Southern California Conference

LEFT: Pastors and leaders from different periods throughout the history of the Eagle Rock church gather for a photo Sabbath morning. RIGHT: Musical group BINHI sing in the “Worship in Music” program on Sabbath afternoon.

“A Century of Sharing God’s Love” Eagle Rock Celebrates 100 Years

“ Today, as we review the history and the story of the Eagle Rock Seventh-day Adventist Church (ERC) for 100 years, we can say, ‘God was here,’” shared Southern California Conference (SCC) President Velino A. Salazar at the 100-year anniversary celebration at ERC this summer.

“There are evidences that He has been here and He is still here,” Salazar continued. “Praise be to Him. He has been the cornerstone of this spiritual building, His people—this is His church.”

The church celebrated the milestone anniversary this August. The packed weekend kicked off with an interactive Friday evening vespers program. Sabbath was filled with activities, beginning with Sabbath School, followed by the worship service and an afternoon worship in music program, featuring songs from Eagle Rock Quartet, Jaime Jorge, BINHI, Christian Edition, and more. After the close of Sabbath on Saturday evening, members and friends gathered for a vespers and social. The weekend concluded with an international food fair presented by the Eagle Rock Pathfinder Club.

Throughout the past 100 years, God called 24 senior pastors to lead the congregation in serving the community. Membership continuously grew, with an

SCC L.A. Metro Region Director Danny Chan shared the message for Friday night vespers. unwavering focus on families and youth. By hosting a soup kitchen, the annual National Night Out, and many more such events, ERC has lived out its commitment to serving the community.

“The Eagle Rock church has been a lighthouse in this community, providing hope to those without hope, giving love to the marginalized and the underserved people in this community,” Salazar noted.

During the Sabbath morning program, Dr. Herb Harder, ERC’s longest living member, told of his memories since joining the church in the fall of 1950. Harder’s woodworking handiwork can be found throughout the church, including the offering plates that are still used today.

Many of the youth also reflected on their experience at the church. “Everyone just seems so close together,” Victoria Santos shared. “Even though we’re not related, we feel related and we feel at home.”

Brad Newton, Pacific Union Conference president, shared the morning’s message, entitled “The Great Homecoming.” Newton anchored his message in Philippians 3:12-14, focusing on the importance of both remembering and forgetting. “God has had His hand in leading this congregation—I don’t have any doubt about it and neither do you,” he noted with a smile. “Anniversaries have a power to fill us with purpose as we look from the past and look toward the future.”

View livestreams of the weekend’s programs on the Eagle Rock church YouTube channel at https://www. youtube.com/c/EagleRockSDAChurch.

___________________ By Lauren Lacson

A Small but Mighty Team Returns for Youth Rush 2022

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, student literature evangelists spent 10 weeks this summer sharing their faith and spreading God’s word through Christcentered literature in the diverse Southern California Conference (SCC) territory.

“I can’t believe this happened this year,” shared Marco Topete, SCC Literature Ministries coordinator. “This is the first time going door-to-door with our missionaries since 2019, and it was an incredible experience.”

Still, the team faced hardships unique to this summer early on, such as low recruitment despite many invitations given.

“I told myself that no matter how many God gave

me this summer, I would do the work that needed to be done in our territory,” Topete said. “God worked miracles not only in the community but, more importantly, in our own hearts as we struggled.” Tierra was canvassing people in a business when the owner asked her to wait to speak to him until after his meeting. While waiting, several employees suggested she leave since the owner seemed unlikely to finish soon. Troubled, but not discouraged, Tierra was impressed to continue waiting. Finally, the owner finished his meeting and invited her to speak with him. As soon as she showed him the first book, he was interested. He asked to see all her books and ultimately received a “dump bag,” the term for when a student empties their bag at one door. Princess and Sammy were meeting people at shops in East Los Angeles. When they entered a business, they saw a husband and wife behind the counter. The first book they shared was called Peace Above the Storm. As soon as the woman saw the book she exclaimed, “How did you know!” She couldn’t believe God sent these two canvassers to her in a time of deep need and was grateful for their visit. “God did wonderful things this summer,” Topete PHOTOS: MARCO TOPETE shared, “but my personal favorite has to be what God did in each of these missionaries. So many stories in the community, but so many hearts changed at home base as well. God is a miracle-working God.”

SCC student evangelists gather on stage at the iShare Conference, the culmination of the summer for all Youth Rush participants in the Pacific Union.

Velino A. Salazar, SCC president, visits with students during the summer to encourage them in their ministry.

___________________ By Araya Moss