NorthPoint - December, 2013

The same safe places and life stories: Adventist Senior Living

of its Adventist Senior Living public “brand.”

“We have made the decisions to expand after prayerful and careful consideration of many factors,” says David. “Maintaining the Adventist identity and ensuring that people continue to come first have been the most important principles that have guided this process.”

Under the public brand of Adventist Senior Living, all four villages are now called Lifestyle Communities, with the two new villages joining the Avondale and Alstonville Lifestyle Communities in providing quality aged care in excellent facilities, through personalised services and in key locations.

David says Jewells and Wyee Point residents knew nothing about the Adventist Church, our beliefs and our practices until Adventist Senior Living took over the further development of their villages.

Set a group of men the task of making ukuleles in the Hobby Shed of the Avondale Lifestyle Community in Cooranbong — formerly known as the Avondale Retirement Village — and one creates a safe space where stories are shared and friendships are created.

Kenn Duke, Chaplain at the Avondale Lifestyle Community who recently started the Ukulele Project, is passionate about discovering residents’ and community members’ life stories, as well as encouraging people to feel open to share about their life discoveries, including their spiritual beliefs.

“I started the Ukulele Project as a meaningful hobby,” he says. “We plan to use the ukuleles to make music in our community and to sell to others in the future. This activity gives the men involved an opportunity to share and connect in a safe environment, and to make new friends. It’s exciting to be part of discovering life stories that go beyond someone’s work or career.”

Rom, a man from the local community, comes regularly to the Hobby Shed to work on the ukuleles. The friendship Rom is developing with Kenn and the Avondale residents could not have been possible without this project.

“To me the Ukulele Project, although simple and only in its early stages, demonstrates again that at Adventist Senior Living, we put people first by recognising that each resident is unique and by thinking up ways of celebrating their uniqueness,” says David Knight, Chief Executive Officer of Adventist Senior Living, the “public face” of the Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (NNSW) Ltd company.

Adventist Aged Care in North New South Wales has experienced rapid growth this year with the purchase of two new Lifestyle Communities in Jewells and Wyee Point (you can read more about this in the March edition of NorthPoint), and with the launch

“They now have a positive experience with the Church. We are quickly becoming friends and so fulfilling our aim to provide a ‘home among friends’ for all of our residents,” says David.

Whether the safe places are created in the Hobby Shed at Cooranbong, at the Biggest Morning Tea at Wyee Point, at gardens in Jewells or during walks at Alstonville, one thing is sure: Adventist Senior Living is ministering to many.

Adventist Senior Living has been in the aged-care industry since 1960, and operate four Lifestyle Communities in Cooranbong and Wyee Point (30 and 20 minutes north of the Central Coast), in Jewells (15 minutes south of Newcastle) and in Alstonville (20 minutes north of Ballina).

— Jo-Anne Vint

You will find more information about Adventist Senior Living in the February 2014 issue of NorthPoint. For more information now, please visit <www.adventistseniorliving.com.au>, call (02) 4977 0000 or email <enquiries@adventistseniorliving.com.au>.

Page 2: From the President: A growing devotional life

Pages 3: NNSW Conference Office team raises funds for Knocktober

Page 5: Port Macquarie celebrates International Creation Sabbath

Insert: NNSW Conference Big Camp 2014 application form

OUR CONfERENCE

From the President: A growing devotional life

My devotional life has gone up and down over the years. I can have such an amazing time that I can’t wait ‘til morning comes for me to continue in this dynamic spiritual time with God. But at other times, it is like pulling teeth out and, no matter how I try, I can’t seem to find that same spiritual experience.

When I go through these tough periods, it’s easy to jump over my devotional life or to just give it the minimum amount of time. This can really weaken my spiritual strength and have a negative impact on how I face the challenges of life. So what should I do?

Be methodical

John Wesley pioneered a movement we call the Methodists. They were given this name because they were so methodical in their relationship with God. Whether you feel like it or not, pray and read your Bible every day. You will make it through the drought if you persist. Have some sort of system that provides a regular pattern of study and quiet time where you can be alone with God.

Build in time every day

If you don’t make the time, you won’t have the time. Everyone is busy. Busyness can be a blessing or a curse to devotional time. Really busy people need to have a strong devotional time in order to cope. But when we are busy, God is often the first to be dropped out of our day. The morning and how I start the day seems to be the best for me because I am not sure what might happen later in the day. Making the first hours of the day God’s sets the rest of the day in order.

Don’t neglect witness

I have recently started to have regular Bible studies with a non-Adventist. Since moving into administration, I have really missed having people to study with. My gifting is in this area of teaching. When I share my faith, it is always strengthened and increased. I don’t think it is enough to just pray and study. We have all been gifted to minister in some way, and it is as we exercise our gifts that the church is built up and we receive the blessing of our witness.

