FALL-
newsvine Published Since 1989
Fall/Winter 2015 Aiming for Awareness! International Magazine of REVIVAL CENTER UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
See additional photos and coverage, as well as past issues, at issuu.com/thenewsvine
A Word from the Editors
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asting, prayer, and witnessing became the key factors this past summer in preparing us for a great season of revival with Evangelist Joshua Herring. This is what Pastor Johnson calls lifestyle evangelism where he has en825 7th Street, Modesto, CA 95354 Business Phone: 209-522-5365 couraged us to be focused on and led by the Spirit daily, personally evangelizing our neighbors, friends, family, email us at thenewsvine@gmail.com fellow workers, and anyone else with whom we have conor follow us on issuu.com/thenewsvine tact. As a result, we have just completed one of the most EDITOR LEO AGUILERA successful fall seasons yet. Many souls have been bapASSOCIATE EDITOR Virginia Aguilera tized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost. Our Assist. Ed. Multi-media Joshua Aguilera altars have been inundated with hungry souls right up to Business LiaisonS Charlene Wilson GRAPHIC DESIGN Leo & Virginia Aguilera Thanksgiving week. PHOTOGRAPHERS Leo Aguilera, Gabriel Chavoya, Foreign missions outreach has become more and more Grover Hunt REPORTER Carol Castillo a focus of our church. After our Stewardship Missions YOUTH REPORTERS Josh Aguilera Conference, Pastor Johnson declared we will be aiming “DID YOU KNOW?” Jim Campbell for a foreign missions project every month in 2016. MAILINGS Virginia Aguilera DISTRIBUTIONS Norbert Feliciano As we close out 2015, we have been encouraged with Nathan Garcia blessed assurance that our Lord Jesus Christ has us in His CHURcH staff perfect will. Pastor Johnson and Bishop Keyes are to be commended for excellent anointed leadership. There is a PASTOR H. TODD JOHNSON BISHOP RANDY G. KEYES great sense of permanence and solidity for the future of our blessed congregation. Truly the Lord is our sovereign assistant pastor Uday Narayan assistant pastor Adam Mendoza deliverer. youth PASTOR Jonathan Quinones During the holiday season, the Aguilera family send a resident missionaries Uday Narayan, Xenn Seah church secretary Charlene Wilson Christmas and New Year greeting to all our faithful readSUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR Mary Aguirre ers, “Keep the faith and share the gospel!” RC Kingdom Kids John & Amy Rodriguez prayer ministries Charles Bispo Maranatha, the Lord cometh! Jerry & Andrea Powell world missionS ladies ministries discipling ministries L.E.A.D. director PURPOSE INSTITUTE bible quizzing connect groups community relations apostolic man ministry BUFF (Men’s 50+) HYPHEN spanish services Food for Thoughts & Food PantrY
Kim Johnson, Adam Mendoza Carol Castillo Jerry Powell & Carol Castillo Sujey Diaz Paul & Jenifer Winter Jeremiah Williams Alex Diaz Herb Jenkins Jeriann Powell Adam Mendoza, Antonio Gutierrez Nancy Williams
CHURcH SERVICES SUNDAY - 10:00 A.M. 10:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M. 5.30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. MONDAY - 7:00 P.M. TUESDAY - 7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY - 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY - 7:30 P.M. Thursday - 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY - 10:00 A.M.
Sunday School-Children - Tuolumne Sunday School - Adults - Sanctuary Morning Service - Sanctuary Prayer in Youth Chapel REVIVAL SERVICE All-Church Prayer Starting Point for New Converts Mid-Week Congregational Service Pulse (Youth Service) Spanish Service (1st/3rd Thursday) Saturday Morning Outreach
NEWVINE 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 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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Adam, Leo, Virginia, Joshua and Jeannette
The Aguileras welcome a new member to our family, Joshua’s new bride, Sister Jeannette. From all of us a Merry Christmas and a blessed and prosperous New Year.
DEFENDING OUR APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE BY EDITOR LEO AGUILERA
THE MAJESTY OF ONE GOD As I testified in the last issue, the revelation of being baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of my sins was the greatest event in my life. In the weeks following, under anointed preaching and teaching, I came into full understanding of the nature of God. As I began to read His word, all was confirmed with eye-opening verses in both the Old and New Testaments. What does the Bible say about the nature of God? Is He truly one as it states in Deut. 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD!?
