News from a Light in the Valley
The San Jose Congregation of the Worldwide Church of God Summer, 2001 Vol. 5 No. 4

From the Editor's Desk
By Barbara Dahlgren

Hello everyone! It's been a busy summer. A lot has happened since the last newsletter. A terrorist attack took place on America and war was declared. It shows you how quickly things can change. In one short breath, your whole life can change. Fortunately we have peace in knowing our future lies in the hands of God. This doesn't exclude us from pain, though, and our prayers go out to those who were affected by deaths of loved ones. Our prayers also go out to those in the military who are fighting for our freedoms and to our leaders.

I hope you enjoy this edition of "a Light in the Valley." We have our regularly featured articles as well as some other reading we think you will enjoy. Gary Clark will tell us about his mission trip to Romania. You'll find out a little about our new Children's Church director and a new Discipleship Ministry coordinator. We also have a couple of inspiring poems. And be sure to get your copy of our "Special Youth Camp Edition of a Light in the Valley."

We are adding three new reporters to our team. Brad Mann, will be keeping us updated on our website. I hear some exciting things are happening there! Victoria Doerr will be our new Teen Scene reporter and Kristen Burnsides will be our Younger Set reporter. We would like to thank Aaron Burnsides, Jessica Orr, and Danielle Orr who helped with those responsibilities last year. They did a GREAT job!

Our nation is definitely in times of trouble. It's during these times that people have questions and we know who to point them to for answers _ Jesus Christ. There is no better way to be a light in the valley!

Personal from the Pastor
By Mel Dahlgren

To Fight or Not to Fight

Many Christians have `bin laden' with the heavy question, should we fight or should we "turn the other cheek" as the Bible says regarding resisting evil. First we need to answer the question about "turning the other cheek." Turning the other cheek is Christ's magnification of the Old Testament law "an eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth" which is what Christ is addressing. He is teaching that we should not seek vengeance by returning evil for evil. Defending your wife or family or freedom in a threatening situation is not the issue in question, but whether we should try to settle the score.

Then is it Christian to fight? What we need to focus upon is motivation and then how to fight.

Vengeance is God's prerogative as we clearly see spelled out in Rom 12:19 "Vengeance is mine, I will repay " says the Lord. Self-defense is another issue. God always looks on the heart. What is our motivation? Is it to protect or to retaliate? Jesus gave his own life in order to defend and protect us from death. And there is no doubt about His motivation. It was pure love, seeking our eternal life. But it is not for me to judge any other person's motivation on how he defends himself, his family or his nation. We each must answer to God for our motivation.

God does give us clear instruction about how to fight in
2 Corinthians 10. Paul says, "Indeed we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards. Christians realize that our enemy is not flesh and blood, but the spirit underworld now run by Satan. (Ephesians 6:12) Satan is the power behind the thrones of evil in this present world. But Satan is totally subject to the power of God. He even has to get permission to accomplish his evil deeds. (Job 1:10-12) Therefore, who is really in control? Who calls the shots? Who's the boss? Clearly God is. That is a main message of the book of Daniel. (Daniel 4:25) Therefore, our enemy is not human, and so must be our weapons.

Then how should we fight? Paul tells us to fight the good fight of faith. (I Tim 6:12) And he even tells us the weapons to use. (Ephesians 6:13) These are truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer at all times. Only these weapons are powerful and mighty enough to fight our real enemy in the spirit underworld. And these seven weapons are mainly defensive and must be the bedrock of our motivation in whatever tactic we use for defense. When Christ returns He will judge and wage war in righteousness. (Revelation 19:11) And we will fight with Him. (Jude 14) Satan cannot stand up against righteous motivation, truth, faith and prayer. These weapons must be the spearhead of whatever action we take.

In essence, God is telling us that we need to learn to fight like a Lamb if we want the Lamb to fight for us.

Personal from the Pastor's Wife
By Barbara Dahlgren

Get a Grip!

