NorthPoint - November, 2013

Nelson Bay

“Moment of Truth” at 2013

In

Karen Collum, an author and mother from Ballarat in Victoria, was the guest speaker for the camporee and she spoke on the theme of “Moment of Truth.” Pastor Jeff Parker, Director of Youth Ministries for the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference, says, “She spoke about a range of Bible stories involving children, and also shared modern real-life stories of kids making a difference. To illustrate these stories, she included photos of the children who had stepped up to make a difference in life.”

The first meeting was held on Friday night at 7.00pm in the Connections Tent, and apart from a talk from Karen, it also involved an introductory segment from the clowning team, music provided by Leighton Heise and his band, and special items by Adventurer Club members. Special items from Adventurers were featured throughout the weekend, and included violin items, songs, poetry readings and a ukulele performance.

On the Sabbath morning of camporee, Pastor Brendan Pratt, Discipleship Coordinator for the Greater Sydney Conference, gave a special presentation on “How To Train Your Dragon,” complete with bearded dragon. Susan Manson, Youth Ministries Secretary, says, “He related it back to the Bible with how the hardest thing to train is your tongue.”

The Sabbath programme also included the official Adventurer Club parade where the clubs marched in formation to the Big Tent site, a talk from Karen and special items. Another guest for the weekend was Natalie Miller, who is a Christian ventriloquist and puppeteer. Pastor Parker says, “Lots of kids and parents talked about Natalie’s time at camporee! She was really clever and had amazing stories packed with good lessons. There were also things in her presentation for the parents.”

Another feature of the weekend was a mini “zoo,” which included animals like geese, ducks, chickens and lambs. The “zoo” was organised by Pastor Daron Pratt, Children’s Ministries Director for the NNSW Conference, and Lyn and Gil Evans. “It was a real hit with the kids,” says Pastor Parker.

On the Sunday, there were activities that the clubs cycled through, including horse riding, clown games, craft, jumping castles and the animal farm maze. “The atmosphere for the weekend was incredible with so many families involved,” says Pastor Parker. “One of the highlights for me was the clowning team, which included kids who were 10 years old, and some as young as three or four.”

— Adele Nash

More photos on page 3

Page 2: From the President: Biblical ignorance

Pages 3: A “Seaside Escape” at Yarrahapinni

Page 5: STORM Co: 22 years of making a difference

From 20 to 22 September, more than 400 Adventurers and their families, as well as 50 staff (including district directors and a team of clowns led by Graeme Frauenfelder), descended on the Stuarts Point Convention Centre for the biennial Adventurer Camporee. There were 11 clubs from around the conference in attendance.

Adventurer Camporee

OUR CONFERENCE

From the President: Biblical ignorance

As every year passes and we have fewer and fewer members of the generation born before World War II left, a seismic shift is taking place in the church. The generations before the war are known as the survivors. They are tough and hardy souls who have built the church like no other living generation. As they leave the scene, the church is already starting to look different. While they have never been known for their tolerance, they sure know their Bible. As a generation, they study it every day and memorise it at length. It is my observation as I travel around the churches that we are not as biblically literate as we once were.

Why does this matter and what should we do about it?

1. Making good decisions:

All true discernment comes from understanding biblical principles and applying them to your situation. If you don’t know them, you sure can’t apply them to your life. Good leaders always possess discernment and can avoid the deception of the enemy.

2. Listening to God:

God communicates in many and varied ways through the prophets, but His greatest revelation was through His Son Jesus (Hebrews 1:1–2). I hear Jesus most clearly through His Word. If we don’t know the Bible, how well do we know Jesus? Christianity is not a mystical religion, but one based on the revelation of God through the prophets and apostles, with the most precious being the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We employ full-time pastors who are trained to understand the Scriptures and to minister this Word to the church. The only skill that elders must have according to the Bible is the ability to teach (1 Timothy 3:2). It is time we again take the Book more seriously.

We should not teach the Sabbath school lesson out of the pamphlet by the days of the week, but out of the Bible according to the passages covered. Sermons from our pulpits should be an exposition and application of the Bible. The more we place Scripture at the centre of what we do, the clearer God’s voice will be in the church.

— 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.

