NorthPoint - October, 2013

NNSW pit stop for Move With The Power Roadtrip

Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, says, “The programme at Byron Bay covered the same content, although in condensed form, focussing on the real heart of matters for the group there. It was very well received, and Tony and Derek were happy with how it went. It’s good to see people who are keen on finding ways to share Jesus in their sphere of influence.”

The Conference’s Youth Ministries Department had a busy weekend helping to support the Move With The Power team. Rick says, “We’re very happy to have Move With The Power come to our conference. It’s excellent training and a great way of encouraging our young people to reach at least one other person for Jesus, providing them with the practical skills to do so.”

More than 70 young people from the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference were inspired to create conversations about God, give Bible studies and lead others to Christ with a weekend of Move With The Power training in August. Move With The Power is an initiative of the Australian Union Conference (AUC) Youth Ministries Department, with the roadtrip bringing its message to young people around the country. The NNSW Conference was the fifth conference to host this year’s roadtrip.

The weekend started on Friday, 23 August with an evening programme at Avondale Memorial Adventist Church. Around 70 people attended the evening programme, which featured presentations from Pastor Tony Knight, Director of Youth Ministries for the AUC, and Pastor Derek McCutcheon, a chaplain at Carmel Adventist College in Western Australia. The attendees came from the local area and as far afield as Kempsey, with a variety of ages represented.

The presentations from Pastor Knight and Pastor McCutcheon covered how God is present in the everyday aspects of our lives, as well as the more dramatic moments (and how to show this to others), how to “put yourself out there” to share what you know, being prepared to give an answer for the faith we have, what impact reaching just one person per year for God would have, and combining the desire to be a disciple with the skills to do so. There was also an emphasis on the importance of stillness and prayer, as well as how people must have Jesus as their friend before they can begin to share Him. Pastor McCutcheon told attendees, “Don’t ever fall for the belief that you can’t be a world changer.”

Around 50 people attended the presentations on Saturday afternoon, 24 August. Attendees who committed to praying for five friends and were looking to share the Gospel with them were given World Changer Bibles. The afternoon presentation explored ways of shifting conversations from general topics to God, with Pastor McCutcheon using a word picture technique he calls “The Stack” to illustrate it.

On Sunday, 25 August, a core group of people from Byron Bay, Kingscliff and Alstonville attended the training at Byron Bay Adventist Church. Rick Hergenhan, Associate

Pastor Knight says, “The Move With The Power Roadtrip is an opportunity for us to meet with people throughout Australia, and to share information and skills with people about how to share Jesus. We want to make sure people have not only the confidence, but also the skills to share their faith. We want to give people the permission to have those awkward conversations that can lead to sharing God. He still has the time to step into our lives for the small stuff.”

— Adele Nash

Photos courtesy of Pastor Tony Knight

Find out more about Move With The Power at <http://aucyouth.adventist.org.au>.

Page 2: From the President: Making choices: God, family, church

Pages 4: Virtual Doorknock a first for ADRA Appeal

Page 7: Longriders share testimonies at CCCC

Page 10: Avondale School students open 20-year-old time capsule

OUR CONFERENCE From the President: Making choices: God, family, church

At this time of year, our pastors, chaplains and teachers can look a little nervous. It is the time that transfers or calls are placed. When our field staff are asked to pack up their family and lives, and move to a different area of the conference, the country or even the world.

This, of course, can be quite a challenge — or a blessing, depending on the circumstances. As much as possible, we try to leave people where they are, but change is a normal part of life and very much part of the Adventist movement.

There is one great benefit of being faced with such major life choices. It causes you to reflect on what really matters and what ultimately should affect our choices. I have listed below what I think we should prioritise in making such a decision.

1. God: Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” God is the reason we have anything. He gave us life and then He gave His Son Jesus for our redemption. We owe God our lives, and therefore He should be first in any decision we make. Because He is love and has done everything for our eternal salvation, He will do what is best for our ultimate good if we have the faith to trust in Him.

2. Family: Second only to God is our love for family. The family unit dates back to the Garden of Eden. It has always been God’s plan that we would love others ahead of ourselves, and the family unit is where this can most naturally take place. Sadly, it is not easy as sinners and selfishness can easily rule our homes. If we cannot make loving choices with our family, we will probably fail to make them with the rest of our lives as well.

3. Church: The church — which is not a building, but the community of believers who have put their faith in Christ — was God’s idea. Jesus said, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). As Jesus’ bride, its best days are ahead of it. Yes, it has structure and organisation (see Acts 15), and yes, it even has a limited authority (see Matthew 18:17-20). Sometimes we can mistakenly put the church in God’s place, and sadly can even think that family comes after church. Church is where we are to grow as we relate to one another. And it is where we are to be held accountable in love.

