NorthPoint - June, 2015

In

Transformations at Big Camp 2015

With the over-arching theme of “Transformed,” Big Camp 2015 was what Pastor Justin Lawman, President of the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference, described as an “unreal time — perfect weather, fantastic guest speakers, a capacity number of campers, and, from the feedback we’ve had so far, everyone says it’s the best Big Camp we’ve had in years and years.”

Pastor Lawman adds, “People also really appreciated the respect that different tents showed each other with the timing and volume of music. They were also blessed by the excellent preaching and great spirit at camp.”

The intentionality of a theme that spanned tents and workshops was aimed at continuing the NNSW Conference’s mission of discipling and training its members. Programs in all of the tents were well-attended, and the messages shared by the guest speakers — who included Dr Ron Clouzet, Pastor Nathan Renner, Julian Archer, Kessia Reyne Bennett, David B Frankllin, Delroy A Brooks, Andrew Kolbee and Marcha Williams — were enjoyed by those who heard them. Audio from the presentations will be added to the NNSW Conference website soon.

One of the highlights of Big Camp 2015 was the special ordination service held on the first Sabbath afternoon, where Helen Butova, Fred Chileshe, Steve Magaitis, Talai Mohr and Grego Pillay were ordained into God’s work before a packed audience in the Big Tent (their life stories can be found on pages 4 to 6).

Camp was as relaxed or as busy as attendees wished to make it — many of them chose to make the most of the wonderful weather and nearby beach. But there were also extensive choices of activities, presentations and workshops to get involved in on the camp site. This year’s men’s BBQ was another big success; and events for women and singles were also enjoyed by attendees.

Transformation extended beyond the theme of this year’s Big Camp and into other areas of the camp experience, with one of them being a move away from the traditional Expo Tent to the Super Sunday fête held on 12 April. Adele Nash, Communications Coordinator for the NNSW Conference, says, “Our first-ever Super Sunday was a wonderful success. It was fantastic to have almost all of our regular exhibitors there, along with a number of new ones. The family-friendly atmosphere of the afternoon was great, and everyone got involved in one way or another, whether they were throwing paper planes, having their faces painted or getting free Sanitarium samples. We will run Super Sunday again next year and look forward to bringing you an even bigger, better event!”

Big Camp 2016 will be held from 15 to 23 April.

— Adele Nash

See more Big Camp photos inside this issue on pages 3 and 6. Photos (including ordination portraits) courtesy of Ann Stafford.“Big Camp” sand photo (page 3) courtesy of Dave Gosling.

Page 2: From the President: Misrepresenting God

Pages 4 to 6: Big Camp Ordinations: life stories

Pages 8 and 9: Schools and churches commemorate Anzac Day centenary

Page 11: Is Jesus into Big Camp?

OUR CONFERENCE

From the President: Misrepresenting God

It seems the strangest thing to me that God would want to use us to represent Him. I can give you a hundred reasons why He shouldn’t use me, and I could probably come up with another hundred reasons why He shouldn’t use you. But, for some strange reason, God has called us His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:16-20).

As I’ve tried to understand and grapple with why God would do that, it’s always my faults and failings that make me question His wisdom. How can a faulty, fallible man represent the perfect, infallible, loving God? But as I’ve come to understand the Gospel more clearly and see the way God has used people throughout history, I’ve realised that it is through my faultiness and my failings that God does represent Himself.

What I’ve also come to realise is that when I pretend that I have everything all together, that’s when I misrepresent God and His power to save the most. I love the record of Peter’s life in the New Testament, and I’ve come to relate best to people like Peter who find Christ in the midst of all their faults and failings.

I find it incredibly encouraging to know that God uses ordinary men and women who have ordinary, everyday battles to reach out to their fellow man. The moment I begin to portray my life as something that is altogether perfect, I cut off all the honest people who want to know God can help them in their struggles.

This, of course, is not an excuse for us to not change or to not strive to become more Christ-like every day. Having a relationship with Jesus should change me, and reading my Bible and praying every day should make me a better man. The one who can genuinely relate to fellow humans who have stumbled and fallen, and the one who is more compassionate and kind and forgiving, will connect best.

So often what we’ve dressed up as spirituality is a misrepresentation of God and His Gospel. As His ambassador, I’m called to actually live the Gospel out in my everyday life in my personal interactions with others. May His grace be sufficient for me to do that this day.

— 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, fill out the form at <http://nnsw. adventist.org.au/aroundthe-traps>.

Chief Financial Officer’s Report: Surpluses and deficits as of May

The financial results for the year ending 31 December 2014 show that the North New South Wales Conference made a deficit last year of $151,000 to cap off a difficult year from a financial perspective.

A key contributor to the deficit last year was that tithe was down to $14.6m, representing a drop of $344,000 on the previous year.

The response to the projected deficit last year was an immediate round of cost-reduction strategies focused on head office expenditure, yielding annual savings of around $150,000.

A second phase of restructuring is now underway, which will yield annual savings in the order of $300,000, with a view to returning us once again to a sustainable economic position.

The surpluses and deficits for the conference for the past eight years are shown in the chart below:

per cent of tithe spent on local church staff and evangelism, which we believe to be the highest and best use of tithe according to scripture.

The chart to the right shows the North New South Wales Conference’s planned spending of tithe in 2015.

I hope that God continues to bless you and we pray your relationship with God continues to grow this year.

— Russell Halliday

Pastor Justin Lawman | General Secretary: Pastor Paul Geelan

Adele Nash

One positive achievement in 2014 was that we reached our target of 55

ORDINATIONS

Pastor Helen Butova

Pastor Fred Chileshe

I have convinced myself that God called me to ministry in revenge for having laughed at the profession of a church pastor. It was during a careers guidance session at school when we were presented each with a list of careers to choose from, and I saw that there was a career listed as church pastor. You will never understand how funny that was.

