NorthPoint - August, 2016

Grey Nomads blessed as they worship and fellowship

Around 700 Grey Nomads descended on Stuarts Point in May this year for the annual North New South Wales (NNSW) Grey Nomads camp. People came from all over Australia — with a particularly large contingent from New South Wales and Queensland — and New Zealand to worship and fellowship together. The theme for the camp, which was held from 13 to 21 May, was “Even At The Door.” The guest speakers for the week were Dr John Hammond and Wes MacDonald. Pastor Paul Geelan, General Secretary of the NNSW Conference, says, “Wes is a church planter from Indiana, USA, and he did a morning Bible study on the biblical model of church planting, including the role of the local pastor and mobilisation of the laity. Dr Hammond did a series called ‘The Thin Red Line.’”

Speaking of “The Thin Red Line” series, Dr Hammond says, “I looked at the origin of sin and the fall of mankind before tracing the line that eventually produced the Messiah. Starting with Adam and Seth, Enoch, Noah and the later patriarchs, I took the nomads down through the line of Judah and focused on instances in which that line was in great peril. The moment when Abraham was about to kill Isaac must have been very tense. Athaliah the daughter of Ahab tried to kill the royal seed when Joash was hidden in the temple for six years. Herod’s attempt to kill the infant Jesus was another example. The stories were quite remarkable when put into that context.

Dr Hammond adds about his Grey Nomads 2016 experience, “I discovered that I have to prepare a brand-new theme every time I speak at Grey Nomads because they are such a mobile bunch that they tend to turn up at all of the Grey Nomad camps, be it NNSW, South New South Wales or Western Australia! I love meeting with them because many are people with whom I went to college or worked with over the years. They all come by choice to receive a blessing and to have a load of fun.”

Various ministerial interns from around the NNSW Conference also took part in presenting early-morning devotionals at Grey Nomads this year, and this was received extremely well. Debbie Head, who is heavily involved in organising the Grey Nomads camps, says, “The nomaders really loved hearing from the young interns!”

The nomads were also treated to a screening of the Australian Union Conference’s recently-produced feature film called Tell The World, which they appreciated. In addition to this, the nomads also marked on a map of the world the places in which they had taken part in missionary service, covering hundreds of locations in dozens of countries (you can see the photo of this at the bottom of Page 3).

Pastor Justin Lawman, President of the NNSW Conference, says of Grey Nomads 2016, “The Grey Nomads camp is one of the most positive camps you could ever visit or attend. This year was no exception and Dr Hammond really challenged the Nomads at night time and Wes really stretched our thinking about the role that church members have in the local church.”

— Adele Nash

Page 2: From the President: The church designed by God

Page 5: Adventist Senior Living scoops the awards pool

Page 6: Marg and mission a hit: book launch sets sales record

Page 10: 11 facts about Adventist tithing practice in Australia and New Zealand

Photos courtesy of Robert Stratford — see more Grey Nomads 2016 photos on Page 3

OUR CONfERENCE

From the President:

The church designed by God

Reading through the Book of Acts with the eyes of a church administrator (although I hate that title) has given me greater insight into the simple structure the church developed in order to fulfil its mission. Clearly, this simple structure came about through design and also crisis, but in the end, the Holy Spirit led the church.

I have to say that it has deeply challenged me with the way we are currently doing church and I have come to the belief that we must undergo structural change in order to see spiritual change. Put simply, the early church has three distinct roles for the governance and leadership of the early church.

Apostles

The term “apostle” is often misunderstood, as it’s no longer a word used in common language. The word with its Greek origin is best understood as “one sent forth.” In the early church, the gift of apostleship could be best described as an authoritative messenger or representative. There are three complete lists of the apostles found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It’s most interesting to note in Matthew 10:1 that the 12 are described as disciples, but as Jesus is sending them out to do mission, in Verse 2, they’re called apostles. It’s important to note that the term apostles is not restricted to the 12 Disciples of Jesus, but God continues to send out pioneering missionaries and workers. for example, you can add Barnabas, Apollus, Silvanus, Timothy, Andronicus and Junia to the list of the 12.

Deacons

The crisis described in Acts 6, which threatened to distract the apostles from their mission, saw the establishment of deacons. The Greek word diakonos simply means “servant” or “helper.” They were to keep the church functioning, serving it in very practical ways, administering and making sure that God’s work was not inhibited. Their qualifications are described in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and their influence enabled the church to continue to grow very rapidly.