— Pastor Justin Lawman

Around The Traps, a weekly e-newsletter from Pastor Justin Lawman, is now available. It features a devotional and news from around the conference. To subscribe, send an email to <northpoint@adventist.org.au> with “E-newsletter subscription” in the subject line.

General Secretary’s report: Mid-term report

We are now half-way through the current quadrennium, so it is an opportune time to reflect on what God has been doing in our conference over the past couple of years.

There have been three new churches planted:

> Blue Haven Seventh-day Adventist Community Church planted from Avondale Memorial Church

> myCHURCH at Gillieston Heights planted from the Maitland Church

> West Wallsend Seventh-day Adventist Church Company started as a Global Mission project

There have been two churches that have ceased operation:

> Woodenbong Seventh-day Adventist Church company

> Stockton Seventh-day Adventist Church

The current quadrennium commenced with 10,914 church members and currently stands at 11,156:

There have been 17 new ministers called into our conference over the past two years, eight of whom are new theology graduates from Avondale College.

There are eight volunteer ministers operating in our conference, all doing an outstanding job supporting and augmenting the work of the field pastors.

There are currently 3683 students in our 10 schools, cared for by approximately 330 full-time and part-time teachers, and 230 full-time and part-time support staff.

There are 720 residents across our four aged care facilities, with two new aged care facilities purchased at Jewels and Wyee Point in the past 12 months.

I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work of the team in the North New South Wales Conference Office, the wonderful team of pastors, and the gifted and dedicated teachers and aged care workers who operate in our schools and aged care companies. It is a blessing and a privilege to work with each of them, and to be a servant of the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in this part of the world.

— Pastor Paul Geelan

OUR CONFERENCE

Pathfinders rally in NNSW

Over two weekends in August (10 and 11, and 17 and 18), Pathfinders in the north and south of the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference met for their annual Pathfinder Rally and Fair Days. On 10 and 11 August, Blue Hills College played host to the Northern Pathfinder Rally and Fair, with around 160 Pathfinders from six clubs attending. Pastor Dave Edgren from the Victorian Conference was the guest presenter for the weekend. The clubs represented were Coffs Harbour, Maclean, Murwillumbah, Lismore, Alstonville and Guyra. Pastor Jeff Parker, Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, says, “Guyra’s a new club — this was their first major event.”

The Sabbath featured a full church service, followed by an activity afternoon and games night. The fair day on Sunday featured challenges such as first aid, knot-tying and pancake making, as well as constructing “horses” out of materials provided and then racing them. Lismore Pathfinder Club was the winner for the Northern Fair.

The Southern Pathfinder Rally and Fair was held at Avondale Memorial Church’s Multipurpose Centre, and around 450 Pathfinders and parents attended from nine clubs — Memorial, Central Coast, Wallsend, Maitland, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Manning, Lakeside and Southlakes.

The Sabbath programme featured Michael Chapman, the minister of Toronto Adventist Church, as the guest speaker. The Pathfinders were also heavily involved in running the weekend’s programme. The Sunday activities were basically the same as that of the previous weekend, with a closing parade with a presentation of pennants. Port Macquarie’s Pathfinder club was the winner of the Southern Fair.

— Adele Nash

OUR CONFERENCE

Virtual Doorknock a first for ADRA Appeal

Ron Pickell runs NASA training

Knocking on doors has been a decades-long tradition of the annual ADRA Appeal. But for the first time the doorknocking has become virtual.

“The ADRA Appeal has always been a social event, with church members going out to door-knock together on Sabbath afternoons and throughout the week,” says Aleksandra Marek, Marketing and Public PR Coordinator for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia. “The social aspect now has a new twist thanks to social media.”

“The virtual doorknock makes raising funds for the ADRA Appeal easy,” says Aleksandra. “It just takes a few seconds to create a fundraising page, and then it’s just a matter of sending the link out to friends and colleagues via email and your social networks.”

“In just a few minutes church members can start to raise enough to send a Burmese refugee in Thailand to school for a year or teach Mongolian families how to produce enough food to feed their families throughout winter.”

According to Aleksandra, the technology behind the Virtual Doorknock also means the ADRA Appeal has the potential to spread much further than the traditional doorknock, and is an easy way to share what the Adventist Church is doing to help those most in need.

The ADRA Appeal runs throughout the month of October — or Knocktober as it is has recently been renamed. Throughout Knocktober, ADRA is challenging people to raise just $40, which if met will raise $2 million — enough to ensure 13,000 people will have access to the basic necessities such as food, water and education.

To start your own virtual doorknock visit <www.adra.org.au/knocktober> and follow the links.

— Braden Blyde

Read more about Knocktober in the September issue of NorthPoint at <http://nnsw.adventist.org.au/northpoint-newsletter-archive>.