IT’S IN THE BIBLE
Timothy 3:16 states, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit...” Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 1:15 explains that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God…” In John 14, when Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus said, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that have seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayeth thou then, Show us the Father?” Isaiah 44:6 says, “...I am the First, and I am the Last; and beside Me there is no God.” Isaiah 8:8 says, “...Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah 43:11 states, “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me THERE IS NO SAVIOUR.” John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory...)”
GOD AS THE SON
All through the Old and New Testaments the pages are filled with the message there is only one God. It was idolatry for the Jews to believe anything else. It was God Who robed Himself in flesh to walk the earth in order to give of His precious blood to purchase our salvation. There is no one without sin, but God. Because He is a spirit, He has no blood to shed. But when He robed Himself with flesh, the blood was there to shed. He became “the only begotten Son,” begotten within Himself. The human body of His entity became the Christ, the anointed One, the expressed image of God the Father. He did not send a completely different person to die in His place as the heathens practice in the sacrifice of their children, for many references are made in the Old Testament that God detested the human sacrifice of children for the redemption of their parents. He did not allow Abraham to go through with the sacrifice of his son Isaac. Therefore, Jehovah God did not watch His Son bleed and die on the cross, as many believe. God was willing to make the sacrifice Himself. God in His infinite love for us – love we cannot understand and will never be worthy of - made the sac-
rifice as Christ Jesus, the anointed One! He left the splendors of heaven to become one of us – the Son of Man.
“‘TILL DEATH DO US PART!”
At the same time He was suspended between heaven and earth on that wooden cross, He ended His “marriage” to an unfaithful Israel and was now free to claim a new bride, His holy church among the Gentile nations. Only God the Father could accomplish this under the law He gave to Moses. He could not use a proxy to end His marriage with Israel. He came Himself in the mortal flesh of Jesus Christ to end His covenant with that nation. When Christ said moments before He expired, ”It is finished!” there was more meaning in those words than we realize. In many ways Israel remains a widow to this day, a nation every Christian nation is obligated to defend and support.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Again let us look at the ancient words for person: PROSOPON in ancient Greek and PERSONA in ancient Latin. All we English literature teachers and professors have taught that prosopon and persona meant mask, or role, one actor would wear in performing on the ancient Greek stage. Satan, to cause confusion, had a hand in the early centuries that these words were lost in translation to mean an individual instead of the roles an individual performed. Keeping the classic meaning in mind, the words THREE PERSONS IN ONE is simply God performing three roles in the Godhead. Is it that hard now to comprehend the majesty of the oneness of God? When the Holy Ghost dwells within us, that is God in us, but we still have our own individuality, our own personality. However, the human body of Jesus Christ was unique in that it had all God within it. There was no other personality or individuality in that vessel except God Almighty! That vessel in its glorified state appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, and that same vessel appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos, standing between the seven golden candlesticks! This is the vessel God Almighty has chosen to represent Himself again and again, as recorded in the Scriptures spoken by Jesus Himself: “he that have seen Me has seen the Father!” John 1:9.
GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT
The same can be said of the Holy Ghost. It is the spirit of God. It is not another individual personality in the Godhead. Christ said that the Holy Ghost comes from God and is His Spirit: “But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which PROCEEDETH from the Father, He shall testify of Me.” John 15:26. The Spirit will testify that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah, the Holy One, the Alpha and Omega, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace!
LOOK FOR YOURSELF
I challenge any reader who is still confused about the oneness of God to open your Bible. Read for yourself. Study the book of Acts to see what happened and what was taught in the early church. Pray and let the Holy Ghost reveal the truth to you. If you do, you may be surprised what you will find. You need to know Who He is!