Chief Financial Officer’s report: NNSW November 2013 snapshot

The August 2013 financial reports for the conference show a strong tithe position leading into the last four months of the 2013 calendar year. The numbers also show expenditure tracking under budget, leaving us with an excellent financial result from which to grow the churches mission. See below the key numbers from the August reports:

Note that there is around $340,000 in evangelism funds that have been allocated to churches in North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference in 2013, but have not been claimed yet. Our budgeted surplus for 2013 was $0.47m so hopefully this will be achieved if the current trends continue.

Local Church Tithe

The table below shows the ranking of the top 10 churches in our conference and how much tithe has been given from each church in the past five years.

Church Employees’ Tithe

The issue of how the tithe of conference and church institutions employees is reported is often discussed at local church and conference level with the view to obtaining a more comprehensive view of the tithe profile of a local church. Around 40 per cent of our conference tithe is received from church employees who attend churches within our conference. Church employee tithe is not reported with the church with which they are a member.

Some of the more significant church entities and institutions who contribute tithe to our conference are as follows: NNSW Conference, schools and aged care, Avondale College, Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing, retired employees (sustentation department), South Pacific Division, Sydney Adventist Hospital and ADRA.

Due to privacy, confidentiality and other employment-related issues, the NNSW Conference simply receives lump sum payments of tithe from these employers each month and is not able to identify or report accurately church employees tithe by local congregations, etc. Regardless of that, we wish to acknowledge the faithfulness of our church employees and all our members in the area of tithe paying. Your tithe contribution is greatly valued and appreciated.

— Russell Halliday

A “Seaside Escape” at Yarrahapinni

2013 Adventurer Camporee

What an appropriate venue Yarrahappini was for the Women’s Ministries retreat with the theme of “Seaside Escape”! The Women’s Ministries Department ran their annual women’s retreat at Yarrahapinni Ecology Centre over the weekend of 11 to 13 October. It was not an ordinary retreat with one speaker, but a “fun” weekend running seven sessions by seven facilitators.

Elsie Crawford and Ne’e Tuaoi set the scene with a beach-side décor brought to life through their creativeness. One could almost walk along the “beach” and pick up shells, or see the odd flip-flop or bottle “washed” up onto the “beach.” Beach towels and a beach umbrella set the mood, with beautiful posters of white beaches and clear turquoise-blue waters.

Women came from as far away as Gunnedah in the west, Grafton in the north and Gosford in the south to spend time with fellow “sisters” at the seaside. Still others came from Armidale, Kempsey, Wauchope, Newcastle, Cooranbong, Macksville and Erina.

Linelle Cassie co-ordinated the music for the retreat and the women enjoyed every bit of it.

Ruth Cregan accompanied her on the bass guitar, with an array of singers who led out with the praise worship. The favourites were Maureen, Merle (her sister) and Mercy who got the women involved in the singing. These three “sisters” were respectively from Trinidad, London and South Africa.

A mission project in Uganda was the focus of the offering on Sabbath, and the amount that was collected was $495.70. The generosity of the women toward this worthy cause is greatly appreciated.

The women on the Advisory Committee had taken up the challenge to facilitate the sessions, which were very interactive with lessons from the lives of Sarah and Hagar. Activities included playing with sand, a lesson about God’s timing in our lives and how much we trust Him with it, bead making, a lesson in sharing with others, plus lessons including doubt, listening to God and making friendships that will last a lifetime. Each woman was given a small memento of the lessons they learnt at the retreat to take home and to reflect on what God can do in their lives, just as He did for both Sarah and Hagar.

Of course, the women took pleasure in dining on the good food served by Deb and Richard Ludlow, the camp caretakers.

Every woman dressed up in her sarong specifically for a group photo, which made a very colourful snapshot of their time spent together at the “Seaside Escape,” where they certainly did “escape” from the busyness of work and motherhood.

— Lynelda Tippo

OUR CONFERENCE School musical triumphs

TV gardener hosts events at Adventist Retirement Villages

In a musical production dedicated to incredibly gifted and much-loved Avondale School Kindergarten teacher, Coralie Fraser, the Year 5 and 6 student body recently moved the audience to tears with their amazing musical production, “From Terror to Triumph.”

