NorthPoint - November, 2014

Maids of Courage

It’s not often that the beauty and power of vulnerability is celebrated in public forums. But when three women from Asian Aid’s Women’s Health Project in Nepal visited Australia in September, the dialogue about the courage and vulnerability of Nepal’s “Maids of Courage” — women who have risked embarrassment and discrimination by openly sharing their health struggles with uterine prolapse (UP) — was made public. Their presentations about the sensitive and highly neglected issue of UP in Nepal highlighted the power vulnerability has in empowering women to receive help and to inspire change around them.

Dr Angela Basnet, Rama Basnet and Samita Pradhan — from Asian Aid’s partners Community Service Academy of Nepal (COSAN) and the Centre for Agro-Ecology and Development (CAED) in Nepal — spoke boldly to receptive audiences in New South Wales and Queensland about the issue of UP.

“Educating people — in Nepal and abroad — about the social stigma that comes with UP, about the importance of changing men’s attitudes towards equality and equity, and about preventative measures takes time,” Samita told audiences in Australia.

Despite working in a society where deeply-ingrained cultural practices and beliefs often prevent women from seeking or receiving help, Asian Aid’s partners are committed to advocating for change.

“We partner with local volunteers and organisations to build trust, and achieve sustainability for our program in the remote communities in which we work,” says Samita. “One method we use is to train local ‘model couples’ and health workers to encourage women and girls to be more open — and vulnerable. Our staff live in the community and help educate community members about the causes and effects of UP, provide basic diagnosis, referral and treatment to women with UP, and give necessary counselling.”

Sita’s Story

Sita’s story was one of many stories the women shared with audiences in Australia. Sita’s experience of suffering in silence began after losing her first child in labour. Three weeks after the birth, and after being made to return to work in the fields again, Sita was carrying water on her back up a long, steep hill when she first noticed signs of the “fallen womb.” Daily activities became difficult from then on. Sita’s husband considered the condition “normal” because his own mother suffered from third-degree UP too. Like many other women, Sita suffered in silence, doing her best to bring as little attention as possible to her condition.

Twenty-five years on, when COSAN set up a free health clinic in the village, Sita’s husband advised her to seek help. After her check up, Sita was sent immediately to (Continued on page 3)

Zenith Beach

OUR CONFERENCE

From the President: Buy land

It was one of the darkest days in all the history of God’s people. The King of Babylon had come to Jerusalem for the third time to lay siege to the city and destroy it. God’s messenger Jeremiah had been placed in prison by King Zedekiah because he was telling people the truth. God had also made it very clear that the city and the temple were going to be destroyed.

In the middle of this chaotic scene, a longlost uncle turns up and asks Jeremiah to buy his field in Anathoth (Jeremiah 32:8). It would have been easier to sell ice to Eskimos than to sell land surrounding Jerusalem at that time. You could say they were at the bottom of the market anyway and you’d never get land any cheaper. But God intervenes in the darkest of circumstances to offer a bright glimmer of hope.

God instructs Jeremiah to go ahead, buy the land and exchange the deeds. In Jeremiah 32:15, it says, “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.’”

This is so like God. When everything else is failing, He’s not the slightest bit flustered. As always, He steps into our lives and offers us our only hope. This is why the Seventh-day Adventist Church exists in North New South Wales. As our world grows increasingly stressed and frightened about the future — whether it be about the economy, Ebola, or terrorism (both home-grown and abroad) — God wants us to get out into our communities and offer people their only hope.

The hope we offer is the person of Jesus, who has promised to step into the history of this world, redeem His people and ultimately fix what seems to be unfixable today.

I hope that, as stress levels are going up in our society, your hope is growing deeper and stronger. And before Jesus steps into our planet’s story again, I hope we give people an opportunity for Him to step into their lives. We want everyone to be given every opportunity to know what a loving, wonderful God we serve.

— Pastor Justin Lawman

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

From the General Secretary: A little history

Since the establishment of the Seventhday Adventist Church in 1863, the structure used to achieve its unchanging, God-given mission has evolved.

Philosophically, the church has always preferred to operate as an unincorporated entity. However, one of the limitations of operating as an unincorporated entity is that unincorporated entities cannot legally own property and cannot enter into legally-enforceable contracts.

This meant that up until 1909 in Australia, church property was held and contracts were made in the names of individuals. The shortcomings of that arrangement are easily identified: risk of fraud, death of the owner, changing relationship of the individual with the church, etc.

Therefore, the Australasian Conference Association Limited (ACA Ltd) was incorporated in 1909 to be the only incorporated entity of the church, established for the sole purpose of being a trustee for the holding of all property of the Seventhday Adventist Church in Australia. This means in the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference unincorporated constitution, it states that “ACA Ltd is the sole trustee for the Conference to acquire, hold, manage, dispose of or deal with real and personal property for and on behalf of, or for the use, benefit or purpose of the Conference.”

The NNSW Conference Executive Committee provides instructions to ACA Ltd as to how they want the property of the conference, held by ACA Limited, to be managed.

