- The Victorian Conference - Seventh
Transcription
- The Victorian Conference - Seventh
SEPTEMBER 2012 IntraVic How can anyone put his faith in Christ if he’s never even heard about Him? How can he hear about Him if no one tells? Romans 10:14 (Clear Word) The Heartbeat of your Church IntraVic Newsletter - a publication of Victorian Conference Communications September 2012 Conference Wide Regional Meeting October 27 at Gilson College 450 Taylors Rd, Taylors Hill Mel Ref 13 A8,C8 Troy Fitzgerald Author and Chaplain for Walla Walla College Special music by Ali and Leighton Heise Come and see our college in the North West of Melbourne, fellowship with church members from all over Victoria and Worship our Great God. Meal tickets may be prepurchased by calling 03 9264 7703 before October 19, 2012. Editorial In Christian Circles, you hear plenty of talk about the need for the Church to be more caring as a community and more relational in how it reaches the unchurched. Even many of our own could benefit from improvement in the area of caring and sharing as evident after last year’s Church Health Survey, which revealed that as a whole, Australian Adventists struggle with being able to share personal and ministry problems with each other - an essential part of community. We know from many church growth studies that the quality of relationships in a church, essentially its sense of community, has a direct correlation with a church’s ability to attract and hold newcomers, as well as retain old friends. Scripture tells us that Jesus’ greatest desire for His followers was that their unity and love for each other would be a witness to the world. “May they have this same kind of oneness so that the world will know that you have sent me...” John 17:23 Paul expresses a similar sentiment when he says “Make every effort to preserve the unity given you by the Holy Spirit ...” in Ephesians 4:3. The challenge for most churches is how to facilitate this sense of community. It is essential to create regular sharing times for church members – times when they feel supported, encouraged and experience accountability. This can occur in activities such as prayer time, ministry tasks and social events. And it can also occur in Sabbath School. In this issue we are taking a look at what helps keep the life of the church pulsating - Sabbath School: at how it can contribute to an individual’s own spiritual growth; enable individuals to care for and be cared by each other; and be a medium for church growth. All of which contribute to a healthy church. IntraVic Staff: Editor Pastor Wayne Stanley;Assistant Editor Sherrie Courtney Contact: [email protected]; PO Box 215 Nunawading, 3131; 03 9264 7777 Copy deadline 1st of each Month 2 // IntraVic Pr Rob Steed Ministerial Secretary IntraVic // 3 September 2012 SabbathSabbath Schools Steve’s First By Pr David Edgren Steve adjusted the ribbon to the current page and quietly closed his Bible as the Sabbath School came to an end with closing prayer. “We will be meeting in the car park after church lunch has finished,” Gerald said. “Marg and I’ve got all the supplies... There’s enough for everyone to be involved.” iStockphoto/fstop123 S teve* turned to Susan, “Thanks for your prayer, Susan. It was really nice of you to include me, even though I’m new.” “We pray for each other every Sabbath,” Susan said, smiling. From across the circle, Marg said, “We pray for each other every day of the week!” “True,” Susan laughed. “Steve, now that you have attended our Sabbath School class, you can be sure you are being prayed for seven days a week.” “That’s really nice,” Steve said. “And on Sabbath I can hear those prayers!” Everyone laughed. A few of the Sabbath School members said their goodbyes and headed into the church foyer. But Gerald, Marg and Susan stayed back waiting to see what Steve would do. “It’s exciting to have a new person in our Sabbath School,” Gerald said to Steve. “It sure is,” the ladies chimed together. Sabbath “Are you guys for real?” Steve School = laughed. “I’ve been to Sabbath Equipping School all my life, but I’ve A place to grow as never seen one as caring as disciples of Jesus and yours. It’s like you are a to discover and exercise family.” your spiritual gifts. 4 // IntraVic Susan answered, “It hasn’t always been like this, Steve.” Her eyes were tearing up, as they often did when she tried to talk about the past. “Our group made a decision three years ago that we would never let information rule over relationships.” “We lost some really great people,” Marg added, “because we let Sabbath School be about minds instead of hearts.” “Sabbath School was never meant to be one dimensional,” Gerald said. Both ladies shook their heads in agreement. “So, you’ve made your Sabbath School about friendship rather than study?” Steve asked. “Oh no,” Gerald replied. “We study like never before. Because we all feel loved and appreciated, we can’t wait to share what we’ve learnt during the week.” “Sabbath School is four dimensional!” Susan laughed, wiping her eyes. “Four?” Steve asked. “What are they?” “First,” Susan said, “There’s nurture. Nothing of any use will happen if we don’t know we are valued and needed.” “Kind of like faith,” Steve said. “For God so loved the world... The love comes first.” “Exactly!” “The next is local mission,” Gerald continued. “Making a difference in the neighbourhood. If they don’t know we love them, they won’t want to know us.” “Or the God you serve,” Steve said, clearly caught up in their excitement. “That’s what you were talking about - after lunch - right?” “Right,” both ladies said together as Gerald nodded. “What kind of outreach programs do you do?” Steve asked. “They’re not programs, as such,” Gerald replied. “We do all kinds of things, depending on the day of the week and the number of people we need. We visit shut-ins, run a soup kitchen, paint fences, run market stalls, knit jumpers, teach religious instruction at state primary schools, and much more.” “Then we bring the stories back,” said Marg, “to Sabbath School and tell them to each other.” “Wow,” Steve said. “So, what local project are you doing this afternoon?” “Not telling,” Gerald laughed. “You’ll have to come and find out! “I might just do that,” Steve said. “OK, what are the other two dimensions?” Susan answered, “Well, of course we have Bible study. That’s how we know and grow.” “We have a discussion-based lesson every week,” Gerald added. “We all study our lesson during the week, so rehashing the pamphlet day-by-day is not usually the strategy we take. The teacher for the day leads with a few well thought out questions and we explore the Bible together.” Steve was nodding. “I noticed that. It was like a conversation around a table, rather than a sermon begging for responses. So that was planned?” He turned to Susan, “I thought you were just a great teacher!” “She is,” Gerald said. Susan shook her head. “No way! Before we started using questions, I hated taking the lesson. I actually refused to do it.” “Most intriguing,” Steve said, rubbing his hands on his knees. “You guys have really thought this through. So, what’s the fourth dimension?” “The biggest dimension!” Gerald said, laughing. “Bigger than Bible study, nurture and local evangelism?” Steve chided. “Ah ha,” Gerald said, pointing at Steve, “you’re on to us. That is the fourth - only bigger: local evangelism on a global scale — world mission.” “You mean,” Steve said, “like 13th Sabbath offering and the back page of the pamphlet? That kind of world mission?” “Exactly,” Gerald answered. “More than ever, we live in a global village. We need to be the ‘good neighbour’ Jesus challenged us to be.” “I agree,” Steve said, “but how does that fit into your Sabbath School group?” “We get involved with the Adventist Mission focus for the quarter,” Marg said. “How?” Steve shrugged. “By watching the Mission Spotlight?” “And taking it home with us,” Marg said. “We research that *All characters in this story are potentially realistic. Any similarities to people in your church is completely desirable. part of the world with our children and save our spare change.” “Then on 13th Sabbath,” Susan said, “we bring our offerings to the storehouse.” “You people are full on,” Steve laughed. “Not really,” Gerald said. “We just take Sabbath School seriously!” “That’s cool,” Steve said. “Other than the vibrant discussion we experienced today. Oh, and that great feeling of being prayed for. Other than that, have you noticed any other effects of this four dimensional approach to Sabbath School?” All three people nodded and started to talk at once. Then they laughed, paused and looked to Marg. New “I’m the head elder of this church,” Marg said. “And I can World say, without a doubt, that taking a holistic approach to Sabbath Sabbath School has changed our church, our families School and our personal relationships with Jesus. We care more — about everything and everyone.” Nurture Susan was nodding. “It’s so true, since Marg asked E vangelism the board to try this new Sabbath School model it Worship has changed our church from the ground up. It is a WORLD much happier church.” Gerald took Marg’s hand. “On a personal note, ever since my wife decided to be the elder for nurture, Sabbath School has been a true joy.” “Elder for nurture?” Steve asked. “Yes,” Gerald