Heritage Family News - Sierra Vista Baptist Church

Go Tell i t on th e Mountai n
Heritage Family News
A Publication of Sierra Vista Baptist Church
O c t o b e r / N o ve m b e r 2 0 14
Welcome
Pastor and Mrs. Harold Thornsberry!
Our new pastor was called and accepted the call as pastor of
Sierra Vista Baptist Church
on Sunday, September 28, 2014.
What a wonderful harbinger of things to come!
Thank You Search Committee – 30 September, 2014
P
It has been my
privilege to work
with this very
capable, Spirit-led
team.
lease join me in thanking our pasto- She sent acknowledgements to every
ral search committee upon the call
candidate that submitted a résumé,
of Harold Thornsberry to pastor our
again when candidates submitted their
church. They are Mr. Joe Casey, Mrs.
pastoral placement form, and again
Joye Redding, Mr. Patrick Thompkins,
when the committee reached a decision
and Mrs. Shirley Williams. Patrick had on the candidate. Fay distributed the
to withdraw when called to pastor the
résumés and pastoral placement forms
Palominas Baptist Church. The comto committee members. Fay also premittee reviewed over 30 resumes, over
pared letters informing the five remain10 detailed pastoral placement forms,
ing candidates under consideration of
contacted the references provided by six the call of Pastor Harold Thornsberry
candidates and interviewed four candi- to pastor our church.
dates, three by phone.
It has been my privilege to work with
Fay Schoen served as the committee’s this very capable, Spirit-led team.
secretary. Fay monitored the church
August R. Jaxel, Elder
web page and responded to every query. Sierra Vista Baptist Church
And thank you, August Jaxel, for your dedication and hard work getting all of this put together.
Calendar of Events
Prayer Service each week at 6:30 p.m.
Oct 12: Operation Christmas Child
Shoeboxes handed out
Oct 17-18:SV Community Chorus Gospel
Concert
Nov 6-7: CareNet Fundraising Banquet
Nov 9:
Shoebox collection Sunday at
SVBC
Nov 17-24:Area collection week for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
Nov 30: Decorate church for Christmas
(Also, we will have a Thanksgiving Dinner at
the church. Date and details to follow.)
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Awana Calendar of Events
Awana at 6:00 p.m. Each Wednesday
Oct 8: VIP (Very Important Parent)
Parents are invited to join us
Oct 22: Operation Christmas Child contest Starts
Oct 29: Western Night – Clubbers earn
100 points for team. No guns or
knives
Nov 1: Hikc at Ramsey Canyon
Nov 12: Count your blessings Night
Nov 19: Be a blessing Night
Nov 26 No Awana, Happy Thanksgiving
We Welcome You! – Compiled by Fay Schoen, Editor
Pastor Harold was born on July
9, 1946, in Vancouver Washington.
Vicki was born on July 11, 1966, in Bell,
California. They met at West Anaheim
Church of the Nazarene in Anaheim,
California, and were married on July 9,
1966, in Vista California.
They have two grown, married children, and four grandchildren. Cherith is
42 and is married to Lyle Bray. They live
in Corona, California, with their children, Micah, age 19, Kara, age 17, and
Chloe Joy, age 13. Cherith is a full-time
mom and caregiver for Chloe who has
cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Lyle
is an elementary school teacher, teaching
4th grade. David is 39 and is married to
Joo Lee. They live in Ladera Ranch, California, with their daughter, Ella, age 5.
He is a Physician’s Assistant in a dermatology clinic in Laguna Hills, California.
His wife is a full-time mom.
Pastor Harold was ordained in 1993
by the Oasis Christian Fellowship where
Vicki was church secretary. They come
to us with a wealth of experience and
wisdom.
1967-1968: U.S. Army, stationed at
Fort Huachuca and lived two miles from
Huachuca Oaks Christian Camp. They
were members of the First Church of the
Nazarene.
1969-1980: Youth Director, teacher, and
many other positions at West Anaheim
Nazarene and Calvary Chapel.
1980-1988: Associate Pastor then
Senior Pastor at Temple Baptist Church
in Perris, California. He was the admin-
istrator and Christian Education Director of a K-12 Christian School, with 425
students where Vicki was the administrative secretary for the church.
1995-2012: Founding Pastor of
Cross Winds Community Church
serving 2,000-3,000 people through
Recovery Group Homes with Bible
studies, classes, and church services.