May God strengthen us in our relationship with Him so we can be strengthened in our relationships with each other.

— 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.

from the General Secretary: Joy to the World

It’s December.

It just seems like a few weeks ago I was saying “Happy New Year!” Christmas is only a few weeks away!

It’s been quite a year. A new Pope was elected, Europe went to the financial precipice and back, a bomb exploded at the Boston Marathon, and more recently, Taiphoon Haiyan caused devastation and much loss of life in the Philippines. But there has also been much cause for joy. God is still on His throne and we get some time shortly to reflect, maybe with family and friends, on what 2013 has meant to each of us and what promise the future holds.

I have to confess that I am a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. No, I lied. I’m not a bit of a Scrooge — I’m a lot of a Scrooge. A few years ago, I even wrote a poem called “I Hate Christmas.”

“What!?” I hear you gasp. “How can that be? It’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus.”

And there’s my point. It should be a celebration of the birth of Jesus and all that that means. But we have made it so much more, and so much more complicated and materialistic and self-centred. That’s what I struggle with.

The popular carol says “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” That’s what we need to hear about, focus on, share, sing, live and enjoy.

In the NKJV, the word “joy” is found 150 times, with one in eight of those references found in the book of Psalms. So it’s a good place to go to find joy and the reason for it.

At a time when we are tempted to manufacture joy with lots of eating and drinking and presents, the Psalms tell us, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). At a time when the world seems to have been totally convinced that joy comes from getting — and the more you get the happier you are — the Psalms tell us, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psalm 51:12)

I hope that you have found true joy this year. I hope you have spent much time in His presence and being a beneficiary of His generous Spirit. May we, as we enter this Christmas period, find opportunities to experience a deeper, fuller, richer joy that only Christ can give. David felt it and expressed it this way: “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11).

And, hey, don’t worry. I’ve repented of my poem. It’s not been heard in public for more than a decade.

— Pastor Paul Geelan

NNSW Conference Office team raises funds for Knocktober

OUR CONfERENCE

2014 NNSW Offering Calendar

The North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference Offering Calendar booklet for 2014 will be available and distributed to all of our churches in December. This bright, glossy publication has been very well received in past years and follows the same familiar format in 2014.

In October, the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference Office team raised a grand total of $870 for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) Knocktober appeal. To raise money, the conference office staff gave gold coin donations to take part in a variety of fundraising activities, including themed days (such as Mad Hatter’s Day, Crazy Glasses Day, Chocolate Cupcake Day and Knock-Knock Joke Day), a colouring competition and a table tennis competition.

Everyone in the office joined the Knocktober fundraising fun, particularly since there was the added incentive of seeing Nathan Hawkins (ADRA Director for the NNSW Conference) Pastor Paul Geelan (General Secretary of the NNSW Conference), Russell Halliday (CfO of the NNSW Conference) and Pastor Justin Lawman (President of the NNSW Conference) dress up in crazy op-shop outfits if certain amounts of money were raised.

The in-office Knocktober appeal was organised by Carly fletcher and Adele Nash. Carly says, “It was great to see the conference working together as a team, having fun while raising money for ADRA. Acts 20:35 reminds us that we should support the weak and remember that Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Adele adds, “We really appreciated how everyone got on board with the Knocktober appeal. It was also fantastic to have Nathan, Paul, Justin and Russell dress up in crazy op-shop outfits because we’d managed to raise so much money! We’d initially just started small and thought we’d get Nathan to wear an ADRA op-shop outfit if we managed to raise $250 for the month. But as it became clear that we were going to collect a lot more than that, the other guys were kind enough to agree to wearing outfits too.”

— Adele Nash/NorthPoint

It will also be available for anyone to download from the NNSW Conference website — <http://nnsw. adventist.org.au>.

The booklet contains a short promotional explanation of the particular offering project for each Sabbath, and informs our church members and leaders as to the actual use and destination of the funds. This information is designed so that it can easily be used in church bulletins or at the time of the offering announcement. The booklet also provides information about e-Giving, tithing, Trust Services, and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.

The local church treasury teams will find it very helpful in their financial planning and in ensuring that offerings reach their intended project for that day. Local Church Budget Offerings have again increased in 2014 to meet the growing commitments faced by local churches.

We are constantly grateful to our faithful local church treasurers and their assistants who work diligently each week in functions that carry significant responsibility. Those on the treasury staff have a very important and critical role in the smooth running of the church.

A financially healthy church with robust outreach plans usually means enthusiastic and happy members who are a strong witness in the community.

Although the Offering Calendar booklet focuses mainly on offerings, we need also to always thank our members for faithfully returning their tithes to God.