When terrorists bombed the World Trade Center last month, Mel and I were visiting my folks in Missouri. We, like the rest of the world, stared at the television in horror and disbelief at what was taking place. Needless to say our return air travel plans changed drastically. Mel was to fly on the Indiana for a Stewardship Conference and I was to remain in Missouri a few more days. The conference was cancelled. Air travel was complicated because many of the plans en route to the east coast had been rerouted to St. Louis and grounded. We ended up flying home on separate flights a few days apart.

Security was a lot tighter flying back to San Jose than it had been flying out.

There was no curbside check in for luggage. No one without a ticket was allowed beyond the metal detectors. If you had an open bottle of water, they made you take a swallow just to be sure it wasn't an explosive. And of course, people had to wait in long lines to have their luggage thoroughly searched.

You can tell a lot about a person when they have to wait while someone rifles though their undies. For the most part people were patient but there was the woman who got upset when she had to empty the bottom of her baby carriage; the gal who didn't understand why her manicure set was confiscated, and the man who didn't want to relinquish his pen knife. I must admit my patience was wearing a little thin. "Get a grip, people!" I wanted to say. "Don't you realize that this is for our own good? Where were you a week ago? Didn't you see what happened?"

The Bible mentions patience often. I wonder if God doesn't look down at my anxieties, my impatience with others, and my desire to want to have everything resolved immediately and say, "Get a grip, Barbara! Don't you know I am in charge? Don't you know I'll do what's best for you?" But He doesn't. He waits patiently for me to be still and know He is God. (Psalms 46:10)

What we learn by waiting on God can be just as important as what we are waiting for. If our deliverance comes too quickly, we chalk it up to coincidence, or good timing, or worse yet, to our own ability to deliver ourselves. When we have to wait, there is no doubt where our deliverance comes from. There is no doubt who is in control.
(Psalms 37:7)

Church Happenings

July _ 2001

Gideons Visit

Mr. Tak Okabe gave a Church Life about the Gideon organization. The Gideons are a non-profit organization dedicated to distributing Bibles throughout the world. With over 100 years of service, they have provided Bibles to over 175 countries.If you would like to provide a Gidion memorial or recognition Bible for someone, please pick up a card at the table in the lobby.

Baptism at summer camp

Kristen Burnsides was baptized by her mother, Joanne and her brother, Nathan at Gwinwood Youth Summer Camp in Washington. Nathan Zebrowski was baptized at S.E.P. Congratulations Kristen and Nathan.

Christian Business Leader's Anniversary

Our Christian Business Leader's Association celebrated their first anniversary at Hobee's Restaurant in Cuppertino. The McNallys continue to bring informative speakers to guide our challenges in being a Christian in the business world. For more information, contact them at 408-517-9709 or mcnally@cblw.org or http://www.cblw.org.

August _ 2001

Richard Parker Visits

Mr. Richard Parker pastor of the Long Beach, CA congregation gave the sermon on August 4. He also shared a video presentation of a monthly television show that he presents on a local PBS station in his area, showing a way to share the gospel.

Women of Faith Conference

Many of our women were able to attend the Women of Faith Conference on August 10 & 11 at the San Jose Arena. Luci Swindol, Patsy Clairemont, and Sheila Walsh were just a few of the outstanding speakers. Our thanks go to Aletha Mann for coordinating such an inspiring event.

Love, INC

On August 18, a guest speaker from Love In the Name of Christ (Love, INC), Janet Travis, shared a Church Life with our congregation. Love, INC is an organization of many denominations that join together to help those in need in our community. Our local church is a member.

Danny Lopez was baptized August 25. Congratulations Danny!

Ferranti/Cole Wedding Reception

A wedding reception was held in the church fellowship hall for Charlie and Lauretta Ferranti on August 25.
The wedding actually took place at Lauretta's parents, Jean and Leroy Cole's home in Fairfield in July. Former San Jose pastor, Leroy Cole officiated. Since many from our area did not get to attend, Mike and Bonnie Ferranti hosted a lovely wedding reception in honor of the happy couple at our church hall.

