-and the Class of 2020
THE NEWSVINE
“Every page an altar to His works!” SUMMER 2020 REVIVAL CENTER UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH 825 7th Street, Modesto, CA 95354 Business Phone: 209-522-5365
email us at thenewsvine@gmail.com google us at: the newsvine or follow us on: issuu.com/thenewsvine EDITORS Ast Editor Multimedia Business LiaisonS GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS CREATIVE TEAM
ColumnistS YOUTH REPORTER MAILINGS DISTRIBUTION
LEO AGUILERA VIRGINIA AGUILERA
Tim Warren Charlene Wilson Leo & Virginia Aguilera Leo Aguilera, Grover Hunt Gabriel Chavoya Autumn Amador, Tim Warren, Alexis Diaz, Jocelyn Powell Jim Campbell Alexis Diaz Virginia Aguilera Norbert Feliciano
Church staff PASTOR H. TODD JOHNSON BISHOP RANDY G. KEYES
ADMINISTRATIVE PASTOR - JONATHAN QUINONES STUDENT PASTOR - JOSHUA AGUILERA
PULPIT STAFF MINISTERS Dana Le Blanc Ravind Narayan Uday Narayan
church secretary resident missionaries SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR K.R.E.W. Kids director prayer ministries Choir world missionS OUTREACH director Life groups public relations apostolic man ministry B.U.F.F.(Men’s 50+) HYPHEN (Young Adults) THRIVE (Young Marrieds) spanish services Nursing Home Ministry BIBLE QUIZZING GROWTH TRACK
Jerry Powell Jonathan Quinones Jeremiah Williams Charlene Wilson Uday Narayan, Ravind Narayan, Xenn Seah Mary Aguirre Kim Johnson Charles Bispo Kellee Hopper, Matt Aguirre Jerry & Andrea Powell Leonard Alvarez Jonathan Quinones Jeremiah Williams Alex Diaz Herb Jenkins Jeriann Powell Chris & Lindsay Castro Antonio Gutierrez Joyce Jones Sujay Diaz Dana Le Blanc
ALL SERVICES PENDING DUE TO PANDEMIC SUNDAY - 9:30 A.M. 9:45 A.M. 10:30 A.M. 12:15 P>M> 2:00 A.M. 5.30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. MONDAY - 7:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY - 7:00 P.M. Thursday - 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY - 7:00 P.M. SATURDAY - 10:00 A.M.
Sunday School-Children - Tuolumne Sunday School - Adults - Sanctuary Morning Service - Sanctuary Growth Track Spanish Service Prayer in Youth Chapel REVIVAL SERVICE All-Church Prayer Mid-Week Service, K.R.E.W Spanish Service Pulse (Youth Service) Saturday Morning Outreach
THE NEWSVINE is published quarterly by the United Pentecostal Church of Modesto, Inc., 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. Postage paid at 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Newsvine, 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. Any submitted articles to The Newsvine are subject to Pastor’s approval and editing by The Newsvine staff.
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ACKNOWLEDGE THE TIMES! pandemic has swept the world with sickness and death. Racial tensions have become deadly on city streets. Politics are so toxic it has divided families and once solid friendships. Hurricanes and fires are ravaging our nation, and earthquakes continue to hit in diver places world-wide. During the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, church attendance spiked and philanthropy greatly increased. Today, church attendance is hard to monitor, and the love of many has waxed COLD! Whether, dear reader, you take the pandemic seriously or not, one thing you as an Apostolic Christian must take heed is the trauma the church body is suffering. Never in modern times have our pastors been more burdened with the unforeseen complexity of holding their congregations together. The words of Paul to Timothy warns “that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith...” These currents events can be what Jesus prophesied, “ the beginning of sorrows.” We must brace ourselves for what the Book of Revelation predicts the world is about to plunge into a darker place. The door is wide open for the rapture of His church. How can we be ready ?
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TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! Apostolic Christians need not fear the signs of the times if we are ready for our Savior’s second coming. The Lord speaks to the last generation of believers in Luke 12:40: “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” We each must work out our own salvation to keep us ready. Not being able to congregate as a whole, having to comply to health regulations, suffering job loss - all contribute to spiritual trauma which can cause stress to our bodies and make us more susceptible to illness. But we need not live with fear, for we have the blessed assurance that Jesus is with us always, “even unto the end of the world!” We instead must be diligent as the wise virgins in Jesus’ parable who kept their lamps trimmed and burning. Church structure may now be imperfect, but the body of the church does not need a building to survive. As Brother Raymond Woodward recently reminded us, the early church existed having church services in the homes of the believers. So we must be flexible and patient. DO NOT BE the tragic example to your loved ones and family members as the Christian who fell away during hard times. Therefore, let us ready ourselves DAILY with prayer, fasting, bible reading, witnessing, worship, and avoiding sin to safeguard ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually! Remember: we are not alone, Christ is with us! MARANATHA, the Lord cometh!
LEO AGUILERA, Editor
TRUE, APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANS MUST “LOVE ONE ANOTHER!” CHRIST COMMANDS IT!
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ne of the more profound and fundamental tenets of the Christian doctrine is a command the Lord left to His disciples and to us the night of the Last Supper. In John 13:34,35 (KJV) we read: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.” Three times in these two verses, the Lord commands us to love one another. Merriam-Webster says the definition of love is, “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.” No doubt this is what Christ meant for us to possess a love that springs from a kinship to all our fellow Christians, and a love in our personal ties to all our family, friends, and acquaintances. In I Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV), Paul says, “love never fails!” That means the love we have for one another as Christians and for our loved ones even outside the church should never end. There are many aspects of love we could examine, but because current events dividing our nation are placing Christians smack in the middle of challenging times, let us deal with two social elements affecting us believers in how we should display our love: racism and politics.