Written and composed several years ago by Coralie herself, the performance held at Avondale College Church on 11 September was based on the life story of Bible character Joseph. Testimony to one man’s persistent faith in God and belief that God can deliver triumph from the most discouraging circumstances the story coincidentally parallels Coralie’s own recent struggle and ongoing recovery from illness.

Staff and students were determined to not only bring glory to God through their performance, but to also ask Him to help Coralie to make a speedy recovery.

With all 159 Year 5 and 6 students involved in the performance and taking to the stage en masse, the coordination, participation and enthusiastic performance of all was a true credit to the influence and impact of Coralie.

Jason Hodges from Better Homes and Gardens wowed guests at both the Jewells and Wyee Point retirement villages at official launch events in September. These events were an opportunity to showcase the new retirement villages, as well as to launch the new company brand.

Adventist Senior Living (formerly Adventist Aged Care NNSW) hosted the “Spring Magic Gardens” events, which attracted more than 380 people. “We were very pleased with the positive response — both events were filled to capacity and we also had an extensive waiting list,” said Adventist Senior Living CEO, David Knight. “This event gave us a great opportunity to tell our community about Adventist Senior Living and its mission of serving people, as well as our plans to further develop and improve these premium retirement estates.”

Jason shared some handy gardening tips, held a Q&A session and enjoyed a light lunch with the guests. Each participant was then invited to take part in guided tours to explore the beautiful grounds of the two new Lake Macquarie villages.

— David Knight/Lorin Bradford

Adventist Senior Living has also recently launched their new website where you can find more details about all four villages that are part of the North New South Wales Conference. To find out more, visit <www.adventistseniorliving.com.au> or call (02) 4977 0001 to book in for a personal tour at a village.

Newsflash: ABC name change

Newsflash: the Adventist Book Centre Cooranbong has changed its name! Manager Allan Hill says, “This decision has taken a journey over many years and the concept has not been taken lightly. As the development at 588 Freemans Drive, Cooranbong, is nearing its end, it was time for the change. The two large blank walls on the building are just waiting for new signage and the new name.”

So what will the new name be? It’s Better Books and Food.

Allan says, “The decision was made by the conference Executive Committee at their October meeting. The ABC is reaching out to the community to supply them with all their Christian resources and healthy food, and since July this year with the new food shop opening, our customer base has increased. Check out our Facebook page (Better Books and Food) to find out more and take advantage of our special offers!”

— Allan Hill/NorthPoint

While she was absent from her customary position at the piano stool, accompanying the chorus of voices, her children Justin and Karlie were on hand to receive an enormous care package on her behalf, generously donated by the Year 5 and 6 staff.

Dr David Faull, Avondale School Principal, says, “The costumes, makeup, back drop, lighting and props all added to the atmosphere [of the performance]. The students were just brilliant — both the main character players and the combined choir.”

He adds, “It was a well-told story. ‘From Terror to Triumph’ is based on the Bible Character Joseph, the testimony of his journey from the terror of sale into slavery to reconciliation with his brothers under God’s leading. It takes hours of practice, ingenuity, commitment and sheer hard work, and we salute the Year 5 and 6 teachers and all the staff who ‘pitched in’ to help in so many ways. Kindy teacher Coralie Fraser, who could not be present for medical reasons, wrote the musical. The programme was dedicated by students and teachers to her recovery. It was a great witness to an outstanding faith journey for all our community.”

Felicity Pittaway/Dr David Faull

—

OUR CONFERENCE

STORM Co: 22 years of making a difference

For 22 years, young people from around the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference and further afield have shown that Service To Others Really Matters (STORM Co) by visiting towns and communities around the conference to run Kids Clubs, provide assistance to community members and undertake service projects.

In the September/October school holidays, STORM Co teams visited Maclean (Gateway), Tenterfield (Avondale Memorial), Glen Innes (Avondale Memorial), Quirindi (Central Coast Community Church), Coonabarabran (Lakeside) and Jesmond (Wallsend Multicultural). There was an average of around 16 people per team, although some had more significant numbers involved.

Pastor Jeff Parker, Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, and Susan Manson, Youth Ministries Secretary, led the Pinnacle Challenge team on a roadtrip to visit almost every team, travelling a total of just under 2000 kilometres. They spent about a day with them, supporting what they were doing in the community, which Pastor Parker describes as “seed-planting evangelism.”