Elders/Pastors

There are three separate Greek words used in the New Testament to describe the office of pastor or elder (see 1 Peter 5:1-2) — episkopos means “overseer,” poimen means “pastor/shepherd” and presbuteros is translated as “elder.” New churches raised up by the Apostle Paul appointed local leaders as elders (Acts 14:23). Every local church has a team of elders (Acts 20:17-28) and the pastoral care of the local church was done by this team. Elders were to protect the flock from false teachers (Titus 1:5, 6, 9), teach the Scriptures (1 Timothy 3:2), pray (James 5:14), lead (1 Peter 5:1, 2) and equip members (Ephesians 4:11, 12).

These three positions were all ordained (prayed over). They have important and distinct functions, which are missional, pastoral, and administrative or practical. The early Adventist Church really only employed apostles — they were full-time paid church-planting pastors. The pastoral needs of local churches were cared for by elders on a voluntary basis. I wonder what it’s going to take for North New South Wales to get closer to this biblical model of leadership?

— Pastor Justin Lawman

From the General Secretary: The church governance system

A lot of the push in government regulation and oversight of not-for-profit entities is toward ensuring effective governance. One of the most notable examples of bad corporate governance in Australian history is the collapse of HIH Insurance Group in 2001.

In response to this collapse, the Australian government held a Royal Commission overseen by Justice Owen. He defined corporate governance as “the framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in corporations.” It encompasses the mechanisms by which companies, and those in control, are held to account.

This is a very important concept when it comes to church governance. Church administration should be held to the highest standards, as biblically we are advised that we are working “as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

The beauty of the church governance system is that the primary authority lies in the hands of the local church member, which is where it should lie. Each local church member exercises their governance power when they elect delegates from the local church to the quadrennial conference constituency meeting.

At that constituency meeting, the delegates vote for who they want to see in management at the conference (the President, General Secretary, CfO and the departmental directors). The delegates also elect an executive committee, who are the group of people to whom they grant the authority to oversee the activities of the management of the conference.

So the constituency meeting delegates give the power to the executive committee to oversee the running of the conference from a big picture standpoint. The executive committee then delegates to conference management the right to run the day-to-day operation of the conference. They then meet together seven times a year to check how management has done, and provide them with direction as to what they would like to see them do in the future. If they don’t like what the management is doing, they have the power to get rid of them. And remember, they are granted that power by local members in local churches.

In 2003, the governance of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia was corporatised. That means each of the unique church entities were put into a company structure. In the NNSW Conference, there are three companies: a church company, a schools company and an aged-care company.

Each of them have a board of directors that give oversight to their operation. The Australian Institute of Company Directors is a professional body that provides guidance on best practice in corporate governance. They have issued “10 Good Governance Principles and Guidance for Not for Profit Organisations.” Over the next few editions of NorthPoint, we will run through these principles and look at how the NNSW Conference is ensuring that it is operating at this “best practice” level. Sounds boring! But it is super important that you, as the local church member, have confidence that your conference is being governance to God’s honour and glory.

— Pastor Paul Geelan

OUR CONfERENCE

funds raised by 2015’s Grey Nomads provide relief in Nepal

At the 2015 Grey Nomads camp, attendees donated close to $23,000 toward relief efforts in Nepal, following an earthquake there that killed more than 8000 people and injured a further 21,000 in April last year.

The funds collected provided money for 3 Angels Nepal to conduct the following work: a survey of earthquake victims in Kavre, Tinpiple; a survey of earthquake victims in Kavre, Koshidekha; a survey of the schools in Koshidekha and Koshipari; the provision of blankets and clothes distributed to people in Kavre and Koshipari; the distribution of blankets for the widows in Kavre and Kuntabeshi; and the distribution of roofing tin in Nagarkot.

Rajani Baniya from 3 Angels Nepal says of the work in Nagarkot, “There’s a small community called Lamatole. There are more than 60 houses and all the houses were destroyed by the earthquake. All the people there belong to low-caste families called Tamang. farming is the major occupation in this community. They were staying in the fields. They told me that they didn’t get any help from anywhere because they belong to very low-caste families, and are uneducated and can’t speak the national language properly — they speak their own language. We decided to support them to buy roofing tin and we gave RS30,000 per family for the tin. With this amount, they can buy three bundles of roofing tin. We supported 10 families there. They all were very, very happy and grateful to you all, and have sent you a big hug and prayers. Thank you so much for your support toward the really needy ones. We are praying for you all.”

