. email: williamtsohara@aol.com.
The Miranda Seventh-day Adventist Church is looking for a missionary-minded couple to care for its church. The couple will rent the church trailer home and be responsible for maintaining the church grounds. For more information, please call Mike Michelli at 707-296-5518.
Looking for a single male between the age of 58 and 70 years old to come live and help me on 9.2 acres in Northern Arizona. Must have own RV and know about gardening and country living. Rent is $500 a month, which pays for electricity and water. We have four seasons and hospital nearby. Close to the Grand Canyon. Must be a committed, church-going Seventh-
day Adventist. There are several churches in the area to choose from. References required. Call Lisa at 317459-1060 or email at lisasummerstinsley@gmail.com.
Financial Aid Advisor. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of his/her department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. The Financial Ad Advisor position determines eligibility and administers all phases of the financial aid process to include all federal, private, campus based, and non-campus based financial aid programs for the students. Counsels current and prospective students and/or parents regarding student's individual aid eligibility while maintaining confidentiality of protected information. Works collaboratively with various University departments and staff to ensure accurate financial aid related data is provided to students. Financial Aid Advisor performs other duties as needed. Bachelor's degree - Equivalent experience in higher education involving duties, responsibilities, and qualifications similar to those described in this document may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree. Minimum of two years finance or accounting related experience required. Financial aid experience preferred. Membership in Seventh-day Adventist Church required. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud. com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/ job/304/?utm_medium=jobshare – 304
Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of their department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. Assistant Professor performs other duties as needed. Requires nurse practitioner degree in nursing from an accredited institution. Two years post-master’s teaching experience or closely related professional experience. Professional certification, licensure, or registration as appropriate. https://egln.fa.us2. oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/ sites/CX/job/1100/?utm_medium=jobshare – 1100
Faculty at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of their department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. DDS/DMD degree is required. MS/MSD and/or PhD is preferred. Two years previous experience, published peer reviews journals, experience in grant writing, securing grants, submission of external funding, and experience in material science, numerical methods, and finite element analysis. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud. com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/ job/216/?utm_medium=jobshare – 216 and 555
Faculty Medicine two tenure-track at Loma Linda University Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of his/her department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University
and the individual school. Research expertise in one of the following areas: Neuroscience, stem cell and/ or cancer biology, or developmental biology. Ph.D. (or equivalent) in a relevant field, MD, or dual degree; at least three years of postdoctoral research experience; record of peer-review original research publications in recognized scientific journals, including at least one postdoctoral publication. Preferred experience in applying data science approaches to biological problems, which could include artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, multi-dimensional imaging, or other methods; history of securing extramural funding.https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/ CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/job/808/?utm_ medium=jobshare – 808
Professor PhD at Loma Linda University School of Nursing. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of his/her department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. Professor PhD performs other duties as needed. Requires earned doctorate (or equivalent) from accredited institution, preferably with focus in area of scholarship. Post-doctoral experience (or equivalent) encouraged. Minimum five years of successful teaching experience as associate professor with emphasis in area of scholarly focus. Functions in a leadership capacity in area of expertise. Professional certification, licensure or registration as appropriate. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/ CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/job/2030/?utm_ medium=jobshare – 2023
Faculty at Loma Linda University School of Public Health. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of his/her department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. Faculty member supports graduate education in global public health, research and/or global health practice in an international and/or multi-national setting. Develops, delivers, and assesses curriculum at a graduate (master’s and doctoral) level. Mentors and advises students for curriculum, applied practical experience (APE) projects and career planning. Participates in student recruitment activities and APE site identification, student placement, and site review. Ability to bring in external grant funding and strong networks in the global health field are a plus. Minimum of doctoral degree from an accredited institution required. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud. com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/ job/826/?utm_medium=jobshare – 826
Assistant Professor-PA. Assists with organizing and structuring the academic program in accordance with
established educational standards and practices. Coordinates the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the professional Physician Assistant course. Provides lectures and supervises and instructs students in clinical settings and performs administrative duties. Performs other duties as needed. Physician Assistant Master's Degree required. Minimum of two years of work and/or teaching experience in the area of specialization or an appropriate Doctoral Degree required. The rank of Assistant Professor will be determined by the School of Allied Health Profession's Rank and Promotion Committee through evaluation of the Curriculum Vitae. License or certification applicable to area of teaching as a Physician Assistant required. Current certification through the NCCPA and license to practice as a Physician Assistant required. Required to maintain clinical practice. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud. com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/ job/410/?utm_medium=jobshare- 410
Community Health Worker Instructor at San Manuel Gateway College. Responsibility encompasses education, research, and/or service. Demonstrates loyalty to the mission, policies, standards, and regulations of his/her department, school, and the University, and follows the administrative policies set up by the University and the individual school. The Instructor is responsible for planning, teaching, implementing, and assessing courses and activities. Performs other duties as needed. Specialty license or certification preferred. Requirements will vary per specific specialty. https://egln.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/ CandidateExperience/en/ sites/CX/job/2560/?utm_ medium=jobshare – 2560
Real Estate
Off-Grid Living. Solar with propane generator and well. Rural but close to SDA churches, hospital, and Pacific Union College. 4B/4B, 4,036 sf, 20 acres. New barn, garden area with raised beds, peaceful view. Great mountain biking and hiking area. Interested, email bhelmer@puc.edu for more information.
