BUC News #508 (29 September 2006)

Transcription

1 BUC News #508 (29 September 2006) Newsletter of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland Contents: EVANGELISM EXPLOSION LORD CAREY AT NEWBOLD COLLEGE NEW LEADERS RECEIVE TRAINING FAMILY MINISTRY ADVISORY MEETS CERTIFIED FAMILY LIFE EDUCATORS SEMINAR TAKEOVER AT THE PARK DEATH OF NORMAN WRIGHT NEW EDITOR FOR BUC NEWS FOURTH QUARTER POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS MARANATHA THIS WEEKEND ON HOPE CHANNEL TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION PRAYER GUIDE EVANGELISM EXPLOSION A passage in the Koran caught Suzanne s eye: And if thou (Mohammed) art in doubt concerning that which we reveal unto thee, then question those who read the scripture that was before thee (i.e. the Bible). Sura (chapter) O ye people of the book! Ye are not grounded on anything until ye observe the Taurat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) and that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord. Sura 5.68 These passages led Suzanne to study the Bible and eventually come to church. On Sabbath 23 September she was one of those baptised at the North Wembley Seventh-day Adventist Church along with a Sikh young man who had been studying the Bible with lay-member, Olsen Roberts. This was just one of a number of baptisms reported this week. Pastors Michael Hamilton and Israel Williams climaxed their joint campaign at the Chatham church with a baptism of two individuals, Gilberta Saopa and Hilda Nyoni. The series, The Da Vinci Code Vs Bible Prophecy...What is The Real Truth About Jesus? has led to a further large group of young people making a commitment to Jesus. Watford Town rejoiced with the ministry of Pastor Alfonzo Waggener. First introduced to the UK at the South England Camp Meeting in June 2006, Waggener appealed to a broad audience in Watford. The baptism of 8 individuals included an entire family of four. Waggener has now moved over to Balham and is in the midst of another evangelistic series. We are aware of many other evangelistic programmes happening. BUC News would be happy to receive your reports. Please send them to <vhulbert@adventist.org.uk>. LORD CAREY AT NEWBOLD COLLEGE [Helen Pearson/ANN/BUC news] We must deplore violence wherever it is found and especially deplore its association with religion, declared Lord Carey of Clifton, a former head of the Church of England, to an audience of 450 people at Adventist-owned Newbold College, Bracknell on Tuesday 19 September. Lord Carey, who as 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury led the worldwide Anglican fellowship from 1991 to 2002, gave the 2006 Beach Lecture entitled The Crescent and the Cross - The Clash of Faiths in an Age of Secularism. He began by directly questioning those on both sides who see Muslim-Christian relations as a clash of civilizations and those who argue that no dialogue is possible between the two faiths. Instead, Carey argued for a dialogue that flows from co-operation, tolerance and understanding between the faiths and encouraged his audience to form a new mental map of relationships between the Abrahamic faiths. He suggested that we ask a new and important question: Is there a basic spirituality that we share?