answered. “I am the lesson coordinator for our class. I ask people to take the lessons, or do it myself. But Marg’s focus is nurture. She leads the first part of the class each week as we discuss our lives, needs, struggles and joys. And she contacts group members who missed Sabbath School with a call or a card.” “Each Sabbath School in our church has the same thing,” Marg said. Money is available for those “An elder who focuses on nurture wishing to transition their and a Sabbath School leader who Sabbath School into a Home coordinates the lessons.” of Hope. The only stipulation “I really like it,” Steve said. “Can I is that your group agrees to stay?” meet outside of Sabbath School “We hope you do!” once a month for a social time. The funds are to be used David is Director of Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries and he loves for this social time and any to share what he has to say through the local evangelism endeavours medium of the story your group embarks upon. $1000 per year is available (1/3 from Conference, Union and local church) to Homes of Hope groups. Find out more from a Homes of Hope brochure or online at http://aucpersonalministries. adventist.org.au/ homes-of-hope. IntraVic // 5 September 2012 Sabbath School s at Sabbath School take a LOOK W here p e ople me e t t oge t her t o pray, st udy a nd e nga ge i n fel lows h ip, or t o work on a sp e c i f ic t a s k, l ive s a re t ra n sfor me d for Je su s s a id t h at where t wo or more a re gat here d i n H i s n a me, He i s t here w it h t he m... Hensley Gungadoo is pastor for Werribee Church and believes the Sabbath School class is a vital part of a healthy church. So we have asked him to share with us a little of what he thinks Sabbath School is about. They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. Mark 4:13. The Gospels tell us that Jesus frequented the synagogues on Sabbath, where he made use of the opportunity to teach those present, to meet people and to heal them and Acts tells us that the disciples continued this practice. It is possible that the best modern counterpart to the Biblical synagogue is the Sabbath School class. Today, most Seventh-day Adventist churches around the world have a Sabbath School class preceding the Divine Service, with a set of lesson study guides based on a Biblical theme and prepared by the Sabbath School department of the General Conference. Historical Background T he concept of Sabbath School was introduced to the Adventist Church by one of its earliest pioneers, James White. In 1853, he started his first Sabbath School in Rochester, America and wrote a series of Sabbath School lessons for a magazine called The Youth Instructor. In its infancy however, the Sabbath School project was not taken up by many other Adventist congregations and lacked consistency, with lessons missing for months on end. (Schwartz, 1979:160) It took fifteen years before Sabbath School found a new impetus under Professor G. H Bell, when he improved the lessons and prepared organisational plans for Sabbath School. Unfortunately, however, not many people at that time had the zeal and motivation necessary to make it a permanent feature of their weekly service. (Schwartz, 1979:161) Until 1877 that is, when a move to strengthen Sabbath School began in California with the organisation of a state Sabbath School association. Soon Michigan picked up the initiative and in 1878 delegates to the General Conference session established a ‘General Sabbath School Association.’ (Schwartz 1970:161) Today’s shift Sabbath School = Leadership - Apprentices learn in a safe environment. Just as Jesus used his small group to train the next generation of leaders. I t is somewhat amazing to note that when the Sabbath School was introduced to the Seventh-day Adventist church in the 19th century, it happened at a time when most of the churches in America were running Sunday School programs for both children and adults, yet today most Christian churches running Sunday School programs do so only for children. Thus Sabbath School in the Adventist Church today is somewhat unique, catering to children and adults, and is so important in our church culture that it touches a greater cross-section of the Adventist church population than any other activity of our Church. It reaches the lives of people like no other programs do and the lesson guides are read by more people than any other literature put by our Church, worldwide. Why is it that Sabbath School has remained such an influential and permanent feature of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? We can attribute it to many reasons. We could say one factor is its organisational structure, from the local church right through to the General Conference, which is indeed formidable. Another factor is the popularity of the lesson quarterly. However I attribute the continuity of the Sabbath School work in our church to the influence, instructions, The Sabbath School encouragement and counsel of Ellen White. Throughout her wise and timely counsels, Ellen emphasised work is important, and the importance of Sabbath School and a believer’s commitment to its success. all who are interested Sabbath School today Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him: Sabbath “Silence! Come School = out of him!” Fellowship Mark 1:23- 25 & Belonging I in the truth should endeavour to make it prosperous. Counsels on the Sabbath School Work p. 15. f we continue the analogy of the Synagogue finding a contemporary counterpart in the Sabbath School, we could say that as Jesus taught in the Synagogue, the Sabbath School should also be a place where we learn together, from His word. Use of our Church’s lesson study guides, with new themes each quarter, encourages daily study of the Bible on topics which strengthen faith and knowledge in God’s word. However in the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus doing something more than teaching in the synagogue, and just as Christ used the venue of the Synagogue to carry out His healing ministry, I believe that the Sabbath School can also be a place of healing, as members fellowship and develop relationships, where they are nurtured in a climate of trust and openness as they share their weekly joys and worries. And as they develop genuine loving relationships, Sabbath School members can become spiritually accountable to and for each other. - “When I spend an The Sabbath extended time with another Finally the Sabbath School class can be a place where souls are School should be Christian, my main desire brought to the Lord. Again Ellen White’s counsel is of great one of the greatest is that we know fellowship. I value here as she says the object of Sabbath School work should instrumentalities, and want to hear their story, about be bringing people to Christ. And indeed, with planning and the most effectual, how life is with them, of how commitment, each Sabbath School class can be effective in in bringing souls to they are finding the experience of community outreach and sharing the good news of the Gospel. Christ.” (Counsels following God. I want to share as on the Sabbath well, to communicate about my life School Work p. 67) Conclusion and experience. There are times when I have been down but have come and met he Sabbath School in its present form offers every church with many opportunities. I am with the group anyway and have gone convinced that the it can be an agent of transformation towards a healthier church. It can away encouraged and inspired to persist be, not only a place where members grow in their knowledge of the Bible, but also a place where in life and in following God.” they grow spiritually and emotionally and a place where seekers come and find their Lord. T Hensley Gungadoo 6 // IntraVic IntraVic // 7 September 2012 Sabbath School s Division Growth by Some of you may remember Pr Rob Steed, Ministerial Secretary for the Conference, interviewing Pr Hensley Gungadoo at Elmore Camp last Easter, where he shared with us an amazing Sabbath School story. From an attendance of at the most 25 adults each week, in just over a year Werribee Church now has an adult Sabbath School attendance of around 60. During this time the average attendance for the main church service has also increased, from 60 to around 90 and they have had five people make the decision to be baptised. S o how did this come about? By this time, Hensley had been working with Werribee church for nearly eight years. Praying for guidance to bring about change, he began to be impressed that change needed to begin in Sabbath School – that members needed to start up a new class. He did not reach this decision lightly; as it was they were struggling to run the two classes already meeting. When one of his elders agreed to take on the leadership of the third class, they divided up the two existing classes, and amazingly, not only did the new class grow, but so did the others! And the atmosphere at Werribee changed, with a new dynamism and excitement pervading, with members not just attending, but wanting to have an active part in Sabbath School. The church now has five adult Sabbath School classes functioning, as well as three children’s classes and a teen class. How did division lead to growth? Hensley attributes some of the change to introducing a