Page 2 September 13 , 2012 Police Reports FELONY SPECIFIC CRIMES (RUN 0300 Sat 09/01/12 0400 Garage Attached DATE 9.5.12) 4083 W 137th St #A Wed 08/29/12 1400 Felony Specific Crimes - Last Five Days Sat 09/01/12 1800 Residential-House Assault 3760 W 115th St Sat 09/01/12 1900 Sun Why Should I Attend Church? 4038 W 129th St #8 Sat 09/01/12 0230 09/02/12 1144 Duplex/Fourplex Sat 09/01/12 0339 Arrest Apartment/ 12529 S Cedar Av #C Sun 09/02/12 1830 This column serves as a community only Savior … with the promise that when Condominium Sun 09/02/12 2330 Apartment/Condominium forum where local leaders volunteer to you do, eternal life will be yours! 14102 S Lemoli Av #10 Sun 09/02/12 11932 S Manor Dr #1 Fri 08/31/12 1100 respond to faith and religious questions That’s the kind of church you should be 1957 Arrest Mon 09/03/12 1811 Apartment/Condominium submitted by readers. looking for. You will find at the congrega- 11945 S Birch Av Tue 09/04/12 1100 Robbery Why Should I Attend Church? tion I serve a company of people that is Burglary-Com 4516 W Imperial Hwy Mon 09/03/12 1851 In no other place can one hear: struggling – very imperfectly – to live up to 13023 S Hawthorne Bl Sun 09/02/12 1150 Grocery, Supermarket How much God loves the whole wide world. those four marks. But whether you find that Grocery, Supermarket Vehicle Theft The challenging questions of the day. church among us or elsewhere (and there Burglary-Res S Cordary Av/W Rosecrans Av Sun The power and goodness of grace and are many such like-minded churches!) the 13532 S Kornblum Av #101 Sat 09/01/12 09/02/12 1137 • kindness. important thing is that you find one … and The need to grow and keep on growing. (most importantly) you find Him, in whom All Senior enant to cross and the new creation. - church should commit itself.—John Svendsen, First Baptist Church ofevery church should trust, and to whom everyThe stories of faith: from creation to covThe big picture and the place of faith. Lottery Scam: Think You’ve Won The Encouragement and hope grounded in the El SegundoWhat was the most beautiful sight you’veHonest dealing with death and sorrow. Lottery? Think Again work of God. produced something so achingly beautifulever seen? What kind of power could haveIn church, the largeness of God’s love will make us larger, too, in mind and heart that it reduces a human being to wordless and deed. wonder? Surely the sheer wonder of life Of course, not every church passes the should raise huge questions for us…. above test. Some are small-minded and The Bible unashamedly says that all this full of noise. Not everything that claims to natural beauty and amazing intricacy is meant be church is church. If it feels real, than it to point us towards God, the one who cre- probably is. If it feels forced, or in any way ated the extraordinary scale and complexity less than real, trust your instincts. of the universe we live in, and the bodies If one is a Christian, seeking to take Je- we inhabit. sus seriously, the company of believers is a But this is the point at which many people vital part of the journey; indeed, essential. switch off. The may have caught something Jesus calls us one-by-one, but only to meld of the marvel of creation, but Christianity us into the community of faith, to fulfill leaves them cold. Many people find Christi- God’s original image of creation - to live anity incredibly dull, and entirely irrelevant. together well, caring for one another and You may have already decided the contents God’s good earth. of the Bible are untrue. So before we can This community of faith might be a tradi- answer the question why should I attend your tional church with choir and organ; it might church, let’s clear away all the misconceptions be a living room fellowship or a megachurch. about Christianity so that you can examine But whatever it is, the promise of Jesus seals the facts for yourself. the deal: “where two or three are gathered If you think Christianity is all about in my name, there I am.” churches, and rules- leaving your brain (ARA) - You’ve probably dreamed traditional lottery. The victim sends money to The Spirit will not honor those who prefer at the door and then having all your fun about what you’d do if you won the lottery the scammer for a chance at winning, but the to go it alone - a contradiction of love. But spoiled- you have been misled. That’s not - quit your job, build your dream home or lottery or sweepstakes doesn’t actually exist. in fellowship, faulty and frail as it may be, what it’s all about. The first sentence in even donate a large sum of money to your The common thread in all of there is always the possibility of love, and Mark’s Gospel says that Christianity is about favorite charity. these scams is they require victims to send where there is love, God is there, too. Christ, Jesus Christ. The allure of a huge amount of money in advance to claim a prize, which —Rev. Tom Eggebeen, Calvary Presbyte- I have to be honest and say that I understand money falling into your lap cannot be denied. is never the case with a legitimate lottery rians, Hawthorne