NorthPoint

Big Camp contracts available

Are you looking for a way to raise funds for your school, church, Pathfinder club or mission trip? The North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference is seeking groups to fulfil these three contracts for Big Camp 2017:

Big Camp Amenities Cleaning: This involves cleaning all the amenities blocks at the Stuarts Point Convention Centre from the Wednesday before camp to the Sunday after camp, and requires a team of about 20 volunteers.

Big Camp Store: This involves providing the volunteer labour for the operation of the Camp Store in collaboration with Better Books and food, and requires a team of at least 25 volunteers for some time before camp and for the duration of the Big Camp week.

Big Camp Set Up: This involves working alongside a small pastoral team to set up all the Big Canvas and family Tents, and requires a team of 20+ volunteers for up to two weeks prior to camp and a week after camp.

for more information about these contracts, please call Pastor Paul Geelan, General Secretary of the NNSW Conference, on (02) 4951 8088.

OUR CONfERENCE

UR Church grows small groups

for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Reciting this is one thing, but actually experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit during a small group discussion time is another thing all together. This is where the rubber meets the road; where Bible knowledge, ideas, inspiration and implementation takes place. Although personal devotion and quiet time spent with God is imperative for a healthy Christian walk, let’s not underestimate the wonderful promise in Matthew 18:20.

The North New South Wales (NNSW) Conference has received a number of encouraging stories and testimonies in the past few months as a result of small groups; in particular, small groups using the UR Church manuals.

After coming back from a UR Church rally in the Western Plains region, Russell Halliday, CfO of the NNSW Conference, told of how a church member felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to share the Sabbath rest with a colleague as a result of a challenge from the manual. This then prompted his colleague to study the topic further for himself and finally come to accept this Bible truth. In Tamworth Coles, a church member accidently bumped into a stranger, which somehow turned into a prayer session in the middle of an aisle! This was again as a result of small group discussions and challenges in the manuals, which members are enjoying.

Ocean Shores Church says that it has brought their church so much closer together. Trudy Chilcot from Lismore Church says, “Pastor Tim Merrit got us leading a group and it is such a blessing . . . One lady at church has joined our group and is on fire for God.” Beth Murray from Alstonville Church says that the “UR Church journey is having a wonderful impact on our group. We just finished our Matthew’s Party with 18 people in attendance, three of whom are unchurched. We are loving this journey.” Each of the small groups are at different stages of completing the manuals and that’s no problem. What is important is that we, as a church, are having important discussions that are encouraging each other to have an ever-deeper relationships with Christ, creating opportunities to present the Gospel to our peers and also discipling a friend to do likewise.

Not all of us are currently on this small group journey, and perhaps it doesn’t work for us all; but what is true is that coming together in the name of Jesus in a small group setting is making an impact on many lives across our conference, and now it’s happening in South Queensland and South New South Wales as well! The journey has only just begun, and we are praying for a revival, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a deeper passion for the lost within our reach — and it can definitely start with only two or three.

— Nic Coutet

Write to us at <urchurch@adventist. org.au> if you’d like to know more or want to start up a small group

faithfM outreach success

Who would have thought that a casual chat about Jesus would produce such great results? When was the last time you and friends sat around a table talking about current affairs and how Jesus fits into the picture, having a good time whilst complete strangers are eavesdropping and then finally have the audacity to interrupt your conversation, requesting more information on the topic? It’s unheard of! Or at least, it’s extremely rare…

Well, be prepared to be inspired, because that’s exactly what Michael Lilikakis, Adele Nash, Joel Slade, Pastor Neil Thompson and Nic Coutet take turns in doing every morning in our recording studio! And yes, before you write us off as professional presenters with all the time in the world, you too could be doing this! We don’t know how, but somehow we manage to squeeze in an hour and a half of this every morning and sometimes in the afternoons before we get on with our regular tasks. No real training required and definitely no past experience — just a group of friends getting together chatting about Jesus at a round table with a few mics.

So is it just all fun and games? Well, not really — there’s more! At the end of each program, called “The Breakfast Show,” we offer a free gift to the first few callers (usually a book or DVD on the topic of discussion). But the truth is it’s not just any old book or DVD. We are offering The Great Controversy, Desire of Ages, Christ’s Object Lessons, the Beyond series DVDs, Bible studies and more. This is where you ask, “Does it work? Do people actually call in? Don’t we live in a digital era where people don’t call anymore because they have access to all the information in world at their fingertips?”