social aspect to the Sabbath School classes. They tried a number of things before finding what suited them. Bowling, movie nights? No, for the members at Werribee, it was getting together over a meal! So they planned barbecues and birthday parties, and got to know each other socially as well as within a class context. And little by little the dynamics of the Sabbath School classes changed, with an increasing awareness of and focus on those who are searching; seeking, perhaps without even realising it, a closer relationship with Christ. And as their awareness increased, class members became more intentional in finding these people. The socialising provided opportunities to invite friends along, and the smaller groups meant that when someone was missing, people noticed and would call to let them 8 // IntraVic know they were missed. Additionally members of the classes became more accountable and aware of the pastoral needs of each other. “As each new class group gets started, a new spiritual family begins, creating a new space,” adds Rob Steed. “A space just waiting to be filled by newcomers and people seeking, who find it easier to join a new class than a preexisting one. So the challenge is to keep creating new classes.” Sabbath school = care Share each others “There is a new energy at Werribee burdens and in this now,” Hensley concluded. “It is no way obey the law of longer difficult to find someone Christ Gal 6:2 willing to lead a new Sabbath School class! People want Sabbath School to be involved, they want = Evangelism to invite other people into their homes. Our “Spiritual workers are needed members are looking not only to labour in the pulpit out for each other but to do personal work among the and for new friends. people. Too much time is devoted This ministry had to the churches in preaching. This is brought renewal not attended with the best results. The to the church and work of the Lord’s ambassadors is to is something my organize companies of workers to hunt leadership team for the souls who need help.” and I are very Ellen White Manuscript Releases excited about.” Volume Twelve, page 240 Sabbath School s Schools 4Sabbath Sabbath School = accountability - Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Resources: The SS Maximiser Maximise your Sabbath School with this SPD resource at www.robsteed.info Cool TOOLS On the General Conference’s website for Sabbath Schools ministry, there is a section with this title. And that is just what this section is full of – cool tools for developing your Sabbath school class and taking it forward. If you have spare time sometime, browse on www. sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org – you may just find the inspiration to turn your Sabbath School around. Here are a just a few of the stories taken from the tools that can be found there. M y friend was visiting a group The NEW Church by that was studying Bible David Edgren Prophecy. During the meeting it was obvious that Martha did not understand the Bible study. At the end of the meeting my friend was talking with her and she told him she had decided to become a Christian and join the Adventist Church. He was curious because he knew she hadn’t understood the study, and he questioned her about it. There were some things she understood and knew to be Biblical, she explained, and some that she didn’t understand, but was confident she would ultimately find them to be Biblical too as she studied further, because everything she had learnt so far was rooted in Scripture. ‘Besides,” she added, “these people love me; they’re my family.’ Kurt Johnson (Adapted from What Groups are Really About) I watched her walk into our church alone. Sabbath School was in progress, and the young woman took a seat by herself. She had a professional look about her and looked to be about 40 years old. She didn’t seem to know anyone, and no one spoke to her. Toward the end of the service, she left and after a few moments of inner debate, I slipped out to try to find her. Several guys were chatting in the foyer. Yes, they thought they saw her leave. I raced out to the carpark, but was too late. Sadly I returned to the church. “Did you guys even talk to that lady?” I asked them. They shook their heads. “Just so you know, she was a visitor,” I told them. “No one else spoke to her either.” Who was she? What was going on in her life that caused her to visit our Sabbath School, arriving late and leaving early? What was she looking for? I never did find out... she didn’t returned. The majority of those who just VISIT our Sabbath Schools are experiencing some kind of crisis in their lives. And if they don’t experience some warm connectedness with members when they drop in, they simply won’t come back. We NEED to connect. Mike and Dianne Jones (Adapted from Connectors for Christ) A s visitors one day, we found the usual Sabbath School scene. Our teacher, a distinguished-looking man, stood and with a pleasant smile said ‘Welcome to our class. I see we have some visitors and we are very glad to see you. Now, we have an important lesson today and I will need all the time to cover it. So…’ and he launched into his well-prepared presentation. The next week, at a different church, we expected a similar ritual. Except that this time the teacher said with a big smile, ‘Welcome, it is good to see you. I am especially glad to see Liz is back - we prayed for you. We welcome our guests too. Would you please tell us your names and where you are from?’ When we finished she continued, ‘We are glad to see the Masons back from holiday. And the Martins have been absent for three weeks now, who would like to give them a call?...” When she began the lesson it was with a fascinating short story that introduced the topic and led into a stimulating discussion with practical application. ‘What made this week so different?’ I asked my wife as we later drove away. ‘Caring people,’ she replied. ‘Don’t you think the teacher last week cared about people?’ I countered. ‘Well, I suppose he did – he had put in a lot of work… but a lecture doesn’t usually meet peoples needs. Today was scriptural, but the teacher applied it to the life needs of her class members.’ Charles Betz (Adapted from The Caring Sabbath School Class) I n four years, one particular Sabbath School over doubled its regular attendance. Each week the class was divided into three 20-minute segments. The first designated for prayer and the last for interactive Bible study, it is the middle segment I want to talk about. This was the ‘time, money and social ministries’ segment. An ongoing time ministry this class contributes to was the monthly soup kitchen they operated. Other time ministries included helping people move, setting up a free drink stand on a busy hiking and biking trail, cleaning out a burnt house. Social ministries included Friday night camp fires, picnic potlucks and games nights. But the money ministry was perhaps the most cutting-edge ministry, operating under five premises: it was a participatory process – after all it is not just the class leader’s money, but the money of the members as well; first priority was given to the needs presented by the class members; projects from outside the class need to have a class sponsor to be seriously considered; the financial help offered was limited and shortterm; and prayer for God’s leading was preferred before deciding to give. This was an intensely practical ministry and throughout the four years the class members contributed to 65 different projects, and this practical approach made Sabbath School inspiring and ‘unmissable’ for many members. Chris Blake (Adapted from The Little Sabbath School that Could) IntraVic // 9 News from our Churches September 2012 our K A page for ids Don’t Let Go! By Karen Collum author, mother and wife “Ready?” asked Daddy. Samantha didn’t feel ready, but she nodded anyway. If Daddy said she could do it, then she could. She felt Daddy’s strong hand on the back of her seat, holding her steady while she got her balance. She put her right foot on the pedal and pushed hard, lifting her left foot onto the other pedal as she began to move. With her daddy’s hand steadying her, Samantha pedalled faster and faster. She was riding her bike without training wheels! When they got to the end of the field Samantha put on her brakes and stopped. Daddy clapped. W hen Samantha was five, her daddy decided she was ready to learn to ride her push bike without training wheels. She and Daddy walked down to a big playing field nearby that was flat and smooth and grassy, perfect for learning to ride. Samantha loved riding her bike. She loved the way the wind whooshed through her blonde hair as she rode and the feeling of riding fast. She loved the way the ground flew by underneath her tyres as she rode, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to ride without her training wheels just yet. Her tummy was doing cartwheels just thinking about it. “Daddy, I don’t think I can ride without my training wheels,” she said. Daddy smiled. “Of course you can. You’ve been riding your bike a long time now and you’re doing so well. Your training wheels hardly ever touch the ground. Daddy will be right here running along behind you and I’ll make sure you don’t fall.” Samantha trusted her daddy. He caught her when she jumped off