Merry Christmas!

This Christmas Season you can help spread the Good News of Jesus. So many people need to hear some GoodNews. Invite them to join us for A Sabbath Christmas on Christmas day, Dec. 25th.

May God’s blessing be on you and yours this Christmas Season.

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

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Christmas morning fell on Sabbath the first

year we entered pastoral ministry. What do we do? Even though we were entering pastoral ministry, we were young in the faith as well as chronologically young. From our baptismal date to college graduation meant we were members of the Adventist Church for 6 years. We wanted to do everything right and set a good example for our church and especial-ly our children.

With three young children, it was our tradition to rise early on Christmas morning and begin the joyful process of opening presents. But, this Christmas morn-ing was different, it was Sabbath.

Should we rise extra early and let the kids open their gifts before attend-ing Sabbath school? How about opening all the gifts on Friday night? Then we considered the theologi-cal questions like should we open presents at all on Sabbath? Or would the joy of gift giving on Sabbath disrupt our focus on the Lord? Even if our minds thought of skipping the Sabbath morning wor-ship service—which was out of the question since I was the pastor—our hearts

were eager to worship the Lord on Christmas Sabbath.

During the week, the wife of the local head elder called to invite us to lunch on Christmas Sabbath and we gladly accepted. Since our pas-toral assignment was in Central California, there would be no large fam-ily Christmas gatherings with grandma and grandpa and all the aunts and

uncles and cousins. They lived hundreds of miles to the south. Hence, we were glad to share part of Christmas Sabbath with our newly adopted church family.

Following the lun-cheon, including a special Christmas dessert, we noticed secretive glances from our kids indicat-ing their desire to speed up the process so they might return home to their treasure of presents. Our return glances communi-cated a bit more patience and a nudge to be thankful for good friends and hos-

pitality.

The gifts were opened on that Sabbath Christmas many years ago at just the right time. The children beamed with surprise as each gift revealed an unexpected delight. We took time to talk with our youngsters about the kindness of a family who opened their home to us on Christmas Sabbath. We agreed with one another that anticipating a gift a

little bit longer adds to the surprise when it’s opened.

The most impor-tant learning came when we opened our Bibles for sundown worship and read the very story we celebrated that day—

the birth of our Lord. Celebrating Christmas on Sabbath day brought us to the conclusion there was no need to choose one over the other. Instead, we embraced the double blessing of both gifts and thanked God for his abun-dant love.

Come for the double blessing of celebrating the birth of our Lord at the Christmas service on December 25. The ser-vice is entitled A Sabbath Christmas. A beauti-ful Christmas service is planned with lots of special music including

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The Latest Word V 22 N 12

BILL AUMACKresponsible for this

LINDA AUMACKproof reading

LETTY DURANpaper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMSpastor

address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd.Downey, CA 90240office: 562.869.6013fax: 562.622.1691 downeychurch@gmail.comwww.downeychurch.com

distributed monthlyissue date: Dec. 2010 copyright 1992-2010

We wanted to do everything right and

set a good example ... for our children.

“

”

continued on page 5

A Christmas Sabbathby Pastor Mitch

INSIDEWhat Did you Get? on page 3

Love is ... Contagious on page 4

Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5

What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9

Become a Financial Scrooge on page 7

Our Church Family page 10

Kid’s Page on page 11

December 2010

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Webster says that “gift” means “some-

thing given. . . a notable capacity, talent or endow-ment . . . something vol-untarily transferred by one person to another without compensation” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary).

God says “There are different kinds of

gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV).

What is the best gift you’ve ever received? For the moment, I am speak-ing about something that was wrapped or at least something that could be touched or felt. One of the best and most memorable

presents I ever received many years ago was quite small. It was given for my birthday, I believe. The gift consisted of two items. The first, a calendar with pictures of penguins. (At least one person read-ing this will understand that—you know who you are, Linda A.!) The second item was a small book of crossword puzzles. I’m guessing that’s probably not what you expected me to write, so let me explain the reason the gifts were special. It’s true, the cost involved was nominal and fit within that person’s budget at the time. But the real reason they were so special to me was because the giver picked out two items which reflected that the giver knew me well and had put some effort into think-ing about something that

would please me.