Before the reception, Mr. Cole was the guest speaker during church services.

Church Picnic

Our annual combined church picnic was held on Sunday, August 26 at New Brighton Beach State Park. Watsonville was our host and the Merriners served as picnic coordinators. What a lovely view of Monterey Bay we had! The food was delicious and the fellowship and activities loads of fun!

September _ 2001

Minister's Wives Conference

Some of our ladies were able to attend the annual Minister's Wives conference called Connecting and Bonding. This is the fourth year for this annual Labor Day weekend event. Guest speakers included Kathleen Hart and H.B. London Jr. Mary Harris won the grand prize drawing and will be able to attend next year free of charge.

San Francisco Minister Visits

Richard Roberts, house church minister from the San Francisco area gave a Church Life. He shared how his church is reaching out to friends and neighbors. He also performed several songs for us on the steel drum. What a treat!

Communion Service

September 15 was our communion service which was a very moving ceremony in light of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that occurred just days before on September 11. Thanks go to Joanne Burnsides who lead worship and Brad Mann who conducted the communion service.

October _ 2001

Festival Celebrations

Many of our brethren took part in Festival Celebrations here and around the world. Please see our "Fabulous Festivals" section for their comments.

Mt. Madonna Tradition Will Live Again
By Betty Shamus

For more than 25 years, Mt. Madonna (in Watsonville) has been the favorite spot for the San Jose Church to go camping. Only one hour from home, great campsites, real bathrooms, the "Valley View", squawking blue jays, potlucks with the brethren,
sing-a-longs by the campfire, playing cards till the wee hours….you get the idea!!!

I remember watching the children grow each year. April Ackerman,
(Miss Mt. Madonna herself), began camping with her family as a baby and continues to be an avid camper to this day.

This past July, nine of us early birds were camping when the ranger asked us to pack our stuff and leave. He said the park was officially closed until further notice because fungus had damaged the Tan Oak trees. Even though it was already dark, we had to evacuate the mountain PRONTO!!! We were so sad (that's putting it mildly) to leave the mountain. She seemed like an old friend and we cried to think the trees were sick!

However, this didn't stop us from joining 56 campers at Uvas Canyon Park for our August campout. The weather was great and so was our Bible Study, sing-a-long and potluck!! Yes, it was different, but fun.

The rangers tell us that Mt. Madonna will be open soon. See you there next summer to continue our tradition!!

Did You Know?
By Anthony Garsides

God Has a Plan for Muslims

Did you know that God has a plan for Muslims? The word Muslim means `surrendered to God'. We live in a western culture that for the most part does not understand Islam or anything about Allah, or Muhammad, or the Qur'an (Koran). It's rather important that we try to do so right now. Allah (pronounced al-LAH) is the primary Arabic word for God, and the Qur'an is Allah's word. Muslims believe the Qur'an was written in heaven and delivered by a miracle to Muhammad the Prophet.

Do you have a Muslim neighbor? Our Lord and Savior tells us to "love our neighbor" as ourselves. Muslims now make up one fifth of the world's population. In an interfaith prayer meeting I attended recently in Fremont, Dr. Mohammed Khalid Siddiqi said that unfortunately there are those who call themselves Muslims but by their actions are disobeying God Almighty. Therefore they are not Muslims. Included in that comment are the terrorists who caused so much harm to so many in New York and Washington—they are not Muslims.

If we would stop and reflect for a moment without prejudice, we would not fail to be impressed by the Muslim delight in worshipping Allah. If you happen to be offered hospitality by a Muslim you'll be overwhelmed by the warm reception you are given. Their reverence for God is deep and very powerful. It is this very reverence and respect that attracts many to Islam every year. Worship of Allah and the intended purity of the Muslim way of life pulse and vibrate within the most devoted Muslims. Unfortunately ignorance and miseducation plague the Muslim religion as well as Christianity.