the fence into his arms and he never let her fall, and he swung her round and round in a circle and didn’t drop her. “Well done! You did a great job, just like I knew you would. Let’s try again.” Daddy and Samantha went backwards and forwards across the field several times. Samantha was having so much fun she almost forgot Daddy was holding onto her seat. She pedalled faster and faster each time and needed his help less and less. As they headed off across the field one more time, Samantha pedalled fast and took off. Daddy’s legs were tired by now, and instead of holding onto the bike, he decided Samantha was ready to ride on her own. He gently let go of the seat and jogged behind her as she rode off across the field all by herself. Samantha was having so much fun flying across the grass on her bike... But then she had a horrible, scary feeling. Something wasn’t right. She turned to look at her daddy and saw he wasn’t holding onto her seat. Samantha panicked. Instead of remembering how far she’d come all by herself, she started to think, “I can’t do this by myself. I’m going to fall off.” And that’s exactly what she did. She stopped pedalling, let go of the handlebars and tumbled sideways onto the grass. “What happened?” asked Daddy. “You weren’t holding onto me so I crashed,” said Samantha, frowning and pouting at him. Daddy laughed. “Samantha,” he said, “you rode all that way by yourself. Look - you started way over there and you came all this way - you didn’t need me to hold onto you anymore.” “But I fell off because you weren’t holding me,” grumbled Samantha. “No,” said Daddy. “You fell off because you got scared. Come on, let’s try again.” Samantha did try again and she found out that Daddy was right. She could ride all by herself. Even though it was scary knowing that Daddy wasn’t holding onto her, she could keep the bike in a straight line, pedal and balance all at the same time. Just like Samantha, sometimes we are faced with situations that are a bit scary. We might have to have an operation or go to a new school where we don’t know anyone or talk in front of a group of people. Thinking about how scary something is can make us feel all wobbly inside and we might feel like we’re about to crash, like Samantha on her bike. But if we choose to think about how big our Heavenly Father is and that He’s with us all the time, we won’t be scared anymore. And when we’re not scared, we won’t stop pedalling or let go of the handlebars. God has promised in the Bible to be with us all the time. No matter what scary thing we’re facing, God will be with us. Just like Samantha’s Daddy was right there behind her, God is right there with us. He doesn’t want us to be scared. Instead, he wants us to try new things with confidence, knowing that He will give us the strength and the courage we need. What have I told you to do? I have told you top be strong and full of courage. Dont be afraid. Don’t become discouraged or give up, because you don’t have to do all this alone. The Lord your God will be with you every step of the way.” Joshua 1:9 10 // IntraVic IntraVic // 11 News from our Churches September 2012 A Happy Day Our Loving God Casey Adventist Church North Melbourne Samoan Church In June, members of Casey met one Sabbath afternoon at Dandenong Polish Church to celebrate the baptisms of Jessica Rule, Ally and Luke Bokos. Together with the members from the Craigeburn Lay Group, the church ran a two week evangelistic series in Thornbury during August. The theme was ‘A Loving God’. W hen I spoke to Jessica about her baptism she said that she wanted to be baptised to be closer to God and she was looking forward to continuing her walk with God. Jessica also said that her baptism was the A happy day for Jessica, Ally happiest day of her life. She has a favourite quote which she read during the and Luke and their families service. “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 When I spoke to Ally and Luke they both had similar stories to Jessica. They both wanted to be baptised because they believed that it was the right thing to do and they wanted to follow God and have a closer relationship with him. The baptism was followed by a magnificent afternoon tea. David Riley and Fraser Catton were both involved with the service and the Bible studies. Samantha Thorpe First Youth Fellowship in Victoria Samoan Adventist Youth God is good to the Samoan youth groups here in Victoria. Under the guidance of Pr Eddie Erika, we saw history in the making as six congregations gathered together on a cold winter day in July, at Nunawading Christian College. W hat began as one youth group congregating under the trees at the Nunawading Campgrounds, here in 2012 we have six groups from Carrum Downs and North Melbourne Samoan Churches, Pakenham and Melton Companies and Sunshine and Craigeburn Lay groups. youth groups. This was followed by a creative expression showcase depicting the daily struggle with the devil and how to keep focused on the cross, presented by the Carrum Downs group, and a beautiful reminder of God’s love in song, by the Melton and Sunshine youth. With an attendance of approximately 300, the Sabbath praise was led by an eclectic praise & worship team - a collaboration of vocalists and musicians from the different Dr Vailele Afoa’s presentation was the highlight as we delved into God’s word. One of the most touching points of his message was presented in a skit of an Oprah-esque interview with three young men and a visual of the ‘The woman at the well’ story - from the woman’s point of view. Weather did not stop the outdoor baptism from going ahead In a touching minute of silence, everyone stood in memory of Mrs Lagi Penese, one of the North Melbourne mothers who sadly passed away unexpectedly, earlier that month. With courage and tears, her five children sang two special songs which, in their loss, gave great comfort. After Pr Erika’s comforting words, the sadness was followed by celebration as Leilani Price accompanied by her children, 12 // IntraVic Gerrard and Giselle, dedicated themselves to God through baptism . The rain did not deter anyone as the youth gathered around the makeshift baptismal font outside, to witness the Price family’s commitment. Far from the norm in traditional Samoan meal time, lunch was brief as time was of the essence! The afternoon was filled with a plethora of praise, creative expression showcases and skits. If you had to take a guess at what heaven will be like, the Victorian Samoan Youth would agree that this Sabbath came close. Not only did it bring the young people from North, South-East and West together, it fostered new friendships and acquaintances, laid pathways for future encounters, introduced potential relationships and initiated crushes, but most importantly, showed a glimpse of what an eternity with God will be like. The foundation has been laid for what is to come for young Samoan people here in Victoria. It’s in God hands, “For I know the plans I have for you”, He says. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Fiona Su’a-To’omalatai & Priscilla Su’a O ne of the aims of this series was to promote discipleship as a means of not only sharing the gospel, but empowering church leaders to step up and be proactive in saving souls. So rather than inviting a guest speaker, the elders of both congregations presented. This was somewhat daunting for some, but mentored and nurtured by Pastor Eddie Erika, they overcame their feelings of inadequacy and successfully presented their topics, which incorporated the theme and dwelt on our relationship with God and with our fellow man. Each session provided a healthy attendance with an equal number of visitors. Guests were first treated to powerful praise and worship, with the team ending each praise segment with ‘Come, Now It The Time To Worship’ and a prayer to allow attendees to open their hearts to the message they were about to receive. There was never a shortage of group or individual items, as members continued to volunteer their talents. With a different speaker each evening, attendees received a different insight into how our Loving God could make an impact in the lives of Christians, every session. Some elders revisited their younger years, telling how being an Adventist had saved them from their former selves. They shared jokes and told stories which made it ever the more entertaining for the young people who attended each session without fail. The evangelistic meetings were conducted in the Samoan language, and though the young people would not always understand what the speaker was sharing with them, they still managed to get a gist of what was being conveyed. The series concluded on Sabbath with Pastor Erika presenting, summarising the two weeks and adding his own interpretation of the theme. This was followed by the baptism of sixteen candidates, two of whom were rededicating themselves to the Lord. There were many tears of happiness; it was as if, by witnessing these baptisms, everyone was undergoing their own sense of renewal, rededicating their lives to the one true Loving God. Fiona Su’a The elders who presented the series and the baptismal candidates who responded with joy Reuniting Casey Adventist Church One Sabbath in June, members gathered together for a Casey Church reunion. P revious members who