WE’RE GROWING TOGETHER INSTEAD OF GROWING APART

Growing up, I used to love family reunions, where all the cousins got together and had a blast while the uncles and aunties enjoyed remembering days gone by. I remember “family worship” where all ages would gather and sing songs and reflect on a Bible passage and inspirational thought, together.

Our Growing Together Adventure is centered around our whole church family enjoying worship and diving into GOD’s Word together. Summer of 2026 our focus was Luke 15, giving special attention to the story of the Prodigal Son.

GROWING TOGETHER ADVENTURE:
THE STORY OF THE LOVING FATHER

The entire family could choose from an array of worship experiences and Bible discussions all focused on the story of a loving, forgiving Father [Luke 15]. Here are just some of the highlights:

LEGACY WORSHIP, 9:00AM // MAIN AUDITORIUM
Pastor Kevin’s message, “The Story of the Loving Father,” and worship led by Resounding Rhythms were focal points of this worship experience filled with familiar hymns and gospel classics.

BIBLE STUDY, 10:15AM // YOUTH ANNEX & CHURCH CLASSROOMS
Bible studies, LIFEgroups, and Sabbath Schools were available throughout the church for all ages. A group guide at the welcome center helped attendees choose their preference.

YOUNGER GENERATION CHURCH, 10:15AM // MAIN AUDITORIUM
All ages were invited as next generations led and ministered in YG. A special prayer for our new academy campus pastor, Pastor Allan’s message, “Father’s Eyes,” and YG Worship were among the focal points of this worship experience crafted by our young adults.

MOSAIC WORSHIP, 11:30AM // MAIN AUDITORIUM
The whole family was invited to this intergenerational worship experience including a teen dedication, Pastor Kevin’s message, “The Story of the Loving Father,” and an inspirational blend of modern and classic worship music.

UNDERGROUND WORSHIP, 11:30AM // 2ND FLOOR, YOUTH ANNEX
Curated by youth for youth, Underground [UG] made sacred space for community, fellowship, and inspiration for teenagers. The worship and relevant Bible discussions were held in the UG Youth Room.

WORKSHOP: NAVIGATING THE ANATOMY OF THE BIBLE, 1:00PM // REVIVE CARE CENTER
Explore study skills and build confidence you can bring home to your family. Move from merely reading the Bible to knowing GOD and living the Word through your life. Deirdre offers insights as to the physiology of the Scriptures, revealing the inter-connectivity, functional structure, organic intent to reveal Jesus throughout. This workshop will help you see how the whole Bible works to transform lives, and equip you to open it up at home, with confidence instead of hesitation.

REVIVE STREET MINISTRY, 2:30PM // MEET AT REVIVE CARE CENTER
Revive Community Care distributed food & care packages to our homeless friends in the DFW Metroplex. Volunteers participated in assembling and handing out food and other much needed items to the homeless community.

UNDERGROUND END OF SUMMER VESPERS, 8:00PM // 2ND FLOOR, YOUTH ANNEX
Teens were invited to celebrate everything God has done this Summer with food, games, and a vespers service. UG wrapped up the Summer together! It was the perfect way to close out the season before school starts back up.

PRESENTERS

**LEGACY & MOSAIC WORSHIP SPEAKER: PAUL KEVIN WELLS, MDIV**
Pastor Kevin Wells has served as the senior pastor for the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church for 17 years. Among the longest tenured pastors in the Texas conference, he has pastored our Arlington Church family for nearly three decades. His wife Michelle is a Speech Pathologist, and they have two young adult children, Parker and Lydia.

**MUSICAL GUEST: RESOUNDING RHYTHMS**
Resounding Rhythms is a Youth Praise band based in Keene, TX, made up of members Cadence, Elian, Joel, Kiera, Marcus, Nathan, and Sofiya. The group officially formed in 2024, leading worship for Sabbath School and various churches in the DFW area. Their members are diverse, representing three schools, and cultures from all sides of the globe. Now in the 9th and 10th grades, they look forward to more opportunities to share their talents and glorify God with their music.

**YG CHURCH SPEAKER: A ALLAN MARTIN, PHD**
Pastor Allan Martin has served as the teaching pastor for Younger Generation Church [YG] for the past 16 years. Spending over 40 years in youth and young adult ministry, he has a vested personal interest in YG, the vibrant young adult ministry of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church. His wife Deirdre is a neonatal intensive care nurse, and their daughter Alexandria is married to Kevin Nye.

**YG WORSHIP**
For over two decades, YG Worship has been serving the Arlington Adventist Church family, raising up generation after generation of young people passionate about Jesus and living lives of worship. They have led worship across the nation, committed to extravagant praise. Their third gathering of HALAL is coming this Fall, where all are welcome to worship how they are wired.

