Reach - June, 2008

May2008

North NSW Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Do you know what our churches are doing to reach people with the Gospel throughout the NNSW Conference? Do you want to be inspired and encouraged by the way churches are impacting peoples’ lives?

Well, now you can!

Welcome to the new Conference evangelism newsletter, Reach!

We have developed Reach for four different purposes. (See also page 4, where our four fold purpose will be published in each issue of Reach).

The first purpose is to inform the NNSW Conference about the channels through which the Holy Spirit is working to reach souls in our Conference.

Each month we will bring you news about what the churches in our conference are doing to share the knowledge of Jesus with others. (See the stories on pages 2 and 3 to find out what some of our churches are currently doing).

We also want to inform you about evangelistic events that are planned

for NNSW in the near future. (See the ‘What’s On’ section on page 4). Be sure to let us know if you would like your church’s evangelistic programs advertised in Reach

If you have something to share that your church is doing to reach people for Jesus please let us know. We would love to publish what your church is doing. (See page 4 to find out how).

The second purpose is to inspire members with what God is doing in our Conference. It is encouraging to hear how people’s lives are being changed by the Gospel. We want to bring these stories to you.

Thirdly, we want to motivate members and churches into evangelistic action. We hope to do this as we share news about what churches in our Conference are doing to reach others.

We will also share motivational ideas from experts and research that churches can implement to reach others. (See page 2 to find out what factors influence the unchurched in choosing a church).

The fourth purpose of Reach is to generate funding toward specific evangelistic projects in our Conference. (See page 4 to find out how you can help).

Justin

Pr Justin Lawman NNSW Evangelism Coordinator

What Factors Influence the Unchurched in Choosing a Church?

By Pr Justin Lawman

What do unchurched people — those with no background in church attendance — look for when they choose a church?

According to the research of Thom S. Rainer, who lists the top 10 factors that influence the unchurched in choosing a church, the number one factor is, wait for it, the Pastor/ Preaching. Ninety percent of those surveyed listed the pastor and/or the preaching as affecting their choice of church. Doctrine was a close second for 88 percent of those surveyed. The third factor at 49 percent of people surveyed said it was the friendliness of the members.

Yep, that’s what he found. It’s a bit

of a shock really. New people are on a quest to learn and grow. They want a pastor who teaches them the Word of God. They want a church who takes the Bible seriously. They want to be part of a church where the people are friendly.

What can you do? Support your Pastor in his or her work. Purchase them a gift voucher from the Christian book shop. As they study and grow as a preacher so will your church.

Take responsibility for your church. Don’t expect the pastor to do everything. Remember what the Apostles said in Acts 6:2. “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in

Evangelism at Lakeside Church

By Pr Clive Nash

Way 2 Grow

In 2007 a pre-school program called Way 2 Grow was trialled by Lakeside Church. The trial proved successful and this year the program is in full swing. Three of Lakeside’s mums (Kylie Stacey, Tammy Bennett and Michelle Villis) plus helpers, run a program for pre-school children each Tuesday morning between 10 and 11 am during school term. A banner at the church advertises the program in addition to posters scattered throughout the Morisset Peninsula area.

Up to 25 children and their parents attend. Some are former Seventh-day Adventists. Each program features Christian kids' music, Kinder Moves, crafts and a story.

At the end of each session is a social time of sharing fruit that the mums have brought along. There has been a flow on effect from Way 2 Grow into the Sabbath morning Sabbath School class for beginners. Find more information on this program at the Lakeside Church web site <http:// lakeside.adventist.org.au>.

Prophecy Seminar

This year has seen the first Prophecy Seminar to be held at Lakeside for some years. Pr Geoff Youlden launched the seminar with a dinner lecture in February.

The 32 night Prophecy Seminar is hosted by Lakeside pastor, Clive

order to serve tables.”

Want to know more? Thom S. Rainer’s research on the factors that influence the unchurched is published in his book ‘Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them’.

Nash. After six nights in the Bonnells Bay Youth & Community Centre the Prophecy Seminar moved to the church hall.

