2014 Fall Issue

O F F I C E fo r Re g io n a l C o n fe r e n ce M i n i s t r y i n No r t h Ame r ic a

Telling

Our

Story

www.regionalministry.org/

2014 Fall Edition

BOOM Ministries Reaches Out to Adventist Youth Southern Adventist University offers strong peer-mentoring and leadership training environment for students.

Sabbath School leader, a Sabbath School director for Campus Ministries, a Life Group leader, chaplain for the Black Christian Union group, and even Student Association president.

At the same time, a seed for a new ministry was planted in his heart in his sophomore year.

“I realized that many high school students see all of the role models who are their age living a life of sin.

When that is the case, it is unlikely that they will choose to live a godly life,” Andrews shares. “I didn’t want them to make the same mistakes I had. I wondered if there was some way young people could see positive Christian role models through online videos and be inspired.”

At first Andrew recorded some devotional thoughts on a webcam and posted them to YouTube. His friends said he was crazy and that nothing was going to come from this idea. Andrew wondered if they were right and prayed that God would show him His will for what Andrew began to call BOOM Ministries (Blessings of Omnipotence Manifested).

Then during Andrew’s junior year, people suddenly began to express interest in helping him with the project. Film majors volunteered to improve the quality of the videos; graphic design majors offered to help with the logo and the website. They began to produce high-quality videos sharing students’ testimonies, making Christian music videos, and allowing seeking out Sophomore theology major Bryant Rodriguez, left, talks with junior theology major other ways for students to witness online.

Before he knew it, 15 other students had come Andrew Ashley at a recent open-mic event that BOOM Ministries sponsored on forward, eager to donate their time and talents to campus at Southern. Andrew founded the group and Bryant shares leadership help to make BOOM a reality. Bryant Rodriguez responsibilities as co-director. became co-director of the ministry and took the initiative for organizing open-mic sessions on campus. On these inspirational nights, Southern students could Things began to change during his freshman year when testify to one another through music, stories, and poetry. BOOM Andrew was invited to The Brotherhood, a Bible study in the also started traveling to different churches to assist in worship men’s residence hall. It was led by upperclassmen who shared their personal struggles with one another and also studied insight services and to academies for Week of Prayer.

Garrison Hayes, who graduated as a film major from Southern from the Bible to address them. At first Andrew was reluctant to in 2014 and is currently assistant chaplain at the university, attend. helped produce many of BOOM’s videos and is excited about the “I was in a dark place in my life, even though everything use of innovative technology to fulfill the Great Commission. around me was full of light,” Andrew remembers. “The “It’s really easy for us to get caught up in current best Brotherhood became a fortress for me, a place where I could practices, doing what’s working best for our church right now,” share what was on my heart, be vulnerable, and get spiritual he says. “But NEXT practices is what we really need to be doing. counsel.”

Using new media to reach youth is the future of ministry.”

Andrew was inspired by witnessing his peers’ love for Jesus and soon became a Brotherhood leader himself. From there, he -By Angela Baerg changed his major to theology and became involved in a number of outreaches on campus–a volunteer for Flag Camp, a member of the Vespers Planning Team, a Westside for Jesus leader, a When Andrew Ashley first arrived at Southern, he wasn’t really interested in Jesus.

“When I was a kid, I only heard older people talk about having a relationship with God,” Andrew remembers. “So I thought, ‘I will live the way I want to while I’m young, and I will think about pleasing God when I’m old.’”

Ready to take your ideas to new heights?

We can help you get there.

Marketing Consulting that will help you...

Promote your product or service Bring your product to market Publish your next book Build your brand

3077 Leeman Ferry Rd. SW Huntsville, AL 35801 256.469.8572 | info@5starcs.com

www.5starcs.com The Official Marketer for the Regional Voice Magazine 4 Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

t

PUBLISHER

Published by the Office for Regional Conference Ministry in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists 7000 Adventist Boulevard Huntsville, Alabama 35896 Telephone (256) 830-5002 www.regionalministry.org James L. Lewis Publisher Kyna Hinson Editor Tim Allston Managing Editor Howard I. Bullard Art Director/Designer CLARISE J. Nixon Copy Editor Consultants Phyllis Ware Lee, Elaine Allston EDITORIAL For all correspondence and letters to the editors, write: Office for Regional Conference Ministry 7000 Adventist Boulevard Huntsville, Alabama 35896 or fax to (256) 830-5078 We reserve the right to publish and edit your submissions and letters.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE OFFICES Allegheny East Conference Henry J. Fordham III, President LaTasha Hewitt, Communications Director P.O. Box 266 Pine Forge, PA 19548 (610) 326-4610. www.myalleghenyeast.org Allegheny West Conference William Cox, President Bryant Taylor, Communications Director 1339 E. Broad Street Columbus, OH 43205 (614) 252-5271. www.awconf.org Central States Conference Maurice R. Valentine II, President Philip Baptiste, Communications Director 3301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66104 (913) 371-1071. www.central-states.org Lake Region Conference Jerome L. Davis, President John Sconiers, Communications Director 8517 South State Street Chicago, IL 60619 (773) 846-2661. www.lakeregionsda.org Northeastern Conference Daniel Lamartine Honoré, President JeNean Johnson, Communications Director 115-50 Merrick Blvd.

Jamaica, NY 11434 (718) 291-8006. www.northeastern.org North Pacific Union Conference Alphonso McCarthy, Vice President 5709 N. 20th Street Ridgefield, WA 98642 (360) 857-7000. www.npuc.org Pacific Union Conference Bobby Mitchell, Director African American Ministries 2686 Townsgate Road Westlake Village, CA 91361 (805) 413-7100. www.puconline.org South Atlantic Conference William L. Winston, President James K. Lamb, Interim Communications Director 294 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, NW Atlanta, GA 30318 (404) 792-0535. www.southatlantic.org South Central Conference Dana C. Edmond, President Marvin Allison, Communications Director 715 Youngs Lane Nashville, TN 37207 (615) 226-6500. www.scc-adventist.org Southeastern Conference Hubert J. Morel Jr., President Robert Henley, Jr., Communications Director 1701 Robie Avenue Mt. Dora, FL 32757 (352) 735-3142. www.secsda.org Southwest Region Conference Samuel L. Green, President Kenn Dixon, Communications Director 2215 Lanark Avenue Dallas, TX 75203 (214) 943-4491. www.southwestregion. adventistchurchconnect.org

Reach Out, Tell Others To Reach Up!

T

hank you for your investment in time and energy as we present to you our latest print rendition of the Regional Voice, otherwise known as the “Telling Our Story” document.

The staff hopes you will gain a blessing from your reading. As you view pictures of friends in this issue, we hope you’re reminded of how much the laity matters in the continued vitality of the local church.

In September of 1944, the original idea that led to the formation of Regional Conferences was voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Lake Region, the first of what would eventually number nine regional conferences, began operations in January 1945.

From its inception, the Lake Region Conference has maintained a clear understanding of its mission: To proclaim the We must gospel to the Black population of the United States, within the context of Revelation 14:6-12. rethink our Seventy years have passed since Lake Region began to fulfill methods to its mission, to implement strategy and to use resources so that involve more others may know God cares for all, regardless of race, gender, social or economic status. members in Eight other regional conferences followed, based upon that reaching out model. They have also committed their resources to proclaim the gospel to those who live in the urban areas of our counto others. try. In this issue, we salute whole congregations and individual, dedicated lay people who allow themselves to be God’s instruments. They accomplish what we call “church ministry,” at its very best.

I am grateful to all of the contributors who made the presentations in this issue of Regional Voice a reality. However, I am especially grateful to Pastors Joe McCoy and Kenn Dixon, for they both remind us of our mission to the people in our own communities. Elder McCoy, in his article “Help Wanted! A Call to Arms,” reminds us that traditional methods we used to present the gospel to the public in past years, simply are not as effective in the cultural context of the twenty-first century, Black middle class.

As we transition to more effective means of letting people know that God cares, the church cannot afford to become a “stadium of fans” who come to “cheer” weekly about how He does care—but who do so little outside the four walls of their respective church buildings! These members are the best ones to share what they know, to let a neighbor or a colleague at work know that God cares for them, and how that care works.

We must rethink our methods to involve more members in reaching out to others.

As if in direct response to Elder McCoy’s appeal, Pastor Kenn Dixon shares methods used at the Casalita Drive Seventh-day Adventist Church in Garland, Texas. This church conducted a social media evangelistic campaign! They used hash tags, keywords, graphics, and scripture to zero in on what people were talking about, then offered them biblical encouragement. Read this article to see their results—and maybe your creative juices will be stirred!

Again, welcome to what we hope will be a stimulating reading experience, and be blessed! t James L. Lewis Publisher, Regional Voice

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

5

Telling

Our

Story

8

Contents

2014 FALL EDITION

Features 8 Regional ConferencesTouted and Doubted: The Need for Black Theological Endeavor Part 1

The call for black theological endeavor is not the call for new or different doctrinal beliefs. It is not the call for a social gospel. It is not a call for a hostile or anti-white hermeneutic. It is rather the call for a more relevant interpretation of existing Remnant church theology.

Read on.

By Calvin B. Rock

14 FAB Family, FAB Labs!

14 6

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Makeda Stephenson and her brothers have been at home in these labs since they were youngsters. Now their entire family determines to share their knowledge everywhere, from their community to the White House.

By Kem Roper

16 A Call to Arms

The largest single group in the American Black Community is the Black Middle Class—and there’s a way to reach them with the Gospel.

By Joseph W. McCoy

18 Media Technology—In

32 The Black Business and

Professionals Association Has the Right Idea

Read through this Canadian group’s history and list of impressive events. They understand and practice giving back.

Excerpts from The BBPA Websit

Church!

38 Proverbs 31 Man

20 Huntsville’s First Church—

46 The Gospel According To Sports

Do you think your church is ready to text or Tweet during worship to shut-ins? Or stream video to neighbors? Radical ideas here!

By Bryant Taylor

A Diamond in the ‘hood

The leaders and members of this congregation chose to help their neighbors, and moved to get closer to them.

By Olson Perry

24 Is Your Church Prepared for Crisis?

Someday, sooner or later, crisis is coming to a church near you. Read advice from leaders who have prepared for, weathered, or even prevented the storms.

By Temar Ellis

28 Danielles In Babylon

Three dedicated Adventist women work in all levels of Government, national, state and municipal. And they make a real difference.

By Chavvah McCoy Lister

Just think—God is comfortable working ‘outside of the box.’ And He knows just who to call to go ‘out there’ with Him! An Interview with Pastor Marquis Johns, and Perspectives By Nia Langley

54 Hope Series

Bible Worker Denise Johnson had every human reason to “throw in the towel,” but she held onto God instead. He never let her down.

By Kyna Hinson COVER: This year we are launching our inaugural State of Black Adventists issue, giving the PELC attendees and our North American Division readers an expansive overview of scholarly work, life-changing testimonials, ground-breaking methods and up-to-the-minute statistics—in short, to keep “Telling Our Story.”

Author Ron Dozier has found a new way to reach a world of sports fans, and he explains it all in this new book.

Summary By Nia Langley

49 Regional Conferences By the Numbers

20

Here are the latest statistics on populations and tithe returns, region by region.

Compiled By Phyllis Lee

50 High-tech, High-Touch Evangelism

This innovative leader and congregation used social media to spread the good news of an evangelistic campaign, and it worked!

By Kenn Dixon

52 Changing of The Guard

Meet the New Principal at Pine Forge Academy, Nicole A. Falconer

By Robert L. Booker

54

18 16

38 2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

7

t

FEATURE

Regional Conferences-Touted and Doubted:

The Need for

Black Theological Endeavor

By Calvin B. Rock

8 8

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Photography by DreamstiMe

I

will attempt to focus the issue that I have been asked to adIn the past those of dress by first of all, today, identifying black theology as havus who have suping unique potential for examining the issues and answering the ported regional conquestions swirling around the continued existence of Regional Conferences. ferences, have done Secondly, tomorrow morning, I will identify several specific so by pointing to the areas of Seventh-day Adventist theology that I believe, require racism and neglect this unique perspective not only as a means of justification for Regional Conferences but for appropriate social attitudes and arrangements more that often typified generally within our denomination; and I will make some recommendaour relationships tions for action moving forward. within the church But at the outset, let me make it clear what the call for black theological endeavor is not. It is not the call for new or different doctrinal beliefs. It is and society... not the call for a social gospel. It is not a call for a hostile or anti-white hermeneutic. It is rather the call for a more relevant interpretation of existing Remnant church theology, especially those elements that have socio-politico implications.

In the past those of us who have supported Regional Conferences, have done so by pointing to the racism and neglect that often typified our relationships within the church and society, on the one hand, and by touting the exponential growth in membership and tithe produced by these units, on the other. ____________________________________ But the landscape has changed. These answers are no longer sufficient.

