enewsletter july

www.facebook.com/southgate.church.1 ••• the Southgate GOSPEL ••• www.southgatesda.com

An Adventist church near Washington, D.C. is ranked as one of the healthiest congregations in America, according to Natural Church Development (NCD), a church growth organization that has built a network of partners in 70 countries and has done research on hundreds of churches. Since 2001, New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church has seen a 40 percent increase of membership, and an attendance record increase of 44 percent—something many churches only dream of doing. “Most churches in America take their total membership and discover only 50 percent of their membership is reflected in their attendance. New Hope is experiencing that more people are attending than we actually have

members,” says Rajkumar Dixit, associate pastor there. What is making this church experience what is being called “phenomenal growth?” What does it have that other churches don’t? Dave Gemmell’s job is to identify rapidly growing Seventh-day Adventist churches in North America, find out why they are growing, and then share that knowledge with those churches that aren’t as healthy. He says there are several keys to a successful church. A study he believes is very accurate is done by NCD, which has studied “almost every denomination, every church size, every continent, and discovered there’s eight characteristics in churches [that are]

growing,” Gemmell says. They are: empowering leadership, functional structures, gift-oriented ministry, holistic small groups,

inspiring worship, loving relationships, need-oriented evangelism, and passionate spirituality. While these can be abstract,

Issue 6 | June 2013

www.southgatesda.com

topics in this issue• Church Growth• Women’s Ministry• Pastor’s Corner: Making Mirrors• Southgate Health Nugget• Animal Encounters• Adventist Education p2• Fresh & Nutritious• Fun, Family, Faith• Calendar of Events• From the Editor: Hope in Knowing what God can do

The Southgate Gospel Newsletter, March 2013 Issue, presented an article on The International Women’s Day of Pray. The Northern California Conference Women’s Ministries

Leadership Conference in Chico, California was highlighted as a way some women celebrated the event. It is well known in our church community that midweek prayer meetings, prayer vigils, all night prayer meetings, and week of prayer events are often under attended. This is a heartbreaking fact, as it is debilitating spiritually for the church as a whole, stifling our spiritual walk in Jesus individually. Now, I’m not saying that we don’t have a prayer life because we don’t attend group prayer at church. What I am saying is that praying

Church Growth: It’s Not Rocket Science After All

Women’s Ministry

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By Wendy RogeRsWRiteR, Adventist neWs netWoRkhttp://news.adventist.org

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By gAyle lAffeRtyWomen’s ministRy [email protected]

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J esus said in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;” We are called as Christians to spread the Gospel message of God’s love for an unlovely world. The question is how do we do it? In Matthew the 10th chapter and verse 8 the bible says; (the latter half of the verse) “... freely ye have received, freely give.” This verse suggests that in the same way Christ won us, is the same way that we aught to win others. Christ won us by pursuing us with persistent diligence. He sends the Holy Spirit to come after us and quietly walk in our shadows with gentle whispers of love. In Jeremiah 31:3 the bible says: “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.’’ In the same manner in which Christ won us to Him by being a persistent peaceable friend who provided his constant perusing presence so also is the role of the Christian soul winner. Even before we give our hearts to the Lord He is constantly with us trying to win us (although often we are totally

oblivious to the fact it still remains true) and with patience He seeks us out like the shepherd whose lost one of his sheep, He goes after it, the same way that He went after Adam and Eve. And so it is after we commit our lives to Him that his never ending presence becomes an ever-present reality. He (Jesus)

says to us, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The way to win souls is to be a persistent lovable unobtrusive friend, daily connecting and relating to the individual that we hope to win. Acts 2:46 gives us the key to understanding the way to truly evangelize. “And they, continuing daily ... did eat their meat with gladness and singleness

of heart.” It is not simply quality that is needed in order to win souls, more than anything, we need to spend quality time. We cannot expect to do 1/7 of what the early church did and expect to be as effective in winning souls. In the same way that we were won by Christ we are to win others. You might say we are responsible to mirror the actions of Christ. By

allowing ourselves to consistently abide in the presence of those

we hope to win so that they too will begin to mirror the relationship that we have with Christ. By beholding we become changed. It is by allowing others to be in consistent, daily contact with us that we allow them to see Jesus. No wonder Paul said: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” Which helps me to realize why the Greek rendering of Matthew 28:19

literally states: “Go ye therefore and make disciples ...” making disciples the way that Christ spent time with His disciples, daily walking, talking and communing with them. This month as we celebrate church growth and evangelism as our newsletter’s theme, let us ask ourselves this important question; “Are we making mirrors?”