Let’s think about some intangible gifts which we have all received. Wisdom, the message of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing and proph-ecy. These are some of the spiritual gifts which are listed in Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians. Paul said these are a manifestation of the Spirit, not given to us for per-sonal gain but “given for the common good” (verse 7). Paul tells us that each one of us is a part of the body of Christ and as such, we all serve in different capacities. He also says that “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be (verse 18). We are all different and have varying God-given gifts. Why are our gifts different? I’m sure there may be more than one reason, but one that occurs to me is that it is because the Giver knows each of us intimately, better than we know our-selves. He created us, so who better to determine how we are best to serve?

He doesn’t welcome us into his family and leave us without direction. He doesn’t tell us to figure out how to make ourselves into something we’re not. Nope. He gave us talents and gifts that he alone knows when, where, why and how to use.

You know, one thing that Paul wrote always sticks out in my mind and is easily memorized. He says, “find out what pleas-es the Lord (Ephesians 4:10).” I am sure there are many ways to please God, just as I am sure that that verse can be applied to every area of our lives. But, I wonder, wouldn’t it please God immensely to watch us discover the gifts he’s given us and, better yet, use them for his honor? Just a thought. =

December 4 Kevin Morris

Pathfinder Induction

December 11Ethan Morales

What is Wrong with My Generation?

December 18Mitch WilliamsWhat is so Special about Christmas?

December 25Mitch Williams

A Sabbath Christmas

Worship Schedule

God, Webster & You

by Linda Bewley What Did You Get?

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Before the Father

by Linda FernandezLove is ... Contagious

Our small group study series this session is

on becoming Contagious Christians. So far, I have found the information pro-vocative and enlightening. I was amazed to find out how many people are not sure who Jesus is. At the same time, I am encour-aged to see that there are so many ways to share Christ with others in our everyday lives. Gone (hopefully) are the days of force-feeding others with the truth, followed by a good strong shot of guilt.

After viewing the video and reading materials one week on living our faith, I witnessed a won-derful example of sharing our love for one another right in our own church parking lot. It was a beautiful scene. As I walked to my car after church to share some items with another member, a friend came over to me with the offer of some scrubs she thought I might be able to use in my new job. The lady I had shared with was on her way to share some food items will another family. Someone else offered a ride home to a woman and her chil-dren. Normally, I would be too busy rushing around checking off my to-do list to notice these small kind-nesses, but the things we

had recently been remind-ed of made me more aware somehow.

Of course, these things did happen in our church parking lot, so it may not seem that surprising, but we recently held our Fall Party where we invite our friends to join us for a

time of fun, food and fel-lowship. As I spoke to several people I don’t see often and told them how happy I was to see them, they cheerfully remarked, “I come every year, I wouldn’t miss it.” I thought about that later; what made our party one they wouldn’t miss? Was it just that they felt wel-comed? Was it the silly games we play? It could be the great

food we have in abun-dance, but I would imag-ine you could find that at any party. I would like to think it is because we are not hesitant to show them that Christians can have fun and be friendly while serving our God.

During the welcome portion of our church, I enjoy getting up and shaking hands with my friends and welcoming visitors. Every week it seems there are more and more visitors. So many of us get wrapped up in

our welcoming, they have started putting a time limit on our sharing time in

order to get on with the order of the service.

During the singing part of our worship, the entire church

becomes one in adoration and exaltation of our Lord. I hope this is evidence that loving Christianity is con-tagious in our church.

Let’s pray: Father, may our love for You be reflected in our love for others. =

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:11

I hope this is evidence lov‐ing Christianity is contagious in our church.

December 2010

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Christmas Pecan & Date Pie

From Ginny’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

One favorite deep pie shell.

