2022 Spring Issue of The Newsvine

THE NEWSVINE “Every page an altar to His works!”

SPRING 2022 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 ASST EDITOR MULTIMEDIA BUSINESS LIAISON CHURCH LIAISON GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS CREATIVE TEAM COLUMNISTS YOUTH REPORTER MAILINGS DISTRIBUTION

LEO AGUILERA VIRGINIA AGUILERA

Tim Warren Charlene Wilson Lindsay Castro Leo & Virginia Aguilera Leo Aguilera, Gabriel Chavoya & Creative Team Tim Warren, Joshua Aguilera, Autumn Amador, Alexis Diaz, Jocelyn Powell Carol Castillo Alexis Diaz Virginia Aguilera Norbert Feliciano

CHURCH STAFF PASTOR H. TODD JOHNSON BISHOP RANDY G. KEYES

ADMINISTRATIVE PASTOR - JONATHAN QUINONES YOUTH PASTOR - JOSHUA AGUILERA

PULPIT STAFF MINISTERS Dana Le’Blanc Uday Narayan CHURCH SECRETARY RESIDENT MISSIONARIES K.R.E.W. KID’S MINISTRY PRAYER MINISTRIES MUSIC MINISTRY WORLD MISSIONS LIGHTING, GRAPHIC ARTS WORLD MISSIONS LIFE GROUPS PUBLIC RELATIONS APOSTOLIC MAN MINISTRY B.U.F.F.(MEN 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, Xenn Seah Sujay Diaz, Mary Aguirre Charles & Joyce Bispo Kellee Hopper, Matt Aguirre Nancy Holston, Tim Montes Jerry & Andrea Powell MaKayla Johnson Jerry & Andrea Powell Jonathan Quinones Jeremiah Williams Alex Diaz Herb Jenkins Chris & Lindsay Castro Ethan & Suzanne DeMoss Antonio Gutierrez Joyce Jones Sujay & Alex Diaz Dana Le’ Blanc

A Word from the Editors

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t the beginning of the new year, the Holy Ghost spoke to our church through tongues and interpretation saying a strange change was approaching worldwide, but the church would triumph. After two years of a deadly pandemic that killed over 6 million people globally, we were finally hoping and praying that we had reached the end.

But just when it seemed that the world was going back to normal, a new trauma came onto the world stage—the war in Ukraine. We are now praying for its citizens as they struggle to maintain their democracy and religious freedom.

As we put aside our masks and deal with the emotional trauma we have experienced, we look to the future with hope. As Pastor Johnson said in his first Sunday sermon of the year, it’s time to reset. Time to reset our focus on evangelism. Time to reset our focus on our own purpose within His kingdom.

In this time of continued uncertainty, we need to ask ourselves, how does God want us to respond? How does He want us to minister to a hurting world? What opportunities is He placing before us? It’s time to put our hands to the plow, not looking back to what once was, but ahead to the fields spread before us—taking the truth into new avenues of global communication with the press of a button, streaming our services around the world and employing social media to reach those outside the walls of the church. The world is hungry for a Savior.

Let us be the connecting bridge that helps them reset their lives in Jesus Christ—the hope of the world.

SERVICE TIMES

SUNDAY - 9:00 a.m.

10:15 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

12:30 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.

Spanish/English Service - Sanctuary Pre-service Prayer Morning Service - Sanctuary, KREW Growth Track - Youth Chapel All-Church Prayer Mid-Week Service, KREW Spanish Service Revive Yth (Youth Service) Saturday Morning Outreach

THE NEWSVINE is published quarterly by Revival Center, United Pentecostal Church of Modesto, Inc., 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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Editors Leo and Virginia Aguilera

THE CHRISTIAN STUDENT’S RIGHTS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL

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t is absolutely imperative that Apostolic Christian parents know the legal rights of their child to attend a public school and profess his/her faith in prayer, witnessing, and even being taught the Holy Bible in the public classroom. Much to the astonishment of fundamentalist Christians, prayer, witnessing, and religious instruction IS ALLOWED AND LEGAL in public schools in all 50 states and U.S. territories! If your child is proud to be an Apostolic Christian and bold to profess his/her faith, your child has many avenues to do just that every day attending a public school.

Yes, it is a historical fact that the majority of American public schools since the 1800s into the first half of the 20th century did have a time of prayer and reading from the King James Protestant Bible at the commencement of classroom instruction, with no opt out for non-Christian students. All that changed when Catholics, Jews, and “the most hated woman in America”—Madalyn Murray O’Hair—did successfully sue and eliminate these all-student required religious practices in the 1960s. However, the right to pray in school, have bible studies, and take The Bible as Literature class has not been infringed or taken away from any Christian student attending a public school today. Knowing your child’s religious rights and the use of wisdom will enable any Apostolic Christian student to be a dynamic witness of their faith.

PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDIES Any American student is allowed to pray or have a bible study on campus in an organized, chartered school club because of the Equal Access Act. If your child wants to establish a bible or prayer club with other Apostolic Christians, he/she only needs to apply for a club charter, and it will not be denied as long as the club does not “materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities within the school.”

The school is legally required to allow the bible/prayer club to have equal access to all facilities “such as classrooms, copy machines, intercoms, club fairs, bulletin boards, school newspapers, yearbook pictures or any other benefit provided to a secular club.” Your child can apply for the club charter through the student council or principal. The club must be initiated by the student and not the parent. Bible studies and prayers meetings can meet during non-instructional time like during lunch and after school. “Prayer around the flagpole” before the school day is a popular practice with Christian clubs across our nation. A “moment of silence” is also a common practice in school districts for many occasions. This can be a time for prayer and contemplation for your child.

BIBLE AS LITERATURE YES! The bible can be taught in a public school and is required in most districts as a unit in Senior AP and College Preparato-

ry English. When I taught this unit to my seniors, I told them (and their parents at Open House) the following: “The three cornerstones of Western literature are Shakespeare, Greek and Roman mythology, and the Holy Bible. It doesn’t matter if you are non-Christian, atheist or agnostic, you need to have a basic knowledge and understanding of these three branches of knowledge, or you will not survive college classes in English Literature and the humanities.” I never had a complaint from any student or parent. The guideline for public school teachers is simple: “teach it, but don’t preach it!” I then proceeded to teach my students the most popular bible passages used in poetry and a brief synopsis of popular bible stories that were a MUST to know. The senior textbook I used had the “Prodigal Son” and the “Good Samaritan” as samples for in depth study.