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt It is especially difficult to make the case of racial indignities when all of from the first of two presentations Dr. our denomination’s institutions: our churches, schools, hospitals, etc.

Rock delivered at a forum at Oakwood University in April 2014. The remainder of are open, when we have had nine black union conference presidents, plus this rich, thought-provoking treatise from chairmen of several of our hospitals, colleges and universities as well as Day 1 and all from Day 2 will follow in our the Review and Herald Publishing Association [a former major printnext special Spring 2015 Edition. ing facility]; when the president of Pacific Union College is a black female, when two of the six general vice presidents of the world church’s 13 divi-

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

9 9

t

FEATURE sions are black Americans and when the North American Division is so generously staffed with persons of African heritage.

As for the exponential growth, the questions are: do the ends justify the means?

Are we not, by what many perceive to be a segregated form of governance, making a negative statement to the world and thus impeding the broader work? Is it fiscally responsible, when as often reported, so many local conferences, white and black, are struggling financially for this form of organizational overlap to be continued? And, why, if some of the black and white local conferences in South Africa, of all places, can be structurally united, cannot those of the North American Division? And ardently for many: since there will be no racially designated enclaves in heaven, should we not begin that arrangement here?

These questions have been and are still answerable in sociological terms. However, it is theology, not sociology that grounds our convictions and spawns our values. Credibility demands carefully researched Scriptural support. If Regional Conferences are theologically supportable, we are right in continuing to tout them. If not, those who demure are correct in continuing to doubt them.

And make no mistake, doubts are being expressed in various quarters. They are being expressed by young black professionals whose distance from the Civil Rights era and its aftermath, coupled with their busy climb and acceptance in corporate America, makes them, in spite of various discomforts, susceptible to the hoax of a color-blind society.

They are being expressed by socially liberal SDA Caucasians, who are genuinely embarrassed by this arrangement and are willing to sacrifice position and privilege to effect organizational fusion.

And there are doubts concerning their need held by persons of African heritage who migrate here, who cannot, (until they have been here long enough to undergo the African American experience) understand the sensitivities of those whose roots sink deep into the blood-soaked soil of American history.

They are being expressed by surprised converts who see these units as contradictory to the better vibes of society, not to mention the ethic of love and brotherhood taught by Christ. And increasingly, doubts are being expressed by members and pastors of Regional Conferences, themselves, particularly the millennials (now 18-29 years of age) for whom the

cietal disadvantaged. This lack of attention to the social aspects of the gospel, so common in conservative denominations, has meaning not only for the status of Regional Conferences, it is determinative for all the church’s socio-political attitudes.

In this sense, the effort to justify Regional Conference existence is representative of the larger picture and greater challenge, the effort of the black American SDAs to prosper under the tensions produced by their real life situation and the socially timid positions of their parent body.

The reasons for this troublesome gap are: 1) as intimated above, it makes all the difference in the world through whose sociological lens theologizing is done. While the Hebrew and Christian expressions of Holy Writ are, by divine design, universally efficacious, relevance of application is largely determined by the interpreter’s degree of identification with the listener’s social history and culture. Not only are the advantaged likely to differ from the disadvantaged with respect to emphasis of various gospel statements and stories, more fundamentally, they do not, because they cannot, intuit the liberation elements of Scripture that touch the heart strings of the socially oppressed.

That is not to suggest that the hope of the afterlife cannot be grasped from the works of those whose interpretations are shaped by an alien culture or point of view. Neither is it to say that there are not many faith strengthening guides for daily living provided us by non-indigenous authors. It is rather to say that true relevance regarding every-day issues of life is best provided by those who have experienced them.

Ezekiel’s description of writing done with an “inkhorn” instead of at a computer (Eze. 9:3-5) and John’s concept of the earth having four corners (Rev. 7:1), (the common belief of his day) demonstrate that there is no such thing as unfiltered revelation.

It is as impossible for contemporary theologians to interpret through cultural prisms other than their own as it was for Paul and the other New Testament au-

Are we not, by what many perceive to be a segregated form of governance making a negative statement to the world and thus impeding the broader work?

10

term “whatever” expresses dwindling concern for sociological as well as theological directives.

G

iven the material and emotional investments poured into these units over the past 70 years, it is not likely that the continued lack of formal theological support will signal their demise. However, without Scriptural justification they will become more and more what they are already to many: an anarchistic visage of a bygone era, stumbling blocks to unity, a counter-productive aberration whose presence must be tolerated for fear of political fallout—not a function to be celebrated as having Divinely ordained continuity.

The questions are fair, and credibility demands that appropriate answers be given. The reality is, however, that the answers or justification cannot be found within standard American Seventh-day Adventist theology. Put another way, Regional Conferences, as prosperous as they have been, do not function within a system whose expressed theological categories support their existence.

It is not that “Scripture” does not support their existence; it is rather that the church’s theology has been and still is being fashioned through the lens of the advantaged; or put another way, those whose theologizing has failed to adequately address issues relative to the needs of the so-

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Under New Ownership!

Save

10%

Valid on call-in or walk-in orders made at the Whitesburg Drive location. Store 819.

Expires: 12/31/2014

Join Us in Celebrating Oakwood University’s Newest Venture

Delicious Fruit Design® with dipped strawberries

Let Us Help You Place Your Order.

Call Our Store Today! (256) 881-7575

Pick fruit. It’s fresher.

TM

Edible Arrangements, Store 819 5000 Whitesburg Drive S., Suite 148 Huntsville, Alabama 35802 Fax: (256) 881-7272

*Offer valid at location shown. Containers may vary. Restrictions may apply. See store for details. Edible Arrangements®, the Fruit Basket Logo, and other marks mentioned herein are registered trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC. All rights reserved.

thors to prescribe social betterment for societies centuries ahead. The principle of identification that limits one’s grasp of the social circumstances of unborn generations is just as inflexible in limiting same generation understandings of alien or unfamiliar cultures.

I

t is true that there are places in Scripture, particularly in the writings of the Apostle Paul, regarding women and slavery, where prescriptions for improvements over existing social practices are given. Paul’s acknowledgement of women as co-workers in Romans 16:3 and his encouraging Philemon (1:15,16) to take back his slave, Onesimus, and treat him as a brother are examples. But, Paul was not seeking to “abolish” slavery nor, as a broad assessment of his letters reveals, was he advocating equal social status for women; such states were beyond his cognitive capacity. He moved the “yard sticks” of social understanding but he by no means crossed the goal line.

This form of contribution to the evolution of social categories known as “trajectory hermeneutics”, is laudable. But serving as a link or “middle axiom,” as it is also called, in the on-going maturation of an attitude is not the same as conceptualizing its manifestations in the distant future.

The point to be made is that even Paul and the other anointed of God, could not, and neither can we reach over the barri-

12

ers of cognitive reality and hand out practical solutions for the structural needs of un-entered cultures.

The second reason for our church’s lack of theological categories relevant to the social needs of its black minority, hence the tensions, is that unfortunately, we, black Americans, have failed, until recently, to produce scholars equipped to theologize in the formal sense. By that I mean individuals able to read the original languages of the Bible and/or conduct hermeneutically sound, systematic investigation of the English materials provided them.

Our community has produced a long list of stellar pulpiteers and gifted administrators but precious few Biblical scholars. And there are reasons for that. One is that it takes seven to ten years of additional graduate study to earn a “credible” theological degree, and the other is that it is a very costly process. Typically, we did not try because we decided that the end was too near and the funds too low to invest in such a lengthy and costly endeavor. Thankfully, we now have a small but growing cadre that is prepared, and we desperately need to know what God is

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

saying and even more importantly, what God is doing, through their (our) sociological lens.

May I reiterate, it is one thing to read the English translation of German and French scholars who studied the original and recorded what they deduced to be God’s will or even to hear the conclusions of non-indigenous English authors whose use of lexicons permitted them access into the world and words of the prophets. But it is a much richer thing to hear the scholarly conclusions of one’s own social background.

And that is what Black theology is all about. It is about indigenous scholars reporting back to the community—not second- and thirdbut first-hand commentary on the Biblical text. It is: “the attempt of individuals whose experience in the black condition and whose tools of theological training equip them to plumb the black condition in the light of the revelation of God with special reference to the life of Jesus Christ.”

How then does that revelation instruct us with respect to the presence of Regional Conferences? It does first and foremost by viewing black Americans in the “types modality,” the theological viewpoint that sees the enslavement of blacks in America as a type of Israel’s bondage in Egypt.

It holds that just as Israel was enslaved by an evil oppressor and eventually freed by God through Moses, Aaron and Miriam, so through a series of deliverers, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall , Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, we have been delivered from diabolical incarceration here in America.

It further holds that just as Israel retained its distinctiveness after the Exodus, so has ours’ been maintained; theirs’

by Godly design, ours’ by ungodly devices. It also it believes that black Americans, who unlike the Israelites have no physical land of promise and who, at slavery’s end, were confined to the land of the oppressor, require distinctive means of addressing their cultural needs. Otherwise, they remain as they were at eman-

Photography by DreamstiMe

cipation, wanderers in a political noman’s land, culturally distanced from the advantaged class while at the same time bereft of structures essential to healthy operations within their largely separate community.

And make no mistake, there is such a thing as the distinct black community.

This is seen in the fact that most of the major cities in America such as: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Cleveland, Detroit Gary, Jackson, Memphis, New Orleans, Newark, Oakland, Philadelphia, Richmond, St. Louis, and Washington D.C., and others are mainly black. There are, according to the latest census, 950 cities and townships in the U.S. with populations between 25.000 and 100.000, where blacks comprise more than fifty percent of the population. The majority of these individuals are clustered in the difficult circumstances in what is commonly called the “hood.”

W

hile the census show that there is a growing black upper and middle class, the black lower class is expanding much more rapidly than either of these. Add to that the fact that as the June/July, 2013, Gallup Minority Rights and Relations survey reported, in spite of the fact that marriages between blacks and whites are increasing, they are still less than one percent of all American couples. Add to that the fact that whiteflight is still alive and well in our nation, it becomes obvious that reports of an impending colorless or post racial society are not credible.

Black theology is not ethereal in its method, it deals with the “isness” of America’s social realities not the “oughts” of her expressed dreams. It takes into account the fact that blacks have not been assimilated in Jefferson’s social melting pot, and that ours is not nor has it ever been “one nation, under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” and that it is questionable as to whether, as we some-

times sing, “We are not divided, all one body, we one in hope and doctrine one in charity.” Black theology does not assume or labor in denial; it shines the light of the gospel upon the real, the existential situation, and prescribes for its disadvantaged occupants categories of spiritual and social betterment.

There are, however, several cautions to be observed. The first is that of anointing any ethnic group, other than one that was prior the stoning of Stephan, as God’s chosen people. There are significant parallels to be made between Israel’s experience and ours but they are not to be taken ad infinitum. Second is the mistake of some black theologians [who seem] to make God Lord of the poor only. Scripture makes it clear that He is now, and someday soon will, in the regeneration, be formally crowned, “Lord of all.”

And third, is the danger, also common to some black theologians, of radicalizing elements of Scripture in ways that type all white Americans as racially biased. That, of course, is not true. From the time of the Quakers who first brought the slaves the liberating news of the true God, to the Abolitionists, whose efforts cracked open the foundations of slavery, to the marchers and martyrs who served in the Civil Rights movement, concerned white citizenry, then and even now, continue to sacrificially assist black Americans in their progress.

However, these contributions, as noble as they have been and are, have not prevented America from developing a sociality that is decidedly negative to the black community. Reinhold Niebhur, was right when he assessed our landscape to be one of, “moral man but immoral society.”

• And it is immoral, is it not, that blacks, as a rule, are the last ones hired and the first ones fired; • It is immoral for certain states to suppress black voting by devices as redistricting, demanding identification that older blacks are less likely to have, by shrinking voting hours and lengthening voting documents and eliminating colleges and university campuses as polling sites.

• It is immoral for white America, still profiting from the ill-gotten gains of slavery and beyond, to shut down government programs that benefit the poor, while at the same time providing failed

corporate executives millions of dollars to just go away!

• It is immoral for city police to arrest young black males and charge them with crimes they did not commit, knowing that if they “confess,” the judge will give them seven years, and if no—the jury will assign them twenty.

• It is immoral that when more than 80 percent of white America has health insurance, and aproximately 40 percent of black America does, that the larger body of congress rebuffs the president’s or any efforts, for that matter, to rectify the situation.

• It is immoral for white Americans, with a 300-year head start in legal privilege and wealth accumulation, to roll back Affirmative action acutely aware that black Americans constitute • 13 percent of the population but [only]2.3 percent of the doctors; • 2.6 percent of the dentists; • 4 percent of the lawyers, and • 1.8 percent of the engineers, and • A percentage of the physicists, paleontologists, chemists, and other natural scientists, either non-existent or too miniscule to compute.