“We’re proud of what our teams are doing to hold high the name of Jesus and the church,” he says. “I believe STORM Co makes a huge impact on towns. This is the 22nd year of STORM Co — it started in Moree in 1992, and was called SWAMP (Students With A Missionary Purpose) then.

“There’s no doubt that STORM Co has been accepted in our conference by our youth — they’ve really grabbed hold of it. I put that down to the tremendous conference support. Our conference puts $1000 into each team, and this substantial financial investment has been going on since the early 2000s. About five years ago, we had 37 teams go out one year!”

He believes the investment impacts communities that may never have been touched by the Adventist Church otherwise. “I think of communities like Wee Waa,” he says. “The yearly STORM Co visit from Avondale School is great.”

STORM Co teams invest a lot of effort into the communities they visit. Pastor Parker says, “It’s really good to see the STORM Co groups interacting with the community. In Glen Innes, we had so many families turn up for the programme at the church. People were really impressed with what they’d seen all week. It gives the church a high profile in the community. STORM Co teams have been involved in Glen Innes for 10 years, and Shea Mitchell has been the team leader there for the past five years or so. He’s just recently turned 26 and has been involved since he was 15. We’re excited he’s stepped up to serve the community and just keeps going back.”

Pastor Parker says STORM Co programmes have been run in Quirindi and Maclean for four or so years, while teams have committed between 10 and 16 years to STORM Co programmes in Glen Innes, Toomelah, Cobar and Lightning Ridge. STORM Co groups ran church services in Coonabarabran, Quirindi, Tenterfield and Glen Innes. The Multicultural Church’s STORM Co group also had a special Sabbath programme at their own church, following on from the week’s activities in Jesmond. So far this year, 17 STORM Co teams have gone out to make a difference in lives and towns across the conference.

— Adele Nash

OUR CONFERENCE

Grafton hosts ATSIM regional

Playful Worship offers more interactive children’s worship

Mother and musician Kylie Stacey was frustrated with the challenge of keeping her sons focussed in their children’s Sabbath school. Drawing on her experience as a music teacher who works with young children, she began to develop interactive worship music and activities that would engage both children and their parents.

Grafton Adventist Church’s Pastor Paul Richardson and his members played host to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries (ATSIM) regional in their church over the weekend of 16 to 18 August.

The speaker for the weekend was Pastor John Beck, ATSIM Director from the South Australian Conference, who gave an interesting series of talks on Daniel 2, in line with the ATSIM regional theme of “One Man’s Dream Brings Us to the Present and into the Future.” Pastor Richardson had the inflatable Daniel statue erected outside the church for all to see.

Pastor Beck’s talk on Friday night took the people back thousands of years to the dream of Daniel the prophet, and how that dream took earth’s history from the past to the present — and even in to the future.

On Sabbath morning, he focused on the feet of iron and clay, explaining how we today are affected by this awesome dream. His presentations were very relevant to the conditions of today’s society. Then he continued with the Second Coming of Jesus in the afternoon programme.

On Sunday morning, he brought a message of the spiritual warfare that is going on between God and Satan. He related his very own experience with the forces of this dark kingdom, and encouraged attendees with a message of how crucial it is to have Jesus as their Saviour and Friend.

Many people came from near and far for this first-time regional in Grafton. There was the usual support group from Kempsey, and others from as far away as Brisbane, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Bourke and Port Augusta. We praise God that some of the locals attended church on Sabbath.

Sanitarium supplied breakfast for those who came for the early morning devotional and Pastor Beck’s final talk. We have appreciated the support and help of those who made this regional a wonderful success.

— Lynelda Tippo

With her own new songs, as well as some long-time favourites, Kylie began experimenting in her Beginners Sabbath school class at Lakeside Adventist Church and in her home, a process that led to her new children’s worship music resource, Playful Worship

“Playful Worship includes massage songs and rhymes, bouncing songs, cuddle songs, circle games, hello and goodbye songs, and Bible verses set to music,” says Kylie. “It is designed to engage children with their parents, worshipping together and worshipping actively. Play is a child’s best way of learning and if they are not having fun, they are probably not taking it in.”