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FRONT COVER STORY
A Three Month Revival with Joshua Herring For the months of September, October, and November, Evangelist Joshua Herring arrived like a thunderclap
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ailing from Palmer, Alaska, Evangelist Joshua Herring established his Apostolic roots in the church of his father, Pastor Ron Herring. It was a growing church focused on revival which was instilled into the preaching of this young evangelist. When he arrived in September at Revival Center, his stay would last three months, with plans to return in January. Brother Herring’s preaching is the fire of inspired oratory, with the readiness and sincerity to share triumph over hardships and testimonies of incredible miracles. Brother Herring encourages us to be aware of the Holy Ghost power that marks potential in our individual souls. The topics
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of his sermons are timely: “I’ve Survived Worse,” “In the Name of Jesus,” “Everything’s Connected,” “Wasted Worship,” “Set It on Fire!” He emphasizes how Satan desires to create disillusionment with the saints. The adversary only desires to bring about defeat and suffering for the church. But despite this maddening heritage of profound battles between good and evil, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given us time and time again victories that will one day lead to Satan’s defeat and everlasting life for Apostolic believers. Meeting with us during midweek services, he focuses on having us push aside our fears and doubts and trust that
God has put a great task in our hands to save the lost. Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit will empower us to do the work. This is the time to be trailblazers until we reach the realm of miracles, signs and wonders. During Sunday services, he addresses the invited guests among us to come to the altar of repentance. Brother Herring has a great source of personal miracles and wonders he has witnessed during his ministry. Using anointed oratorical skills with Holy Ghost authority, he establishes complete credibility that can make the hardest heart believe. The altars are filled with those desiring salvation. Basically, Brother Herring tells us that it is not just enough to know all about the doctrine and how to have church, but it has to go beyond knowing it. We have to take action. When God gives us an inspiration, it’s not enough to recognize it, we need to act upon it and do it! Our church is looking forward to having Evangelist Herring meet with us again in the new year. Together, all our families in our fellowship must do their best for His kingdom, and we appreciate the leadership of our pastors in bringing us the best of preachers.
Evangelist Herring is a Godsend The photos at left and above display the dynamics of Brother Herring’s preaching. In the left center bottom photo, Sister Herring poses with their older son Jude. The photo above shows the determination of Brother Herring to work the altar calls with zeal. More photos on Page 14.
Be It Unto Me “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38 (KJV)
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hat a young girl with a humble upbringing in a small town would be visited by the angel Gabriel was amazing enough. The message he brought her was truly astonishing. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son…the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:31-33) This definitely was not what Mary had imagined. As a young, betrothed, and virginal girl, the news that she was
going to have a baby could hardly have been welcome. Indeed, according to Jewish marriage customs, if she did not pass the virginity test on her wedding night, she could be stoned in the morning. Mary asked only one question. “How can this be, seeing that I have known not a man?” (Luke 1:34) She asked because she truly wanted to know God’s plan, not because she distrusted it. Even strong men of the Bible have shrunk back when challenged with God’s vision. Gideon was afraid (Judges 6:11-12); Moses argued that he stuttered (Exodus 6:30); Jonah ran away (Jonah 1:3-17). But Mary said, “Let it be unto me according to thy word.” Despite the amazing and strange prophecy, Mary knowingly and willingly placed herself in a vulnerable state of servitude before the Lord. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matt. 1:24 (NIV)
Again the angel of the Lord made a house call, this time to Joseph, who had fallen asleep pondering the perplexing news of his virginal espoused wife’s pregnancy. In a dream, the angel assured him that the child was of God, and instructed him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife (Matt. 1:23). Despite the seeming incredibility of this message, Joseph did not try to figure everything out or worry about what his friends and neighbors would say. He simply trusted and did what the angel commanded him. We can spend our lives frustrated and confused if we insist that God tells us every detail beforehand, instead of resting in the assurance of His promises. Joseph and Mary acted in harmony with God’s plan; they did not wait until they had all the answers before they were obedient. Their devotion to God and willingness to surrender their lives for His will stand as examples to us all. Be it unto each of us according to His word.
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OUR DYNAMIC SPEAKERS FOR THE CONFERENCE: (L to R) Evangelist Joshua Herring from Stockton, CA; Pastor Tim Sullivan from Fort Smith, AR; and Evangelist Jeff Morgan from Barling, AR
The Theme:
“Greater Things!”