Modesto City Schools along with many school districts across our nation require students to take World Religions. Christianity and other world faiths are taught with awareness as the aim of the doctrine and history of these religions.

PERSECUTION The vast majority of public school teachers do not want to be called into the front office to face an angry parent and inconvenienced principal. Evolution and tolerance of sinful lifestyles are taught by most teachers with the acknowledgment they exist, and then they will move on to teach the rest of the lesson. Occasionally, one teacher may dwell on endorsing a sinful lifestyle, but he/she risks your complaint and the reprove of his/her site supervisor. Surprisingly, fifty percent of teachers and more so with school administrators are conservative.

If you feel your child’s Christian values are being challenged or persecuted, or if any fellow student is persecuting by bullying or mocking your child’s faith, you have the power of redress through filing a grievance to be heard first by the teacher, then the principal, and finally the school board, or ultimately taking legal action against the school district. These officials do not want such charges of harassment ever to come to court or garner publicity. Our son Joshua (now youth pastor of our church) carried his bible to class everyday throughout his high school years. He attended the high school where I taught, and he was not persecuted but rather complimented for his boldness. We also had an active bible club on campus where Joshua was allowed to share his faith.

Therefore, parents, have your child do the homework. Find out what it takes to get prayer and bible studies established as common practice at your child’s public school. You may be surprised how other churches have beat you to it. So get in there and encourage your child to be a witness for the gospel of Jesus Christ. The public school is a vast harvest field ready for your child to glean!

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First Sunday Service of the Year “I believe the people of God are going to see things, and do things, and experience things in 2022 that we have never seen and experienced in all of our lives.” - Pastor Johnson

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tarting out a new year is always a time for reflection and new consecrations at Revival Center.

The congregation gathered on the first Sunday of the year to worship, hear Pastor’s vision for the year, and to partake in communion. Pastor Johnson preached on this year’s theme: “RESET!” “As we look forward, we must look backward as well,” he said. “True examination starts with ourselves.” He spoke of the importance of respecting the preaching of God’s word and the house of God. At the conclusion of the sermon, Pastor Johnson led the church in the Lord’s Supper after Bishop Keyes prayed the blessing. It was a glorious beginning for 2022!

(Top photo) Our pastor is anointed as he preaches. (Middle row from left): Ensemble worships, Pastor Johnson preaches “Reset,” Bishop Keyes reflects while holding a communion cup. Bottom row from left: Pastor Johnson leads the congregation in communion; the Flores family prays; Bishop and Sharon Keyes celebrate the start of the new year.

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Pastor Floyd Lozada “Resilient Faith”

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Just Have Faith!

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n January we were blessed by the preaching of Pastor Floyd Lozada of West Valley Revival Center in Gustine, California. Using Habakkuk as his text, he spoke on “Resilient Faith.” He asked how can saints of God be faithful in these times?

How can we combat the spirit of fear? His answer was to have faith in God. He stated that the darker the times, the stronger our faith needs to be. “It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It doesn’t matter what it feels like. It doesn’t matter how difficult it may be,” he said. “God is still in control!”

He gave several examples from the Bible of individuals who faced great adversity and seemingly

overwhelming odds, but they had confidence in the fact that God was still in control. “We find that the greater dilemmas in our life,”he said, “often create the greatest breakthroughs.” Pastor Lozada ended as he began with Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT): “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”

Pictured above: Pastor Lozada makes the altar call. Above from left: church members dance and worship God; Keenan and Hilda Rochester run, claiming victory.

God is still in charge!

God is still in control!!

God is still on the throne!

God is still able to do what His word promises.

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 7

Bible Quizzers Bring Home Trophies

CONGRATULATIONS to our Beginners Bible quizzing team of Naomi Salazar and Logan DaQuino who earned first place in the Southwest Region Extravaganza held in Bakerfield, California in March. By winning, they qualified to compete in Nationals to be held in Branson, Missouri, this July. They had previously won the Western District Beginners Winter Open in Stock-

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ton, California, where Naomi also was top scorer.

Congratulations, Naomi and Logan! Thank you to all of our coaches and parents who work so hard to support our quizzers. Pictured clockwise from the top: Naomi and Logan stand with their trophies; Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones honors them; thrilled head coaches Sujey and Alex Diaz pose with Naomi and Logan and their trophies.

Revive Yth Takes Over Worship!

REVIVE YTH’S worship team and musicians being used in so many ways including in our mublessed the church on a Wednesday night in January. After Youth Pastor Joshua Aguilera announced that Revive Yth was going to lead worship that night, they ministered to the congregation with passion and talent. One could only imagine this ensemble of dedicated young people leading the congregation in worship as part of the adult worship team. In fact, several of them are already singing on service nights. We are so proud of the youth of Revival Center. They are

sic ministry, multimedia department, and as greeters. As Pastor Johnson says, it is important for the church to make room for their gifts, to give them opportunities to be involved. They are the generation that will be carrying forward the gospel and ministering to our community. Lord, we pray a covering over them all. Use them, establish them, protect them, put a love in their hearts for the truth and for the harvest!

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 9

Pastor Elias Limones

“The Best of Times & the Worst of Times”

“The only hope for survival is a revival church!”

“If you don’t get a check up from the neck up, You’ll be guilty of stinkin’ thinkin’!”

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he doctor made a house call recently at Revival Center. Elias Limones, senior pastor of The Pentecostals of the Bay Area, had just the right prescription for these times for the church.

Using Pharaoh’s dreams of the ugly, skinny cows and the attractive, plump cows in Genesis 41, he preached a compelling message of not letting trouble and fears overcome God’s blessings in one’s life. “We are living in the best of times and the worst of times - at the same time, but for the church of God, this is the best of times!,” he declared. What is the solution? We must humble ourselves before the Lord and seek His face. “We need some Holy Ghost baptized brains so we can

think right. If we think right, we will act right.”

He encouraged the congregation not to let our minds become overwhelmed by the ugly, skinny cows which can be life’s difficulties. For peace of mind, we need to follow Philippians 4:8,9 (KJV) “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Pictured above: Pastor Limones, Bishop Keyes, and Pastor Johnson pray and encourage those praying during the altar. Thank God for those who were filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus’ name!