LOVE VERSES RACISM The Lord reinforced His commandment to love one another with a previous commandment He stated on the Sermon on the Mount, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” When a lawyer later asked Him in Luke chapter 10 what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus had him recite the Great Commandments which included, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” The lawyer then asked, “And who is my neighbor?” It is vital to take note that Jesus gave an example of love verses racism with the parable of the Good Samaritan. An outcast of Jewish society, the Samaritan, dared to show love and compassion to a robbed and beaten Jew on the road to Jericho who was not helped by a passing Jewish priest or Levite. Such a profound parable was radical for the times Jesus lived, for shunning Samaritans was encouraged by systematic racism practiced by Jewish society. The Lord asked the lawyer who
was truly the merciful neighbor and the lawyer answered it was the Samaritan. Jesus responded, “Go and do thou likewise.” We Christians need to understand that GOD IS IN COMMAND of whom He places as a neighbor around us. Whether the neighbor is next door or the stranger we meet along the road of life, Christ watches us to see if we will obey His commandment. It doesn’t matter the skin color, the status in life, the gender, or whatever that neighbor claims to be, we are commanded to love all of God’s children of the earth as ourselves. Every person is a potential soul for Christ’s kingdom. If we display our love, witnessing and sharing the gospel makes soul-winning so much easier. Just hear the testimony of any visiting missionary. That missionary is laboring in the mission field because he/she loves all humanity. It should be no less for the rest of us. The hurt and frustration we see with the protesters today, and the anger we see with those who demand law and order is not as important to Christians as our role to reconcile all factions at the altar of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, the chaos will die down and reform will come about satisfying both sides, but that is where the church becomes the haven for reconciliation and forgiveness. We have the answer that Jesus is the peacemaker, and through us He will show that “the greatest of these is LOVE!” (I Corinthians 13:13)
LOVE VERSES POLITICS The word POLITICS is actually never mentioned in the Holy Bible, but it has its roots in ancient Greece when Aristotle wrote the book ta politika (‘affairs of state’), dealing with the subject on governing and governments. Today, the word defines the current activities and procedures by individuals and parties trying to achieve authority in government. Debate and conflict are the politically active components guiding decisions made by lawmakers and heads of states, so the word politics is very multifaceted. But politics should never define us Christians. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is not the epicenter for Apostolic believers. When Christ began His ministry, he never advocated adoration for the emperor Tiberias, nor did He ever say to revere the high priest Caiphas. Both of these extreme polical rivals CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE headed the political parties that crucified our Lord. What Christ did say in Matthew 22:21 was, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Look carefully at this scripture. Jesus first asked before He answered whose image was on the coin the Pharisees were using to entrap Him. His answer was to then give of our substance and recognize and respect the authority, symbolic of the coin, to the government in charge, as Paul would reinforce in the thirteenth chapter of Romans. HOWEVER, we who hold that coin must render “unto God the things that are God’s.” This has the strong implication that the other image opposite Caesar is God, and since we are made in His image, then we ourselves owe our first and total obedience and submission to God, our heavenly Father - not to worldly affairs. Therefore, our persuasions for specific political policies and worldly affiliations should never interfere or take priority over our mission as disciples of Christ - TO PREACH AND SHARE THE GOSPEL! The only way to succeed in evangelizing effectively is our bond of love for one another. “How can he/she be a Christian and support that?” is a divisive and seditious judgment call when spoken in the church lobby that can offend a third party listening who may never darken our church door again. The church body is made up of many members along with visitors who come from all walks of life and all political persuasions. If we become convinced that our political conviction is the only way, then we are tempted to scorn and doubt our fellow church members or invite a guest whose politics disagree with ours. The enemy has now found a way to create conflict with discord and hindrance to soul outreach by church members bickering and de-
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another.” JOHN 13:35 Jesus gathers with His disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper.
PAINTING BY CARL BLOCH
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The Editors bating one another on worldly matters. The Christian caught up in politics begins to develop a gift for hating, fostered by blame and anger. Like a cancer, it can grow, devouring love and peace in our heart and soul. John strongly warns us in I John 3:15: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him..” So watch how we display love one to another. Do we avoid debating each other on our favorite candidate? Do we guard what we say politically while visitors in our church lobby are near who can listen? Do we post on Facebook words of encouragement and share scripture, or do we post condemnations to those who do not adhere to our political beliefs? Do we argue more for a candidate than we do for Jesus Christ? Remember, I Corinthians 10:31(KJV) says, “...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” There are many verses in our Holy Bible encouraging love and unity among Apostolic Christian believers. In the book of Colossians, Paul admonishes the church from a Roman prison, where the political body supporting an insane emperor named Nero placed him there before he would be beheaded. Yet Paul’s words ring true for our church today which also is experiencing exposure to political conflict: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:13-14 (NIV) So let us show the world we are Christ’s disciples by truly loving one another in peace and harmony - AMEN!
Creative Ministering During Covid-19 - Editor Virginia Aguilera
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hen Pastor Johnson announced this year's theme, Above and Beyond during Watch Night Service, we had no inkling of what awaited us in 2020. We were in the process of buying back our building and had begun streaming our Sunday services on Facebook and YouTube. We had just announced a new semester of Life Groups, and then Covid-19 hit, and our state sheltered in place. This was not what any of us had imagined as we began the new year. At first it felt like such a blow, but we marshaled on, using old and new skills to continue the work of God. We built up our media team to start streaming both our Sunday and Wednesday services. Thank you, young people, for stepping up with your tech skills, and for our musicians and singers who have had to be flexible in where and when they recorded their worship sessions. We learned how to incorporate Zoom meetings to minister to our youth, young adults, young marrieds, and adults. We took advantage of social media to share our services, to keep in touch with members, and to minister to each other and to friends and family. It hasn't been easy, nor has it been comfortable, to stretch above and beyond using new technologies and to change how we interact. However, the church has not stopped its outreach to the community. We are still witnessing. We are still baptizing. We are still praying. The pandemic has not hindered the church; it has sparked the church in new direc-
Youth Zoom Bible Study
tions. If we truly are in the last days, God wants us to accelerate and expand our efforts to reach the world. He wants us to more fully employ the tools we have before us by using the Internet and social media in ways we haven't imagined. After all, God's kingdom is not limited to what goes on inside of a church building. When Paul was thrown in jail again and again, his incarcerations forced him to communicate to the early church through letters - letters that continue to admonish and uplift the church today. We cannot be discouraged when, as Paul, we presently face trying times. God has set up the church to minister to a wider audience than ever before, just as Paul’s letters still minister to Christians worldwide and through centuries of time. Our services preserved on YouTube and Facebook are available for viewing worldwide and 24/7. We are also reaching those who, for whatever reason, are not comfortable or ready to step into the doors of our building. God has put us here at this unprecedented time to do a creative work for Him. Our hands are not tied! We are the generation of the hour. God has chosen each one of us for this season. Where is your place in this hour? What are you doing to spread the gospel and minister to others? This is our opportunity to shine in our community like never before; to be the salt God intended. Maranatha, Jesus is coming!
The Loz a to our yo das minister ung mar rieds.
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Tremendous Streamed Preaching
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evival continues at Revival Center, Modesto with anointed preaching by gifted men of God. Whether it is by prerecorded videos from afar or flying in an evangelist to preach from our pulpit in streamed services, we have been blessed, encouraged and challenged. Let’s be pumped up, primed up, and ready to go to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to our community and beyond. May their words continue to challenge us in the coming months. Jesus is coming!
