December 2012 The Latest Word

Bring your family to celebrate the birth of

our Lord on December 22. The service is entitled Discovering Christmas. A beautiful Christmas service is planned with special musics and congregational singing of seasonal hymns. The Christmas drama has a cast of thousands. Okay, the cast is not thousands, but the well loved children of our congregation. They will re-enact the journey of Joseph and Mary and the birth of our Savior. Invite

neighbors and friends to join you for worship.

We’ve invited Dr. Gerard Kiemeney to be our speaker on December 1. He is the LA Metro Region Director. Dr. Kiemeney’s passion is building, equip-ping and supporting pas-tors and laity for ministry. His sermon title is Open the Door! and is based on Revelations 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

On December 8, the principal of Adventist Union School (AUS), Mr. Terry Tryon, has a message of God’s goodness to share. Mr. Tryon captures the thoughts of listeners by tell-ing the gospel story through simple demonstrations and songs. Many AUS students will join their principal in songs and participa-tion. Encouraging students to help with the Sabbath

continued on page 1

Discovering Christmas by Pastor Mitch

Holy Paradox

God became a man. Divinity arrived. Heaven opened her-self and placed her most precious one in a human womb. The omnipotent, in one instant, became flesh and blood. The one who was larger than the universe became a microscopic embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be depen-dent upon the nour-ishment of a young girl. God had come near. —Max Lucado, God Came Near

INSIDE

Humble Side Up page 3

Faith or Fear? page 4

Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5

What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9

Checking it Twice on page 7

Our Church Family page 10

Kid’s Page on page 11

For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church

Merry Christmas

Christmas is when we turn our

thoughts to God and how he came down to be with us. There are so many people who don’t understand the real reason for Christmas. It’s not the gifts, the parties and time with the family - it’s about Divine Love.

Invite some friends and family to join us for the Community Christmas Program on Saturday, December 22.

May God’s blessing be on you and your’s this Christmas season.

=

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service is one essential aim of Christian educa-tion. After all, our goal is to help youngsters choose to follow Jesus as their Savior. If you have been thinking of inviting the neigh-borhood kids to one of our services this is the day.

Mark your cal-endars to be present for the Pathfinder Induction service set for December 15. The induc-tion service is a dedication of all the Pathfinders to the Lord. The Downey Pathfinder Club is captur-ing the attention of more kids every year. Please be aware that your presence is essential for a success-

ful Pathfinder Induction service. They need our prayers, good wishes and our financial help. Pastor

Kevin Morris will lead the induction. Did you know that Pastor Morris grewup in the Downey Church and was a Downey Pathfinder? Pastor Morris is a role model of the life-changing impact the Pathfinder Club had on him. Be sure to invite families with kids to this service.

For the last Sabbath of 2012, Bill Aumack will bring us the message. We often like things in neat

packages or groups. We like to sort everything into the proper category. We even do this with ourselves. We identify with being liberal or conserva-tive. As parents we are strict or lax.

We are married, divorced, windowed or single. We group ourselves by race or age. This tends to make us “one word” kind of people. We use one word to describe ourselves. Even when we talk about our church family, we can tend to use only one word. Is our church traditional

or contemporary? Are we friendly and warm or cold? Are we known for grace or the law? Many Christians and churches struggle with that last one. How do we deal with the law and grace? Are we a one word community that is grace or law based? Or can we be a community that is known for being a two word com-munity, the law and grace? Join us on December 29th as Bill shares the message “One Word or Two?”

See you when the church gathers. =

WE

D

ID

IT

The Latest Word V 24 N 12

BILL AUMACKresponsible for this

LINDA AUMACKcopy editor

HATZUKO AISPUROpaper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMSpastor

address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd.Downey, CA 90240office: 562.869.6013fax: 562.622.1691 [email protected]

distributed monthlyissue date: Dec. 2012 copyright 1992-2012

Are we a one word community that is grace or law based? Or can we be a community that is known for being a two

word community

“

”

Discover Christmas (cont. from page 1)

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ered in the state the manu-facturer intended or at the quality level expected.

I recently saw a young lady walking in front of me at the park. The slogan on her sweatshirt caught my eye: “Humble side up!” Only three little words, but they say so much. I assumed that the slogan must have had something to do with her religious beliefs but I couldn’t help myself, so I caught up to her and told her I liked the sweatshirt. She said it belonged to her brother, whom I met a few moments later. And, sure enough, the slogan issues from a ministry in the Christian church they attend and of which their father is the pastor.