Relying on these powers in the constitution, the NNSW Executive Committee recently approved the sale of a number of pieces of property. Adventist Senior Living had surplus land at Crawford Road, Cooranbong, which has recently been sold. The Erina and The Entrance Churches are amalgamating and constructing a new church jointly, necessitating the sale of both their existing churches. Erina Church is now sold, and The Entrance is on the market for sale. The Stockton Church was also recently sold.

The governance structure of the church has evolved in response to the changing environment. But the mission has not — and never will — change as it is God-given. The unincorporated constitution states it well: “The objective of the Conference and any affiliated entities of the Conference is to facilitate the proclamation of the everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the context of the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14:6-12; leading people to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord as they become His disciples and responsible members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; and nurturing them in preparation for His soon return.”

Any decision made to do anything in the NNSW Conference is done with that objective clearly in mind.

— Pastor Paul Geelan

Maids of Courage

OUR CONFERENCE

(Continued from page 1) hospital for surgery. Following a successful surgery, Sita started gaining weight again and living pain-free.

Sita’s older sister had also suffered from UP after giving birth to her first child, but her husband deserted her when he found out. After seeing Sita happy and healthy after her operation, her sister decided to seek help as well.

Sita is now an advocate for women and says, “Before the clinic, we never knew that there were solutions to this problem. If I had known it was this easy, I would have requested that my husband sell some land so that we could seek this treatment. We should tell our suffering sisters about this treatment, and how to prevent the problem. I don’t want anyone to suffer like I did. Thank you for giving me back my life.”

The tenacity of women

Dr Angela, a medical doctor who has been attending rural health camps to provide care to remote villagers in Nepal for the past 10 years, said she is amazed by the way women support and care for each other. “One of the key lessons I have learnt when providing assistance to remote communities is that the Nepali women are not as weak and fragile as they are often portrayed,” she says.

It was this one clear message that most confronted and challenged the audiences in Australia: regardless of context, culture or creed, vulnerability can lead to healing and to inspiration for others.

University and high school students, women, men, members of local organisations and health professionals in Australia were also challenged by another message shared by the visiting Nepali presenters, and reminded to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

— Sonja Larsen

Photos courtesy of Joshua Moses, Sonja Larsen and Vanessa Reynolds

You too can support Asian Aid’s Women’s Health Project and ensure this life-changing work continues. Visit <www.asianaid.org.au> or call (02) 6586 4250 to find out more about the Women’s Health Project or to donate.

Refreshed at Refueled Camp

Over the October long weekend, the Youth Ministries Department held their annual Refueled Bible Camp at Yarrahapinni. Dr John Hammond was the guest speaker for the weekend, stepping in to share his perspectives on the Bible after the previous speakers who had been booked had to cancel.

Pastor Rick Hergenhan, Director of Youth Ministries for the North New South Wales Conference, says, “It was a very successful weekend and we had a great time together. John was our guest speaker and he did an excellent job. He was digging right into the Word and spoke in a way that everyone could understand. We were very happy to have him stand in at the last minute — he was an excellent choice.”

The 46 people who attended Refueled enjoyed the great weather and had time for fun as well as Bible study. There was a games night on the Saturday night, and Pastor Hergenhan says, “We even put the boat on the water all day Sunday.”

Attendees felt the Refueled weekend was “very positive.” Pastor Hergenhan says, “Some said, ‘We thought we’d just be sitting here reading the Bible all weekend, but this is really cool!’ It was a great, spirituallyrefreshing weekend.”

— Adele Nash

Photo courtesy of Matt Clarke

Aged care changes

Last July, the Federal Government announced changes to aged care accommodation expenses. The financial changes only apply to admissions to residential care from 1 July, 2014. The Federal Government has introduced a means test on income and assets. Depending on your income and assets, you may be required to pay a means-tested care fee.

“The My Aged Care website provides details about the changes, including a residential care fee estimator,” states Bruce Tually, Chief Operations Officer at Adventist Senior Living. “However, we encourage those wanting more information regarding this to seek independent financial advice.”

Mr Tually assures us that “the high level of quality residential care currently provided by Adventist Senior Living will continue, and will not be impacted by the recent changes.”

— Nadine Fischer

For more information on Adventist Senior Living Aged Care, please phone (02) 4977 0000 or visit <www.adventistseniorliving.com.au>. Find out more about the aged care changes at <www.myagedcare.gov.au>.

OUR CONFERENCE

Rally Day brings Pathfinders together in a new way

Pastor Gilbert Cangy, Director of Youth Ministries for the General Conference (GC), was the guest speaker for the rally. He recorded his presentation on the Thursday before the rally in the USA and it was then played on the Sabbath. Pastor Jonatán Tejel, Pathfinder Director for the GC, also shared a message with the Pathfinders. The messages and greetings from both GC youth leaders were broadcast at the MPC, and also via the live site where the Rally Day’s events were streamed.