In the penultimate week of August, Pastor Ron Pickell, Director of Campus Ministry for the North American Division, ran Campus Catalyst training for the Newcastle Adventist Students Association (NASA). The visit to NASA was part of an Australia-wide tour, which began in Brisbane, and moved to Adelaide and then Perth, before finishing up with visits to Newcastle and Sydney.

Pastor Pickell says, “Campus Catalyst is a training event where we talk about the 10 essentials for successful campus ministry. We also introduced students to the Journey Bible Study, which is an introduction to the message and mission of Jesus. We closed out with an emphasis on helping students develop an informed faith through Christian apologetics. Our intention is to strengthen the spiritual lives of Adventist students at universities and to help them have a vision for their campus.

“There is a focus on nurturing fellowship and having a campus mission. We give them training about how they can actually make an impact on their campus. Students were challenged to take a more missional approach.”

“So was the chaplain!” adds Rick Hergenhan, Associate Youth Ministries Director for the North New South Wales Conference and NASA Chaplain. “We had about 15 people come to the training and it was well received. We had excellent discussions and good questions. It was great to have some new resources, like the Bible study and entry-level books for setting up a student ministry, and explaining the rationale behind it. There was a strong focus on Jesus’ approach in the Gospels.”

Pastor Pickell says, “It’s about connecting and being vulnerable. In the story of the Woman at the Well for example, we learn from Jesus about how to connect with people, how to influence people and how to win them for the Kingdom.”

Some of the feedback received following the Campus Catalyst training included students expressing the desire to have more training events to assist students in becoming more mission-focused. Rick says, “The next thing we’d like to see is the development of a discipleship model for students and their university groups.”

— Adele Nash

More Big Camp 2013 sermons online

More sermons and presentations from this year’s Big Camp have been added to the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference’s Big Camp Audio page, <http:// nnsw.adventist.org.au/big-camp-2013>.

If you missed some presentations our would just like to listen to them again, you can find sermons and talks from the Big Tent, Connections Tent and Eighteen+ Tent there. Big Camp 2014 will run from 18 to 26 April. Grey Nomads will be held from 9 to 17 May.

— Adele Nash

More at <http://nnsw.adventist.org.au/big-camp-2013>.

OUR CHURCHES

“Frontier Territory Outreach Programme” run in India

In June this year, a group of 10 people, led by Dr Andrew Matthes, senior teaching lecturer at Avondale College, visited a school on India (you can read more about this on page 8). The college has had an association with the school for the past seven years, and this year, Dr Matthes was inspired to invite Lakeside Adventist Church’s Pastor Peter Watts along to run an evangelistic series for the community around the school.

Dr Matthes says, “I received an email on 23 May from the newly-appointed Adventist Pastor, Alex Dang, for the poorest large northern state of Bihar, India. He wrote, ‘Thank you for your concern for Bihar. Not many people think about Bihar, but the Spirit of the Lord is working in the hearts of the people. . . . This is the time to reach out to His people here.’”

Dr Matthes believes that God was also working on Pastor Watts’s heart for this project. “Earlier this year, I shared with Pastor Peter about the visits of trainee teachers to Bodh Gaya

each year since 2007. ‘This is the Buddhist centre of the world,’ I said. ‘There is a desire to share more directly the love of Jesus amongst these people.’ I nearly fell off my chair when Peter walked into my office announcing, ‘I’m coming to India!’ Praise God.”

Pastor Watts ran the meetings in the evenings with a team of seven local Bible workers. The location for the programme was about 15 minutes from the centre of Bodh Gaya. Pastor Watts says, “Around 400 people from the village turned up to the meetings,” he says. “At the end of the series, an appeal was made for those interested in being baptised to come forward, and five people were baptised on the final Sabbath of our programme.”

One of the people baptised included an orphaned boy from Bodh Gaya’s Aozora School (pictured during baptism with Pastor Watts and Dr Matthes, below left). The school serves as an orphanage and a number of students live there. There were also 160 people who made the decision to accept Jesus into their lives.

Pastor Watts adds, “Some other highlights include people being able to receive Bibles in Hindi — when people were invited to get one, hundreds came forward — and the fact that we have a Sabbath-keeping congregation there. It was also great experience for the teachers getting to educate the kids in a different situation.”

There were a number of challenges faced by the team, though. Dr Matthes says, “Initially the management committee denied the programme being preached in the open field, Pastor Peter slipped on the stairs and injured his back, and there appeared to be supernatural resistance — a blackout, a blown amplifier, a storm, a horse injury to children, a snake and a brawl — all distracting the audience from responding to appeals. The devil was not happy! But greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”

It is planned that Aozora School itself will become the venue for a church in the town. One of the pastors from the outreach team has organised Sabbath services there to keep a congregation going. The Bible workers and Pastor Dang have also been visiting people in the local community, with Pastor Dulachand (one of the workers) and his wife feeling particularly convicted to nurture the group of believers there.