After they left, I con-tinued my walk. I also continued to think about

humbleness, humility. It’s not a character trait which the world considers desirable, is it? Watch or listen to commercials on television or radio. There are ads for all sorts of products which promise beauty, health, wealth, and success. We may desire the products advertised, because we all want to be beautiful, healthy, wealthy, and successful. But I can-not think of a single thing in this world that asks us to be humble. It is God who calls us to be so and, in a sense, it is where our salvation starts. What a humbling moment it is when you wake up one morning and realize that you are and always have been a great big sinner! Or the times it dawns on you that you are depen-dent on God’s Spirit for change, renewal and salva-tion. And more humbling yet, the day you learn the Creator of the universe doesn’t condemn you. Rather, He humbled him-self, left heaven and came to this earth to live, to suf-fer and to die for your sins.

But it doesn’t stop there. As Christians, we are supposed to live in a state of humility. What does that look like? A few things come to my mind. Humility might cause us to listen when we want to talk. It might compel us to

try to understand instead of judge. Perhaps it might help us to remember that we are not always right and do not always need to get our own way. And, finally, it is what enables us to say to God, “Thy will be done and not my own.” In short, it causes us to put God and others before our-selves. I’m guessing Paul said it best when he said, “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself noth-ing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled him-self even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NLT).

From now on, every time I see a label that says, “This side up,” I want it to remind me that God asks me to keep my HUMBLE SIDE UP so that the world can see a reflection of the Baby born in the manger who gave His life for me and you. Merry Christmas! =

December 1

Gerard KiemeneyOpen the Door

December 8

Adventist Union School

December 15Pathfinder Induction

December 22Christmas Worship

December 29Bill Aumack

One Word Or Two?

Worship Schedule

The Word & You

by Linda Bewley Humble Side Up

God’s word says, “The Savior—yes,

the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!” (Luke 2:11-12 NLT.)

Have you seen the signs that read, “This

side up?” It is on many things, anywhere from a box containing something that has been shipped, all the way down to a package of popcorn or self-steaming bags of veg-gies that you put in the microwave. The direction or warning is given so that the product inside is deliv-

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Our small group just finished studying the

book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg. As I began working on this final article for the year I came across something about fire-walking. We have been learning about water-walking over the past six weeks, so I thought I would compare the two.

A (very) brief descrip-tion of fire-walking: 1. a religious ritual practiced in some cultures believ-ing that the ability to walk on fire (actually hot coals) has healing or cleansing powers. 2. a fairly new activity in the U.S. promoted by self-help and motivational speak-ers to help their attend-ees ‘restructure’ their minds to overcome fear and achieve the success they desire.

Water-walking: 1. a trick some magicians have mastered to appear to be walking on water. 2. According to Ortberg: the act of leaving the com-fort of routine existence and abandoning yourself to the high adventure of following Christ.

Here are the compari-sons I came away with:

The Purpose: To overcome fear and to become comfortable with

taking risks.

The Environment: Fire-walking is conducted in a well controlled envi-ronment, with provision for protection visibly on hand. One’s call to water-walking may be in com-fortable settings or in dif-ficult situations. The pro-vision and pro-

tection is there, but not always apparent.

The Method: Although both take cour-age, fire-walking in its physical sense and its presumed spiritual sense, calls upon one to enter into a state of mind over matter. New behavior and thought processes are initiated and engaged in at one’s own will and for one’s own good. Water-walking on the other hand is a response to the calling of Christ on one’s life. The new choices and actions are a result of wanting to serve Him and others.

The Power: Fire-walking is self directed, trusting in one’s self to provide the courage, strength and determina-tion to continue forward. Water-walking is learning to trust in Christ to not only call one to service, but to lead, direct and pro-vide the wisdom and skills necessary.

Summary: Although fire-walking is the act of taking literal steps across very hot coals in order to overcome fear and is used to encourage the ‘walk-

ers’ that by doing so they can overcome anything; in the end, they can only trust in themselves.

Water-walking will also require literal actions on

one’s part, but the motivation and power to move forward comes from our Creator. Just as Jesus called Peter to get out of the boat on a dark and stormy night, and reached out to lift him up when his faith wavered; He has promised to lead us through whatever He calls us to do. Let’s pray…

Jesus, Take my hand as I step out of the boat to follow you out onto the water. =

Before the Father

by Linda FernandezFaith or Fear?

Where is your faith? Luke 8:25

Do not be afraid or dis-couraged…for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chron. 2:15

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One freshly baked Angel Food cake. (Refrigerate for one hour prior to mak-ing up cake).

1 carton of whipping cream. (Whipped to peaks with sugar and vanilla and set aside in refrigerator).

1 gallon of pink pepper-mint ice cream (This is a seasonal item).

8 red & white peppermint candies. (Crushed into chunks, set aside for top-ping).

1. Cut the angel food cake horizontally in half. Place the bottom half on cake

platter. If you have one, cut with an electric knife.

2. Make sure the cut cake will fit into your freezer shelve. Allow room at the top about l0”.

3. With an ice cream scope, scope out pepper-mint ice cream onto bot-tom of cake, including into the center hole. Use the entire gallon of ice cream. Keep scoping ice cream and packing all around in the center and around cake bottom until packed. Do this quickly, before the ice cream melts.

