Service in the Community
By Ken Miller
All hands were on deck for the annual community service day for the Northern California Conference (NCC) administrative office workers. Conference office staff filled the Lincoln church multipurpose room to prepare more than 80 monthly food boxes for a line of cars stretching nearly four blocks. Volunteers packed boxes with fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, canned items, and desserts from local food banks and stores. Fresh bread arrived in paper sleeves, adding to the bounty. The bustling process included unloading trucks in a water-brigade style and organizing fruits, vegetables, and other goods in designated areas, ready for assembly.
Upon opening the Lincoln Church Food Bank, the team proceeded with care, warmly greeting each individual and offering a moment of collective prayer as they signed in. Concurrently, other team members worked diligently to load boxes into the waiting vehicles, ensuring the process was organized and considerate. Marc Woodson, president, stated, “Service is at the core of our values in the NCC. It was satisfying and fun to work so hard to help serve our Lincoln church volunteers and see that result put in the hands of their community.”
Weimar University Company Becomes a Church
By Ken Miller
Weimar University company celebrated becoming a church of the Northern California Conference during a special dedication ceremony in November. This event celebrated the church’s growth within the conference and memorialized its ongoing commitment to service and mission. The Weimar choir and orchestra filled the sanctuary with uplifting music during the ceremony. The three NCC officers—Marc Woodson, Jose Marin, and John Rasmussen—presented the church with a membership plaque and gift. This dedication marks a new chapter and reaffirms the church’s mission to serve the Lord and the community.
Zach Reiber Installed at Paradise
By Ken Miller
Zach Reiber was installed as pastor of Paradise church in September. Rudy Peters, NCC African American Ministries coordinator, stated, “There is a fantastic sense of excitement and anticipation from Pastor Reiber and the church congregation about what they will accomplish together through their ministry.”
Reiber started his ministry in NCC territory in 2011 as the assistant pastor of the Pleasant Hill church until he attended seminary training. He earned his Master of Divinity in 2017 from Andrews University and returned to NCC in 2018 as the pastor of the Yuba City church.
Reiber commented about his new position in Paradise, “My family and I are so blessed to be welcomed in by such a warm and loving community. The ministry leaders here desire to earnestly seek God’s will and head passionately in that direction.” Reiber shares his life with his wife, Yvette, to whom he has been married for 14 years. Together, they take great delight in raising their three-year-old daughter, Caroline.
Commitment to Community Service Leads to Baptisms
By Ken Miller
The Sutter Creek church celebrated a significant milestone as seven individuals committed their lives to Christ through baptism in late 2024, which added to the growing membership of the Northern California Conference.
Several were drawn to God through personal Bible studies, and others were drawn to God by the service ministries to which the Sutter Creek members are dedicated. One person, Danielle, chose to be baptized before her husband deployed to his military station, while another forewent baptism at the Pathfinder Camporee to be with her church family. Daniel Cramton, head elder, shared, “We witnessed families deepen their faith as parents and children made individual commitments together, with the church members’ constant influence playing a vital role in the baptism of all those who made this commitment. Our church is rejoicing in this moment of growth and celebrating these life-changing decisions.”