— Adele Nash/Dr Andrew Matthes/Pastor Peter Watts

Hot shots as Port Adventist Camera Club grows

Early last year, there were several photography enthusiasts in Port Macquarie Adventist Church who embraced the suggestion that we form a camera club. With George Smith, Ormond Williams, Phil McKay and Werner Karbstein as the committee, the Port Adventist Camera Club (PACC) was up and running in no time. May 2012 saw the first photographic competition for the club. The topic was “Reflections.” The entries were many and varied, and it became obvious from the start that we would need to be creative, with an eye for detail in every shot. Every month, there have been “Ooohs and aaahs” as the entries appear on the big screen TV, and there is always much excitement when we are shown the “top shots.”

Membership has been steadily growing and is now more than 30, including people from the local community and some from far away who email their entries in each month. One lady, who travels a lot, is very organised and submits a flash drive with two or three month’s entries in advance.

We have had visiting speakers come to share their knowledge with us and these meetings have been enthusiastically attended. PACC is developing a relationship with Hope Channel and other Adventist camera clubs around the country. We have a website — <www.pacconline.com> — where “Top Shots” for each competition since the inception of the club can be viewed. Upcoming topics are also listed, as well as contact information. PACC can also be found on Facebook at “Hope Channel Camera Club Network.”

With so many photo opportunities in this vast country and around the world, we will never run out of amazing subjects. We invite you to join us in this incredible photographic journey either by joining our club or forming one in your own community. Happy snapping!

— Cathie Williams

Photos courtesy of George Smith, Michael Randall and Phil McKay.

OUR CHURCHES

Kingdom Rock at Blue Haven

Hear ye, hear ye! Blue Haven Public School again played host to a Vacation Bible School (VBS) programme conducted by Avondale Memorial Children’s Ministries team. The school hall was transformed into Kingdom Rock Castle for the VBS, which ran in the first week of the July school holidays. During the week, Wally, the resident haphazard knight in training, learned about all the wonderful things that God has given us to help us “Stand strong.”

There were a variety of activities available for the 150 community children who attended throughout the week. Kids listened to stories about royal kings, queens and nobles from the Bible. They sang songs, played games, did craft, watched science experiments, watched a short DVD and had morning tea together. “The kids really enjoyed taking turns being the King or Queen for the day,” said Andrea Bentley, the programme director.

“We were glad to see quite a few of children who had attended the programme last year return for more fun. They were joined by many more of their mates this year, which was fantastic,” commented Andrea. At the end of the week there were seven community children who attended Sabbath school.

She adds, “We praise God for the way that he continues to lead in reaching out to this community. We thank Him too for all the wonderful people from the Cooranbong area and beyond who took time out to reach out to kids who know very little of our loving heavenly Father.”

— Andrea Bentley

What does it take to build a church? Recently a new church was built and dedicated in Fiji by “Team Maitland,” a fly ’n’ build team that contained a lot of the church’s younger members, as well as the usual builders, roofers and electricians needed for a quick build.

The new church was erected in Navua, a township just one hour’s drive west of Suva. It will cater for the growing community of Fijians of Indian descent, and is on the same compound as an existing church for indigenous Fijians. “Team Maitland” was also able to provide Kids’ Club and worship activities to increasing numbers of children.

Before leaving for the project, the required funds were successfully raised: donations, auctions, market stalls and “events” like the shaving of heads. Everyone going got involved, and the team spirit that developed was valued both before and during the build. Once in Fiji, an immediate connection was made with the local church and the wider Navua community: the chief, former Adventist church members and nearby families. Mealtimes were a shared event, new and lasting friendships were made — and a new church was built. Tradesmen who had daily shared their skills left their tools there. Everyone in the team left their hearts and began to think of going back.

For Pastor Esava Koro, it is easy to nominate the highlight of the trip. He says, “The fly ’n’ build changed the lives of young people. It was exciting to hear them express their relationship with God and be involved in sharing their story. In this environment, so different from their home church, they were able to recognise the privilege of growing up in a Christian family and in an affluent society. They shared with a confidence and clarity not seen before this trip.”

Like Pastor Koro, others were moved by the commitment of young people to the needs of others. Jessica Heath, a Maitland tertiary student agreed, saying, “It was an amazing trip! Two of the best weeks of my life. I met so many new friends and made some amazing memories that I will always hold close. By the end of my time there, I just didn’t want to come home! I did some awesome things: jumped off waterfalls, slid along a zip line high above a beautiful river and through the forest, and other things too.

“But best of all was that I saw God in a whole new way. I saw Him through the people there and the experiences I had with those beautiful people. I will never forget them, and I am so glad I made the trip!”