Pie Filling Ingredients:

1 cup whole pecans

½ cup fresh Medjool dates, pitted & chopped

1 cup dark Agave (pur-chased at Trader Joe’s)

1 Tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

3 or 4 large eggs

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

1. Roast the pecans at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes on a baking sheet.

2. After roasting the pecans at 400, reduce oven-heat to 325 degrees

3. Place dates and pecans over the bottom crust.

4. Combine, Agave, molasses, butter flavoring, vanilla, salt together. Use a mixer to blend together and then add cornstarch and eggs and blend again, on medium speed.

5. Pour mixture into prepared crust carefully. Stir lightly and nuts will

come to the top of pie. Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes. To check it is is done, place a knife in the middle to see if pie is setting-up. Be careful not to burn crust edges.

6. Cool.

*Optional: serve with whipped cream

Note from Ginny: If you want to make this egg-free. Use ¾ cup of water that has been brought to a boil with 1/3 cup flax seeds. I did mine in the

microwave for 3 minutes. Be sure you cool the flax mixture before adding it, in place of the eggs. If you make this egg-free, I recommend you do this part first, so it can cool. =

A Christmas Sabbath (from page 2)

the Pathfinders who will sing a seasonal hymn. A drama is prepared that will provide a children’s view of the birth of our Savior. Following the service, stop by the refreshment table in the foyer for a sea-sonal treat. To make our Christmas Sabbath service complete everyone will receive a gift. Christmas services are one of the most popular in our coun-try so be sure to invite neighbors and friends to join us.

Mark your calendars to present at the Pathfinder Induction service on December 4. After more

than 20 years of hiberna-tion, the Lord has revived the Downey Pathfinder Club. The induction ser-vice is a dedication for all our Pathfinders to the Lord. Please be aware that your presence is essential for a successful Pathfinder Club. They need our prayers, good wishes and our financial help. I’m looking forward to this ser-vice for my friend Pastor Kevin Morris will lead the induction. Pastor Morris is a product of the Downey Church and recalls the life-changing impact Pathfinders had on him. Be sure to invite families

with kids to this service.

The answer is always “yes” to any of our young-sters who want to serve the Lord. On December 11, Ethan Morales has asked to share a message with his church family called What Is Wrong with My Generation? Ethan has thought about his gen-eration and is concerned with what he sees. He not only identifies some of the problems but offers convincing solutions. My heart is filled with hope and pride anytime one of our young people stands up to speak to his generation from the pul-

pit. Please keep Ethan in your prayers that God will speak through him to us and to his generation the hope that is in Jesus.

“What is so special about Christmas?” is the title of the message December 18. At this time of year, the whole world will focus on one event -- Christmas. Everything will become secondary for one 24-hour period while we celebrate Christmas. It is amazing to me that an event that happened over 2000 years ago can still cause traffic jams.

continued on page 10

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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5 7 9 10 11

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4:44 pm sunset

4:46 pm sunset

4:49 pm sunset

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Mitch Williams

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Mitch WilliamsChristmas Service

Visit www.downeychurch.orgC.S. - Community Service

S.S. - Sabbath School

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10:50 AM Worship Kevin MorrisPathfinder Induction

10:50 AM Worship Ethan Morales

6

10 AM C.S.

6:30 pm Band Practice

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Downey Adventist Church

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

6:30 pm Band Practice

4:43 pm sunset

6:30 pm Band Practice

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

3:00 Pathfinders

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

9:30 AM S.S.10:50 AM Worship Mitch WilliamsDay of Prayer

4:53 pm sunset

9:00 Pathfinders

6:00 pm Agape Feast

7 pm Church Board Meeting

December 2010

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In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote his most

beloved seasonal novel, A Christmas Carol. It is a tale full of contrasting characters from Ebenezer Scrooge, the grouchy old miser who cared for no one except himself and lived only to fill his cof-fers with more money, to the destitute family of his clerk Bob Cratchit, who worked long hours under inhumane conditions to provide for his family. But it is also a story whose central theme is about redemption and the true meaning of Christmas. The turning point of this narrative comes when the spirit of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, visits Scrooge on Christmas Eve. He informs Scrooge that his only hope of deliverance is learning that he should help his fel-low human beings, and to aid him in grasping this, three ghosts will visit him in a dream—the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

These three phantom characters not only have something to say about the poverty, want, and igno-rance of nineteenth-cen-

tury society that Dickens was trying to portray, but they also have a message for us as we enter the fes-

tive season of 2010. I don’t believe Charles Dickens would mind my chang-ing the portrayal of his ghostlike characters con-cerned with social agendas into

financial spirits that haunt our current Christmas spending. In fact, I think he would probably agree because in real life he understood and experi-enced extreme poverty when, as a young man, he was forced to work in a shoe-blacking warehouse to support the family while his father was in debtors’ prison.