Ever since we launched our breakfast show, we have received up to six calls per day, with an average of three calls every single day! And this is where you can say, “Praise God!” God is truly blessing this show, and the Holy Spirit is working on the hearts and minds of our listeners as they are daily challenged to turn to Jesus. “The Breakfast Show” team is truly humbled by the current results, and just to think that an hour and a half of our time a day is impacting up to 15 lives each week — people who are hearing our message for the first time.

Here are just a few quotes from some of our listeners: “Please thank the team for sharing a positive message every morning” (Tim, New Lambton); “There’s nothing like it on radio — love your show!” (Jean, Geraldton); “I listened to The Breakfast Show one morning and now I’m hooked. I wake up to make my cup of coffee and drink it in bed with the radio on” (Merlyn, Waratah); and “I was searching for a stations on fM and came across your station. I haven’t stopped listening since” (Tim, Tasmania). I hope that you are now truly inspired! It’s only the beginning — we have great plans for the near future with an afternoon drive time show not far too far away! Who would have thought that simple and fun conversations about Jesus among friends could make such a difference? Perhaps you and your friends could do the same?

Please call the North New South Wales Conference Office on (02) 4951 8088 to find out how you can support faith fM, and don’t forget to tune in to faithfM from 6.00am to 9.00am, Monday to friday.

— Nic Coutet

Find FaithFM on Facebook: <www.facebook.com/ faithfmradiostation>

STORM Co Pinnacle tour 2016

OUR CONfERENCE

Adventist Senior Living scoops the awards pool

STORM Co (Service To Others Really Matters) teams headed out to towns around North New South Wales (NNSW) in the July school holidays. To assist the teams, the conference’s Youth Ministries Department took the Pinnacle Challenge (pictured above and below) out to a number of the STORM Co teams.

Pastor Michael Chapman, Associate Youth Ministries Director, says, “We were on the road from 5 July and returned home late in the evening of 11 July. We did 2990 kilometres in that time with the troopie and Pinnacle Challenge. We ran in Wee Waa (Avondale High School), then Brewarrina (Central Coast Adventist School), Lightning Ridge (Avondale Memorial Church), Toomelah (Lismore Church) and finished in Cobar (Avondale High School). It was a big drive! Thankfully there were no dramas with the equipment or mechanical issues with the vehicle. And it was great to get to connect with all of the local groups and see first-hand the impact they make on the communities they visit.”

He adds, “Unfortunately, we don’t always get out to visit every group every year — for example, there was also a STORM Co group from Wallsend out at Dorrigo and the Tweed Valley Adventist College group was out in Vanuatu — but we do our best to visit as many as we can.”

Joining Pastor Chapman for the Pinnacle team were Brodie Mason, Sam Duke and Joseph Kim. “There was never a dull moment,” says Pastor Chapman. “And there was great feedback everywhere. The moment you enter these communities that have a running history of STORM Co and the locals identify you as someone affiliated with it, they treat you incredibly well. People speak very highly of STORM Co and the work the teams do. What’s really evident is the good will that STORM Co has built up for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in these towns. When the Adventist Aviation Association goes out to towns to support church plants and regional churches, community members get on board because they know they can trust Adventists based on STORM Co activities.”

The way the towns love what the STORM Co teams do and look forward to them visiting every year is another thing that’s evident. The groups make a long-term investment — for example, the team who visits Cobar just celebrated their 18th year of running STORM Co there. Before they arrived, The Cobar Weekly ran a piece about the return of STORM Co, highlighting all of the things the team would do during their visit.

There will be another STORM Co run in the September/October school holidays.

— Adele Nash

Cooranbong’s Adventist Senior Living retirement village is celebrating its status as a true aged care super star. Scooping four of the major awards on offer at the inaugural Hunter Aged Care and Disability Achievement Awards, Avondale Lifestyle Community was the stand out success at the 8 July presentation gala.

Dominating the field of more than 50 contenders, Avondale Lifestyle Community was named Winner, Residential Aged Care facility of the year; Winner, Residential Aged Care Employee of the Year (Georgie Schofield); Winner, Aged Care Innovative Project of the Year for the Avondale Intergenerational Design Project; and Highly Commended, Aged Care/ Disability Sector Manager of the Year (Marlene Moodie).

Launched by AgeingLife Network, the awards aim to reward outstanding leadership, innovation and care undertaken quietly, but daily, throughout the aged care and disability sector in the Hunter and Newcastle region.

David Knight, Adventist Senior Living CEO said, “It is wonderful to see the outstanding efforts of our staff recognised in this way. As a team who commit to continually doing all they can to add meaning and value to people’s lives, it is gratifying to have them rewarded for their dedication.”