2 He challenged politicians and diplomats to note the importance of religion in resolving conflict. He concluded by offering an agenda for change and action which involved grassroots engagement between people of different faiths and living with respect and honouring diversity--not out there, but here with us. Dr David Trim, associate director of the Centre for the Study of Religious and Cultural Diversity at the College stated that, Lord Carey has a distinguished record as a promoter of inter-faith relations in a variety of ways and we are delighted that he chose to address this significant subject in the Beach Lecture at Newbold College. The lecture provoked considerable debate, principally from a report in the London Times Newspaper, then from interviews and reports across a broad range of media including a follow-up interview by Lord Cary on the BBC s premier news show, the Today Programme. A report of Carey s open forum discussion with students and a video interview with BUC News will appear in a later edition of BUC News. A full transcript of the lecture is available from < NEW LEADERS RECEIVE TRAINING [BUC News/TED News] With a substantial change of leadership within the British Isles, the new Presidents and Executive Secretaries were able to benefit from a Trans-European Division leadership training course in Rogaska Slatina, Slovenia. The eight UK participants joined some 80 others to learn from a rich, versatile and intense programme. Bertil Wiklander, President of the Trans- European region and the coordinator for Leadership Development, defined the nature of leadership as the process of persuading others to take action towards a common goal and outlined the path of a Christian leader emphasising Christian leadership values, professional competence, and church expectations. During the four days speakers shared their skills in the areas of governance, values and mission, integrity, communication skills, managing conflict, time management, embracing difference, and managing change. John Surridge, Welsh Mission President, told BUC News that, These meetings were particularly helpful for those of us who are just starting out in leadership positions within the church. In the few days we spent at Rogaska we learnt things from more experienced people that could well save us a great deal of time and effort later on. Björn Ottesen, President of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Sweden, stated, The initiative and focus on leadership is right on target. The seminar achieved the overall goal of giving a broad, general picture of the issues and tasks that leaders face in the church. Scottish Mission President, Llew Edwards maybe summed up the learning experience for all participants: Thank you TED - please let s do it again and all continue learning and be inspired to lead well! FAMILY MINISTRY ADVISORY MEETS Pastor Bernie and Mrs Karen Holford, Mrs Heather Haworth, Pastor Cyril Sweeney, Pastor Clyde and Mrs Anette Moore represented the British Union at the Family Ministries TED Advisory, Northampton, on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 September. Pastor Paul Tompkins, TED Family Ministries director, chaired the meetings to which Family Ministries specialists from 15 other countries, along with Pastor Ron and Mrs Karen Flowers (GC Family Ministries department directors), contributed valuable expertise. Issues covered included: caring for those hurting from divorce, child and adult abuse, sexual harassment within the church, cohabitation, discipling our family, the family as an agent for evangelism, cultural attitude towards marriage, the 'singles' issues and men's ministries. Over the next five years the annual Family Ministries Plan book will address these topics under the theme of creating caring relationships. Our Union will help to write the book for 2009, creating relationships that tell the world. This Plan book is available on disc from your Conference and Union Family Ministries directors and Mission President.

3 CERTIFIED FAMILY LIFE EDUCATORS SEMINAR Over 40 people from across our Division attended the General Conference Family Ministries training programme which was held at the Kings Park Christian Conference Centre in Northampton. Pastor Paul Tompkins, TED Family Ministries director, who organised the programme also lectured and introduced the speakers; Dr Mike Pearson Newbold College, Mrs Valerie Fidelia Middle East Union, Pastor Bernie and Mrs Karen Holford SEC and Pastor Ron and Mrs Karen Flowers General Conference Family Ministries directors. This one week's intensive course was part of a five-year certification programme. The topics covered were: Human Development, Developing Families, Creating an Emotionally Healthy Church, and Family Ethics in Making Choices. Those attending from our Union were Pastor and Mrs Leslie Ackie, Pastor and Mrs Clyde Moore and Mrs Heather Haworth, BUC Family Ministries director. This course is for all church members who are involved in the Family Ministries department. To know more contact Mrs Heather Haworth at the British Union Conference. TAKEOVER AT THE PARK [John Arthur] Almost every day we read about multi-million pound takeovers in the business world. A take-over of a different kind took place at Stanborough Park on Sabbath, 16 September, when the church s young people took full responsibility for the planning and conducting of a special Divine Worship service which focused on the baptism of four young ladies. A group in their teens and early twenties livened proceedings as they led out in the congregational singing of the candidates favourite hymns. Judy McKie offered the invocation; and one of the church s junior elders, Christianne Guenin, offered the main prayer during which he invoked the blessing of God not only on the ladies being baptised, but also the sick and the chronologically-advanced. (Maybe he had the writer in mind amongst others!) Siblings and friends of the four candidates read their favourite passages of scripture. Youth pastor, Matthew Vincent, presented the sermon during which he referred to the main character in the Wizard of Oz losing his heart. Today, a huge battle is taking place for the human heart, and it is great that four young people are publicly giving their hearts to Jesus, said Matt. The only part of the service which did not involve the youth was the immersing of the candidates, for which four different ministers were commissioned. Naomi Burgess was baptised by her grand-father, Pastor Roy Burgess. Emma Lim, the 13 yearold daughter of Dr and Mrs Sin Lim of Hemel Hempstead, was baptised by Pastor Ian Sleeman. Megan Macintosh, formerly of South Africa and now living with her parents in Aylesbury, was led into the water by Pastor James Huzzey. Finally, Tristan Cuniah, long-time elder of the Wood Green church, had the joy of baptising his grand-daughter, Alexandria Magee. At the close of the service relatives, friends, and church members gave the young ladies an ecstatic welcome into the global family of God, and wished each of them God s richest blessing as they enter into a closer walk with Him. DEATH OF NORMAN WRIGHT We are sad to report the tragic death of Norman Wright, former headteacher and active lay-preacher. Norman was hit by a car at age 92. His wife, Vera, stated that Norman lived a wonderful life He felt young and he kept young, and that is what is keeping us positive. Norman was a former headteacher of both the Plymouth (Fleetwood) and Walthamstow (Hyland House) schools. At age 75 he travelled to Pakistan and spent six months teaching at the Adventist college. His son, Paul, is a minister in Switzerland. He also has a daughter Helen, resident in the USA. The funeral will be held at the Stoke-on-Trent Adventist Church at am on Monday, 2 October The family request donations to ADRA in lieu of flowers. NEW EDITOR FOR BUC NEWS