I was born and grew up in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, into a family of doctors. In actual fact, my grandmothers were doctors too. My Mum and Dad were surgeons, and had a dream that I and my younger brother would become medical specialists like them. Therefore, I received my first degree in paediatrics, and I really enjoyed working with kids and watching them get healed.

In 1992, the life of my family was radically changed when I was baptised at evangelistic meetings, which were run by an Australian evangelist, John Carter. My mother and brother were there in the water to be immersed together in one action by one pastor. As doctors in the new church, we were immediately caught in the evangelistic work and had to run numerous health outreach programmes.

Another turn happened when a young evangelist, Vadim Butov, proposed to me in 1999 and when I asked him where we’ll live he said, “In Krasnoyarsk . . . Siberia.” He drove me thousands of kilometres away to the world’s refrigerator. Having spent almost two years as a children’s doctor, I was tempted to approach him and check if he would let me run an evangelistic campaign by myself. Vadim always supported any initiative and he gave me three campaigns.

Having baptised more than 100 people in six months, I realised I had the most important gift from the Lord — saving the lost. I kept running evangelistic programs to the point where evangelism became my lifestyle, passion and profession. My little boys Paul and Alex (in person and in the womb) travelled with me to multiple cities in the frozen lands. My dream is that, whatever career they choose, they would love the Lord with all their hearts and have a burden for the people without Jesus.

My husband is a “man of the world.” Sometimes he would make our next move arrangements and then talk me into it. At the beginning of our married life, he took me to one remote land, Siberia. After 10 years, he decided to take me to another far away place — Australia. I had already spent seven years in evangelism, and then he told me I had to learn English in one year so that I could live and minister in the land of Oz. My second half is also a man of faith. He persuaded me that I could skyrocket my English if I get enrolled to a PhD in Theology at Avondale College (I had my master’s in theology, completed in 2005-2010). So here am I in a wonderful and hospitable land of Australia, working as an associate pastor, preaching the gospel, doing my PhD, raising children and thanking the Lord for His wonderful guidance in my life. Last year, we became Australian citizens and I really want to give my fellow countrymen my heart, my talents, my potential. I love personal Bible studies with people who need a Saviour. Having spent five years in New South Wales, I realised that Australians are still a great soil for God’s seeds.

The Lord was not just good, He was too good to me. He let me learn two great sciences, medicine and theology. He allowed me, as a woman, to get the taste of the noble work men did for almost 2000 years.

Joel said that in the last days both sons and daughters will prophesy. Maybe it is the time to finish the work and go home!

— Pastor Helen Butova

Firstly, I was an “A” student in my science class. What relationship was there between physics and church pastor? Secondly, I was a Catholic through and through and, as such, “Father” would have been my title if ever I would have considered a clergy profession. “Pastor” was kind of weird and laughable. But in less a year after I left school, a spiritual crisis caused by my growing understanding of the Bible led me to have prophecy studies with an Adventist friend.

It led me to read the book The Great Controversy and, in the spirit of Martin Luther (whose story featured in the book provided me with inspiration), I finally separated myself from my childhood Church of Rome. Three months after that decision, I was baptised, and in less than six months of that decision, God changed my ambitions from science to theology.

Two years later, I graduated from the Zambia Adventist Seminary with a diploma in ministry. I served a total of three years under the Copperbelt Conference before leaving the country for Botswana to raise funds for further theology training by selling books as a colporteur or LE. But I ended up opening a Christian bookshop, which became in itself another Jonah-to-Tarshish project and, as the days went by, the idea of ever going back into theology and ministry become more and more remote. I was a full-time businessman. But God decided to change that.

He brought a young woman, a fresh biology and chemistry graduate from the Eastern African Adventist University, who stole my heart. But she soon left for the University of Tasmania Medical School. When she came back for a holiday after her first year, we had our wedding in December 2001. And I knew that for the marriage to work, I had to be where she was.

So in July 2002, I enrolled in the University Information Systems program. I studied during the week and preached often on Sabbaths in many churches down in Tassie, and my wife’s encouragement made me think seriously about going back into ministry. So when, after graduation, she chose Gosford Hospital out of three job offers — the others being Townsville and Adelaide — I said like the Ethiopian Eunuch, “Behold here’s Avondale, only 45 minutes away. What will keep me from going back into ministry.” So after less than one year in the IT industry, I was at Avondale doing a Graduate Diploma in Theology and Ministry, after which I served as an assistant minister part time at Erina Church. I then accepted the position as the full-time minister at Hillview Church, where I am now in my fourth year of full-time ministry.

I thank my wife for encouraging me; Pastor Justin Lawman for having faith in me; Erina and Ryde Churches, where I have served before; Hillview and Swansea Churches, who accepted me as their spiritual leader; my pastoral team at Hillview, whose monthly meetings have moulded and chiselled me; and all my friends who have each prayed for and encouraged me. To God be the glory!! Because today He is not just laughing at me, but laughing with me and probably also saying, “My ways are not your ways!” To God be the glory.

Pastor Fred Chileshe

I was raised in a big fat Greek family! We were loud and proud of our history and culture. Our faith was Greek Orthodox; however, it made no real impact in our lives. We rarely attended church, but always said, “We are born Greek Orthodox and we will die Greek Orthodox.” From a very young age, I wondered what the meaning and purpose of life is. I wanted to know why I was here, but didn’t know where to look. I remember as a teenager watching a movie in which the main characters were asked, “What is the meaning of life?” and I almost fell off my chair. I moved in closer, wanting to know the answer. Things must be desperate when we turn to Hollywood for the answers to life’s questions. Sadly, the answer was not satisfactory, and I continued my journey.