— John Schulz (Director of Local Church Support Services Department)

NNSW Big Camp 2014 application information

Application forms for Big Camp 2014 are available in this issue of NorthPoint as the insert at the middle of the magazine. The forms are also available on the conference website, <nnsw.adventist.org.au>.

Please note that there are some changes to the process. You are now be able to pay for the Kindergarten and Primary activity tickets on the application form. Applications received after 21 february will incur a late fee. Only those who are unsuccessful in their applications will be notified.

Please note that there will be no entry to the campground after 10.00pm (in line with camp regulations), so please plan your arrival in light of this. for more details, contact Debbie Head on (02) 4944 3220.

OUR CHURCHES

High Tea at Hillview

Stories shared during “flying visit” weekend at Kingscliff

About 60 women and girls met in the beautifully decorated and set-up Hillview Church Hall for a High Tea on 3 November.

The event was organised by the Hillview Women’s Ministries team — Colleen Ashton, Sue Blyde and Karen Blyde — who went to a huge effort in making the afternoon something to remember. Women were invited to tell others at their table about times they had, and enjoyed a special drink from the cups they had bought with them.

The theme of the afternoon was “Making The Most Of Each Stage Of Your Life.” Items from Natalie Souradeth and Ali Heise, along with a sand art presentation by Tiani Page, complemented the presentation by guest speaker Joy Butler.

Daintily-presented food was delivered to each of the tables by male waiters, and a couple of husbands joined the catering team by helping in the kitchen. Several visitors were among those who attended, and all thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing time spent with others and meeting and making new friends.

five years ago, a handful of Kingscliff Adventist Church members — several of them elders — were inspired to spend an hour in the Word each day, after listening to international speaker Herb Larsen. There’s little doubt that this played a significant role in the spiritual revival that soon followed at Kingscliff.

Naturally, the church community was thrilled to welcome Herb when he made a flying visit from Canada in October, and he certainly didn’t disappoint, with four fascinating, insightful and sometimes heart-wrenching presentations over one weekend.

The Lord has blessed Herb with many talents. He’s an engineer, an inventor, a composer, a published illustrator and master gun engraver. However, he says he’s not a theologian — his ministry is to share the things that God has done for him.

Recently he was granted a victory in a long-running legal dispute with the US Environmental Protection Agency, during which he was incarcerated in a federal prison. Herb openly shared the details of the case.

“I’m getting more and more bold about it because I don’t care what people think anymore,” Herb says. “I just see the victory in it — not from anything I’ve done, but God has created it, although it’s a good thing my wife is not here because she’d just lose it because she’s been living it,” he says.

Many of the congregation too were reduced to tears as Herb laid his soul bare, describing his arrest and the five days he spent behind bars. Herb was given the option of solitary confinement, but chose to be in with the general population, believing that he needed to use the opportunity to share Jesus with his fellow inmates.

He did just that!

When his bail was finally granted, the inference was made that Herb should be let out “before he converts the whole place!”

Herb used his visit as an opportunity to thank those at Kingscliff Church who supported him during his crisis.

“It seems everything I go through, every battle, more and more of my pride gets chipped away, and this one was a monumental battle. I’ve never had to take charity from anyone in my life — I’ve always been the one giving it — so that in itself was hugely humbling and it’s rattled my confidence, which is good. I had self confidence before, but now I have to let the Holy Spirit take over because that’s all I’ve got,” he says.

Herb’s first book Falling in Love With Jesus is now available and he’s working on several others, including one that he says will offer a fresh perspective on what happened at the cross.

— Summer Lockley

Photo courtesy of Kevin Maevsky

— Alvin Christian

OUR CHURCHES

Port Macquarie celebrates International Creation Sabbath

On Sabbath, 26 October, 13 young people at Port Macquarie Adventist Church took the whole service with the theme of “How the Truths of Genesis Were found Hidden in the Chinese Language.” The day was a very special day, as it was the fourth annual International Creation Sabbath, celebrated worldwide in many Adventist churches and schools.

Margaret McKay, Children’s Ministries Director for the Port Macquarie Church, says, “Each year, the children run the entire service and we choose an interesting topic that very few in the congregation would be familiar with. This year, we did it on the Chinese, showing how the first few chapters of the Book of Genesis were found hidden in their characters written down after the dispersion from the Tower of Babel.

“We worked for months to prepare, as it was a very difficult topic and the logistics of teaching it to the congregation was no mean feat. The children did a brilliant job and I have never, ever heard such silence in a church for so long. They started the actual service at 11.15am after an introduction, prayer and song, and then the children taught about the history of the Chinese. They then wrote the characters and explained what they meant until 12.25pm. A beautiful Chinese lady loaned us a lot of Chinese costumes and items to help decorate. She showed us how to correctly hold the brush and paint the characters with correct ink. She said we were correct in the characters — it was important to have it all verified.”