They also had a food bank with about a
million pounds of food distributed per
year. They had programs that dealt with
homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse,
prostitution, and immigration/citizenship. Vicki was also administrative
secretary and graphic designer at Cross
Winds California.
2014-Present: Establishment of Cross
Winds ministry in Sierra Vista. They
operate a Thrift Store, which provides
the funds for two halfway houses in
Hereford. Vicki also teaches the Bible
and does one-on-one mentoring at the
Cochise County Jail.
As you heard in his sermon on
September 28, Pastor Harold has three
priorities for the Church: Worship,
Equip, and Evangelize. How is that
done? PRAYER, Evangelism, Discipleship, Home groups, and Stewardship. So
put on your running shoes, and let’s get
behind him as we continue this journey.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have
apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are
ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 3:13-14.
. . . forgetting
those things
which are
behind . . .
I press toward
the goal for the
prize of the
upward
call of God in
Christ Jesus.
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Deaconess Committee – by Joye Redding
O
Look for
announcements
of a
Welcoming Event
for the
Thornsberrys.
n Sunday, August 31, the
Deaconesses organized a Cookout at the Holiday Club House after
the morning church service. Everyone
bought their own meat to grill and lots
of good food to share. We thank Gary
Carmichael for being our grill master. As always, he did a wonderful job. We
filled the tables in the ball room and
several on the porch. A good time of
fellowship followed as some people
took advantage of the swimming pools
and others enjoyed the wonderful
weather. This event has become an annual happening for our church family.
We are now planning for upcoming
events. Look for announcements of a
Welcoming Event for the Thornsberrys.
In November, we plan to have a
Thanksgiving Potluck dinner on a
Sunday after church. On November
30, we will decorate the church for
Christmas in the evening. That
will include a time of fellowship.
We are remembered for our
times of fellowship and food, but
that is not all we do. We are re-
If you would like to contribute to this publication, we
would love it! (All submissions are subject to editing
and screening by Pastor Harold). We accept articles,
testimonies, recipes, jokes, puzzles, classifieds . . . .
For December, would you consider writing me (Fay)
a paragraph or two of your “Best Christmas Ever”?
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sponsible for the Prayer Chain, used to
inform the Church Family of prayer or
other needs. We want to thank Pamela
Carmichael for heading this up in the
past and Patty Leiendecker for taking
it over. If you ever have a need, or know
of one, call Patty at 432-3337. Most
families are reached by e-mail, but a few
get an old-fashioned telephone call.
We also send cards and flowers to those
who are sick or have a special need. We
prepare the Communion elements, help
with Baptisms, provide meals as needed,
and give gifts to the church family on
special occasions. We are also responsible for getting volunteers for the
Nursery during the Morning Worship
Service. We need volunteers for this.
Awana Mission and Importance – by Gary Carmichael, Commander
I
want to share a little bit about the
mission of Awana and the overall
importance of parents in a clubbers life.
First, let’s understand what Awana’s
mission is: “To work with our ministry
partners in creating and disseminating
integrated programs, tools, and training
that equips leaders to evangelize and
disciple children and youth for Christ.”
Awana’s prayer is: “That all children
and youth throughout the world will
come to know, love, and serve the Lord
Jesus Christ.” Awana is a program of
the church. Just like Sunday school,
VBS, and Bible studies, it should work
in tune with all of the church programs
and ministries to share the Gospel of
Christ, and train them to serve Him.
We must look at Awana as important, not just to clubbers, but also
to their families. Making a viewable
difference in a clubber’s life is great;
making a viewable difference in a family
is shining God’s light in a wider place.
II Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved,
a workman who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the
word of truth.”
Christ taught me through the Awana
ministry that not just kids matter to
God, but people matter to God; do
they matter to you, to me? You and I
will put our time in things that matter to us; Awana can reach out to that
clubber/child who has no one else to
reach out to them. In Mark 10:1-16,
what were Jesus and his disciples doing
when the parents brought the children
to Jesus? Jesus was in a house teaching
His disciples when people (presumably
parents) started bringing their young
children to Him for His blessing.
Apparently it irritated the disciples,
and they rebuked the parents. Because
we know the whole story, it’s easy for
us to judge the disciples. The Bible says
he was much (greatly) displeased or
indignant. Jesus’ response demonstrated
His prioritization of drawing children
near to Him. The disciples prioritized
adult subjects rather than children who
needed to be brought to Jesus!