In my mid to late teens, I started experimenting with alcohol and drugs, but always felt emptier afterwards and was still searching for the answers to my questions. I became very selfish, angry and secretive. I had very low-self worth and no direction in life.

But God had other plans. My friend, Nicholas, made a phone call to his drug dealer to get drugs, a phone call he had made many times before. This time, the phone call didn’t go to its desired intention. Instead, God directed the call to the house of one of his servants, Bill, who shared his faith with Nicholas. They spent 90 minutes on the phone talking about God!!

The next week, Nicholas and I were again high on drugs, and I was introduced to Bill. At first, I thought Bill was another drug dealer, but Bill dealt with something far greater and powerful. He shared his faith with us. I couldn’t wait to get away, as I thought he was crazy. I met Bill three times, and each time I was high on drugs and couldn’t wait to get away. After the third meeting, I went home and found my old Gideons Bible

to find out what Bill was talking about. God’s Spirit was able to speak to me, even in my drug-induced haze. I began at Matthew, reading the Bible every day, morning and evening. After a couple of weeks, while half-way through Luke’s book, I realized I was a sinner and I needed a Saviour. I knelt beside my bed in the winter of 1994 and poured my heart out to God, confessing my sin and need of Him. I arose a new creation in Christ. Now my life had purpose, meaning and I found self-worth as a child of God.

My questions began to be answered as I read the Bible and visited with Bill. I began to learn about Bible prophecy and God’s plan of salvation for every human being. I soon realised that I was no longer a Greek Orthodox. I was now a Greek Seventh-day Adventist (there aren’t many of us)! And I knew what this would do to my family. My decision was not a light one.

The Orthodox faith and culture are intertwined, and to leave one is to reject the family. When I told my parents, I was kicked out of home. I lived away from home for two years. But God gave me a new family. He became my Father and Mother, and the church became my family, supporting and caring for me. Bill became my brother in Christ, and we lived and ministered together, sharing our faith with everyone we met.

After a few years, I felt the call to pastoral ministry, but didn’t want to accept. I tried to find every excuse I could to not become a pastor. I even went to doctors and had health checks, hoping I would be diagnosed with some sort of life-threatening illness so I wouldn’t have to accept the call. Time after time, the doctors were surprised at how good the results were for a “Greek boy!” Even this became an opportunity to share my faith and lifestyle.

I finally graduated from Avondale in 2009 with a beautiful pregnant wife, Susan, who is also a minister. We have an amazing energetic girl, Alessandra, who makes our lives better every day. God is blessing in spite of me. Each day God leads my family and me, answering prayer in astounding ways. He restored my relationship with my parents and family, and even my brother was converted. I work in the best conference in the world, with some of the most inspiring God-filled men and women I know. I praise God that He diverted that phone call that day, and if it weren’t for Him and His servants, I wouldn’t be here today. From a very young age, God had been speaking to me, and never gave up. He never gives up on any of us.

— Pastor Steve Magaitis

As I grew up with my family and in my village in Samoa, I knew that religion was very important. I committed my life to the congregational church.

One Sunday afternoon, a Seventh-day Adventist group came to our home. Our family pretended to be asleep in our big house. I welcomed them into our small house just 10 metres away from the main house. I saw the joy in the faces of those people. The leader asked if they could study the Bible with me. I said, “Yes.” She shared the Bible study and she always quoted the Bible. I was amazed because I carried my Bible every Sunday to church, but I didn’t know much about it.

The leader asked for my name. I said to her, “My name is Talai” (Tala’i means share or proclaim). She said to me, “Your name is a Gospel name. God wants you to go with us and share the Gospel.” I said to her, “Maybe one day.” This conversation was in my mind for years. I had sensed something special in the Adventist Church. One thing, which confused me, was that many people said that Adventism was a false religion (an antichrist church) because they worship on Saturday.

In 1994, our family moved from Samoa to New Zealand. A year later, two men from the Seventh-day Adventist Church invited us to their evangelistic seminar. My wife was working evening shifts, so I went with the children. The campaign ran for three weeks. That was my first time in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As I heard the first message, I remembered the conversation and Bible studies with the Adventist group in Samoa when the leader said to me, “Your name is a Gospel name. God wants you to go with us and share the Gospel.” I had said to her, “Maybe one day.” After the study that night, I felt joy in my heart. I said to God, “If this is the time You want me to fulfil the ‘Maybe one day’ in my life, I will love to do Your will.”

The second night, my interest was on fire and I didn’t want to miss a night. On the third night, decision cards came to everyone in the seminar. I ticked every box, including the baptism box. At the end of the three weeks, I was baptised (October 1995). The

“Maybe one day” was fulfilled in Christchurch, New Zealand. I will never forget the Adventist group who visited me in Samoa. They wanted me to go with them to share the Gospel. My baptism was the beginning of my ministry. I started going out and making disciples for Jesus.

Six months after my baptism, our church ran another public evangelism seminar. My wife accepted Jesus and she was baptised too. Our family committed to serving God from the time we were baptised until today.

In 1996, our family moved from New Zealand to Australia. We served God in Griffith Church. In 2005, I felt God’s call to study theology at Avondale College. I graduated in BA/Th/Min in 2009. Now we serve God in Newcastle Samoan Church at Booragul and the Cessnock Church.

We believe what God says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future” (Jeremiah 29:11). We love God’s plan for us to go and serve Him in ministry. We experience that ministry is fun, ministry is painful, but ministry is sweet knowing that Jesus through the Holy Spirit is leading us to save people for His Kingdom. He is our Lord and Saviour. He changed our lives. He called us to serve Him. He will come again to take us home.