4 From the beginning of October Pastor John Surridge will be taking up his newly elected role of President for the Welsh Mission of Seventh-day Adventists. For the last ten years he has taken responsibility for creating and producing 507 editions of BUC News as well as developing many Communication resources for the Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland. His skills in IT and Communication have led to excellence in the development of the church s website < as well as various databases that have helped the church in its mission. On behalf of all the readers and subscribers to BUC News we would like to wish Pastor Surridge the best in his new leadership role. Pastor Victor Hulbert succeeds Pastor Surridge as Communication director and Editor for BUC News. Please send all your news stories and items to him at <bucnews@adventist.org.uk>. FOURTH QUARTER POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS Benjamin Sulit of Teach With Power Ministry makes available PowerPoint presentations to assist in teaching the Sabbath School Lesson each quarter. If you are interested in checking out this resource for use in your church please visit his website: < MARANATHA THIS WEEKEND ON HOPE CHANNEL For the first time ever, Hope Channel is pleased to bring you live coverage of the 2006 Maranatha Convention from Portland, Oregon. Maranatha guarantees viewers will be inspired as the weekend broadcasts will pack breathtaking pictures, surprising stories, inspirational music and worship into each programme. Featured speakers will include Pastor Ron Watts from India, Pastor Paul Ratsara from Africa, Pastor Melchor Ferreyra from South America and Pastor Mark Finley. Maranatha Volunteers International, founded in 1969, is a non-profit organization, which organizes and implements the construction of urgently needed buildings all over the world. In the past 33 years, more than 50,000 people have volunteered for Maranatha projects in 61 countries building church homes for over 1600 congregations and providing over 150 educational buildings for grateful students. Please note the broadcast times for the Maranatha Convention on the Hope Channels. Hope Channel Europe Sabbath, 30 September Hope Channel International Friday, 6 October 02:00 14:00 GMT 11:00 14:00 GMT 18:00 20:00 GMT 05:00 08:00 GMT 13:00 15:00 GMT 01:00 03:00 GMT TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION PRAYER GUIDE For Sabbath 30 September our Bible focus is on 1 Timothy 4:12. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Please pray that the Lord will bless all our young people, and that we may all respect their ideas, and enthusiasm for God's work, and learn from them. For Sabbath 7 October our Bible focus is on Philip. 3:13-14 (NIV) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. Please pray that our religion may be centred only on Jesus and His Good News of salvation for all. BUC News is a weekly news bulletin produced by the British Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and edited by the Communication Department. Items for inclusion should be sent to <bucnews@adventist.org.uk> and need to be received by 6.00 pm on Thursday, preferably as simple text. Coming Events and Small Ads should be kept short and preferably be submitted via the on-line form at: < The editor reserves the right to modify articles received to make them suitable for inclusion. The views expressed

5 by individuals cited in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, though we try to ensure that they do. You are free to re-print any portion of this bulletin without the need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify BUC News or other sources whenever you publish these materials. Back issues are available on our website at < You can manually unsubscribe from this mailing list by clicking on reply and including the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. You can subscribe to ANN (Adventist News Network), the news bulletin of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, on the GC website at: < You can subscribe to TED News, the news bulletin of the Trans-European Division, by sending your name and address to: The British Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church accepts no liability to any party for any error, omission or mis-statement by any contributor in any material published in this newsletter.