Margaret says the “really exciting” part of the service was that four children from Sunday-keeping Christian churches joined them and will continue with creation lessons every fortnight on Sabbath afternoons.

They weren’t the only visitors though. “We had so many visitors attend,” says Margaret. “Many of them were from other Adventist churches in the area and many were from Sunday-keeping churches. All were fascinated. I have never heard such positive feedback and it is still coming in! One lady even made sure she visited from Dubbo.”

The program ran smoothly — apart from the two-and-a-half hour blackout that struck three-quarters of the way through the program. “The devil didn’t want this message to get out!” says Margaret. “But his efforts were in vain.”

In the weeks after the special Sabbath, two of the children who had visited the church and joined the creation lessons visited the CSIRO in Canberra on a school excursion. They were excited to be able to share what they had learned from their lessons. Margaret says, “The children become so confident in the knowledge they gain, and then want to really study the Bible as they know for sure it is the Word of God and true from the beginning to the very end. Some of them are so confident and will take every opportunity to defend the Bible whenever a situation arises, such as this one.”

The Children’s Ministries team believe that is important that children learn the Bible, and that they are also able to defend its teachings. “They are constantly bombarded with ‘millions of years, dinosaurs living millions of years ago, the Bible as a book of fairy stories’ and so on,” says Margaret. “If we cannot answer these critics and give children answers from the Bible that are connected to the real world, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they lose interest.”

The Port Macquarie Church’s commitment to the International Creation Sabbath was spurred by Pastor Joseph Maticic giving Margaret a special edition of the Record that had been produced for 24 October, 2009 for the first International Creation Sabbath.

Margaret was able to get in contact with Dr Tim Standish and began corresponding with him about creation issues in Australia. Dr Standish visited Port Macquarie to conduct a series of meetings, and also brought a lot of gifts from the Geo-Science Institute at Loma Linda University.

— Margaret McKay/NorthPoint

Photos courtesy of Ormond and Phil McKay

OUR CHURCHES

Junior Outreach Project raises funds for clean water

A fundraiser run by Junior Outreach Project (JOP) at the Lismore Adventist Church on 24 August has provided eight family Lifestraws to people in need of clean water.

The evening began with closing Sabbath by the Junior Sabbath School. They explained the origins of JOP, which is their initiative to help spread God’s love to the world.

Previous projects include buying GLOW tracts for distribution, supporting Bibles for India, freeing slaves in Nepal and a water well.

The project they chose to support with this event was Lifestraws. These filters provide clean drinking water by removing dirt and 99.99 per cent of disease-causing organisms. A family Lifestraw will filter up to 18,000 litres of water. Donations are administered through the Rotary Club of Buderim, and donations are matched by Lifestraw Australia and New Zealand. Lifestraws are sent throughout the world to people who lack clean drinking water.

following worship, soup and buns were served for a donation. The social committee had organised a movie to be shown, and the Juniors took the opportunity to sell popcorn and lolly bags. They worked hard, including cleaning up at the end of the night. The money raised on the night was combined with money the Juniors had been collecting each week in their Sabbath school for a total of $400. The JOP group have heard from the Rotary Club of Buderim that all current Lifestraw stocks and donations are being sent to the Philppines to help with the relief effort there.

— Lynde Waldron

Churches can Make Christmas Great

This Christmas, Signs of the Times magazine has produced a new flyer to help church members share the joy and festivities of the season with friends and neighbours. Make Christmas Great is part of the Signs’ Goodwill flyer series and suggests some ways to avoid getting into debt this Christmas.

Like other flyers in the series, it has been perfectly sized for a letterbox or as a gift to visitors at church. To purchase flyers, visit <www.signsofthetimes.org.au/flyers>.

“financial woes can sometimes dampen the joyous spirit of the season and the flyer contains practical and helpful tips that everybody would appreciate,” says Signs editor Lee Dunstan. “Together with a gentle reminder about the real meaning of Christmas, the flyer is a great witnessing tool for a local church’s neighbourhood or to give as a gift to visitors at the Christmas carols or Sabbath service.”

— Melody Tan

first-ever Nambucca Valley Regional held at Macksville School

On Sabbath, 2 November, the Nambucca Heads and Macksville Adventist Churches worshipped together for the first-ever Nambucca Valley Regional.

The event was held at the Macksville Adventist School in the undercover area on what was a beautiful, sunny day. Organising the day was exciting as so many people wanted to contribute. The praise and worship was led by the Macksville Church Band. Katie Oakes, the Nambucca Head’s Sabbath School Superintendant, looked after senior Sabbath school, and all the other divisions were full and active with the enthusiasm of the day.