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Joshua Williams

January’s Volunteer

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oshua Williams was chosen as January’s Volunteer of the Month. Many years ago while Joshua was working at El Pollo Loco, Pastor Johnson invited him to church. Joshua took him up on the invitation, came to church, received the gift of the Holy Ghost, was baptized in Jesus’ name, and, since then, has been a faithful, 12 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

of the

Month

involved member of our church. Joshua now has a wife and daughter and has recently earned a master’s degree in education. “He’s down here early. He stays late,” said Pastor Johnson. “He never complains. He’s locking up and turning off lights. He is Revival Center’s most valuable volunteer.”

Hyphen Events

Hyphen Winter Retreat

Western District Hyphen Conference

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Hyphen Brunch & the Word with Adrian Hood

f you are between the ages of 18-30, graduated from high school and single, Hyphen is for you.

All year long there are a variety of activities from holiday parties, sports-related fun (such as flag football and skiing), Bible studies, district events, and more. For additional information, see Hyphen Directors, Chris and Lindsay Castro. Don’t miss out!

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Evangelist Adrian Hood

“The Miracle Is Only Asleep”

“You’ve got to get the doubt out so the faith can come in.”

- Adrian Hood

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“Don’t let your situation look bigger than God.” - Adrian Hood

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n February, Evangelist Adrian Hood, son of Pastor Dannie Hood of Denver, CO) preached at our pulpit for the first time. His words inspired the congregation as he rehearsed several powerful stories of faith from the Bible. One such story was when the enemy surrounded the house of Elisha.

His servant was terrified when he saw the large number of soldiers with horses and chariots. Elisha told him not to worry as those with them were more than those against them, and then Elisha prayed that his servants eyes would be opened.

When the servant looked up, there was a vast heavenly host surrounding the enemy forces.

Brother Hood exclaimed that some people are so focused on their situation, they miss what God is doing. He said, “You’ve got to lift up your eyes, you’ve got to put your gaze on God. You’ve got to pray the prayer of faith. When you pray the prayer of faith, it moves God to action.” Encouraged by this young preacher’s words, many came to the altar with hands raised and faith stirred. We look forward to Brother Hood ministering at our church again. If you are in need of encouragement, check out his sermon (February 6, 2022) on our YouTube or Facebook accounts.

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THRIVE Hosts

A Masquerade Murder Mystery Party THRIVE

, our life group for young marrieds led by Ethan and Suzanne DeMoss, Jeriann and Tim Montes, John and Mariela Walls, and Anthony and Jessica D’Aquino, had an unusual Valentine’s Day gathering—a masquerade murder mystery party! Couples came in formal attire, drank glasses of sparkling apple cider, dined on light refreshments, and tried to detect the identity of the elusive murderer. What a creative and fun event! Thank you to our amazing THRIVE team. We can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeves for the next THRIVE event!

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Happy Birthday to our beautiful first lady, Sister Kim Johnson!

Sister Johnson is pictured with her daughters, MaKayla Johnson (left) and Mehgan Fairbanks.

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“We are standing on the cusp of the results we’ve so desperately longed for, revival we so desperately hungered for, spiritual depths we have cried out to God for.”

“It’s time to stand up. It’s time to get up, to make up your mind and believe God is going to move, and I’ll praise Him in the waiting. I’ll worship Him in the waiting. I’ll give Him glory even while I wait. I WILL NOT SIT DOWN!” “This is our hour, this is our time to stand!”

“I believe therefore I WILL STAND.”

“I will not let what others decide to do affect what I do in my relationship with God.”

“Our posture to God is so critical, how we approach God, what we do in times that nothing is happening. It’s so critical. Many times it determines what we ultimately will receive from God.” James Wilson and his wife Karly work the altar.

“When you stand, the enemy begins to bow.”

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J

am

es &

K ar ly W ils

o

n

“So what God wants out of most of us is simply a change in our posture, in our expectation, that’s when things begin to change.”

Evangelist James Wilson

“You May Not Be Seated”

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e knew he could sing, but HE CAN PREACH! What a tremendous service we had with guest speaker James Wilson in February. With his sermon “You May Not Be Seated,” he exhorted us to not to comfortably sit and be complacent, but to change our posture, to stand in expectation. When we do so, it moves God to action, and He helps us to keep standing, despite the attacks of the enemy. At the conclusion, the altar was filled and seven were baptized in the life-changing name of Jesus Christ! Hurry back, Brother and Sister Wilson.

Clockwise from top left: The Johnsons pose after a baptism; Jeremiah Williams baptizes a new convert; Sister Johnson explains the significance of baptism to a young girl before she is baptized.

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Ashley Valencia

February’s Volunteer

of the

Month

Sister Valencia is pictured with Sister Kim Johnson at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner held in March.

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shley Valencia was recognized in February as our Volunteer of the Month. She and her husband, Arnold and two children, Anthony and Kali actively volunteer at Revival Center. Accoring to Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones, “Ashley serves faithfully as a host for our Serve Team and teaches both in our toddler class and KREW children’s ministries. She is always volunteering to help the church with any projects ranging from special events to work nights.” Thank you, Ashley, for your willingness to serve your church. You and your family are a blessing!

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Thank you to all of our volunteers!

DONNIE WILSON DAVID AMADOR AMBER AMADOR AUTUMN AMADOR CHRIS CASTRO FELICIA CARAVEO ZOE WARREN ANGELA WARREN DANIEL WARREN ASHLEY QUINONES JERIANN MONTES BROOKE MONTES SISTER NARAYAN UDAY NARAYAN SISTER NARAYAN ALEX DIAZ SUJEY DIAZ ALEXIS DIAZ NATALIE DIAZ JOSHUA WILLIAMS KIAH WILLIAMS NICOLE EVANS JOYCE JONES LINDA QUIGLEY JOCELYN POWELL TIM POWELL JERRY POWELL ANDREA POWELL ETHAN DEMOSS SUZANNE DEMOSS JEREMIAH WILLIAMS NANCY WILLIAMS DANA LEBLANC JOSHUA AGUILERA JEANNETTE AGUILERA LEO AGUILERA VIRGINIA AGUILERA MATT AGUIRRE JACQUELINE AGUIRRE DEVINA AGUIRRE CJ AGUIRRE ADRIANNE CHAVEZ DANNY GREGORY CRYSTAL GREGORY ASHLYNN GREGORY AVERIE GREGORY SHANE HUNT REBEKAH HUNT ETHAN HUNT