**WORKSHOP PRESENTER: DEIRDRE RIVERA-MARTIN, BSN, RN**
Deirdre Rivera-Martin has served as a Neo-natal Intensive Care nurse for over 40 years. She and Pastor A Allan Martin, her husband, have toured internationally speaking on relationships, leadership and Christian lifestyle. Deirdre is the ministry founder of FLOURISH, which gives special emphasis to Biblical literacy and organic discipleship.
**NAVIGATING THE ANATOMY OF THE BIBLE // AUG 1, 1:00PM // REVIVE CARE CENTER**
*Explore study skills and build confidence you can bring home to your family.* Move from merely reading the Bible to knowing GOD and living the Word through your life. Deirdre offers insights as to the physiology of the Scriptures, revealing the inter-connectivity, functional structure, organic intent to reveal Jesus throughout. This workshop will help you see how the whole Bible works to transform lives, and equip you to open it up at home, with confidence instead of hesitation.

RESOURCES FOR THE ADVENTURE

To gear up for our growing together weekend, we provided support and inspiration for all ages to participate, including the following resources:

**GROWING TOGETHER: THE STORY OF THE LOVING FATHER**
Click the above icon to download age-customized Bible discussion guides for everyone in the family. This is a great way to lead up to our adventure, or to follow up on a weekend of worshiping together.

**GROWING TOGETHER CHURCH**
Growing Together is a multigenerational Sabbath School and church curriculum for Seventh-day Adventists, rooted in faith and grace. Our curriculum brings families together in worship by having each family member, from children to adults, study the same Bible story each week, tailored to their developmental age group. *To learn more about the* *Growing Together curriculum, click* *here*.
**GROWING TOGETHER ON INSTAGRAM**
Find a great assortment of social media resources by clicking any on of the following IG pages:
• Growing Together Kids
• Growing Together Teens
• Growing Together Church Curriculum
• Growing Young Leaders
• Growing Together: Intergenerational Church Revitalization

**LET’S PRAY FOR OUR CHILDREN**
Click the above icon to download a prayer guide compilation, offering ideas and resources for the whole family to pray together and for each other. Go to page 76 for ideas to use with children as you all pray together.

**FORM KIDS: FORMING THE FAITH OF BABIES THROUGH PRE-TEENS**
As we move into a new school year, it’s time to register for *FORM Kids* to receive updates and newsletters. Stay connected to calendar events through Instagram, Facebook, the church website, or receive text updates. *If you recently registered but are not receiving messages, be sure to check your spam folder.*

YGCHURCH: WE’RE GROWING TOGETHER
Pastor Allan offers a prequel to the Growing Together Adventure, taking a look at Jesus’ Mission in Luke 15.

AS THE SUMMER ENDS…

**ALL THE BEST AS YOU HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL**
Our prayer is that your whole family had a great Summer, and the season gave you all time to have fun, to bond relationships, and to worship together. As we head into the school year, it’s our hope that the momentum will continue as we all grow together.

2026 SUMMER SERIES:
WE’RE GROWING STUFF

As a prequel to the Growing Together Adventure, we spent the previous month [July, 2026] providing specialty sermons and seminars on intergenerational church revitalization, leadership development, mentoring, and parenting education.

OUR FAMILY JUST KEEPS ON GROWING

It's amazing to watch our young people grow up and start families of their own. We are truly blessed here at Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church, and in some ways, we take growth, grace, and GOD's blessings for granted. There are many churches across the nation that aren't experiencing a spiritually vibrant congregation, and too many are losing their young people long before their adult years.

In listening to many of you and to our church leaders, lately our heart has been convicted that we need to do all we can to support parents doing the vital ministry of discipling their children. We need to foster the mindset and heartset of grandparents, uncles, and aunties to be more than glorified chauffeurs and substitute child care givers. Let's equip everyone to confidently share their faith relationally with the next generation. What might happen if parents, coaches, teachers, relatives, mentors, and church leaders all conspired towards raising up the next Jesus generation?

LET'S GROW TOGETHER

May it be said of Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church we're growing generation after generation of deeply devoted Christ followers. This Summer we're doing an experiment, especially inviting families to engage a church-wide series entitled, "We're Growing Stuff." In July, we will have special weekends where our desire is to help each other blossom in faith. We want to see each member be fruitful, and foster a church environment where all ages can spiritually sprout.