The main service was also blessed by the musical gifts of Janelle and Russel Ing, which opened beautifully for the North New South Wales Conference’s President Pastor Justin Lawman’s presentation on the Rich Young Ruler and salvation.

Thanks to Macksville Adventist School, the combined churches enjoyed a pot luck lunch from the brand-new school kitchen, which was finished only two days earlier. What an awesome way to break in the new kitchen!

Pastor Lawman again spoke in the afternoon, giving a much-appreciated conference update and also offering a question-and-answer time, where members from the country were able to ask him some big questions — but they were delightfully given even bigger answers. The country members thank him for the efforts he made to serve on the mid-north coast for the special day.

With the expectation of approximately 90 attendees, the regional organisers had the amazing problem of needing more chairs, with volunteers going back to Macksville Church to obtain more between Sabbath school and the main service. The final count came close to 130 people.

Praise God that Macksville and Nambucca Heads Churches had the opportunity to worship, learn, share food and friendship together on such a memorable day.

Multiple times when saying their goodbyes, members commented that this even should be run annually, if not biannually!

— Kerry Howard

Above: Fred Rudwick, past President of the Rotary Club of Lismore West and Lismore Adventist Church member, with Junior Outreach Project members Ryan, Aiden, Matthew, Peter, Ben, Charisse and Katie.

OUR CHURCHES

SEEDS planted in Newcastle by Hamilton Church

contemporary version of Ellen White’s Steps to Christ, entitled The Path to Peace Hamilton’s Pastor David Stojcic says that the SEEDS program grew from Morgan’s participation in the ARISE Evangelism Training School, which was held at Kingscliff earlier this year. He was inspired by the concept of every church having the potential to run training, and Pastor Stojcic says, “Upon his return home [after the three-month ARISE program], he prayed to God to lead him to a church where he could make a difference and put into practice some of his training.”

This led Morgan to approach David, who agreed to Hamilton Church hosting the program. “Morgan went diligently to work, gathered up the resources, formulated a marketing strategy and promoted SEEDS,” says Pastor Stojcic. “The leadership of the Hamilton Church is overwhelmed with gratitude to God, as they see SEEDS as a harbinger of greater things happening at their church and throughout the city of Newcastle.”

Hamilton Adventist Church is reaping the benefits of prayer. Members have long prayed that God would build their church, and equip it to service the community and win souls for Him. Another step along this journey is training people in how best to share the Gospel message.

On Sabbath afternoon, 2 November, Hamilton Church launched the SEEDS Program (SEEDS stands for Soul-winning, Empowerment, Education, Discipleship and Send). More than 45 people attended this first session, with more than half the audience being from other churches in the Newcastle area.

SEEDS is a 12-session program that runs each fortnight in the Hamilton Church. Coordinated by Morgan Vincent, it is envisaged that the training program will be an ongoing feature of the church, with an evangelistic series to be presented at the end of each series of 12 sessions.

Presenters on the program come from a range of backgrounds and offer impressive professional credentials. Session two on 16 November was presented by PhD student Sylvester Obong’o. Each session follows a combined lunch in the church hall so visitors are invited to join in the day’s activities.

Practical learning opportunities form an important part of SEEDS and participants will be able to experience the joys of door-knocking. This face-to-face contact with the community will be perfect for presenting a prepared gift pack, which includes a

“Secrets of Prophecy” at Gloucester

He adds, “The SEEDS training program has been designed to create a culture of evangelism based on Christ’s method of ministry outlined in the Ministry of Healing The pen of inspiration told us that His ‘method alone will give true success in reaching people,’ and everyone at Hamilton is excited about what God has in store for our church. We’re reminded in Ephesians 3:20 and 21 that when people are faithful, the future is usually brighter than everything they prayed for or even thought of.”

Pastor Stojcic believes it was providential that only weeks before meeting with Morgan to discuss the SEEDS program, the North New South Wales Conference had enrolled him, and a number of other pastors, in a coaching training program. “Coaches are people who are trained to, through a structured process, help people discover God’s will for their lives, do the will of God and enjoy it,” says Pastor Stojcic. “Having received some training in this field, this is potentially one of the most significant initiatives of our church. Coaching empowers, motivates and equips people to achieve things they once believed to be impossible!”

Please pray for Hamilton Church and its programs as they call on God to lead them forward.

—Paul Roussos/Pastor David Stojcic

More at <http://hamilton.adventist.org.au>

Gloucester Adventist Church commenced the “Secrets of Prophecy” seminar series on 21 September, running three programs over that weekend on the friday, Saturday and Sunday. Since then, they have hosted the seminars on Wednesday nights at the church, and have used the inflatable Daniel 2 statue to help promote it.