And such practical consequences exist for circumstances within our church operations as well. I am not speaking of who holds what job at what level of church authority or of how much integration is being effected in local congregations, I am speaking of what is happening to our beautiful black boys and girls who are being caught up in addictions, shot down on playgrounds, and street corners, lured out into the destructive vices of city life, a larger percentage of whom who might be saved—If only we had adequate facilities, and programs.

If only we had more church schools and youth pastors and counselors available to them! (Emphasis supplied.) t _______________________ Calvin B. Rock, D.Min., Ph.D., Seventh-day Adventist church leader, administrator and educator, frequently discusses a range of ethical issues. His service has ranged from beloved local pastor to respected church administrator, college president, university board chairman, General Conference vice president, and scholar.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

13

t

FEATURE

A FAB Family Bringing

fab

BY K E M ROPE R

W

hat do you think of when you hear words like digital fabrication, microprocessors and Instrumentation and Algorithms for Electrostatic Inverse Problems?

Perhaps your eyes glaze over and your thoughts wander to more important things like your grocery list or the cost of tea in China. But, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Neil Gershenfeld, the next wave of the “digital revolution” will not come about because of mathematical geniuses, but rather ordinary people—perhaps even people like you and me!

Makeda Stephenson knows this first hand since she, at age twelve, and her brothers (ages 8 and 10) stumbled upon a “Fab Lab” (short for fabrication laboratory) at a community center in their home town of Boston, Massachusetts and began learning mathematical and scientific concepts equivalent to those studied by graduate students in well-equipped labs at schools like Harvard and Yale. However, they didn’t learn these things through traditional methods—there were no pro-

14 14

fessors with pointers or Powerpoints, no chalkboards or whiteboards or desks.

There was just a messy collection of random raw materials and a few high-tech tools. Toss in a gaggle of curious kids and, presto! It became an instant classroom!

These revolutionary mobile laboratories came about as a result of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant secured

by Professor Gershenfeld who runs MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA). To fulfill the outreach component of the grant,

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Makeda Stephenson, illustrating their product to President Obama at the White House.

“We did not look like your typical or traditional students, nor were we hardly poster children for technology” says Makeda. “But we were able to design and think and build.” And build they did!

Gershenfeld decided to think outside the box and take the “technical prototyping platform” out of academic silos and into non-academic centers so that people everywhere could tap into their inner genius and create, learn and invent things they may never have imagined before.

“We did not look like your typical or traditional students, nor were we hardly poster children for technology” says

creating employment and educational opportunities.

In 2012, the Stephensons established a non-profit organization, FabLabs for America, “to ensure the presence and relevance of place-based digital fabrication education in New England through the development and support of a wellconnected, vibrant and active network of community and k-12 FABLabs throughout the New England states.” Through

fablabs to the

Makeda. “But we were able to design and think and build” And build they did!

During her first experience in the Fab Lab, Makeda’s interest in aviation inspired her to develop a flight simulator which she created with the help of MIT students and some open-source computer software. From there, Makeda’s destiny was secured. Her mother, Donalyn, quickly realized that her children were not only having fun making things, but were also learning “math concepts and geometrical concepts and developing familiarity with modern technology,” which was quite valuable. So valuable, in fact, that the Stephensons couldn’t keep it to themselves! By the time she was fourteen, Makeda was enough of an “expert” in digital fabrication to take her love for making things into the classrooms of the South Shore SDA school in Braintree, Massachusetts.

T

here she began showing others how to do what she did, and for the past ten years Makeda and her family have been quite busy getting the word out and educating their community about this potentially world-changing technology that is literally at our fingertips! In June, Makeda traveled to Washington, DC for the first ever “White House Maker Faire” hosted by the president and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. There she talked to President Obama about her work and the potential it has for

cause of FABLabs and because I like to make things—not because I fit the profile” says Makeda.

T

hus, Makeda has made it her business to bring this technology to the underprivileged masses and is working to develop best practices for teaching STEM in ways that are appropriate for a broader cross-section of our culture.

Before 2001, it was unheard of for cutting edge technology to be placed in the hands of uneducated populations, but Gershenfeld says such grass-roots level work is the

inner-city “I’m an engineer because of FABLabs and because I like to make things—not because I fit the profile” says Makeda.

FABLabs for America and NSBE’s TORCH program, Makeda is leading the way in the education of young people in urban communities, exposing them to the STEM disciplines in a way that is appealing and relevant to their daily lives.

Now a senior biomedical engineering major at Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology, Makeda has already accomplished more in her life than the average 22 year old, and yet there is still so much for her to do! “It’s all about access” Makeda says. “Our educational system is so narrow it eliminates most of the population, but it’s not because they’re not capable or shouldn’t be doing these things.”

Instead, it is because the cost of the equipment in Fab Labs places them far beyond the reach of low-income communities and because traditional teaching methods are so deeply entrenched. The handson learning that occurs in Fab Labs turns traditional education on its head! Students don’t learn first then do, but instead learn as they do. In 400 Fab Labs in 30 countries, youth and untrained adults are doing the work of professionals and trained craftsmen. “I’m an engineer be-

wave of the future. Technology is moving out of the realm of the business and technology sectors and into the realm of everyday people who make things that serve their personal needs as well as the unique needs of their communities. In 2004, Gershenfeldshowed a twelve year old girl named Makeda Stephenson how to make her first circuit board—a remarkable concept: a tenured professor in partnership with a middle-schooler—yet such unexpected collaborations are taking place every day around the world as open source software is shared online and “makers” everywhere meet over the internet to exchange ideas. It is a remarkable testament to what is possible when individuals step outside of their comfort zone to empower others. God ordained Makeda Stephenson and her family to have a chance encounter with the very first MIT FabLab and as a result they are now busy doing the work that God has called them to do: bringing awareness to the uninformed, STEM education to the uneducated and hope to a generation that some consider hopeless. The future is in God’s hands, but He’s using the willing hands and hearts of this special family to open up unfathomable possibilities! t _______________________ Kem Roper, Ph.D., is a scholar, professor, freelance writer, and special correspondent for Regional Voice Magazine.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

15

t

FEATURE

Help

Wanted!

A Call to Arms for Middle Class Members

By Joseph W. McCoy

16 16

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

T

here is an emerging reality in the United States. It is this— the largest single group in the American Black Community is the Black Middle Class. This group outnumbers all other single groups in the Black community.

Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and MSNBC commentator makes this point crystal clear in his book Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America. He asserts that there are four groups in the Black Community. They are as follows: • The Mainstream Middle Class Majority • A large, Abandoned Minority–Inner City Poor • A small Transcendent Elite–The Black super rich, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, LeBron James, etc.

Photography by DreamstiMe

• Two newly Emergent Groups – People of Mixed Race heritage and communities of recent Black Immigrants.

Interestingly, his assertions are also true in dissecting the American Black Adventist Church, especially in our large metropolitan areas.

Here are some of our own emerging realities that have impacted church growth: • Traditional evangelistic efforts have largely become ineffective. In recent decades over-professionalized, soul-winning efforts primarily use Bible workers, bigname evangelists, pastors, and seminar students in field school events.

This has made spectators of our members.

• Bible workers cannot effectively get into middle class neighborhoods to do their work (due to security, gated communities, remote locations and/or great distances.)

• Consequently evangelistic campaign workers end up toiling in the Abandoned Minority neighborhoods almost exclusively.

• Many from those Abandoned Minority communities who have attended such evangelistic events in recent decades need, expect or are offered free transpor-

tation to and from the meetings.

• These newly-baptized members, having no relationships with members, come into our churches expecting that they will be provided transportation to-and-from church each week.

• Finding the friendly Bible workers gone, they soon feel like strangers in this new environment What shall we say to these things?

If most of our members are in the middle class and our church professionals cannot get into their neighborhoods to work, then our middle class membership must be reenlisted into the personal, direct, mission outreach army of our church. Failure to enlist these members places the Adventist mission to Black America is in serious jeopardy.

Reenlisting activities must be simple.

The middle class membership must be encouraged to: • Begin with simple morning and evening worship in their homes themselves— again..

• Go to the homes of their neighbors next door and across the street, only on their block or in their cul de sac, and offer to pray with them, for their family

Traditional evangelistic efforts have largely become ineffective. In recent decades over-professionalized, soul-winning efforts primarily use Bible workers, big-name evangelists, pastors, and seminar students in field school events.

members, the neighborhood, our nation, etc. Few people refuse prayer from folks they know by name or by sight.

• Ask neighbors if they have special things for which you can to pray. Record the prayer requests on a card, then take them back to your church. Invite prayer bands at church to join you in praying for these neighbors and their special requests, • Go back to those neighbors in a week or so to see how the Lord has answered their prayers.

A complete explanation of this initiative can be found online atregionalretirement.org. Lord please, bless our efforts. t ____________________________________ Joseph W. McCoy, M.Div, retired from service as a pastor, evangelist, conference officer and president, and church administrator. He directed the return of this magazine for the 2005 General Conference session, and was one one of the creators of the original retirement plan for Regional Conference workers.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

17 17

t

TECHNOLOGY

What’s That

in Your Hand?

By Bryant Taylor

Bryant Taylor

18

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

W

“…Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.” Habukkuk 2:20, ASV. Tablets? Could it be that God looked down in time, saw digital hand-held tablets, and made a prophetic reference to them? When you think about it, God has always been on the cutting edge of technological communication, and is equally progressive in His use of technology.

Here are a few of His “best uses” of biblical technologies in guiding the Israelites through the desert: • The Urim and Thumim • Kinetic/hand-motion-activated river divider (Moses’ rod) • A voice-activated water fountain • GPS-guided, mobile air conditioning and heating unit (The cloud and pillar of fire) Since God uses the latest and greatest in technology to communicate His message, shouldn’t we do the same?

Technology and ministry are intertwined, connected as much as peanut butter and jelly—don’t think of one without the other. Yet many churches work to separate them as if they were mutually exclusive. Posted at many a sanctuary door or on the screen are similar messages: “Please turn off all electronic devices.”

Yet the technology of today is as effective as the felts, flip charts, blackboards with fluorescent chalk and black lights, transparency projectors, 9-slide projectors and seamless screens, flyers and billboards were for presenting the gospel to our family and friends. Today, the gospel can be presented with a mobile device.

There are 7.2 billion mobile devices, and they have made there way into the sanctuaries of churches across North America.

What would happen if churches embraced this growth instead of fought against it?

Here are some constructive suggestions: • Remove the “Please turn off cell phones and mobile devices” signs.

• Encourage use of those devices during services. How? • Members can embrace this practice by becoming Digital Disciples—those who utilize their mobile devices to share the gospel with the audiences that follow them.

com/) - One of the most popular Bible versions installed on mobile devices. This app includes a feature named “Live.” This feature is used to present church services and programs live to those with the app. They can follow and interact with the service even if they are not present.

• Bible.is (http://www.bible.is/) - This app allows users to read, listen or view the Bible story. The app will actually read the passage to the user.

• Bible Software: (https://www.logos. com/iphone) Logos is a cross platform app (ios, Android, Kindle and Windows). The app includes 70 biblical study aids: Bibles, commentaries and books. A feature of this app (if the church uses Proclaim http:// www.proclaimonline.com/ Logos’ worship presentation software) is that members can follow presentations and have all the scriptures, calendar events, and videos that are used in the service on their mobile devices.

Think of the new life this could breathe into some Monday morning witnessing, with the entire worship service on mobile devices, available to share with any “person of interest.”

Try One or More of These Bible Apps: • YouVersion Bible (https://www.bible.

Three Technologies Gathering Steam: 1. Near Field Communication

Suggested Uses of Mobile Devices during Church Service: • Facebook - Share the sermon title, scripture and major points from the sermon, along with a photo of the congregation in worship.

• Twitter - Tweet moving inspirational phrases, then summarize the sermon. Use a hashtag (#) for the worship service, i.e. #IKnowThatVoice.

• Instagram - Snap a photo of the church congregation in worship.

• Vine – Shoot a 6-second video of the choir, praise team, soloist and the congregation’s response. “… And this gospel shall be preached in all the world…”

Every church service, regardless of the number of members present, can have a nationwide—even global—reach. News of the church’s ministry, the pastor’s message, songs and children’s stories could reach hundreds of thousands instantly when Digital Disciples share with their audiences waiting to see and hear the services.

(NFC) - A set of short-range wireless technologies that requires a distance of 4cm or less to initiate a connection, and allows you to share amounts of data between.

2. Beacons - An indoor proximity system.

3. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) - Technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects.

Hopefully, one or all of these will make their way to a church near you. NFC could be used for donations. (How often has there been a special appeal in church and you didn’t have any cash on hand?)

An NFC device in the lobby of the church would solve that; a tap of your credit card, mobile phone and/or, in the near future, your watch, and it’s done.