By PAstoR ARthuR R. BRAnneR iisenioR PAstoR

[email protected] Mirrors

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Simply put, cooking with a pressure cooker results in healthier and better tasting food prepared in less time and with less energy by utilizing an efficient, versatile, safe, and easy-to-use kitchen accessory. “Phew! I wasn’t sure I would be able to fit it all in.” Although you may question the elegance of our long-winded sentence, an indisputable fact is that more and more people are discovering just how easy it is to make healthy and great tasting food with a pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooking is healthy How food is prepared matters! It doesn’t make sense to grow or buy quality vegetables and meats only to lose a meaningful portion of their nutritional value through cooking. Study after study has shown that the longer you cook food and the more liquid you use the more nutrients you lose. Water-soluble vitamins and minerals are simply cooked out and washed away. Pressure cooking helps retain the quality of the foods you cook with by preparing them quickly and with very little water. Vegetables

remain crisp, colorful and retain the texture and flavor that make them so delicious in the first place. Meats stay juicy and moist. By cooking with superheated steam, natural flavors are often intensified so, please feel free to use less salt. Use quality ingredients (and as many organic and local ingredients as possible) and you will not be disappointed....we promise!

Pressure Cooking is efficient The pressure cooker cooks food 70% faster than conventional cooking techniques. Faster cooking means less energy use. Less energy use means less money spent and less impact whenever you use one. Think beans in 30 minutes, baked potatoes in 15 minutes, or yams in 10 minutes. We could go on and list that a pressure cooker doesn’t release oily residues, odors and splatters like stove-top pan cooking or that many

meals can be cooked in one pot instead of several reducing cleanup, but that would be too much to list here.

Pressure Cookers are safe Modern pressure cookers are 100% safe and “goof-proof”. Today’s designs employ up to six valve and vent safety systems that prevent accidents. They can’t explode! The pressure release and gasket mechanism would allow excess pressure to vent (if there ever is any). That’s it. A quality stainless-steel pressure cooker is safe, requires little maintenance and will last a lifetime.

A pressure cooker is versatile From a dutch oven to a steamer, from a sauce pan to a baking pan (yes, a baking pan: recipes coming), a pressure cooker is a multi-purpose pot.

Article excerpted from www.pressurecookerdiaries.com.

Benefits of Cooking with a Pressure Cooker

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Southgate health Nugget


Testimony of a Literature Evangelisttogether, exercising faith together, and focusing together on Jesus at prayer events is soul enriching. Can you remember the last time you prayed with someone in a time of confusion, conflict, distress, depression, or fear? How did it feel to pray with others? Did you leave that experience encouraged? Renewed with hope and faith in Jesus? More often than not we are uplifted form the encounter. After you pray in physical presence with others, there is another benefit. You sometimes get to see the outcome immediately and

share the experience. This building block of faith, so to speak, is firmly placed in our hearts. We become stronger in the faith, seeking to pray more often in our prayer closets and with others. Then there are times when great trouble comes. We pray. We pray hard and often. We pray in solitude, with others, with the Pastor and the Elders, the sisters and mothers of the church. We pray with many tears in anguish, with much affliction. We wait for the answer for a long grueling time. Some people even die before the answer comes. Yet an answer will come by the faith of Jesus. The answer will come because God said to call Him and he will answer (Jer 3:33). This is how we learn patience, another building block of faith. Our prayers are not always answered the way we want them to be answered. But, faith is built upon daily by the Holy Spirit. During