Fiji Mission has a new and fully-paid-for church in a community that had nothing previously. “Team Maitland” has memories, a greater awareness of the needs of others and a re-energised relationship with God. As many said on return, “We got a lot more than we gave!”

— Russell Schulz

“Team Maitland” fly ‘n’ build

Longriders share testimonies at CCCC

OUR CHURCHES

it’s never too late to discover the One who loves us unconditionally. He has three kids and a foster daughter of his own. Each morning at 3.00am, he wakes to spend time with God in prayer. He says, “God calls me to do that.”

“Ziggy” told the story of the Prodigal Son and how the son came to his senses whilst feeding pigs. “Every now and then we have a pig pen moment,” he said. In 1997, Ziggy broke his neck and was two milimetres away from quadriplegia. He said, “It took that to make me stop and realise there was a God. While in the spinal unit, I hated God. But for God to take you to a level of responsibility, first He has to break you — then it’s a rebuilding process. Maybe it’s an injury or someone close to you dying.”

On the first Sabbath of August, the Central Coast Community Church (CCCC) was blessed by hearing the testimonies of members of the Longriders Christian Motorcycle Club. The club was established in New South Wales in September 1998, and currently has chapters in the Newcastle area, Melbourne, Murray Bridge and Adelaide.

The President, “Bomber,” told CCCC members that the club was, “Just a bunch of blokes who are nothing special — we just love bikes and Jesus. We run men’s breakfasts and shed meetings. Each biker brother keeps the other on track. We focus on the ‘scum’ of society who are doing it tough.”

The importance of accountability was often mentioned, how easy it was to slip backwards and the other brothers coming to the rescue.

At an early age, “Bird” was a slave to drugs and alcohol. In and out of jail, in and out of rehab. He finally found true peace becoming a Christian during a stint in rehab. He went on to become a drug and alcohol counselor, then programme director. He admits to needing strong Christian men in his life to hold him accountable, as life still has its challenges.

“Rhino” was fostered as a child and doesn’t know where his natural parents are. During his childhood, he was locked in fridges, whipped and abused. He is proof that

Catherine Hill Bay baptism for young Lakeside member

Hailey Hall from Lakeside Adventist Church, Bonnells Bay, was baptised on 11 May this year. She studied with Mo Depaz, a student pastor at Avondale School, before making the decision to follow Jesus.

Mo and Pastor Mel Lemke, Avondale School Chaplain, conducted the baptism at the well-known local beach, Catherine Hill Bay. While Hailey didn’t want the event to be advertised, the number of guests that made their way to the beach and down past the old coal jetty is testimony to the comfort and peace found in dedicating one’s life to Jesus.

Hailey chose the date as it was closest to her birthday

— Garry and Sheree Ashton

Ziggy has been a Christian for 20 years and the biggest stumbling block for him has been how easy it is. “Everything in life we have to work for — our house, job and so on,” he says. But he found it hard to come to terms with a gift with eternal benefits! “Nothing in this world can satisfy you more than God can.”

CCCC’s Pastor Wayne Krause handed over a cheque for $1000 to the Longriders to assist them in their ministry. It was a donation that was really appreciated, as they are a self-funded organisation.

— Melissa and John Sanburg

Youth acknowledges Jesus as his strength

Surrounded by family and friends, Jeremy Matthes was baptised at Grassy Head beach by Pastor Danny Milenkov earlier this year.

Pastor Milenkov highlighted what it means to be a Disciple of Christ — wanting to be like Jesus, to have love for one another, to abide in His word, to put Jesus Christ first and to bear much fruit.

A challenge came from God’s word in Hebrews 12:1-3 to “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Jeremy shared his favourite texts — “The Lord is my Strength and Shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped” (Psalms 28:7) and “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge him before the Father in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

Jeremy thanked those spiritual mentors that have influenced his life, including Brad Moodie, Sella Tawake, Pastor Clive Nash and Pastor Milenkov.

— Dr Andrew Matthes

OUR SCHOOLS

Holistic education changes a Hindu/ Buddhist community for Jesus

Local MP teaches voting process to Avondale School students

This year’s Ministry of Teaching Overseas (MOTO) India team once again took passionate pre-service teachers from Avondale College of Higher Education to “change the world” in the classroom of India’s poorest state, Bihar.

Connections commenced seven years ago with the Aozora School community in Bodh Gaya, a town boasting the location of Buddha’s enlightenment in 637 BC. Jason Hinze, a lecturer in Education at Avondale College, took the first group and is undertaking doctoral studies on the impact of MOTO trips on pre-service teachers.

Dr Andrew Matthes, senior lecturer in Education at the college, was invited to join the students in 2008 and has been leading the teams since. The school is assisted in its operation by a group at the college, and additional funds have been raised to purchase land and a school building. The first level with six classrooms has been completed, with progress underway for levels two and three as funds become available.