Stacey Wile
“Hell Couldn’t See Your Victory” The first preacher we were honored to have during the summer months was Stacey Wile, pastor of Worship & Word in Peoria, Arizona. His message, "Hell Couldn't See Your Victory" focused on Nebuchadnezzar and the fiery furnace. A huge statue of the Babylonian king was erected, and he attempted to enforced his idolatrous worship by requiring everyone to bow before his image or be thrown into the fiery furnace when music was played. He stressed the power in unity and encouraged families to pray together for victory. "Some of you are going to walk out of the fiery furnace today," he declared.
Taylor Fairbanks
“The God of These Times” Taylor Fairbanks, who along with his wife Mehgan, pastor Vessel Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was next to minister to our church. He came at a time when churches in our county were closed again to in-person services. In his sermon, "The God of These Times," he spoke of uncertain times. "Times like these can try the faith of even the strongest believer, and it's times like these that can turn the heart of even the most stubborn of atheists." He went on to say that, "Although the times are uncertain, there's one thing we know, our God is still in control!"
Floyd Lozada
“Where Are You?” We always love to have one of our own, Floyd Lozada, pastor of West Valley United Pentecostal Church in Gustine, California, preach at our pulpit. In his sermon, "Where Are You?, he used the context of Elijah at the Brook Cherish during the time of drought. He stressed that it was important for Elijah to be at that specific place for God to speak into his life during that time of social unrest, a collapsing economy, and political chaos. "God is positioning the church," he said, "to where He can speak to us clearly." He went on to say, "We have to get away from the things that speak fear and doubt into our lives and where God can speak a clear word to us.
Jeff Morgan
“The Power of a Prison” Another favorite of our church is our former Youth Pastor, Jeff Morgan, pastor of Hope Center Church in Mountain Home, Arkansas."Nothing is by accident," he said, "nothing catches God off guard." He said that God is always ready, and He is still in charge of everything. "Jesus doesn't respond to people who just bump into him," he said. He responds to people who touch Him." Speaking of the pandemic, he said that God is getting the Spirit and the bride on the same page. "Now that God has the attention of the church, we've got to do something. God is trying to get our flesh out of the way so that the Spirit can move." 6 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
Landon Gore
“The Nail Scarred Cook” Evangelist Landon Gore from Wylie, Texas, spoke on "The Nail Scarred Cook" using John 21 as his text. His framework of his sermon was the event when the disciples fished all night and caught nothing, and then they heard a voice from the shore suggesting they cast their net on the other side of the boat. They obeyed and their nets were full. "When the word of the Lord speaks into your world", he said, "the word has the power to change everything in your life." He said God will not let us be content to go back to where and who we used to be. "God is raising up people who will be known by their dedication to God."
Sam Emory
“Desperate Times Demand a Divine Demonstration” When Sam Emory, pastor of Apostolic Tabernacle in Merced, California, came to preach, he definitely had a word for the times. He used the text Jeremiah 33:3 that said if we will call on God, He will answer. "Don't let the enemy tell you that God is not going to answer your prayer," he said. He spoke of desperate times using the story of David and the city of Ziklag. "Desperate times demand a divine demonstration," he said. He stressed not to lean on what is seen, but to trust God. He said Jesus wants to get out of the church and into the streets of our city. "We are in the prime place for revival!"
Paul Pamer
“Are You Ready to Fight?” When Paul Pamer, pastor of Apostolic Church in Barberton, Ohio, he spoke using David's live as an example as well. He described the various mighty men of David. He challenged us with the questions: "Who is ready to fight?" He described the men of Issachar who had an understanding of the times and how important they were to David. He said what is needed now are Christians who can get a hold of God during these critical times. We need to understand when it is and what to do. He used the example of the ten virgins. Five understood the times and what to do and they were ready for the bridegroom. God has given us thousands of signs of His coming. We have no excuse. We must be ready!
Raymond Woodward
“House to House” Raymond Woodward, pastor of Capital Community Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, spoke on the topic, "House to House." He described how the early church did not meet in church buildings, but met house to house. The first church building was not built until 200 years later, yet the first church grew dynamically. "Our current situation would not have stopped the early church," he said. He went on to say that not having a building has not stopped our home and foreign missionaries. He said like the early Christians, we need to pray for boldness and for God to use us during this time like the early church. "Unstoppable is the last word on the church!"
A.J. Holloway
“When the I Am Seems to Be Isn’t” A.J. Holloway, an evangelist from Weldon Spring, Missouri, focused on Moses and the process God used to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. He asked, "Who is this God who sees and cares about the suffering of his people?" He explained that the Israelites believed when they saw the signs and miracles, but they stopped believing and became despondent when confronted by Pharaoh's refusal to release them. It wasn't until the fourth plague that God spared Israel. God is not sparing the church from this pandemic because he needs the church to endure the problem to show the world how it is done. He proclaimed, "We are getting ready to have the most profound revival we've ever seen." SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 7
College Graduates
Leila Martinez
Master’s in Counselor Education (received with distinction) Pupil Personnel Credential California State University, Stanislaus Working as a middle school counselor
Kiah Williams
Bachelor’s in Business Administration Colorado Technical University Career Goal: History professor at a junior college Working on Masters in History through Southern New Hampshire University 86 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
Noah Wells
Bachelor’s in Economics University of California, Merced Career Goal: Economics Professor
Brianna Fletcher
Joshua Williams
Bachelor’s in Educational Studies Grand Canyon University Working on Masters in Special Education, Grand Canyon University Career Goal: Special Education Teacher
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Associates in Behavioral Science Modesto Junior College Career Plans: Elementary teacher, photographer Plans on attending CSU, Stanislaus to earn a Master’s in Liberal Studies
High School Graduates
Pele Zapata Carrillo
Adrian DeAnda
Santino Elardo
Ethan Hunt
Anjolene Rodela
Hailey Torres
Isaiah Serrano Williams
At a special service all high school and college graduates present were invited to the front to be honored by the congregation. Congratulations to all!