no longer attend any church were invited to come back and worship with us. Approximately 50 people accepted the invitation to join us in fellowship and they stayed on for a luncheon fit for a king. It was great to catch up with some old faces and have a good ol’ chat with long lost friends. The reunion lunch was so successful that we hope to have another one before Christmas. Samantha Thorpe IntraVic // 13 News from our Churches September 2012 Nadia Widuch helped organise the Prayer Vigil T he idea of committing 24 hours to united prayer as a church was first planted in the heart of one of our young people last year. As the idea was shared, others began to catch the vision. There was a clear conviction that God was inviting the church to spend time seeking and seeing Him revealed. Prayer Vigil Too Young to be an Elder? Wantirna Adventist Church Lilydale Church Initiated by the youth of the church, members held a 24 hour prayer vigil in June, the purpose being to seek a deeper experience of God for the church as a whole. Nadia Widuch, one of the organisers, reports: It’s not every young person’s dream to suddenly spring into ministry after leaving high school. Nor is it often a young person’s dream to straight away become an elder. In this article, Julia Sherar shares with us her thoughts on being an elder. At 7pm on Friday June 15, the vision became reality when the first group of people entered the prayer room that had been set up specifically for this purpose. For the next 24 hours, the room was constantly occupied with at least two people and God’s presence was clearly felt in a unique way. It was incredibly moving as people came and humbled themselves before God, seeking Him and His will for our church. A sense of unity filled the church as prayer requests were shared and hearts were opened. Some people came for their allocated hour and ended up staying much longer, immersed in the presence of God. W Being a part of this prayer time was an amazing experience. As I walked into the sanctuary on Sabbath morning with a few of the other youth, there was a different atmosphere. We then realized that our perspectives had changed. Spending significant portions of time with God had prepared us to experience Him more fully that morning. Our hearts had been opened and we were now far more aware of God’s presence in our church. God is always there, always present and always working but often we do not experience Him until we take the time to be still and come in tune with Him. This prayer project was a highlight for Wantirna Church that was God-driven from start to finish. It was a time where we were more closely attuned to God and His working in our lives and it also marked a revival in the prayer lives of many who took part. Our prayer is that other churches will also catch the vision and experience God more fully through prayer. June 16 was truly a day of celebration for members of Longwarry Church as they witnessed their first baptism in fifteen years. friends and family to share the excitement and experience of Covey’s special day. Praise God for this momentous event, both in Covey’s life, and the life of Longwarry Church. Peter Hughes Putting Talent to Use Wantirna Church On the afternoon of July 14, Wantirna Adventist Church was treated to a special event by fourteen year old Stephen-Aveling Rowe. T his young lad is a professional performer of both pipe organ and cello and he and his mother, Merilyn, kept the audience spell-bound with their musical talents. The concert was a fundraiser, with over $800 raised for the Balolava Clinic project in the Solomon Islands that is supported by the Jamie Hegarty Wantirna and Warrnambool churches. 14 // IntraVic Julia Sherar is an elder at Lilydale Church prayer, she is now beginning to experience a living relationship with Christ. This is why being Elder is the best decision I have ever made. Julia Sherar Pandamanium It was pandamanium in July when a total of 70 kids found out that God was wild about them. Longwarry Adventist Church L have taken part in many small groups and in organising church services, but by far the best experience happened to me not that long ago. Through my Bible studies as a YPW I had become friends with someone who has no connection what so ever to any sort of religion. We had studied the Bible together twice over a year ago, and we maintained some contact. Then one day out of blue she contacted me to talk about some struggles she had being facing. I kept her in my prayers and in God’s time she slowly began opening her heart up to Him until one day she asked if I could meet with her and tell her more about Him. All from a simple friendship and a lot of Lilydale Adventist Church Cause for Celebration ike the children of Israel I have wandered in the wilderness for the past forty years” was the way Penny Covey explained her spiritual life before entering the water for her baptism. The small rural church was packed with hen I was asked to be an elder by my pastor my first thought was ‘Don’t you have to be old to be and elder?’ Oh how wrong I was. I readily felt called into such a position but I still entered into it with a lot of prayer. I had already being a Youth Pastoral Worker for a year with Lilydale Church when this life changing event occurred. There were many doubts that arose in my mind as I realised just what it meant to be an elder. I feared that I was two young, having being only out of high school for one year. But like a close friend had always told me; God can open doors no one can open and close doors no one can close. So far in my endeavours as an elder I have being able to help show God to people. I R un as a vacation Bible school, the Pandamania team catered for children aged between 3 to 12 years old and of those who came to Pandamania, at least 20 were unchurched. It was hard to choose just one highlight for the children who attended Pandamania each day. There was face painting, party time sing and play featuring the band (no, make that the PAND), Bible Adventures and Missions, Treetop Treats, Craft and Play, Games, Chadder’s Theatre, Rowdy Wrap Up and a talking and singing Panda named Boomer! A team of more than 35 were involved in making the program happen, almost half of them being the church’s teenagers and their friends who assisted behind the The Pandamania VBS at Lilydale was a huge success scenes as crew leaders or with the music. As well as singing songs about each day’s theme, the kids learnt about wild animals, memorised six new Bible verses and found out more about Jesus through active Bible stories. By the end of the week, their mission challenge was complete: filling 60 tie-dye backpacks with activities for Aboriginal kids living in Coober Pedy and The Finke (SA) who have KidsClub programs, but don’t have many resources. “There was so many great memories made, but one of the highlights was seeing one of our teen volunteers excited to come every day, some who had hardly been to church before,” said program coordinator, Rosie Croft. “This is the second consecutive year a VBS program has been run at Lilydale, and the fabulous team are already fired up to do another one in July next year.” Kym Piez IntraVic // 15 News from our News Churches Conference September 2012 End Time Prophecies Seminar Praising God with a Third Congregation Preston Church Gateway This seminar was launched mid-August and presented by Dr Georges Latchman. August 4 saw the launch of Gateway’s third congregation, this one called Gateway West. Gateway first began meeting in the city in 2003 and Gateway East began in 2008. C T overing both Daniel and Revelation, the series takes a new and original approach to the topic where the framework of the seminar is prophetic but woven within its structure are the teachings of the Adventist Church, with Jesus Christ at its centre. Salvation history is still the main axis but the focus is Christ and the objective is soul saving. The package is broken down in twelve modules independent of each other so that one could join in at any time and rely on beautifully prepared handouts to fill in any missing sessions. This also allows church members to continue to make new invitations. The first session saw 67 people attend, and the average attendance has stabilised at around 50 with about 20% of these being non-baptised participants. The sessions start at 3pm followed by refreshment in the Fellowship Hall an hour later. To facilitate attendance at the 3pm program, the church has planned a number of bridging programs for its members, which are run after a small shared lunch and include concerts, debates, presentations and films. This program will continue into the first week of November, so please continue to pray for the success of the seminar series in Preston. From Little Things, Big Things Grow Hamilton Church Located in the Western District, this is a small church with an attendance of about 20 each Sabbath. But it is making a big impact! R ecently, Maria Franjic, the Women’s Ministries leader, decided to use her talent to serve the community and create friendships. Maria does not always enjoy good health, but being an avid and expert knitter, she decided to knit a collection of baby bonnets and give them to the Hamilton Hospital obstetrics ward. Each new baby born in the hospital will receive a