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s this year’s Stewardship Missions Conference kicked off, there was an excitement and anticipation that made this year special. There seemed to be an anointing that flowed from the first choir song on Friday night to the final shouts of praise and worship on Sunday night. Yes, this year was going to be greater! Friday Night On Friday night, we were introduced to several of the home and foreign missionaries. James Zapp who pastors House of Busted Shackles in Elk Grove, California, After 30 years in and out of prison, he told how God delivered him from darkness. “He is a dream-maker and a way-maker,” said
Brother Zapp. He was followed by Matthew Buckland from the Czech Republic. In a country of 10 1/2 million people, 82% of which are atheists, there is one UPC church. “In His presence anything is possible,” he exclaimed. The last missionary to speak was Andrew Fragoso from Atascadero, California. He described how he was led by his pastor Joseph Dominguez to start a work in Atascadero. After the choir ministered in song, the service was concluded by Evangelist Josh Herring. Saturday Night We were introduced to more of the missionaries on Saturday night. Louis Johnson from Rwanda spoke first. He explained the great work God is doing in that African country. This is the first time the gospel has been heard in Rwanda. The people are hungry to hear this “new” doctrine. “We serve
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a God who is able to do anything!” “God is not limited!” The final missionary to speak was Nathaniel Royer from Del Paso Heights. He told of his miraculous healing. “God’s still moving today!” he exclaimed. The service then focused on honoring Bishop Keyes for his 25 years of sponsoring missionary conferences and featured a NEWSVINE multi-media presentation featuring the many missionary endeavors of Revival Center in the last 35 years of his pastorship. The torch has now officially passed on to Pastor Johnson to continue his vision of reaching the lost globally. Evangelist Jeff Morgan, that night’s main speaker, exhorted the congregation with the sermon, “If Then, Why Then? His text focused on Gideon’s calling, and God’s process in preparing him for his upcoming battle and victory. “There’s a process to the prophetic,”
Bishop Keyes honored for 35 years of pastorship and missions work.
MaKayla Johnson, our bishop’s grandaughter, sings a duet with Jacob Borja.
Pranesh and Arti Narayan give. Johannes Escudero Andrew Fragoso Bay Area, Palo Alto, CA Atascadero, CA
James Zapp Elk Grove, CA
Nathaniel Royer Del Paso Heights, CA
Our Visiting Missionaries Louis Johnson Rwanda
Joshua Moreno Greece
he said. We may ask ourselves, ‘If God is with us, why has all of this happened?’ But there are some things for which we don’t have an answer. We just have to trust God that he is divinely positioning us. “God has the last and the final word!” sunday niGhT On Sunday night Brother Tim Sullivan preached “Let It Rain.” He used the story of Elijah’s calling fire from heaven. He explained how the fire brings the revelation of Who God is. “When you get the fire, it produces the miraculous!” he exclaimed. At the conclusion of his powerful message, the church brought their sacrificial offerings to the altar. It was a great time of celebration and worship as we poured ourselves out to God. Greater things. Yes, we believe God has greater things for Revival Center in 2016!
Matthew Buckland Czech Republic
Tim Powell prays protectively over his son Nolan.
Missionary wives worship. Brother Jeff Morgan dissembles into a rebel for the gospel during his sermon.
MORE PHOTOS AND TEXT ON NEXT PAGE
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Sunday Morning
Missionary children, posing with Pastor and Sister Johnson, await a love offering from the church. (notice boys will be boys!)
anGie BuCKLund ChrisTine mOrenO
marTha JOhnsOn
mary ZaPP
a sPeCiaL sunday mOrninG serViCe
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Kellee Hopper brings the house down Sunday morning with her solo of “Amazing.”
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unday morning is always a special time. We have the opportunity to hear from the missionary wives and to meet their children. It was very moving to hear how God put a burden in their hearts for the work of God. Sister Johnson said how grateful she was to Ladies’ Auxiliary and Sheaves for Christ for her washer and dryer and vehicle for transportation. Those offerings make a world of difference for the wives of missionaries. Sister Fregoso was grateful to Bishop Keyes and contacts with our church members for all their support and prayers in the past years. Sister Buckland encouraged those who felt a calling to be patient as God prepares them for their calling. “He knows where you are,” she said. “Wait on the Lord.” Sister Zapp told us the challenges they have faced, even of gang members who have come up against her
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Tina rOyer
TraCye FraGOsO
husband, wanting to kill him. She spoke of praying for her son as they moved away from friends and family. “I have seen a transformation in my son,” she said. “He’s been tag preaching with my husband. God does have everything in control.” Sister Royer spoke of the troubled home from which she came. She told how God broke those chains of addiction when she received the Holy Ghost. “The chains are broken from me, but every now and then I hear them jingle.” Sister Moreno spoke to us of the importance of praying for our missionaries. She recalled a time when by the mercy of God, they were spared from a terrorist bombing. She felt to stop and pray. The next day they were told the police had stopped a bomber before he was able to detonate his explosives right where they had been. She finished by saying, “Everyone will die. The question should not be ‘Will I die?’ but “Have I lived with everything, my strength, heart, all that I have within me so others can be saved?”
