BUC Edition #983 (8 July 2016)

[Stan]

Edition #983 (8 July 2016) Email Newsletter of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland PLEASE NOTE: This e-newsletter will look and read better with pictures enabled. For additional and updated news and a full listing of coming events visit our website:www.adventist.org.uk Contents: "A MORE EFFECTIVE WITNESS" ‒ BUC SESSION SABBATH SERVICES NOT YOUR AVERAGE CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE… NEWBOLD ALUMNI AMONG THE ORDAINED HUNDREDS ATTEND FAMILY RESOURCES EXPO AT NEWBOLD IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN: KIDZPRAISE 2016 BIG SIX SPORTS DAY VIEWPOINT ‒ IS VIOLENCE EVER ACCEPTABLE? ADVENTIST TV THIS WEEK COMING EVENTS ---------------------------------------- "A MORE EFFECTIVE WITNESS" ‒ BUC SESSION SABBATH SERVICES With their business meetings over, delegates, guests, church members and staff packed into the Newbold College Gymnasium on Sabbath morning 2 July to conclude the 2016 British Union Conference Quinquennial Session. They came together to give thanks to God for His leadership over the past five years, to be inspired by stories of mission and witness from across the Union, and to commit themselves and the new leaders to share the good news of our Saviour's soon coming with the 68 million people in our territory. As the hall soon filled to capacity the congregation prepared for the Sabbath School programme by enthusiastically joining in a period of praise. The Sabbath School is the backbone of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and those in attendance were blessed to witness a masterclass by Dr Daniel Duda (TED Field Secretary and Education director), who introduced the new quarter's theme in an engaging, practical and relevant manner. Focusing in on the importance of relationships, the lesson summary became the launch pad for a Mission Spotlight highlighting the diversity of witness across the BUC. The Session does not only plan for the future, it looks back at the work done over the past 5 years, and the congregation were shown how the various entities that make up the Union had put evangelism at the heart of their work. Reports were presented from the SEC Mission to the Cities and NEC Taskforce initiatives. The diversity of the Union was reflected in the mission reports; from the large-scale Dublin Mission to the Cities project to small groups meeting in their homes for Simple Church. At one point the livestream of the service was broken and the congregation were asked to put away their cameras and phones due to the sensitivity of the report from the Adventist Muslim Relations team. They shared both the heart-warming stories of changed lives and the sobering accounts of the sacrifices, including physical violence, somehave made to follow Jesus as their personal Saviour. After the Sabbath School's reflection on the past five years of service, the Divine Service looked to the future. It was an opportunity to introduce the new leadership team and to set them aside to serve God and for the Church to be reconfirmed in its mission through word and praise. At the start of the service, the BUC Officers and Directors for the next quinquennium were invited to the front along with their spouses to be introduced to the wider Church family and to be prayed over (for a full list of the new team please see this story). Before dedicating them to God's service, the members of the outgoing team were invited up so that the congregation could show them their appreciation.   Former BUC President, Pastor Cecil Perry was invited up to pray for the former leaders; to give thanks for their service and dedication and to place them in God's care and leadership as they seek to follow His purpose for their lives and ministry. Following this Karnik Doukmetzian (General Conference General Counsel) was asked to set aside the new team in a prayer of dedication. The congregation stood to join him as they too committed to prayerfully supporting the new leaders of the Church in Britain and Ireland. One of the special features of the day was the ministry of music. A special orchestra under the direction of Newbold's Dr Sandra Rigby-Barrett was created for the day and was instrumental in helping the congregation give glory to their God. Dr Rigby-Barrett was also responsible for organising a concert in the evening which was a fitting way to bring the Sabbath, and the Session, to a close. The choice of special items must also be commended. Not only was the congregation blessed by many individuals using their God-given talents, they also helped the service flow along with the theme of the day. In particular, Camelia Bran's meditational song, 'The Holy City (Jerusalem)' was used to lead into AJ Grant's final sermon of the Session. Lt Aman Joseph (AJ) Grant, a US Navy chaplain and Adventist pastor, had structured his messages to the delegates around the