After a business meeting or presentation it would only take a tap to receive the content just discussed or presented

B

eacons could be used as visitors enter the church. Their mobile devices would vibrate with a message welcoming them to the church and inviting them to go to the guest desk to fill out a visitors’ card or to receive a gift. As they walk through the hallways, messages would identify youth or childcare rooms.

The possibilities are limitless.

As anyone enters a campground, church or event venue, the program, bulletin, venue map or any other material could be available on your mobile device.

RFID can be used for attendance to identify who is present for church or any event. Thus on Monday morning, the pastoral staff or member nurture team would know who was absent, and who to call to check and find out why.

Each of us has some technology within an arm’s length, and we all have the capacity to become techno-evangelists simply by asking: “How can this be used for ministry?” t ————————————————— Bryant Taylor, D.Min., is a pastor, conference communication director, and a techno-evangelist for the Allegheny West Conference. He is also co-host of TechTalk, a monthly Webcast. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Tara and bird, Birckey.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

19

t

FEATURE

Huntsville’s First Church—

A Diamond in the ‘hood The leaders and members of this congregation chose to help their neighbors, and moved to get closer to them.

P

By Olson Perry, Sr.

rayer meeting attendance averages about 300. On Sabbaths the sanctuary is packed with members and visitors. An overflow area is no longer needed.

Meanwhile, a special reserved area accommodates 200-250 families, “walk-in visitors,” who are there to collect fresh produce. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Giveaway program is driven by the Young Adults Ministry.

As the visitors wait, collect, and perhaps slip a bite into an apple or pear, they watch the pastor’s sermon being streamed. Yes, this comes during the Sabbath midday service. On other week days, community residents stroll in comfortably to appreciate services of the church, including Bible studies and educational programs.

Debleaire K. Snell, the 37-year old senior pastor, provides a basic, simple plan based on the church’s team-developed vision statement: “Creating a church where broken lives are made whole.”

To First Seventh-day Adventist Church, Huntsville, Alabama

20 20

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

The church has raised its spiritual atmosphere, creating a “house of prayer, a miracle climate, and intentional revival.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

21 21

t

FEATURE this statement drives everything. It is

a unique ministry structure addressing the needs of people to make them whole through purposeful decisions.

T

he church has raised its spiritual atmosphere, creating a “house of prayer, a miracle climate, and intentional revival. There is no excuse for not growing,” says Snell. Clear communication is important. The congregation has to buy into the larger vision on a “heart level;” not just mental assent. “Then we pray for the hand of God on ministry covering individual shortcomings.”

When Snell came to First Church, he brought no specific vision. Instead, he first listened to the congregation, evaluated its strengths, and absorbed the culture.

Then they built and articulated ideas together. He feels “one size does not fit all.”

So it would be counterproductive to attempt to modify the structure from another congregation to match this one without first absorbing its needs and culture.

This was at first frustrating for some who may have been used to a pastor coming in with a preconceived agenda; however, over time First Church members appreci-

22

ated his approach and the genuine buy-in to the mission of the church.

First Church’s commitment to healing broken lives in the community has resulted in taking the ordinary and expanding to the extraordinary through community involvement. Vacation Bible School is a neighborhood initiative. Neighborhood Cleanup is a community event.

Church members pour into the community and the neighborhood pours itself into the church. There is no shortage of volunteers when it comes to community outreach activities. Even the “Night on the Lawn,” (events, where neighbors bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the expansive church lawn to watch movies), are productive in generating interests in the church, its activities, and spiritual awareness.

Debleaire Snell assumed the leadership of First Church in 2010 at the Stringfield Road location, packing his 1,170 member congregation into a 600-seat sanctuary in 26,000 square-feet. During these four years, he averaged three baptisms weekly (four-year total: 577). In January

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

2011 a second divine service was added to the schedule. Even with a second service, both services were packed to capacity with an overflow of 300. It was time to look at a new facility.

During the discussion and search phase for a new building they came to agree—

First Church’s commitment to healing broken lives in the community has resulted in taking the ordinary and expanding to the extraordinary through community involvement. the new location should be planted deliberately in an impoverished neighborhood where the congregation could be “a lighthouse,” said Pastor Snell, “I think we just scratched the surface of becoming a place where broken lives can be repaired.”

The former West Huntsville Church

of Christ, with 54,000 square feet and a 1,500 seating capacity nestled on 12 acres, was purchased and renovated.

First Church moved in at 1303 Evangel Drive March 2013 across the street from the Downtown Rescue Mission. Neighbors include the popular Stake Center for Mormons, the area’s Muslim Masjid, a public housing project, a new neighborhood with lots of children, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus.

F

irst Church’s facility provides space for expansion for its on-going ministries.

In addition to its advanced Bible study classes, workshops in marriage enrichment, Christian male empowerment, personal finances, and health improvement sessions, there is a coffee shop-style gathering area near the main entrance where fruit juices and herb teas are served. The 40 retractable classrooms, youth center, 14 bathrooms, three kitchens, children’s church area, and surrounding property will not go to waste.

Of course there were some who were skeptical of the decision, perhaps opposed to deliberately choosing the new location. At first it seemed like a challenge.

To some it caused raised eyebrows. Others thought it made so much sense. To Pastor Snell it was a matter of focusing on the church’s mission and God’s direction. There were multiple concerns about being surrounded by scientific scholars who may question God’s existence, some “folks” who feel God has forsaken them, vandalism, safety, and opposition from other agencies. However, the majority of members felt there was and is no need to fear the community. As a matter of fact, the community has embraced First Church; guarding, protecting, and embracing it as its very own.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE NORMAN AND JANNA PETERSON WADDELL

First Church is serving as a possible model for the future. “We want to feed the mind, mend the heart, build the family, restore the body and prepare the soul for eternity,” says Snell. While some congregations may have drifted away from the mission and its original plan through isolation and separation, others have seen the successes of First Church and have gotten a second wind to attempt a more mission oriented approach to ministry in their own home churches. Some congregations have had the burden lifted and are now free to make similar attempts.

Becoming a “Diamond in the ‘hood” with all its risks and vulnerability may seem innovative to some, challenging to others, and original to observers.

However, isn’t this what Jesus gave as the original plan? t _______________________ Olson Perry, Sr., writer and editor, is a motivational speaker for Relationship Foundations Ministries, emphasizing positive communications in building relationships.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

23

Are You Prepared for the

Next Crisis?

Part 2

BY Témar Ellis

T

his conclusion continues interviews with Chief Lewis Eakins, of the Oakwood University Police Department, James “Jimmy” Vines, Director of Security for the world Seventh-day Adventist Church Headquarters, and Laurel C. Long, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at the University of Alabama/Huntsville, they have offered a virtual roundtable discussion. Also included in this piece are references from the book, Crisis Boot Camp: How to Handle Communication During Crisis, by Celeste Ryan-Blyden, Columbia Union Conference Vice President for Strategic Communication and Public Relations. Each perspective helps to contribute to a more complete view of crisis management and prevention.

Asst. VP Long: We learned several lessons (as a result of the fatal UAHuntsville shootings on February 12, 2010).

First, never think, “it can’t happen here.”

Tragedy and crises can strike anywhere, at any time, even at an SDA institution or at a church. Whether it be a fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, death of a student, or a criminal or terrorist act, a crisis does not discriminate just because you have a religious affiliation. Second, prior planning is absolutely essentially. It is important to have a plan in place that addresses how your institution will handle a crisis. Who will speak for the institution?

Who will control the message? Have you

24

Every house of worship should have a safety team that is representative of the worship center’s demographics and comprised of individuals who have a passion for church safety and view this function as a ministry. identified critical personnel who will respond to and manage an emergency or crisis? Do you have a Continuity of Operations Plan? Is it updated regularly? How will you contact students and employees if there is an emergency? These are some questions to consider. Third, we learned that communication is important–before, during and after a crisis. Personally, the most important lesson I learned is to be prepared. Understand what the risks are and take steps to be prepared to handle those risks.”

Q. What can local congregations do to protect themselves-deputize and arm the deacons, for example? What initiatives are you employing at OU? Chief Eakins: “First, every house of worship should have a safety team that is representative of the worship center’s demographics and comprised of individuals who have a passion for church safety and view this function as a ministry. The head deacon or elder might not be the right person to head the team, which is often the case by default. Second, finan-

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

cial and security procedures must be in place. Financial procedures should cover the range of how benevolence funds are disbursed, how payments are made to musicians, tithe and offering collections and counting, department spending limits, contractor vetting, etc. Security procedures should be inclusive of a key control policy, evacuation/shelter-in- place protocols, dealing with strangers and the mentally ill, volunteer service and background checks, restraining orders, etc. I am not in favor of arming deacons and other church personnel due to the liability and the lack of standards in weapon qualifications. I have no problem with off-duty officers carrying their weapons at our institutions because they are required to undergo state mandated firearms initial and recurrent training. It is sometimes a department requirement that police officers be armed while off-duty. At Oakwood University, we have transitioned our security department to a full-fledged police department with all the powers and privileges afforded law enforcement agencies in the State of Alabama. This was done to insure that our officers attain the highest level of professionalism and competency to deal with any external threat to our campus. This was a proactive measure taken by administration in consideration that we do not have a crime problem on our campus. It dovetails well with our emergency operations plan (EOP) which plans for responses to earthquakes, chem-

Photography by DreamstiMe

Celeste Ryan-Blyden

Chief Lewis Eakins

James “Jimmy” Vines

Laurel C. Long

ical spills, and forest fires all of which may never occur on our campus. It is all about being at an increased state of readiness and preparedness.”

Q. On a more personal level, what can we do to better secure our homes and our families?

Director Vines: “To better secure our homes and families a lot of us just have to get to basics and do things that are not that hard in terms of preparing with common sense actions. Other advanced tactics may take advanced training as the situation warrants, but assistance can certainly be had just by asking.

We have so many Adventist professionals in this industry who are willing to share their knowledge that there should be no reason for anyone not to utilize the resources they have. Asking for assistance is the only requirement.”

Q. How and from where can one get more information and training?

Chief Eakins: “I always welcome the opportunity to answer questions and give advice either through a contractual engagement or through a telephone conver-

sation. I can be contacted at 256.783.9287 or by email at lewis@eakinscs.com.”

Asst. VP Long: “There is so much information out there about crisis management and preparation. The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is a great place to start. In 2010 they issued a publication called “Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education.” That publication has very good information. The Homeland Security Emergency Management Center of Excellence also has good resources and samples of university emergency plans.”

Director Vines: “More information and training can be obtained from various Law enforcement agencies and there is a plethora of information (free I might add) in the Internet at sites sponsored by Homeland Security, FEMA, local police sites, etc. A lot of agencies are even willing to address groups and give free or nominally priced training that is well worth the cost. There is so much out here now that we have access to and all we have to do is ask for it.”

Q. What is your opinion on having guns on campus (students being armed)?

Chief Eakins: “I am not in favor of individuals being armed at our institutions unless they are law enforcement or security officers who have met state licensing and proficiency guidelines. If I am responding to an active shooter scenario, the only person I want to see with a weapon is the active shooter. I don’t have time to decide if you are the good guy or the bad guy. Situations can take place very quickly. A well-intentioned teacher with a weapon who is told to drop her weapon may inadvertently turn and face the officers with the weapon pointing in their direction. At that point, in most states, the officer will be authorized to use deadly force. Police officers need to do what they are trained to do, and deacons, teachers, pastors, and other church workers need to stay true to their calling and responsibilities.”

According to Celeste Ryan-Blyden’s “The Crisis Management Boot Camp” Power Point presentation, there are six effective steps in handling a crisis. They are as follows: 1. Remain calm and rational 2. Pray for guidance and strength 3. Implement action steps 4. Monitor situation 5. Keep everyone informed 6. Lead with openness, integrity, confidence and consistency These steps well reflect the general sentiment of the roundtable discussion, awareness and action being the top overall integrated principles. From this discussion, it can be gathered that although there is no perfect way to prepare for disaster, with the intent for proactivity, steps can be taken to better secure places of higher learning and worship. People are what give a place meaning, and communication is what connects these people to their environment and to their institution, therefore it should be treated as the pinnacle of crisis preparation and prevention, with faith always acting as the root. t ________________________ Témar Ellis is a freelance writer and aspiring novelist. She has a BA in English from Oakwood University.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

25

26

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

“Subtle Evangelism” converts

LEAP graduate

T

by Nia Langley

he love Seventh-day Adventists show in their characters has the power to lead people to Christ. This proved to be true for Maria Echeverria Hall, a 2011 graduate of Oakwood University’s Leadership Education for the Adult Professional (LEAP) program. On Wednesday, August 27th, Hall, donned in a baptismal robe and scarf, was interviewed

by Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, to share her testimony with the Breath of Life (BOL) global TV audience, on how she came into the Seventh-day Adventist faith.

