Sabbath service marks 100 years for hospital
| Friday, Aug 13 2010 04:31 PM
Last Updated Friday, Aug 13 2010 04:31 PM
Sacred Sabbath church service
When: Aug. 21, service at 10:30 a.m., lunch to follow; evening concert at 7 p.m.
Where: Theater at Rabobank Convention Center, 1001 Truxtun Ave.
Information: SJCH.us or 869-6560
TO ATTEND
To celebrate its 100th year anniversary, San Joaquin Community Hospital won't just be throwing a party. With a gala set for October, the hospital is also showing the community what this milestone is really about -- celebrating 100 years as a Christian hospital -- with a Sabbath service on Aug. 21.
San Joaquin's marketing and communication coordinator, Jimmy Phillips, says that the Adventist hospital is "a Christian hospital first and foremost." "Our faith is a huge part of what we do, of our success and of our sacred work initiative. That's something we want our community to see too." Thus the idea of a massive Sabbath service open to the entire community was born.
One of the main goals of the Sacred Work Sabbath is to let the community know how pervasive the hospital's Christian values are within its staff and staff policies. Phillips says that three years ago, the hospital staff underwent a "culture shift" that helped employees see their work as a sacred calling, hence the name Sacred Work Sabbath. Phillips says this culture shift asked the staff to think of the spiritual nature of their work as they are performing it, and says, "Around the hospital now if somebody goes above and beyond people say 'That's sacred work. That's why we do what we do.'" He says that this Sacred Work attitude, when applied to patient treatment and employee interaction, is "health care business in (the) context of what it should be about."
While the event will have the typical features of an Adventist Sabbath service, it will also be infused with elements tied to the hospital's work. The hospital's presence will be evident throughout the service with several patient and staff testimonies. Dick Duerksen, the main speaker at the ceremony, has ties to both the Adventist Church as well as the hospital network. He is the former vice president for mission and service at San Joaquin's sister hospital in Florida, which is also a member of the Adventist health care center on the East Coast, and with which San Joaquin is closely affiliated. Duerksen currently serves with Maranatha International Volunteers, an Adventist organization that builds churches in low-income and Third World countries, as well as serving through other charity work.
A free catered lunch will follow the service, but that's not the end of the activities. At 7 p.m., there will be an evening concert with the Heritage Singers, an Adventist singing group well-known within Adventist circles. Other performers include Voice of Prophecy/Family Reunion -- singers who are sponsored by the church and frequently perform on Adventist TV stations -- as well as Jarrod McNaughton and Sandy Johnson, two San Joaquin hospital employees who moonlight as Adventist singers. McNaughton serves as a vice president of marketing and development, and Johnson works as the director of mission. The two sing as solo performers, as well as occasional duets, and both have released CDs.
The hospital has already sent out more than 10,000 save-the-date announcements, but the event is open to the public as well.