Christmas PastThe Financial Ghost

of Christmas Past appears in the mailboxes of the majority of Americans a few weeks after all the excitement and joy of the Christmas season has gone. It comes in plain envelopes containing unexciting, but exorbitant credit-card and chargecard statements. Unfortunately, this financial spirit often hangs around until well after the Fourth of July celebrations, and some-times it even joins a

second companion as they overlap into the fol-lowing year’s Christmas splurge. To top it all off, this Financial Ghost of Christmas Past aggravates an already encumbered monetary situation by continuing to add to the family’s financial burden with high interest rates and other charges. It is esti-mated that one out of five households will continue to live with the ghoulish reminder of their holiday financial indulgence many months into the New Year.

Christmas Present

One of the problems with the Financial Ghost of Christmas Present is that it demands we give and give some more. Often this includes people to whom we would not nor-mally give anything, such as fellow employees with whom we seldom social-ize and to neighbors and acquaintances whom we barely know. This major role of gift giving is a relatively new practice as part of the Christmas season. For centuries in most countries, indi-viduals exchanged gifts on New Year’s Day and left Christ’s celebrated birthday as a noncom-mercial religious holiday.

Become a Financial ScroogeStewpot

by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES

continued on page 8

The Financial Ghost of Christmas Past appears . . . in plain envelopes containing unex‐citing, but exor‐bitant credit‐and charge‐card statements. To appease the Financial Ghost of Christmas Present, the best thing one can do is to stay within an already estab‐lished Christmas budget.

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They observed the 25th of December as a day for providing food for the impoverished and disad-vantaged, and in some instances a day for giving special gifts to pastors and missionaries.

To appease the Financial Ghost of Christmas Present, the best thing one can do is to stay within an already established Christmas bud-get. This may necessitate that you become creative and use a little ingenuity. One idea is to make up gift certificates on the computer that can be redeemed by family and friends during the next twelve months—examples might be fresh produce from your garden in July or a homemade meal for close friends. Another idea might be to give a couple in your neighborhood who is struggling with three pre-school youngsters, coupons good for several nights of babysitting.

Another way to appease this Financial Ghost of Christmas Present is to think like Santa—make a list, check it twice and stick to it. Instead of get-ting another gift for your youngster’s stocking or an extra gadget for your spouse—stop the com-

mercialism and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas: snuggle by an open fire and read a favorite yule-tide story to your chil-dren, or take a trip around your neighborhood and receive pleasure from the Christmas lights and deco-rations while sipping hot

chocolate with neighbors you seldom see. Trust yourself that you have purchased the very best gifts for each mem-ber of your family, and if you have to add one more

gift, let it be a personal note to a friend, fellow employee, boss or loved one telling that person how much you appreciate hav-ing him or her in your life.

Christmas Yet to Come

Although you may not like being somewhat simi-lar to Mr. Scrooge when it comes to Christmas shop-ping, it will be the best present you can give to yourself and your family. Listed below are some tips from the Financial Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to assist you in being debt free next December.

1. Develop a Budget.

Sit down with your spouse and figure out what your family can afford

to pay for gifts and other Christmas items without accumulating any credit-card and charge-card debt. To be able to accomplish this, you will need to start a Christmas sav-ings account in January. Make it a line item in your budget and regularly con-tribute a fixed amount of money. Your goal should be to purchase all of your Christmas gifts, tree orna-ments, a nice Christmas dinner, and other seasonal items out of the money you have set aside in this account. Creating this line item in your budget is the single most important step an individual or a fam-ily can do to control their holiday spending.