Hall, a white Guatemalan native, grew up Roman Catholic, but after converting to Protestantism, she was ridiculed and severed from her family. Upon moving to Huntsville, Alabama in 1997, Hall’s Adventist neighbors, George and Flore Hamilton, befriended her. The Hamiltons partook in “friend evangelism,” by building a relationship with Hall and her son. Mrs. Hamilton brought a bouquet of flowers to welcome Hall to the neighborhood; sent Christmas treats annually; and gave vegetables from her garden. Hall’s son worked for Mr. Hamilton, and even the Hamiltons’ dog was friendly with Hall!

Hall later went through Oakwood’s LEAP adult degree completion program, and the people with whom she came in contact showed her kindness. Oakwoodites have a difference in their attitude, in their commitment, in their outlook, and in their compassion,” Hall shared in her BOL interview, and that difference in character became “very obvious.” This obvious difference prompted Hall to visit the Oakwood University Church during the annual BOL Christmas and New Year’s Eve programs, and the services filled her heart.

“This is what I want,” she said.

Hall continued to visit occasionally and decided to study a Sabbath School quarterly lesson-the quarterly happened to be written by Dr. Keith Burton, a

member of Oakwood University Church. Hall studied the entire book and learned the truth about the Sabbath. Hall no longer had any doubts and wanted to commit herself to Christ as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

In September, Hall was to move to San Jose, California to work as a behavioral therapist within the Hispanic community, but she was eager to be baptized at the Oakwood University Church before leaving. When Dr. Byrd asked to explain her eagerness, Hall said the reason is that Oakwood “is where the seed was planted, where I was watered, and where there was extra fertilizer to make me grow up in a month and a half.”

On Wednesday, August 27th, immediately following her testimony, Hall became a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Evangelist E. E. Cleveland once said that “every convert is to be a convert-maker,” and Hall intends to be just that.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

27

t

FEATURE

Danielles in Babylon

BY CHAVVAH McCOY LISTER

T

Adventist Church in Harvest, Alabama.

Stamper hopes to retire in the next year and feels grateful for the experiences she has had. “It’s been a really good ride,” Stamper shared. “I’m really excited about what God has done and is doing in my life.”

he 2014 election season recently wrapped up, and in the midst of many political changes around the country, three Seventh-day Adventist women are faithfully serving God while working with man. Pearlie Stamper, Delores McCarter Richardson and Debra Anderson all work in highly visible roles, yet they display humility, faith and total reliance on God. Their stories are modern-day examples that God still guides His people.

Pearlie Stamper Municipal Government A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Stamper works alongside the city’s elected officials as the Administrative Aide for the City Council. “I accept the precious gift God has given to me, which is to help others in any way that I can,” said Stamper, who was hard at work preparing to seat newly elected Council members around the time of the interview for this article.

Stamper’s giftedness is visible through her continuity through multiple administrations. Note that though Stamper’s position is not appointed, she has worked nearly 25 years as a City Council Administrative Aide. She has worked under the direction of four mayors and many more Council members.

“I have been privileged to develop an excellent professional working relationship with all of the department heads of the City of Huntsville, and most of the organizations. . . .Without their support and the support of Council members, Council staff and the citizens, it would

28

Delores McCarter Richardson

Pearlie Stamper be impossible for me to perform my job,” Stamper acknowledged.

Stamper got her start working in government through an unplanned, yet providential, series of events. While attending a wedding, Stamper met Councilman Richard Showers, Sr., who informed her that the City Council had an opening for an Administrative Aide. Stamper applied for the job and received the position. “[God] placed me in the perfect place He knew I needed to be,” said Stamper. Her duties include aiding the City Council, and acting as a liaison between the City Council, Mayor and citizens of Huntsville.

T

he Athens State University graduate is quick to run to God in every situation. “When things in my life [exceed] human knowledge, I am reminded God is always in control on earth and in heaven,” shared Stamper. She is an active member in the Harvest Seventh-day

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Local/State/Regional Advocacy Richardson, a long-time resident of Boston, spends countless hours engaging people of faith with elected officials.

“When we’re at the table, we get input,” said Richardson, who volunteers as a Legislative Liaison for Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Greater Boston area and as a Protocol Consultant for the Atlantic Union Conference. “We vote [officials] in, so why shouldn’t we have input?”

Richardson makes a deliberate effort to get recognition for members of the church who are making a difference in the community, and uses her ability to make connections as a form of evangelism. In the weeks leading up to the November 4, 2014 election, Richardson arranged for Pastor Omar Jarvis, of the Berea Seventh-day Adventist Church in Boston, to speak at a faith-based, Get-Out-The-Vote-rally.

She also spoke at an event this fall, where Governor Deval Patrick was present, and talked about the importance of Adventists being included as decisions are made in Massachusetts. A member of the Berea Church, Richardson hopes to inspire other Adventists to get involved and establish relationships with elected officials.

Richardson never had any intention of becoming so involved in political life, but

Delores Richardson with City Councillor At-Large Ayanna Pressley her church work–and the hand of God – propelled her into it. Back in 1971, she was hard at work as the Home and School Leader, raising funds for the Berea Adventist School, when she was asked by a parent to chair his state senate election fundraising committee. At the end of the campaign, that parent, former State Senator William “Bill” Owens, won a state senate seat. That experience opened the door for her to later work on staff as a Legislative Aide for former State Representative Shirley Owens Hicks.Richardson remembers having concerns about whether or not she could work in politics and still be faithful to God. However, she was able to ‘stay on the path of righteousness,’ in part, when she realized that she had an influence on others. “I had a friend, who recently died this year, [who] was a nonAdventist. . . . A lot of what kept me doing what I needed to do was because of her expectations of me,” recalled Richardson, who faithfully observed the Sabbath as she got stronger in her faith. “She always let me know how she admired me for staying with what I believed and doing what I believed.”

Debra Anderson Federal Service on Capitol Hill As Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Anderson is responsible for the daily operations of this U.S. Representative’s congressional office in Washington, D.C. Anderson is keenly

aware of, and acDebra Anderson tively seeks, God’s presence throughout her day.

“When I follow [God’s] lead, be it when fice of Congressman Fattah the next day, I’m holding meetings with constituents, and within 6 months, Anderson was hired or when I was speaking with reporters on the Congressman’s staff.

Anderson continues to make prayer the or when I’m representing the Congressman at official functions, I know that He foundation of her life. She and her husband, Commander Paul Anderson, a Naspeaks through me,” Anderson shared. vy Chaplain, pray together each morning nderson was hired in 2001, and before they leave their home. “[We] pray previously worked as Legisla- that we will be diligent to our duties, fotive Director and Communica- cused in our task and an authentic repretions Director with Congressman Fat- sentative of Christ,” Anderson said. The tah’s office. Anderson feels a great sense Andersons are members of Emmanuel of satisfaction in her current role as Dep- Brinklow Seventh-day Adventist Church uty Chief of Staff, as she can work more and also help at Restoration Praise Cenclosely with staff, constituents and policy. ter, a younger Adventist congregation in “I rely on [God] to help me excel in ev- Bowie, Maryland. As time allows, Anderery facet of my job,” she said the day af- son also attends Bible studies for staffers ter Congressman Fattah won re-election on the Hill. “We sing, we pray, we study and we leave reassured that we are where in the 2014 race.

A graduate of Pine Forge Academy God wants us to be for such a time as and the University of Pittsburgh, Ander- this.”

Anderson readily gives glory to God son embarked on a 20-year career as onair talent in radio and television. At the for where He has placed her. She emphaheight of her career in media, however, sized, “Trust me, I couldn’t do this job God placed a yearning in her heart for a without His constant, and I mean everynew assignment. “One night after my on- day, guidance.” t ______________________ air shift at [a Washington, D.C.] all-news radio station, I felt compelled to drive to Chavvah McCoy Lister, Capitol Hill,” Anderson remembered. “I B.A., M.S., is a freelance writasked God that if He had a particular task er living in Chattanooga, Tennesfor me on the Hill, to place me where He see, and a 2004 Communication wanted me to be.” She contacted the Ofgraduate of Oakwood University.

A

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

29

You’re a New VBS Leader! Now What?

T

he VBS director plays a key role in leading the church’s largest annual outreach program for kids and their families. By helping with VBS, you will have a chance to introduce kids to Jesus and show them how easy and fulfilling it is to develop a personal relationship with Him. Kids will remember the fun times and Christ-centered lessons long after VBS is completed.

Below is a to-do list for brand new VBS leaders who are just getting started. As you read, think about how you can adapt these suggestions for your local church. This is just a starting point for your own creativity.

Scan to watch a preview of Destination Paradise or go to https://vimeo.com/111465413

ACTION PLAN 1. Get an up-to-date picture of your church’s VBS program. Research what has been happening; talk to current and former VBS leaders. Take an inventory of supplies available and assess what new materials may be needed. Find out what has worked well in the past.

5. Check with your conference for guidelines on child safety. Make sure your volunteers pass background checks and are trained in child safety procedures.

2. Create a budget.

7. Conduct regular VBS staff meetings where you can provide training and encouragement.

3. Select a curriculum for your church’s VBS program. The NAD Children’s Ministries Department creates a distinctly Adventist program each year.

4. Share your plans, calendar, budget, and any other pertinent information with the children’s ministries committee and local conference.

6. Recruit volunteer staff to lead main areas of VBS – story time, games, crafts, etc.

8. Train your staff in how to invite children to accept Jesus in an age-appropriate way.

9. Mentor a promising leader for future VBS programs.

CHILD EVANGELISM — THE NEXT STEP AdventSource also carries a child evangelism kit that’s a perfect follow-up to VBS. Next time you have an evangelistic series for adults, you can provide meetings for the kids that correspond with the message the adults are experiencing. Visit adventsource.org and search for “child evangelism” or call 402.486.8800 for more information.

Black Business and Professional Association thrives in Canada About the BBPA Founded in 1983, the BBPA is a nonprofit, charitable organization that addresses equity and opportunity for the Black community in business, employment, education and economic development.

The BBPA sponsors the annual BBPA Harry Jerome Awards, a national awards event that recognizes and honours excellence in achievement and supports higher education through the BBPA National Scholarship Fund. In addition, the BBPA sponsors the: BBPA Leaders of Tomorrow Program/Conference, BBPA Exchange, BBPA Choirfest, Martin Luther King Celebration, Annual Black Heroes Golf Tournament and National Black Business and Professional Conference.

Purpose • To encourage and support the pursuit of entrepreneurship, business, professional excellence, higher education and economic empowerment.

• To facilitate access to people and resources.

• To identify and reward excellence in achievement.

• To establish linkages and co-operate with other organizations on matters pertaining to business, education, economic development and community wellness.

• To build cross-cultural understanding and promote equity.

Vision To be the organization of choice for serving the Black community’s business, professional and economic development needs.

32

Mission To advance Canada’s Black communities by delivering programs that support business and professional excellence, higher education and economic development.

BBPA History On October 21, 1982, a Black businessman, Denham Jolly sent an invitation to a number of people in the Black Community to attend a meeting at the Underground Railroad restaurant in downtown Toronto. About 25 people attended. Attorney Romain Pitt made the opening remarks and introduced Denham Jolly.

Bromley Armstrong, a Harry Jerome Award of Merit recipient, recalls being there. It was decided at that meeting to form an association, and a steering committee, including Al Hamilton, publisher of Contrast Newspaper, Denham Jolly and Bromley Armstrong, was formed.

The name “Black Businessmen’s Association” was suggested by Denham Jolly, however at the urging of a number of women participating in this initiative, the name was subsequently changed to “Black Business and Professional Association,” to recognize the contributions of women in business and the professions and act as a statement of the organization’s commitment to equity.

F

ollowing the October 1982 meeting, it was decided to honour the six Black Canadian athletes who excelled at that year’s Commonwealth Games: Angela Taylor-Issanjenko, Ben Johnson, Mark McKoy, Milt Ottey, Tony Sharpe and Desai Williams. A dinner was suggested at which Harry Jerome, Canada’s premiere track and field athlete of the 1960s would be invited to be the keynote speaker. However, before he could be invited, Harry Jerome died suddenly in December 1982.

The group then decided to turn the celebration into a tribute to Harry Jerome and an awards ceremony to honour the six athletes. The name “Harry Jerome Awards” was proposed by Hamlin Grange and so the first Harry Jerome Awards was held on March 5th, 1983.

The Harry Jerome Awards has evolved

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

into a national event that recognizes and honours excellence in African Canadian achievement. After recognizing the 6 athletes at the first Harry Jerome Awards Gala in 1983, the BBPA started with recognizing outstanding AfroCanadians in four main categories: Academic, Arts, Athletic and Community Service. By 2011, the BBPA conferred 16 awards to outstanding Afro-Canadians which included the Leadership, Academic, Athletic, Young Entrepreneur, Community Service, Media, Arts, Technology & Innovation, Business, Professional Excellence, Health Sciences, and 3 BBPA Board of Director awards, namely, President’s, Trail Blazer and the Lifetime Achievement. Additionally, the BBPA Diversity award was added in 2011 under the Harry Jerome Awards’ Chair, Karlyn Percil.