The enthusiastic teachers planned the lessons they would teach and, on arriving, adapted their teaching to suit the diverse conditions. The Indian students responded to their love and the Indian teachers were intrigued to be shown creative methods, which stimulated the intellectual ability of the children in a fun way.

The holistic approach included the physical wellbeing of the students, families and community by way of a big “cook-up” to feed them, outdoor activities, health, hygiene and, of course, cricket.

This provided social opportunities where a parent concert showcased the progress of the children in the 15 days of professional experience. This included the children learning to play ukuleles that the team donated to the school.

A spiritual dimension was added when the request came to “teach them what we believe about God.” Local Lakeside Church pastor and evangelist, Peter Watts, assisted the team in facilitating this and together with Indian translator, Pastor Alex Dang from Bihar, provided a 10-night programme that resulted in 160 Hindus choosing to follow Jesus and five baptisms at the end of the programme.

Pastor Dulachand (who was once an Asian Aid sponsor child) is designated to nurture this new group of believers each Sabbath under the nearby mango tree. Dr Matthes, a researcher in change management, recognises the impact that positive relationships have been in inspiring change. “The Holy Spirit provided the final essential holistic ingredient to bring about change; Jesus truly is THE ONE in the Arena!” he said.

Plans are underway to bring another group across in 2014.

— Dr Andrew Matthes

Avondale School senior students had a timely and informative visit in early September from Greg Piper, their local member of state parliament. With some curly questions, an insider view of our local politics and some interesting facts about politicians, students came away with a better understanding of how our government works, and why their voice should be counted at the federal election, which was held on 7 September.

“We all appreciated Mr Piper’s unbiased perception on the voting process,” said student Kali Middleby. “While helping us understand the process, he emphasised that our vote is our decision and not to allow our opinions be controlled by the media,” she said.

Fellow student and school captain Leslie Turner added that Mr Piper’s visit definitely helped make his own first-time vote count and relieved the stress of the occasion. “We thank him for taking the initiative to come and keep us well informed,” he added.

— Felicity Pittaway

Toronto Campus celebrates 30 years

Avondale School’s Toronto Campus recently celebrated 30 years of history with a back-to-school reunion and historical display. Some 150 people packed into the overflowing campus church auditorium to re-live the passage of time, and witness how lives were shaped through the power of the inspirational teaching of first head teacher Beverley Currie.

Beverley was on hand to relate stories and memories of her time at Toronto. “We had a slow-combustion wood stove in both of the two classrooms,” she said, “upon which we would place apples and cinnamon sticks in foil containers along with potatoes wrapped in foil for amazing tasty treats come lunch time. Nothing can beat the warmth and glow of those old wood stoves.”

A dozen students from that very first year on the Toronto Campus were on hand to share the memories with Beverley and view her Daily School Journal of the time, remembering the day the whole school levelled the brush at the back of the school to create a cricket field in one afternoon.

“Christian education is such a character building exercise and worth every minute you invest in students’ futures,” says Beverley. “It was pure joy to revisit the campus and witness the latest crop of students performing so well alongside their dedicated Christian teachers.”

— Felicity Pittaway

In the first week of September, Kempsey Adventist School held its Primary School Week of Worship (WOW). Pastor Ray Eaton, senior minister at Kemspey Adventist Church, says, “It was evangelism, school style. We have 250 students from pre-school to Year 6, and we decided to run WOW as an evangelistic outreach for them. This programme cost basically nothing for the church. All of the students were invited, all attended, and were all there at the end of the week when an appeal was made — more than 200 hands went up!”

The theme of the week was “Small People, Big God.” The appeal was tied to this, asking students if they wanted to be a small person who put their lives in God’s hands. “We explored stories in the Bible — the little boy and his lunch of loaves and fishes, mums bringing their kids to Jesus and David,” says Pastor Eaton.

“With the story of David, we got stones from the local landscaping supplies company, and wrote on each of them with a texta so that each stone had ‘CHOSEN’ on it,” says Pastor Eaton. “Not one of those stones was found on campus — the kids took them home. For the little boy and his lunch, I went to Woolies and had them make 250 buns. The buns were hidden in baskets up the front. We got the kids to close their eyes for prayer and unveiled the food during prayer. That was a ‘WOW’ moment when the kids opened their eyes! They all had a ‘miracle bun’ for lunch.”

At the end of WOW, one of the Kempsey Adventist School Year 12 students was baptised. Larissa Bottin came to church in a beautiful black lace dress and Pastor Eaton says she was “buried” to her old life in the font when she was baptised, and then after baptism, changed into a lovely white dress. “The symbolism was beautiful,” says Pastor Eaton.

Pastor Eaton believes that Adventist schools have a great potential for evangelism. “We have three former Kempsey students who are studying at Avondale College this year, two doing teaching and one theology. They had no contact with Adventism before school.”

