Pablo Marquez

Josefina and Pablo Marquez, longtime members of WMC
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Since 1963 the White Memorial family has enjoyed the
company of Josefina, Pablo Marquez and their children.
Both of them received their education in public schools.
Brother Pablo was born in Pueblo, Colorado, but grew up
in El Paso, Tx.
Sister Josefina grew up in a Catholic family, while her
husband spent many long years of his youth seeking
answers in the Mormon Church, the Jehova Witnesses
and other Protestant churches. Then one day sister
Josefina went to see a doctor who led them to the
Adventist truth. They began attending the Spanish
SDA Church in our neighborhood and she received her
baptism in 1953. Brother Pablo soon followed her and
he was baptized in 1955.
The whole family was attending the Spanish church for
a few years, but as their children started to grow up,
the children wanted to attend the White Memorial
Church to be with their English-speaking friends. So
the Marquez family made the decision to transfer their
membership to WMC and they all started attending
services here on a regular basis. On two brief occasions,
they took some time off from WMC to plant two new
churches elsewhere.
Brother Pablo is now retired from a productive career
that began as a professional butcher at the slaughterhouse.
Later on he also worked many years as a meat inspector for
the city's health department. Then towards the end of his
career, he worked for the Southern California Conference
doing maintenance work at different schools.
At WMC he has enjoyed working in the Sabbath School
ministry teaching the primary class. He has also served
as chief deacon and now as a greeter.
His hope is the WMC could field a larger and better team
of greeters, so every visitor could feel welcome as they
come in.
We pray that the Marquez Family will continue to be
with us for many long years and that they may receive
lots of support and love from us.

Carlos del Hoyo

Brother Carlos del Hoyo has been attending the White
Memorial Church for the past five years. He is a native
of the town of Santurce in Puerto Rico. His early education
took place at public schools, but he later attended the SDA
college in the city of Mayaguez, where he finished his
studies as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Even though he did
his college studies in an Adventist institution, he did not
take well to the SDA message. It was only a few years
after college, when he was 27 years old, that he was
invited by a friend to attend a small group meeting in
a very old church in Rio Piedras. He reluctantly agreed
to go as a courtesy to his friend, but he said to himself
that it would be the first and last time he would go to
such a meeting. Little did he know that just a few hours
later the word of God would be preached to him and
stir his soul. That very same night he accepted Jesus
as his Lord and savior. Jesus has been his best friend
ever since.
Later in his life he moved to Boston, where he worked
as a nurse and struggled to keep his faith.
Brother Carlos said to the WMC Talk Blog that he has
encountered some difficult times in his life, even to the
point where he stopped attending church on a couple of
occasions; but he is happy to say that his faith did not
die out completely. He points out that while he drifted
away from the Adventist church, he never did attend a
Sunday-keeping church during that period.
He began attending the White Memorial Church
because some friends told him about it upon his arrival
to Los Angeles from Boston.
He says his favorite ministry is to counsel youth.
His advice to the White Memorial Family is to show love
because the Gospel in a word is love. He also stresses
the importance of attracting youth. He explains that if
we bring youngsters to our church, their parents are
sure to follow. He believes one first step in that direction
would be for the SDA church to make inroads into non
SDA schools, so we may have a presence there.

We are happy to have brother Carlos del Hoyo in our
family. We pray that he will find love and support among
our members.

Matsuda Family

Jana, Daisy, and Jenise Matsuda
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The White Memorial family is happy to count among its
members, sister Daisy Matsuda and her daughters, Jana
and Jenise.

Sister Daisy Matsuda comes to us from Manila. Upon her
arrival in California she started attending a church in
Glendale, but now she has been attending our church with
her daughters for about 13 years.
She works at the Adventist Credit Union. Her daughter
Jana is 12 years old and is studying at Montebello Inter-
mediate School. Jenise is 18 years old and she will be
starting college soon. Daisy has been baptized for a long
time now. Her daughters are preparing for baptism in
the near future.
They enjoy helping cook for our potluck ministry and
teaching the little children in Sabbath school.