city of Jerusalem. He had explored both the prophets Jeremiah and Nehemiah's relationship to the city and on Friday night had looked at Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the temple. Now, on Sabbath morning he looked to the New Jerusalem, the city of the saints. Exploring the New Testament Lt Grant shared how despite the tribulation suffered by the early Church, it grew as it met to worship in people's homes. He challenged the congregation, the Church leadership and the Church in Britain and Ireland to take seriously the New Testament model and impact the lives of the 68 million "future family", one at a time, in our living rooms and streets. Sharing from his own experience of acceptance, nurture, growth and commitment within small groups and house churches, he continued to preach his Session motto, "don't let it be business as usual" and urged the Church to rediscover the original model of ministry and witness in order to reach the world and prepare for Jesus's soon return. In his final prayer, Pastor Ian Sweeney, BUC President, accepted the challenge on behalf of the Church and committed himself, the new leadership, and the BUC to serve the Lord faithfully. The day wasn't quite finished; ten pastors from the SEC were ordained in the afternoon. So many delegates from the Session wished to stay and support the ordinands that the service had to be moved from the Newbold church to the gym. Alastair Agbaje, Newbold College chaplain and Trans-European Division Teens and Community Services director; Andrei Balan, London Russian speaking and Watford town pastor; Jonathan Burnett, Aylesbury and Oxford/Oxford Filipino pastor; Vili Costescu, SEC Media director and Newbold associate pastor; Andrew Davis, Newbold Youth pastor; Rio Espulgar, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft pastor; Anthony Fuller, South England Conference Youth director; Matthew Herel, Horley Gatwick and Redhill pastor, Andrew Layland, Southampton and Guilford pastor; and Vaughn Thorpe, Ilford and Leytonstone pastor all had their calls to gospel ministry confirmed through ordination. Some delegates had to make long journeys home, however, others stayed to close the Sabbath at a well-organised beautiful concert ‒ yet another of the little touches that made this Session hosted by Newbold College so special. And it didn't end there! The delegates, guests and churchmembers may have left, but the mission of the Church had only just begun. In an effort to help church members respond to the Gospel commission, the College hosted a Family Resources Expo the following day. As seats were packed away and everyone left they could agree with Pastor Sweeney that the main purpose of the Session had been "seeking to make the Church a more effective witness to the people of the British Isles."   [BUC News] Back to top... Email Story...   NOT YOUR AVERAGE CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE… From the moment we arrived at the gates ofNewbold College for the 2016 British Union Conference Session we experienced the gifts of warm and thoughtful hospitality. Car parks were signposted, the registration was efficient, the staff members were friendly, and we never had to wait more than a few minutes for a meal or a drink. There were plenty of seats, the sound system worked, and the menu was completely vegetarian, with delicious options for a range of special diets. Those might sound like simple things. But I have been to many church and non-church conferences at universities and hotels were there weren't enough parking spaces, where the vegan option included prawns ("well, they're non-dairy, aren't they?"), where the registration was chaotic, where I had no idea where I was going, where the toilet supplies ran out, and where the staff were grumpy and unhelpful. This is the very first time that Newbold College has ever hosted a British Union Conference Session, or any event of this size, with more than 300 delegates, plus support staff and guests. So I was curious, how had they managed the logistical challenge of coordinating hundreds of local hotel rooms, providing lunches and dinners for more than 400 people, upgrading their infrastructure, creating extra parking spaces, hosting an exhibition centre, and running parallel training seminars? Even the gardens were immaculate, framing the buildings with neatly trimmed lawns, and cheerful flower beds. Wherever I went I could always see one of the Newbold staff members in a bright red T-shirt. They were happy to serve, quick to answer questions or point me in the right direction, and they always had a kind word and a smile, no matter how tired they were.  