SDA country school shopping. K-8, near Cookeville, TN, with Forest School, stream, and cave on 30 acres,
music program, friendly church, Pathfinder and Adventurer clubs, jobs, colleges, low taxes. 931-8540259 or 423-240-1832, www.algoodchristian.org
PUC Commercial Space for Rent. Pacific Union College has commercial real estate space available for lease. The spaces are in various sizes and functionality and are available for inquiries. For additional information, please email Sam Heier at sheier@puc. edu.
Tennessee country living. Private 3/2, 2330+sf, large master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, additional gaming/family room, currently being remodeled. Almost 5 acres, paths through woods, around pond, 2 small streams, 2 outbuildings, 20x20 workshop, on city water, has additional well. Located outside of Dunlap, 56 min. from Southern. Active churches in the area, ptnbear@gmail.com.
Lovely 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1519-sq-ft home. Marble fireplace, dishwasher, washer/dryer, and refrigerator. Select furniture included. Convenient location near Walla Walla University. Beautifully landscaped with private backyard and covered patio and deck, security lights, garage, and much more! Please contact 951232-9814 for more information.
Dream 5.69-acre ranch-style home in Northern California foothills. This fully fenced property features a 4-bedroom house with an open floor plan, walkout basement, and wooden overlook deck. Woodstove and central heat. Enjoy an orchard of 35+ mature fruit trees, 34 heavily bearing concord, muscat, and several other varieties of grapevines, and a deerfenced garden. Breathtaking views of Lake Oroville from a serene, circle drive location—ideal for a young family or a lifestyle center. Discover your slice of paradise. Call 231-735-6078.
For Sale
Retiring SDA optometrist in NW CA selling a very profitable practice. There are no other optometry, ophthalmology, or optician practices in this city or county. Local Adventist church and K-8 school. The office is 5 blocks from an amazing coastline with surrounding beautiful forests, beaches, and rivers. 1250 sq. ft. office with a wonderful staff. If interested, please contact sinouye7@gmail.com.
Outpatient Physical Therapy and Aquatic Therapy in the foothills above Sacramento, CA. Turn-key practice, in business for over 30 years. Great referral base and solid practice. Lots of potential for growth. Great opportunity for someone wanting to establish a medical mission outpost or wellness center as well. 5400-sq-ft facility. $450,000. Flexible options to the right party. Contact levi2000@sbcglobal.net or leave message at 209-304-7455.
Dental practice for sale in Siskiyou County, CA. Profitable practice, 4 ops, practice refers out ortho, endo, and some oral surgery. Great study club and specialists to refer to. Get out of the city and come to God's country, a 4-season area filled with hiking, mt. biking, skiing, and water sports. If interested, please contact blaster42@hotmail.com.
Vacation Opportunities
Travel on a faith-based tour to Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Rome, or Vietnam on a special cultural discovery tour with Dr. Carl Cosaert, New Testament professor at Walla Walla University. To learn more about these inspirational tours that renew your faith, visit www.adventtours.org or email info@adventtours.org.
Explore Armenia and Georgia this September with Dr. Carl Cosaert, dean of the School of Theology at Walla Walla University. Discover enchanting towns, historic churches, and breathtaking views in countries boasting a profound Christian legacy of nearly two millennia. Visit www.adventtours.org or email info@ adventtours.org for more information.
Sunriver, Central Oregon. Four-bedroom vacation home on the North Woodlands golf course. Two master king suites, two queens, one bunk set, hot tub, loft, Jacuzzi bath, gas log fireplace, BBQ, W/D, bikes, all resort amenities, sleeps 10, no smoking, no pets. For rates, photos, and reservations, call: 541-279-9553, or email: schultz@crestviewcable.com.
Angwin home. Five-bedroom, three-bathroom vacation home 2 miles from PUC. Fully furnished, large kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, piano, high-speed internet, vineyard views, WiFi, washer and dryer, BBQ, sleeps 10. Call for rates, photos, and reservations: 415-539-7980 or email nroger1965@gmail.com.
Footsteps of Paul in Greece! Begin your biblical journey in the north where Paul landed and travel south to Athens, visiting countless spots throughout. Cruise to four Greek islands and Ephesus. Info at www.biblicaltouring.com or George Dialectakis, 860-402-2247.
Bulletin Board
Smarter Kids. Research shows that excessive TV causes kids to have trouble paying attention and thinking clearly. But when they listen, their imagination is actively engaged. So fuel their imagination! Kids grow better with radio. Encourage them to listen at: LifeTalkKids.net.