We want to share a special shout out to all parents to come out: young parents, single parents, empty nesters, guardians, grandparents, and parents-to-be. Also for our youth and young adults who are seeking community, would love for you to join your worship with ours. We invited some great people to come and share in July, and we plan to share some meals together. So come and let’s grow together!

COMING ATTRACTIONS

June 27 - INTRODUCTION TO “WE’RE GROWING STUFF”
If we are to be a vibrant, growing church we need to be the right kind of soil that helps seeds take root, struggle while being nourished, and be given space to sprout/blossom/be fruitful. [Matthew 13:3-9]

• 10:15AM @Main Auditorium: We’re Growing Stuff: Introduction —Pastor A Allan Martin
• 11:30AM @Main Auditorium: Rainforest Falls VBS Showcase —Form Kids

July 4 - WE’RE GROWING STUDENTS & EMERGING ADULTS
A growing church is one where next generations are setting the pace and example in following Jesus. [1Timothy 4:12]

• 10:00AM @UG in Annex: Navigating the Anatomy of the Bible —Deirdre Martin, RN
• 10:15AM @Main Auditorium: We’re Growing Students —Pastor A Allan Martin
• 1:00PM @UG in Annex: Luncheon & Parent Open House —UGYouth
• 1:00PM @Fellowship Hall: Young Adult Luncheon —Hosted by YG

July 11 - WE’RE GROWING PARENTS
A growing church is one where all believers of all ages are being transformed together as they engage the Word of GOD everyday.

• 9:00AM @Revive Community Care: Carter Blood Drive
• 9:00AM @Main Auditorium: The Handoff —Pastor Samantha Peralta
• 10:15AM @Main Auditorium: We’re Growing Parents —Pastor Samantha Peralta
• 11:30PM @Main Auditorium: The Handoff —Pastor Samantha Peralta
• 1:00PM @Fellowship Hall: Parents’ Lunch & Learn —UG & YG Church
> @Fellowship Hall: Sexual Hierarchy of Needs —Dr. Celeste Holbrook
> @Room 1: Growing Together: All Family Discipleship -Dr. Samantha Peralta

July 18 - WE’RE GROWING LEADERS
A growing church is where we foster servant leadership in the heart of next generations.

• 9:00AM @Main Auditorium: All Generations —Pastor Aren Rennacker
• 10:15AM @Main Auditorium: We’re Growing Leaders —Pastor Aren Rennacker
• 11:30AM @Main Auditorium: Servant Leadrship —Pastor Aren Rennacker
• 1:00PM @Revive: Lunch & Learn: We’re Growing Leaders —Pastor Aren Rennacker

July 25 - WE’RE GROWING TOGETHER
We are invested in growing together instead of growing apart. [Psalm 145:4]

• 10:15AM @Main Auditorium: We’re Growing Together —Pastor A Allan Martin

PRESENTERS

**CELESTE HOLBROOK, PHD**
Dr. Celeste Holbrook is an author, speaker, and sex educator with a Ph.D. in Health Education from Texas Woman's University. Through a compassionate lens and an evidence-based approach, she helps people heal from shame, deepen their relationships, and embrace a healthier understanding of their bodies, sexuality and sexual ethic. Celeste is passionate about creating spaces where honest conversations foster connection, wholeness, and the freedom to love ourselves and others well.
**PARENT SEMINAR // SEXUAL HEIRARCHY OF NEEDS // JUL 18, 1:00PM // FELLOWSHIP HALL**
In a culture where teens are receiving constant messages about sex, relationships, and identity from social media, peers, and pornography, many parents feel overwhelmed and unsure how to guide the conversation. This workshop helps parents move beyond fear-based messaging and toward becoming trusted, emotionally safe guides for their teens. Using Dr. Holbrook’s Sexual Hierarchy of Needs and Sex Ethics framework, parents will learn practical tools for helping teens develop a healthy sexual ethic rooted in education, personal values, and intuition, while also exploring porn literacy, relational trust, and how to create ongoing conversations that strengthen connection rather than secrecy or shame.

**PASTOR A ALLAN MARTIN, PHD**
A Allan Martin, PhD, is the teaching pastor of Younger Generation Church, the vibrant young adult ministry of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas [USA]. Dr. Martin serves the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists [NAD] as senior consultant for the Growing Together initiative in collaboration with Young Adult LIFE and the Fuller Youth Institute. He continues as adjunct faculty for the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, specializing in discipleship, religious education, and young adult ministry. Allan and his wife, Deirdre Rivera-Martin, reside in the DFW Metroplex.

WE’RE GROWING STUDENTS
A growing church is one where next generations are setting the pace and example in following Jesus.