— Pastor Talai Mohr

Pastor Steve Magaitis

Pastor Talai Mohr

Pastor Grego Pillay

It was never my desire to be a pastor! I was born and raised in a Hindu home. My grandparents on both sides were devout Hindus and they had a strong influence on my upbringing. However, through a series of events, now undoubtedly orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, my parents accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and found themselves in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

I was just nine years old at that time (the same age my daughter Abigail is now), and I had no idea of the impact that my parents’ conversion would have on my life. As I grew in this church, I became involved in the programs of the church, but I really did not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus. I was a Seventh-day Adventist by name only. There was no deeper connection. I was 15 years old when I decided to critically examine my faith — or should I say my parents’ faith. I had said to myself if Christianity is all that it claims to be, then:

Firstly, I needed to have a good grasp of the meaning of Christianity in order for me to “own” my faith rather than following my parent’s faith, and secondly I needed to explore the Hindu philosophy in order to test the probability that maybe my parents had been wrong about their former religion. So in order for me to find meaning, I decided to go on a pursuit for truth with a capital “T.”

Praise God, what an amazing journey it has been! Through my search and discovery, I found Jesus to be who He claims to be. That truth is not an abstraction; it is not a set of ideas — it is ultimately a Person. It is no mystery why Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” This gave me the satisfaction that my soul yearned for.

In those early years, God put in me the desire to serve the church with the gifts that He had blessed me with. One of them is through music, especially singing. I had been leading worship from the age of 14 and, as my relationship with my Saviour grew, at the age of 21, I felt the Lord calling me to prepare for something more challenging — the ministry. In this journey, I was inspired by my best friend Pastor Paul Charles, who took me under his wing. He encouraged me to go and study for the ministry. But prior to me taking up ministerial studies, I matriculated from High School in 1992 in Verulam, South Africa ,and thereafter worked in the family business as an electrical fitter and served my apprenticeship under my late father and uncle. It was in 1998 that I met my future wife, Melanie, through a church youth conference. She is a God-given treasure to me.

In 1999, I started my ministerial training in South Africa at Helderberg College, which was affiliated to Andrews University, and graduated in 2003. Melanie and I were married that same year on 21 December. In 2004, I started my pastorate in Durban, South Africa and served the Kwa-Zulu Natal Free State Conference for three years.

We are blessed with two beautiful children. JJ and Abigail were born in 2004 and 2005 respectively. They are such a joy to us and there’s never a dull moment with them around. Our home is filled with laughter, singing and so much joy having them around.

In December 2007, my family and I migrated to Australia. It was a big step for us, but we knew God’s hand was leading in every way and we trusted in Him. In 2009, we had the wonderful privilege of pastoring the Newcastle Multicultural Church and, following, that Charlestown Church for four years. In 2014, by God’s grace I completed my Masters in Leadership and Management from Avondale College. As of January 2015, we have been given the responsibility of being the Associate Pastor for Avondale Memorial Church.

Mel and I praise God for His marvellous leading in our lives. To God be the Glory! All praise be to God for who He is and what He can do if we just put our lives wholly into His marvellous hands.

— Pastor Grego Pillay

OUR CONFERENCE

Wild weather hits southern region of North New South Wales Conference

In the week following Big Camp, wild weather lashed the southern part of the North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference, resulting in extensive power outages, damage to homes and businesses, and the tragic loss of a number of lives. The NNSW Conference Office was closed for most of that week due to storm damage and no electricity. The trees that fell on and around the conference office building have now been cleared, and the team is thankful that the office wasn’t too badly damaged during the storms.

Unfortunately, some of our church members and pastoral team members suffered damage to their homes, including the home of Pastor Wayne Krause. A tree fell on the Krause’s home, but thankfully the SES was quickly in attendance to secure a tarpaulin over the damaged area.

Pastor Ken Love was fortunate to avoid damage to his home with trees falling close to his house. He says, “Two large gum trees should have fallen on our house — one would have gone through our bedroom — but instead both fell with minimum damage caused. We had no power for eight days. On day two, I got out my chainsaw and started clearing the road. For six hours, 10 neighbours joined in, with one of their wives providing jaffles and drinks for lunch. I heard repeatedly how working alongside each other had bettered our part of the world.”

The Maitland area suffered a lot of storm damage. The growing suburb of Gillieston Heights (where the myCHURCH Plant is located) was cut off and residents isolated for a week. The response to that isolation is more a story of developing a community, than a series of anecdotes. The church plant meets in the Gillieston Heights Community Centre, a facility managed by their mother church in Maitland. The SES commandeered the centre and set up an Emergency Centre there. It was manned by local volunteers and supplied by helicopter, with as many as 10 visits on some days. Residents adopted the centre as their own and used it to build a stronger community — one of the goals the church had set, but something that happened in response to a natural disaster.

myCHURCH and Maitland Church members stranded in their homes got involved in the Emergency Centre, supporting it where they could. An unplanned Anzac Day service was held in a local park and residents marched through the new subdivision to the centre; people coming out of their homes to join the march. Everyone stayed for a barbecue, which came at a really important time for the families of Gillieston Heights.

A week later, wreaths remained at the centre’s flagpole, where the flag still flies. After communication and access were restored, the centre was temporarily closed for clean up. Lots of food and other supplies donated by local businesses need to be stored safely. The centre’s grounds were a gouged by heavy vehicles and an assessment was made of that, but thankfully the building suffered no real damage.

Avondale School and Macquarie College were also impacted by the storms. Kerrie Howells from Avondale School says, “We had major problems at the school. On the Tuesday of the storm itself, the school was open, but it wasn’t long before it was realised how serious things were and families were called to collect children immediately. By midday, the school was without power, water, phones and sewerage. This was the case for the next three days, with power being restored midday Friday. The school lost many of its grand old trees — around a dozen in total. One of the trees destroyed a sports shed and another caused significant roof damage to a number of classrooms.”