Playful Worship was launched at the South Queensland Conference camp meeting on 22 September, with Kylie leading Playful Worship demonstration sessions as part of the Beginners programme at the camp. But the songs, activities and resources had already been trialled in a number of Sabbath schools in the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference (including at Lakeside and Wallsend) and at this year’s Big Camp.

“This worship resource is fantastic because it strengthens the bond between the parents, their child and Jesus,” says Pastor Daron Pratt, Director of Family and Children’s Ministries for the NNSW Conference. “It places the child in the midst of the important people in their lives and builds a strong scaffold upon which the child’s faith can grow. This resource is great for both Sabbath schools and family worship.”

The Playful Worship demonstrations in Brisbane were greeted with enthusiasm. “I love using Playful Worship because the focus is on the parents and their children, rather than the leader,” says Kylie. “I would love to see parents become more engaged in their Sabbath school programmes, and for this to bring a sense of fun and happy memories to family worship time.

“The best use of this resource comes from not only using it as a Sabbath school curriculum, but with their parents using it at home. Then it isn’t about just one hour a week — it can also work through the other six days of the week.”

Kylie says that the feedback she received from trials of the Playful Worship programme at Wallsend was positive. “Parents told me things like, ‘I love the active involvement — it means my daughter gets lots of attention and I have a purpose, not just watching,’ and ‘I like it, as we can carry it through to our home worship, and the children are more attentive and stay on task when both of us are joining in also.’”

Playful Worship includes suggested programme outlines that line up with “Year A” (next year) of the GraceLink curriculum, as well as songs on CDs for use in Sabbath schools, playgroups or homes. “The programmes have been designed to be simple and easy to use for leaders and parents, with or without musical background,” Kylie adds.

— Nathan Brown Photo of Kylie Stacey and her husband Brenton courtesy of Ann Stafford

You can read a review of Playful Worship on page 11.

Jed Woodcock has experienced more in his 18 years than many people experience in a lifetime. He was raised in a non-Christian home that was often unstable and dysfunctional. His parents went through a nasty separation when he was a boy and, before long, he had a stepfather who subjected him to some very traumatic experiences. Jed was soon on the predictable journey of alcohol and drug abuse.

Jed says that during those years, he never knew God’s love. “Funnily enough though, through it all, I always believed that there was a God. The thing is that I used to blame Him for everything,” he says.

As a teenager, he joined a Hare Krishna temple, seeking acceptance and community. He quickly became devoted to his new faith. However, it did nothing to reduce his harmful behaviour or poor grades at school.

Jed’s mother encouraged him to change schools and, following a recommendation from a friend, he attended an interview at Tweed Valley Adventist College (TVAC) in Murwillumbah. Jed immediately felt drawn to the school and the planned Year 11 trip to Fiji was a sweetener! However, Jed insisted that he would never take an interest in the Gospel.

“I could see that he was absolutely the real deal — 100 per cent committed to his Hare Krishna faith,” says TVAC Principal Paul Fua. “As he got up and left I said to Kay, our college Bursar, ‘He’s going to make a great Adventist one day!’ I likened his experience to that of Saul — his commitment was there, he just didn’t have the ‘truth.’”

Jed started attending TVAC in January 2012, and almost immediately Paul and three other staff members began praying for him every day. Initially, the more they prayed, the further Jed pulled away, to the point where he came to school wearing paint and carrying his chant bag containing beads.

Almost a year later, lack of substance and some inconsistencies in the temple saw Jed drift away. At just the perfect time, God inspired TVAC Chaplain Marty Bernard to

OUR CHURCHES

to baptism at Kingscliff

deliver a powerful sermon at school.

“That afternoon I just picked up my Bible and couldn’t put it down,” Jed says. Within weeks, Jed was attending Kingscliff Adventist Church and was baptised by youth pastor Yong Shin Chee five months later on Sabbath, 10 August this year. Jed was well supported on the day by his new church family and was really touched that his father also came along. “As soon as Yoshy pulled me out of the water, I just felt that the love of God was upon me, and so empowered to do what God is calling me to do,” Jed says.

If Jed needed any proof of that, he got it in a photo snapped by church member Tammi Elsner, showing him bathed in a ray of light.