President Bush has said much about not holding a whole group or nationality responsibly for what a few do. So how can you love your Muslim neighbor right now? You could go out of your way to be friendly and neighborly. How about going to an Afghani restaurant or Afghani grocery store? Afghani bread is really tasty, and the way they make rice dishes is quite delicious. If you break bread with them, perhaps one day you'll share the Bread of Life with them.

Did you know that God loves Middle Eastern people and wants them to be saved? If you read Isaiah 19:24 you will see that God will unite the peoples of the Middle East. God has a plan for Muslims, too!

"In the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths — patience with the long waits that will result from tighter security, patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals, patience in all the sacrifices that may come."

From Our Sister Churches to the North

S.E.P. for a Magnificent Seven
By Jim Roberts

Our Bay Area brethren began donating months in advance to send seven kids to Orr for 2001 SEP. A generous member donated $1,000, and others contributed moderately. We then held a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser and made $400. During the occasion, a member slipped a check into my hand, a donation from a relative's firm, to help send our kids to camp. It was $4,000! Our "five loaves and two fishes" were indeed multiplied! God blessed our generosity and concern for our youth. After camp, five of the seven kids took most of the speaking time at Services to share how S.E.P. had been a life-changing experience for them! God does make ways where there seem to be none.

From the Worldwide News, August, 2001

San Leandro Members Join in Prayer for Oakland

OAKLAND, California—On May 19, Embrace Oakland Day,
Christians from many denominations joined to pray for Oakland.

The East Bay Ministers' Prayer Network, in which Pastor Jim Roberts participates, collaborated with Pray the Bay, an organization dedicated to unifying churches in all nine Bay Area counties to pray for their communities.

Thirty-five churches in Oakland served as host churches and partnered with churches from other Bay Area cities. WCG congregations joined with Living Word Ministries.

Each of these church teams assembled at the host church and spent the morning walking up and down assigned streets. They prayed blessing and peace upon homes, schools and individuals they passed. They blanketed the entire city in prayer.

During this time, preparations were being made at a park for a Health Faire. Through the afternoon, about 65,000 pounds of groceries were distributed to homeless and low-income families. Free health services and children's activities were available. Various gospel bands and choral groups performed.

City officials were present, and a just-retired Oakland Raider football player and minister, Napoleon Kaufman, was keynote speaker. Several hundred people made decisions to include Jesus Christ in their lives.

One San Francisco member and 10 from San Leandro participated in either prayer walking or food distribution. One member organized a grocery unload and rebag crew.

"Participating pastors and churches are determined to do their part to invite God to change the spiritual climate of our Bay cities and penetrate them with the gospel," Mr. Roberts said. "Embrace Oakland did wonders to bring denominations together and help us all realize we can have more impact through partnership than by working in isolation."

From the Worldwide News, August, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO, California—Richard Roberts, pastor of the San Francisco Sunday congregation, received an award April 23 for outstanding volunteer service to Unity2000, a Daly City based teen organization.

Mr. Roberts volunteers with the youth group program encouraging and planning youth activities in Daly City.

The ceremony took place at city hall and was telecast on the local cable channel.

Mr. Roberts was also awarded a certificate of appreciation April 28 for outstanding volunteer service to San Francisco General Hospital, where he serves as a chaplain. Willie Brown, San Francisco mayor, gave the opening remarks. Pastor Robert Walter, who heads the hospital's Chaplaincy Department, was thankful for Mr. Robert's dedication to God's calling. He goes to the hospital to visit and pray with the sick and hurting throughout the hospital in the intensive care unit, psychiatry ward, emergency room and the jail ward.

He is also involved with the prison ministry and baptized a new Christian last year at the San Francisco county jail.

Mr. Roberts was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His wife, Renee, is from La Union, Philippines.