According to George Barna in his
book Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, the probability of accepting Jesus Christ as Savior is highest
before age 14. We don’t have the luxury
of time. There will always be matters for
discussion, but even critically important
matters can be set aside to bring a little
one to Jesus. Bringing a person of any
age to Jesus is always the most important thing, and because we know it is
children who are most likely to accept
Jesus, we must be diligent about reaching them. Weekly, the leaders reinforce
what God teaches in the bible, hopefully reinforcing the parent authority,
which God has given to all parents.
The probability
of accepting
Jesus Christ
as Savior is
highest before
age 14.
Continued Next Issue
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Huachuca Oaks Update 9-30-14 – Steve Engram, SWCC
As the
Huachuca Oaks
Camp Board
we have a
fiduciary
responsibility
both to our
association of
churches,
and to the
5 previous
owners.
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As many of you have been made aware,
Southwest Church Connection is in
the process of putting Huachuca Oaks
Camp up for sale. We know that the
camp has had a significant ministry
in the southern part of our state for
around 50 years. This has been a very
difficult decision for the Huachuca
Oaks Camp board, which is made up
of pastors and camp leaders. We have
explored many different scenarios and
possibilities trying to find a different
outcome for the camp so that it could
continue on in the same way and under
the same leadership that it has in the
past. Sadly, there has been a lot of miscommunication about the reasons for
this decision, the present financial state
of the camp and the potential growth of
the camp in the future. So I thought it
might be helpful to you if I could give
you some of the background and facts
to help you understand the reasoning
behind the decision and to allow you to
pray for the future of the camp.
In March of 2013, the five churches
that owned Huachuca Oaks camp contacted the SWCC to see if we would
take over ownership and management
of the camp. In the three years prior
to that time the camp had lost around
$50,000. If the SWCC had not accepted the offer, the camp would most
likely have closed in 2013. Bills were
not getting paid and it was putting the
camp in great jeopardy and risk. As an
Association that works with churches,
we do not have an unlimited resource
of funds available to us, which we made
abundantly clear, but we agreed that we
would make an effort to try and turn
the camp around with the limited resources that we had available to us. This
effort has included financial assistance,
coaching from our director at Prescott
Pines on a weekly basis along with
increased publicity throughout our
Associational communications.
In the year that we have owned the
camp, we have invested more than
$50,000, which has all been spent.
Looking ahead at the fall of 2014 and
winter of 2015 our projections are a
shortfall of another $25,000-$40,000
simply to get us to the summer of 2015.
When we made the decision to sell the
camp in July, on the books for the first
3 months of 2015 were a grand total of
3 weekend reservations. We had only
one camp under actual contract for all
of 2015. The sad reality is we also saw
about a 30% drop in the attendance
during the 4 weeks of camp we ran
during June this year over those same
camps in 2013.
As the Huachuca Oaks Camp Board,
we have a fiduciary responsibility
both to our association of churches,
(whose money we are using to try
and support the camp) and to the 5
previous owners. When the camp is
sold, loans have to be paid back, then
the proceeds will be used to help the
See HOCC on Page 8
Veritas
J
ason Tinney is eight weeks into the
new school year and is doing very
well as the new Head of the School.
Karen Bolton has been a great help to
him. She teaches Logic and Rhetoric
in the morning and is very flexible in
helping out where needed in other areas. She is there to answer Mr. Tinney’s
questions when needed. He is praising
the Lord that they have 108 students.
A group of Veritas parents and
interested individuals met last week
and formed a resolution to meet once
a week to develop a long-range plan
which includes forming four or five
strategic goals for the school over the
next five years, including a permanent
facility. They will also work toward
developing the tasks required to meet
those goals. Let us pray for these Godly
men and women as they work toward
accomplishing these goals. This is
to fulfill the ultimate goal of Veritas
Christian Community School: “To
provide a complete classical and Christian education with students capable of
representing themselves and Christ well.
This is a complete program with each year
building upon the previous year.”– Taken
from the Veritas website.
Just what is the need for a Classical
Christian Education? For those of us
older citizens, we might not realize it,
but we probably had a classical education of sorts when we went to school,
Christian
Community
School
even in the public school.
The older teachers in our
midst probably, to a point,
had a classical education
approach to our teaching. Following are some
thoughts I have on my
perception of why we need
to be so very careful with
our children’s education.
