All Nations Church Supports Health & Wellness
BY ARAYA MOSS
This September, All Nations church collaborated with Loma Linda University (LLU) and Adventist Health Glendale (AHG) to host a community health day Sabbath to celebrate health workers and showcase health careers.
The morning worship service featured LLU students and a message from Dexter Frederick, M.D., LLU School of Medicine associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion. A lunch and learn with a health career panel discussion followed the morning service. Panelists featured health professionals in different stages of their careers who took the opportunity to share about their experience in their fields and answer any questions asked by attendees. After the panel discussion, the health fair portion of the event began, providing services such as dental exams, vaccines, and other screenings available from AHG’s mobile health unit. The L.A. County Public Health department also brought in a team of trainers who gave Hands-Only CPR, Narcan (reversing opioid overdose), and Stop the Bleed (bleed control) trainings.
As the health ministry director at All Nations, Melissa Eusebio has wanted to host a health fair for a long time. Through encouragement and support from Eustace Laurie III, pastor, and other leaders of the church, Eusebio and her team went to task, with plans developing as early as March.
“First and foremost, we aimed to be of service to the local Monrovia community,” Eusebio said. “We wanted to help any families in the neighborhood who wanted health screenings and vaccines but didn’t have access to them. But having Loma Linda University as a partner in planning our event added another dimension because they were able to share exciting information on health careers as well.”
A significant outcome of this health day was making a connection with Santa Fe Middle School, located just around the corner from the church. The school was part of the church’s outreach to local middle school, high school, and college students. This event, combined with a recent school supply drop off All Nations coordinated, has led to the middle school reaching out to collaborate planning a holiday food distribution together.
“For me, this was just the start,” Esuebio said. “I hope that with the partnerships we’ve formed, we can consistently be a resource for our community and they’ll find our church to be a valuable part of their lives.”
Community Connection Emphasized at Thousand Oaks Church
BY ARAYA MOSS
At Thousand Oaks church, there is always a host of activities taking place each week to bring the community together.
“Everything we do is open to the community,” said Jonathan Clark, Thousand Oaks church senior pastor. “We’re hoping to be a community church under the umbrella of the Adventist church.”
On Tuesdays, Thousand Oaks serves between 175-200 families through its food distribution program, partnering with Food Share of Ventura County. Dedicated volunteers prep on Monday and help distribute and clean up Tuesday. Later that evening, the church hosts a social dinner open to anyone interested in attending. About 10-20 regulars gather to share a meal, talk about what’s going on in each other’s lives, and pray together.
Mid-week is typically left open; however, in the summers when Pathfinders are on break, Wednesdays bring something unique—Pathfinders for adults. Members can learn the same honors taught in the youth Pathfinders program.
Prayer meeting is on Thursday, where members pray for prayer requests from the church as well as the requests that come for the community prayer box located in front of the church, which was first placed there in 2020.
Once a month on Fridays, the church hosts a worship service called Pneuma. This gathering is a discussion-based worship experience where a spiritual subject is presented and people break into small groups to talk through the subject and share a meal.
Every other Friday, the church hosts a kids craft night. A professional artist designs a project with a spiritual tie-in, and the kids spend time coloring and painting. According to Clark, the Kids Krafts program has become one of their most popular activities and has contributed to the growth of their children’s ministry. What started with 5-10 kids has grown to 25-30 children who continue to invite their friends each time.
Lastly, a “lunch and learn,” a time in which a member leads out in different spiritual discussions connected to the sermon series that is preached, takes place during potluck on the first and third Sabbath.
“When I first started at Thousand Oaks, folks that lived around us didn’t know we were a church but part of the botanic gardens next to us,” said Clark. “As a result of Food Share and the different programs that we’ve developed, the community knows we’re a church that’s purposeful in serving the community.”