Paul says Jed is a different person since finding Christ. “What we’ve seen is that same level of devotion picked up and transferred to the real, living God. He’s happier now — his countenance has changed, he studies, he reads — God has given him an almost insatiable appetite for truth,” Paul says.

After completing Year 12 this year, Jed plans to attend the four-month ARISE Cornerstone programme being held at Kingscliff Church, and then he’d like to become a missionary focusing on people in other religions. “It’s such a no-brainer for me. If Jesus gave His life for me, then what can I do but give my life for Jesus? He did it for the whole world, but He also did it for each individual. He would have done it just for me,” Jed says.

According to Paul, Jed’s conversion has been very encouraging for the school staff. “They just realise that this is what Adventist education is about — getting people out of the world and into the Kingdom of God. It just shows again the power of prayer and how God never turns his back,” he says.

— Summer Lockley

Photos courtesy of Tammi Elsner and Nathan Marshall

Tahiti visit inspires Toronto ukelele group High Tea raises funds for Care Ministries

Landry Patii, a theology student from Avondale College, came back from Tahiti with three ukuleles and all his friends from Toronto Adventist Church had fun trying them out.

They sounded so great that soon everyone was playing a ukulele!

A group was formed under the guidance of Natasha Knopper and, with a little practice, they were soon ready to perform. They played together for the first time on Sabbath, 7 September at Toronto Church and surprised everyone with the uniqueness of their playing. A bass guitar and 10 ukuleles sounded superb!

— Michelle Down

A High Tea was held at Toronto Adventist Church on Sunday, 22 October to raise funds for the Care Ministries.

Women at Toronto Church craft beautiful patchwork quilts, which they give to those experiencing difficulties in their lives. The quilts are embroidered with messages of love and assurance, and those who receive them are always very touched with the loving gesture.

The tables were decorated beautifully for the High Tea occasion and the food was delicious. About $1200 was raised for this ministry.

— Michelle Down

“Insatiable appetite for truth” leads

OUR CHURCHES

Memorial and Hillview work together on Morisset outreach

After a high-profile promotional campaign involving one of the North New South Wales Conference’s inflatable Daniel 2 statues, The Last Empire evangelistic series was run in Morisset from 7 to 21 September as the first phase of the outreach project.

Close to 200 people attended the opening night, as door-to-door Bible workers, letterbox drops, full page newspaper ads, and the appearance of the 8-metre tall inflatable “Edgar” in various locations around Morisset, Cooranbong and Dora Creek produced interest in the community.

The main speaker for the event was Avondale Memorial Church’s associate pastor Danny Milenkov, who coordinated the two-week campaign with a team from Memorial and Hillview Adventist Church in Morisset. “It was a great team effort,” said Pastor Milenkov. “The team worked together really well.”

After the initial peak of around 200 attendees, which was achieved despite a clash with the Federal election, the meetings settled to regular numbers of around 80. The second phase of the project is a weekly follow-up series, which is being run by Pastor Vadim Butov and Fred Chileshe. These are being run at Memorial on Saturday afternoons and Hillview on Friday nights.

Daniel Laredo has worked with the campaign and says, “It was nice to see collaboration on such an event from local churches, and I hope it will not be the last time we see multiple churches join together to reach out. We had a number of decisions made by the non-Adventists in attendance, including eight decisions for baptism. There have been close to 10 non-Adventist who have continued to come along to the follow-up meetings, and we have a good list of people in the community who are interested in learning more. These are being followed up by local Bible workers and pastors, as well as some of the church members.”

He notes that many of those who attended the meetings were brought along by friends or family members. “This is another sign of how important it is to build relationships with the community first,” says Daniel. “The importance of friendship evangelism was

certainly highlighted to us in these meetings.”

Significant planning went into the outreach series, and Pastor Milenkov says, “Before the meetings began, Hillview and Memorial members met weekly to discuss, plan and pray for the meetings. The most rewarding aspect for me was to see the outreach committee, as well as many church members, who were willing to come and pray for an hour before the planning meeting began its work of organisation. There was much prayer from both churches, including the residents of Alton Villas and Kressville. Prayer and seeking for the Holy Spirit to open hearts was the most important area that we focussed on.

