In Transition
Personnel: To:
Edward Allen Concord
Martin Rho Carolina Conference
James Costa
Delbert Curry
Einar Haugen
Ellen Haugen
Retiring after 40 years
Retiring after 40 years
Retiring after 35 years
Retiring after 29 years
From:
Citrus Heights
Sacramento Korean
Principal, Hayward
School
Orangevale
Alameda
Secretary, Sabbath
School Ministries
Father and Son Reunited After 65 Years
The phone rang. ‘Hello. My
name 1S Edwin Nelson, and | am
not a member of your church, but
I wonder if you could help me.
One of your church members
Grass Valley Grows as Result of Community Outreach
The Grass Valley Church re-
cently completed a study of the
entry events and pathways that
were most helpful to people join-
ing the church. Pastor Ed Wilson
indicated that the survey was
based on the last 100 people to be
baptized into the church over a
time span of about five years.
“The most helpful ‘entry event’
was Sabbath school,’ Pastor Wil-
son states. Of those surveyed, 39
of the 100 people indicated that
Sabbath school was their most sig-
nificant first contact with the
church. Worship services, Bible
studies, health seminars, and the
It Is Written television ministry
were also listed as significant, with
an average of about 10 people list-
ing each of these as their first con-
tact with the church.
The Quiet Hour
now in
Fort Bragg
KPMO, 1300
6:30 a.m. Sundays
and
KMFB-FM, 92.7
9 a.m. Sundays
In the pathways that lead peo-
ple from a first contact to joining
the church, Pastor Wilson indi-
cated that Bible studies and bap-
tismal groups, as would be ex-
pected, were the most effective.
Perhaps the most important and
interesting result of the study was
to discover that 54 of the 100 indi-
cated that they had no close Sev-
enth-day Adventist connection
prior to joining the church. “This
finding is significant,” Philip
Follett, president of the Northern
California Conference, said, ‘‘be-
cause It indicates that the Grass
Valley Church is growing more as
a result of reaching the communi-
ty than biological growth. This is
necessary if a church is to survive.”
News From Here and There
SEVENTEEN BAPTIZED AT
HAYFORK—AIthough two weeks
before Thanksgiving is not con-
sidered swimming weather in the
mountain towns of Trinity Coun-
ty, 10 brave and rejoicing in-
dividuals were baptized in cold,
clear Hayfork Creek by Myron
Tait, pastor of the Hayfork and
Lewiston churches. Seven others
were baptized that same afternoon
in a member's hot tub. The
weather was extremely cold and
overcast, but the Lord held the
rains until the baptisms were over.
After five weeks of meetings by
Lay Evangelist Les Gann and his
Prophecy Odyssey Crusade, the
members of Havfork thanked the
Lord for reaping such a wonderful
harvest of new church members.
SPECIAL GUEST DAYS IN
MARCH —Special guest days for
Northern California Conference
churches are being planned for the
last three Sabbaths in March of
1984. During this period It Is
Written will broadcast a three-
part series-on ‘What Are Seventh-
day Adventists?’ The special
guest days are to maximize the ex-
posure the church will receive
from these telecasts. The Pastor’s
Advisory of the Conference felt
that providing special services and
then following up in April with
evangelism series or seminars is an
ideal way to turn visitors into
members.
West Speaks for Prophecy Series
A Prophecy Series of evangelis-
tic meetings at the Civic Auditori-
um was sponsored by Hilo Church
September 30 to October 23 night-
ly except Mondays and Thursdays.
Thirty-three were baptized at the
conclusion of the series.
On opeining night, guest
speaker Harold West lectured
before an audience of 400. Among
the lectures were ‘All Eyes East,”
“Armageddon,” ‘‘Day the Sky
Explodes,”” and ‘‘God, How It
Hurts.”
All topics were based on a
survey of non-church members,
and a professional agency handled
the publicity.
Each evening’s program opened
with the singing of Evangelist
David Peterson. Several ukulele
numbers also were presented by
church members.
Evangelist West, . ministerial
director and evangelism coor-
dinator of Central California
Conference, has lectured on Bible
prophecy around the world during
the last 20 years, especially in the
Far East.
This crusade was coordinated
by the evangelism committee
under Chairperson Matthew
Chow and Vice Chairperson
Ralph Neidigh overseeing nine
major committees and their sub-
committees involving 90 people.
Also assisting was Benjamin
Leialoha, pastor of the Waipahu
Church.
Hawaii Conference
Shigenobu Arakaki, president; M. E.
Heinrich, secretary; Robert Frost,
treasurer; (Box 4037, Zip Code
96813), 2728 Pali Highway, Hono-
lulu, Hawaii 96817. Phone 524-3160.
Christian Women Form Organization
“I want to see a group of Chris-
tian women . . . gathering . . . shar-
ing . . . inspiring . . .”’
So, today there is such a group.