From Our Sister Church to the South

Watsonville Church News
by Mary Webb

Our church members have been busy this summer doing what people do at this time of year.  Some went on lengthy vacations.  Al and Nancy Roberts attended more weddings and showers than I can keep track of!  As most of you know, Gary Clark spent a few weeks working with a building project in Romania to provide housing for orphans and their new foster parents.
In spite of their hectic summer, the Roberts started a cell group in their mobile home park.  It is growing quite rapidly!  So is our Thursday night group.  It's not unusual to have more than ten in attendance.  We have an enthusiastic new member who works as a deputy sheriff in Santa Clara County.  He attends faithfully adding much to our discussions.  He was a fellow worker with Gary Clark in Romania in the "Project Caminal Felix", and had been looking for a cell group.  He was glad to be introduced to us by Gary.

One of our summer's highlights was the annual picnic at New Brighton Beach State Park for Watsonville and San Jose. The fog and clouds vanished by noon so sunshine was enjoyed by all.  Thanks to the Merriner's expertise in barbecuing, and the mountains of delicious foods brought in, no one left hungry!  Activities for young and old kept everyone entertained.  The picnic was well attended, and gave us a day to be remembered.  New friendships were made and old ones renewed.  We thank our Father in heaven for blessing the day.

Romania Mission
by Gary Clark

I was blessed when called by God to go and use the skills He has given me to help build the Santa Cruz House at Caminal Felix II in Romania.  I want to thank you, my partners in this mission, for your prayers and generous financial gifts.  Because of caring partners like you, who also answered God's call, and responded with love, Santa Cruz House is a "happy home" for twelve to fifteen rescued children.

Caminal Felix literally means "happy home".  I had the opportunity to visit one evening with one family, and an entire day with another.  The day began with going to church at a wonderful, small congregation in a Gypsy village located in the beautiful countryside of Oredia, Romania.  After a spirit-filled service, we had an hour of song followed by testimonies, and a sermon by Alex.  He is the father of one of the families I visited.  After services, we returned to his home for a fantastic meal. After which we took a long walk and returned to play outside with the children.  It was truly a day never to be forgotten!  Such a great day spent with a joyous family in a happy home full of love.  What an experience and blessing to see God at work in such a loving and wonderful way as He rescues and heals with love!

The "happy home" is filled with a Christian atmosphere.  It's a home with dedicated and committed parents preparing the children for integration into Romanian society.
The children are provided with medical and dental care.  Caminal Felix is developing a vocational school with classes in sewing, car mechanics, and green houses and an agricultural school to provide education, food, and income.  The children attend public school as well.

I left on this mission to serve with, and along side the people of Romania, in their efforts to rescue abandoned children.  But I must tell you that I was the one who was served instead by the evidence of faith, and Christ working in and through them! I witnessed their devotion and commitment, and was humbled by these foster parents giving all to God, and to each one of the children.  The children showed love and respect to the parents, and they demonstrated a willingness of obedience. Each member in the family served and cared for one another.  The entire community watched out for each other! There was no doubt of the presence of God, and on many occasions I was touched by the Holy Spirit and moved to tears!  

This mission was so much more than building a 4,500 square foot house.  It was about being a part of the body as a supporting ligament and experiencing the body being lifted up and tightly knitted together in love, as each member is doing their part. It was a life changing experience to be in a place where God's hand is at work. The reward comes from living by faith, observing His miracles, and feeling the joy His salvation brings!

I realize how blessed we are in America and am humbled by the example of His family, our family in Romania.  I can only say, thank you Jesus for calling me! There are one hundred and twenty million "abandoned" children throughout the world today.  Whose children are they?

Congregation on the Web
By Brad Mann

News about our local web site

Our updated congregation web site, www.wcgsouthbay.org, has become an effective tool for evangelism, as well a terrific source of information for our local members. Since going online in mid-April, our new site has had over 78,000 hits.