Something as smooth-running as this doesn't just happen. It takes months of careful planning and thinking. It takes an eye for detail. It takes collaboration. And it requires a dedicated team who work tirelessly behind the scenes. The process started over a year ago when Dr John Baildam,Newbold College Principal, saw the quote given by a local hotel for hosting the BUC Session. He began to explore the alternative of whether Newbold College could host the entire 2016 British Union Conference Session. This way the Session costs would both help to support one of our own institutions, and give delegates a first-hand taste of what the College can provide. If successful, it might even encourage local churches or other groups to hold their own conferences and retreats at the College. The planning committee was chaired by Dr Baildam, together with Brian Davison, a member of the BUC Executive Committee, who served as secretary. They quickly created individual committees to manage the catering, the accommodation, the grounds and building preparations, the IT support, the exhibition space, and the Centre for Christian Leadership. As the Session approached, the committees met together more frequently, checking that everything was perfectly in its place. "We walked ourselves step-by-step and moment-by-moment through every day, thinking about the different needs of each delegate", Brian explained. Brian is a self-confessed lover of detail, so all the plans were carefully checked and rechecked. Then each team worked overtime to deliver the highest standard possible. I've never been a student at Newbold College. But, when I walked across the sunlit campus, I felt much more relaxed and at home than I would ever have felt in a hotel conference centre or a university. I also felt totally proud of our College, and its ability to host this large event with such apparent ease, warmth, joy and professionalism. All the delegates I spoke to were full of praise for the staff. I never heard one word of criticism. What was the secret of their success? I believe it was their ability to pray together, to keep their eye on the bigger picture, to work together as a team, to serve cheerfully and humbly, and to be channels of God's love and peace to everyone they met… A shining example for every successful ministry, church, Conference or Union. A big thank you to Dr John Baildam, to Brian Davison and to the highly committed Newbold College staff team from every guest and delegate of the 2016 British Union Conference Session. Maybe we'll see you all again in 2021! [Karen Holford. Photos: Victor Hulbert] Back to top... Email Story...     NEWBOLD ALUMNI AMONG THE ORDAINED Newbold College of Higher Education celebrated 9 of its alumni who were among the 10 pastors ordained during the 2016 BUC Session on Sabbath afternoon, 2 July, held at the Newbold Colllege Gymnasium. The ordination candidates included Newbold Chaplain and TED Teens and Community Services director Alastair Agbaje, Oxford, Aylesbury and Filipino Group church pastor Jonathan Burnett, SEC Media director and Newbold church associate pastor Vili Costescu, Newbold church associate Youth pastor Andrew Davis, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft church pastor Rio Espulgur, SEC Youth directorand Hyland House School chaplain Anthony Fuller, Gatwick and Redhill District church pastor Matthew Herel, Southampton and Guildford church pastor Andrew Layland, and Leytonstone and Ilford Lane District church pastor Vaughn Thorpe. Although not a Newbold alumnus, Andrei Balan, Watford Town and London Russian church pastor, was also ordained to the gospel ministry. In a moving ceremony, the candidates and their spouses were introduced to the audience by serving, ordained pastors who knew and could give witness to their good works throughout the Union and Division. Each ordinand had a unique and touching testimony of their walk to ministry and ten stories were told.  Introduced by his father, Newbold alumnus Pastor Andrew Davis' journey to ministry was shared. At the age of fifteen his father had given up on his secret wish for his son to become a pastor. "Andrew did not get up in the morning for church, only showing up at noon in the foyer and wanting to pursue a career in fashion", said his father, Pastor Sam Davis, former SEC President. So one day when he received a message that read, "Dad, I think I have been called to ministry", the joy was overwhelming. Moving stories were echoed ten times over marking this happy event. "It was such a joy to see that the ordinands possess skills needed for the church and I felt like a proud father having been part of the mentoring process for several of them", said TED Ministerial director and former Newbold church senior pastor Patrick Johnson. Some of their attributes shared were the ability to reach out to others through media, being willing and having the enthusiasm to move for Christ, patience, being able to reach out to a multicultural environment, having compassion, creating a happy environment, diligence and reliability.  