Every year it is absolutely imperative that our church prays for all the visiting missionaries at the conference. The above left photo depicts this sacred tradition. Above right, Apostle Julio Hernandez is always welcome to address the congregation. In the left photo, Pastor Tim Sullivan inspires the congregation to give for missions for it will bring a rain of blessings upon all assembled. The right photo shows Susie and Johnny Ybarra doing just that, as they joined many others who gave to missions on the final night of the conference, followed by an outpouring of praise.
More photos on Pages 14 and 15.
A Staff Member’s Wife Is Remembered
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ong-time Newsvine reporter, Brother Jim Campbell, had his wife, Sister Mary Jane Campbell, enter into eternal glory after a long battle with cancer. She was a wonderful saint of compassion and giving for 25 years at Revival Center. She also supported the Newsvine ministry with her prayers and was an inspiration for her husband’s writing. She and her husband were close friends to Bishop and Sister Keyes since Bible college days. According to Bishop Keyes, she loved truth. That truth was the Apostolic gospel of Jesus Christ. Her son Jonathan at her memorial service praised his mother with these words, “I never heard my mother complain not once of her situation.” She had great faith in her Savior’s divine will. Our prayers are with the family of our staff member, and we will greatly miss her until we see her again...
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A Visit from Bible Scholar Raymond Woodward
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nce again we were privileged to have a visit from Pastor Raymond Woodward of Capital Community Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He came a week before Thanksgiving for three services. His effective teaching and preaching showed a brilliance in biblical study and research. The first two services focused on the sermon topics, “God Works the Night Shift” and “The Blood Still Speaks.” Our church then held a special Monday night service where he taught on the significance of the Jewish prayer shawl called the Talit. What insight and revelation he gave us to the significance of this type of mantle throughout Bible history, and its spiritual importance in the church today. Every aspect of the prayer shawl is symbolic of the Mosaic law. Wearing the shawl with outstretched arms displays the protective wings of the Almighty God. This is what our Savior wore as a rabbi of
the word. It was the fringes of this garment that the woman with the issue of blood reached out and touched. The folding of the garment in the Jewish manner at the tomb helped proved our Savior’s resurrection. It was this mantle that Elijah let fall to Elisha when he was raptured. Pastor Johnson has invited Brother Woodward to come back later next year, for our pastor says Brother Woodward has a divine, prophetic word from God for our church in the endtime.
BUFF Makes Plans to Help Our Widows and Single Moms
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rother Herb Jenkins, left photo, announced to the men of Building Up Firm Foundations about an upcoming project to help the widows and single mothers of our church. After a pancake breakfast to help fund the event, these ladies will have their cars winterized, with fluids checked and replenished and their windshield wipers replaced. The meeting took place at the home of Brother Donnie Wilson, who served the elders of the church a delicious chicken soup and desserts provided by ladies of S.H.E., our women’s group. Brother Wilson is in the above photo at the center by the door. God bless our men!
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More photos on Page 12.
The Annual Kidz Zone Thanksgiving Feast
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or many years our Sunday School department has provided a Thanksgiving repast for our Sunday School families, concentrating on our bus kids. At the right photo, Sister Mary Aguirre holds a youngster and poses with the bus captains. Those turkeys with complete fixings were given to needy bus families. Parents were encouraged to attend (below left photo). The boys (below center) gathered at their own table to feast on turkey and gravy. The bottom right photo shows a very happy trio who could be future pastor wives or missionaries. God bless Sister Aguirre and our Sunday School staff for giving of themselves. More photos on Page 13.
Friends and Family Turkey Give-away 87 Complete Turkey Dinners Given Away!
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his year the church had a special iGive Thanksgiving service in which we reached out to our local community, friends, and family members with turkey dinner giveaways to those in need. The choir ministered in song, a raffle was held for some turkey baskets, Pastor Johnson preached on having a thankful heart for God’s blessings, and then all were encouraged to come to the altar (bottom photo). After the service a time of fellowship, complete with pumpkin and apple pies, was enjoyed by all (photos on left). As we celebrate the holidays and throughout the year, let us always have hearts that are filled with gratefulness for the Lord’s many blessings. More photos on Page 12.