Grace Davis High School College Plans: MJC Major: Creative Writing Career Goal: Film writer/director
Thomas Downey High School College Plans: MJC Major: Political Science Career Goal: Lawyer
Grace Davis High School College Plans: Long Beach Community College Major: Business Career Goal: Business Marketing
Riverbank High School Future Plans: Work in family business
A & E Online High Schools College Plans: MJC Major: Psychology Career Goal: Family Therapist or School Counselor
Ripon High School College plans: MJC Career Goal: Firefighter
Peter Johansen High School College Plans: UC Davis Major: Biological Science Career Goal: Field of Medicine
*Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to connect with all of our graduates. We will feature additional graduates in our next issue. We are proud of our youth, and pray God will bless them in their future endeavors. SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 97
FRONT COVER REPORT
Jeremiah Williams, “Servant Leader”
Brother Jeremiah interrupts his recent Newsvine interview to baptize a hungry soul in the name of Jesus Christ. Known nationwide for his carpentry skills, and even more so for his faith in the true gospel, Brother Jeremiah Williams is an invaluable asset to our pastor. So many department heads have asked him for favors through the years, including this editor. His influence and impact on the political leaders of Modesto are widespread and well-deserving. The first time this editor ever saw Brother Williams was about 30 years ago when he was preaching on the street corner of Dale and Briggsmore in front of the mall. I was impressed by his boldness. He may not do this anymore, but he is still a fanatic for Jesus.
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hen Jeremiah came to the Lord as a young man in his late teens, he had a job, a car, and an apartment. He thought he had everything he needed until the day he was invited to Revival Center. There he had an encounter with Almighty God that changed his life. He strongly believes everyone needs God. “You don’t have to be a criminal to need God,” he says. “You can be a law-abiding citizen and be established with a job and house and still need God in your life.” Brother Jeremiah is a strong believer in reaching out to the community by being involved. “How can we say we care about people, if we don’t care about what people care about?” He feels strongly that Christians need to get involved and to do something to improve their community, to reach beyond the walls of the church, to minister as Jesus did. He stressed that no matter one’s ethnicity, there are doors open in our community for Christians to serve. “If you are not singing in the choir,” he said, “you should be active in our city doing something to improve it.” The following words were spoken at an event in January in which Jeremiah was honored with the NAACP Citizen of the Year Community Service Award. The list of his accomplishments and community activities is almost limitless, and it is obvious why Jeremiah is so appreciated and respected in our community: “Jeremiah Williams was born in San Francisco, California. He
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was raised in 13 different foster homes between the ages of 11 and 15 in Oakland, California. Since moving to Modesto in 1980, Jeremiah has become a successful family man, business owner and community servant. He has been the owner of a custom cabinet shop called, “Oak Crafts by Jeremiah” since 1986. Jeremiah is a minister with a diploma in Theology from The Texas Bible College and a degree in Theology from Purpose Institute. While serving as a Stanislaus County Equal Rights Commissioner since 2005, Jeremiah has promoted diversity and equity in the workforce. He has served on numerous boards such as Doctor’s Medical Center Foundation, the Modesto Chamber of Commerce (12 yrs), and the Modesto Downtown Association. He was one of the founding members of Stanislaus County Boys & Girls Club, as well as being the first African American Stanislaus County Fair Board member since its establishment in1911(appointed by Governor Jerry Brown). He has served on the King Kennedy Board of Directors, Latino Community Round Table, Project Sentinel Housing and more. Jeremiah is a former President of the Kiwanis Club, and serves on the Gospel Mission Board, King Kennedy Board of Directors, was Vice President of the NAACP in 2005 and the first African-American Lieutenant Governor for Kiwanis Division 46 overseeing 16 Clubs (2009-2010). He is a founding trustee of the Gallo Performing Arts Center, past logistical chair for the International Festival and Chair of our annual 4th of July Parade for the last 9 years. He most recently became an Honorary Lifelong Rotarian by the Downtown Rotary Club. These activities add culture and contribute to providing a positive community climate to Modesto. His membership and leadership on other boards, organizations and committees are too numerous to mention, but the common theme that runs through them all is that Jeremiah's is a “servant leader” of multiple causes!” Jeremiah’s favorite Bible hero is Joseph, the best example of a civic leader who saved Egypt and the lineage of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah Williams is a shining example of what the world needs more of in these troubled times. May God continue to bless this faithful steward and his family!
The office of Jeremiah Williams adorned with his many awards and commendations.
4th of July Celebration
Due to the pandemic, this year’s 4th of July parade was canceled and was replaced by a commemorative service organized by Brother Jeremiah Williams, who has chaired the city’s celebration for the last nine years. It was a small gathering due to crowd restrictions, but was covered by our local media so that it could be viewed by the community. The event was different this year, but the patriot expressions and love of country were still present. Top: the miliatry honor guards bring in the colors. Middle from left: Brother Jeremiah sings our National Anthem; Pastor Todd Johnson opens with prayer; local media films the event for community viewing. Bottom: community leaders, including our mayor Ted Brandvold (back row, third from left), gather after the event for a photo with our pastor and Brother Jeremiah.
More 4th of July photos on page 20
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An Astonishing Announcement!
“Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” - Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)
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ll of us at some time in our life will face a situation so dark, so hopeless, no overwhelming that it is only by the grace of God that we make it through. Many of us faced such a situation during the Great Recession and many of us may be facing it now. This article is from a service this summer in which Pastor Johnson recounted God’s miraculous intervention for our church. It is about how our church faced such a heart of darkness, and how God miraculously stepped into our dilemma and rescued us. We hope this testimony is an encouragement to you that He is mindful of your situation, and He is working on your behalf. Is there anything too hard for our God?
“It was a crisis probably like no other crisis in American history!”
It is a Miracle what the Lord Has Done for Our Church! We all experienced losses back in 2008 and 2009. All of the markets in the world experienced losses. It was a crisis probably like no other in American history. Financial sectors were affected. Businesses and companies that had been around for decades either went out of business or moved out of the area. It affected everything and everyone, and our church was no exception in that. Housing markets in California were the top in the nation for foreclosures as property values halved and unregulated predatory loans wrecked havoc. Our church was planning on constructing a balcony and offices and was working on refinancing our bridge loan. When it was time for the loan papers to be signed, the real estate market suddenly tanked, and our lender, concerned, changed the terms of our loan substantially. We signed, hoping we would be able to refinance on better terms, but with the severe drop in property values, this door shut tightly. We spent hours with attorneys trying to get a loan modification or a forbearance agreement. With the value of our properties cut in half, we could not even sell any of our properties to bring our balance low enough to have enough equity to secure a loan. I learned so much about real estate law during this process. Realizing it was impossible to keep up with the unfavorable terms of our existing loan and to make emergency repairs on an aging building, especially with the number of members who were financially struggling, we made the painful decision to sign our properties over to our lender. We were allowed to stay in our building on a month-to-month basis until a buyer could be secured. We prayed and we worked and we planned and we searched for a building to have church in. If you think it’s easy to find a building large enough to seat 750 people with plenty of parking, those buildings simply do not exist. Due to zoning restrictions, you can’t just put a church anywhere. We looked all over for a building, and I said, “Lord, I don’t know what we are going to do.” It was challenging to say the least. I had our church secretary calling schools and the Double Tree and anywhere we could have church. In the meantime, there were people who were interested in purchasing
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our church. They would walk through, while we would be in the middle of a staff meeting, talking about all the things they would do with our building if they purchased it. I would get angry and prayed, “Lord, this is not mine, this is yours. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness therein. Everything is God’s.” I prayed this hundreds of times.