hand-knitted gift with a card, as a present from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The nurse in charge of the obstetrics ward was very pleased with the gesture and happy to pass a gift on to each new mother in the ward. Another friendship project the Hamilton Church has been providing is the monthly Eating for Heath Recipe Club. This has been going for almost five years. Each participant who comes is given a SIGNS magazine together with the recipes demonstrated for the evening. They also learn about health and nutrition through the health lecture. In June, Conference Health Director, Sibilla Johnson, came and conducted the Recipe Club and this provided an opportunity to readvertise the program. As a result, five new participants attended. For the July meeting, some of these new participants invited their friends and boosted the attendance further, with 23 non-churched members attending. We are praying for opportunities to lead some of these friends to learn more about Jesus and His love. Lynette Tung Maria Franjic with some of his is a global mission funded project,” says Johny Wong, “and is the culmination of three years of solid ground work with yearly public evangelism and year round care groups based on Acts 20:20. Thus far eleven people have been baptised and more are planning to join our church through baptism after our iDiscover seminar.” The first day of worship for Gateway West was held at Victoria University in Footscray and saw 73 people gather together. Please continue to keep Gateway in your prayers, as finding a suitable location comes with many challenges. “We praise God for His leading and action in the past, and for what He is now achieving in the West.” Gateway’s new congregation met for the first time on August 2 Mission Possible Youth Concert The Oasis The youth of Oasis recently had a very chilly experience with public outreach! O n a cold rainy day in August, they gathered in Queensbridge Square, Southbank to hold a concert in the late afternoon. There were over 30 youth and ten adults involved in setting up, singing, being part of the audience and packing up gear at the end of the program. The morning began wet and cold but praise God for giving us a break from the rain in the afternoon as we performed in the outdoor platform,” said Nihal Samarasinghe. “But we still felt the chill of the wind that blew from the South Pole, going right through our winter attire. It was a learning experience for all of us that were there. Some youth were not comfortable to perform in public and pulled out of the concert. Others performed but with a lot of nerve wrecking experience. God willing the next concert will be a bit easier... and we’ll have warmer weather!” A number of the youth engaged in tinrattle fundraising for Mission Possible Youth mobile soup kitchen that the church is praying for, and many DVDs, booklets and tracks were handed out to the public. Ashley Samarasinghe, the youth pastoral Mission Possible Youth Concert Queensbridge Square in Southbank worker for Oasis was glad to be part of the program, as was Sebastian Davila, YPW for Ringwood Church. Youth from Nunawading, Ringwood and The Oasis churches all participated in the concert. Please remember Mission Possible Youth in your prayers as they plan for next concert in a couple of months as well as seeking out other outreach activities for the youth of our churches. “Please visit www.mpyouth.org and drop us a line with your interest, support and ideas.” Nihal Samarasinghe at her knitted gifts 16 // IntraVic IntraVic // 17 September 2012 News from our Churches Conference News Not Negotiable Pathfinder Expedition The Oasis VicYouth Service and mission is a nonnegotiable for Oasis church member, Nihal Samarasinghe. “Studying the Word of God, I have learnt that caring for the orphans and widows are high priority on His agenda,” he says. Smoky fires, frosty nights, pancakes, singing praises, hiking, taking compass bearings and listening to The Word - this was Expedition 2012. O ver the years, Nihal has involved himself in a variety of missionoriented activities: from leading a Mission Possible Youth trip to Asian Aid schools in India (December 2007 – January 2008) to engaging with local communities through music and youth care; from launching his own eCommerce website PlazaNow.com to generating funds for projects he feels called to support. And he enjoys making the most of these service opportunities. “At the moment we are praying for a mini bus and equipment to furnish it so our church youth have an opportunity to interact and care for youth who are in need within our own community.” With his years of mission-oriented service, Nihal has many memories, such as the impact of passionate Asian Aid advocates Pr. Ron and Nelda Rice and Charles Pointon in 1984. “I met them when I was attending Avondale College and ever since, have had a soft spot for Asian Aid which has been actively caring for the needy children in many countries. I admire the work that they have achieved.” Helping others is contagious. Even Nihal’s sons Nalin and Ashley decided to sponsor a child each when they were on the Mission Possible Youth trip. Today, nearly 30 years since his involvement with Asian Aid began, Nihal remains passionate about helping the less fortunate. “I would like to encourage anyone who can sacrifice $40 per month to use the money to sponsor a child,” he says, firmly believing in the positive long-term impacts of child sponsorship. His challenge to himself and to others is to continue giving hope whenever the T opportunity presents itself. It’s a humbling and enabling challenge. Asian Aid is currently looking for sponsors for children in Bangladesh, one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, through the Hope-a-Thon campaign (September 1 to December 24) which aims at impacting 115 lives for a lifetime. You can give hope to someone special by visiting www.asianaid.org.au, liking Asian Aid on Facebook or calling 02 6586 4250 to sponsor a child. Sonja Larsen he annual Victorian Pathfinder Expedition was held in Wombat State Forest over the long weekend of June 8-11. It was the biggest attendance seen at Expedition for a number of years. In all we had 330 Pathfinders and leaders plus 30 volunteer and staff. Wombat State Forest is approximately fifty kilometres east of Ballarat with base camp located on private property nestled within the forest itself. With a lot of Pathfinders enjoying a pupil free day, the majority of clubs arrived early and were nicely settled in by sunset on Friday night, enjoying the atmosphere and surroundings of their bush setting. Our theme this year was aMAZEing Grace which mirrored our activity theme of The Amazing Race. On Sabbath a maze was created which the Pathfinders had fun navigating to discover and decipher key messages about God’s amazing grace. Our guest speaker for Expedition was Chrys Martin from the North New South Wales Conference. Chrys has had many years volunteering in youth ministry as a Pathfinder District Director and leading STORMCo trips and led out in worship to both Pathfinders and staff throughout the weekend sharing stories of God’s grace, of people who had achieved amazing feats and who had stood tall for Him. The weekend culminated on the Monday with all the Pathfinders gathering around in full sunshine for a closing worship led by Chrys. This followed a very heavy frost first thing in the morning. H er itage Pathf R ingwood All in all, it was another memorable Pathfinder Expedition. inder clu b Pathfin ders A Part of God’s Family Calling all Health Professionals! Filipino-Australian SDA Church Sanctuary Sanitarium It has been well over four years since the Brighton Church property was sold, its congregation buying and moving to the Dandenong church property. Committed to health & wellbeing, Sanitarium established the Sanctuary Health & Wellbeing Centre in Pyrmont, Sydney two years ago. It is a ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ centre utilising medical doctors and other health professionals and a visit to the website www.sanctuary.sanitarium.com.au quickly reveals what it is all about; “A unique medical practice for health and wellbeing.” F rom a membership of just over 60 the congregation has grown to more than 140 names on its church role and the weekly Sabbath attendance is usually 150 or more, on many occasions going beyond 200. There is a distinct Philippine cultural feel to how the church worships and runs its services, activities and other fellowship meetings. 