“Justin Stafford was the overall coordinator of the mission and he did a brilliant job. In my time of running missions, I have not witnessed such an organised and detailed approach to a mission during its initial all-important stages. Nothing was left to chance. The entire team supported Justin so well — it made my life so much easier. The audio/visual team, led by Alvin Christian, did a great job in ensuring that all important area was running smoothly, including the video taping of the first 10 messages of the series. Bible workers Daniel Laredo and Ferna McKerchar have been instrumental in the overall success of the mission.”

He adds, “We did a lot of advertising, including erecting Edgar [the inflatable statue] for a week or so before the meetings began. However, we were well aware that its not by might, nor by power, nor by advertising, nor by Edgar, but by the Holy Spirit of the Lord that there will be true success in reaching hearts with the Three Angels’ Messages. This area, where there is such a heavy concentration of Adventists, churches and church-run institutions, is a very challenging area in which to share the everlasting Gospel, but through much prayer and forming loving relationships, people will be won to Christ.”

— Kent Kingston/Pastor Danny Milenkov/Daniel Laredo

Lakeside members run trio of programmes in Coonabarabran

From 30 September to 5 October, a group from Lakeside Adventist Church visited Coonabarabran to run three programmes for the town. The Youth Ministries leaders from the church, along with 30 other members and children, went to the town to run a Vacation Bible School (VBS), STORM Co and Kreative Skoop workshop series.

The group ran The Egypt File VBS, and Brian Lauratet, one of Lakeside Church’s youth leaders, says, “The average attendance from the community was 35 kids per day, reaching up to 45 on the Thursday and Friday. They were aged from four to 12.”

The Egypt File focuses on teaching children that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving Creator, Father and God. This is done through music, games, lessons, craft and drama. “Even the morning tea we provided for them every day was related to the theme,” says Brian. “It was great to see kids putting their hands up and accepting Jesus as their personal Friend and Saviour. We plan to go visit the community a few times before the next VBS at the same time next year.”

As for the STORM Co component of the visit, the team got involved in painting the

Coonabarabran Oval’s fence, which took the team two afternoons to complete. “The fence was a fair size!” says Brian. “The STORM Co team also helped Pat, a lady in her 80s. She had recently had a stroke and lives alone on her massive property. The team helped by cleaning her yard, doing some weeding, making a garden and planting flowers. This took the team another two afternoons to complete.”

Kreative Skoop — <www.kreative-skoop.com> — is an organisation that offers free workshops, programmes and services to anyone in the community. Brian says, “The workshops we ran in Coonabarabran were singing, fitness and health, self defence, craft and photography. During the week, we met community people of all ages and enjoyed sharing our talents with them.

“Many of us were involved in all three events. We weren’t quite three different groups, but more like one group running three different things that week.”

— Brian Lauratet/Adele Nash

Photos from Lakeside’s Coonabarabran trip are on page 9

Lakeside members run trio of programmes in Coonabarabran

OUR CHURCHES

Successful start to Hillview’s monthly markets

Hillview Adventist Church has a large block of land that fronts onto Freemans Drive, the main road between Morisset and Cooranbong.

Hillview member Corina Seemann saw an opportunity to start a community event on this large area of land, and after discussion with the local council and other organisations, the church board agreed that monthly markets could begin.

Early on Sunday, 30 September, many stall holders began to arrive and set up their stalls. Stalls ranged from trash ‘n’ treasure to plants, crafts to non-alcoholic wines, a jumping castle and even a clown, plus many other stalls. You could have your face painted by the Pathfinder girls and have a vegetarian hot dogs or burgers. ADRA and other fundraising stalls were also there.

While this is a community event, profits made will be allocated by the church board as they see a need or worthwhile cause.

Organiser Corina was quite excited about the popularity of the event as many passersby stopped and came in for a look — and to buy items. She was ecstatic that many people spoke to her, asking about a stall site for the next market day (which was held on 27 October).

These markets are planned to run through till Christmas. Just prior to Christmas, they will become night markets. Customers will be able to do some last minute shopping, then head around the church hall into the courtyard to see a Christmas drama enacted.

— Alvin Christian

Photos courtesy of Alvin Christian

OUR CHURCHES

Celtic Country Church connects through annual festival

Glen Innes in the New England district on the tablelands of northern New South Wales is the Celtic capital of Australia, and the locals celebrate this status for five days each year, with the annual Celtic festival on the first weekend of May.