At the time of writing, lesson 14 had been completed with over 30 still attending. Seven or eight of the attendees are guests and the remainder are supportive church members.

Some of the guests have begun attending Lakeside Church. A follow -up seminar is planned for the second half of the year.

Participants of ‘Way 2 Grow’

Clive Nash presenting Lakeside’s Prophecy Seminar

Local Church Evangelism News

Armidale

Storm Co has brought a real blessing to Armidale. The team worked with the school and helped to rebuild a hall.

Pr Kevin Brown and Mr Leo Wright have teamed up to run a revival meeting targeting missing members and fringe dwellers.

Broadmeadow Samoan

In April, the Samoan Broadmeadow church concluded an evangelistic program that ran for three evenings per week over three weeks. The outreach program covered a number of doctrinal issues including ‘Who is Jesus?’, ‘The Second Coming’, ‘Life after Death’ and ‘Prophecy’. These meetings, led by Mr Robert Collins, were presented in both Samoan and English. Approximately 12 non-church members attended the program, including six 18–20 year olds. These young

people are now completing the Try Jesus Bible study series.

Gateway

In February, Gateway relocated to the multipurpose centre at Avondale School. Their mission objective is to provide a spiritual home for the students and their families. Two to three unchurched families from the school regularly attend Gateway. One of these families is having studies with the school chaplain and the mother is planning to be baptised along with her daughter.

Glen Innes

Keith Jackson has been doing wonders in Glen Innes through monthly Friday night communion services where he shares the beauty of the beliefs of the first Celtic people with the Celtic people who live in his region. They love hearing the original beliefs that made them a special people.

Hamilton

Kevin Amos and Susan Magaitis have hit the deck running in Hamilton. They are seven weeks into The New Revelation Seminar with an average attendance of 40–50 people at each meeting. Murray House and a team of theology students from Avondale have been assisting with the program and learning from Kevin’s home grown-material.

Kingscliff

Joel Slade, the youth pastor at Kingscliff Church, is currently leading out in a discipleship program. Eight to ten people are being trained for personal evangelism.

Kingscliff church is planning to letterbox flyers advertising a free copy of Bryan W Ball’s book ‘Can We Still Believe the Bible and Does it Really Matter? ‘

Maitland

Damien Rice has been working with the church at Maitland to develop a program called ’One to One’ that focuses the members of the church on developing relationships with others for Jesus. It is a simple and exciting program that I think every church should seriously consider. We plan to feature its concepts in future editions of Reach.

Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie Church is currently running an Amazing Discoveries evangelistic series that looks at ancient civilisations and how they are depicted in Bible prophecy. Twentytwo non-Seventh-day Adventists are attending the program.

The series was preceded by an ancient Egypt exhibition at Port Macquarie Adventist School from 28 April to 20 May.

The series commenced on 15 May and will run until late June.

What’s On 2008

15May-June AmazingDiscoveriesSeries, PortMacquarie

23May TareePublicEvangelism, ManningValleyInformationCentre

24May-7June 5ReasonsChristisComingSoon, RaymondTerrace

11-16Aug FamilyMatterswithMikeTucker, AvondaleMemorialChurch

30Aug-6Sep HyvethWilliamsatAvondale MemorialChurch

3-11Oct NNSWConferenceBigCamp 2009

6-9March ‘EmpowerthePeople’Training, Yarrahapinni

We Need Your Help!

The North NSW Conference is planning to plant a new Adventist church in Newcastle. The biggest city in our Conference (493,000 people) has around 1,000 Adventists.

Please pray for Newcastle. God had great compassion for the 120,000 people of Nineveh who did not know Him (Jonah 4:11). This city is four times that size!

We would like to employ two pastors to start the church plant. An experienced pastor will train a younger worker who will then be ready to plant another congregation in a different region we have targeted.

This means we need money for two extra pastors in our conference. Has God blessed you financially? Are you able to help employ two evangelistic workers in our greatest city of need? Please contact us at the Conference Office if you would like to contribute financially to the finishing of God’s work.

Phone: (02) 4951 8088

E-mail: johnlang@adventist.org.au

Reach Fourfold Purpose