Our Stories ... testimonials from members of the Burbank Seventh-day Adventist Church
Living our faith is very important, but telling about our faith is just as important. The Scriptures say, "And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? "Romans 10:14 (TLB)
We've found that the best way to put our faith into words, is by telling our own personal stories, as Paul did in Acts 26:1-23. Here are some of our stories. . .
Kelly
My mother introduced me to Adventism in 1984 when I was almost nine-years-old. She raised my brother and me in the church to the best of her ability, considering my father did not share the faith. I was baptized at 13. When I went away to college five years later, however, I did not pursue attending church. I wasn’t a bad kid. I had just chosen to attend a private Baptist university in a very tiny town with the closest Adventist church being an hour away. When I finished graduate school in 2000, I moved to Los Angeles to work for Bank of America. I first tried attending a church in Glendale, but it was too large for me, and parking was an issue. By the time I would get there for the worship service, the parking lot was full, and it was difficult for me to find street parking, as I can’t parallel park! I just never had to in small-town North Carolina where I grew up and learned to drive. Next, I tried attending another church in the city, but I couldn’t even find a parking lot there other than the handicapped lot! After that failed attempt to attend church, it took me four years before I tried again.I was driving down Glenoaks Boulevard under the assumption that the only Adventist church in Burbank was Spanish-speaking when I saw the Burbank church. The sign was in English, and the best part was there was a parking lot right next to it! That Saturday, Valentine’s Day, I decided to give it a try. I walked into the church that day with a lot of hang-ups about God. When I shared those during Bible Study, they weren’t that well received, so I left feeling very irritated and let down by the people at the church. Throughout the rest of that year, however, I had this nagging feeling that I had to get back involved in church. Even with my limited knowledge of prophecy, I could look at the events taking place in the world and see that Jesus Christ would soon be returning to take his people home. I knew that if he came in that moment, I would be lost.
I found the Discover Bible Studies offered by the Adventist church on-line and signed up for them. After completing a few, I was contacted by Rose Thompson, who was my Bible study coordinator and member of the Burbank Seventh-day Adventist church. I shared my first experience with the Burbank church with her, and she told me that if I would come back that I would find it to be a different place.
I returned to this church that upcoming Sabbath, and sure enough, Rose was right. What a wonderful place the Burbank church had become! It was like a family. Everyone gave hugs, and they were interested in helping me with my hang-ups about God. A few months later, I was re-baptized by Pastor Kaatz and made the Burbank Seventh-day Adventist Church my home. Today I serve on staff as the lay pastor for administration. I can’t imagine going to church anywhere else. The Burbank church isn’t like a family, it is a family. . . mine!