“We encouraged clubs to get together wherever they were — whether at their church, while camping or at someone’s home — and watch it online,” says Pastor Hergenhan. “It was our ambition to make the day as interactive as possible through the use of Facebook, where people could send us messages and pictures. We also had a quiz where answers were text messaged back to a central number. Wallsend Pathfinder Club won the quiz.”

Pastor Hergenhan notes that although Pathfinders events are usually run with an effort made to avoid the use of technology, the aim of this Rally Day was to use it as much as possible. “There were only a few quiz questions that didn’t require the use of Google,” he says. “For example, one question was, ‘Where was the first Pathfinder camporee in Australia held?’”

On Saturday, 20 September, the North New South Wales (NNSW) Youth Ministries Department ran a unique Pathfinder Rally Day. Instead of assembling groups of Pathfinders from around the conference in one place, the rally was livestreamed from the Avondale School Multipurpose Centre (MPC) to Pathfinder groups around the conference. Clubs from the local Lake Macquarie area gathered at the MPC, while other clubs took part in the Rally Day from the comfort of their own local churches. The reasoning behind having a Rally Day like this was due to the upcoming Pathfinder Camporee. Pastor Rick Hergenhan, Director of Youth Ministries for the NNSW Conference, says, “The rationale was that, in a year when we have a big camporee coming up, which is a financial burden on clubs, we still want to get together, worship and have the Rally Day experience without an added financial burden before camporee. The feedback we had from club directors and Pathfinders about the day was very positive.”

The day also featured challenges for Pathfinder clubs to complete, such as “writing” out a Bible verse using human letters. Pastor Nick Kross, Director of Youth Ministries for the South Pacific Division, was interviewed and he shared information about the upcoming iThirst Camporee.

The day could not have been run without the assistance of many helpers who made things easier for the team. “We’d like to say a special thanks to 3ABN for providing their cameras and equipment,” says Pastor Hergenhan. “There were also the helpers — Andrew Pratt, Wayne Hawken and Jason Eddy. A special thanks also goes to Justin and Katrina Boyd. Justin is our new Pathfinder District Director for the southern part of our conference. He really helped to pull the Rally Day together. Thanks also go to everyone who took part for being willing to have a go at the experiment!”

— Adele Nash

Avondale School Family Festival a HUGE success

September saved its most spectacular Spring weather for the 4000+ visitors to Avondale School for the 2014 Family Festival. The crowds enjoyed amusement rides, market stalls, colourful clowns, balloons, ice-creams, pony rides, a petting zoo, and the annual one-kilometre and three-kilometre fun runs. The car show was also a highlight, with more than 50 cars and bikes on display, and great prizes on offer.

The carnival atmosphere was electric and buzzed from 9.00am until 2.00pm, with music, laughter and the delicious smells that wafted from the food alley filling the air.

This year, families had the opportunity to explore the school campus, with the festival spread throughout the main area of the school grounds. The new location for the Family Festival allowed the school to showcase the wonderful facilities at Avondale School, and the response from the crowds about the different location was a knockout!

Dr David Faull, Principal of Avondale School, says, “Praise for the event was outstanding. The feedback keeps coming! We have received many positive comments, like this one from local MP Greg Piper, who said, ‘[It was a] fantastic community event. My grandkids loved it — it was a real pleasure to be there.’”

If you missed out on the Avondale School Family Festival this year, make sure you put it on your calendar for September next year!

—Kerrie Howells

OUR CHURCHES

No secret about outreach at Blue Haven

as he began the series. Two theology students —Anders Akerlund and Stephen Takac — have assisted him in the presentations. Many Blue Haven Church members have been in attendance to lend a hand in various areas of need and to offer friendship to the community visitors. Members have been encouraged to befriend and pray for these people, especially as the truths they are hearing — some for the very first time — involve huge decisions.

Pastor Milenkov says, “There were 19 non-Adventists who so far have come more than once, and of those, 14 are really keen.”

A “Secrets of Prophecy” seminar, run with the support of It is Written Oceania, could not be kept a secret when many volunteers from the Blue Haven Community Church and Avondale Memorial Church distributed 10,000 handbills into the letterboxes of homes in the surrounding district over a two-week period.

Newspaper and radio advertisements heralded the coming event as well, which commenced on 13 September at the Blue Haven Community Centre. Registrations started coming in from as far away as Woy Woy and Ettalong. Pastor Danny Milenkov had barely returned from running a mission in Papua New Guinea, which was part of Avondale Memorial’s Adopt-A-Clinic commitment, when he launched the “Secrets” seminar. Prayer was central to the meetings and planning.

“Who Will Control the World?” was the first presentation delivered by Pastor Milenkov

Hobby transitions into a ministry

An Arnie’s Shack concert in the Avondale College Church on 2 August drew a crowd of some 450 people, including around 100 children, at the formal launch of the new Noah’s Ark DVD set.

The 90-minute concert included sand art presentations by Tiani Page, an interview with Noel Deed about his two scale models of Noah’s Ark with Cybèle Coutet, several of Kimberly Houliston’s new “Ark Action Songs” sung by children, Pastor Daron Pratt’s Balloon Kaboom!, PJ the Postman (whose walk inside the scale ark model intrigued everybody) and, of course, the popular puppet Arnie.