Like so many other schools, facilities and homes in the Hunter Region, Macquarie College was affected by the recent storms. Alysha Knopper says, “We are very grateful and blessed the damage to the school was minor in comparison. During and after the storms, our dedicated grounds, maintenance and cleaning teams worked hard to ensure that our campus was clean and safe for staff and students to return to on the Friday following the storms. From all the staff at Macquarie College, we would like to say a great big thank you to Glen Princehorn, Michael Hoschke, Charmaine Rothwell and their teams for the amazing work that they do to look after our school!”

After four days no electricity as wild rain and winds lashed the region, Cooranbong’s vulnerable retirement community at Avondale Lifestyle Community thanked staff and volunteers for going above and beyond to ensure the safety of its residents.

Throughout the height of the crisis nursing, kitchen and maintenance staff — as well as community volunteers — all shined in their capacity, with many doing extra shifts to keep all residents well cared for and fed.

Catering Manager Daniel Southern says that at the height of the storm “staff were still able to provide meals under difficult conditions and limited cooking facilities, chopping by torchlight, and utilising gas stove tops and ovens to provide hot meals. Staff pulled together brilliantly!”

Within hours of the power going out at Alton Lodge and Avondale House nursing homes, it was back to business as usual with two generators fired up to keep all services intact, ensuring residents continued to receive the usual high standard of care.

At day four without power, residents in the Self Care side of the village continued to be in good spirits. The village café remained open and operating for hot meals.

David Knight, Managing Director of Adventist Senior Living, says, “We’re grateful to have escaped the storms relatively unscathed, although there was a bit of minor damage at Jewells and Wyee. Our staff have been excellent — some of them were doing double shifts. The residents were excellent too — they’re a very stoic bunch!”

Resident Doug Gosling was impressed with the daily door knocking by staff to personally ensure resident safety. “While we were all without power in our homes, it was nice to have staff check on us daily,” he said. “Many residents have been grateful for the assurance that their wellbeing was cared for, particularly when a number of staff and the community at large were still without power and suffering damage in their own homes.”

— Felicity Pittaway

— Adele Nash/Russell Schulz/Pastor Ken Love/Central Coast Community Church Connections/Kerrie Howells/Alysha Knopper

When the power clocks off, staff and volunteers clock on!

ANZAC DAY 2015

Toronto Church marks 100th anniversary of Anzac Day

Anzac Day at Toronto Church was a time to remember the sacrifice of all those who have given their lives that we might be free, and the sacrifice of Jesus, who also gave His life to set us free. At dawn 100 years ago, Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed in Turkey, at a place now known as Anzac Cove. By the end of the day, half of those men had been either killed or wounded. More men landed, and fighting between the allies and the Turks continued for eight months before the Anzacs finally pulled out. More than 11,000 Anzacs were killed during that time and around 87,000 Turks lost their lives.

Did the sacrifice of so many lives achieve much? It would seem they died to hold, for a short time, a few hills, a few valleys and a tiny stretch of beach. Why then do we commemorate Anzac Day if we are not celebrating a military victory? Anzac Day is a time to remember all those who have served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. It is to remember and honour their commitment and sacrifice, which ultimately has provided us with the freedom we have today.

2000 years ago, Jesus came to a battlefield called Earth, but He came alone with no weapon but prayer; no earthly army and no allies, save a handful of frightened disciples. He went about doing good, but was hated for it. He preached peace, but it seemed few wanted it. He healed the sick and raised the dead, but few thanked Him for it. In the end, He died alone as a common criminal, while His followers fled. It seemed He too had died to hold, for a short time, a tiny bit of Earth, and the love and dedication of a very few followers.

Was His life and death a failure? Never. For unlike the Anzacs, Jesus rested in the grave for only a short time before conquering death and coming forth victorious. His mission was to break the power of the devil, destroy the power of death and give us eternal life. And this He accomplished.

The service at Toronto also featured Brock Goodall, Christine Gray and Annie Drewer, who talked about sacrifice and what it meant to them. It was a fitting way to commemorate the landing at Gallipoli 100 years ago.

— Michelle Down

Macquarie College captains and vice captains attend dawn service

Macquarie College captains and vice captains awoke very early on Anzac Day to represent the school at the dawn service at Wallsend. It was a beautiful morning to pay respect, and say thanks to the men and women who have fought to defend the freedom that this country enjoys.

I felt honoured to march and be part of the 100 Year Commemoration. We laid a wreath on behalf of our school and were treated to a spectacular sunrise afterwards.

Fighting Mac returns home

The most comprehensive and accurate biography of the Gallipoli chaplain worshipped by the Anzacs — despite being a wowser — is now in the keeping of his family and of his church. Author Dr Daniel Reynaud presented The Man the Anzacs Revered to William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie’s greatgrandson and to The Salvation Army at an Evensong concert presented by the Conservatorium of Music at Avondale College of Higher Education on 2 May. Stephen Hansen accepted the book on behalf of the family. His mother, Olga, was a daughter of McKenzie’s son, Donald.

Susan Petterson from The Salvation Army’s Newcastle and Central New South Wales Divisional Headquarters accepted the book on behalf of commander Major Gavin Watts. In her speech, Susan described McKenzie, who received the Military Cross for his actions at the Battle of Lone Pine — McKenzie should have been in the rear trenches, but followed the charge carrying just a spade to bury the dead — as “brave and courageous.”

“He’d given his life completely over to God, and Jesus was his best friend, so he was able to do the things he did because Christ lived within him.” Referring to the presentation, she added, “If McKenzie were here today, he would say, ‘This is wonderful and thank you very much,’ but he would also say, ‘I give all the glory to God.’”

