Adventurers Hit the Road

On Sunday, October 2 almost 200 children riding bicycles and tricycles attended the 2022 Adventurers Bike Derby. The event is held annually to offer a safe venue for Adventurers to earn their cycling award of riding five miles or more.

The bevy of riders with their bikes and trikes met on the campus of Sacramento Academy to ride around the running track, with a smaller course for younger children.

Barry van Iderstein, children’s ministries director said, “The event was a huge success. This was the first derby in three years due to the pandemic, so we were blessed to have such wonderful participation and spectacular weather for the event.”

Student Leaders Meet at Leoni Meadows

Recently, 190 student leaders with 90 sponsors and staff members from around the Pacific Union Conference attended the Student Leadership Conference at Leoni Meadows.

The event is held every year and student leaders engage in leadership activities, gain inspiration from featured speakers, and network with their peers.

According to one student participant, “Everyone here is singing and participating, and they are asking, how can we get the kids at our school to participate like this?”

Nick Sigler, student association sponsor from Rio Lindo said, “This conference is an opportunity for campus leaders to "network, conspire, and come back to school ready to brainstorm."

One Rio student leader reflected, “It was great to be back at Leoni. We’ve not only had fun, but we have learned how to be better leaders through service, including washing the feet of my friends.”

Vegetarian Food Truck Event for Community

The NCC Young Adult Department is constantly developing new and practical ways to connect with the community.

One creative event will be a vegetarian and vegan food truck extravaganza in the NCC headquarters parking lot in Roseville. This community-relevant event will take place on Sunday, October 16, from 11 AM to 3 PM.

Organizer and pastor of the Woodland church Dan Garza expressed, “Our team is expecting so many young adults at our holistic health conference, we decided to share the love of Jesus with the surrounding community by using food. With a $20 internet advertisement we received over 300 requests for information on the event! What better way to engage the community and promote healthy living than to invite the whole town?"

Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation

From September 15 to October 15, as a nation, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The 2022 national theme is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. This theme encourages all voices to be represented and welcomed to help build stronger communities and a stronger nation.

In 1968, Hispanic Heritage Week began under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover 30 days starting September 15. In recognition, we would like to highlight the Hispanic work in our territory.

The first Spanish-speaking church was organized in Oakland in 1925 by lay evangelist Rudolfo Limas, a Portuguese sailor. This church disappeared from the written records, but the gospel message spread, and new churches were established in St. Helena, Hayward, Fairfield, Lodi, and Stockton.

By 1978, following a major evangelistic campaign in the Bay Area led by Eliezer Benavides, then Pacific Union Hispanic Coordinator, another Spanish church was organized in Oakland. Together with the other five churches, the collective membership was 475 people.

Since then, the growth rate of Hispanic work has increased exponentially, with 3,350 members by the end of 2021, several church plants, and missional groups throughout Northern California. As the 2022 national theme implies, united we are stronger.