October 13, 2003

“ALTADENA BAPTIST OASIS”
HOMECOMING SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 2, 2003

It’s interesting how many people who have been part of the ABC family over the years have made this church a temporary stopping place on their way to somewhere else. This has been especially true of students who have made this their place of worship and fellowship during their schooling at Fuller Seminary, William Carey University, the Art Center College of Design, Caltech, USC, etc. When people are away from family and roots, their journey can be arid and lonely, and finding the right church can be like coming upon an oasis in the desert.

The primary quality of an oasis is that it has a consistent supply of life-giving water. Thanks to the permanent residents at the Altadena Baptist Oasis, the spring has always been kept open and pure. We are indebted to the dedicated keepers-of-the-well from generations past who have made sure that the Word of God has always been presented here, uncontaminated (as much as possible) by impurities in doctrine or moral teaching. At the same time, we also rejoice that they have been committed to making the Water of Life as satisfying as possible, accentuating its truth with tasty delicacies, such as lively music, youth and children’s activities, and opportunities for social interaction. Those who have been in the church for many years—even generations—are very important to the continual renewal of the oasis as a place for spiritual refreshment and empowerment.

But we’re also thankful for those who have chosen the Altadena Baptist Oasis as a stopping point on their journey from someplace to someplace. As with caravans along a trade route in ancient times, the travelers bring with them stories from exotic places, stories that broaden the world vision of the keepers of the oasis. They may never have been to the ends-of-the-earth, but the ends-of-the-earth have come to them, and their own horizons have been stretched. After a time of good fellowship and mutual growth, the caravans have moved on in every imaginable direction, carrying with them seeds of some of the fruit that grows in the Altadena Baptist Oasis. These seeds of faith have sprouted in the four corners of the earth.

Homecoming Sunday is a day when we invite travelers from previous times to come back, kick off their sandals, and revisit at the oasis. We believe this helps us all to come to a better understanding of our faith journey. Some of our time will be spent sitting around a campfire (OK, a table in Barinaga Hall) sharing memories and updating each other. Some of our time will be spent in prayer and worship around the Lord’s Table, celebrating the Central Fact that binds us together.

Altadena Baptist Oasis seems to be quite permanent, compared to the shifting desert sands of modern life on earth. After all, 2004 will mark the 70th Anniversary of our ministry on this corner. How permanent is that!

Not very. Someday the shifting sands will probably bury the spring here. That’s the way things are in the desert.

You see, we’re all on caravan. “Here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). Our true homeland (“citizenship,” Philippians 3:20) is in heaven. Everything from here to there is desert—spiritual desert. Altadena Baptist Oasis is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. Eternally, that is.
“This world is not my home, I’m just a’ passin’ through . . .”

So, as we meet at the Altadena Baptist Oasis on November 2, let’s remember that we’re all on caravan, encouraging one another in the journey.

–Pastor George Van Alstine

Why Be A Missionary?
Cynthia Sundman, a missionary to a rural village in Peru, had this to say during a talk before a church group in Snohomish, Washington:
“I have struggled to learn Spanish, spent countless weeks sleeping on dirt floors surrounded by rats and bats. In an effort to assimilate into the Peruvian culture, I have had to like and eat tons of rice, fried guinea pigs and roasted ants.
“I get asked a lot about why I chose to be a missionary. I have only one answer, ‘God called me to serve there and I must obey.’”
–From her sermon,
“Where Can I Serve You, Lord?”