Anaheim Seventh Day Adventist

 

Special Announcement

Dear Anaheim Church Family,

Due to the recent events with COVID-19, we have decided to suspend church service until further notice.

Please follow Pr. Mark Tatum and our Facebook page for the latest updates!

May we lean on the Lord during these times!

God bless you all!

 

Welcome to the website of the Anaheim Seventh-day Adventist Church. If you are looking for a place to worship, we would be honored to have you join us. We are very close to Disneyland and the surrounding hotels.

We are located at 900 Sunkist St., Anaheim, CA 92806. Our main worship service is on Saturdays at 11:00 AM. We also offer Sabbath School classes for all ages beginning at 9:30 AM. In addition, we offer a Spanish speaking Sabbath School and Devotional service that begins at 9:00 AM.  You can go here to see recent bulletins from our worship services.

Our office hours are Tuesday – Thursday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. For more information, you may contact us via phone at 714.635.0990, or via email at anaheimsda@gmail.com.

Recent Sermons

Pastor’s Update

“Consider the lilies of the field: they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was arrayed as such as these.” Matthew 6:28b-29.

We have an abundance of worries, stresses, and alarmings going on right now. Word on every side seems to be bad. The death toll of Coronavirus has now surpassed that of 9/11. Hospitals are overwhelmed, infection numbers and death numbers climb increasingly every day. Families are not able to have funerals for their deceased loved ones. Numerous other industries and business are cratering, collapsing under losses. Whereas a month ago we may have been stressed with too much work, now many of us are stressed due to lack of work. We don’t know when this will end, how bad it will be, or to what degree or timeframe we will recover.

Yet, in the midst of all this panic (social, immunological, economic), there are the rhythms of nature. The sun has continued to rise. The weather has been lovely since the storms moved out last week. We have enjoyed some beautiful sunsets.* The air is fresh with less pollution. I can hear birds singing as I write this. The picture I posted above are of some cheerful little volunteer yellow flowers that sprang up on the far side of the fellowship hall near the food bank and (soon to be) “Dorcas” clothing distribution center. There were dozens of these that pleasantly surprised me yesterday! Additionally, the lemon trees at our house are budding, with little future lemons showing. And the olive trees in our church courtyard have little bundles of olives that will grow and ripen.

And it made me think: what exactly has collapsed since a month ago? Yes, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the death toll rises daily. That is tragic, warranting tears and prayer. But have food supply lines been affected? Has our government (or any government) been in danger of falling? Do we lie awake at night with a baseball bat fearing an imminent intruder? The answer is no. For the most part we are, and will continue to be, fine. Nature’s cycles are going right on, producing food, producing air for us to breathe, producing warmth and weather patterns… if anything it’s this man-made “house of cards” we’ve made that has partially crumbled. God’s creation goes on just fine despite this microscopic invader.

I don’t mean to be flippant: I know jobs and mouths fed are a big part of this economic system. Please pardon me if I come across as disparaging.

But look what Jesus urged us to return to in the passage quoted above: Nature. Flowers growing, birds flying, God put these things in order, and he knows our needs too. (Matt. 6:32) He who put all things into motion will see to it. We can focus on seeking first God’s righteousness and kingdom (v. 33**).

I hope we will take this crisis as an opportunity to examine our faith, and see if it is based on externals going well, or something more rock-solid. I really want to take this as an opportunity to increase our trust and faith in God. Though dominoes are falling in our society, God is enthroned on high, arrayed in splendor, and nothing will move Him. I actually find it a great relief to get my mind off myself and my problems for a bit and just behold, adore, and worship God.

I pray that you and your families can find peace during this time. Yes, bank accounts are getting scarce, the cupboards may be half empty (as the store shelves are), but God is still our God.

I finish today with some of the closing verses of the book of Habakkuk: (3:17-19)

“Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen, and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Amen. May this be our attitude as well.

And May God bless you and your loved ones going forward.

Sincerely,

Pastor Mark Tatum

* For example, last night, as I was pushing the church dumpsters to the curb, the sunset was stunning! The light clouds were magenta, and I could see the rays of the sun hitting the still snow-capped mountains to our north. I practically wanted to stop and sing the Hallelujah chorus!

** This passage in Matthew 6 is part of the broader ‘do not worry’ section of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Do we dare take Jesus’ advice and actually not worry?