the times when our prayers don’t seem to be getting to heaven, there is Jesus who comforts us in our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort one another because Jesus has comforted us in our tribulation (2Cor 1:4). You see, prayer is not just about us individually, but about others because Jesus is about others. Huddled together in prayer, holding hands in prayer, or just kneeling with others in prayer, builds our faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus loves the group prayer environment. He even made a promise that if just two are gathered together in agreement on anything it will be done for them by God and if two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus He will be right there with us (Matt 18:19-20). This type of experience is essential in Building Faith through Prayer. The next time there is an opportunity to fellowship in prayer, join the blessing!

WMfrom front page

Animal Encounters!And God created great whales, and every living creature that

moveth ... and God saw that it was good. -Gen 1:21

By eviAn ByRdsouthgAte youth WRiteR

What animal lives in Africa and is the fastest animal in the world? If you guessed the cheetah, your right. The cheetah lives in Africa where they spend most of their time on the ground. Cheetahs are known to run up to 72mph in 2.5 seconds. Their incredible speed helps them to catch their prey, as well as flee from nearby predators. Cheetahs hunt animals such as gazelles, deer’s, impalas, zebras, wildebeasts, and other cheetahs. Cheetahs are known to catch their prey by biting them by their throats and dragging them to the ground. The reason why cheetahs are able to make sharp turns without falling is because their long tails help them to balance. Some people may ask why cheetahs see so far?

It is because they have tear marks on their face that act as a sun protection to help them see away from the sun. The population of cheetahs is slowly disappearing because of cruel poachers. Sad to say there are only 10,000 cheetahs left in the world. The cheetah reminds us as Christians that we need to see the snares of the enemy coming afar, because Satan, like poachers are ever trying to destroy us. And that’s why I like this animal.

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Adventist education

CRUSTINGREDIENTS 1 cup slivered almonds (or other nuts, like walnuts, etc.) 1 cup coconut, unsweetened shredded (if you want less coconut, use more nuts) 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh1 tablespoon honey1 pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS 1 Process the almonds, coconut, and sea salt in a food processor until a flour-like consistency is achieved.

2 Add the honey and juice and process until it sticks together.

3 Press this mixture into a 9 to 10-inch spring form pan.

FILLING INGREDIENTS 3 cups cashews, raw1½ cups almond milk, unsweetened1 cup lemon juice, fresh1 cup coconut oil, melted½ cup agave nectar1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol-free)¼ teaspoon salt3 teaspoons lecithin (optional) 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS1 Blend all ingredients except the lecithin and coconut oil in a high-speed blender, until a creamy texture is achieved.

2 Make sure there is no gritty texture.

3 Add the lecithin and melted coconut oil, and blend on high until well mixed.

4 Pour this filling over the crust and let set in fridge overnight.

5 This will firm the mixture up and produce a delicious “cheesecake.”

recipe taken fromwww.lifeandhealth.org

Lemon Cheesecake (makes 10-12 servings)

By sPARks nevAdAsouthgAte ChuRCh [email protected]

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Work should have a definite aim and should be thorough. While every person needs some knowledge of different handicrafts, it is indispensable that he become proficient in at least one. Every youth, on leaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of some trade or occupation by which, if need be, he may earn a livelihood. (Ed 218.2) The objection most often urged against industrial training in the schools is the large outlay involved, but the object to be gained is worthy of its cost. No other work committed to us is so important as the training of the youth, and every outlay demanded for its right accomplishment is means well spent. (Ed 218.3) Even from the view point of financial results, the outlay required for manual training would prove

the truest economy. Multitudes of our boys would thus be kept from the street corner and the groggery (bars); the expenditure for gardens, workshops, and baths would be more than met by saving on hospitals and reformatories. And the youth themselves, trained to habits of industry, and skilled in lines of useful and productive labor—who can estimate their value to society and the nation. (Ed 218.4) A relaxation from study, occupations pursued in the open air, and affording exercise for the whole body, are the most beneficial. No line of manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort should be made to create and to encourage an interest in agricultural pursuits. Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible says about agriculture: that it was God’s plan for man to till the earth; that the first man, the ruler of the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and that many