All of these — and more — are featured in the new DVDs.

The DVD set is the culmination of a year’s intense work. Kimberly, a learning and support primary teacher in Cooranbong and cofounder of Abide Family Ministries, combined forces with her dad Noel, who lives in Port Macquarie. They exchanged endless emails and bounced ideas off each other in their pursuit of a dream — a biblically-based DVD to counter the anticipated launch of the Hollywood Noah movie, featuring Russell Crowe, in March 2014.

A pivotal factor in the making of these DVDs was having realistic scale models of Noah’s Ark. This is a story in itself. Briefly stated, those models came together in Noel’s Port Macquarie workshop over a three-year period up to 2012. Barely finished, the models were included in a regional scale models exhibition. And that is where God’s hand became apparent. They created quite a sensation.

This triggered a series of events, which quickly transitioned Noel’s hobby into a ministry. Those events included newspaper reports with a photo of the ark models, a

Blue Haven members are praying that these people will go on to accept and act on what they’ve learned. The seminars are now being run on Mondays at 4.00pm and 7.00pm, and will conclude on 1 December.

— Margaret Major

full-page feature article in the March 2013 Regional Focus magazine, filling requests for presentations with the models, and talks about the ark and Genesis flood to many secular groups, schools and church groups. And Noel even took the models — by special request — to the Sydney Scale Model Boat Show in May 2014, where they were the featured exhibit.

The August 2014 models exhibition at Port Macquarie saw someone tell Noel via email, “Your Noah’s Ark display was the light and salt of the entire exhibition — and a crucial and urgent witness to all who saw it (whether they ignored, were mildly interested, offended or captured by its truth). Every blessing to you as you continue in this ministry.”

Pastor Joseph Maticic, who ministers to the Port Macquarie Church, has reminded Noel of God’s question to Moses — “What is that in your hand?” He told Noel that his ark ministry is a classic example of God using what was in his hand — in Noel’s case, his model-building talent.

So, now a reality, the Noah’s Ark DVD is available for purchase. Comprising two discs, it appeals to grown-ups with an engaging interview with Noel, the model’s builder. It also appeals to children with two unique action-packed episodes of Arnie’s Shack.

— Noel Deed/NorthPoint

Photos courtesy of Kimberly Houliston

OUR CHURCHES

CCCC’s STORM Co team grateful for Quirindi experience

At the beginning of October, a group of exhausted Central Coast Community Church (CCCC) youth returned from another amazing school holiday STORM Co experience. This is the fourth year of connecting with the small town of Quirindi, and the locals have come to know and appreciate this group of volunteers.

Each day, the team would run a Kids Club, which included a variety of “clinics.” Grant Collins and Clayton DiSalvia helped the young boys with footy skills. Hayley Price, Shenae Goodwin and Michael Key supervised the Dance Clinic (DJs were Penford and Jamie Price). Kayla Sleight and Tim Hope ran the Drama Clinic. Whilst the kids had fun, parents and carers were treated to a cafe experience by Tiyana, Olivia and Renee.

Each day, team members took photos of something they were grateful for, and shared them in the evenings with the others. This “attitude of gratitude” was a simple, but powerful, way of learning to appreciate everyday events.

STORM Co leader Rachel Goods said it was a fantastic week, and adds, “My highlight was the community work. The team divided into small groups and door knocked to offer their help for the elderly. We were given all sorts of jobs, from cleaning up the garden to washing cars. Often someone would just sit and chat with an old lady who had been quite lonely.”

As a thank you, team members were often given potato bake or yummy treats to share with the rest of the group. The week finished with the STORM Co team taking the church service on Sabbath. The small congregation at Quirindi Church were very appreciative and many were moved to tears during the program.

CCCC is proud of its group of teens and youth. They represented God with dignity and honour. Rachel would also like to say a special thanks to Nimrod Maua for his support, and a huge thanks to Kathy Altona for keeping everyone well fed.

— John and Melissa Sanburg/CCCC Connections

“Central Coast Got Talent”

The first Saturday night in September was an opportunity for Adventist churches on the Central Coast to unite and showcase their array of talent. The annual “Central Coast Got Talent” event was hosted by the Central Coast Community Church (CCCC), and attracted churches from Ourimbah, Erina, Gosford, The Haven and, of course, CCCC. The evening was hosted by Andrew Grant and Michael Calculli. The acts were judged by the pastors from each church.

All of the churches had a strong number of entrants in the talent night, each performing a variety of acts, from playing instruments to dancing, and singing to comedy skits. The winning act this year was Callen Bolst (piano) and Caden Pengilly (clarinet) from Gosford Church.

One of the highlights of the evening was a “flash mob” by CCCC, dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” It began with Michael Key dancing on the stage, then he was joined by four young women. More and more dancers appeared throughout the audience — eventually around 30 people were involved in the event!