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MORE BUFF: BUILDING UP FIRM FOUNDATIONS
Photos from left: Charlie Bispo, our Prayer Ministries Director, shares his heart as he speaks to the men’s group, Jeremiah Williams, Robert Rodella, and Leo Aguilera listen as the group discusses its plans for their upcoming pancake breakfast and car services for the single and widowed ladies of the church; Charlie Bispo and Tim Fletcher relax; and the group fellowship into the evening. Thank you, Herb Jenkins, for having a burden for this age group, and thank you, men, for stepping up and making a difference.
MORE: Friends and Family iGive Service
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hanksgiving was a lot brighter for many families this holiday as the church gave away 87 complete Thanksgiving meals, complete with a turkey! Photos from top left: Sister Dwanda Scott hands out pre-ordered holidays desserts; after Pastor Johnson’s sermon, “The Song of Thanksgiving,” the altars filled with members and guests. Center left, Sister Nicole Evans serves up piping hot cups of coffee and hot chocolate. Bottom left, Sister Virginia Aguilera passes out a yummy piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Thank you to all who donated your finances, time, and talents to this event. May the simple gesture of a slice of pie, a cup of coffee, and a heartfelt prayer make a difference in the lives of many. 12 FALL/WINTER NEWSVINE 2015
JOSHUA HERRING PREACHES THERE IS POWER IN FAITH!
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hese additional photos show the dynamics of Evangelist Herring’s preaching style. There was a great amount of baptisms occurring right during his preaching (right photo). The bottom center photo shows him using bottled water to illustrate a point. It is amazing to see how the Holy Spirit can anoint the preacher to build up the faith of his listeners!
KidZ Zone Hosts a Feast
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he Sunday School team knows how to celebrate Thanksgiving with our bus kids and Sunday School kids. Sister Tina Serros (in the back) and her kitchen crew took care of the cooking (top left). Teachers roam around to make sure everyone got served (left). Sister Terry Hector’s class (right) can’t wait to get to the gym for their meal. (top right) Every child ate at a banquet table decorated with festive centerpieces.
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Continued from Page 9
GreaTer ThinGs!
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s we reflect back on this year’s Stewardship Missions Conference, let us not forget the powerful move of God, the fervent burden we felt to share the gospel of Jesus Christ locally and globally, and the urgency of the hour. It’s time to do greater things! Pictured clockwise from top left: The choir sings “Rain, Lord”; Bishop Keyes reflects on his past burden and projects for missions after receiving his accolade Saturday night; Bishop Keyes rides a donated bicycle during our last praise and worship Sunday night; Pastor Tim Sullivan works the altar after his Sunday night sermon, “Let it Rain”; Jonathan Campbell playing the saxophone for the glory of God!
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Photos from top left: Sister Mari Tobias sings a solo for “For Every Mountain,” a special song dedicated to Bishop Keyes; “You are Holy,” is sung by Sister Mehgan Johnson; the Diaz family prays over their sacrificial offering. Right, Brother Chris Harris, at the last night of the conference, was prayed for as he was leaving the next day for a missions trip to India which will be featured in the next issue of The Newsvine. Bottom left, Brother Matthew Aguirre sings “Ask.” Bottom right, Sister Sharon Keyes leads ladies of our church in praying for Sister Martha Johnson (Rwanda) and Sister Tina Royer (Del Paso Heights), near the Sacramento area.
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“The Three Kings, a Christmas Poem” an excerpt of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow And cradled there in the scented hay, In the air made sweet by the breath of kine, The little child in the manger lay, The child, that would be king one day Of a kingdom not human, but divine. His mother Mary of Nazareth Sat watching beside his place of rest, Watching the even flow of his breath, For the joy of life and the terror of death Were mingled together in her breast. They laid their offerings at his feet: The gold was their tribute to a King. The frankincense, with its odor sweet, Was for the Priest, the Paraclete, The myrrh for the body’s burying. And the mother wondered and bowed her head, And sat as still as a statue of stone, Her heart was troubled yet comforted, Remembering what the Angel had said Of an endless reign and of David’s throne.
Reverend Joshua and Jeannette Aguilera
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ewsvine Assistant Editor Joshua Aguilera was recently joined in holy matrimony with Sister Jeannette Escalante Arciga, witnessed by close friends and the immediate families. She is the daughter of Sister Juana Escalante of Fresno, California, and Joshua is the son of Newsvine Editors Leo and Virginia Aguilera. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless and keep the Aguileras in His love and care and use them for His kingdom and glory!
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