“We were in the fight of our lives!” In those days we did not have good air conditioning. We had big, giant industrial fans. We would run that air conditioner for weeks trying to cool this building down, and we couldn’t. All you could do in church was hear this loud whirl. That wasn’t enough. It looked like a funeral home, because there was nothing but funeral fans - people fanning themselves in church feeling like they were going to die. We were in the fight of our lives. We were fighting tooth and nail for everything. We were praying, we were fasting. We were doing everything we could to survive. People in this church lost everything. My wife and I lost everything. We had to do a short sale on our house. My wife’s car was repossessed. We lost it all because we needed the money to keep the lights on in the church and avoid laying off any of the church staff. It was dark, but we felt like God would honor our sacrifice.
“I would pray, ‘Please, God, don’t let it rain during church.” We had the bucket brigade! The roof was literally falling in on us. The roof was so bad that after a big rain storm, I’d say go run down to the church and look for what ceiling tiles have fallen because we’ve got to get them fixed them before church time. I am not exaggerating. They’d say, “Pastor, there are so many buckets up there it looks like a plumber’s convention.” Because when it would rain, this whole building would flood. I would pray, “Please, God, don’t let it rain during church. Please don’t let any tiles fall on somebody’s head.” One time it was raining so bad I told Chris to go and buy the biggest tarps you can find. I don’t care what it looks like, just put tarps on the roof! In the middle of a rain storm, we nailed tarps on the roof so the ceiling tiles wouldn’t fall down on visitor’s heads on Sunday. That’s what we did to survive.
“But the Lord stood with me and the Lord strengthened me...” But we kept the faith. Some days were better than other days. I lost a ton of weight - I was worried to death. My wife lost her health. During that time, people lied about us. They went on social media and lied about us, about our church, about my family and me. They lied and they left. They left when I needed them the most. The Bible says in II Timothy 4:16 (NIV): “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.” I don’t have any animosity to-
ward anybody. Verse 17 encouraged me: “But the Lord stood with me and the Lord strengthened me....” I can say with 100% surety if it wasn’t for the Lord on our side, where would we be? I’m grateful the Lord has been on our side.
“My bank doesn’t want me to do this...but I’m going to do it for you and for that church!” I will never forget the Sunday night when I noticed an older man come in. Although I found out later that he was a leading cardiologist, he did not look like a man of means. You should not be quick to judge someone. Until you know what they’ve experienced, you shouldn’t judge them. He had multiple properties, multiple resources. That night, we had all the fans going, and the power went out, not because we didn’t pay the bill - someone hit a transformer. He left early. The next day he showed up in my office. We talked for about seven hours about family. It was clear to me that this individual was not really a believer. I told him many times during our conversations that I wanted to baptize him in Jesus’ name. Through the course of our conversations, we became friends. All along nothing was changed in our situation. Finally, one day he said, “You are my pastor!” He said, “Todd, my bank doesn’t want me to do this. My accountant doesn’t want me to do it, but I’m going to do it for you and for this church.” The Bible says in Genesis 39:23, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered...the Lord made everything he did to prosper.” And Proverbs 21:1 (NKJV), “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord...and he turns it wherever He wishes.” I believe God is able to turn someone’s heart to favor. It was a miracle moment. We sat down in the conference room and on a napkin we drew up a lease agreement with an option to purchase this building. In the old days, you could just give somebody your word. We were not in the position of strength. I said, “Here’s what we are willing to do. We will lease the building with the option to purchase it, but we don’t want our payment to increase.” He said, “OK, that’s fine.” I said, “I want something else. I want a portion of our payment to go into exercising the option.” He said OK. I said, “I want some more stuff. I want a roof.” Praise God, the ceiling tiles are no longing falling down anymore! I kept on asking, “I would really like to have a gate and fence.” He said, “OK!” We now have a gate and fence!
“We started from zero. We had no money. I say to God be the glory!” We worked together: the board, Charlene, and I. We started from zero. We had no money. Nada! No money. I was determined to get GAP approved financials for the day we could apply to buy back our building. “We may have nothing now, but the day’s going to come when we’re going to look really, really good,” I told the staff. We hired a CPA. We started getting GAP approved financials every single year. I launched the Nehemiah Project five years ago encouraging members to give $84 a month. We opened up our cafe selling coffee, pies, and cakes. With everything we did, we were able to raise $650,000. I want to say thank everyone who gave at Missions Conference, and to everyone who gave every penny to this church. You are the ones who made this all possible. I say, TO
GOD BE THE GLORY! In the middle of this - we are planning, praying, we are saving COVID-19 affects our whole world. We thought there’s not going to be anyone who is going to want to loan us any money. We were meeting with banks. They said no, we are not going to do it. We are not going to take a risk because of what is happening in the world right now. But we kept praying, we kept trusting God. The Lord will make a way! And He did!
Lessons learned I learned some lessons along the way. If you obey the Lord your God, He will send a raven. God will send you the thing you need when you need it. I realized God is my source, and people are not my source. God is your source. Your job is not your source. God is your source, and God will make sure His people and His church are taken care of. God is our source! The third principle I learned is from Proverbs 11:25. “The generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT).
“We got the loan! We bought this building back with $1.3 million of equity! Through prayer, fasting, and sacrifice, we got the loan - WE GOT THE LOAN! We got the loan with a local bank we have been with for more than 30 years. We got out of the lease early which saved this church tens of thousands of dollars. We reduced our monthly debt by 50-60%. We can give more to missions, to church planners, we can focus on our church remodel. Because of all of the improvements we have made in the last 5 years: new offices, new conference room, new parking lot, new air conditioner, new gate, new youth chapel, new kitchen, new platform, new baptistery area, new cafe, new media booth, we bought this building back with $1.3 million of equity! It was an incredible miracle what God did for us. We are now faced with a battle in our state against Covid-19, and the Governor has ordered churches closed in counties which are experiencing a high level of infections. Churches across the state are wrestling with whether to stay online or to defy the state mandate and open again to in-person services, acting on their First Amendment right of freedom of religion. This is definitely a time to pray for wisdom for our pastors and for God’s protection of the health of all of our members. We are praying for an end soon to the pandemic so all of us can have the liberty to worship and fellowship together again.
