On September 29, 2019, we celebrated the release of the 12th Edition of SHINE Magazine! It was a spectacular night in the “Fruit of the Spirit” with beautiful bunches and bushels of fruit throughout the foyer and the auditorium welcoming all to a fruitful evening! It is evident from looking at the magazine that many months of hard work went into its creation. This was no easy task as this was the largest SHINE Magazine yet to be produced—with 125 pages! It takes the combined efforts of the dedicated SHINE team (Gayla Bagwell, Dawn Wamser, April Muniz, Piper Green, and Shelly Smith), and the creative writers (known as Diamond Girls) to produce and publish this beautiful magazine. We are thrilled that the 12th edition is now available for purchase at $10.00 per copy. To order your Magazine today CLICK HERE!
To celebrate this release, we started off with an array of delectable items created by Chef Danon Gale for our eating pleasure. Some of the delicious choices were: Lemon-infused smoked salmon bites, sugar cone fruit bites, mixed berry fruit tarts, and a berry cobbler crunch which was divine! There was also fruit platters and fruit bowls and smoked sausage with pineapple. The strawberry, spinach, and feta salad with raspberry vinaigrette tasted amazing! The blackberry fontina bites, chocolate strawberries, prosciutto-wrapped melon, mini open-faced bacon, and pineapple sliders captured the “Fruit of the Spirit” theme of the night. The candy bar, of course, was a big hit. It was like shopping in a candy store!
The beauty of the “Gayla Event” was highlighted with bright colors in the lobby surrounding the delicacies that were served. After enjoying the fellowship and feasting, we moved into the sanctuary for praise and worship. The SHINE singers ushered in God’s presence as they sang various songs about the Fruit of the Spirit—His presence was truly felt in a special way.
Upon entering the sanctuary, we were awed by a large beautiful apple tree! Liz Parker, with the help of Judy Nelson and others made this awesome tree to adorn the platform and to illustrate Pastor Gayla’s apple-themed message. Every woman received a lovely candy apple and a precious postcard with the Galatians 5:22-23 verse describing the Fruit of the Spirit and to remind us to keep seeking to develop it in our lives.
This event touched the entire family—no one was left out! After praise and worship, the men were ministered to by Pastor Tim Bagwell in the Pulse Center where he taught the men on the Fruit of the Spirit as a weapon.
The elementary kids also learned about the Fruit of the Spirit from the new Children’s Director Barbara Goos and her husband Kevin. The kids walked through a fresh fruit market as well and had a lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit and how to abide in Christ to develop fruit in their walk with Him. It was a fun and busy evening for the whole family!
Of course, a Gayla Event always includes fabulous giveaways! The ladies received a shopping cart of fruit, and the teen girls won cute pineapple fabric baskets with lots of fruity goodies inside!
We were then entertained by live “vignettes” from the magazine that were insightful and inspiring. SHINE model Nathalie was beautiful as she modeled “Floral and Fringe” styles. The outfits in Nathalie’s article were provided courtesy of Stein-Mart, who sponsored her layout and gifted each woman with a 20% discount coupon.
We learned how to “Be a Friend of Blessing” with Vicki Dorrell who challenged the women to make a fruit basket for someone who needs encouragement.
Sherrie Montellano gave us some great tips to “Guard Your Heart” and how to care for your physical and spiritual heart.
Sandy Hipple spoke about the importance of the words that we speak with her article “The Fruit of Our Lips.”
Jennifer Villalobos gave us very important tips on skin care
and Connie Pshigoda taught us the importance of the food we eat to stay healthy, and all the wonderful flavors God has blessed us with in every season.
During the vignettes we had “live” commercials—one of which we watched a video of Carmen Miranda singing “Chica Chica Boom Chic,” with our very own SHINE dancers adorning fruit hats like Carmen’s! It was a “fruity” sight to behold.
The theme and message for the evening and the 12th Edition of SHINE, was centered around the Fruit of the Spirit and illustrated with Pastor Gayla’s message, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else but Me,” to teach us that God’s presence is what we need and He is the only one that our soul longs for. She stressed the importance of seeking after His presence alone. She also gave special attention to the apple and the many different kinds there are and what they are used for. She also spoke about the different seasons of our lives and how God prunes us and develops His fruit in us—even in the cold and dark of winter. She conveyed to us the difference between the chronos (chronological time) and the kyros (seasonable time)which is an ordained interruption or fixed time ordained by God. God is going to give us a fixed and definite opportunity for blessing! Amen!
The evening was perfect as it fell on the Jewish Feast of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and our own Pastor Joe blew the Shofar to commemorate the season and to remind us of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! It was an incredible evening. To read more about Pastor Gayla’s message, order a copy of SHINE Magazine and read her article “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else but Me” on page 64. It will encourage you as you seek to deepen your walk with God and develop His fruit in your life.
It was a fruitful night in which the Lord ministered to the ladies mightily through the power of His Word! It was a fabulous night for the entire family!
To order your Magazine today CLICK HERE!
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