Evangelism

One of the primary purposes of our site is to provide an online evangelism tool. We have received requests for free "Jesus" videos and/or sermon tapes from ten different countries and eight different states within the U.S. The biggest concentration of those requests, however, is right here in South Bay, where we are striving to reach our neighbors with the good news of Jesus Christ. One of our most popular features is the weekly online column by Barbara Dahlgren entitled "Walking In The Valley." This column is written to reach out to our fellow Silicon Valley residents, but the messages it contains provides spiritual insight no matter where our site visitors live. We also provide a page with key scriptures for hope and evangelism, as well as a page featuring Worldwide Church of God literature links for Biblical answers to some of life's most fundamental questions.

Congregation Resources

Of particular interest to our local members are the availability of our weekly bulletin, monthly activity calendar, Bible searches, music resources, photo album and sermon archives.

Newest Features

Recently, we added a fun new feature:
A monthly Bible Quiz. All correct answers each month will be entered into a random drawing for a gift certificate to a Bay Area Christian Book Store. Another feature we have added is a weekly email about updates to our site. Anyone visiting the site can subscribe to this weekly service.

We have many more features and a lot of additional content, which we don't have the space here to describe. Thank you to everyone who contributes ideas, feedback and content for our site. Your input is always welcome, and you can provide it by emailing webmaster@wcgsouthbay.org.

Lighthouses of Prayer
By Alicia Carrillo

Lighthouses of Prayer is now gearing up for a renewed commitment from those who would like to establish a Lighthouse of Prayer in their area.  Their headquarters, which is at the Cathedral of Faith, had a dinner meeting on August 23.  Luanna Leisure and I attended. We enjoyed a relaxing meal and met other participating church representatives.

Beverly Jaime, who had spoken at our church a few years ago to introduce us to Lighthouses of Prayer, presented speakers who gave testimonials of how God had changed their lives and the lives of those for whom they pray.  A video presentation provided statistical information on how Lighthouses of Prayer is growing in the Bay Area and the country. 

We are renewing our commitment to prayer. We need to be lights for God's love to shine to those around us.  The essence of being a Lighthouse of Prayer is simple: praying for one another by first establishing a perimeter set aside for God that needs to be walked once and as God moves you thereafter. Next, pray a blessing daily on each home, person, or group of people in the perimeter you have set aside for God.  The last step is to keep it up by continuing to pray daily for God to bless those in the perimeter.

Praying for others is easy.  We can all start small, asking God to guide us in prayer.  "For God, who said, `Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."(2 Cor. 4:6).  Ask God's guidance in how you can glorify Him in prayer, for we know with God all things are possible.     

The Younger Set
By Kristen Burnsides

Children's Church now has a new director - Mr. John Sherrod.  Mr. and Mrs. Sherrod moved to the San Jose area from Hawaii about 5 years ago. They live in Fremont and have two sons, Michael who soon will be 10 and John who is 11. Mr. Sherrod likes to spend time with his boys. In fact, every Sunday they try to do some fun activity like playing miniature golf, basketball, or bowling. In an interview with him, Mr. Sherrod said he likes having Children's Bible studies before church better than when we had them during church.  Now, he doesn't have to miss church services.  Mr. Sherrod also said that he hopes we will get more children and teachers.  And, so do I! 

Fabulous Festivals - 2001!

Magnificent Myrtle Beach
By Joanne Burnsides

Gorgeous, sunny skies and the sound of the surf made Myrtle Beach an idyllic setting to celebrate Jesus!  Up to 1,300 people gathered to worship for eight days of song, dance, and uplifting messages.  The theme was "Believe and Receive Jesus."  In addition to services, seminars were offered along with special brunches for men, women, seniors and the ministry.  Guest speakers included:  Ted Johnston, Keith Brittain, Carn Catherwood and Dan Rogers.  A beautiful, candlelit communion service concluded the festival.