McKenzie became the most famous Anzac by the end of the war, even though he stood for “almost everything the typical digger loved to hate,” says Dr Reynaud, associate professor of history at Avondale. “He railed against booze, brothels, betting and bad language, and he ran frequent evangelistic campaigns for the Anzacs where he forcefully appealed to them to become Christians. But the soldiers just about worshipped him.”

The Scottish-born Salvation Army officer served on Gallipoli and on the Western Front as chaplain of the Australian Imperial Force’s 4th Battalion. “His tireless energy on the soldiers’ behalf earned their respect, while his charismatic personality and integrity of character won their love,” says Dr Reynaud.

While stationed in Cairo before the Gallipoli landings, McKenzie not only preached against the brothels, but also went to the red-light district and dragged men out, putting them on a tram back to camp. On Gallipoli, McKenzie conducted burial services, often under shell fire. But he went further, finding chocolates for each man, or cutting steps into a steep part of a track at night. By the end of the war, McKenzie had led between 2000 and 3000 men to Christ. He became one of Australia’s most popular and enduring celebrities. People mobbed him just to shake his hand, and his visits to cities and towns were characterised as being like a Royal Progress.

The Man the Anzacs Revered is, according to Professor Peter Stanley of the Australian Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict and Society at the University of New South Wales, a “full, sympathetic, but careful” re-telling of McKenzie’s story. Signs Publishing book editor Nathan Brown also recognised this after reading the manuscript. He represented The Man the Anzacs Revered’s publisher at Evensong. “What I found was not only a good story and work of serious historical research, but a true Australian hero and a story of national significance. . . . [McKenzie’s story] belongs to our nation, to the best of our Anzac tradition, to the Australian church and also particularly to The Salvation Army, which has kept the story alive through its history and so provided a platform for Daniel to share in this fuller way and for us to be able to give it back to them.”

— Brenton Stacey

Photo courtesy of Etienne Reynaud

For more information about Reynaud and his work, visit <www.danielreynaud.com>

Daniel Reynaud presents a copy of his book, The Man the Anzacs Revered, to William McKenzie’s great-grandson Stephen Hansen and partner Josephine Bibby at the special Anzac Evensong program.

— Olivia Eve (Junior School Captain)

OUR CHURCHES

CCCC commemorates Anzac Day

It was always going to be a memorable day. The 100 year anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli saw a nation come out in the thousands to remember the fallen. At the Central Coast Community Church on 25 April, it was also an opportunity to honour those who fought for our country.

Pastor David Bertlesen delivered the sermon “Lest We Forget,” explaining that we honour those who died for our freedom without glorifying war, in the same way we honour Christ who died for our freedom without glorifying the cross.

Pastor Bertlesen, the son of a US Marine, told how Gallipoli was an eight-month campaign of loss. The red poppies were the first thing found growing after the bombing — the first symbol of life. He told attendees, “We are in a battle, but God will give us the victory in this spiritual battle. The only medal that matters is the Crown of Righteousness. It will be a greater honour than the VC [Victoria Cross].”

In keeping with the theme, a video was shown of John Bendeich, who served as an officer in Vietnam. John spoke of how Jesus was evident during this period of his life (even though it wasn’t until much later that he would find God). Scenes he had to witness, supporting dying land mine victims and relying on those under his command, all held him in good stead for later life.

— John and Melissa Sanburg

Special Anzac Day chapel at Macquarie College

25 April, 2015 heralded 100 years since the Gallipoli landing, and the country paused to commemorate and reflect upon the thousands of lives lost in combat.

Year 5F hosted an Anzac Day chapel with the presentation of a poem, a tribute song and the traditional minute of silence. Flying Officer James Clark spoke about the history and significance of Anzac Day, and encouraged Macquarie College students to continue to commemorate this symbolic occasion. A number of the college’s students were involved in Anzac Day commemorations, and Senior School Captains Baxter and Tanner Preston write of their dawn service experience:

Whilst we groaned as our alarms pulled us from slumber at 3.00am on that Saturday morning, we recognised that losing a few extra hours of sleep was a small sacrifice compared to that made by the young men on the frontlines. Along with many hundreds of others, we congregated at Wallsend Cenotaph to pay our respects and show gratitude for all those who have died protecting our country.

We know that war continues to wreak a terrible toll not only on those who fight, but also their friends and families. Therefore, at this time on Anzac Day, it’s important that we all come together to remember the sacrifices made by others to ensure our freedom. Lest we forget.

— Macquarie College Newsletter/Baxter and Tanner Preston (Senior School Captains)

Inspirational weekend for Memorial

“Inspirational!” was the was the overwhelming response to the special Easter services brought to the Avondale Memorial Church by the Advent Brass Melbourne under the direction of Reynold Gilson, grandson of the founder WG Gilson who founded the band in 1924.

Sabbath school commenced with a song service using traditional hymns, led by Gilbert Moore, Tim Jaques and Helena Ring. The band performed Friends for Life, I know Thou Art Mine (Darrell Wells), Flourish (Jarred Gilson, trumpet) and Perfect Peace (Tim Jaques) during the program. In the mission segment, Dr Peter Reed (Band President) spoke on the outreach activities of the band, particularly to the 100th anniversary of the our work on Lord Howe Island.

The service opened with the instrumental number He Can Break Every Fetter performed by the band. A song service of traditional hymns followed. The mood was then set with a dramatisation of Jesus being led to His crucifixion while the band played under the direction of Reynold Gilson (Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral, Wagner, arr. Snell), with David Clark joining the band on church’s Johannes Organ. For many this was the highlight of the morning.

Dr John Hammond’s sermon “The Three Witnesses” gave many of the congregation fresh insights into what the crucifixion meant to those gathered at the foot of the cross and, in particular, the significance of the words spoken by Jesus and their connection to the temple service taking place simultaneously that afternoon.