those who find the Christian faith useless, Scammers know these dreams and feelings or sweepstakes. “The No. 1 rule consumers Allow me, if you will, gently to rephrase the meaningless, unappealing or unbelievable. well, and prey on them, making lottery and need to remember to protect themselves from question to “What Kind of Church Should I At- But the problem is that, often, what they sweepstakes scams one of the most prevalent falling victim to this scam is to never, ever tend?” The answer to that question is four-fold. have written off is not the real thing. Mark types of scams out there, according to the send money to claim a prize,” says Shelley First, you should attend a church that says his book is “The beginning of the gos- Better Business Bureau. Bernhardt, director of consumer protection at faithfully teaches the Scriptures as God’s pel about Jesus Christ” The word “gospel” While your chances of winning the Western Union, a leader in global payment authoritative Word. Second, you should at- means “good news”. actual lottery may already be slim, you not services. Bernhardt offers these additional tend a church that joyfully worships God as Christianity Explored is a course designed only won’t win with scammers - you’ll likely tips to avoid becoming a victim in a lottery Maker, Savior and Friend. Third, you should by people who once felt the same way as lose money. These types of scams work in a or sweepstakes scam: attend a church that shares and shows Jesus you might be feeling right now. This course number of ways, and all of them end with • Never send money to pay for to the surrounding community. Finally, (and exists to clear away all the misconceptions an unsuspecting victim losing. Here are three taxes or fees on lottery or prize winnings. in many ways, most importantly) you should about Christianity so that you can examine common ways scammers use the promise of Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to attend a church that is committed to the the facts for yourself. Look in this paper big winnings to their advantage: pay or buy something to enter or improve Good News that God – despite your rebel- next week for details about how, when and • A scammer claiming to be your chances of winning or to pay taxes or lion against Him – has loved you enough to where you can attend. associated with a government agency, a processing fees to get your prize. provide a savior to take upon Himself the You may have had bad experiences of well-known celebrity or someone associated • Never play anything claiming to be full penalty of human sin for all who trust religion. If so, stick around to see how un- with a sweepstakes or lottery tells a victim a foreign lottery. And this is not just because in His sacrifice. That savior is Jesus Christ religious Jesus is. he or she has won a large sum of money. it might be a scam - it’s actually illegal to and His call – indeed, our plea at the church —Arthur J Stevens, Elder The victim is told to send money to cover play a foreign lottery. I serve – is for you to bow to Him as your Submit faith questions to management@ processing fees or taxes before receiving the • Only send money to people you rightful Lord and to believe on Him as your heraldpublications.com• prize. The victim then pays these “fees,” and have met personally, know and trust. never hears from the scammer again. • Never provide your banking or • A scammer sends a victim a check any other sensitive personal information to or money order and claims it’s a prize. The an individual or business you don’t know, victim is asked to deposit this money and especially if they claim they need it in send a smaller portion of money back to exchange for a prize. cover fees or taxes. The problem occurs • Always wait to withdraw funds “For me and my family personally, September 11 was a reminder that life is when the victim deposits the check or money from your account until after a check or fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every order and sends the scammer the money as money order clears, which can take weeks. directed before the check clears which can • If you suspect a scam, check out moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, take weeks. Banks don’t always immediately the company or individual who contacted you and laughter.” identify the “winning” check as fake until it’s with law enforcement, the Better Business too late and the money has already be sent Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission (www. to the scammer. The victim is responsible to ftc.gov) or another trusted source. -Deepak Chopra, M.D. the bank for any used funds from the check. As a trusted method for sending • A scammer emails or sends a money to family members and friends, Western victim information about a foreign lottery, Union encourages users of their services to or another alternative lottery or sweepstakes be vigilant about scams and fraud. For more that offers better odds of winning than a information, visit www.consumerfed.org. •
Lawndale 09.13.12
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