Remarkable Riverside
By John and Isabel Merriner

The Festival Riverside, CA was held at the beautiful convention center and drew about 400 Worldwide Church of God members from the greater Los Angeles area, Santa Barbara, San Jose, and some from Washington State. The weather was hot but spirits were high as Mr. Joe Tkach spoke about having a passion for Jesus and his way of life on opening night, Thursday, September 27th.

On Friday night the Oasis Praise and Worship Band put on a benefit concert to raise funds for a local women's shelter. On Saturday we had the opportunity to sing praise and worship with the Oasis Praise and Worship Band and enjoy a catered luncheon. Mr. Tkach thanked us all for our dedication, service, and prayers. He updated us on the proceedings of the sale of the Pasadena campus and his hope that everything will be completed by the end of the year.

Ross Jutsum led music for Sunday services.  Communion service highlighted the morning event drawing the congregation closer together.  Each Feast is a reminder of how precious our times are together and we are grateful for the unity, love and fellowship we experience with our brothers and sisters.

A Classy Cruise
By Nain Hulog

Approximately 760 Worldwide Church of God members celebrated Christ onboard the cruise ship, Holland America's Ms. Maasdam. San Jose members Belen Wilson, Pete and Sally Hulog and I were among the ecstatic participants

The ship set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico where we visited the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Our guide pointed out the marvels of ancient Mayan architecture, where buildings line up with the sun, moon, and the planets. For me this was one of the festival highlights.

On Wednesday we reached the port of George Town, Grand Cayman, a commercial port with 500 plus banks attracted by King George's decision to exempt the island from taxes. This is the place where the famous Hell is located. Hell is a formation of blackened and jagged volcanic rock formation that gives this little district in West Bay its name. Hell's intriguing weathered rock formation is over 1 1/2 million years old and resembles the charred remains of a hell fire. Hell's own post office was opened in 1962 for tourists who wanted to send postcards from Hell.

After all the shopping and fun in the water, we headed for Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The movie, "Cool Runnings" was about this country. We had a wonderful time snorkeling. Mommy, Auntie Belen and I had a blast after a lot of prayers since I can't swim! God then allowed all four of us to climb Dunn's River Falls. The waterfall was so beautiful although the water was so cold. After all the work climbing, Auntie Belen and I treated ourselves to a new Jamaican hairstyle. Then off to the boat to enjoy rum and dancing with cute Jamaican guys. Ole! Ole!

Friday was a quiet day in Half Moon Cay—a private island own by Holland America. The water was warm and the sand was white. We relaxed and lounged the day away on the pristine beach. If you're thinking that all we did is have fun, well we did.

The daily worship services were lively and energetic, filled with joy, appreciation, and love towards Jesus. The messages were awesome. Mr. Shnippert gave a sermon about Jesus being our advocate. Mr. Curtis May's message was about reconciliation. This had more meaning now as the events of September 11 brought our nation back to Jesus. There was also a sermon about grasping grace and being eternally grateful to our Lord Jesus for providing it for us. Now that we have been renewed and lifted up by Christ, we are better equipped to go and preach the gospel to whomever God brings to us.

Terrific Lake Tahoe
By Mike Ferranti

Boy, did the weekend Celebration of Christ in Lake Tahoe bring back memories of the many feasts at Squaw Valley! The air was still fresh with the smell of Ponderosa pine and the lake was still clean and beautiful. We enjoyed the sun in the day and the moon coming over the mountains at dusk to reflect at night on Lake Tahoe. The messages were fantastic. Speakers included Larry Shamus, Mel Dahlgren, Mike Swagerty, and Steve Smith. Their sermons were uplifting to the whole congregation. We had the joy and love of Jesus flowing over us. We not only felt good but we had a great time. It was great to see brethren we have known for years. Everybody had a terrific time at Lake Tahoe!

Sunny San Jose
By Linda Smith

Beautiful weather was enjoyed by those that attended our local Fall Festival celebrations September 29-October 2.