— Adele Nash

OUR SCHOOLS

Mini chefs at Blue Hills College

One hundred and forty littlies travelled from their preschools in the Lismore and Alstonville areas to attend a cooking school at Blue Hills College. The cooking school was specifically designed for 4-year-olds. The course ran for two days a week for four weeks. The theme each week had an international flavour. The children learnt about cleanliness when cooking, interesting facts about another country, what foods they eat and a craft along the same theme. They learnt to sing songs about eating healthy food and dressed up in international costumes.

This is the third year the cooking classes have been open to the children in the community. Many of the children continue on at the school in the pre-Kindergarten class, which begins in Term 3.

After the four-week programme, the children attended a graduation ceremony with their parents. Here they received a graduation certificate and a show bag of goodies. “The program is growing in popularity,” says Julie Jackson, the programme coordinator. “It is hard work, but well worth the effort.”

— Julie Jackson

“Evangelism, school style”

(From left to right) Pastor Ray Eaton, Talonga Pita, Larissa Bottin, and her parents Darryl and Tanya.

OUR SCHOOLS

Avondale School students open 20-year-old time capsule

Feature: The art of becoming

“And He said unto them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:17,18).

To those who accept the call, the Saviour promises, “I will make you become fishers of men.” Christ called them to forsake all, that they might receive all. This is an important step in becoming more than what we are. By the shore of Galilee, Jesus teaches a profound lesson of what we may become.

As Christians, we can easily take for granted the truths of Scripture. This point came home to our hearts as we opened the Word with a Buddhist lady who had never studied the Bible before. She was amazed when she understood her standing in the prophetic timeline, and was overwhelmed that God indeed has a plan for her life.

Avondale School’s Year 9 Class of 1993 recently took reminiscing to a whole new level when they opened the school’s first time capsule on the Cooranbong school campus on 17 August.

Former history teacher and school librarian Ron Sparke (pictured below, far right) was on hand to unlock secrets from the past, sawing open the capsule to reveal its well-preserved contents after 20 years.

Out came the letters from students full of self reflections on school and current events, descriptions of the day’s activities on 24 September, 1993, when the time capsule was sealed, newspapers and magazines of that date, a collection of class and staff photos, and the greatest conundrum — an 8mm video tape.

“The opening of the capsule was a moving event,” said past student Leighton Heise. “There were misty eyes as Mr Sparke read out a letter from himself to all of us, recounted stories and created plenty of goodnatured laughter,” he said.

“We now have to find a way to unlock those memories preserved in a moment of time on the video tape,” Leighton said. “We need to find a camera or company that can download the footage for us to a format we can actually view without damaging the tape. Then our reunion will be complete,” he said.

“It is amazing just how fast technology has moved in only 20 years,” he added.

— Felicity Pittaway

The Word of God really does change lives. It has given true life and hope to a struggling young man who could find no purpose. Now he sees a clearer picture. That picture is God.

God often catches us by surprise, persisting where others have given up. As a recovering alcoholic solemnly reflected, “Wow, I was not expecting this,” we were reminded yet again of the power of the Word. That same Word is speaking to the hearts of many around the world as it did to the fishermen by the sea. The call of Christ is extended to everyone. He “is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).

He calls all because He believes in all.

For this reason, we continue to go forth in faith and in God’s strength, knowing that this work is not ours, but the Lord’s. He is more interested in finishing His work than we could ever be. Our involvement in this final work is the very thing that completes what He has begun in us.

In obeying the call of Christ, we receive every provision for the journey. Whether hitting the doors, opening the Word or preaching the upcoming evangelistic series to be held at Woy Woy, we know that God will give us sufficient strength. May you keep us in your prayers as He fashions us to “become fishers of men,” for He alone knows “the art of becoming.”

— Ashley Smith and Braedan Entermann

Woy Woy Adventist Church will host an outreach series, starting on 12 October, using The Last Empire series. It will run through ‘till November. Your prayers for the outreach series would be appreciated.

Kurri Kurri’s upcoming 90th anniversary

All past and present members and friends are welcome to attend a celebration of 90 years of God’s leading of Kurri Kurri Adventist Church. Photographs, written memories and other memorabilia would be appreciated.

Please send these to Sue by 26 October so as to allow time for collation. For further details or to send photos/memorabilia, email Sue via martinsue903@gmail.com, PO Box 169, Kurri Kurri NSW 2327 or phone (02) 4937 2211.

A Celebration of Our Journey: 110 year anniversary for Wallsend Adventist Church

Friends and past members of Wallsend Adventist Church are invited to join our celebration of 110 years in our community. This event will thank God for His blessings on the journey that has been and the journey that is to come. Please join us on Friday, 22 November at 7.00pm and Saturday, 23 November at 9.30 and 11.00am. For more information, please visit <http://wallsend.adventist.org.au>.