2. Make a List.

At this family confer-ence, write down every person you want to include on your Christmas list. Then put a pad and pen on the side of the refrigera-tor and add other names as they come to mind, so no one is forgotten. For family members, relatives and special friends, you will purchase a gift, but for some neighbors and acquaintances, the best gift would be a simple card with a family picture or a plateful of homemade cookies.

3. Have a limit.

You will need to keep two limits in perspective. The first is how much you

should spend on each indi-vidual, particularly each member of your family. The second is how many presents you will purchase for each individual, espe-cially your children or grandchildren. Some have taken the biblical example of the Magi, who brought only three gifts to Jesus, as the limit of number of gifts they should give to each child in their home.

4. Develop a Strategy.

Like the real estate slo-gan that says, “Location, location, location,” you need to be a year-round Christmas planner with the slogan, “Listen, listen, listen.” As your spouse, children or friends casually make comments such as, “I wish I had this tool,” or “that’s exactly what I need to complete my kitchen set,” or “if I could only upgrade my computer,” write down what it is they desire and use this list, particularly as these items may come up on sale. Purchasing your next sea-son’s gifts throughout the year puts you ahead of the traditional last-minute rush and lets your loved ones know you are thinking of them all year, not only at Christmas time.

Another strategy is to have 80 percent of your Christmas shopping completed by the end of November. One way to accomplish this is after

Financial Scrooge (cont. from page 7)

continued on page 10

December 2010

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December Birthdays

Brenda Guillen – 2Yesenia Molina – 8 Ray Fernandez – 10 Johnny Macias,III – 12 Alonso Ortega – 16 Eduardo Lozano – 17Lourdes Centeno – 17 Eddie Rivas – 18

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

Upcoming Events2nd & 4th Saturdays - 3:00 p.m. Pathfinders2nd Sunday - 10 a.m. Community ServiceThursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer GroupFridays - 6:30 p.m. Band Practice

Dec 4 - Pathfinder InductionDec 4 - Deadline for Christmas Food and Toy DriveDec 25 - Christmas ProgramDec 31 - Agape Feast & Communion 6pm

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

Coming Soon

Jan. 1 - Day of PrayerFeb. - Small Group SeriesApr. 24 - Easter

THIS MONTH

THE LATEST WORD

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The Latest About

Our Church FamilyCongratulations

to Ricky Gonzalez. He recently graduated from the Fire Academy. Congrats!

Congratu-lations to Francis Mendez and Sammy Ramirez. They were baptized on Celebration Sabbath on Nov. 20. Be

sure to welcome them to the family.

Congrat-ulations to Erik Concha. He was awarded for his millitary service by Lee Baca. We’re proud of

you, Erik.

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

Thank you to every-one who has been saving Campbell Soup Labels for education and Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

On the Campbell Soup labels, all that is really needed is the UPC (the bar code). You don’t have to save the entire label, just the UPC bar code.

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

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

you have enjoyed a deli-cious Thanksgiving dinner and a wonderful day with your family and friends; relax that evening in your living room with the local newspaper. Take out that bulky sales section and begin matching up the items on sale with the

individuals on your special Christmas list. Remember, these sales inserts are not only your ticket to a hap-pier holiday but also the key to saving you money and finishing your shop-ping earlier.

No More “Bah, Humbug!”

As you struggle through this festive sea-son and then determine to plan better for next year’s Christmas spend-ing and giving, may your

money management no longer be “Bah, Humbug!” but in the famous prayer of Tiny Tim, may yours be “God bless us financially, every one!” =

Financial Scrooge (from page 8)

That is the power of God. Christmas is the center-piece of our history. Even our calendar is dated from the reference point of Jesus Christ. God split history with the event of Christmas. Everything is either A.D. or B.C. What is so special about Christmas? Come and bring a friend to hear the compelling answer to that question.

See you when the church gathers. =

A Christmas Sabbath (from page 5)

December 2010

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December 2010

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

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DATED MATERIAL

Ponder This...

= Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it is in the heart of man.—Anonymous

= To see his star is good, but to see his face is better.—Dwight L. Moody

= The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.—C. S. Lewis