of the world’s greatest men, its real nobility, have been tillers of the soil. Show the opportunities in such a life. The wise man says, “The king himself is served by the filed.” (Ecclesiastes 5:9)

part 2 of a 3 part series


ture is repossessed. She receives a couch from the Community Thrift Store. Reoch says, “The more people we help, the more sales we make for the month. This way of doing business is our mis-sion statement – ‘helping people in our communi-ty.’” When Foster parents come in to buy clothes for their foster children, they get them at half price. The uniqueness of the Community Thrift Store continues. Their one-of-a-kind ministry in Bonners Ferry supports more than four full-time and two part-time employees. They also sent $1500 each month to the local Adventist school,

besides their emergency fund to assist people in need. They wash every item of clothing so their store smells clean. The Community Thrift Store has been opera-tional since the 1980s

and Reoch has been the manager for the past six years. Reoch was ag-gressive in reaching out to the local Chamber of Commerce, the Commu-nity Action Center and the local grocery stores.

She attends many of their meetings and through in-teracting with the com-munity she feels the store has received more dona-tions and has been able to help more people. “We get ourselves out there to let them know we’re here,” says Reoch. “One day a fireman called me to let me know there was a house fire. I can help families faster when local people know what we are doing.” Perhaps the number one reason the Communi-ty Thrift Store is different is that Reoch has wor-ship each morning with her workers and she tells them, “You may be the only Jesus a person sees today.”

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Manager pam Reoch checks out a customer. notice the Free take one signs.

March 16’s Global Youth Day was the single largest international mobiliza-tion of Seventh-day Adventists through social media, said Gilbert Cangy, the world church’s Youth Ministries direc-tor. As hundreds of thousands of Ad-ventist youth participated in communi-ty outreach, the church’s Youth depart-ments worldwide reported their service activities live on Hope Channel in Aus-tralia, Germany and the United States.

Mo r e t h a n 8 0 , 0 0 0 y o u t h were con-

nected through the social media - in-cluding Facebook and Twitter - and over 4 million people were talking about the initiative on the Internet. Adventist youth skipped hearing a sermon and mobilized for service to

demonstrate practical Christianity. “It was a historically unifying mo-ment for global Adventist youth,” Cangy said. “At the heart of it all, this was not any of our doing; we simply made our-selves available to God as his hands and feet to get His work done. It was so in-spiring to see the results.” Hundreds of young people in Spain participated in a flash mob in one of Ma-drid’s biggest shopping centers. Youth and children get ready for a day of service activities on March 16 in San Pablo City, Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of Adventist youth partic-ipated in the community outreach day worldwide. In England, young people served as missionaries for the day at local nursing homes and hospitals. Another group transformed their church into a shelter for abused women. Young Adventists in Tanzania re-sponded to an urgent call for blood do-nations. In Puerto Rico, young people prayed for motorists on a busy street.

In South Africa, young people made breakfast for law enforcement officers. And a headline in the Guyana Times read: “Adventist youths inspire hope through community service.”“It was so wonderful to see the Youth Ministries department taking leader-ship in mobilizing the whole church this way,” said Daryl Gungadoo, distribution and network engineer for Adventist World Radio Europe and an organizer of the event. Megan Brauner, social media spe-cialist in the world church’s Communi-cation department who assisted with the event, called for more social media inte-gration with church activities and initia-tives. “Social media is the perfect vehicle for spreading awareness and showing the results of a global movement in one place,” she said. “The more we integrate social media into our projects, the more we’ll reap the benefits of quickly com-municating with millions of people and receiving immediate feedback. The next Global Youth Day is sched-uled for March 15, 2014.