Wikipedia’s Definition of
a Christian Worldview
1. An explanation of the
Jason Tinney
world
Head of the School
2. An eschatology, answering the
question “where are we heading?”
3. Values, answers to ethical questions:
“What should we do?” In this context,
“What would Jesus do?”
4. A praxeology, or methodology, or
theory of action.: “How should we attain
our goals?”
Jason Tinney
5. An epistemology, or theory of knowlis eight weeks
edge. “What is true and false?” (See, for
into the new
example John 18:38)
6. An etiology. A constructed world-view
school year
should contain an account of its own
“building blocks,” its origins and construction.
A Classical Education:
“A classical education is a liberal arts
education, meaning it is broad in its
scope, taking into consideration how
See Veritas on Page 8
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HOCC – Continued from Page 6
We have to be
good stewards of
the Lord’s money
and resources
that have been
entrusted to us.
original 5 owner churches, a legacy gift
will be given to Prescott Pines camp to
enhance camping ministry there and
some will be used to promote church
health and church plants throughout
the southwest region of the United
States. We have wrestled with many
things trying to find a different outcome for the camp other than the one
that we are doing, but we believe it is
the only viable direction that we have.
We have to be good stewards of the
Lord’s money and resources that have
been entrusted to us.
I know that the reasons “why” a decision is made doesn’t take the sting out
of the ramifications of the decision. But
I do hope that at least it will give you
some understanding as to the reasoning
behind this and you would also understand that this decision was not made
lightly or without a significant effort
to try and make a different outcome. I
would certainly appreciate your prayers
that the Lord might raise up a Christian
group with the resources to purchase
and invest into the camp so that it can
have another great season of ministry as
it has had for the past 40-50 years.
Serving Him,
Steve Engram
Regional Executive SWCC
Veritas – Continued from Page 7
The students
know how to
present what
they know in an
understandable
and persuasive
manner.
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each discipline is intertwined with the
others. A liberal arts education provides
the student with the skills necessary
to pursue any topic with relative ease
because they have acquired the tools of
learning. They know how to think and
analyze various subjects and how to
present what they know in an understandable and persuasive manner. . .”
Taken from the Veritas website.
Veritas teaches the students to think
for themselves, to express their thoughts
well, to stand with Paul, “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.”
Of course we can send our children
to public schools today. But if we haven’t handpicked our teachers, they are
probably taught evolution, tolerance for
everyone and every thing, history that
has been rewritten, truth as it fits our
needs, Grammar only as we need it to
shortcut a text, no need to pursue what
doesn’t make me feel good, etc. Yes, we
parents and grandparents can combat
such teaching, but we also teach our
children to respect our teachers, so who
do they begin to listen to? Proverbs tells
us that as a man thinks in his heart, so
is he.
Operation Christmas Child
T
– compiled by Gary Redding
his year, our AWANA Club, in co-operation with Sierra Vista Baptist
Church, is taking part in Operation Christmas Child. This is a part
of Samaritan’s Purse, an organization that brings joy and hope to children
in desperate situations world-wide through gift-filled shoe boxes and the
Good News of God’s love.
A shoe box filled with small toys and other gifts can open hurting hearts to God’s love.
We are asking all the AWANA kids to take part in this opportunity to give to other kids by bringing items to
put in shoeboxes. We will have a contest between the boys and girls to see which group can fill their tub with
these items.
You may bring your items to Awana now through November 5th.
ITEMS TO BRING
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads
or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
TOYS: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, yo-yos, harmonicas, jump ropes, toys that light up or
make noise ( with extra batteries), Slinky, etc.
HYGIENE ITEMS: toothbrush, toothpaste, bar soap (in a plastic bag), washcloth, etc.
OTHER: hard candy and lollipops, mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry,
watches, flashlights (with extra batteries).
DO NOT INCLUDE
Used or damaged items, war related such as toy guns, knives, or military figures, chocolate or food, out-of-date
candy, liquids or lotions, breakable items, or aerosol cans.
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
The world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to
demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world. This project is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse directed by Franklin Graham. Individuals, families and community groups fill empty shoeboxes
with gifts of toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and notes of encouragement.
After the boxes are prepared for overseas shipment at eight processing centers across the U.S., Samaritan’s
Purse and its partners will deliver the gifts to children in more than 100 countries.