In addition to the Harry Jerome Awards, the BBPA sponsors the BBPA National Scholarship Fund, formerly called the Harry Jerome Scholarship Fund, providing financial support to African Canadian youth pursuing higher education. The idea for the Harry Jerome Scholarship Fund was provided by Hamlin Grange and realized through the efforts of Kamala-Jean Gopie, Pamela Appelt, Sheila Simpson and Beverly Mascoll. Journalist Cynthia Reyes was the BBPA’s president at the time.

Under the leadership of Verlyn Francis, in 1996 the scholarship fund established an endowment fund and attracted corporate sponsorship. By 2010 the

Awards and the National Black Business and Professional Convention, the BBPA champions Exchange programs which aims to provide networking opportunities and professional growth while in the same vain recognizing excellence. Under the directorship of Michelle Ambrose the Men and Women of Honour Exchange programs were born in 2009, which identify men and women who are amazing stalwarts in their local and wider communities and may not have had the opportunity to be recognized at the Harry Jerome Awards.

Fund awarded close to fifty scholarships each year and built an endowment fund of close to $600,000. In the last 24 years the fund has granted over 650 scholarships totalling close to $2.5 million dollars.

“Growth and Change” continues to be a constant at the BBPA. Undoubtedly, the BBPA has been fortunate to be led by outstanding visionaries since its inception. In an effort to build on the legacy of the founders and previous leadership, as well as actualise the mandate of the BBPA, in November 2010 the BBPA president, Pauline Christian, introduced the inaugural National Black Business and Professional Convention (NBBPC). The NBBPC has become an annual event and the third flagship event of the BBPA. The convention was readily accepted by the BBPA board upon introduction. Mayvia Morrison was appointed as the chair and the NBBPC was launched under the BBPA new “Call to Action Vision”, which got the attention of the media as well as received raving reviews from attendees. The NBBPC strives to incorporate strategies and programs that fulfil the BBPA mandate as it pertains to education, entrepreneurship and economic development.

The BBPA has gone through continuous improvements in developing programs and opportunities that meet the needs of the Black Business and Professional community. To complement our staple programs, the Harry Jerome

I

ncorporated in July 1983, the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) is a nonprofit charitable organization that serves to address equity and opportunity for the Black community in business, employment, education and economic development. In addition to the Harry Jerome Awards, the National Scholarship Fund and the National Black Business and Professional Convention, the BBPA provides educational and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and professionals.

The first directors of the BBPA were Pamela Appelt, Bromley Armstrong, Jean Augustine, Jean Gammage (Kamala-Jean Gopie), Al Hamilton, Denham Jolly and Cynthia Reyes. Denham Jolly, whose vision gave birth to the BBPA, was elected our first president.

Although a membership organization, the BBPA’s programs and activities are for the benefit of the Black community as a whole and not solely our members. We do not operate as a professional association or as a lobby group, and we are financed by member subscriptions, donations and fundraising activities.

The Harry Jerome Awards On October 21, 1982, a meeting was held where a decision was made to form an association and a steering committee including Al Hamilton, publisher of Contrast Newspaper, Denham Jolly and Bromley Armstrong. Incorporated in July 1983, the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) is a non-profit charitable organization that serves to address equity and opportuni-

ty for the Black community in business, employment, education and economic development. Following the October 1982 meeting, it was decided to honour the As The BBPA was forming, planners organized a formal dinner event and suggested that Harry Jerome, Canada’s premiere track and field athlete of the 1960s, be invited to give the keynote address. However, before the invitation could be extended, Harry Jerome died suddenly in December 1982. The group then decided to turn the celebration into a tribute to Harry Jerome and an awards ceremony to honour six Black Canadian athletes who excelled at that year’s Commonwealth Games: Angela Taylor-Issanjenko, Ben Johnson, Mark McKoy, Milt Ottey, Tony Sharpe and Desai Williams.The name “Harry Jerome Awards” was proposed by Hamlin Grange, so the first Harry ceremony was held on March 5, 1983.

The Harry Jerome Awards is now a national event that recognizes and honours excellence in African Canadian achievement. In addition to this event, the BBPA sponsors the Harry Jerome Scholarship Fund, providing financial support to African Canadian youth pursuing higher education. The idea for the Harry Jerome Scholarship Fund was also provided by Hamlin Grange and realized through the efforts of Kamala-Jean Gopie, Pamela Appelt, Sheila Simpson and Beverly Mascoll. Journalist Cynthia Reyes was the BBPA’s president at the time. Under the leadership of Verlyn Francis, in 1996 the scholarship fund established an endowment fund and attracted corporate sponsorship. Today the Fund awards some thirty scholarships each year. t ______________________ Pauline Christian, BBPA President, is a multiaward winning entrepreneur and community advocate.

She truly believes in investing self, resources, talents and gifts back into our community. She is the executive producer of the Annual Martin Luther King Celebration and the Annual Choirfest, and both events raise funds for Black scholarships. Finally, she believes that we should seek ways of doing more with less, especially in a not-for-profit/ charity community.

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

33

Film illustrating Creation can generate conversations about faith “The Creation” is being used as witnessing tool

WHAT IS TEXTThe FOR THIS RV film invites viewers to discover the breathtaking AD beauty and variety of life in the sea, in the air, and

A film that highlights a core Seventh-day Adventist belief is being used as a key evangelism tool.

“Creation: The Earth Is a Witness,” a 27-minute film showing a day-by-day account of the Earth’s beginnings, debuted with a splash last year at the Adventist world church’s headquarters. Top church leaders said it could bring thousands of people to Jesus.

Those who watch the film and show it to others can create opportunities to have conversations about faith, said Garrett Caldwell, public relations director for the Adventist world church.

“Creation is the indispensable fabric of Adventist theology, and it plays an important role in our understanding of the Sabbath,” Caldwell said. “As you watch this film you will have the opportunity to imagine what I’ve always wanted to do – sit on the shoulder of God during creation. You’ll want to see it, share it, and use it as a point of conversation with friends and neighbors in your community.”

on land in the cinematic representation of Creation as described in the book of Genesis.

Filmed on location in five continents, The Creation highlights the finest cinematography of filmmaker Henry Stober and includes an original soundtrack performed by members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic under the direction of Williams Costa Jr., General Conference Communication director, who also served as executive producer of The Creation project.

Stober originally prepared the project for his local congregation in Nürnberg, Germany. He studied photography for a year in Canada, and then traveled around the world for the project because he wanted to present God’s love and unique creative power.

“I never realized the project was going to be used worldwide,” Stober said at last year’s release.

The Creation has already been used as a point of contact in community outreach in Europe, and it is increasingly used in more world regions.

Garrett Caldwell, Williams Costa Jr. and Henry Stober

Watch it for yourself at

DareToBelieve.com

O f f i c e f O r r e g i O n a l c O n f e r e n c e Mini s t r y in n O r t h a M e ri c a

R E G I O N A L

R E G I O N A L Telling

Our

Story

FALL 2011 • www.regionALvoice.com

Regional Conference Treasurers

FEATURE

A TRIBUTE TO HELEN HARRIS TURNER

A is for Advanced!

Subscriber Information form:

Your New Year’s Resolution for 2015 – and beyond: Become one of the first Regional Voice Magazine subscribers today—Pay only $9.95 today, for the 2015 annual PELC/Fall, Camp Meeting/Summer, and all Special Issues

– and have them delivered directly to your personal mailbox!

Please Print:

Name__________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________ City____________________ State/Province/Territory____________ Zip+4______-_____ Enclose Check Or Money Orders; please, send no cash.

Mail your contact information form and 2015 payment to:

The Regional Voice Magazine

Office For Regional Conference Ministry 7000 Adventist Boulevard Huntsville, AL 35896 Thank you for becoming an early-bird subscriber!

FORDHAM

FINDING THE PATH TO TOTAL FULFILLMENT

SPECIAL FINANCIAL ISSUE

“Bring all the tithe into the storehouse...”

How your funds are handled Are you unemployed?

Crushed by debt?

Look inside for real answers Economist Henry Felder offers revealing analysis

FEATURE

OAKWOOD ACADEMY STOCK MARKET WHIZ KIDS

MILLET

THE RESPONSIBLE EXECUTOR

t

PROVERBS 31 MAN

God’s

Success Formula: 90-5-5 Interview with Marquis Johns

A

t first glance, the “stats” of the Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hyattsville, Maryland, simply spell out success: • The 250 baptisms into church fellowship since 2012, making Metropolitan • The #1 Church in the Columbia Union

for baptisms, and • A $72,000 increase in Tithe, making this church • The #4 Church in the Allegheny East Conference in Tithe returns.

God has blessed the leadership and this congregation with great success. Now, take a closer look to see how He did that.

While it may seem improbable to some, it helps to remember Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Another concept Jesus taught, then brought to life in this church is Mark 2:21, 22: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

God Himself has poured the new wine into waiting vessels, willing to try new concepts and methods. First He placed a Godfearing, Scripture-immersed, Promise-claiming woman at the helm, Pastor Brenda Billingy. Then, during the 2010 Pastoral Evangelism Leadership Conference (PELC), He led her to seek out and recruit a talented pastor and evangelist, Marquis Johns, even though he was in the midst of studies at Oakwood University. How had God prepared Johns? By launching him into ministry for five full years—before he even became a theology ma-

38 Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

“Be mindful of what God has gifted you uniquely to do.”

jor. He was willing to be used

by God, and willing to prepare academically. After his first year at Oakwood, Johns’ entire concept of ministry expanded and changed.

He came to a realization, “to be mindful of what God has gifted you uniquely to do—rather than to simply ‘emulate’ someone you’ve grown under.” He claimed outstanding leaders as mentors and friends, Drs. Rupert Bushner, James Doggette and Carlton Byrd. But even though he admired each one and valued their counsel, Johns. came to the wise conclusion that he would never be the next Bushner or Doggette or Byrd! So many ministers, men and women of God, come to ask, “’Who’s going to be the next E.E. Cleveland or C.D. Brooks,’ when God is saying, ‘Be the first Marquis Johns!’”

God says “Follow my promptings and my lead.”

So Johns followed. He immersed himself in his classes, and read extensively outside of class. “There were important themes I learned,” he continued, “necessary things to equip myself for the work.” He traveled abroad and in the states for speaking appointments. In 2010 Dr. Donald Burden invited him to conduct meetings at the Ephesus Church in Columbus, Ohio. At the close of the series, 110 people were baptized. The work of

“Today’s pastors should know how to face the contemporary environment of broken relationships, molestation and divorce.” this student caught the attention of Elder Freddie Russell, then president of the Allegheny West Conference. Johns knew he would be welcome there once he completed his degree.

But he still needed to finish the last two years of traditional theological course work. Providentially, he had a crucial conversation with one of his professors, Dr. Rachel Williams Smith. She was then director of the Oakwood University Leadership Education for Adult Professionals (LEAP) adult degree completion program. She told Johns, “I’ve just developed a curriculum in Church Leadership,” knowing he would be an excellent candidate. That’s exactly what happened. He made the transition.

“This isn’t to knock the traditional track (of theological study) at all.” He had taken Greek, Homiletics, and Hermeneutics. But the LEAP program taught him “how to develop and lead a team,” and especially how to lead when facing challenges. He studied Developmental Psychology to learn “where people are in [their] growth.”

Some traditional studies offer “an overdose of knowledge, with very little

Pastor Marquis Johns

Pastor Brenda Billingy

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

39

information on the contemporary environment of broken relationships, molestation and divorce.”

“There are the practical aspects that teach how to read and implement a budget, and how to understand tithe receipts.

A church can be a $100,000.00 to a $1 million enterprise.” He believed potential leaders needed exposure to methods that would help them deal with the people in their congregations and their needs.

Johns followed a carefully crafted curriculum, compressed into his final year of study. He plunged into classes such as Organizational Management and Psychology, which outfitted him for pastoral ministry. Johns also knew he’d be facing a “tech-savvy generation, knowledgeable in programs such as Logos and Bible Works, so he prepared.

But where would he go? After conducting the meetings in Columbus, Ohio, he believed the Allegheny West Conference would be his next home. Then he met Pastor Billingy at the 2010 PELC meetings, and she was persistent in her efforts to recruit him for ministry at the Metropolitan Church and the Allegheny East Conference.

B

illingy was not alone. Shortly thereafter, Johns received a call from the office of thenPresident Charles Cheatham, of Allegheny East, inviting him to fly to Maryland. He went, and met with conference officials. But Johns was wise enough to know that nothing was official until the conference Executive Committee met had authorized the call. They met. They authorized. His new home would not be Allegheny West, but East, the first conference to make an official call. Johns had also given updates to Elder Russell, and when he made the final decision, Russell said he understood.