Graham Stewart, the church’s pastor, says, “Some interesting stuff has happened! We planned it over the past year, and with Gloucester being a small church, it was a lot of work. The Daniel 2 statue generated a lot of local interest. People came from the pub to see it and take photos with it. The water board guys were there at the time and even helped me put it up. When I’d go away, they’d come and stand in front of it for photos!”

The local newspaper wrote an article about the series and the statue, and the inflatable statue also became a temporary “landmark.” Graham says, “In the midst of one of our programs, our head deaconess went outside and found a whole group of people gathered around. She asked them to come in, but they said they were on a car rally and were looking for the name of the ancient Babylonian king.”

The 24-lesson “Secrets of Prophecy” series initially saw 12 non-Adentists in attendance. “Of that 12, we have seven coming along all the time,” says Graham. “One of the guys is a retired physics professor and has a lot of questions. People have enjoyed it, which is good. The church members are supporting it too, and it’s good for them to re-affirm their beliefs. Sometimes it can be hard to generate interest in small towns, but it has been good.”

There have been a number of guest presenters for the seminars, including North New South Wales Conference President Pastor Justin Lawman, Matt Parra, the conference’s Evangelism Director, and Lyell Southwell.

— Adele Nash

OUR CHURCHES

Boolaroo Church donates supplies to local school

Boolaroo Adventist Church recently made its second donation of school supplies to the Boolaroo Public School for the year. The idea of giving practical donations to the school came from a Women’s Ministries initiative at the church. Rose Sillett, Women’s Ministries Director for the church, says, “The Women’s Ministry team wanted to do something to witness and contribute in a positive way, but weren’t really sure where to start. In researching, we found that contributions to the community were part of the things that could be done.”

This led Rose to contact the local school, ask what their needs were and find a way for church members to contribute by donating resources. “The school had mentioned that, due to government funding cuts, their resources weren’t being replenished,” says Rose. “In addition, due to socioeconomic factors for some families, some students’ parents weren’t able to provide them with basic items. The collection of resources goes to meeting those needs, and allows teachers to meet material needs without discriminating.”

The types of resources donated include tissues, lead pencils, coloured pencils, erasers, sharpeners, cup of soup packets and tea for the teachers, paper and hand sanitizer.

School Principal Louise Wrightson and Office Manager Janet Craggs were overjoyed to receive the donation, which was made at the beginning of November. Rose says, “Lousie is so appreciative to know that there’s an organisation that’s interested in their needs. The church recognises that public schools may not have the same

opportunities, funding options that some other schools do, but the children who attend them are just as much the foundation of our future. This is why it’s important to invest time and money in them.”

Boolaroo has a vision to be connected with the local community, and the school supplies outreach meets their mission statement of being community-oriented, assisting others, finding out what their needs are and acting as an avenue to share their goals. “There are families at the school who are almost untouched by our church,” says Rose. “We’ve got a great opportunity to witness to them by meeting their needs.”

The Boolaroo Church’s Women’s Ministries team thank the church members who have donated the items. Any supplies are given anonymously by members. Pastor David Stojcic, the minister at Boolaroo, has been supportive of the project.

“It’s important that as Adventists, we’re out in the community and are known for the positive, good things we do,” says Rose.

— Adele Nash/Rose Sillett

Opportunity to Reconnect at Lakeside’s Agape feast

On the final friday in October, Lakeside Adventist Church held its monthly Reconnect program, which is a youth-oriented program designed for church and community members alike. This time, there was a major difference to the night as the church was set out to host an Agape feast. The pews were moved to make room for a table set out in the shape of a cross where beautiful decorations and food were placed.

The evening featured congregational songs, some items by the Lakeside Ensemble, a short yet moving sermon by Pastor Peter Watts, footwashing and a communion service. Dr Julianne Millar, one of the church’s elders, says, “The Agape feast provided an intimate setting in the church to contemplate again what an awesome sacrifice Jesus has made on our behalf. The food, music, creative decor and Pastor Peter’s message all contributed to a very special night.”

Dylan Matthes, a member of Lakeside’s youth group, enjoyed the opportunity to mingle and chat with friends, but also appreciated being able to “spend time reflecting on what Jesus did for us.”

The atmosphere of the evening was something that many people remarked on. Mel Olsen, another elder of the church, says, “Several people with special skills created a special atmosphere for a solemn yet joyful opportunity for the community to fellowship and worship. As a church, we need each other’s company. We were blessed by those who did the planning and preparation for such a spiritual time.”

As well as sharing food and fellowship, attendees of the Reconnect program also had the opportunity to put pieces of paper with notes of gratitude, prayer and requests on the cross that was set up at the front of the church, symbolically giving over those things to Jesus.