4. Put the top cake on top and secure it by gently

pushing it into the ice cream and bot-tom cake.

5. Now frost the cake with the chilled whipped cream. Keep moving quickly before it melts.

6. Top with crushed chunks of red & white peppermint candies.

Cover with Saran Wrap or a lid that will fit and place entire cake into the freezer. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

Thank you for letting me share my many recipes over the 36 ½ years in ministry in several church newsletters. Thank you all for your kind comments, notes and calls over the years!

God Blessings to you all! Ginny Williams =

Christmas Angel Food Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

From Ginny’s Kitchen

Be sure to keep up with the latest news by signing up for the Wednesday email. You can sign up here www.downey-church.org/Signups.html or send us an email at DowneyChurch at gmail dot com and we’ll add you.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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4:43 pm sunset

4:44 pm sunset

4:47 pm sunset

9:30 am S.S.

9:30 am S.S.

9:30 am S.S.10:50 am Worship Pathfinder Induction

3 pm Pathfinders

9:30 am S.S.10:50 am Worship Christmas Program

Visit www.downeychurch.orgS.S. – Sabbath School

C.S. – Community Service

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10:50 am Worship Gerard Kiemeney

3 pm Pathfinders/Adventures

10:50 am Worship Adventist Union School

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7 pm Band Practice

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Downey Adventist Church

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

4:44 pm sunset

7 pm Band Practice

7 pm AUS Christmas Program

9 am Pathfinders/Adventures

4:51 pm sunset

7 pm Band Practice

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group30 31

9:30 am S.S.10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

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This year has definitely been a challenging one

economically for both the nation and for individual families and it is only natural that you may want to put the loss in your 401k and other financial woes behind you and for one month reward yourself or your family with a special year-end Christmas spending spree. In 2006, the average U.S. household spent over $1,000, and Americans added more than $8 bil-lion in credit card debt that November with the day after Thanksgiving sales alone.1 Before you launch into an all out spending splurge, I ask you to con-sider the overall financial price you will pay.

Here’s the bottom line question: How many days will you have to work in order to pay for your Christmas splurge?

First of all, estimate how much you normally spend on Christmas, including not only family gifts, but also all the other stuff, such as cards, post-age, lights, decorations, concerts, etc. The follow-ing hourly rates apply if we assume you work an average seven-hour day

with standard social secu-rity withholdings, state taxes of 6% and federal taxes of 25%. If you earn $12 an hour and your fam-

ily spends $800 for the Christmas season you’ll need to work 15.5 days to get your $800 back. That’s over two weeks! If you earn $16 per hour and your family spends the same $800, you will need to work nearly 12 days or nearly two weeks! Even with a $20 hour rate, it will take you a week and two days to pay for your Christmas generosity.2

What can you do to minimize the damage to your budget and still make Christmas a truly joyful season? Here are a few suggestions.

Extraordinary Gifts

If circumstances make it impossible for you to

have enough money for presents this year, then use your time to make gifts that are fun and unique. People love cookies made from scratch from your kitchen. Anyone can make cookies from a package, but only you can still make chocolate chip cookies the way your favorite aunt did, and all your family members and relatives who have eaten Aunt Mary’s cook-ies in the past will thank you for resurrecting that delightful taste and aroma once again. Your fellow employees will enjoy them also because they know the taste of bought cookies as compared to homemade ones. Remind yourself as you spend the time in your kitchen, what woman doesn’t like chocolate and

what man can resist a cook-ie?2

By the way,

consumable gifts have many advantages over durable gifts and are a great gift idea for several reasons. Because they are usually eaten or used up immediately, there is not the expectation of being displayed and maintained in your already crowded home or stored for 12

Checking it TwiceStewpot

by Gordon Bottling, DrPH, CHES

continued on page 8

Gifts are quickly for-gotten, debt goes on for-ever.

- Mary Hunt

Christmas is a gift from God that man cannot keep unless he gives it to someone else.

- Anonymous

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months in a closet or the garage for re-gifting next year. You don’t have to be concerned that you are spending the ‘right’ amount of money for the recipient, which can, and often does, take the joy out of giving. And best of all, you saved a few bucks making these gifts from scratch in your own kitchen — just try doing that at the mall or through the mail!3

Avoid Christmas Debt

Before you purchase any gifts or decorations, take a few moments and plan your season’s budget. Make a list of everyone you intend to give a gift or card to. Decide how much money you can afford and divide it appropriately among those on your list. The bot-tom line is: Do not go into debt for Christmas — in so doing, you honor your household bud-get. Remember, gifts are quickly forgotten but the credit card bill may go on forever.