Care Service team member and award winner Georgie Schofield said, “I am proud to play a role in the best facility in the Hunter region. Everything we do is geared around the needs of our residents and I love making a vital difference to their lives.”

David concluded, “These awards further reinforce the great work that we do every day. I am extremely proud to be part of this team.”

— Felicity Pittaway

find us on facebook

Have you connected with the North New South Wales Conference on facebook yet?

If you haven’t, you might want to consider doing so now. You can find us at <www.facebook. com/NNSWconference>.

There are regular posts about upcoming conference events, UR Church video blogs and much, much more. Consider it one of your easiest ways to stay up-to-date with what’s happening around your conference!

NorthPoint

—

OUR CHURCHES

Churches combine to reach out to Baradine

On the last Sabbath in May, Coonamble and Lakeside Churches combined their efforts to reach out into the small central-western town of Baradine.

Around 60 people — both adults and children — were in attendance to hear compelling evidence for the existence of God and why there is so much suffering in the world. Lakeside’s Pastor Peter Watts, who was the main speaker for the day, said he was “pleased with the turn out and the response on the day.”

The children were also catered for with a fun program that lifted up Jesus and provided wholesome entertainment. A delicious lunch was provided for all in attendance.

— Shaun Hepworth

New programming on 3ABN Radio

3ABN Radio has added some new programs to their line-up in recent months, with one of the highlights being “Songs of Praise,” which is broadcast at 7.00am and 6.00pm (repeated) on Sabbaths. Rosemary Malkiewycz, Assistant to the General Manager at 3ABN Australia, says, “Your heart will be uplifted to praise our Creator God with an hour of inspirational music!”

You can listen to 3ABN Radio on 87.8fM in the Morisset/Cooranbong area, or your local 3ABN Australia radio affiliate. You can also stream it online or in your car via your phone via <www.3abnaustralia.org.au/radio/listen>.

You can also find plenty of other locally-produced programs and see the radio program schedule on the 3ABN Australia website. Rosemary adds, “If you view 3ABN and Hope Channel via satellite, you can also listen to 3ABN Radio and 3ABN Australia Radio through your satellite receiver. Also, you can now listen to the new 24/7 3ABN Radio music channel online at <http://3abn.org/media/3abn-radio-broadcast/3abn-music-channel> or via the free 3ABN phone app, any time, anywhere.”

— 3ABN Australia

For more information, call Paul or John at 3ABN on (02) 4973 3456.

Marg and mission a hit: alumna’s book launch sets Signs sales record

A book about an Avondale alumna’s mission experience set attendance and sales records at its launch in Cooranbong on Sabbath, 28 May. Dearest Folks: Letters Home From a Missionary Wife and Mother is based on the letters Margaret Watts sent home to family in Australia almost every week between 1956 and 1966. She and husband Pastor Horrie served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the then New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and on Bougainville in the then Territory of New Guinea.

More than 250 people, many who had also served as missionaries, attended the launch in Ella Hughes Chapel on Avondale College of Higher Education’s Lake Macquarie campus. Almost all wanted to take Margaret home, buying 176 copies of her book. “We’ve had a number of people come into the store in the week following the launch also wanting to buy copies,” says Shay Taplin, Assistant Manager of Better Books and food in Cooranbong. “It’s going to be a very popular book.”

Dearest Folks publishes almost 100 of Margaret’s surviving letters, which give a sense of immediacy to and an unselfconscious account of family life and medical crises and treatments at the Redcliffe Mission Station on Aobe and at the Inus Mission Station on Bougainville. Marg wrote the letters by hand or tapped them out on a typewriter “for those at home to share in the thrill of mission service with us and feel part of our day-to-day family life.”

The letters also address “a collective amnesia” in Adventist mission history, “a forgetfulness of the roles of mission wives and children,” says historian and co-author Dr Robyn Priestley. “Their stories are assumed to be known, but are usually subsumed silently into the larger mission story without detail, and often without acknowledgment.”

Margaret’s tenacity and courage “profoundly impressed” Joy Butler, who has worldwide missionary experience, including in Africa and in the Pacific islands. “She excelled [as a nurse], at times doing the work of a doctor and surgeon. On top of this, she became a choir mistress, an expert seamstress, hairdresser, home-school teacher, hostess to scores of visitors and, amid it all, delivered hundreds of babies — all without monetary reimbursement for her services.” The book honours “the many missionary wives who have faithfully gone to often-lonely and isolated places where they faced the unknown.”