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. —1Timothy 4:12 [NIV]

WE’RE GROWING STUFF
If we are to be a vibrant, growing church we need to be the right kind of soil that helps seeds take root, struggle while being nourished, and be given space to sprout/blossom/be fruitful.

Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! –Matthew 13:8 [NLT]

**PASTOR SAMANTHA ANGELES PERALTA, DMIN**
Samantha Angeles Peralta serves as Director of the Growing Together Sabbath School Curriculum for the Southeastern California Conference. She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary and has served as a youth and young adult pastor, children and family pastor, and academy chaplain. Samantha is passionate about equipping churches and families to disciple the next generation together.

THE HANDOFF
15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. —1Corinthians 4:15-17 [NIV]

WE’RE GROWING PARENTS
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. —Deuteronomy 6:5-7 [NIV]

**GROWING TOGETHER: ALL FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP // JUL 11, 1:30PM // ROOM 1**
If we want to grow faith, we have to think beyond Sabbath morning. Come discover simple, sustainable faith rhythms that nurture spiritual growth all week long. Parents are invited to learn more about Growing Together, a multigenerational church curriculum for Seventh-day Adventists, rooted in faith and grace. Learn practical ways to bring your family together in worship by having each family member, from children to adults, study the same Bible story, tailored to their respective developmental age group. Discover how the Growing Together curriculum equips churches and families to raise lifelong disciples.

PASTOR AREN RENNACKER, MTS
Aren Rennacker serves as Director for Growing Young Leaders with the Pacific Union. Before that he served as youth director for the Southeastern California Conference. Aren received his BS in Journalism from Pacific Union College and his Masters in Theological Studies from La Sierra University. Aren’s passion is to empower young people to reach their potential through both service and leadership. He married his lovely wife Paige in 2020.

ALL GENERATIONS
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. —Psalm 100:5 [NIV]

SERVANT LEADERSHIP
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:25-28 [NIV]

**GROWING YOUNG LEADERS // JUL 18, 1:00PM // REVIVE COMMUNITY CARE CENTER**
Most of us love the idea of growing leaders, but less of us buy into the process. Let’s talk about what it takes to truly develop leadership in next generations, and how Christ followers are the fuel that makes all the difference. Growing Young Leaders is a new initiative from the Pacific Union Conference which seeks to support our young people as they become the next great leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

**DEIRDRE RIVERA-MARTIN, BSN, RN**
Deirdre Rivera-Martin has served as a Neo-natal Intensive Care nurse for over 40 years. She and Pastor A Allan Martin, her husband, have toured internationally speaking on relationships, leadership and Christian lifestyle. Deirdre is the ministry founder of FLOURISH, which gives special emphasis to Biblical literacy and organic discipleship.
**NAVIGATING THE ANATOMY OF THE BIBLE // JUL 4, 10:00AM // UNDERGROUND**
Move from merely reading the Bible to knowing GOD and living the Word through your life. Deirdre offers insights as to the physiology of the Scriptures, revealing the inter-connectivity, functional structure, organic intent to reveal Jesus throughout. This workshop will help you see how the whole Bible works to transform lives.

RESOURCES

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN STORY FOR ARLINGTON SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH?

What began nearly 70 years ago with a young group of ambitious friends continues to this day creating space for next generations to grow and thrive in the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of Jesus.

“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.” —2Peter 3:18 [NLT]

We are a church that is growing. It's time for you to blossom. It's time for you and me to be fruitful. It's time for you and me and all of us to sprout spiritually. Join Younger Generation Church Summer sermon series, “We’re Growing Stuff,” Saturdays, 10:15am CDT, tinyurl.com/yglivestream

DEAR CHURCH PODCAST // SECC YOUTH
Every day, young adults are deciding whether or not to leave the Church. Rather than simply asking, "Why?" we wanted to ask another question: "Can you tell us your story?" Dear Church is a ten-part series that narratively tells the stories of young adults in the Seventh-day Adventist community. Each episode concludes with the guest sharing a personal letter they’ve written to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Click the above icon to listen on Spotify.

WE’RE GROWING TOGETHER INSTEAD OF GROWING APART

GROWING TOGETHER ADVENTURE: THE STORY OF THE LOVING FATHER

PRESENTERS

RESOURCES FOR THE ADVENTURE

AS THE SUMMER ENDS…

2026 SUMMER SERIES:WE’RE GROWING STUFF

OUR FAMILY JUST KEEPS ON GROWING

LET'S GROW TOGETHER

COMING ATTRACTIONS

PRESENTERS

RESOURCES

GROWING TOGETHER ADVENTURE:
THE STORY OF THE LOVING FATHER

2026 SUMMER SERIES:
WE’RE GROWING STUFF