LAUREN HUNT MICHAEL BUBECK CRYSTAL BUBECK ETHAN BUBECK ARNOLD VALENCIA ASHLEY VALENCIA ANTHONY SON KALI DAUGHTER JAMES SANCHEZ NICK GIFFEN ANGELICA ARAUJO JOHN PINA JENNIFER CAMERON JOHN WALLS, JR MARIELA WALLS ANTHONY DAQUINO JESSICA DAQUINO ANTONIO GUTIERREZ GLORIA GUTIERREZ MOSES BURCIAGA NAYELI BURCIAGA JAIRO RAMOS GABBY RAMOS ELEANOR LIRA GRACE DELGADILLO GREG DELGADILLO HILDA ROCHESTER KEENAN ROCHESTER NOAH ROCHESTER MANUEL SUAREZ AYLSSA SUAREZ THOMAS BARKER CHRISTY BARKER VINNEY ZAPIEN CINDY ZAPIEN RUBEN DOMINGUEZ YOLANDA DOMINGUEZ ABBY DOMINGUEZ LINDA SALAZAR JULIAN SALAZAR PRANESH NARAYAN AARON NARAYAN JON HARRIS BRIANNA HARRIS CHRIS HARRIS SISTER HARRIS AARON AMADOR ESTHER AMADOR MARK FLETCHER

MARY LOU FLETCHER BRANDON FLETCHER BARB SEAH XENN SEAH MARY AGUIRRE ANDRE MAZON JASMINE MAZON NANCI HOLSTON KELLEE HOPPER JON CAMPBELL DEISY CAMPBELL OSCAR HERNANDEZ ANNA HERNANDEZ CASSIE HERNANDEZ JAVI CERVANTES STEPHANIE GUTIERREZ NORBERT FELICIANO MIKE SHOFFITT WILLIAM PAUL CAROLYN PAUL RYAN PAUL MARIA BARNETT MIKEY BARNETT JACOB BORJA JOHN RODRIGUEZ AMY RODRIGUEZ GIANNA RODRIGUEZ LANCE RODRIGUEZ NOAH WELLS ALYSSA MORAN CAROL CASTILLO CHLOE ESPINOZA JOJO RODELA ELISA FLORES CHALIE BISPO JOYCE BISPO HERB JENKINS DWANDA SCOTT DONNA WHORTON CATHY WINCHESTER JOHNNY YBARRA SUSAN YBARRA JESUS MANANGAT LEAH MANANGAT GRACE ROSHAN NAOMI SINGH GREGORY WOODS DARLENE WOODS JOE ORTEGA

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Celebratory Dinner for our RC Volunteers

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Revival Center Thanks You!

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Sister Gabi Reyes

Speaks on Mental Health “Nothing diminishes anxiety or fear or doubt faster than action.”

“No amount of guilt can solve the past and no amount of anxiety can change the future.”

“What things are preventing me from moving forward and living the life that God wants for me?”

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fter more than two years of a worldwide pandemic, the world now faces another crisis — a war in the Ukraine. In an age of nuclear weapons, nerves are on edge, wondering how far this conflict will go. We don’t know the future, but we know Who to turn to in times of trouble, the Peace Speaker!

In March, we were fortunate to have Sister Gabi Reyes, a licensed Family and Marriage Counselor from San Jose, California. She spoke on how spiritual and mental health go hand in hand. She used the incident from the Bible of the demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs, who in his misery cut himself with stones. She warned against the danger of isolating oneself during times of stress, risking mental or even physical harm to oneself. She cautioned against becoming comfortable in one’s suffering and not doing something to escape. She stressed the importance of training our emotions. “We do have control over our thoughts...we chose what we do with our emotions. She said Christ came to deliver us, to show us we CAN have an abundant life! We need to identify the things that are preventing us from moving forward and living the life that God wants us to have.” Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) - “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

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Wisdom Begins With a Word

by Carol Castillo

Have you ever had performance anxiety?

enly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Even if you’ve never set foot on a stage or suited up for competitive sports, performance anxiety is an “equal opportunity” issue, common to us all.

You might have performance anxiety if you: • Compare yourself to others and fear you don’t measure up.

• Fear being judged based on your performance.

• Feel shame and humiliation over past failures.

• Feel stressed, hurried, and overwhelmed in your daily life, and like you just can’t succeed no matter how hard you try.

These feelings and fears can seep into our walk with God. High-performing people often take scriptures about perfection to heart which only adds to their internal pressure.

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heav-

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4) It’s easy to misunderstand these verses and view God as an authoritarian taskmaster who demands a 100% score on life and anything less is failure. Fears that God is judging critically lead some to make sincere but fruitless efforts to reach perfection. After all, if we’re perfect, nothing bad will ever happen, God and everyone else will be pleased, and unpleasant situations will be avoided.

Breathe. The Bible has good news.

God is not after your perfect performance.

He’s after relationship. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (I John 3:1) He doesn’t want your own goodness. He wants you to depend on His. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9)

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Heritage Service

Heritage choir blesses the congregation with old-time hymns and worship songs.

From left: Paul Winter (“When We All Get to Heaven”), Roy Hunt & Tim Powell (“Power in the Blood”), and Kennan Rochester (“I Know it Was the Blood.”)

From left: Sandra Hunt & Sheelah Williams (“Soon and Very Soon”), Jeremiah Williams (“Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus”), Nicole Evans (“Something ‘Bout the Holy Ghost”), and Jeriann Montes (“More Than Wonderful”)

From left: Pauline Cameron (“Old Rugged Cross”) Rebekah Hunt (“Holy Ground”), Amy Rodriguez (“What a Lovely Name”), and Eric Winchester (instrumental soloist) 26 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

The Hursts, Danelle Silveira, and Brother Eades bring down the house with good old gospel singing!

WHAT A TIME WE HAD during the special Heritage Service directed by our RC music team of Tim Montes, Nanci Holston, and Kellee Hopper. Hands were clapping and feet stomping while our Heritage Choir sang such old time favorites as “When We All Get to Heaven”and “I Know It Was the Blood.” A special treat—or should I say the icing on the cake—was having Nathan Hurst, senior pastor of The Pentecostal Church in Hollister; his wife, Ronda; their daughter, Danelle, who is the pastor’s wife of The Pentecostal Church; and Robert Eades, pastor of Savoy United Pentecostal Church. Pastor Eades used to minister in song with the Hursts many years ago

and when he heard they would be participating in a heritage service, he flew all the way from Texas.

Wow! What a blessing to hear them sing!