Marion Hills from Gosford Church began the “Central Coast Got Talent” concept back in 2011, and she gave a special tribute to Melissa Sanburg for her hard work in organising the event for the past three years.

Special thanks were also given to all those who donated food and to those who helped in the kitchen. All funds raised from the evening will support the mission team going to Cambodia at the end of this year.

— John and Melissa Sanburg/CCCC Connections

Quirindi outreach takes “Steps to Happiness”

Pastor Peter Watts, Conference Evangelist for the North New South Wales Conference, assisted Obed Soire, who ministers to the Tamworth and Quirindi Churches, with an outreach program in Quirindi in September.

Obed says, “The program we’re doing is called ‘Three Steps to Happiness,’ which is a repackaged version of the ‘Secrets of Prophecy’ program. In total, we had six guests from the community attend. One of the ladies has actually started coming to church. She’s been an Adventist before, and when she got the brochure in the mail, she felt that God was calling her back to come to Jesus.”

The “Three Steps” program started on 28 September and ran for three nights, finishing on 30 September. This has been followed by weekly sessions, which will run until December. The series is being run in the Quirindi Church Hall. Obed and the church members are excited about the prospects the outreach has given them. “We’ve had a very good response, including from our own membership, who are in full support of the series,” he says. “A lot of unity and synergy has occurred as a result of this outreach.”

— Adele Nash

Pioneering president returns to Cooranbong

Dr Lyn Behrens, recently-retired President of Loma Linda University, tried to make a quiet return visit to her home church, but sitting quietly in a pew at Avondale Memorial Church on 11 October was sufficient for Dr Behrens to be noticed by many friends.

Dr Behrens’s parents came to Cooranbong in the 1920s and met at Avondale College. She regards herself as an ordinary Cooranbong girl, but her achievements indicate a life of extraordinary brilliance and ability. Graduating with honours as a medical doctor from Sydney University in 1964, she initially followed a career in paediatrics before attracting attention as a potential administrator.

A retirement tribute from congressman Jerry Lewis, speaking at the United States House of Representatives, neatly sums up a remarkable life: “Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good friend Dr B Lyn Behrens, who is retiring after nearly two decades of guiding Loma Linda University Medical Centre into a regional, national and international role in modern medical technology, trauma care and cancer research.

An innovator and pioneer throughout her career, Dr Behrens became the first paediatric resident at Loma Linda University Medical Centre in 1966, just two years after completing her medical degree at the Sydney University School of Medicine. She became the first female dean of the medical school in 1986, and in 1990 she became the university’s first female president.

Dr Behrens, who describes her leadership style as participatory and collaborative, was President of Loma Linda University for 22 years until her retirement in 2012. She is given much credit for raising the profile of the university as a Seventh-day Adventist institution known to be a world leader in the teaching and practice of medicine from a distinctly Christian perspective.

— Dr John Hammond

OUR CHURCHES

Brewarrina members mourn passing of Aunty Joyce

“I have often referred to Joyce Doole as Australia’s Mother Teresa to the Aussie bush kids. She truly cared about the kids,” Jack Cannons, AM, Chairman at Variety Australia, told mourners at Joyce Doole’s funeral in Brewarrina at the end of September.

Joyce, who was born on 16 June, 1945 and passed away on 17 September this year, was a member of the Brewarrina Church group. She and her husband Les heavily invested in care for Indigenous children, working to provide opportunities and care for them. Jack met Joyce and Les around 25 years ago when they contacted Variety to seek Christmas presents for around 100 Aboriginal children in Brewarrina. A friendship grew out of this, and Jack says, “This friendship was based on trust and respect — respect for their support of the kids.”

Joyce and other women in the town also ran a “Granny Patrol,” which helped children around the town. After years of asking for a bus to help with this work, the Governor General of Australia presented a bus to Joyce, Les and the kids from Brewarrina. One of the big programs that Joyce and Les got started was the “Bush to Beach” program, which was designed to assist children grow their self-esteem and develop their education. By going to school regularly, children were rewarded with a trip to the beach, where they’d have lessons with the South Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club.

Pastor Neil Thompson, Ministerial Secretary for the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference, says, “They’d only ever take kids to the beach if they’d been at school and out of trouble. It transformed the school — they only used to have a few graduate from Year 12, but now they have more than a dozen graduate every year. Here was a lady who had an undying love of kids, and that love of kids won the support of the town’s mayor, politicians and others. She had high standards for the kids and demanded people do something to help. This means the ‘Bush to Beach’ program will continue, as will the Christmas presents program.”

Pastor Justin Lawman, President of the NNSW Conference, attended the funeral and says, “Joyce and Les joined the Brewarrina group a couple of years ago. They were baptised by Pastor John Lang after Keith and Danuta Stockwell had studied with them. Joyce was on fire for the Seventh-day Adventist message, and she and Les had such a beautiful love story. The funeral was a huge event, and to have the local mayor, the Chairman of Variety and the President of the South Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club there shows the impact she had made, not only on the town of Brewarrina, but also further afield.”