While God’s life-changing forces were at work, so were evil ones. In April 2011, just as final exams were underway, horrendous tornadoes struck Alabama, leaving a path of death, destruction and shock. Exams were suspended. Oakwood University administrators moved Commencement from the first part of May to the Memorial Day weekend. Johns marched with his class, received his degree, and Pastor Billingy was there to greet, congratulate and welcome him.

40

On June 4, 2011, Marquis Johns was installed as Associate Pastor of the Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church.

When Billingy met with him to outline his duties, she told him: “This is your job description—Produce!”

I

n September 2011, Johns held his first evangelistic series at Metropolitan, and at the end, 134 souls were baptized. Billingy was not surprised. She then showed Johns her personal Bible, where text after text was marked with prayer dates—and answers to those prayers. Often the dates for the answers would be marked well in advance. God met her faith time after time, and strengthened Johns’ faith and ministry as well.

Billingy took the bold step of facing her union officials, the leaders of the Columbia Union, citing how God had blessed the team and the church through their efforts. She told them she did not want to be commissioned as an Adventist pastor. She was seeking ordination, to be fully activated as an Adventist minister. The union supported her. In 2012, Johns took great delight in “throwing her a surprise Ordination Service, at the Metropolitan Church!” (For a full account, see the Columbia Union Visitor Magazine, January 2013).

Now, Billingy also serves as the North American Division’s associate ministerial director, tasked with recruiting women into ministry.

We wondered how this team handles those who doubt God’s leading in this ministry. Johns has “defended his Senior Pastor vehemently, because she is wholly submitted to the will of God.” He knows her to be “a God fearing, God-led woman, a capable preacher and leader.”

“She has allowed me such a leadership range for the church.” At Metropolitan he continues to conduct evangelistic meetings, prayer meetings, and to build up the congregation. Johns has also travelled from Seattle to Atlanta, and back to Oakwood University, as a PELC presenter and evangelistic speaker. He is a member of the Gen-

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

eral Conference Young Adventist Life Committee, and has worked in the Dare to Dream television series, for the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN).

However, there are still those who seek to pit Johns against Billingy, to create gender-based conflict. Johns relates this with a touch of sadness. He cites his own childhood, saying “I was raised by my Grandmother to respect women.” How could he not? “Everybody on this earth comes from women,” he added with a chuckle.

In the cases of those who would persist in sowing seeds of strife, Johns surmises that they just don’t understand the original premise offered in this article, that some leaders function where God has gifted them, rather than follow only traditional paths. Johns also has a realistic view of this point: sometimes, those in authority overlook valid contributions made with unconventional methods—and that the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains “a white, male-dominated denomination,” despite our diversity.

These realities do not diminish his fervor. Another wise mentor and friend, Dr. Abraham Jules of the Northeastern Conference, gave him God’s formula for Metropolitan and global success, found in our title. It is 90 percent Holy Spirit, 5 percent Billingy, and 5 percent Johns. God’s name will be glorified. t ———————————————— Kyna Hinson, M.A., editor of Regional Voice Magazine, conducted this interview with Pastor Johns.

Pastor Marquis Johns encourages Oakwood during Power-Packed Weekend

By Nia Langley

P

astor Marquis D. Johns is real, and he shared his powerful testimony in a series of sermons during a revival series at Oakwood University in mid-September, 2014. Over the span of four days, students, faculty, staff, church and community members were blessed by his open, honest messages. Before God called him to the ministry, the Los Angeles native was a dropout who sold drugs, spent time in jail, and became a rap artist. Then Johns accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and dedicated himself to doing His will. His focus on ministry brought him to study at Oakwood University. Before he graduated with a degree in Church Leadership, Johns served a term as United Student Movement Religious Vice President, an Adventist Youth Society (AYS) Director, and Assistant to the Head Chaplain. He is now a pastor at the Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Johns repeatedly reached the congregations with “real-life” illustrations. A clear favorite was the Friday night AYS sermon, entitled “An Extra Man.” The concept was based on the familiar Mario video game. Even if players lose their “men” in the game, they know they always have that “extra man” when they need him. He then explained that Jesus is that “Extra Man” for us.

He urged listeners to die to self daily, and reminded them that Jesus commanded His people to take up their crosses.

Some might object, saying that Jesus didn’t carry His own cross—Simon the Cyrene helped Him. Johns said that’s the poin—they do not have to carry the crosses, just pick them up! Jesus will carry them for us the way Simon helped Him. Johns also preached about the disciple Peter. When Jesus correctly predicted that Peter would deny Him, He referenced the cock who crowed. Johns said there are even different types of cocks. The domesticated cocks are regulated and reliable. They crow only at specified times. On the other hand, game cocks honor no schedule! These are the ones who will crow any time, and fight just as often. Peter was a total game cock—until he was converted. After his terrible experience of denying Jesus, his heart opened to God. He became the steady, reliable, courageous leader, giving hope to all of us.

Johns divinely inspired messages brought blessings that heartened the souls of all who came for enlightenment, spiritual insights and encouragement. t

—————————————————————

Nia Langley, a senior English/Professional Writing major at Oakwood University, is copy editor for the Spreading Oak student newspaper, a fall intern for Tim Allston, and a free-lance reporter for Regional Voice Magazine.

2014 2014 Fall Fall Edition Edition || Regional Regional Voice Voice Magazine Magazine

41 41

oakwood university

42

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Adult Degree Completion Program

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

43

44

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

Are you planning a building project-a new church, addition, school building, or Community Service Building?

Do you wonder how you should go about getting the funds?

Does it seem that your campaign for funds goes on forever?

If you have these questions and probably many others, this book is for you.

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING Brought to you by : Philanthropic Service for Institutions A Department of the North American Division of Seventh day Adventists.

Available from AdventSource at www.adventsource.org or phone 800-­‐328-­‐0525.

Catalog #416877

t

BOOK SUMMARY

Ron DozierThe Gospel According to

Sports

Book Summary by Nia Langley

“

T

here has always been a love/hate relationship between sports and religion,” Ron Dozier says in the opening of his book, which seeks to bridge the gap between the two worlds. The Gospel According to Sports was written for the sports-lover, but the background information and breakdown Dozier provides allows for even the sports-ignorant to understand. The book is full of powerful pages that illustrate the Gospel through sports, as Dozier ties sports figures and situations to Biblical characters and stories. He links the success of 5’3” retired NBA player Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues to the triumph of David over Goliath. He likens temptation to hockey pucks and encourages readers to battle against temptation with alertness and zeal like NHL goalie Martin Brodeur. One of Dozier’s favorite metaphors is the comparison of the prophet Nathan to a referee. “The referee has to call it like he sees it,” Dozier says. “In the same way, the prophet has to tell it like it is. They both have to be impartial and consistent. God has given

46

us rules. Without rules, sports are unorganized, and without rules, our world is unorganized.”

Dozier, a lifelong sports enthusiast, knows that sports play a major role in the cultural experience, and an evangelical need led him to articulate the similarities between athletics and spirituality. Dozier’s church went to a men’s homeless shelter every second Sunday of the month, and as an elder, Dozier gave the devotional thought. “Now if you go to any men’s homeless shelter on a Sunday afternoon, what do you think they’re doing?”

Dozier asks. “They’re watching sports! They’re watching baseball, basketball, football, whatever’s on that season.”

When giving the devotion, Dozier had to turn off the television. “I’m making them choose between sports and religion,” he says. Not liking that, Dozier sought to connect the two entities with his

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

book. “Some religious folks don’t read the sports section, and some sports fans are unfamiliar with the contents of the Bible,” he explains.

Not only is The Gospel According to Sports a

bridge between sports and religion, but it is also a powerful evangelical tool. Some religious people consider sports the antithesis of Christianity, but Dozier challenges that notion. “Sports can empower you to do other things spiritually,” he says. Dozier connects the sports and religious worlds by asking, “What do you think fifteenyear-old Jesus did? Do you think he just got up in the morning, prayed, went to work in Joseph’s carpenter shop, came home, prayed, and went to bed?” When people realize that Jesus Himself, in all likelihood, kicked a ball around, perspectives shift, and people perceive that sports do not have to be ostracized from the church and that the two worlds can get along. “Accepting the perfect life of Jesus Christ is a tailor-made jersey fit for each of us,” Dozier says.

“This book is designed for people who have a heart of an athlete and still a heart for God.” t _____________________________ Nia Langley, a senior English/Professional Writing major at Oakwood University, is copy editor for the Spreading Oak student newspaper, a fall intern for Tim Allston, and a free-lance reporter for Regional Voice Magazine.

Photography by DreamstiME

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

47

Office for Regional Conference Ministry

www.regionalministry.org What is the Office for Regional Conference Ministry?

Established in 1996, the Office for Regional Conference Ministry (ORCM) coordinates presenting the passion and urgency of the Third Angel’s Message, primarily to urban and underrepresented communities in the North American Division (NAD).

More specifically the ORCM, headquartered at Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama, USA, provides guidance, influence and advocacy for Regional Ministry throughout the United States; it also provides the follow-through to the shared vision of the Regional Leadership for the advancement of the gospel and imminent return of Jesus Christ.

Which SDA institutions affiliate with the ORCM? At the core of the ORCM are nine Regional Conferences and the Bermuda Mission, the Regional Directors of the Pacific and the North Pacific Unions, as well as Oakwood University, Message and Regional Voice Magazines, the Annual Pastoral and Evangelism Leadership Conference, the Bradford-Cleveland-Brooks Leadership Center, the Breath of Life telecast, BAYDA (Black Adventist Youth Directors Association) and the Regional Conference Retirement Plan.

What is a Regional Conference?

Regional Conferences are similar in organizational structure to all other NAD conferences.

However, a 1944 General Conference vote established Black-administered Regional Conferences.

At that time, the catalyst for their formation was the segregationist policies, which, unfortunately, have had a lasting impact on American life. Yet, Regional Conferences have emerged as important leaders in the church’s mission in the United States.

48

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

How do Regional Conferences benefit the SDA Church?

Regional Conferences benefit North America and the world church in several ways, namely: • The North American church has experienced exponential growth to such an extent that the ratio of “minority” membership in the church is significantly higher than that in the general US population.

• Through the Annual Pastoral and Evangelism Leadership Conference, Regional Conferences hold the SDA Church’s largest annual professional growth seminar for pastors, and • Based upon our membership, evangelistic growth and tithing contributions, if one were to ask for a comparison, the Regional Work would rank as the NAD’s second largest union and the SDA Church’s fourth largest division.

Now that segregation is illegal in the United States, do we still need Regional Conferences?

Yes. Regional Conferences were established to fulfill a unique need in the church’s overall mission. Government policies have indeed changed, but sociological realities in America remind us constantly that the need for which Regional Conferences were formed is still very urgent in the 21st century.

Are Regional Conferences just for African Americans?

No. Regional Conference membership includes not only African Americans, but actually 123 non-Black congregations (Korean, Brazilian, Portuguese, Asian, African, Indonesian and Latino, for example)—thus, sharing the everlasting gospel with “every nation, kindred, tongue and people.” t

AQs

Church Statistics as of Third Quarter, 2014

Conference Alleheny East Allegheny West Central States Lake Region Northeastern North Pacific Union Pacific Union South Atlantic South Central Southeastern Southwest Region Totals

Membership Tithe 37,306 22,084,931.27 14,423 4,809,224.96 13,897 3,632,697.98 30,831 7,903,783.46 53,928 28,995,282.13 2,983 535,398.69 26,727 13,144,538.09 46,149 15,459,581.74 32,473 14,129,494.67

46,958 24,860 300,825

15,923,905.19 8,566,436.63 121,505,338.03

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

49

t

REGIONAL CONFERENCE NEWS

New Ways to Reach

“The Searchers”

By K enn Di xon

T

agging. Keywords. Hashtags. These terms may all sound a little bizarre—especially in the context of an evangelistic campaign, but using them in social media just might be the strategic move that will draw individuals to your church! Our small congregation of 50 members in Garland, Texas, decided to do something a little unusual for evangelism in 2014.

The Casalita Drive Adventist Church did not vote to send hundreds of handbills to neighbors around the church, although we did distribute them. Instead, we also wanted to conduct a social media campaign to see if we could attract a smaller, more committed group of people who were really searching for what we were offering; The Gospel.

We did just that. A few nights after our handbill distribution, we launched our Facebook and Twitter page with announcements of upcoming meetings with the theme: “If you only had 30 days to live.” We were excited about the hard work done to create our first social media campaign.

We used hashtags, keywords, graphics, scripture encouragement, Google Analytics and Insights (Trends) to find out what people were talking about and looking for in our area. Once this information was obtained, we created great-looking graphics that would pique interest and get people talking. The total cost of our marketing campaign was $350.00.

Opening night was Easter Sunday, and we welcomed seven visitors. One in particular was very interested in the Facebook information that we shared. This young lady showed up with her daughter, returned every night for the meetings, and was baptized four weeks later.