In addition to the soloists pictured on the previous page, also singing in the heritage choir was: Andrea Powell, Donna Wharton, John Rodriguez, Linda Quigley, Joyce Jones, Virginia Aguilera, and Kay Hall. Thank you to our talented musicians: Tim Montes, Danny Gregory, Shane Hunt, Nancy Holston, and Eric Winchester and to all of our multi-media team members. Thank you, Pastor and Sister Johnson, for supporting a night focusing on our seniors and their much-loved music.

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Pastor Sam Emory “Face to Face”

“The favor of God will open doors that no one can shut.”

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hat a treat to have Brother Sam Emory, senior pastor of Apostolic Tabernacle in Merced, California, back with us at Revival Center. His sermon focused on having a face-to-face relationship with God. He said, “Favor is in the face. In this kind of relationship, God sees you, hears you, and speaks to you.

He stressed the importance of staying in sync with God’s direction in your life. He compared it to the Israelites following the cloud in the wilderness. “I am not going anywhere without {God},” he said. Connecting to God in the altar with your whole heart is important. “God is not interested in half-hearted seekers,” he said.

Pictured from the top: Pastor Emory makes the altar call; Sister Emory with their granddaughter, Braniya; Pastor Emory preaching; Jeriann Powell; Matt Aguirre; Brother Emory with Jeremiah Williams; and the altar filled with hungry hearts, desiring that face-to-face relationship with their Savior Jesus Christ.

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Life Groups Kick Off

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t Revival Center our mission is to LOVE God, SERVE people, and EMPOWER believers.

With this in mind, our Life Group ministry was established several years ago led by Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones. They are a great avenue for both new and established members to connect to our church community. Most of our Life Groups meet in the home of a group member or at a local business and take place either weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Our groups are interest-based, ranging from sports-related such as tennis, basketball, and bicycling; age specific such as B.U.F.F (men 50+) and THRIVE

(young marrieds); game-based such as our chess and board games groups; Bible studies; and much more! Why sign up for a Life Group?

The answer can be found in the Word of God: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV). Life Groups are scheduled for a semester of three months, with a total of four semesters a year which gives you the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of interests. If you have questions about Life Groups, please contact Pastor Quinones.

FAMILY & FELLOWSHIP

Bible Study

Youth Bible Studies 30 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

SPORTS

GAMES

OUTREACH

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 31

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Pastor Johnson Travels to Spain

ith a city of 212,000 of which 43% is Hispanic and 26% is Spanish-speaking, Pastor Johnson has felt an overwhelming burden to reach Modesto’s demographics in a greater measure. In addition to our all-Spanish services led by Pastor Antonio Gutierrez, a Sunday bi-lingual service was added in 2021 with a variety of English- and Spanish-speakers preaching with interpreters. Pastor Johnson, desiring to be able to communicate directly with this segment of our church, enrolled in a high-intensity language program in Barcelona, Spain. He has spent hours in the classroom each day learning Spanish and, with the support of Nathan Harrod, missionary to Spain, has had the opportunity

to minister using his new language skills. He was able to visit some of the home groups with Missionary Harrod which meet Monday through Saturday. They have 62 home groups in Barcelona, working toward a goal of 100. Pastor Johnson was also able to preach, with Brother Harrod interpreting, at The Pentecostales of Barcelona. There was a mighty move of the Holy Ghost and, praise God, three people were baptized in Jesus’ name during that service! “It’s been a tremendous opportunity to see firsthand the work that Nathan and Tonya Harrod are doing in Spain,” says Pastor Johnson. Below are some pictures from his time in Barcelona, Spain.

Pastor Todd Johnson ministers with Missionary Nathan Harrod, at the first Sunday service of a new daughter church in the city of Badalona, Spain.

Pastor Johnson and Elias Limones, senior pastor of The Pentecostals of the Bay Area, minister to some of the local UPCI pastors in Barcelona.

Pastor Johnson preaches while Missionary Nathan Harrod interprets at a church service in Barcelona. Brother Harrod posted the following on Twitter: “Powerful services this morning in Barcelona. Thankful for the dynamic ministry of Todd Johnson in each service. Thankful to Revival Center for sharing their Pastor this month.”

32 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

BUFF Men Fellowship

In March, BUFF, our Life Group for men 50 and above met at Jeremiah William’s house. BUFF, led by Herb Jenkins, meets monthly for a time of fellowship, food, and the Word. We appreciate our elders who anchor our church through faithfulness and service.

Mature Ladies Luncheon

In March, our life group for Mature Ladies (50 and above), led by Joyce Jones, met for a luncheon at the Red Lobster. What a wonderful time of connecting with these faithful and prayerful women of God! SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 33

Children’s Ministries JAM

JAM

, Jesus And Me, is for toddlers, two to four years of age and takes place during church services. Teachers are: Ashley Valencia, Cindy Zapien, Maria Zapien, Natalie Burciaga, and Mariela Walls.

KREW

, Kids Radically Experiencing Worship, is a class designed for children ages 5-11 which takes place during church services. Teachers present the gospel at the children’s level and provide special activities for our KREW kids during the year. It takes a dedicated team of teachers and helpers. “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’

34 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

KREW

Jeannie Lozada and Gracie Delgadillo are two of the many teachers who assist Director Sujey Diaz.

Revive Wednesdays Junior High

Anjolene Rodela and Cloe Espinoza teach our junior high class.

High School

Moses Burciaga teaches our high schoolers.

D

uring Wednesday night services, we have break-out classes for our junior and senior high school students. The junior high class is taught

by Anjolene Rodela and Cloe Espinoza and the high school class by Moses Burciaga. This is in addition to Revive Yth’s Monday night prayer and Friday night youth services. This gives students the opportunity to study the Bible as it relates to their age groups. Pastor Johnson and Youth Pastor Joshua Aguilera have a deep burden to establish our youth in the Word, prayer, and service.

Revive Schedule: Monday Night Prayer - 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Class - 7:00 p.m.

Friday Night Youth Service - 7:00 p.m.

Questions? Contact Youth Pastor Josh Aguilera or his wife Jeannette Aguilera.

Joshua and Jeannette Aguilera

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 35

Experienced Quizzers Excel

C

ongratulations of our experienced Bible quizzing team of Alexis and Natalie Diaz! They competed in March at the Western Bible Quiz Extravaganza at the Palace of Praise in Aloha, Oregon. We are so proud of them for placing 4th in this very competitive event. They individually also did quite well with Natalie earning the 3rd highest score and Alexis, the 5th highest. Alexis and Natalie are the daughters of our Bible quizzing directors, Sujey and Alex Diaz. Well done, quizzers! (Pictured above) Proud coaches Thomas and Kristy Barker stand behind these bright young ladies, recently honored at the church, holding their hard-earned trophies.