After a fellowship lunch, the band presented a sacred concert in the church. This concert featured many pieces from their CDs, Spiritual Moments and Inspiration. The focus of concert was “Inspiration,” a musical meditation on the crucifixion by Jan de Haan with a spoken message by Dr Hammond interspersed between the movements in the music.

Although the weather was poor on the Sabbath with significant rain, Sunday saw the weather clear enough to allow the band’s planned three-hour secular concert at the Sails Stage on The Entrance foreshore to proceed. The concert featured vocal items by local artist Michaela Thompson, filling in for Helena who was competing at the National Band Association competition held in Sydney. The Entrance is a popular one-day tourist stop for people from Sydney. The local businesses expressed their appreciation for the concert, saying it was one of the best programs that had been presented at that venue for a long time and would pass on their appreciation to the Wyong Council, who facilitated the concert.

The Advent Brass group thanks all those involved in making the weekend a success, including members of Avondale Brass Band who were invited to assist. We also acknowledge and thank Jesus Christ for His guidance and protection over the weekend.

— Breese and Rosalie Rickards

OUR CHURCHES

Medisonship II dedicated in Cooranbong

On a sunny Sabbath afternoon, 28 March, many friends and sponsors met at the Avondale Lifestyle Community carpark to witness the dedication of Medisonship II. For six years, Medisonship I has been operating in the waters of the Solomon Islands, bringing much-needed medical care to more than 30,000 patients. Medisonship I has been funded by donations from individuals, organisations and It Is Written Oceania. To keep costs low, it runs on coconut oil, which is grown and processed near the ship’s base at Merisu Cove. A total of 38 known baptisms have been attributed to the services this boat has bought to the Solomons. Although Medisonship I has made a difference to the people of the Western Solomons, it is a clinic boat and is not capable of the speed required to transport patients to hospital in an emergency.

The dream of an ambulance boat came to fruition when a suitable boat was sourced in South Australia. It was purchased and trucked to Cooranbong, where a dedicated team worked on totally refurbishing it, fitting it out with some new equipment and repainting it. It is a 23-foot Shark Cat powered by a 200hp Volvo diesel motor, which will also run on coconut oil, making it cheaper to run than a small canoe with an

Asian Aid: Giving health “a fair go” FEATURE

“We give people a ‘fair go’ because it’s who we are as Australians.”

This is the message Adam Valvasori, the Project Manager of the Australian Aid, shared with attendees at a recent seminar in Melbourne. Australian Aid — one of our greatest national accomplishments — is under threat. Although Australian Aid equates to less than one per cent of the nation’s entire budget, it has still been instrumental in helping communities band together to break out of the cycle of poverty.

For Asian Aid’s neighbours in Southeast Asia, a little can go a long way. It is the amazing stories of transformation and hope that inspire us to continue focusing on providing health to some of the world’s most promising people in Asia.

Like the story of a 78-year-old woman who had suffered with uterine prolapse for 50 years. Her dream was to be free from suffering and to regain her dignity as a person. With bright eyes, she talked of healing and help: “A health worker told me about the operation, and helped me through the whole process and recovery. I felt such relief after the operation, and am now more comfortable talking about these health problems to others in my village.”

Or like the story of Liza, who uses her own home in Bangalore, India, to provide “refuge” and restore dignity to intellectually-challenged women. With support from Asian Aid, she organises special health camps for the women in her care, and for local

outboard motor. It can even go fast enough to ski behind!

Trevor Oliver, President of Sonship Inc, spoke at the dedication, outlining the history of Medisonship I and the plans for this ambulance boat Medisonship II. The boat was dedicated for God’s use with a speech and dedicatory prayer by Dr Barry Oliver, President of the South Pacific Division, and “christened” with two coconuts. Medisonship II was sent by container ship to the Solomon Islands, leaving April 18. It arrived in the Solomon Islands in early May, where it was be met by Trevor Oliver, who piloted it to its base and handed it over — debt-free — to the crew who will operate it.

—

Alvin Christian

school children. The free health-checks and medication they have given provide the women and children with opportunities to live better lives.

“With improved health and better health awareness, we have seen people become agents of change in their own communities — influencing about-change for many others,” says Richard Greenwell, Asian Aid Australia’s CEO. “It’s this ‘ripple effect’ that motivates us. And as we help address various health challenges, we see more people regain confidence, start to earn a living, and improve conditions for their families and their children.”

Let’s be known as people who “give others a fair go” because that’s what Australians do, and because that’s what others need as children of God.

— Sonja Larsen

Asian Aid’s The Right to Health June 2015 appeal will help remove health barriers vulnerable people face in reaching their potential. The end of financial year is a time where we need your continued generosity to fulfil our God-given mission. You can partner with us in empowering Nepalese, Thais, Indians and Indonesians in vulnerable communities determine their own futures. To donate to our June appeal or for more information, please visit <www.asianaid.org.au>, or call (02) 6586 4250.

Is Jesus into Big Camp?

On Sunday, 28 March, I finished packing up our camper and started the four to five hour journey to Stuarts Point, the location of the North New South Wales Conference’s Big Camp.

As I drove, my mind started to wrestle with the logistics of the task ahead of me. As the appointed camp superintendent, I knew from experience what work lay ahead of me. Not only long hours, but also a very strict time frame to work with. Everything needs to be coordinated with military precision in order to have a camp where everyone would be relaxed and enjoy a spiritually-uplifting experience.

The thought crossed my mind, Would my spiritual experience be uplifted too? As the kilometres ticked by, drawing me closer to camp, my mind started to ponder the question, Is Jesus really into Big Camp? After 150 years or so of Adventist history “of big tents,” does Jesus want this to continue? Is He into this?