Pastor Espulgur commended Newbold for preparing him for ministry. "The lecturers at Newbold shared theological lessons in such practical and relevant ways that I found what I learnt helpful especially now as I engage with people from the community", he said. "My time within the Newbold community has allowed me to worship, interact and minister with a great group of people across the globe known to me as the Newbold family. The classes were challenging and intense and helped to reaffirm my calling to pastoral ministry", said Pastor Fuller.  Pastor Agbaje also cherishes his Newbold experience. "I have been exposed to a rich multicultural and diverse environment on campus. This experience and knowledge helped me in working overseas with Scandinavian young adults in ministry; I had a great awareness and understanding of their culture and mindset", said Pastor Agbaje. He added that the teaching and practical placement element of a Newbold education has helped him to be better prepared and effective. "This has proven to be an essential building block and foundation for ministry", he said. Newbold wishes the newly ordained pastors God's blessings as they continue to serve others and make Christ known. [Judith Makaniankhondo] Back to top... Email Story...   HUNDREDS ATTEND FAMILY RESOURCES EXPO AT NEWBOLD Over 400 visitors attended the Adventist Family Resources Expo at Newbold College. The Expo was held during the BUC Quinquennial Session (30 June - 2 July) and opened up to the wider Church community on Sunday 3 July. "The Expo was a great opportunity to see such a range of Adventist businesses and ministries in the same place", said one visitor, who was attending with her family. Stands ranged from the sale of Adventist books, resources, and vegetarian food, to health measurement tools, music lessons and recordings, and Church charities and services. The Expo also featured a series of free lectures with Pastor Leslie Ackie (SEC Family Ministries director) 'Connecting Lives for Eternal Living: the importance of and biblical basis for emotional intelligence (EI)'; Dr Chidi Ngwaba (SEC Health Ministries director) 'RIP Diseases: how to reverse, improve, and prevent disease'; Karen Holford (TED Family Ministries director) 'Growing Characters for Eternity: creative ways to nurture your child's character, and your own'; and Veronica Williams (SEC Prayer Ministries coordinator) 'Love On Its Knees: the importance of prayer and how to make prayer important in your family'. "Family worship is the opportunity for children to voice their concerns to both their earthly and heavenly parents", said Veronica, on the importance of prayer and worship in the family. She suggested selecting the most suitable time in the day for prayer so that it's unhurried, keeping worship short, simple, and spirited in order to keep children engaged, and creating a family prayer journal with sections for requests, answered prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Karen talked about the characteristics to nurture in children to build strong characters, specifically finding fun and engaging ways to encourage those such as hope, gratitude, honesty, forgiveness, humour, and spirituality. Both Dr Ngwaba and Pastor Ackie spoke on health ‒ the former on physical health and the latter emotional health. "Being generous, kind and demonstrating the fruits of the spirit is key to good health", said Dr Ngwaba. "Our ability to impact our communities for Christ is in direct proportion to the level of our emotional health", said Pastor Ackie, in relation to the importance of taking care of our emotional health. The Expo is the first of its kind to be hosted at Newbold College, and it was originally conceived as a way to provide added value to delegates of the BUC Session. "We also wanted to give Adventist businesses and institutions from across the UK the chance to offer their products and ministries to delegates and Session guests", said Brian Davison, who coordinated arrangements for the Session on Newbold College's behalf.  The College's Centre for Christian Leadership facilitated the Expo's opening on Sunday and hosted the series of free lectures. For more information on similar events and workshops at Newbold College, visit the Centre for Christian Leadership's website. [Kirsty Watkins] Back to top... Email Story...     IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN: KIDZPRAISE 2016 Mums in Action held its KidzPraise in London for the first time in its five year history. On Sabbath 25 June, 1200 people flocked to the Rock Tower in Holloway, north London for the KidzPraise 2016. The event was its usual lively self, with a choir of 150 children, with ages ranging from two to late teens, led by Tony Best, Musical director of KidzPraise who also choreographed the band that was made up of teenage boys from churches in London. The day was sprinkled with a variety of musical items, ranging fromaclassical piano rendition by Danielle Bernard from Watford to acontemporary mime performed by the children from the Cornerstone church. There was an orchestral piece by Little Strings from the Balham church and Newbold Choir sang a medley of some of the 'good ole'children's songs that many have grown to love over the years. In previous years, the sermon for the morning was delivered by an adult, however, this year, Asher Roberts, a seven-year-old boy from the Milton Keynes area delivered a stirring message about David, the shepherd boy. Young children also took over the usual Sabbath School time with the Hyland House School performing a musical drama called, 'The Promise'. One attendee commenting on the day said, "I was very impressed by the mass choir and was truly blessed. It was wonderful to see so many children from a variety of nationalities taking part." Reflecting on the event, Barbara Lawrence, representing the KidzPraise team stated, "I am thankful to God that we were able to bring the programme from Watford to London and that it was a success. The team would also like to thank the South England Conference, our main sponsors for their faith in us in executing the programme, especially Earl Ramharacksingh, the Treasurer, who has been extremely supportive over the years." [Catherine Anthony Boldeau] Back to top... Email Story...   BIG SIX SPORTS DAY Big Six is the annual team sports day in the NEC Youth calendar where groups from all over the Conference come to play football, basketball, netball, badminton and table tennis. This year on Sunday 5 June the weather was beautiful and over 500 youth came to enjoy a great day's fun at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton. Big Six provides a great opportunity for the youth of the Conference to meet together and enjoy playing sports with each other and the chance to get to find new friends from the different cities represented. There was a good showing this year from teams around the West Midlands but the team that drove the furthest travelled 4 hours all the way from Middlesbrough and was led by Pastor Dan Dachin who managed to play football for both the Middlesbrough and the pastors' team! The football tournament, as always, had some excellent teams with some very close games being played. The winners at the end of the day were Leicester West. Each year we also play an under-16s' tournament and this year the team from Yardley Seventh-day Adventist church won for this age category. The netball tournament was won by a team called Mish Mash, made up of people from several churches in Birmingham, beating a team from Preston in the final. The basketball tournament was won by Air Jamaica. Team captain Joel Robinson, said after winning, "it was a good tournament with a lot of talented basketball players, I'm glad we were able to win against a really good team. We hope to come back and do the double next year!" The badminton was very popular this year and was coordinated by Pastor Dan Majaducon, who also won one of the categories and the competition looked very tight with some excellent players taking part. In recent years our smallest competition has been in table tennis but this year we had our highest turnout yet and it was excellently led out by Charmaine Morgan. The adults' tournament was won by Shaun Campbell and the juniors' by James Oyaide. Kenya McFarlane, Youth leader from Yardley church said, "Big Six was well organised. As soon as we had prayer and a welcome, the day kicked off swiftly and the young people and sports teams were excited and ready to compete. I brought the Yardley youth along because it was a way to encourage them to step out of their comfort zone, work together as a team and find their strengths." Despite one or two small injuries there were no major problems and we thank everyone who came and all those who volunteered to officiate at the event. This event runs on the generosity and goodwill of dedicated people from all over the NEC. Photos of the event can be viewed online on the NEC Youth Facebook Page. [Adam Ramdin] Back to top... Email Story...     VIEWPOINT ‒ IS VIOLENCE EVER ACCEPTABLE? ADVENTIST TV THIS WEEK Also available on-demand on the Hope TV UKwebsite and on Hope Channel via Roku and Samsung Smart TVs and the Hope Channel app. Thursday, 7 July, 8:30 pm ‒ Revelation TV(repeated Sunday, 10 July, 1:00 pm). VIEWPOINT: Is Violence Ever Acceptable? ‒ In the UK, riots and violence is seen as bad and a symbol of a society out of control. But on the other hand violence in the Middle East has been condoned and even encouraged. So does violence accomplish anything? Is it necessary? Can violence be a force for good? Thursday, 14 July, 8:30 pm ‒ Revelation TV (repeated Sunday, 17 July, 1:00 pm). VIEWPOINT: What Is Truth ‒ Pastors Simon Martin and Petras Bahadur join with social anthropologist Petula Peters to try and answer this simple – yet surprisingly difficult question. And how do they respond to a Professor of Divinity who left the Adventist Church because he 'needed more ambiguity'? [BUC News] Back to top... Email Story...     