36 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

Jocelyn Powell

March’s Volunteer

of the

Month

J

ocelyn Powell was recognized as the RC March Volunteer of the Month by Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones. She is one of the more than 125 active volunteers that make our services happen said Pastor Quinones. “Jocelyn does so - so much,” he said, “from social media, to the cafe, through helping at the office during the week. She is awesome!” Revival Center thanks you, Jocelyn, for your willingness to serve.

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 37

Pastor Nelson Rivera

“Jesus Will Go There” “Jesus will go where no one is willing to go.”

38 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

I

n March, we were blessed by the anointed preaching of Nelson Rivera, senior pastor of Upper Room Church in Imperial Beach, California. Using the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers, he masterfully retold this very familiar event. He spoke of the isolation thrust upon lepers, separated from friends and family upon the declaration of their uncleanness. He compared this dreaded skin disease to those suffering from the shame and despair of sin. “We get so beat up,” he said, “that we start believing the lies.” He stressed that just as Jesus was not repelled by the disease of the lepers but rather drawn to their need, Jesus feels the same toward us saying, “Jesus will go where no one is willing to go. He knows the extent of your pain.” He went on to say, “If you have a need, Jesus will have mercy on you.” He related how the ten lepers after they were told to show themselves to the priests, only one leper came back to thank Jesus for his healing. “I can’t get so caught up in the blessing that I forget about the blesser,” he said. He stressed the importance of praising God before the blessing, but he said, “Real worship is, if it doesn’t come to pass, I’ll still worship Him.” When Brother Rivera concluded his message, the altars were filled as you can see from these pictures. What a sermon!

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 39

TESTIMONY OF FAITH

FROM THE MIRE TO THE MIRACULOUS!

A Compelling Story of Three Sisters Text by Editor Leo Aguilera

Sisters Jackie Walls, Rosie Estrada, & Josie Barraza

- PART ONE (Editor’s Note: A decade ago we ran the testimonies of the Hurtado sisters. Their dynamic and sometimes harrowing stories are an inspiration of our Savior’s mighty delivering power.

We do an encore presentation of their narratives which will be told in four parts. Read again and be prepared to be fully engaged!)

SWEAT AND TEARS

Omajestic mountains, fertile valleys, and

nce California was a part of Mexico--its

spectacular coastlines were envied by king40 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

doms and nations. But it was the Americans who came, hungry for land and gold, who challenged the Mexicans, fought a war, and won the land over 170 years ago. Americans no longer had to squat on the arable land, but now they could own it, farm it, and leave it to their children. In the great Central Valley of the state and the other fertile valleys of Santa Clara, Salinas, and San Fernando, the early twentieth century found those children selling their farms, and these small farms were disappearing to the businessmen who formed large corporate farms. Farming in California became a huge industry, and they needed pickers to harvest the crops. Once again the Mexicans came back to the land, but this time everything was different.

To say that Mexicans faced rough living conditions in the fields is to recognize the demands the farming industry expected of its laborers. The work was usually hot, miserable, and physically exhausting. The crops changed for the picker--from fruit trees to the stoop crops, depending on the season. But it was the stoop crops, sweet potatoes, artichokes, lettuce, cauliflower, that made the picker crawl between the rows, stay on his knees for hours at a time, and bend his back

to pull the sack of cotton. The laborers’ wives and daughters were not spared these discomforts, yet all were paid the same starvation wage for each full basket or sack that might be enough to feed one’s family if each family member worked sixteen hours a day.

It was in this culture of labor and poverty that Julio and Joaquina Hurtado started a family. They were migrant workers and newly-weds, she from Texas, he from California, who started picking the harvests in the Imperial Valley of Southern California in the late forties. They soon discovered that to make the most money was to follow the crops’ harvests from one end of the state to the other.

For that reason, Rosie was born in San Jose, Josie was born in Ventura, and Jackie was born in Santa Clara, not to mention their other siblings who were born in different locales.

The earliest memories of the three sisters were the fields. Their parents needed everyone working. Rosie recalls working with her oldest siblings as young as nine. She remembers the heat, the sweat, and the long hours picking everything from grapes in Fresno, strawberries in Salinas, potatoes and carrots in Watsonville, to string beans in Santa Monica. California was different back then.

There was less concrete and more open farmlands between the cities and towns. That is how Rosie remembers seeing the state in the late fifties and early sixties.

She recalls when Josie was born, their mother had to place the newborn under the shade after a good feeding, so she could sleep while their mother picked. But it wasn’t long before other women laborers came to Joaquina and told her of a crying Josie. The young mother had been threatened by her husband to keep picking the vegetables, but she refused and returned to a bawling Josie, covered with insects, begging to be picked up. Someone had to stay home and take care of the young ones, like Jackie, who was the baby of the family of Julio and Joaquina.

Turns were taken, but Julio needed everyone

picking. Those baskets and sacks had to be filled, weighed, and valued by the quantity to get the few dollars that began to add up by sunset. Josie and Rosie remember at the age of eight and nine, their mother applied lipstick and makeup to their young faces to make them look older, so the foreman of the field would not hesitate to hire them on the spot for the next field to be picked.

SHELTERS WITH NO MERCY The labor camps were at best shacks of one room for entire families to find shelter, or sometimes, the back of barns would have to do. There were only camping stoves to cook the beans and rice, and heat up the tortillas that were the staples of the migrant families from Mexican roots. Hung blankets served as room dividers, and the outhouse was shared by several families in the row of shacks found on any large corporate farm. With no air conditioning and limited floor heaters, the Hurtados were at the mercy of the weather, which fortunately in California was tolerable year round.

School attendance was another story.

Only until the harvest was picked, were the Hurtado children then enrolled in the school of the town they found themselves in late October. Rosie can hardly remember how many schools she and her older siblings attended.

She doesn’t recall when she began to read and write. The sisters remember the harvests were the priority of the family. School attenSPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 41

dance was sketchy, at best.

The winter months were the cruelest.

Most of the fields across the state had been picked. Whatever money their mother had managed to save was for the food they would need until the spring. The girls recall that with the misery of poverty came shame. Teachers soon began to take notice of the Hurtado children. They were the ones without warm clothing to guard against the cold wind and rain. Their shoes were mended to cover up the holes in the soles, heals and toes. After walking to school in a cold downpour, the school secretary would let the Hurtado girls warm up in the office, letting their clothes dry out, before sending them to their classrooms.