Book review: Signs to Life

In August this year, Dr Kendra Haloviak Valentine, the Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at the HMS Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University, was the guest speaker at a symposium entitled “Signs to Life: Reading and Responding to John’s Gospel.” This was held at Avondale College in conjunction with the Institute of Worship and Signs Publishing Company.

At the conclusion of the symposium, Signs to Life was launched. The book explores John’s Gospel, and Dr Haloviak describes it as “an invitation to ‘sit beside’ others and learn new things as we read the Gospel of John together.”

Exploring encounters with Jesus and miracles performed by Him in the first 11 chapters of John, Dr Haloviak shows how John used these “signs” to give valuable insights into Jesus’ mission and identity. However, not everyone in John’s time saw the signs as pointers to who Jesus really was — the promised Messiah. There were those who either didn’t believe in them, or focussed only on the signs themselves. Do we run the risk of doing the same thing when we read the Bible?

Taking a community approach to reading the Gospel of John (and the rest of the Bible) means that you broaden your potential for understanding, finding new perspectives in the thoughts offered by others — whether they’re those in your immediate faith community, authors of books you read or podcast presenters. Building on this community focus, Signs to Life also contains reader responses from Dr Carolyn Rickett, Dr Daniel Reynaud, Dr Jane Fernandez and Nathan Brown.

— Adele Nash

Signs to Life: Reading and Responding to John’s Gospel

Written by Dr Kendra Haloviak Valentine

147 pages (with bonus CD)

Published by Signs Publishing Company, 2013 Available through Adventist Book Centres

FEATURES

Book review: Manifest: Our Call To Faithful Creativity

Christianity has been linked to creativity for centuries, with many of the great artists and the work they have produced being done for the glory of God — think of the beauty of churches and cathedrals, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, the music of Bach. Due to our inextricable connection with a creator God, it seems logical that we ourselves should be creative beings. This creativity can take many forms and isn’t limited to art alone. But art can hold a special place in our lives because of its personal, subjective nature.

Manifest: Our Call to Faithful Creativity brings the importance of using our creative natures in conjunction with God and His guidance. Covering topics such as “A Christian Aesthetic for the Arts,” “Awakening the Creative Spirit” and “Thunderbirds, LEGO and Working With God,” readers are encouraged to embrace and celebrate faithful creativity.

This is explored from a variety of perspectives by contributors including Joanna Darby, Graeme Frauenfelder, Dr Daniel Reynaud and Kylie Stacey (all of whom live in the North New South Wales Conference region). Other contributors to the book include authors, editors and alumni of the Manifest Creative Arts Festival, which has been established to foster and celebrate faithful creativity.

— Adele Nash

Manifest: Our Call to Faithful Creativity

Edited by Nathan Brown and Joanna Darby

180 pages

Published by Signs Publishing Company, 2013 Available through Adventist Book Centres

Find out more about the 2014 Manifest Creative Arts Festival, which will be held from 19 to 22 March next year, visit <www.artsmanifest.info>.

Trust Services: Family Trusts

People establish Trusts for a variety of reasons. These reasons can include minimising tax (being able to distribute income to minor children), putting assets at arm’s length (for business dealings) and providing some protection of assets (for example, in regard to personal relationships).

Typically, Trusts are established for larger estates (usually ones worth more than $1 million). Self-funded superannuations are also a form of Trust. A Trust can either be a unit trust or a discretionary trust. Most family trusts are discretionary, such that the Trustees of the Trust can distribute the income from the Trust at their discretion. Many Seventh-day Adventists who have a Family Trust use this as a means to benefit the church as well (for further information in regard to establishing up a Trust, please see your accountant or professional who is familiar with Trusts).

One thing people may not realise is that assets held within the Family Trust do not form part of their personal estate, as these assets are not “owned” by the testator, but by the Trust. These assets can include shares, real estate, motor vehicles, farming properties, investment properties and so on. If the assets are

included in the Trust, they are owned by the Trust. This means the Trust Deed is a significant legal document, and it also determines who the trustees are, who the appointer is and who the beneficiaries are as well.

The appointer is the most important person in that they choose the Trustees, who in turn, under a discretionary Trust, distribute the assets at their “discretion.” If the Trust Deed does not include a succession plan for the appointer, you may use your Will to do this, should you wish for the Trust to continue after your death. Long story short — if you have a Family Trust, you need to have a legal Will. It is important to ensure the Will and Trust Deed are in harmony!

— Adele Nash

This advice is general and not necessarily applicable to individual situations.

To book an appointment with Trust Services, please call (02) 4951 8088 or email Pastor Woods’s secretary Lyn Price via <lynprice@adventist.org.au>.