Pastor Johnson joyfully shows the church the loan papers which give us ownership of our building again. To God be the glory for what He has done!
SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 13
TESTIMONY OF FAITH
FROM LOST TO FOUND!
The Testimony of Julie Chavoya - PART ONE (Editor’s Note: In the previous installments in the past two Newsvines, we focused on Gabriel Chavoya’s testimony of God’s miraculous deliverance from his involvement with street gangs in the Bay Area, and how he experienced a spectacular conversion into the Apostolic faith. Now we will focus on the testimony of his wife Julie and her deliverance from a worldly upbringing and what it took to pull her out of the darkness of a sinner’s life into the glorious light of salvation. At times Julie is frank in her telling of the faults and sins she, as a nonbeliever, had to endure, but her conversion into Truth is a testimony for the glory of our merciful Lord Jesus Christ. Read and be inspired!)
“The following is my testimony. It deals with the time I lived in sin before all was put under the blood when I found salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. You will find it is a life of mental and verbal abuse with sad choices I made falling into relationships that many readers might identify within similar situations. I am so glad I allowed our Lord to finally take control when I surrendered to His calling into a life of blessedness.” - JULIE CHAVOYA, September 9, 2020
to be a nun. Maria’s parents could not imagine not having grandchildren, so they immigrated to California and built a life in Fremont. Maria’s parents did not really favor the idea of their only daughter marrying Richerd, an American man who was not Catholic but a Presbyterian. Both 19, Maria and Richerd met and were married. If her grandparents had their choice, Julie’s mom would have married a Portuguese. Julie’s grandfather was a very hard working, frugal man who paid cash for everything. He was very good at saving money, had quite a good stash in the bank at all times, and often bailed Julie’s parents out of their financial problems. Her grandparents’ plans were to now go back to Portugal and come to visit a couple of times a year. Maria and
UNSETTLED BEGINNINGS
J
ulie Chavoya was born in Fremont, California in 1977 and grew up in the Hayward/Fremont area. Her parents, Maria and Richerd (no spelling error), sold their home in Hayward, and the family moved to Fremont the summer before Julie’s 8th grade year and her younger sister Neaomy’s 6th grade year. Maria’s parents also sold their home in Fremont and the profits of both homes were put towards the purchase of a four bedroom, three bath home with a swimming pool, as Maria’s parents, devout Catholics, had plans to move back to the homeland of Castel Blanco to retire in Fiãl, Azores, Portugal. They had moved to America when Maria was eight years old because she had dreams to be a nurse, but in the Azores, to be a nurse in those days meant 14 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
Maria and Richerd pose with their young daughters, Julie and Neaomy. Julie is seated on the right.
Richerd and their children attended a Presbyterian Church in Fremont. However, they eventually would only go twice a year for Christmas and Easter. “We were not at all religious like my grandparents who went to Mass faithfully,” said Julie.
Neaomy’s room. She opened her door and caught her sister sneaking out her bedroom window. Julie remember telling her sister, “You could just go out the front door. Mom and dad are fast asleep.” It was not uncommon for the girls to invite friends over or leave the house without any actual supervision. “We pretBEING POPULAR COMES WITH DRAMA ty much could come and go as we pleased,” said Julie. The only person who would put a damper on their plans was Now in Fremont, Julie and her sister immediately joined their grandma when she would visit from Portugal where Fremont’s football program as cheerleaders for the city she and her husband had now retired in the Azores Islands. league. This experience helped her make the cheerleading squad in high school, where she cheered all four years. In high school, Julie’s mom became the president of the Fremont Football League and by Julie’s sophomore year, Julie began coaching a team of cheerleaders ages 10-12. This continued long after Maria was no longer involved. Julie sadly says her parents had their marital issues. Yelling and cussing at each other became the norm, then retreating to their own seclusions--no longer sleeping in the same room. Maria mentioned to Richerd that they should seek counseling, but that never materialized. The most bizarre news hit the family when Julie was 15 years old: her mom announced that she was pregnant. “My initial response was, ‘How is that even possible?’” Her parents had taken a weekend getaway approximately a month prior to try and work out some of their problems. “My mom Julie with her high school cheerleading squad. She is in the said, ‘I didn’t even know I could get pregnant anymore.’” second row, second from the left. Knowing that her parents were only 20 years older than she was, Julie responded, “Mom, you are only 35, what would “When our grandparents would visit, grandma wouldn’t let make you think that?” Nevertheless, Julie’s baby sister was us have our doors closed. If a boy was over, she was worse,” born September 22, 1992. A new baby sister brought mixed said Julie. Her grandmother got up every morning at 5:00 feelings to their family. While Julie and Neaomy were want- to clean house and came in every morning as they slept to ing to be excited, they did not see their parents show much collect laundry (and no doubt check that they were alone). joy or become any closer during their mom’s pregnancy. “I remember,” said Julie,“ when my sister walked out of the After Ericka was born, Maria and Richerd seemed to try to house one afternoon to go to a friend’s house, my grandma work things out together, but within a couple of months, followed her the entire way. I also remember every time Richerd was back to sleeping on the couch. “I often awoke I would come home from school, she was always waiting in the middle of the night hearing my sister cry for a bot- looking out the front living room window. When we left, tle as mom’s room was close to mine, so I would get up to she had her face in the window watching us. She seemed to feed Ericka a bottle and rock her back to sleep,” recalls Julie. be the only person, as annoying as it was at the time, who Both of her parents worked, and although it was never of- actually worried about us.” ficially assigned, getting up to feed her sister became Julie’s Then, when Julie was 17 years old, the summer before her job. senior year, her parents’ fighting had come to a head. MaStarting her junior year in high school, Julie began cosme- ria told Richerd that he needed to move out by Julie’s 18th tology school through the ROP program. She then would birthday in January. pick up Ericka from daycare and bring her home. Despite Neaomy and Maria were now also having problems bethe issues at home, coaching cheerleading kept Julie moti- cause at age 15, Neaomy was expecting. “All I can comprevated. Meanwhile, Neaomy was determined not to follow hend from the incident,” said Julie, “was that the doctors in her big sister’s footsteps and instead would often sneak told Neaomy and Mom an ultrasound detected it was a out at night to party with friends. One time, Julie got up tubal pregnancy and the pregnancy had to be terminated.” to check on Ericka and heard muffled noise coming from In hindsight, the pregnancy was bound to happen; howSUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 15
the mortgage payments. Maria’s timing could not have been worse as this was during the worst possible housing market, and she eventually was foreclosed on the home. “Just to give perspective,” said Julie, “my parents paid only $325,000 for that home which today is valued over $1,000,000!” LAUNCHING OUT!