Individuality, Power to Think and to Do
Jack W. Provonsha
Like a composer who turns a simple tune into a majestic symphony, Jack W. Provonsha transformed a familiar theme in Seventh-day Adventist circles —individuality, power to think and to do—into a powerful philosophical orientation about human personhood and agency that those with other backgrounds and points of view can evaluate from their own standpoints. His views were particular in their origin, but universal in their destination and public in their desired evaluation.
A City of Two Tales
Warren Trenchard
World Disrupted, World Revealed
Melissa
J. Brotton, editor
These essays were presented at the Adventist Society for Religious Studies (ASRS) conference held November 18-20, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. With few exceptions, the conference papers have been revised and edited for a broad audience though they retain their original content for the most part. Our hope in publishing this volume is that it will raise concern and promote conversation about our care of God’s world.
Warren Trenchard, professor emeritus at La Sierra University, has written this series of essays on Ellen White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and widely acknowledged to have been its principal spiritual and strategic guide, especially through her prolific writings.
The Struggle for the Prophetic Heritage
Gilbert Valentine
In this book Dr. Valentine—a recently retired professor at La Sierra University and author of several books, including Ostriches and Canaries—relates the intriguing story of the conflict and maturing theological awareness that led gradually to the development of new structural arrangements for the White Estate, ensuring that the writings of Ellen White continued to be a blessing to the church.
Remembering Mathilde Frey, editor
The divine gift of the seventhday Sabbath offers hope and remedy for the needs of our world. In response to the despair of climate change and the tragedy of unjust economics, Sabbath as a shared day of rest embraces care for the earth, rest for the land, reprieve for the destitute, and a stop to ruthless acquisition. Remembering and sharing the story of the Sabbath in a fresh way holds transformative power.
At Rest
Galusha, Dudley Edward – b. Dec. 24, 1926; d. June 6, 2024, Calistoga, CA. Survivors: sons, Daryl, Gary, Dale; daughter, Cindy Bothwell; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. A WWII Army veteran, Dudley was a contractor in the Napa Valley who built many SDA churches (Elmshaven, Napa, Pleasant Hill, Pacific Union College), Rio Lindo Academy, Leoni Meadows.
Goulbourne, Gloria – b. Feb. 16, 1930, Baltimore, MD; d. May 17, 2024, Loma Linda, CA. Survivors: son, Dewitt; daughters, Michelle, Debra; 10 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren.
Hadley, Candace Rae (Scheideman) – b. Aug. 31, 1948, Lodi, CA; d. June 14, 2024, Redlands, CA. Survivors: husband, Dean Hadley; daughter, Allison; son, Zachary; five grandchildren; brother, George Scheideman. Graduated from Lodi Academy and PUC.
Herber, Marilyn – b. April 6, 1933, Colorado Springs, CO; d. June 22, 2024, Loma Linda, CA. Survivors: son,
August 2024 Sunset Calendar
City/Location AUG 2 AUG 9 AUG 16 AUG 23 AUG 30
Alturas (Modoc Cty.) 8:18 8:09 7:59 7:49 7:38
Angwin 8:18 8:10 8:01 7:52 7:41
Bakersfield 7:58 7:50 7:42 7:34 7:24
Calexico 7:38 7:32 7:25 7:16 7:08
Chico 8:18 8:10 8:01 7:51 7:40
Death Valley (Furnace Ck) 7:51 7:44 7:36 7:26 7:17
Steven Herber; daughters, Susan Herber Mace, Sandra Herber Fisher; five grandchildren.
Lang, Orville A. – b. Oct. 9,1935, Scobey, MT; d. June 4, 2024, Sparks, NV. Survivors: wife, Charlotte; son, Tom Lang; daughter, Janice Banks; Charlotte’s children, Ginger, CJ, and Kimberly Johnson; four granddaughters; two great-grandchildren.
Purdom, Christopher Kenneth – b. May 12, 1985, Whittier, CA; d. June 2, 2024, Salt Lake City, Utah. Survivors: daughter, Shae Ann Purdom; sibling, Evie Purdom; parents, Odilis Purdom, Jim Purdom.
Utt, Gwendolyn – b. March 13, 1928, Hastings, England; d. June 5, 2024, Redlands, CA. Survivors: sons, Charles Utt, David Utt; daughters, Jeannie Galloway, Lynn Haddad; eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren.
Yeoman, Paul – b. April 24, 1939, Vallejo, CA; d. Jan. 29, 2024, Rocklin, CA. Survivors: wife, Judith; daughter, Carole Wright; son, Christopher Yeoman; two grandchildren. Paul served as a pastor in Michigan and Indiana.
September 2024 Sunset Calendar
“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9
Nearly a decade ago, PUC students and faculty traveled to Fiji to support an evangelistic campaign. In the years since, they’ve returned to build Mana Island Seventh-day Adventist School, teach classes, and provide much-needed medical care and technology. But these annual trips mean even more than that. For PUC, serving those in Mana is about commitment, relationships, and love.