The Autumn leaves are just beginning to fade and often the mists roll in as the lone piper pipes his way up over the hill to open the ceremony at dawn.

Glen Innes’s small local Adventist church — The Celtic Country Church — has committed to being a part of this community event for the past seven or eight years by running the “Celtic Kids Corner” at the festival.

Church members offer the kids a number of crafts free of charge, and this year saw more than 100 kids join in. The crafts have been many and varied over the years, but they are always very popular with the kids and their parents.

A jumping castle is a hit with the younger ones, and face-painting and candlemaking are always popular. This past year, the Glen Innes church members had clowns and ballooning to add to the list. They also make Signs magazines and other literature available free to the public.

This has become a very popular part of the festival, with children and families returning each year, telling the group that the crafts they offer are “the best.” Parents are excited each year to see what craft is the feature each year.

These activities are only possible on this scale with the help of STORM Co. A Cooranbong team has been helping at the festival since the church started working there, and as the festival has grown they have realised they need extra helpers. This has led a team from Toowoomba in Queensland to come to boost the volunteer numbers this year. They also have helpers from Guyra and Inverell churches.

The Glen Innes Church also celebrates with Celtic Praise and a hospitality dinner on Friday night, managing to squeeze extra tables into the hall each year to fit the ever-increasing numbers. They endeavour to maintain the Celtic theme, which was Scotland this year.

Members of The Celtic Country Church praise God that they can share Him with the community and open His church to a wide variety of people.

— Jenni Lloyd-Ward

Book review: Playful Worship

When I was a little kid growing up in the Barossa Valley (South Australia), I was often the only child in my Sabbath school class. It was a small church at the time, but it was never boring. The Sabbath school classes with my Nanna or my “aunty” Wendy Brooks were memorable because they were so much fun — they almost always involved fuzzy felts, toys to play with and lots of music! I also enjoyed fun family worships at home, which often featured Bible trivia games as well as readings, songs (although I think Mum would prefer to forget the times that Dad would break out the piano accordion for us to sing along to) and prayers.

Creating a fun, friendly environment for young children to worship God in is something that most people who have been involved in running Sabbath school programmes are probably au fait with. But it might be something that others — particularly parents — have wracked their brains over, and this is where Playful Worship by Kylie Stacey will be a useful resource.

Playful Worship can be used both at church and at home. But the main focus is on equipping parents to create engaging worship opportunities at home, which really makes it stand out. There are old and new songs, activities, Bible memory verses set to music and templates to use. There’s also a weekly programme guide that will take you through the year, with interactive worships for young children and their parents, and two CDs of music resources.

Kylie is a member of Lakeside Adventist Church in Bonnells Bay, and is passionate about family (she has four boys with her husband Brenton), music and God. In the introduction to Playful Worship, she writes, “We desperately need the church, but the role of the church is to be a reinforcement for our family’s spiritual development at home, not a replacement. Church is there to equip us as parents and to reinforce to our children the messages of God. The church should not be merely a drop-off centre. Ideally, it is a place to worship — together.”

This togetherness in worship for families is a reminder of the way in which children experience their first glimpses of God through their parents (and other family members). Kylie says, “Your child needs you to tell the story, know the story and be the story at home. Playful Worship will give you musical ideas for your family worship at home, designed to capture your child’s heart and focus.”

It’s been said that it’s common for young people to stop attending church within a few years of finishing high school, with two out of three making that decision. Kylie believes that what Deuteronomy 6:4–9 has to say about impressing the commandments of God on your children, and sharing them as you sit at home or walk along the road is great advice. “Home is the primary place where faith is nurtured,” she says.

Pastor Daron Pratt, Children’s Ministries and Family Ministries Director for the North New South Wales Conference, agrees. “Current research says that if we can do one thing in the home to reinforce what is taught at church, then this will have a more powerful effect on the child than anything that is preached from the pulpit,” he says. “Playful Worship is based on the GraceLink curriculum’s themes, and is an excellent way of tying what happens at Sabbath school and home together. I particularly like the fact that this resource is inter-generational and that it involves fathers in the spiritual lives of their young children.”

So what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Playful Worship ASAP!

— Adele Nash