Brother Loren Morris

For the past year and a half the White Memorial Church
has been blessed by the presence of our dear Brother
Loren Morris.
The WMC Talk Blog had a chance to interview him; and
this is what he had to say:
Brother Loren's family moved to Las Vegas when he was
only one year old. So he grew up in that city, where he
attended public school for his elementary education. As
a child he also attended the Holiness Church, where his
grandfather was a minister and his mother was the first
pianist.
It was during his pre-teen years that his mother received
the Adventist message and she made a very momentous
decision. She enrolled her three children in the SDA Junior
Academy and she left her father's Holiness Church to
start worshiping on the Sabbath. Her minister father was
outraged at his daughter's decision not only because she
had found a new faith, but also because he had lost the
top pianist in his church. There were frequent arguments
between father and daughter and this brought lots
of tension to the family to the point that his mother was
brought to tears; but it was no turning back for
Loren's mother. Loren was batized at age 13 in his new
church in Las Vegas. He and his three brothers continued
attending Adventist schools for the rest of their education
and they saw a remarkable improvement in their
academic performance and school behavior. Moreover,
the three brothers found expanded opportunities at the
Adventist church to develop their musical talents. The
three of them joined the choir and the music groups in
school and in church and spent much of their time serving
the Lord in their music ministry. Brother Loren now
credits this influence of Gospel music in his life as a great
force that helped shaped him into a better person because
he learned structure and discipline.
As an adult, brother Loren moved to Los Angeles to pursue
some work. He has worked as a security guard for most of
his life. For the past 17 years he has been employed by USC
and he has attended the Berean SDA Church on Adams
Blvd, near the USC campus.
A couple of years ago his employer assigned him to work at
USC hospital, not far from our church. It was then that
brother Loren ran into some transportation problems and
he was having difficulty making his way to the Berean Church.
He was trying to find a solution to these transport problems
when it occured to him that he doesn't need to go to the
Berean Church when there are other SDA churches near USC
Hospital. So he decided to visit WMC and see what it's like.
He met some friendly people here. He tried out for the choir.
People in the choir were impressed with his singing and he
was encouraged to continue attending WMC. Aside from the
singing he also has found another ministry where he helps
faithfully every Sabbath: Doing the dishes after potluck.
He now comes to White Memorial not only because it is a
short walk from his job, but also because he enjoys pastor
del Pozo's sermons.
He believes our church is already doing a terrific job in our
community and we only need to improve on our current
ministries to bring more souls to Christ. He also thinks our
congregation will benefit greatly if we stress a little more
the importance of personal relationships.
For the leaders in SDA education he wants to remind them
to encourage students to be more extroverted. Teach the
children not keep so much to ourselves as SDA cliques.

We are glad to have Brother Loren in our church and we
pray that he will find love and support from our family.

WMC picnic

Click on this photo to see more...
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On Sunday, July 25, more than 125 members and
friends of the White Memorial Church gathered at
San Marino's Lacy Park for a day of fun.

Myrna Calderon, Don Roman, Carlos Medina and Tom
Vicente prepared lots of activities, games, and prizes for
all ages. The early morning program got under way with
an informal game of baseball. This was followed by a
delicious lunch with the crowd spread out over ten or
fifteen tables. There was plenty of delicious food
contributed by several families.
Lunch was followed by an exciting program of classic
summer games, including a sack race, badminton,
water balloon toss, relay races, "pass-the-egg", and
tug-o-war.
Attendance was excellent and we look forward to
many more group outings in the future.