Almost four weeks later as I drove home from the Big Camp experience, my mind returned to reflect on the question, Is God into Big Camp? The answer was a resounding, “Yes!” How can I say that with so much conviction and passion? Because of the miracles and actions that I saw — and experienced — as I worked with a wonderful team of people.

It’s not often that I put pen to paper, for my gifts are of a practical nature so ordinary I would rather leave it to those who have the gift of writing. But I feel that the Holy Spirit is inspiring me to share just a few miracles that Jesus performed behind the scenes to ensure the success of Big Camp. This year, many people left Big Camp with the thought that this camp was the best yet. So let me begin.

The first miracle:

I arrived on Sunday afternoon and set up my campsite, checked the weather forecast and saw that we would have heavy rain all week. I groaned and, in my mind’s eye, I could just see trouble. On Monday I set up for our contractors, Eastward Missionary College. They arrived to set up camp and we had a WHS brief, during which time I lamented about the weather forecast, only to be told, “Have faith — God will organise it.” I grunted in response. I was still trying to answer the question, Is Jesus into Big Camp?

All Tuesday, we worked on construction of the big canvas. About 4.30pm, as we had the canvas on the 18+ Tent stretched out on the ground ready for hoisting up, down came the rain. So we had no choice but to leave the canvas on the ground until the next day. Heavy rain came during the night. Wednesday morning arrived and the rain cleared as work began. Jesus held off the rain all day — there were dark, thunderous skies, but no rain.

In the evening, it rained again. At about 4.00am, I was woken by very heavy rain, strong winds and the desire to check on the big canvas. So I drove around the various tents and, to my horror, I saw the rain had pooled in the corner of the 18+ Tent, causing the canvas to stretch almost to the ground. It was now holding a large amount of water. The pressure was so great that it forced the side poles 500mm into the ground. As I was trying to release the water, the canvas ripped under the pressure and a huge tear went up from the edge of the canvas to the centre poles. As I stood there, dripping wet in the dark, my heart sank, for I knew we had no spare 90-foot ends. But Jesus had it under control, as we discovered in the morning.

On the previous day, David Ellis arrived. He was the guy in charge of repairing the canvas and had set up his sewing machine in the 18+ Tent. It so happened that his sewing machine was at the end of the tent where the canvas had split. Jesus so organised it that the machine missed a drowning from the water and only needed to be moved a metre to be exactly in the right spot to sew up the tear. By midday, we had the tent up again. To my mind, it was a miracle. Jesus had David onsite in the right tent, right next to the rip, no water on the machine and materials on hand to repair the rip.

Another miracle:

While winching up the Women’s Ministries Tent, a winch failed. We were in trouble,

because we had no spare winches. So I removed the winch, went to the shed, found the remains of some previously broken winches and, with Neil’s help, we managed to make a good one out of three broken ones. We fitted it to the pole and were back in action again. In my mind, only God could have organised that.

Another miracle:

We discovered that, due to unforeseen electrical loading, we would need a bigger generator. We had on order a 100kva generator, which we had used in previous years. Now we needed a 150kva generator. They were scarce due to heavy motorway construction in the area, but Jesus had organised one. There just happened to be one sitting beside out 100kva at Masters Hire, available just for us — a miracle, I believe.

Another miracle:

We thought that we would have to drop the Primary Tent down right before setup in the tent was about to commence due to failed ropes at the top. Jesus worked it that we were able to do repairs with the tent up, and these repairs held up right through camp.

Yet another miracle:

The case of the stolen mobile phones! During the early hours of the final Sabbath morning of camp, some mobile phones were stolen from a public area where they were being recharged, much to the dismay of their owners. However, due to the working of Jesus, modern technology and the Kempsey police, most of the phones made their way back to camp very late on Saturday night via some very humbled local young men from the little village of Stuarts Point. We showed them God’s grace and thanked them for their courage in coming to face the music.

My hands are wearying in writing this article, but let me share one last miracle, although there were many more that I could share. Those of you who were at camp will remember that heavy rain and storms were predicted for pack-up Sunday, and through to about Thursday that week.

Sure enough, rain came on Sunday morning, forcing some campers to leave their mattresses in their tents. Others just got wet. So we were off to a difficult camp packdown. During that morning as the rain came down, I was driving down the T4 road in the Jeep. Above me appeared the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It was as if Jesus was saying to me, I’m into Big Camp. Don’t worry — I have it under control! And He did. We managed to work most of the day without interruption. Monday morning saw lovely blue skies and heavy dew. However, it was a different story 350 kilometres south — Newcastle was experiencing a category two storm, with 200,000 people without power, a number of people killed in floodwaters, homes washed away and numerous trees uprooted. During this time, Russell Halliday rang our caretaker with deep concern, asking how we were coping in the storm. Neil replied, “What storm? The sky is blue here!”

All of Monday and Tuesday, Jesus kept the storm at bay. There were dark, rain-filled clouds surrounding the campground. At times, heavy, black clouds came over us — we could see teeming rain in the hills above and around the campground, but only one or two drops fell on the grounds. Jesus kept the canvas dry. We ended our work late Tuesday afternoon with a prayer of thanksgiving for an awesome and wonderful God. By Wednesday evening, we had finished the pack up and were able to proceed home — a record time for pack-down.

After reading about the wonderful way Jesus had His hand over Big Camp, I think you would have to agree with me that Jesus is into Big Camp. Yes. Big Camp IS God’s will. Even though my workload was so full-on, I was able to join with others and say, “Jesus blessed me.”

I must say that I am glad that Jesus will not need my services as camp superintendent in the Heaven made new. I am looking forward to just rocking up and enjoying what Jesus has prepared for me and you. How awesome that will be!

— Pastor Cranville Tooley