Joyce is survived by her husband Les; sons Ralph, Alex, Darren and Raymond; daughter Glenda; sisters Francis, Sheila and Gloria; and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Pastor Greg Nolan conducted the funeral, with Richard Clarke playing the didgeridoo welcome, a Bible reading shared by Keith and special music from the Bre Sisters.

— Adele Nash

OUR CHURCHES

Three blessed baptisms at Woy Woy

Wauchope welcomes newest member

Wauchope Adventist Church recently celebrated the baptism of its newest member, Rick Lulham. Rick said that although he has believed in God since he was a child, he never realised that it was possible to have a personal relationship with Him.

Rick began watching health DVDs with his wife Karen, who is the current health ministries leader at Wauchope. After seeing the health message, he then began to watch other DVDs containing the Adventist messages and was convinced that it all made so much sense. After attending a prophecy seminar in 2013, which was conducted by Wauchope’s Pastor Uriah St Juste, Rick began attending church and requested baptism studies.

When I first received the faith of Jesus, my experience was bittersweet. I was rejoicing and blown away with the information I was learning about Bible prophecy and the friend we have in Jesus, yet it was mixed with sorrow at the thought that I couldn’t share it with my family and friends — particularly with my parents. I am so thankful, however, that there is a prayer-answering God who loves us and cares for us.

He answered prayers for my parents and not only for my parents, but for a friend of mine as well, who I only recently caught up with again by God’s amazing grace. At the time we caught up, there was a “Last Empire” series scheduled to begin at the Peninsula Community Centre in Woy Woy. I gave her a personal invitation and said a little prayer — and God blessed.

On 27 September, the blessings culminated in Craig and Donna Corda, along with Danielle Vilder, deciding to publically announce their decision to give their lives to God through the witness of baptism. The day began at Woy Woy Adventist Church at 9.30am, with the day coinciding with the 13th Sabbath program. The whole Sabbath school focused and reflected on the world missionary work, as well as the Sabbath school activities Woy Woy Church took part in for the quarter.

Then at 11.00am, the main service began and it was an experience that Woy Woy Church hadn’t seen before, with more than 120 people present to support the three candidates for baptism. People came from far and near, within and without the conference. Also attending were friends and family of the candidates who were not Christian. It was a baptism and an outreach mission.

The service was beautifully put together, beginning with song service with the favourite hymns of the three candidates. The hymns and songs were played by the church’s talented vocal and orchestral members. The message was then shared by Pastor Adrian Craig. He encouraged Donna, Craig and Danielle in their decision to keep “looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” while walking the pilgrim path.

It was then followed by a quick trip down the road to the home of Donna and Craig. The neighbours were probably wondering what was going on, with people having to park along a good stretch of the street! It was in the home swimming pool where the three candidates sealed their decision by going into the watery “grave.” Woy Woy’s Pastor Eddie Mackie was blessed to perform the baptism.

There was a luncheon after the baptisms, which was a “feeding of the multitude,” followed by a musical concert, where the hymns and songs were a praise to God and an encouragement to the candidates. It was a very special day for those who attended, and only God can receive the credit for that.

— Joshua Corda

— Maureen Bradley

Warners Bay couple celebrate 60th anniversary

Ron and Audrey Rose of Warners Bay are set to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married in the old Hamilton Adventist Church by Pastor A L Pascoe on 2 November, 1954. Audrey had been baptised by Pastor Pascoe some two years prior, and Ron was baptised during Pastor George Burnside’s mission, which was held in a large tent in Newcastle a while before this.

They were some of the early members of Boolaroo Adventist Church, where Audrey was the leader in the Kindergarten department, as well as acting as a deaconess. Ron worked on the lawns and maintenance of the church, having been involved in the construction of the new church building in the 1980s. Both were held in high esteem for their willingness to help out whenever called on.

Ron spent his final working years before retirement serving with the ambulance service. He worked in this role for 28 years, and it was a job that gave him satisfaction. Ron and Audrey have three children — Stephen, Paul and Carolyn — as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

— Joan Cuskelly

Walking to church at Raymond Terrace

Walking to church is almost unknown today — it’s something from a bygone era. But recently, all the members of the Raymond Terrace Church Company had to walk to church.

No-one was able to drive to the church, as road works disrupted the traffic, making it impossible to drive or park near the church. Walking to church brought back many fond memories of times gone by for the older members of the congregation, and was a new experience for those of a younger generation.

— Mary Fedorow

Changing lives at Booragul

The Newcastle Samoan Adventist Church Plant at Booragul ran a “Secrets of Prophecy” seminar for two weeks from 20 July to 2 August. On average, they had between 30 and 40 people attend per night, and some programs even saw 60 people come to listen. The meetings were held in the church building. The children had their own program in the hall, which was catered for by the church’s mothers.

Talai Mohr, who ministers to the church plant, ran the seminar with the help of some Samoan theology students from Avondale College. They presented messages night by night.