Gilbert

Gilberto R. Aragon attends WMC since 2005.
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Every Sabbath while the congregation is sitting in the
sanctuary listening to the sermon, there is one man who
is busy in the kitchen adding the last touch of spices,
stirring the soup, and making sure all the dishes have
the perfect consistency and taste. His name is Gilberto
R. Aragon, affectionately known to all of us as 'Gilbert.'
He traces his family ancestry all the way back to 1692 in
the town of Atrisco, Spain. Here in America the family
established a base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which,
he explains, was originally named after the Spanish Duke
of Albuquerque. Then in 1938 some members of the
family started to make their way to California. And
that's how Gilbert ended up growing up in Los Angeles.
He attended public schools for his elementary education.
Later he received a Catholic education at Salesian High
School. From there he went on to culinary school and
he spent 30 years of his life working as a chef in Santa
Barbara; all the while attending Sunday mass at the
Catholic church wherever he went.
After his retirement he returned to the Los Angeles area
to care for his elderly father.
When his father was admitted to White Memorial
Hospital, Gilbert met Anita Tupas and Pastor Archie
Tupas who offered him friendship and support during
his father's illness and eventual death.
This was a very challenging period in Gildbert's life.
He had a difficult time coping with the absence of his
father. After the funeral Gilbert fell into a deep depression,
serious enough for him to be on constant medication.
This was around 2005.
It was at this moment that Pastor Archie Tupas and his
wife Anita invited Gilbert to come to our church so he
could at least be out of his house to meet some people.
Anita Tupas was at that time in charge of overseeing the
potluck ministry, so she suggested that Gilbert could
come to WMC to help us cook for the potluck. Gilbert
reluctantly agreed to try it. Gradually Gilbert began to
meet some of the church members and he started to
make friends. Soon he realized it was a great therapy
and it was doing him a lot of good for his downcast spirit.
He also started to develop an interest in finding out what
these Seventh Day Adventists "are all about." The next
step for him was to start taking some Bible studies with
Pastor Tupas. Brother Gilbert was very cautious and
deliberate in his approach. He wanted to make sure what
he was doing was the right thing. So he continued taking
Bible studies for five long years until he finally was able
to reach the point where he could take that great leap of
faith and be baptized. That happy occasion took place in
December of 2009. Now Gilbert had officially decided to
join the White Memorial family. We are happy to have him
with us. He is also happy to find a home at WMC because
he feels like he has so much to contribute to the potluck
ministry. He is also enthusiastic about the Community
Services Ministry as a perfect way to reach out to our
neighbors.

Robert Torres.

Robert Torres and Jeremy del Pozo celebrate their birthday.
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It is a wonderful blessing for White Memorial Church to
count among our members brother Robert Torres.
The "WMC Talk Blog" is grateful to brother Torres for
setting aside time from his busy schedule to talk to us
for an interview.
1) How long have you been an Adventist?
Since I was five years old.
2) Is anybody else in your family SDA?
All my family is Adventist.
3) Did you always attend SDA schools?
I only attended 7th grade at White Memorial School.
4) How long have you been at White Memorial Church?
16 years.
5) What is your favorite ministry at WMC?
Pathfinders.
6) How long have you been working with the Pathfinders?
16 years.
7) What's your current role at Pathfinders?
Director.
8) How many children now in WMC's pathfinders?
We're on summer break, but our club average is 20.
9) What is the biggest challenge in working with the
Pathfinders?
Right now our biggest challenge is getting new
tents. But we're blessed to have so many people
supporting us, from parents to volunteers.
10) How can the church members help you succeed
in your position as Pathfinders director?
The involvement of church members is always
appreciated. It's always nice to see members
interacting with the youth.
11) How long have you been working at WMMC?
Since 1990. I started working there as a student.
12) How many jobs have you had at WMMC?
I've only worked in the Clinical Engineering Dpmt.
13) What is your current job at WMMC?
Now I am supervisor of the Clinical Engineering
Department.
14) How has your SDA education helped you in your work?
I only attended SDA school for 7th grade, but I obtained
my MBA degree at La Sierra University. The program at
La Sierra having a focus on business was a great learning
experience to apply what we believe in all aspects of our
lives, including our work.
15) What motivated you to go into hospital administration?
I hoped to make a difference in how I saw things being done.
16) What is the greatest challenge in your new position?
With new positions come new responsibilities. I'd say the
greatest challenge is trying to keep up with all there is to
learn.
17) What is the greatest asset WMMC has to offer to our
community?
A great-looking building, great technology and a great staff.
18) What is your advice for young people as they prepare for
jobs in the future?
Be good at something, anything.
19) If you could meet with the leaders of SDA education, what
would be your message to them?
Teach kids to be curious and hungry for knowledge.
20) Five or ten years from now, how would you measure your
success in your job at WMMC?
We are called to be good stewards. If I can keep the
equipment in this hospital working in great condition and with
a great staff and do it better than anyone else, then I'd believe
I met my calling to serve the Lord at this hospital.
21) When you were hired for your current job, were you given
a specific responsibility by your boss?
I was brought in specifically to move the medical equipment
from the old hospital to the new one.
22) Where do you see the greatest possibilty for growth in the
healthcare industry?
Find more effective ways of interacting with the community
and promote preventive medicine and staying healthy.
23) How can we improve cooperation between our church
and the hospital?
If there was a way that we leave a lasting impression on
each and every patient and their families of the fact that we are
indeed a Christian facility. That makes us different from other
health facilities.