AN ABUSER WITH VICES Back at home, it was not just the poverty that gripped the family with the curse of bitterness. Julio was a ladies’ man, a gambler, and a hard drinker. He was also very jealous of his young wife. It was incomprehensible to the girls seeing their hard-earned money during a hot summer week wasted in one single night at the local beer joint, in the poker room in the back--with a few dollars left over to feed the family until the next pickings. Joaquina had to endure his vices, and then his beatings, if he was so inclined.

The girls remember how beautiful both their parents were to their own fault - he to attract 42 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

the women, she to attract his jealous rage in violent outbursts. And the beatings were not just directed at their young mother. The sisters painfully recall the kick from his heavy boots, and, after a while, they feared to be alone with him. They loved their mother unconditionally, and sadly, many times she took the hits that he intended for them.

One time Julio was out all night, and Joaquina had just put the children to sleep on some packing crates in their shack. She then saw a large lizard head under one crate, and she pulled it out, discovering instead that she was holding onto a large snake. Her screams brought a neighbor in who killed the snake.

Upon his return home the next morning, Joaquina told Julio about the neighbor doing the family a favor the night before. Suddenly, Julio began to savagely beat his wife in front of the children - no explanation given.

Another time, Josie recalls hugging a puppy in the back seat during a drive. She became aware that her father was watching her in the rear-view mirror. He then stopped the car and began hitting her with a shoe. Again, no explanation was given. His abuse of the family would go on through Rosie’s and Josie’s teens.

Julio was a con man and used his good looks to get that special attention to make a

God to whom they could pray. They saw their father make the sign of the cross many times, but it was their mother they remember seeing praying for them and for their safety. But all the sisters admit that there was no personal relationship developed or fostered between them and Jesus Christ. It was a void they did not recognize at the time.

A TURNING POINT OF ABSOLUTE TERROR deal on the side, even jeopardizing the security of his family. The sisters reminisce how he used them in several “coyote” schemes at the border between Mexico and the U.S. The illegal aliens were placed under a tarp in their van. Then they and their siblings were seated on top of the tarp, or stretched out, feigning sleep, while Joaquina was passed through customs. Yes, it was their mother who had to drive the immigrants over the border, for Julio refused to do the pick up of the immigrants in Mexico. He would be waiting for them on the U.S. side, where he would collect the money and then make the drop-offs of the immigrants in the various towns of their destinations. Finally, someone told the authorities about Julios’s criminal scheming, but it was Joaquina who was arrested at the border, the children placed in temporary foster homes, and the weeks it took to get Joaquina out of jail and the children out of foster homes before Julio finally stopped this criminal activity.

Despite the dysfunctional parenting of Julio, he seemed to be a devout Catholic.

The most compelling memory of their childhood was taking a trip to Mexico City. There, Julio made his children watch him crawl on the hard stones of the plaza in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the penance of his sins. Despite the pain and torn knees, the sisters saw him make it into the large church. But it was Joaquina who instilled into them the belief that there was a

Most of the time, the Hurtados stayed in the Los Angeles area. They lived in the projects, and finally a home was bought by their parents in the unincorporated town of City Terrace in East Los Angeles. It was here where the sisters in their early adolescence began sneaking around and drinking any alcoholic beverages they could obtain.

They would hide or fool their father when he followed them seeing what they were up to.

Josie admits that she may have already been an alcoholic in junior high.

The Hurtado marriage was finally reaching a crisis when Rosie and Josie reached their mid-teens. Too many fights, increasing violence in the home, and their father running into the streets, taking a large knife and threatening suicide, took a toll on the sisters.

Then the trauma reached a climax.

Josie was sleeping uneasily after her parents had an unruly argument about close relatives.

The sound of a gun going off awakened her and her siblings. Josie ran to the living room, finding her father lying on the floor next to the stereo. He had been hastily covered with a sheet. Her mother was standing near the body holding a .22 long rifle, her eyes glazed, and she was muttering incomprehensible words in Spanish. Rosie came running into the room so fast that she slammed into the wall knocking herself down to the floor.

Their brother, seeing the horrific scene, began leaping into the air again and again, toSPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 43

tally in shock. He tried to grab the rifle from his mother, trying to damage and disable it, but Joaquina would not let it go. The children flung the sheet away from the body and found their father drenched in blood. Jackie, only ten-years-old, grabbed towels from the bathroom and ran back to her father, pressing them to his head, trying to stop the flow of blood. Suddenly, their father staggered to his feet and holding his balance against the wall, made his way to the couch where he collapsed, still gasping for breath. Josie heard her mother say to her children, “What do I do? I need to free you from him!” That’s when Josie noticed the green foam coming out of her mother’s mouth, as she quickly walked to the couch, aimed at his head and pulled the trigger one last time.

The screams awakened the entire neighborhood, and the police were there within minutes. The daughters immediately tried to take the blame for the shooting. They loved their mother, and they wanted to protect her.

A red-haired cop was surprisingly sympathetic, even to their mother, and quickly surmised what had happened. Their mother was taken away in a catatonic state, and the six children were immediately sent to the home of maternal relatives.

AN UNBELIEVABLE PARDON Joaquina was placed in the psychiatric ward of the county jail. Three days later, it came to her what she had done. She screamed, and then begged that she be allowed to go to the funeral. She was not permitted. For nine months she went through intense psychoanalysis in prison. Some of the motives that made her pull that trigger twice began to be revealed to her therapists. She knew her husband was not only terrorizing her children but why her daughters feared to be left alone with him. Several times her psychiatrists broke their pencils in disbelief, and two even exclaimed, “What took you 44 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

so long?” Nine months later, the judge determined on the advice of the state psychologists and supportive character references letters that years of mental, physical, and verbal abuse had caused Joaquina to suffer temporary insanity. It was an incredible miracle for that time that she was released from incarceration to be reunited with her children. The sisters admit they were left psychologically scarred for many years, but at the same time felt RELIEF that the toxic marriage was over.

Now identified as a single-parent family, the Hurtado children would find themselves no longer bound to the fields or their father. Rosie, Josie, and Jackie could sense everything was going to be different. They were young, attractive, and determined to start enjoying life. But they were each heading toward a divine intervention that would light a different path for each sister—like nothing they could ever have imagined!

To be continued in the 2022 Summer issue of The Newsvine to be released the first week of July on issuu.com.