24 people have joined in fellowship, 18 // IntraVic committing themselves to Christ through baptism and over 50 have joined by transfers or professions of faith. It is indeed a thriving and active church, representing various cultures such as the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Poland and Fiji, just to name a few; all are passionate about worshipping and serving their Lord Jesus Christ. The church runs a mid-week prayer meeting every Wednesday night and a regular afternoon program every Sabbath which is mostly run by the youth of the church. Evangelistic seminars have been held, small groups meet on occasions and a church members’ nurture program operates. The youth are active, joining with adult members as they participate in ‘Soupvilles’, ADRA appeals, STORMCo trips, camp/retreat meetings and Conference-run events. Through various fundraising ventures, the congregation is able to sponsor a number of churchbuilding projects overseas. Many members have been involved in overseas outreach through various endeavours. Some participated in mission outreach at Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Belize, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Indonesia and India. Just recently, a church-sponsored mission trip to the Philippines was organized and run, with the participation of 38 church members and their families, helping in the running of an evangelistic campaign and other mission activities that resulted in more than 300 people giving their hearts to Christ. This congregation has a rallying theme – they are part of the family of God – and each week, prior to the commencement of the main worship service, they join together and sing “I’m so glad I’m a part Mebzar Quinto of the family of God…” B renda Rea, Sanctuary Group Manager has this to say about this exciting project. “To date we have delivered over 18,000 consultations/services and with God’s blessing, are continuing to grow from strength to strength with new clients enrolling every day. We are building on our philosophy of genuine care, whole person health and integrated services with an additional emphasis on lifestyle medicine and the ultimate goal of supporting people to experience true health and enjoy abundant living.” The Sydney Pyrmont Project is the first step. It is planned to establish Sanctuary Health & Wellbeing centres in other locations. The choice of these locations will take into consideration the domicile of clinicians and other health professionals who are philosophically aligned with the mission and values and have a strong interest in working with Sanctuary. Brenda wants to collect a data base of medical and allied health professionals who would be interested in being involved in this initiative. So if reading about this project has caught your attention, please contact her on [email protected]. In particular, Brenda is looking for General Practitioners who have a real passion for integrated lifestyle medicine within the context of whole person health and genuine care – who can be, and will be, ‘champions’ of Sanctuary’s philosophy. There is an immediate need for more GP’s at Pyrmont as there is increasing demand for the GP services offered. So if you are a GP and can see yourself working in Sydney, here is an opportunity worth exploring. Brenda would love to hear from you! Give her a call on 04 1051 8791. IntraVic // 19 Conference News September 2012 Happenings at Gilson College y Combined Schools Day of Worship Once again our primary and secondary schools came together for their annual combined day of worship and praise of our great God. T hursday August 16 saw students in Years 4-6 travel from Gilson, Edinburgh and Heritage to join Nunawading students for this special and spiritual morning program filled with music, presentations and a talk by Hayden Petersen. At its conclusion there was opportunity to make and enjoy new friendships and catch up with old friends from the different schools. The next morning the gymnasium at NCC received another workout as secondary students from across greater Melbourne gathering together for their Combined Schools Day of Worship. It was a magnificent sight to see the students and staff from our colleges come together to worship God as one. The theme for both days was “Keep Connected”. Pr Mau Tuaoi addressed the secondary students and he encouraged them to stay connected to Jesus as the The Rite Journey Lilydale Adventist Academy source of all things. Many students responded to the call to reaffirm their connection with God. Both days were a wonderful success and we are sure that all students will keep with them the many testimonies, songs of joy and school presentations that were shared. Thank you to everyone involved and we look forward to another inspirational program again next year. Justin Bone and Peter Michalski he Rite Journey is a Year 9 subject where a rite of passage can be undertaken into adulthood. Facilitators, teachers, parents, mentors and students all form part of the process to create more respectful, responsible and resilient young adults. Our Year 9 cohort of young adults began the 2012 school year overlooking a Melbourne sunrise through wisps of fog and anticipating a new journey; a journey filled with mystery and challenge, but one that would need to leave behind the child within and step up to becoming courageous men and women. As the year has developed these beginning adults have discovered their identity and have engraved their story thus far on a piece of timber, carved out by hand, which then became a beautiful paddle. The paddle became an integral part of their major challenge of the year - Survival Camp. This much anticipated event did not disappoint but challenged many beyond 20 // IntraVic what they first thought they were capable of. Four days of challenges awaited, with all responsibility given to each group for safety, shelter construction, cooking, navigation, set up and pack up and the physical difficulty of staying warm and dry whilst navigating the Murray River. Yes, they survived, all of them, and it was proven once again that when given responsibility our young adults step up to the plate and become great men and women. But this journey is far from over. They will complete many more challenges before the year is out and their resilience will grow because of it. One of the challenges which will perhaps promote the greatest result is based on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Each student has been given a sum of money, which they are to expand and grow, using skills learnt in Commerce classes to develop strategies to grow their funds (one student has already increased his $20 to $46 in just two weeks). The group will also complete fun activities from Book Week. At its conclusion primary school participated in the annual Character Parade. Many students went to great lengths to create costumes based on their favourite book character. The primary students displayed their costumes in the Character Parade with the secondary students and parents as their audience. P resenting Church: Each term a class from the primary school and a class from the secondary school work together to organise and present the worship service at the Gilson College Community Church and this term the Year 2 and 8 classes had the privilege. The program began with students leading out in the song service. Then the Year 2 students performed a play on the story of Moses and the Israelites. The worship program ended with five of the Year 2 girls performing a special dance to the song “There Can Be Miracles” from the Prince of Egypt movie. T he Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia: This term, Year 10 students are studying the Book of Daniel. They had the privilege of visiting this exhibit at the Melbourne Museum where they saw relics from this amazing time in history, and were fascinated to see bricks were engraved with king Nebuchadnezzar’s name and title. Seeing actual remnants from history helped students to realise that the events of Daniel and his future predications are also real. Adele Bergmann B ook Week: On Friday the 24th of August as part of Book Week, Gilson College held the inaugural Open Classroom morning. All of the classrooms were opened up to parents, allowing them to attend school with their child and parents participated in some of the The Rite Journey Facilitating a life of passion and meaning This is a fantastic program that has now been implemented in over 40 schools throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK. At LA, we have taken this program and specialised it into a truly dynamic learning tool. T ear 6 Canberra Trip: The Year 6 students were extremely excited when the day of departure for their Canberra trip finally arrived. Students left Gilson College early on the morning of Monday the 13th of August and were involved in five days of action packed fun and learning. The trip involved visiting many educational and historical places in Canberra as well as some places just for fun. Students visited the Old and New Parliament Houses, the Australian War Memorial, The Mint and Government House. This enabled them to learn more about Australia’s history and how our system of government works. They also had an amazing time at the Australian Institute of Sport, Questacon, Cockington Green and the Telstra Tower and were especially delighted to meet the Princess of Thailand during their trip. They returned home with lots of stories to tell their families and amazing memories of the experiences they had shared. Edinburgh Adventist Primary School P a community service project at the end of the year. The final challenge will be a “24hour solo camp” armed with nothing but a bit of food, a rough shelter and all the time in the world. This will bring together their experiences of the year into a central focus “Who am I and what do I believe?” In the future when life gets hard, because it will, they can turn around and say with confidence “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13, NIV) LAA facilitates a life of passion and meaning beyond the