President Rose Teruya, who voiced
her thought, put into operation
the newest group in the Hawaii
Conference last year. She opens
the Kaneohe youth chapel the first
Wednesday of each month to a
group of women for social and
spiritual sharing.
PACIFIC UNION RECORDER / JANUARY 9, 1984
spiritual sharing.
At 10:30, Hostess Harriet
Yafuso greets each lady with her
homemade creative name tag. The
white guest book is signed, and a
devotional is given by Chaplain
Julita Antone.
DeeDee Nelson shares her tech-
nique of how to read a Bible
passage and get the most out of it.
She asks, ‘“What is the subject?
Rose Teruya is president of the newest group operating in the Hawaii
Conference—a group of women who meet monthly for social and
from Pleasant Hill Church, Ed
Hines, is a friend of mine. We
have worked together at the elec-
tronics plant in Concord for 20
years. He told me about a church
paper you publish that might be
able to help me with a problem.”
The phone call placed to the
local RECORDER office in Pleas-
ant Hill began a chain of events
that has changed Edwin Nelson’s
life.
Edwin, a resident of Concord,
was 21 years old when his mother
told him that he had not seen his
real father since he was seven
months old. The father he knew
was a stepfather and had never
adopted him. His mother would
not answer any questions about
his real father, and it was not until
after her death, some 15 years
ago, that Edwin began a sporadic
search for his real father.
Meanwhile, James Nelson had
ra
HELEN ROBINSON, member
of the Roseville Church, set a goal
of $100 for Investment in 1983, but
she reached that goal long before
the year ended. Helen collects
cans of every size and turns them
into beautiful wall hangings.
Helen's husband, Jim, also col-
lects alumninum cans and turned
in over $50 for Investment before
the year’s end. Their dedication of
time and talents for the Lord is
earning dollars for the truth of
God’s Word to go to unentered
areas of the world.
Hawaii . . . Hawaii . . .
Who are the main characters?
What does this reading tell me of
God’s love to me?’ She has
presented gems on the first two
chapters of the book of John.
The main feature follows this
Bible study. In November, Naomi
Yamashiro related her story of the
crises in the life of her eldest son,
Duane. ‘‘Don’t go ahead of the
Spirit when you ask for guidance,’
she counseled. ‘‘Listen, really
listen.”’ Fourteen scripture prom-
ises were counted as she shared
her story. Today, with her com-
plete family in the love of Christ,
Naomi is an inspiration to all to
follow in the counsel of the Spirit
and not trust their own insight and
instinct.
In December, Greta Jones from
Color I Associates suggested that
members be observant as to how a
color really looks before making it
a part of them. Each has the abili-
ty to affect a person’s reaction to
her by the color she wears.
remarried and had three sons and
a daughter. During that time,
however, he had not forgotten his
firstborn child, Edwin. He had
devoted much time in the search
for his son, reading and placing
advertisements in newspapers—
even appearing on a TV show
designed to help to reunite lost
family members—but to no avail.
It was Edwin, though, who
would find his father, in what he
had decided would be his final ef-
fort.
Edwin knew only two things
about his father—that he had
been a member of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, and that he
was last remembered living in
Keene, Texas. This precious infor-
mation he had obtained from his
mother’s brother.
After writing letters and coming
up with only frustration, Edwin
discussed his problem with his
Christian friend Ed Hines. Ed
suggested that he place an ad
through the RECORDER office
in the Southeastern Record, the
Church paper that covers the
Texas area. That issue came out in
September.
Five days later he went home
during his lunch hour, something
he rarely does. ‘I wasn’t home
five minutes before the phone
rang,”’ he remembered.
It was John D. Nelson, also 65
years old, claiming to be his
cousin. John now lives in Fair
Oaks, California, only an hour’s
drive from Edwin’s home. For-
merly members of the Seventh-
day Adventist church in Keene,
Texas, the John Nelsons had con-
tinued to subscribe to the Sourh-
eastern Record.
‘““He said he knew as soon as he
read the ad,” marveled Edwin.
The cousin wasn’t sure of his
uncle’s current address. But a few
days later Edwin received a call
from Violet Voss of Woodson
Terrace, Missouri, who told him,
with tears, that she was his sister
and that his father, now 91 years
old, was in a nursing home in
Sikeston, Missouri. He was anx-
ious to meet his long-lost son.
Over the phone, Violet and her
brother compared the notations
on the backs of the only baby pic-
tures either had of Edwin. The
notations were identical.
It was a grand reunion that
followed, joining Edwin Nelson
with 20 members of his new fami-
ly, and his father.
No words were spoken, said Ed-
win; he and his father ‘just
hugged.”
Because of the care Ed Hines
showed to a fellow worker, many
hearts were made happy; and the
Edwin Nelson family has found a
caring church in Pleasant Hill.
Remember
LIBERTY
January 21