“But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. help He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.”

Psalm 18:6 (NLT).

MINISTRY FOCUS Reach Modesto

W

ith a city of over 200,000 people, Reach Modesto, our outreach team, has a lot of doors available on which to knock! Each Saturday morning, they go out with a smile and an invitation to Revival Center, whether it be for our English- or Spanish-speaking services—or both. This ministry is made up of Moses and Naeyli Burciaga and their children (son pictured above), Antonio and Gloria Gutierrez, and Tommy and Sylvia George. May God greatly use these faithful saints and bless their efforts with a mighty anointing and the gift of discernment. Send them, Lord, to those with hungry hearts as You promised that “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NKJV). If you would like to join this ministry, please contact the Burciagas.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8 (NKJV) SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 45

(The following was a recording of Pastor Sergey Tomev shown by Raymond Woodward during a recent missions conference at The Pentecostals of Bossier on February 27 and streamed on Facebook.)

Dear Brothers and Sisters and the friends of Ukraine, On behalf of the churches and all of the people of Ukraine, I want to thank you for praying. We can feel your prayers.

We can feel the angels of God, the peace of God on us.

I believe this is an historic moment for our country. Our country’s fighting for our freedom. Our country’s fighting against the evil spirits that are trying to get here. I want to say thank you for your prayers. Thank you for the support.

Thank you for everything you are doing.

This is not over for our country, and it is not over for Pastor Sergey Tomev and his family revival and the church in Ukraine. It’s just the beginning of what God is going to do, and the mighty victory that we are going to see in this land. Continue to pray for us.

Continue to support us. I’m asking all of you this moment to pray and to intercede for our nation. These few days are critical. We need to stand strong. And if we stand these few days, we’ll see a huge, huge victory.

Also, I want to ask you to be ready to support our country financially. When this thing is over, our country will need all the resources and everything to rebuild our homes, to rebuild our churches, just to rebuild everything the enemy has destroyed. And I’m asking you to be ready to do that.

Also I want to speak to all of you that have taken for granted churches, times of worship, times when we can get together as a church body to worship God. When you have this opportunity, lay aside everything you have and go to your churches, and worship God in the freedom you have. Worship God when you can do it. Don’t take for granted the freedoms you have. And don’t take for granted that you are part of a church, a mighty church of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support. We love you.

46 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

Youth Convention is a 3 day, 3 night event with numerous opportunities to connect with God and his people and we are believing God will do great things.

Registration opened March 8. For more information and to register go to: https://wdyouth.org/events/ youth-convention/ Registration | Location COST $40 Pre-Registration $45 Normal Registration $25 Per Service LOCATION Visalia Convention Center 303 E Acequia Ave Visalia, CA 93291 After event registration opens Tuesday, March 15th.

-RollerTowne Thursday Night of YC $15 per person. 11pm-1am

Y o u t h

e v e n t s

-Bowlero $25 per person Thursday night of YC 11pm-1am Includes Unlimited soda, juice, and water set in pitchers at the lanes 1 slice of pizza per guest $7 arcade card -Hyphen Night Friday $15 per person.

-Adventure Park – Friday night $25, includes Food, Drinks and Activities

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 47

Wisdom Begins With a Word

by Carol Castillo Continued from Page 25

He’s not interested in your flawlessness. He just wants your heart. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” (Matt. 15:8)

The only way to know God intimately is to spend quality time in His presence.

“Many will say to Me in that day [of judgment], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

(Matt. 7 22-23)

Remember that He loves you with an everlasting love which isn’t diminished by your failures. So adore Him, worship Him, and confess the real you to Him so that He can provide His strength, offer you His power, cleanse you and make you whole.

First, we must give Him genuine “FaceTime” through consistent and continual prayer.

Our prayers must be honest communication.

A spectacular performance isn’t what sets us Often performance anxiety sufferers hide apart. Jesus has already achieved that on our the painful, shameful parts, afraid that if God behalf when He took our sins at Calvary. Inknows who they really are inside, He will turn stead, He’s hungry for something far deeper. away in disgust and disappointment.

Jesus isn’t talking about intellectual knowledge; He’s talking about relational knowledge. It’s one thing to know about someone, it’s another to know someone personally, deeply, intimately. That’s why the Old Testament refers to sexual intimacy as “knowing” your spouse.

God desires us to know Him. 48 SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 •

The other primary way to know Him is daily study of His Word. Look deep into His Face and discern His Will; reflect on what He is saying; let Him guide your steps through scripture. His Word abides forever; God magnifies it even above His name!

Performance anxiety diminishes as we get to know Jesus and learn that His loving heart can be trusted with our most vulnerable parts.

“I AM.” (Not “I do.”)

Most of us identify who we are based what we do and the roles we play.

“I’m a teacher, electrician, doctor,” we say.

“I’m a mom, a boss, a brother.”

never diminishes. He will still know us when we’re weary, wounded, broke and broken, in a coma, unconscious, dying. Identifying with Him alone will anchor us through every wind of change and upheaval in a steadfast way that nothing else will.

We cannot depend upon our own perfection Sometimes we identify with an illness or prob- to get us into heaven. Unlike school, living for lem, “I’m diabetic, divorced, an ex-con.”

God isn’t graded on an A-F scale. Trials can’t be studied for in advance, and we have no All these things, while important, are transient idea when the next test will come or what will and circumstantial. None of them survive be on it. death. The only things we take with us into the next life are our soul and the relationship Salvation isn’t an outward performance, it’s we established with Jesus. an inside job.

Even God primarily identifies Himself by who He was, is and will always be. In Exodus God revealed His name for the first time to Moses.

“I AM WHO I AM.” (Ex. 3:14) With this name He affirmed Himself as infinite, sovereign, self-sustaining, and self-sufficient.

Our love for God graduates to a higher level when we understand that we don’t love God based on what He can do for us. We love Him because of who He is, because of His intrinsic goodness and love that are the essence of His holy being.

We too are “beings”, not “doings;” our soul is the essence of ourselves and is valued

by God as worth more than the whole world.

“What good will be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

(Mark 16:26) Peace increases when we invite Jesus into every area of life and build our identity primarily on Him. Times will come in everyone’s life where the ability to perform is diminished by tragedy, mental or physical disability, old age, or difficult circumstances. The value of intimately knowing Jesus and Him knowing us,

Do you know God? Does God know you?

Everything else is details.

“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near”.

- Isaiah 55:6

SPRING NEWSVINE 2022 • 49

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Farias