parameters of our structured society, to produce young men and women with the confidence, vision and skills to change the world. Dustin Dever otato Olympics: With everyone talking about and watching the Olympics, the Year 3 class held their own Olympic Games – the Potato Olympics! Each student had their own ‘spudlet’ to coach, which lived in the Olympic Village during the games. The ‘spudlets’ competed in eight events and a number of them sustained injuries with splits and cracks among the most common. L ightFM: Brandon Green, from Year 6, applied to LightFM in response to a promotion the Cass and Kel show was running. “All you had to do is tune in on the way home every night, listen for the cue and then send a text with your request,” said Brandon, “and they (Cass and Kel) would make the YESMS happen during YES WEEK.” And what was Brandon’s request? “I asked Kel to come and present my Olympic School Project to the class. He texted back saying YES!” Kel and his crew arrived in time for assembly Monday morning, and then spent time in the Year 6 classroom, where he helped Brandon present the project, which included a demonstration of how to throw a javelin. This developed into a competition between the teacher, Mr Dye, Kel, Brandon’s dad and several of the Year 6 boys. Afterwards, they had a LightFM question and answer time. M asterChef: Year 3 students also participated in a fiercely competitive cook-off. They were divided into six groups where they worked together to produce the perfect dip. They were judged on the presentation, flavour and teamwork. IntraVic // 21 Conference News September 2012 Annual ‘Week of Sacrifice’ Offering Have you ever wondered why we have this offering every year? Here Pr Ray Coombe, Division Coordinator for Global Missions, explains how it came about. N inety years ago the Seventh-day Adventist church found itself with a budget deficit of a quarter of a million dollars. Without money to continue financing mission projects around the world, church leaders were faced with the discouraging possibility of recalling missionaries. General Conference delegates prayerfully decided to ask church members to begin giving a week’s wage in a once-a-year sacrificial offering. Despite the difficult economic climate of the 1920’s the church responded by giving over $350,000 to what became known as the annual Week of Sacrifice offering. The missionaries were able to continue their work, and members were blessed by the act of personal sacrifice. Over the years, the Annual Sacrifice Offering has continued, although the average gift is now significantly less. One hundred percent of the annual Sacrifice Offering now goes to frontline Global Mission work to establish new churches in un-entered areas. Did you miss the Annual Sacrifice Offering collected on September 8? It’s not too late to help Global Mission pioneers bring Jesus to those who have never heard His name. Place your gift in a tithe envelope marked “Annual Sacrifice” or visit www.adventistmission.org to make a donation. And thank you for your generous support of the mission work of our church. Welcome W hat do two ministers do on their honeymoon? Preach, of course! Having enjoyed our joint ministry in Michigan for 3 years and Hawaii for 10 days, we decided to extend our honeymoon indefinitely to Melbourne, Australia. While the transatlantic move has had its challenges, we are convicted that God has a special purpose for us here. Since we have individually worked with small groups, campus ministries, and urban churches, we are uniting our strengths, experience and prayers to bring a unique team approach to our new ministry. Together, we desire to invite individuals in the inner city of Melbourne into a saving discipleship with Him that will surpass and enhance all other relationships, goals, and world views. We ask for your prayers and partnership as we seek to enlarge His territory for His glory. Month 2012 Sunset times Bairnsdale time is 10 minutes EARLIER & at Hamilton the time is 12 minutes Later OCT 2012 Sabbath Opening Closing Sept 28,29 18.22 18.23 Oct 5, 6 18.29 18.29 Oct 12, 13 19.35 19.36 Oct 19, 20 19.43 19.43 Oct 26, 27 19.49 19.50 Daylight Saving begins October 7 Offering Schedule Jennifer Brohier (above left) Roy & Jinha (above right) W Fruit Friday? - NCC E arly Term 3 Nunawading Christian College Primary students were invited to the Brand Smart shopping centre to participate in a Christmas in July program where our students sang and played Christmas carols. As a thank you each week until the end of term we will receive a fruit box with enough fruit for every primary student and teacher in our school. Thank you Brand Smart, our students really enjoy the fruit and look forward to Fruit Friday! 22 // IntraVic Nunawading Christian College primary is seeking the services of an Outside School Hours Care educational leader (coordinator) for 4th Term 2012. Appropriate qualifications are required, either a Diploma in Children’s Services or currently enrolled in education (Primary or Secondary) student. Please contact Peter Michalski on 98789927 or [email protected] Join the Team? The Victorian Adventist Communications department is looking at building up a team of church members who are interested in using their creative skills to help us with our productions, whether it is in presentation, design and production or recording. We are not looking at a huge time commitment for any particular individual, only as much as each is able to contribute. To this end, the department wants to compile a list of people interested in helping in a number of areas, whom we can call on from time to time. So if you are interested in helping us with photography, film and audio production, broadcasting, interviews, presentations or creative writing please register your interest by emailing [email protected] Join our team! AdventistBookCentre October Specials only $rr1p9$2.49.955 And the glory which You gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. John 17:22 From eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been one. In Jesus’ prayer He calls for the Church to be one. It’s a big order we cannot accomplish on our own. Jesus’ disciples spent years in His presence but were still not one until Pentecost. on $4.9ly $26 5 .9 rrp 5 141 Central Road Nunawading Hours - 9-5 Mon Thurs and 9-12 Fri 03 9264 7766 Temporary Accommodation Available Room for rent in quiet house/ neighbourhood, in North Eastern Victoria. Would suit professional female. Please phone 0435 760 469 Giant Book Sale Next sale at Nunawading Church hall October 28 - mark it in your calendar! Road To Bethlehem Let shepherds straw stars and stables fill you with a true Christmas feeling – praising God for sending His only Son into the world to save us. Road to Bethlehem Is a great place to introduce Jesus to your friends, family and neighbours. This year it will run December 10 to 13. Tickets will become available on the 26th November after which you can book them by calling 03 9264 7770 or visiting www.roadtobethlehem.org. To help us we need volunteers in areas such as car park attendants, ironing costumes, greeters, construction team members and a lot more! We also need arms and legs, muscles and minds to help with set up and pack up. There are a myriad tasks, for all abilities and skill levels, to be done. We know that many hands make light work, so come along and help us on these big busy days, even if you can only spare an hour or two. Contact the RTB chairman - Anthony Henriques on 0414 892 455 to register your interest area in volunteering. Dates for the on-site set-up days - Sun 2nd & 9th Dec. [email protected] Channel 7 Sun 3:30am Channel 10 Sun 4:30am Australian Christian Channel (ACC) Tue 9:30am HOPEChannel Fri 7:30pm (all major cities and some regional areas) (all major cities and some regional areas) - Roy & Jinha Kim e welcome you to Victoria, Roy and Jinha. We would also like to welcome Jennifer Brohier to the conference staff. Jennifer is working as PA to the Ministerial Secretary, Pr Rob Steed. Ads & Notices Educational Leader Wanted 16 // IntraVic September 29 - Local Church Budget (repeat) Tue 7:00pm, Fri 5:00am, Fri 12:00pm Fri 10:30pm, Sat 8:30am, Sat 12:30pm, Sat 5:30pm, Sun 8:30pm AEDST. Update at: www.itiswrittenoceania.tv/networks.php OCTOBER 6 - Appeal Expense 13 - Education/ Camping Ministry 20 - Local Church Budget 27 - Local Church Budget IntraVic // 23 The Editor reserves the right to edit and include or exclude any article from publication. Articles not included due to lack of space may be included in a future issue or placed on the Church website. The Editor also reserves the right to exclude Ads or Notices after just one issue. Please note, commercial advertising is generally not published in Intravic. Accommodation notices, MUST be accompanied with a reference from Local Pastor. Photographs of minors must be accompanied by permission to use the photographs in print and on the web, signed by parent/guardian. Bible verses are from various versions which may include NIV, JJV, NJJV & Clear Word. NOTE: neither the editor, nor the Seventh-day Adventist Church is responsible for the quality of goods or services advertised. Publication does not indicate endorsement of a product or service.
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