Global Youth Day--Church’s Largest Social Media EventBy eRiC RiChARdsyouth ministRies dePARtment,geneRAl ConfeRenCe of seventh-dAy Adventist


family

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Bible QUIZ!

1. Who received the 10 commandments from God? 2. What are we told to do in the fifth commandment? 3. What was the name of Moses’ brother? 4. What food do we ask God to give us in the Lord’s prayer? 5. People look on the outward appearance, but what does God look on?

6. His father gave him a coat of many colors. 7. Who was thrown into a lions’ den by King Darius? This person prayed to God three times a day. 8. Who was the young boy that defeated a giant. 9. Which prophet was swallowed by a fish?

10. What gift did God give to Joseph?


July

Neighborhood Foodbank Ministry: 9a-11:30a (every 1st & 3rd Wednesday) We are still in need of cash donations, non-perishable

food items, as well as physical volunteers. Prayer Meeting @7p* Independence Day Bible Study @ 7:30p (Branner Home)** Sabbath Communion Service, Potluck, AY*** Church Board Meeting @ 7p Countdown to Eternity; Evangelistic Series: July 10-21 Sabbath Service, Potluck, AY*** *Every Wednesday, **Every Friday Eve, ***Every Sabbath

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As usual, it has been a joy reading the insights given in the quarterly study guides. Regarding the Minor Prophets, it has been a valuable lesson to read the many books in the Bible that seem to get overlooked or neglected. I was very surprised to see how short many of the books were, yet how powerful the messages are that they hold. As I read about Zephaniah and God’s intervention, I learned how merciful our God is and gained more trust in knowing that He will provide for ALL of our needs. I was personally reassured as I often battle with my concerns about Genetically Modified Foods. Being health conscious, and having to provide meals for a 20-month-old, I am often irritated and skeptical of the large, heartless Agribusinesses. However, Zephaniah reveals that hard times are coming and will soon get even harder. But the Lord already knew we were going to have “Franken-food”. And He already prepared a plan to keep us safe and protected! Isn’t that amazing? This motivated and greatly inspired me to begin the planting of my own garden ... mint, rosemary, basil, carrots, tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers, lemons and whatever else the Lord will inspire us to grow! The stories also instruct us as sinners to constantly seek Him. To humble ourselves and to give praise. The Word is also honest enough to inform us that hard times may last up until the final moments of His second coming ... scary! BUT, his promises are still fulfilled, His joy will be our joy, and He alone will have vengeance against the corrupt. What a beautiful love story. We have only to be committed and convicted. To be kind and loving toward those around us. And to trust ... just trust in His Word.

By ReginA [email protected]

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HOPE in knowing what GOD can do

and share the good news to unchurched people. That’s where you have the greatest joy,” he says. These churches are growing, but what are the challenges that come with that growth? Gemmell says that New Hope is seeing a lot of transfer growth; in other words, people are switching their membership from other Adventist churches to New Hope. This is not “kingdom growth,” Gemmell says. “We’re growing at the expense of other churches that aren’t growing.” “There are dangers in growing too slowly,” Perry says. “It is very easy to get stuck at the small church phase. ... Large Adventist churches are still structured like small churches, and don’t know how to be large. They are not large because they grew large, they are large because they are associated with an institution. They aren’t structured or staffed for continued growth.” “I believe that God will not bring more visitors to a church until we are faithful with the visitors He has already entrusted to us,” says Perry. Church must be a safe place, Livermore adds, “where kids could walk in and wouldn’t be judged if they weren’t at the level we might be. ...If there’s one thing taking place here [at Kelso-Longview], it is mission-consciousness—why are we here? “Sometimes I think He’s [God] waiting for us to bring in a frame of mind to accept these people and not hurt them when they come in. To be the church He wants us to be,” says Livermore. Gemmell says that while his studies in church growth are specific to the United States, there are similarities worldwide. Some areas of the developing world are “rapidly succumbing to the influences of the first world. What is working now in the third world will fade. However, if we can figure church growth out in the first world, the knowledge will future shock-proof the third world,” he says.

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enewsletter july

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