Here is Julie at age 20. In her teen years, she and her sister modeled for local advertisements.
ever, after that, Julie’s mom and sister would get into some serious fights. One fight got physical when Maria slapped Neaomy and she fought back. “When she ripped my mother’s gold crucifix from her neck,” remembers Julie, “Mom screamed at her, demanding that she must also move out with our dad!” “I wished that I could stay seventeen forever,” said Julie. “I remember dreading the thought of my birthday at a time that I should have looked forward to becoming an adult. The gravity of what was to take place on that fateful day was all I thought of.” For months, her thoughts were completely bent on getting her cosmetology license and moving out. Turning 18 also meant paying her mother rent if she chose to live at home. So, getting her own place seemed like the best idea. Considering the circumstances, probably because she was older than her sisters, Julie did achieve a pretty good amount of success. She began driving at sixteen, and she eventually earned her cosmetology license in the high school ROP training. She graduated from high school ready to make a name for herself. She worked as a hairstylist in Fremont and decided it was best she stayed at home, helping her mom with Ericka and paying rent for a little over a year. During this time, Maria had divorced Richerd, had put the house up for sale and had moved in her new boyfriend Eddie and toddler son Angel into the home to help her with
16 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
Now her mother, Eddie, Ericka and his son Angel, both babies age three at the time, moved to a three bedroom rental home in the Fairway Park neighborhood in Hayward. Julie moved with them, but within six months, shortly after Ericka turned four, she moved out to her first apartment in downtown Hayward with a boyfriend, her high school sweetheart she had been dating for awhile. Julie and her boyfriend were invited to raves, a party with live music, dancing, drinking, and open use of recreational drugs. Julie says this began a phase in her life where partying was the center of their pastime on weekends. They often went with friends to a warehouse in Oakland for these all-night parties. “We would take an ecstasy pill (a synthetic amphetamine used illicitly for its mood-enhancing and hallucinogenic effects) at about 10 pm,” she said, “and would be awake for a good twelve hours until late morning.” This became something they did every weekend. Then at nineteen, she became pregnant while using birth control. Julie admits that even though she was in the world with hardly any Christian upbringing, she still agonized about terminating the pregnancy. She and her boyfriend were not financially prepared to raise a child, but what she was about to do would haunt her for the rest of her days she had an abortion. How quickly she tried to forget her regrets by continuing to party and getting high. Julie’s last time going to a rave was when she took a pill that did not give her the same high as before. This pill made her completely paranoid. “I was at the rave,” she said, “huddled in a corner, and I remember everyone’s face as they walked by me. Their faces all looked white and pale, and their eyes were sunken in and black. Horrific! It seemed they all were staring right at me as they passed by.” After about an hour, her boyfriend finally found her curled up in a fetal position in a corner and told her the pill did not work. Julie asked him how that was possible? She told him she was scared and wanted to go home. She told him that something was wrong with the pills they had bought from a dealer. He reminded her that they took Tylenol before they took the ecstasy pill for headaches. His friends told him that the Tylenol probably caused the ecstasy not to have the same effect. Thankfully, because he was totally sober, he took Julie home. That was the last time they ever went to a rave. “With the knowledge I have today,” said Julie, “I feel
like God allowed me to see their true demonic nature.” They continued in their relationship, but instead of pills, her boyfriend turned to smoking pot and putting on some serious weight. He also had a hard time now holding a job. At age 21, Julie became pregnant - again while taking birth control. This time she became excited to keep the baby, but, at nine weeks, she miscarried. She became despondent and depressed. Was this divine retribution? She then found out shortly afterwards that her boyfriend was cheating on her with several women. She also was finding him increasingly unattractive to her along with his lifestyle, so after five years together, she left him, relieved that she had no child to tie her down to him. She paid the rent for the month and moved out. NOT THIS TIME! Julie then rented a room from her mother’s cousin who owned a home in Dublin. By this time, instead of working as a hairstylist, she was a computer salesperson at Fry’s Electronics in Sunnyvale, thankful she was earning a consistent income. She made good money--over $1,000 a week in commissions--since she was one of only two female sales people. The majority of the customers were men who were beginning start up companies and needed several computers at a time. This was where she met her son’s father. Julie was now twenty-two years old and commuted daily from Dublin to Sunnyvale. She also returned to coaching cheerleaders for Fremont Football. She held practices three days a week and attended Saturday games. She felt comfortable living a settled adult life. Julie eventually moved to a studio apartment in San Jose to be closer to her new boyfriend. He preferred living at home with his father. Then it happened again - she stopped coaching at age twenty-six when she discovered she was pregnant while on birth control. “I was in shock,” said Julie. “How could this happen to me again?” So for the first time in her life, she read the pamphlet that came with her birth control pills. She learned that taking antibiotics caused the pills not to work. Since she had recently recovered from an ear infection, an issue she has struggled with most of her life, Julie realized she had taken Amoxicillin all the times she had conceived. By this time, Julie had been in a long-term relationship with her son’s father for over four years. “I figured when I told him the news,” she said, “he would be happy. Maybe he would want to marry me.” However, when Julie told him, the opposite occurred. He accused her of getting pregnant on purpose, saying she probably flushed the pills down the toilet so that she could get pregnant to tie him down. Then he offered to take Julie to Paris if she would get an abortion. He was eight years older than Julie, and she was thoroughly
confused by his words. She told him there was no way possible that she would get an abortion - NOT THIS TIME! She was not going to put herself through that ordeal ever again. She told him that Paris would still be there two to three years from now, and they could easily get a babysitter for that trip. She told him that it would be selfish of her now that she had her own place and making good money, so she decided she was going to keep the baby. “I begged him to accept that he was going to be a father,” said Julie. “But he only said I needed to make a choice. So I chose to keep my baby.” Julie was now back to working as a stylist, managing a salon in Dublin. Weeks went by without them speaking, and then one day an apology card with flowers arrived at work, inviting her to dinner. She now thought her boyfriend had time to think this through, so he would propose to her, or at the very least, move in with her. She accepted the invitation and arrived at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square in Oakland. However, the evening was an utter disappointment. Simply put, he told her they had problems in their relationship, and he still would prefer she did not have the baby. Then he said if she did have the baby, they would first need to work through some issues. Julie became incensed for she never saw the issues he pointed out before this night, and felt totally betrayed. “I realized that I was on my own,” she said. “I have no idea why I didn’t just walk out of that restaurant and drive home. I was basically given a contingency, and being naive and hopeful that I could create a real family, I stayed in a relationship what was clearly going to be a rough road ahead.” Now that she was back to working as a hairstylist, she soon learned that working for herself posed a new challenge when it would come time to take off work to have the baby. After months of living in her studio apartment in San Jose and commuting back to Dublin to work in the salon, Julie and her boyfriend saw each other for simple dates. Usually he came over to her place for dinner and then went home.