— Pam Hill/Adele Nash

Kitchen Cabinet opens the doors for Alstonville Octoberfest

On Sunday, 20 October, the Alstonville Adventist Church Hall, which is located within the Alstonville Lifestyle Community property, became the venue for more than 70 guests and staff who celebrated with an Octoberfest Community Luncheon. Invitations were sent to all residents of the Alstonville Lifestyle Community, many of whom are not Adventist members. Rod McInnes and his team of helpers had invested many hours of organisation — and hard work — to knock out a wall to extend and refurbish the kitchen. Church members were keen to capitalise on the upgraded kitchen by inviting community member to this friendship meal. Catering team members from the church, led by Anne McInnes, provided an attractive, healthy three-course vegetarian meal. Members of the country music band aptly named “The Pacemakers” — Gerry Willis from Kyogle, Don fairclough from the Glass House Mountains, and Helen and Don flannigan of Meerschaum Vale — provided quality background music. When asked whether they would like a repeat performance the following year, one table group chorused, “Definitely yes, but we would like it four times a year to capture the veggies in season!”

Alstonville Church members believe that the new kitchen should provide for more than church potlucks. So far, the church has catered for the church wedding of Jill Phillips and David Keeler, In-Country Director of Asian Aid, Bangalore, India. Now they hope to reach out into the wider community using the resources of the improved kitchen facility. Judging from the response at the recent Octoberfest, future social events may well be an opening to the church door and the message of the Gospel.

— Lionel Hughes

OUR CHURCHES

CHIP success at Lakeside

The evening of 28 September was a highlight for the participants of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) held at Lakeside Adventist Church. A banquet was held at the culmination of the eight-week CHIP program, which was the second program the team had conducted since the upgrading of the CHIP series.

In all, 25 people attended, with two from the community, seven members of Lakeside Church and the rest from other churches in the area. Two of the participants — a doctor and a minister — were from Botswana. They were there to learn how to run CHIP so they could conduct the program back in Botswana. Unfortunately, they were unable to stay for the full eight weeks, but went home fired up and ready to begin CHIP!

Participants in the program enjoyed the cooking demonstrations and food tastings, the competition each night to see which table had walked the furthest since the previous meeting and the interesting lectures on DVD. The DVD lectures are presented by Dr Hans Diehl, the founder of CHIP; Dr Andrea Avery; and Dr Darren Morton from Avondale College.

By the end of the program, collectively many kilos had been shed and all felt the program had been worthwhile.

— Pam Hill

Photos courtesy of Damian Wigglesworth

The Haven in Heaven

On the weekend of 12 October, The Haven Adventist Church witnessed three baptisms, with a total of 10 people committing themselves to Christ in this public rite. There were six youth and four adults. The six youths are all students at the Central Coast Adventist School. School principal Dean Bennetts said, “It is so gratifying to see these young people make a stand for Christ in a world that is so godless.”

The whole church gathered at the beach to witness, support and welcome them into the family of God. These sentiments were shared by the pastor who stated that, “When the church, school and family work together great things can happen for God.” The officiating pastor was AJ Grant, a past pastor of the Haven.

— Bob Bolst

Above: Rhonda Carey, Gayle Watts, Yvette Hughes, Vilma Golstajn and Lydia Ashby serve delicious desserts for the Octoberfest attendees.

Above: “The Pacemakers’ entertain guests at Alstonville Adventist Church’s Octoberfest luncheon, which was held in the church hall, utilising their recently-upgraded kitchen facilities.

OUR CHURCHES

Blue Haven celebrates two baptisms

On Sabbath, 9 November, two men from the Blue Haven church plant were baptised at Avondale Memorial Church at 3.00pm. Robert Moore and John Mitchell had been receiving Bible studies in the home for many years, and regularly attended the Blue Haven Community Adventist Church Plant for many months. They decided to take their stand for Jesus after having further studies with Pastor Danny Milenkov.

Robert has been totally blind since birth. He was first befriended by an Avondale Memorial member Marie Martin (and her seeing-eye dog Charlie) at a meeting for the Vision Impaired. This led to a ministerial student connecting with Robert and having studies, but when he was involved in an accident, Roy Olsen started visiting and Marie came along to join in the studies as well.

Later on, the student resumed studies with Robert and he attended Pastor Milenkov’s Mission program at Blue Haven. Some of his friends who knew Robert before said, “We can hardly recognise he is the same person.”

Already Robert is taking an active role in Sabbath programs and has led out at times in prayer. During his childhood, Robert was sent to a religious institution as a young boy and was badly abused. Because of this, he developed a strong mistrust of God. But now, Robert in his 70th year can say with confidence, “I have only been a Christian for three and half years, and now I know that God is a God of Love.”