Each night before the seminar began, the church family would gather together to pray for God’s blessings and leading as people came to listen to His Word being preached. Harema Tupau, a Samoan man, came to listen to the Word of God each night, and when the call was made for baptism, he responded and said he wanted to be baptised.

In giving his testimony, he shared with the members that he had been to almost all the other churches he could possibly attend. The Samoan group praises God that when he heard God’s truths night after night, the Holy Spirit convicted his heart and he chose Jesus to be his personal Friend to the end.

The baptism was held on 9 August down by the river not far from the church at Booragul.

Harena and Anna Collier publically declared their love for Jesus by being baptised, and this was witnessed by the church family and visitors.

Both of them are growing strongly in their faith in the Lord, and the Samoan Church Plant gives all honour and glory to God for this.

— Eseta Soaika

Baptism and outreach at Lakeside

On Sabbath, 20 September, Lakeside Church celebrated the baptism of Dylan Manavaroa as he made his commitment to follow Christ. Dylan had been studying the Bible with Pastor Peter Watts, as well as attending “The Prophetic Code” outreach series run by the church. A second series attendee has also made the decision for baptism.

The “Prophetic Code” series ran throughout August and September, beginning at the Bonnells Bay Youth and Community Centre, then moving to the church hall. Pastor Watts says, “The series was run as part of the Project Proclaim initiative, which encourages lay preachers to be involved in proclaiming the Gospel publicly. Six students from Avondale College helped plan, run and present the program. This provided an ideal opportunity for some of our students to get some experience in evangelistic preaching.”

The students were Ray Hobbs, Duane Suffolk, Stephanie Watson, Alan Oliva, Nathan Durrant and Leticia Moreno. “It was great to have them so willing to be involved, and the time and service given by Lakeside Church members was also greatly appreciated,” says Pastor Watts.

— Adele Nash/Pastor Peter Watts

OUR CHURCHES

CCCC’s “Café Climax”

There’s a lot happening for the youth and teens at Central Coast Community Church (CCCC) — from socials to the controversial questions during Interactive each Sabbath. But what’s so special about Friday nights? Adam Schulz, one of CCCC’s pastoral students, explains “Café Climax.”

Our Friday night program consists of a five-week cycle. We have three weeks of talks and discussion that’s interactive and practical, and then we finish with our big “Café Climax.” The purpose of Friday nights is to equip our youth with skills that will help them as individuals. It also aims to present themes that won’t exclude the non-Christians. We just ran our latest cycle on “Life 2.0.”

We wanted to teach our young people how to do life better and to equip youth for our “Street Pastors” ministry. This theme taught us how to communicate better in our everyday relationships and how to handle complex emotional situations. We had two lecturers from Avondale College present for the program. Pastor Mike Parker took our “Relationship” presentation and Paul Borgacs summed up the whole series on how to handle “Emotional Brokenness.” Our very own Kayla Sleight took the talk on “How to be present when our friend hurts” and Jesse Herford on “Communication.”

Every week we provide food, such as muffins, pastries, donuts and hot chocolate. For the “Café Climax” however, an amazing dinner was provided. This included hot chips, hotdogs, garden salad, tropical punch and hot drinks made by our trained baristas. Our last cycle had about 30 to 35 people at the first “Café Climax.” More recently, we had approximately 50 youth turn up.

It is incredible to see the way God is moving in this ministry. We have an amazing opportunity at our church, which allows us to dream big and execute. Without the support of the church and all our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to be as successful as we have been. We praise God for what He is doing at our church and with our young people, and for the willingness of our youth and leaders. Without Jesus at the head of our ministry, we are useless.

CCCC Connections/Adam Schulz

FEATURES

Multiple blessings on Andrew’s Atoifi adventure

If you’ve met Kingscliff Church member Andrew Harris, you’ll know that he’s an enthusiastic, creative, giving person who loves to find ways of helping people. When he recently had to undertake a medical elective as part of his course, he decided he wanted to do it in an international Adventist mission field somewhere.

Through the Adventist Medial Evangelism Network (AMEN), which is run in Australia by Antoinette Mowbray, Andrew heard about Atoifi Adventist Hospital as a potential placement site.

Andrew says, “I had been to the Solomon Islands nearly 10 years ago with a SONSHIP fly ‘n’ build team through Hillview Church in Morisset. We went to Kukudu in the Western Province to renovate the school and do kids clubs. But this time, I decided to go to Atoifi.”

Atoifi Adventist Hospital has served the people of the Solomon Islands since the mid1960s. It is one of five hospitals in the country, and is based on the island of Malaita. It also has a nursing school, which plays an important role in providing health care to the nation — it’s estimated that around 50 per cent of nursing staff in the Solomons have completed their training at Atoifi.

Donations a blessing

Prior to heading over to the Solomons, Andrew heard from Kerry Miller, a nurse who had taken a group of Avondale College nursing students to the hospital there recently. She told him that the students at Atoifi Adventist School needed musical instruments.