Julie having fun with her son Pele during a snow outing.
SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 17
“I walked on eggshells,” she said, “and tried my best to appease him.” About two months before her due date, she had a serious talk with him focusing on her need to take time off to have the baby. She could not get unemployment insurance, and she would not be able to afford her rent. She needed financial help until she could return to work. He refused to move in and help her. Instead, he spoke to his father, and they agreed to let Julie move in with the two of them and rent a room. So she moved from her apartment into his father’s home. Her son, Pelé, named after the Brazilian soccer player, was born on September 30, 2002. A DIVINE PULL BEGINS After two years unhappily living with her boyfriend and his father with no sign whatsoever that he would marry her, Julie told him she wanted to move back to Fremont. By this time her mother and Eddie had married and were attending a Pentecostal church of the Apostolic faith in Union City. She didn’t quite understand what kind of church that was, but it did have a daycare and school. She had visited their Sunday services a few times. She was also impressed with the noticeable conversion of her mother. Maria was living with obvious standards: no more hair dye, no cutting her hair, always wearing dresses and skirts! It was simply amazing seeing such a change in her mom. Moving back there would provide Julie with support from her mom. Maria also had told her there was a hairdresser position open at the Masonic Home in Union City where she worked even to this day as a director of nurses. The Masonic Home is a 5-star retirement facility. The tall building sits atop the hills overlooking the East Bay and was built for Masons and their wives. It is equipped with indoor apartments, staffed with nurses, a hair salon, convenience store and ice cream shop. While it was not the most glamorous hair job, leaving her regular clients to work on retired elderly clients had advantages - early hours and weekends off! She gave her boyfriend an ultimatum. She told him she was getting an apartment in Fremont, and if he wanted to marry her, then he could move in with her. If not, he could continue to live with his dad. “I was actually shocked when he said he would like to marry me and move in with me,” she said. By this time, they had already been together for six years. They got a two bedroom apartment in Fremont, minutes away from where her mom and Eddie lived. Eddie was now a minister in the church and held weekly Bible studies in their home. At first, when she visited the church, she found it very morbid that all the women wore 18 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
black veils. As it was, she was seeking a place of happiness and joy away from her own despair and darkness. “I hadn’t laughed in years,” she said. “I was completely numb and it didn’t feel right to go to this church.” However, she was pleased enough with the daycare, and enrolled her son there. It was very convenient since she would drive down the hill from her work during her lunch hour to have snack time with her son at the daycare. She also began attending Bible studies at her mom’s house. She enjoyed the fellowship and learning about God’s word. Other members would invite her to Friday night or Saturday morning prayer and Sunday church services, but she sincerely thought that it was a very boring way to spend her weekend. Little by little, Julie realized she was trapped in an unfulfilled relationship. “I remember taking an entire day to think about presenting my boyfriend with a list of possible wedding dates,” she said. “I must have rehearsed what I would say hundreds of times; only to finally present him with my list and watch him rip it up into shreds.” She began drinking. Soon she was drinking a bottle of wine every night. But during her bouts of depression, something was making her respond to her mother’s invitations to come to the church for Bible studies and Sunday services. Even so, Julie sat in the very back pews. She remembers thinking these people were faking it when they spoke in tongues. And yet she watched the altar calls intrigued with this Holy Ghost phenomena. A few months later, she developed a strong conviction to get baptized. “When I told the bishop I wanted to be baptized,” she said, “he told me it would not make sense to wash me of my sins on Sunday so that I could turn around and sin again on Monday.” He urged her to either leave her son’s father or get married because right now she was living in sin. As that seemed to be an impossible task, she committed herself to attending church and Bible studies regularly but forgo the baptism. She knew the Holy Spirit was working on her. She even began giving tithes and offerings. “But I was not prepared to walk away, from Pele’s father” she admits. “I wanted to see if our relationship could work towards marriage for the sake of our son.” She continued this lifestyle for over a year when, one day at a Sunday service, Julie noticed there was a young man that Sister Elizabeth Chavoya had brought to church. “As I watched this man, with a good-sized belly and full beard get baptized,” she remembered, “I wondered, where did she dig this guy up from?” She would notice him again the following Sunday, and God in His mercy would completely turn her life upside down! - TO BE CONTINUED -
Revival Continues!
Pastor Todd Johnson “The God of What’s Left”
Family Baptism
Revival continues even during a pandemic! Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones was privileged to baptize Alicia and her family in September. Alicia was invited by Kayla, and her family decided to join her in being baptized in Jesus' name. Soul winning continues!
A Revelation
Brother Quinones also baptized a young woman named Destiney. She had never visited our church before but, while reading her bible, realized she needed to be baptized in Jesus' name. The Word of God still speaks to the heart.
Revival Center Ensemble
“I’m Dancing out of My Grave Clothes!” Thank you, Music Ministry, for your devotion.
Come, Be Baptized!
Church Online!
Whether you watch on your laptop or desktop computer or even on your phone, Revival Center is there!
Are you ready to obey Acts 2:38 and be baptized in the saving name of Jesus Christ? We are ready with water, a Thankful for your Faithfulness! robe, and a mask. All we need We are thankful to our dedicated and very gift- is you! ed singers and musicians who use their talents to lead us into worship each week.
Thank You, Media Team!
Amazing Media Team! We are grateful for our dedicated media team who handle lighting, sound, and streaming to Facebook and YouTube. Your skills are amazing and appreciated!
SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 • 19
A Word of Wisdom By Carol Castillo
Pen and ink drawings start with a blank page. The artist skillfully adds dark lines and shading; these areas of contrast define forms and bring the blank page to life.
God uses dark places and shadows to define our lives and bring form to our character. Dark times do not mean God is absent. He is still there, working quietly in the dark, the Master Artist, skillfully rendering his vision on the canvas of our life, knowing it takes darkness to show forth His glorious light.
More of Modesto's
4th of July Celebration
Patriotic Pride Pictured above, the military honor guard marches in with the colors at the beginning of the city's 4th of July ceremony at Modesto's 10th Street Place. Pictured at top right is Pastor Johnson with Mayor Ted Brandvold. At lower right is Sister Nancy Williams with the mayor's wife, Jeri. We are so proud of Brother Jeremiah Williams' committment to our community. 20 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
