All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church of Elk Grove

8280 Elk Grove-Florin Rd.
Sacramento, CA 95829

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ANSDAC NEWS

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Adventist World News

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ANSDAC Honors Her 100-Year-Old Member

Fax: (916) 686-5771

Mrs. Imelda Arreola presents plaque of honor to Agnes Williamson, oldest member of ANSDAC. Click on pictures for larger photos. --->

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9:30 A.M.
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10:45 A.M.
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Pastor's Corner

<--- Jane Turner holds photo of US President & First Lady Bush who sent it with a greeting card for Agnes.

By Jym Tayag, ANSDAC
Posted: 2008-02-18 00:45 PST
Filed Under: ANSDAC NEWS

ELK GROVE, California (Feb.17) - Anyone who meets the oldest member of the All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church (ANSDAC) of Elk Grove cannot help but notice the sharpness of her memory, her precise choice of words, the humor that punctuates her articulate speech, the clarity of her thoughts spontaneously expressed, and the constant smile on her face.

Agnes Williamson, who celebrated her 100th birthday, February 17, 2008, at Bruceville Terrace Elderly Residents Facility in South Sacramento where she currently resides, was honored by her church, Saturday, February 16, during the Church Connect portion of the Divine Worship Service.

A plaque to recognize her long life spent faithfully holding on to her Adventist faith in Jesus was presented by Mrs. Imelda Arreola, wife of Senior Pastor VicLouis Arreola III and ANSDAC Women's and Family Ministries Leader. A corsage was also presented to her in her honor by Jane Turner, a deaconess and the registrar of ANSDAC Bible Correspondence School.

Also in church, Jane, who informed the office of California State Congresswoman Doris Matsui who in turn informed the White house about Agnes' century long life, read for Agnes a greeting card sent by the U.S. President and First Lady, George and Laura Bush. Along with the card, the first couple also sent their photograph with their autographs to her surprise.

At her Bruceville celebration party, ANSDAC members like George Kawakami, Gaudencio and Christa Miguel, Ralph and Delores Reid, Jym and Lyn Tayag, Jane Turner, and Mrs. Arreola, along with some of her personal friends and some nurses and other workers at the elderly facility, graced Agnes with tributes, memories, singing, and gifts. To her surprise, the Strauss Festival Dance Team of Elk Grove also performed Waltz dances for her and her guests.

Agnes, who always wear a smile on her face unless she is suffering from an unbearably excruciating pain, testified before her guests, Adventists and not alike, how she finally found the right church at All Nations."They are exceptionally caring and genuinely friendly!" she boastfully exclaimed.

"Since I moved to this humble home of mine and have been listening to this singing group one Sabbath every month (referring to the ANSDAC singing band), I never even thought they were Seventh-day Adventists.

"I used to stay at the back of the room where they sing for us because I wanted to make sure I shook their hands and made an opportunity for them to talk to me and they did. They stopped and spent time talking to me. So sweet were they that I did not want to miss every chance they were around. As soon as I knew they were Adventists, I asked that I be brought to the front row. One of them who I was sure was not a worker here graciously moved my wheelchair to the front row. I thought, 'how sweet!'

"I wanted to go with them to church every Sabbath but I did not know how and did not want to be a burden to ask anyone to give me a ride with my wheelchair. But that gentleman who moved my wheelchair the first time offered to give me a ride to his church when he knew I wanted to go. That gentleman is George (Kawakami, one of two ANSDAC Co-head deacons) and he has been faithful since to get me and my wheelchair to church."

To George's facial blush, Agnes also excitedly shared to everyone, a lengthy speech about how precious he has been to her since she met him. She also expressed how she has been welcomed very warmly and loved by everyone who she met in the church. "I knew from the first time I came that this should be my church," she added. She now considers ANSDAC "my best church so far in my life."

"One thing that amazes me of you," said ASNDAC Elder and Tell the World Chairman and Outreach Ministry Leader, Jym Tayag, to Agnes, "is that while I am less than half your age and shame on me that I introduced you in church as Alice instead of Agnes the first time you came, you never forgot my name, my wife's name, and everyone's name you met in your lifetime. You can even relate every surrounding detailed circumstance about anyone you know!" "Oh, I thank God for that!" Agnes quickly replied.

"My mom was a resident in this facility also when I met Agnes," related Mary, her Catholic friend in charge of the party, when interviewed by this reporter. "She was just a very sweet lady," she continued, "that she became a very close friend of my mom. She would do things for my mom in spite of them being in the same situation. Since they became friends I saw my mom's face lit more frequently with a smile more than I ever saw before. I knew since then this is a lady I would like to always make happy," proudly explained Mary.

"She does things for me more than a daughter would for her mom. She is just a precious girl," quickly added Agnes of Mary.

Agnes Williamson was born in Arkansas on February 17, 1908. She was a member of the Sacramento Central Seventh-day Adventist Church for 18 years before she met the ANSDAC singing band.

The ANSDAC singing band regularly serves the Bruceville Terrace Elderly Residents every first Sabbath of the month at 2:00 P.M.

The Bruceville Elderly Ministry has been a long time service by the former Elk Grove-Laguna (EGL) Seventh-day Adventist Church which eventually merged with the former Sacramento Japanese-American (SJA) Church to become the present ANSDAC. Upon dissolution of the former singing band led by former EGL member Joan Gray, many church members along with the former EGL Choir, directed by Jym Tayag, continued the ministry. Mendy Dator, an ANSDAC Elder and Sabbath School Coordinator, and his wife, Josie, ANSDAC Associate Treasurer, now leads the ministry under the ANSDAC Tell the World and Outreach Ministry.

Responsible for the arrangement of service scheduling with the facility administration is John Hata, an ANSDAC Elder and a gastro-intestinal physician with the Methodist Healthcare System, an umbrella organization of the Bruceville Terrace facility.

The ministry also enjoys the regular services of two faithful pianists, Maybelle Acebedo and Brent Lindgren, current ANSDAC Music Coordinator and Church Elder, respectively.

When asked by this reporter what is her secret to reach 100 years of age, Agnes excitedly shared, "Simple! Smile to people always! Trust God completely and eat well as God would want you to!" As if forgetting something very important after a brief pause, Agnes quickly joked, "And Oh! No abominable food on my plate please!"

For more of Agnes' life story watch for an article in the coming issue of Elk Grove Citizen.
______________________________

Copyright © 2008. All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church of Elk Grove. All Rights Reserved. The information contained in this ANSDAC news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of the author.
02/18/08 00:45 PST

Dr. VicLouis Arreola III
Senior Pastor

SUNSET >

8:34 pm Friday 8:33 pm Saturday

| HEADLINE NEWS >>

ANSDAC Honors Her Oldest Member Agnes Williamson's 100th Birthday. See Story Above | Pastor Arreola: ANSDAC membership now represents 23 countries | 7 ANSDAC small groups are now active in homes and in church | To join any group and find details about each group click on Church Calendar button | Welcome to our new home page. Thank you for your patience during this reconstruction. We are almost half-finished with the pages. We are working hard to make sure your future experience will be pleasant. Eventually, you will see pages for each Ministry. Thank you for your support - Jym Tayag, webmaster