“I made a call out to my Facebook friends about it,” says Andrew. “Within two days, I had more than $750 donated. So I bought recorders, ukuleles and percussion instruments to take with me — and still had enough money to donate $SBD1000 cash to the school.”

This money came at the perfect time for the school.

“While I was handing the money over, the accountant showed me their budget for the year,” says Andrew. “She explained that the government’s contribution to the school was $SBD4000 less than they had budgeted for, so they were working at a loss. The school had also taken the students on an excursion for a music festival weekend, which had cost $SBD2000. They had prayed God would provide. So I made another call out to my Australian friends on Facebook and, within about a week, they had donated more than $AUD900, which equates to just a bit under $SBD6000. We were able to not only cover their deficit, but also were able to give them an extra bonus. How great is God!”

Providing music lessons for the students at the school was an added bonus.

The Atoifi adventure

Honiara is a three-hour flight from Brisbane, and Atoifi is a further 45-minute flight from there. “This connecting flight was in a tiny eight to 10-seater plane and was a real adventure,” says Andrew. “It was beautiful flying over the islands and seeing the blue of the ocean all around me, all while being deafened by the engines.”

They landed on a small grass runway and were greeted by a huge number of children and local villagers. “Through the crowd of friendly faces, a woman approached me and

helped coordinate the carrying of my bags back to the hospital,” says Andrew. “Now at this stage, I had 30 kilograms of instruments to carry with me as well as my luggage. It was incredibly humid and very hot, and out transport — a tractor with a trailer — was out of service due to having a flat tyre (I had brought a spare tyre with me). So we distributed the bags among the kids and locals who were willing to help, and walked the kilometre back to Atoifi — although it felt more like 10 kilometres!”

Although it was a tough walk, Andrew says, “In retrospect, it was a great introduction to the trip, because it introduced me to the daily struggles of these people — the effort it takes them to get their goods to market or their sick relatives to hospital. This one kilometre was nothing on the eight hours some patients have to walk from their mountain villages — walking while sick. Amazing people!”

Challenges and opportunities

Andrew says he didn’t know what to expect when he got to the hospital, but he enjoyed the experience at the hospital complex, which overlooks a natural harbour. His visit inspired him to look at the opportunities and challenges Atoifi has.

Although there are a lot of donations of goods and resources for the hospital, Andrew says, “The new challenge is that they can’t afford to have things shipped over there. The shipping containers cost about $AUD6000 to transport. But just by asking people on Facebook, we had more than $AUD3000 donated to go toward a shipping container. It’s amazing generosity! Atoifi is alive and well, but still needs support. Peggy Kendell, the CEO of the hospital is doing a fantastic job there.”

— Adele Nash/Andrew Harris

FEATURES

A whirlwind experience: A journal entry from Delena Caagbay after a recent visit to Asian Aid schools/projects

13 October, 2014

Arriving home from a 10-day whirlwind trip to India and Nepal has left me feeling a little sleepy. Partly from jetlag and partly from poor sleep due to honking car horns, early-rising roosters, noisy pigeons and mooing buffaloes (do they moo?).

I couldn’t get enough of the Indian and Nepali curries (so delish!), but I do think my digestive system is ready for something a little more on the bland side.

The people are so polite, quietly spoken, gentle and maybe a little shy. They are quick to smile, and on one day I think I even got a smiling headache (if that’s a thing). It must be contagious! I’m still a little confused about the head bobble. Does it mean yes or no? Still not sure.

I loved meeting all the gorgeous kiddos in the Asian Aid Children’s Homes we visited. They are so well-behaved and respectful. It is obvious they are loved by the staff, who do their best with minimal resources.

Learning about the Women’s Health Project in Nepal was so inspiring. Incredibly, Asian Aid’s partner COSAN in Nepal have performed more than 9000 uterine prolapse surgeries for women since 1997. One staff member shared a story where she walked 15 hours to present educational information on uterine prolapses, and only two local leaders showed up for the training.

Asian Aid’s Women’s Health Project partner COSAN has a comprehensive plan to assess, treat, prevent and increase awareness of uterine prolapse for the whole country. The work being done by COSAN is life-changing and of the utmost importance. There are so many things I have brought home with me from this trip — a greater understanding of the incredible work Asian Aid does with their local partners, lifelong memories of this amazing experience and a slight head bobble :)

Feeling blessed,

Delena

Delena lives in Sydney and works in health promotion for the Continence Foundation of Australia. She is passionate about women’s health, social justice issues and assists in the Asian Aid Op Shop in Cooranbong, which operates each Sunday at the Cooranbong Community Centre from 8.00am to 2.30pm.

The North New South Wales Conference’s Grey Nomads Camp for 2015 will be held at the Adventist Convention Centre, Stuarts Point, NSW from 8 to 16 May, 2015.

The camp is open to Grey Nomads from across Australia and is an excellent opportunity for retirees to meet and fellowship together. Dr David Jamieson, minister from Aldergrove Church in Vancouver, will be the guest speaker.

Applications will be available in December. For further details, phone (02) 4944 3220 or email <greynomads@adventist.org.au>.