Before their baptism, Robert and John gave testimonies about how the Lord has led them. This caused many to have tears in their eyes.

During Robert‘s testimony, he shared in his humorous way that, “People who know me pretty well know that I say ‘I never back down’ and ‘I never say I am wrong.’ But I have had to admit that God does indeed love me.” He proceeded to share a wonderful encounter with God when he was very ill in hospital with a severe infection. All at once, “I felt the Holy Spirit coming into me,” he said. “I then remembered about cursing the Devil in Jesus’ name, and the next day after only having one course of

Beautiful baptism day at Casino Church

antibiotics there was no infection.”

These beautiful words sealed his testimony: “Jesus is going to be the centre of my life. I’ve gone through my life without having anything to live for, and now I am a Seventhday Adventist and have Jesus Christ.”

John was first visited by Tom Thompson who had accepted the call from the Avondale College Theology department to deliver some DVDs in the Blue Haven area. Roy also visited John, and gave Bible studies and offered support over a three-year period, particularly in the past six months when John nursed his very ill wife Liz until her recent passing. John said after sharing his most interesting testimony that, “All you have to do is pray to God. What you do is pray to God in the morning and stay close to him.”

John’s parents both went overseas during the war and he was left with his grandfather who was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He had not seen his parents for 11 years and when they returned, he did not know them. Meanwhile, his grandfather took him with him selling books. One time, a woman kicked him down the stairs with his books. He did not get any sympathy from his grandfather, who said, “You sit there and be quiet son.”

At a young age, John entered the 22 Squad at Williamtown, then he went to Butterworth and into Air Control. While there he endured a horrific experience seeing that his mate’s body severed in two. After a period of six months’ convalescence, John joined the railways and spent 36 years there, working his way up to Station Master even at the Sydney Terminus and many other places. When he meet Liz, they both decided to become Baptists. However, this all changed as John was befriended by Tom and then Roy, who actively supported them all both during the difficult days of Liz’ illness. John is now reaching out to bring others into the church.

— Margaret Major

Wendy King was baptised in the Casino Adventist Church on 24 August this year. She and all the Casino Church members were blessed to have her family come along on her special day. She shared her testimony, which was a powerful display of how God had worked in her life on a journey that had started 20 years earlier. Around 20 years ago, Wendy met her neighbours Charlie and Carol Evans, who were the first to introduce her to Christianity.

Around 12 months ago, Wendy felt impressed to go to the Casino Adventist Church because of the witness of her neighbours all those years ago. So one Wednesday afternoon, she made a deal with God that if someone was at church, she was meant to go. There she found the Bible worker Tim Merritt and Joy Jung having a Bible study with some students from Blue Hills College.

Not long after this, Wendy started attending church and having Bible studies, which led her to committing her life to God through the waters of baptism.

Her baptism was attended by her old neighbour Carol, but sadly not by Charlie, who passed away around six months earlier due to cancer. He will not realise the impact he had on Wendy’s life until they meet in the clouds of Heaven.

— Jessica Bevan

OUR SCHOOLS

Avondale School hospitality students cook for cancer research

“Cooking for Cancer” was the theme recently adopted by Avondale School Year 11 Hospitality students as they helped raise funds for vital research into deadly prostate cancer.

In a fundraising event organised by the Southlake Community Services Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday, 16 October, Avondale School students hosted, prepared and served an extravagant three-course meal from the school’s commercial kitchen to a room full of cancer survivors, their friends and supporters.

“The food was wonderful and the service brilliant,” said organiser Annette Wenning. “This is our fourth year raising funds for cancer with the help of Avondale School students, and the food just gets better every year.”

Hosted by Hunter Lifestyle Magazines’s Phil Collins, with entertainment from talented local performer francine Bell, Annette says, “The luncheon was a great success, raising both awareness of prostate cancer and much needed funds for research.”

— Felicity Pittaway

Mothers and daughters share banquet at Macksville Adventist School

Macksville Adventist School believes in the bonding relationships between parents and children. Each year, events are arranged by the chaplain and Pastoral Care Team to encourage these connections; and Monday night, 4 November was no exception.

21 mothers and daughters were treated to a sit-down formal banquet in a café-style setting. The theme was “Summer fun,” with shells, surfboards, bright pink lilos and Kombi vans used to set the scene. The mothers and daughters sat at their own intimate tables, and were given the opportunity to converse about a range of topics, such as “Who was/is your best friend?” and “What was/is your favourite toy?”

As well as games, riddles and jokes, the women and girls were treated to a spectacular meal of summer foods thanks to Leah Duncan, who came all the way from Cooranbong especially to cook for the event. Not forgetting the gentlemen who gave up their time wait at the tables, it was a memorable evening, with the girls are already looking forward to 2014.

— Kerry Howard