Locally, in Southeastern Arizona, 6,825 boxes were collected in 2013, then shipped off to California to
the distribution center to be packed for sending to a foreign location. The goal this year for Southeastern
Arizona is 7,500. Last year, our church and Awana boys and girls helped fill 45 boxes. This year our goal
is 50 boxes. The boxes will be available to the church family on Sunday, October 12th. They should be
returned on or before Sunday, November 9th. They will then be taken to the regional collection center
at First Christian Church. National collection week is November 17-24. So begin now collecting the
items you want to include in your boxes.
We appreciate all of you who will be participating, and look forward to watching the boxes come in on November 9th. The excitement is building, so don’t miss out on this special project of our church and community.
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Far Out with Fay – Compiled by Fay Schoen, Editor of Heritage Family News
A
s we head toward the midterm
elections and then on to Thanksgiving, let’s forget what our press is
doing to our country; let’s forget that
history has been rewritten, and focus
on Jesus admonition, “Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.”
They had a
bountiful harvest
and a future
that appeared
to be possible.
With God’s help,
it seemed even
probable.
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Massasoit, five deer were added to the
menu.
The feast was not what we think of as
Thanksgiving dinner. There were no potatoes, flour, bread, butter, or pie. Corn
cakes were the bread of the day. Pumpkin was simply boiled, and there was no
gravy of any kind. Some scholars say they
made sauce from wild cranberries. But
there was no sugar. Unless they found
wild honey for sweetener, it would have
The Real Thanksgiving Story
been pretty tart.
Paintings at Pilgrim Hall Museum in
William Bradford and Myles Standish
Plyouth, Massachusetts, depict robust
had much to be thankful for in 1621.
colonists in crisp black and white clothTogether with John Alden, Priscilla
Mullins, and the rest of the Pilgrims who ing. The truth is they probably wore
the best of whatever was available and
founded Plymouth in December 1620,
in a variety of colors. Having survived
they had survived their first brutal New
starvation, illness, cold, and endless toil,
England winter.
According to history reporter Peter F. they probably looked more haggard and
Stevens, writing in The Indianapolis Star, careworn than robust.
But it was a true time of thanksgiving.
only 55 of the more than 100 original
settlers had lived to see the first thaw, but They had survived. They had a bountiful
harvest and a future that appeared to
their summer labors had paid off with
be possible. With God’s help, it seemed
a bountiful harvest. The field yielded
even probable.
such a surplus that Governor Bradford
Think of these people on Thanksgivproclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. He
ing Day. If your year has had problems,
invited the Wampanoag Indians, who
had helped with cultivation of the crops, remember the colonists. They gave
thanks though they survived far worse
to join the colonists’ feast.
than any of us. Thanksgiving Day is time
Four women and two teenage girls
cooked for the colonists and 90 Wampa- to give thanks for what we have and for
the work of those who have gone
noag. They began stoking the fires and
arranging giant kettles as four men were before us, work that
sent to hunt fowl. Gathering fresh game, helped to create the
prosperity we have
oyster, clams, and fish, they were soon
ready to begin. With the arrival of Chief today.
October
2014
any of you live on farms. But many
of you don’t, and when you think of a
farm, you think JUST of cows and cornfields.
But farmers raise all kinds of animals such as
horses, llamas, pigs, or turkeys. And they
grow many different crops such as apples,
cotton, soybeans, tomatoes, roses … almonds.
ALMONDS?
©iStockphoto.com/David T. Gomez
You Grow
In fact, Awana missionaries, Tom and Marti
Chance, live on an almond farm — it’s a family
business, and Tom has lived there since he
was a little kid.
Here are some almond farm facts that I
learned from them.
1.
Almost 80 percent of almonds are grown
in the valley between Bakersfield and
Chico, California.
2.
Almonds need 200 hours of “winter
chilling” to produce the best crop —
but they can’t be TOO cold.
3.
Almond trees are cross-pollinated
by honeybees. (Did you know that
honeybees are dying off and many
farmers are concerned about this —
including almond farmers?) Can you
imagine? California almond farmers
need 1.2 million beehives to pollinate
their trees. If you’d like to buy some
bees for your orchards — a box of bees
costs about $150.00.
4.
Bees don’t fly in the dark. They don’t fly
on windy or rainy days either, or when
the temperature is below 55 degrees.
So the weather has to be JUST RIGHT.
Continued on next page.
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©2014 Awana® Clubs International. This newsletter may be reproduced only by churches registered with Awana. Visit us at awana.org.
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