I love the story in Mary Hunt’s Debt-Proof Living monthly magazine in which a reader wrote about their best Christmas ever. She was a child at the time, and her father

lost his job. But rather than grumble about being poor and pitiful, he declared that everyone in the fam-

ily would still exchange gifts. The catch? They could spend no money at all. Christmas morning was more magi-cal than any she could recall before or after. Her prize gift came from

her father: a wristwatch he found in the trash, lovingly disassembled, cleaned, repaired, and polished to a more glorious condition than new.4

Start A TraditionI personally believe

the most memorable part of the Christmas season often revolves around those activities that have

absolutely nothing to do with money or exchang-ing gifts. It may include making it a special family outing to pick out your Christmas tree, or better yet, cutting your own tree at a Christmas tree farm. Other examples would be baking cookies as a fam-ily and distributing them among your neighbors, or going caroling at a local convalescent home. I remember one year our children had a paper house Advent calendar and each day during the month of December they could open one window or door and see another aspect of the Christmas story. Now that we have grandchildren we have special nativity set that they love putting

together on Christmas day. As a parent or grandparent, you can’t help but enjoy their priceless childish anticipation.

The Ultimate Gift

Above all else, this is the season to remind us that two thousand years ago our Heavenly Father poured out all heaven in one eternal gift — His Son, Jesus Christ. And through Him we have numerous gifts such as the gift of forgiveness, the gift of fellowship with Him, and the gift of life through His Son’s sacrifice. This year make it a point to share this most amaz-ing and humbling gift of all, the Good News, with someone else.

References:

1. “Extreme Christmas,” Debt-Proof Living, July 2007, page 1

2. Pryor, Andrew, “Managing The Cost Of Christmas Present,” Sound Mind Investing, November 2006, Page 166

3. “5 Good Things about Consumable Gifts,” Debt-Proof Living, July 2008, page 4

4. “Extreme Christmas,” Debt-Proof Living, July 2007, page 1

Checking It Twice (cont. from page 7)

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

- W. T. Ellis

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December Birthdays Yvonne Pond – 5 Yesenia Molina – 8 Ray Fernandez – 10 Johnny Macias, III – 12 Alonso Ortega – 16 Genesis Huinquez – 16 Lourdes Centeno – 17 Eddie Rivas – 18Ricky Gonzalez – 19 Jocelyn Huinquez – 20Claudia Aponte – 23

If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.

Upcoming EventsThursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer GroupFridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice

Dec. 1 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 3pmDec. 2 - Pathfinders / Adventurers @ 9amDec. 13 - AUS Christmas Program @ 7pmDec. 15 - Pathfinder InductionDec. 15 - Pathfinders @ 3pmDec. 22 - Community Christmas ProgramDec. 25 - Christmas

The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month.

Coming Soon

Jan. 1 - Day of PrayerFeb - Small Group SeriesMar 30 - Easter Sabbath

THIS MONTH

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It’s hard to comprehend sometimes. After 15

years of being our pastor, Mitch and Ginny are retir-ing. At the time of this writing, the Retirement Party hasn’t happened yet, but hopefully that was a great evening where we got to express some of our love and appreciation to Mitch and Ginny.

As I’ve reflected back on the years, there’s so much to thinking about and recall. So much to say thank you for. I’d never

remember it all, or have room for it all. But here are a few things.

Thank you for all you’ve done for us....

- For “No Sarah Laughing” while you helped us restore God’s house

- For teaching us the value of small groups

- For supporting our young people in Adventurers, Pathfinders and just gener-ally loving them

- For supporting Downey

Praise Band (DBP) and our first CD

- For making us come up and share, even if we didn’t want to

- For helping us lead LA Metro Region in baptisms

- For helping us to know Jesus better

- For being there in the good times and the not so good times

- For being our friend

- and so much more....

We are grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We wish you well in your retirement. May God bless you. =

The Latest About

Our Church FamilyCongratulations

to Pedro and Jessica Ramirez Their son, Emmanuel Peter Ramirez was recently dedicated.

Congrat-ulations Frankie and Patty Duran. Their twins, Francisco

and Nicolas Duran were recently dedicated too.

Congrat-ulations to all our new members who were recently bap-tized. Cindy Orozco and her son, Jorge; Ellie Luna;

Miranda Gomez; Isaac Perez; Joshua Perez; Erlinda Garcia; Armando Moreno; Aurora Hernandez; and Marty Hinojosa.

Welcome to Lesly Mendez and Jose Perez. They transferred in from the Burbank Adventist Church.

If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. =

Thank youby Bill Aumack

Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon.

Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! =

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Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240

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DATED MATERIAL

Ponder This...

= Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.—Hamilton W. Mabie

= The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth — the very thing the whole story has been about. —C.S. Lewis

= We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of chil-dren that makes the heart too big for the body. —Ralph Waldo Emerson