Before the series ended, we asked her how she had heard about the meetings? Why did she come? She shared with us that while considering going to an Easter egg hunt in the Garland area, she found our series through a Google search. She

50

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

We used hashtags, keywords, graphics, scripture encouragement, Google Analytics and Insights (Trends) to find out what people were talking about and looking for in our area.

Pastor Kenn L. Dixon, Mrs. Catherine L. Dixon

was curious about it, so she decided to attend. Two of the keywords we used were Easter and Sunday.

This young lady was not alone. By tagging, using keywords and hashtags, ten individuals made decisions to be baptized and to join our growing church. Knowing how to use social media helped us reach those who are searching. They want something more in life.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4 NKJV) When these words were penned over 2000 years ago, modern technology did not exist and social media was not a reality. However, the prophecy tells us that these inventions would have a place—a useful place—in the “time of the end.”

We live in a wonderful and fearful time.

Now through social media, we have the ability to share personal and public events instantly, anytime of the day, to reach from around the corner to around the world. When our desire and imaginations

We live in a wonderful and fearful time. Now through social media, we have the ability to share personal and public events instantly, anytime of the day, to reach from around the corner to around the world. meet the responsibility for content distribution, there are no limits! We can reach people with the Three Angels’ Messages even if we are lack great revenue or abilities. This translates into, “We don’t have anymore excuses.”

The long arm of technology has broken down barriers, removed walls, bypassed locked doors, and given people opportunities to hear about the love of Jesus from the comfort of their living rooms. This is the “knowledge shall increase” part of the prophecy being fulfilled in our lifetime. Let us not forget that while the human one-on-one approach is still the best “method” of reaching people and giving them the truth in living form, technology greatly expands our reach and methods.

Many churches have started offering virtual weekly attendance, sermon real-

time engagement, and evangelism in cyberspace as a regular part of the worship experience. Matthew 28: 18-20 communicates to us to go baptize and make disciples for the Kingdom of God by sharing the lifesaving Word with everyone in the world. God’s Word sounded the call.

Technology has opened up the field to whosoever will answer this call. The harvest is ripe, but the laborers do not need to be “few” anymore! t ______________________ Kenn Dixon, B.A., M.A., currently serves as pastor for the Casalita Drive SDA Church in Garland, Texas and Communication and Media Relations Director for the Southwest Region Conference. He attended Oakwood College now Oakwood University, and is a graduate of Washington Adventist University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. He holds a Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. .

Casalita Drive Seventh-day Adventist Church

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

51

t

REGIONAL CONFERENCE NEWS

CHANGING OF THE GUARD A L L EGHEN Y E A S T CONF ER ENCE

|

F rom the Off ice of P res ident Henry J. F or dha m

T NICOLE A. FALCONER

Pine Forge Academy Board SELECTS NEW LEADER Reported By Robert L. Booker

he Pine Forge Academy Board, meeting in session on July 20, 2014, and the Allegheny East Conference Corporation K-12 Board, has selected Nicole A. Falconer as the principal of Pine Forge Academy, effective immediately.

Falconer, a Yale University graduate, with a Master’s degree in Education from Columbia University’s Teacher College, and a Master’s degree in the Science of Teaching from Pace University Graduate School of Education, comes with nine years of teaching and school administration experience.

Falconer is also a doctoral candidate at Columbia University. She was a founding leader of Foundation Collegiate Academy High School, where 100 percent of the graduating seniors were accepted into one or more colleges with scholarships.

Falconer succeeds Delmas Campbell, who left the post at the end of the 2013-2014 academic year. She has extensive experience in Charter school education, and is presently Chairwoman of the Ivy Hill Christian Academy in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Pine Forge Academy is one of only three predominantly Black boarding schools remaining in the United States. Inaugurated in 1946, it has graduated thousands of African American youth who have completed secondary education with a world view, as is exemplified in its graduates found in service around the world. t _____________________________________

Elder Robert L. Booker, formerly Communications Director for the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, recently retired.

Robert L. Booker

52 52

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

53 53

t

HOPE SERIES

Abundant Life After Lay-Offs As Told By Denise J. Johnson

T

he whole matter couldn’t have come at a worse time.

The year was 2003. New York City still lived in the awful shadows of the 9-11 World Trade Center Twin Tower attacks. The nation teetered on the brink of a plunging economy, thanks to the “Just-make-a-profit!” mentality of banking and insurance giants. Hard times would follow, and cloud over the finances of almost every household in the nation.

It stands to reason: economic disasters for households would translate into economic problems for every other level of society. When incomes fall, consumer spending will fall exponentially. The basics: food, clothing and shelter, are not so basic any more. Health care might be neglected. Education might become a luxury. And yes—church expenses, offerings and financial commitments plummet with the rest of the economic woes.

It happened everywhere, across this nation, and around the globe. It still does. So this segment shares the story of one woman’s journey through it all.

When Denise Johnson became a Christian, she was, as she put it “on fire for the Lord!”

She loved to share the Gospel, so much so that she left her job as a senior secretary in the high-powered world of Wall Street, attended Oakwood College, and finished the Bible Instructor’s program in 1990. She returned home to New York City and to her familiar work on Wall Street. Then came a call from Northeastern Conference: “We’ve been looking for you! Will you come?”

Would she! This was her calling, and she went to work—“Great work!”

First, she was based at the Beth-

54 54

el Church in Brooklyn. Then, she also worked in a Breath of Life crusade with Elder C. D. Brooks, then speaker and director. At least 200 souls were baptized in that meeting. Later, Johnson’s work was based at the Kingsbar Church. She faithfully executed her duties as a Northeastern Conference Bible Instructor for 13 years—“planning to retire in this work.”

But that was not to be. The bottom began to fall out when all conference workers received an official letter. It stated that finances and revenues were down, and that a serious response to these realities would follow. At that point, Johnson “felt that something was going to happen, in (her) spirit.”

The serious response from the conference came in the form of phone calls—to pastors, to teachers and to Bible Instructors. Thirty to forty staff members—were just gone—and Denise Johnson was one of them. That call was a major blow to all recipients—and all felt the traumatic effects. Some struggled with the shock.

Some sank into depression. Some even lost hold of life, and died.

Johnson also struggled. Her work had been so joyous, so rewarding. The Christian fellowship she enjoyed with her coworkers was simply outstanding. Now she felt cut off from them, and that wonderful sense of fellowship was gone. Many pastors who were still working pleaded her case and those of others—but to no avail. What would she do?

Even more seriously, over the course of those thirteen years as a conference Bible Instructor, she had married, had two children, then divorced. Her children had always attended church school, and she was determined to keep them there, even as a single parent. Now, what

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

When incomes fall, church expenses, offerings and financial commitments plummet. would she do for her children?

Johnson said of this time, “It was okay.

When God closes one door, He opens another.” When the conference couldn’t answer in the affirmative, one church, the historic Hanson Place Church in Brooklyn, stepped in on her behalf and hired her as a part-time worker, for 20 hours per week. It was just enough—just enough to cover some of the basics for herself and her children, and “it was time to move on!”

She kept her children in church school, and “depended solely on the Lord.” Later she inquired of Him, “What do you want me to do?”

God guided her decisions. With a mother’s determination, she went back to school herself. She worked on a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science, completing the degree from Mercy College in 2005. Next, she pursued and obtained an Associate degree in Applied Science, Nursing, from The New York City College of Technology, City University of New York, (CUNY), in 2008. The school had an excellent training program, and in 2007, after her first year of nursing school, Johnson was allowed to take her state boards to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She passed.

Now she could add to her earning power even more by working as an LPN. By the

next year, 2008, she completed the Associate degree in Nursing, and began to work as a Registered Nurse. The RN pay was excellent, and she “never looked back!”

Eventually Johnson, who said she had “always wanted to come [back] to Huntsville,” did just that. She and her family made the move. Now young adults, her children are both pursuing degrees at Oakwood University—one is preparing for a career in medicine, the other for a career as a nurse anesthetist. Do you see the influence of this praying Mother?

And she didn’t stop there! Johnson recently completed her latest degree, a Master of Science in Nursing from Herzing University, in the spring of 2014, in the Nurse Practitioner concentration.

She began the program in New York, but completed her clinical training in Huntsville, Alabama. Once she takes and passes the state board exams, she will be able to offer diagnoses, take X-rays and write prescriptions—in addition to all of her other nursing skills.

Finally, through the years and hardships, Denise Johnson never lost her sense of spiritual responsibility. Between nursing programs, God even opened the doors for her to earn certificates to work as a hospital chaplain, recognized by the New York City Police. She has kept her bright, warm smile and winning demeanor. She will still offer a word of prayer, a Bible study or godly counsel at His

prompting. She has lived Isaiah 43:19— “ HYPERLINK “http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Isaiah-43-19/” \o “View more translations of Isaiah 43:19” Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” God has truly done “a new thing” in her life! t ____________________________________________

Now she felt cut off, and that wonderful sense of fellowship was gone.

Kyna Hinson, M.A., editor of Regional Voice Magazine, conducted this interview with Nurse Denise Johnson.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANNA PETERSON WADDELL 2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

55 55

O f f i c e f O r r e g i O n a l c O n f e r e n c e Mini s t r y in n O r t h a M e ri c a

R E G I O N A L

R E G I O N A L Telling

Our

Story

FALL 2011 • www.regionALvoice.com

Regional Conference Treasurers

FEATURE

A TRIBUTE TO HELEN HARRIS TURNER

A is for Advanced!

Subscriber Information form:

Your New Year’s Resolution for 2015 – and beyond: Become one of the first Regional Voice Magazine subscribers today—Pay only $9.95 today, for the 2015 annual PELC/Fall, Camp Meeting/Summer, and all Special Issues

– and have them delivered directly to your personal mailbox!

Please Print:

Name__________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________ City____________________ State/Province/Territory____________ Zip+4______-_____ Enclose Check Or Money Orders; please, send no cash.

Mail your contact information form and 2015 payment to:

The Regional Voice Magazine

Office For Regional Conference Ministry 7000 Adventist Boulevard Huntsville, AL 35896 Thank you for becoming an early-bird subscriber!

56

Regional Voice Magazine | 2014 Fall Edition

FORDHAM

FINDING THE PATH TO TOTAL FULFILLMENT

SPECIAL FINANCIAL ISSUE

“Bring all the tithe into the storehouse...”

How your funds are handled Are you unemployed?

Crushed by debt?

Look inside for real answers Economist Henry Felder offers revealing analysis

FEATURE

OAKWOOD ACADEMY STOCK MARKET WHIZ KIDS

MILLET

THE RESPONSIBLE EXECUTOR

COMING NEXT IN 2015

OUR FIRST–EVER

SPRING ISSUE: STORIES OF DELIVERANCE!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD STEPS IN.

Telling

Our

Story

2014 Fall Edition | Regional Voice Magazine

57

J OJ ONNI IDDR RE EHHE ER R- S- SMMI TI THHI SI SA AC LC AL AI MI ME XE AX AMMI NI NE RE RWWH HO OH HA AS S B BE E NE NS ES RE RV VI NI NG GT HT HE ES ES VE VE NE NT HT H- D- DAYAYA AD DV VE NE NT ITSI TS TC HC HU UR RC HC HATAT E ME NE NT ®T ,®,I NI NC .C .F OF OR R1 21 2Y EY AE AR RS .S .

A AD DV VE NE NT ITSI TS TR RI SI KS KMMA AN NA AG GE M

amhelping helpingtotocontinue continuethe thework workofof “ “I Iam Godby byassisting assistingthose thosewho whoare arebuildbuildGod ingchurches, churches,volunteering volunteeringasasteachers, teachers, ing missionariesand andbringing bringingthe theworld world missionaries closertotoChrist.

Christ. closer Justknowing knowingthat thatI Iam amhelping helping Just throughAdventist AdventistRisk RiskManagement Management®,®, through Inc.encourages encouragesme medaily. daily.

Inc. Thefeeling feelingofofhelping helpingtotocontinue continuethe the The missionofofthe thechurch churchdrives drivesme. me. mission can’timagine imaginedoing doinganything anythingelse.” else.”

I Ican’t

“ Helping thro thr Manageme Managemen T me daily. Th to continue driv church drive ThisisisWhy WhyWe WeServe ServeYou You This

rough Adventist Risk nt , Inc. encourages he feeling of helping the mission of the es me.” ®

With Adventist Risk Management®, Inc. the Seventh-day Adventist Church is served by a dedicated team of professionals who are not only interested in providing exceptional insurance products and services but are also dedicated to protecting the mission of the church. Our associates work to see your ministry protected from risk and restored after a loss, so that you can do what you do best—ministering to a world in need.

Partner with us to prevent risk or injury in your ministry.

To learn more about risk prevention and safety issues that are relevant to Seventh-day Adventist ministries, sign up for our free safety newsletter Solutions at www.adventistrisk.org

Join us on