METHODIST CHURCH WELCOMES NEW UNITY-FOCUSED PASTOR.Byline: BETTIE RENCORET SENIOR COLUMNIST LANCASTER -- The Lancaster United Methodist Church United Methodist Church, in the United States, religious body formed by the union in 1968 of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church (see Methodism). welcomed the Rev. Franklin Delano Sablan last week as its new senior pastor. Sablan had served the Wilshire United Methodist Church in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. for four years when Bishop Mary Ann Swensen appointed him to fill the void left in the local church by the death of beloved pastor James Ledgerwood. Sablan -- or Rev. Frank, as he prefers to be called -- is a native of the island of Guam and is delighted at the multicultural makeup of the congregation. "I accept my new leadership role with excitement and anticipate the challenges it will present," he said. "I already feel welcome and know that the diverse caliber of personalities in this church will work together with me for the glory of Christ. I'm confident we'll be a successful team." He admits that his ministry may entail some changes, but he is certain they will, for the most part, bring a spiritual unity that will strengthen all areas of worship and community outreach. Asked about his vision for the church, he said he prefers to listen first before he formulates a viable concept for the future. "I want to hear about the individual, and collective, hopes and dreams of my congregation, what they want, and then form a vision that will carry us together into a positive, productive and progressive future," he said. Essentially a liturgical traditionalist, he said he is also flexible and open to suggestions. He is a study in contrasts. He melds well with the casual feeling of the 9 a.m. contemporary worship service, then brings formality to the church at 10:45 Sunday mornings. Before coming here he had a ponytail, which he cut off, he said, in deference to letting his new parishioners get acquainted with him before shocking them too much with his modernity. He still wears an earring earring, a personal adornment, sometimes an amulet, worn attached to the ear lobe. Since prehistoric times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of the earring; certain primitive tribes distort the lobe with plugs several inches in diameter or with heavy stones. in his left ear as a holdout hold·out n. One that withholds agreement or consent upon which progress is contingent. Noun 1. holdout - a negotiator who hopes to gain concessions by refusing to come to terms; "their star pitcher was a holdout for six for his unfettered lifestyle. He has two sons. Jon, a Marine graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, has been on active duty in Iraq and is due home momentarily from Kuwait; his home is in Oceanside. Michael still lives in Indiana. A nomad nomad (nō`măd'), one of a group of people without fixed habitation, especially pastoralists. (Some authorities prefer the terms "nonsedentary" or "migratory" rather than "nomadic" to describe mobile hunter-gatherers. at heart, the reverend loves the freedom of tooling down the highways or back roads on his motorcycle, but since he's a newlywed now most of his trips are in his car. Last Christmas Eve he and the former Beulah Centgraf-Harris were married in their Wilshire church in a small ceremony before family members and a few friends. Centgraf-Harris, a native of Oklahoma who has lived in Kansas, Texas and Los Angeles, loves to travel as much as he does, he said. "We practically live in our car," he said. "We like to go, we like to explore the continental United States United States territory, including the adjacent territorial waters, located within North America between Canada and Mexico. Also called CONUS. . We love all the beauties the Lord has put out there for us to see. I think if had to name a hobby it would be nature. I can sit for hours, half a day even, watching seals. 'Wow!' is my favorite word and I say it often." He said driving is second nature to him and he's been known to drive all the way to Julian just for a piece of pie. Some of his very early years in Agana, Guam, were spent in a Japanese concentration camp where he was interned, with his family, during World War II. Sablan came to the United States in 1962 and attended the then-Oakland City College and Indiana State University Indiana State University, main campus at Terre Haute; coeducational; est. 1865 as a normal school, became Indiana State Teachers College in 1929, gained university status in 1965. There is also a campus at Evansville (opened 1965). in Terre Haute, and studied for the ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary References External links
For eight years he taught choral music and voice at the University of Guam UOG's motto: to enlighten, to discover, to serve... The University of Guam, located in Mangilao, Guam, is a land-grant institution accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. . He served various Indiana churches for a total of 25 years before coming back to California. "When I took over the ministry of the Broadway United Methodist Church, which was the last church I was assigned to before going to the Wilshire congregation, there were only 60 members. When I left it had grown to 400. I'm proud of that," he said. He's youth- and children-oriented and looks forward to major growth in those areas of the local congregation. His office in the Lancaster church at 918 W. Ave. J is already taking on his personal ambience. He collects teddy bears and he has several of his favorites on display there. Even some of his neckties reflect his fondness for the toys. "I love my bears," he said. "I can say anything I like to them and they never talk back." Menus for the week at the senior life nutrition site in Palmdale include bread, margarine and coffee, tea or milk, for the suggested donation of $2. Monday: Fish sandwich of cheeseburger, macaroni macaroni: see pasta. salad, pork and beans Noun 1. pork and beans - dried beans cooked with pork and tomato sauce dish - a particular item of prepared food; "she prepared a special dish for dinner" , lettuce and tomato. Tuesday: Pork chop Pork Chop An arrangement on the floor of the NYSE whereby clerks cover the booth of a floor broker and accept orders, phone calls, and associated tasks. Notes: The clerks in charge of maintaining the booths are directly compensated by the floor brokers who own them. , sweet potatoes, broccoli, coleslaw cole·slaw also cole slaw n. A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette. , applesauce. Wednesday: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, squash, coleslaw, cake. Thursday: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, creamy coleslaw, cookies. Friday: Chicken w/mushroom sauce, wild rice, Normandy vegetables, Caesar salad, orange. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Rev. Franklin D. Sablan is the new pastor of Lancaster United Methodist Church. |
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