Saturday after our worship service we met for lunch at Home Town Buffet.

Sunday we drove to Carmel. We started with breakfast at a local restaurant, then looked around in some of the shops. Georgia Masiewicz discovered that there was a fiesta going on at the Mission in Carmel that day with musical entertainment, food and local artisan booths. We looked around there for a while and toured the Mission. On the way home, we stopped for more shopping at the Gilroy Outlet Mall.

Monday we had a Bible study with Pastor Mel and Warren Hill at a local park discussing the fullness of the love of God. We had a picnic lunch, then Jo Barnard taught us a new domino game.

Tuesday was another Bible study lead by Warren Hill and we discussed the book of I Peter. After that we all went to lunch at the Olive Garden. At the park a group of teenage girls seemed interested to see what we were doing. We invited them to join us, but they didn't. One said she went to church, but did not read the Bible.

So our San Jose festival was sunny and bright! Full of food, fun, fellowship, and God's love!

Spectacular Seaside
By Brad Mann

The coastal community of Seaside, Oregon provided a scenic venue for an inspirational Festival celebrating Jesus Christ. Seaside is located 79 miles from Portland in the Northwest corner of the state.

The Festival featured workshops in addition to sermons from pastors within the region. The concluding sermon of the Festival was delivered by District Superintendent Guy Engelbart, who spoke about "The Assurance of Eternal Life," from Matthew 22:1-14. Special guest speakers included Seaside Mayor, Rosemary Baker-Monaghan, and Vaughn LeMoss, Northwest Director of non-profit Christian ministry "Open Doors."

Once again the members at the Seaside Festival contributed to The Clatsop Community Action Food Bank, which provides food to about 3,000 people monthly in Clatsop County. Last year Festival attendees donated about 2,000 pounds of food and over $4,500 in cash. All who attended spectacular Seaside had a wonderful time!

Poem submitted by Carolyn Hall

This Moment

I may never see tomorrow.
There's no written guarantee,
And things that happened yesterday
Belong to history.
I cannot predict the future.
I cannot change the past.
I have just the present moment.
I must treat it as my last.
I must use this moment wisely,
For it soon will pass away.
And be lost to me forever,
As a part of yesterday.
I must exercise compassion,
Help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless,
Make an empty life complete.
The unkind things I do today
May never be undone.
And friendships that I fail to win
May never more be won.
I may not have another chance
On bended knees to pray
And thank God with humble heart,
For giving me this day.

Anonymous

New Discipleship Director

Chester and Mary Harris have agreed to coordinate our Discipleship Ministry, an area of service that was left vacant when the Orr family moved from San Jose in June. A special blessing was asked on the Harris family during church services a couple of months ago. It was our prayer that God guide them in this new undertaking.

The Harris family resides in Morgan Hill. They have 3 lovely daughters who reside in the Silicon Valley area, Ramona, Rita, and Rhea. Rhea is presently attending college in Santa Barbara. Known for their love and wisdom, Chester and Mary have been pillars in our San Jose fellowship for many years.

The Harris' have begun by instituting and encouraging participation in our local Bible Classes, which occur before and after church services. Each attendee is given a weekly study guide that helps them prepare for the class. The focus of the Bible Classes is Jesus. Participation has been great! They are also planning to have additional classes on various subjects, so if you have any ideas, they would be glad to hear them.

Thanks to Chester and Mary for taking on this responsibility. Let's keep them in our prayers. And why not attend one of the classes? You'll be glad you did.

Best Wishes and Bon Voyage to:

The Voss family, Charles, Martha, Chelsea, Melissa and Zachary moved to Nevada. They promised to come visit.

Bob Helwig, pictured here with friends Elise Wilhoyt, Luella Rousseau, John Sherrod, Luanna Leisure and Dave Essenmacher. Bob and his wife Evonne have moved to Oregon.

Debi Dobbek is in France with the California State University International Program. She is majoring in French and will attend a university there for a year.

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