COMING EVENTS For a full listing of Coming Events please visithttp://adventist.org.uk/events Sabbath 9 July: Stanborough Park Church's Summer Concert: The Lord's Prayer. This is a sacred concert featuring the church choir and orchestra as well as the String Chamber Ensemble, 16 Strings ‒ a youth group, an ocarina quartet along with congregational singing and readings including 'The Lord's Prayer'. All are invited to attend what should be an enjoyable evening. Time: 19:30 - 21:30. Venue: Stanborough Park Church, 609 St Albans Road, Watford, WD25 9JL.   Sabbath 9 - Sabbath 23 July: Stratford Evangelistic Campaign. Come and join us for our evangelistic campaign at Stratford Seventh-day Adventist church. Our guest speaker is the renowned international evangelist Pastor Eugene Benjamin. For more information please contact us on 07402 358 298. Venue: 58 Jason Road, London, E15 1TE.   The Midnight Cry Campaign. Please join the New Life family in this two-week campaign with youthful, dynamic guest speaker, Pastor Brent St Jean. Special features: Health Gems & Relationship Seminars. Check link for further details.  Venue: The New Life Centre, 8-10 Lennox Road, Finsbury Park, London, NW4 3JQ.   Friday 15 - Sunday 17 July: Music-Makers' Conference. Annual event for those who minister through music; coming together to share 'Concepts and Practice'. Workshops and seminars by local and international speakers including Dr Lilianne Doukhan and Jason Max Ferdinand. Check link for further details including registration link. Venue: Newbold College, St Marks Road, Binfield, Bracknell, RG42 4AN. Singles' Retreat. Check link for fuller poster details. For enquiries, please contact Christina on 0792 610 2187 and Patience on 0790 871 3561. Venue: De Vere Venues, Wokefield Park, Goodboys Lane, Reading, RG7 3AH.   Sabbath 16 - Sabbath 23 July: SEC NEC Student Camp 2016. Student Camp is taking place in Chapel Porth, Cornwall, a beautiful place that makes a welcome change from the urban familiar, to the peaceful and quiet seaside. This camp is for university students only. Check link for further details including registration & costs. Venue: Chapel Porth, Goonvrea, St Agnes, TR5 0RN.   Sabbath 16 - Sabbath 30 July: Scottish Mission Impact Project. Don't miss out on this year's IMPACT Project! Get in touch now to learn more about our exciting community projects and daily schedules. For more details, please contact Rory Mendez at rrmendez@hotmail.co.uk or 07772 314 369. Together we can make a difference!   Sabbath 16 July: NEC Pathfinder Rally Day. The programme will include Investiture, Award Ceremony, Community Outreach, Pathfinder Concert, Drilling and Marching in the city and more. Further information will be sent to all clubs in due time. Time: 09:30 - 20:30. Venue: The ICC Birmingham, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EA.   Sunday 17 July: SEC Campaign Champion's Day. Wondering how you can be a part and get involved in SEC's One Life Campaign? Join us for our Campaign Champion's Day to find out! For more information on One Life, please visit www.1life.org.uk and to get more details for Champion's, please emailevents@secadventist.org.uk . Time: 09:00 - 16:00. Venue: Advent Centre, Crawford Place, London, W1H 5JE. Monday 18 July - Thursday 11 August: Certificate in Health and Wellness. This programme, conducted over 2 summers, is for those with an interest in health evangelism, nutrition, wellness and fitness, who wish to serve in their local church and community as they seek to share the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle. To register or for more information please email info@newbold.ac.uk or visit Newbold's website www.newbold.ac.uk.   Sunday 24 July: Complete Health Improvement Programme (CHIP) Facilitator Training. CHIP is a lifestyle enrichment programme designed to reduce disease risk factors through the adoption of better health habits and appropriate lifestyle modifications. Please visit the CHIP website https://www.chiphealth.com. Time: 09:00 - 17:00. Check link for costs & registration link. Venue: Newbold College of Higher Education, St Marks Road, Binfield, RG42 4AN.   New Life Church Family Fun Day. BBQ, Bake Sale, Stalls, Bouncy castle, DJs and lots more fun for all the family. Free entry! For further information call: 0785 270 2787. If you would like a stall please email: treblestar@hotmail.co.uk. Time: 12:00 - 17:00. Venue: 8-10 Lennox Road, Islington, London, N4 3JQ.   BOOK NOW: SONGS OF PRAISE. Sunday 10 July, 6:00 pm at the Hackney Empire. Musical director Ken Burton and the Adventist Vocal Ensemble will lead the congregational gospel hymn singing. ADRA TRIP TO CAMBODIA. 9-24 October 2016. Get involved in a real ADRA project and make a difference. ----------------------------------------