Signs Publishing’s interest in the story and its role as the book’s publisher may have wider benefits for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific. “Stories reflect our values, and by telling our stories of mission we keep the value of mission alive among our children, young adults and the wider church,” says Director of Adventist Mission Dr Graeme Humble. “Stories inspire people to emulate the examples of former missionaries and other pioneers. Some will decide they want to take up the baton and continue the legacy of the Watts family.”

This is important, says Dr Humble, particularly as those who work for the church in the Pacific islands increasingly come from the Pacific islands. “I wonder what effect this is having on mission in the church, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, as there are fewer expatriate missionaries sending correspondence home to diminishing networks? focus on overseas mission service invigorates local churches and saves them from becoming introspective.”

Signs Publishing Book Editor Nathan Brown agrees, so the overwhelming response to Dearest Folks came as a pleasant surprise. “The enthusiasm apparent at its launch reflects well on the healthy sense of mission within the church and gives the opportunity of sharing these stories — and this vision — with a new generations of readers.”

— Brenton Stacey

Photo courtesy of Sara Bolst

OUR CHURCHES

10-year-old creates event for kids Baptism inspires more baptisms

Jireh Pannekoek, a member of the Taree Adventist Church, may only be 10 years old, but she is an event coordinator and TV presenter in the making.

Jireh, who is home schooled, organised an event called “Creation Program.” The event took place at Manning Adventist School on Sunday, 17 July from 12.00pm.

There were games, foods, songs, a DVD (Eric Hovind presenting Dinosaurs with Man) and craft. Lunch was served with both gluten-free and vegan options available. for craft, children made shrinkies, which involves making figures, such as flowers, and putting them in the oven to shrink and harden. finally, Jireh organised games of soccer, basketball and bull rush.

This isn’t the first time Jireh has organised an event of this kind. “I’ve done it once before,” Jireh said. “I really enjoyed buying all the food and ringing people to ask questions.”

Jireh’s father Robert said when he and his wife saw Jireh’s passion for organising and presenting, they wanted to help foster it. “She’s done a presenter’s course at fox Studios in Sydney,” Robert said. Jireh has also featured in an Adventist TV show A Day with the King A Day With the King is a children’s program produced by 3ABN Australia. Jireh was on the show with other children, where they said a prayer, did a Bible study and sung songs. “I love being on TV,” she added.

The families who came and the willing helpers (including Jo Cox) all enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to be part of the program.

— Bernice Pannekoek

Exciting concert for Taree Church

Baptism can inspire baptisms! A public declaration of one’s love for Jesus can inspire others to do the same, and that’s probably why ministers always make an appeal at the end of each baptism.

So when Pastor fred Chileshe baptised Madison Rif on 10 October last year, Sarah and Rhys McPhee were so inspired by the whole ceremony that they determined to seal their love for Jesus through baptism.

It was certainly music to Pastor Chileshe’s ears when Kerralyn Chester, their mum, called him to arrange for Bible studies, leading to the baptism of her kids. What thrilled Pastor Chileshe was these young people’s above-average knowledge of the Scriptures. It is amazing when parents, grandparents, teachers and chaplains (represented at the baptism by Dr Mel Lemke) do their faithful part in teaching kids the Word of God!

“It makes the minister’s work of completing the process easier and delightful,” Pastor Chileshe said. Congratulations to Sarah and Rhys McPhee — Hillview’s newest forever friends of Jesus, baptised at Hillview on 12 March! Congratulations to Michael McPhee (their dad) and Kerralyn for bringing up these kids in the knowledge of God.

— Pastor Fred Chileshe

On the evening of 9 July, Taree Church was blessed with a concert given by the Eastward Music Camp choir and orchestra. for more than an hour and a half, the audience was blessed as more than 60 young people from as far away as Western Australia and New Zealand presented an uplifting program.

Eastward Music Camp is a two-week event that aims to provide an environment most favourable to spiritual growthm and improve the musical skills of participants through choral and orchestral workshops and rehearsals. Two of the most exciting parts of the camp are sharing multiple concerts with the local communities (the program was advertised on four local radio stations), and travelling to nearby scenic areas to film music videos, which are broadcast on TV stations, such as Hope Channel Australia and firstlight NZ.

When participants are not busy rehearsing, recording or filming, they are given the opportunity to be a light in the community through Help Bands (general community service work) and Magabook Canvassing. The Help Bands work is proving successful in building bridges with the community, showing them that we really do care. We are reminded that Christ’s method alone will work for reaching out to others, where firstly we meet the physical needs, demonstrating that we are genuinely caring, then perhaps later we are given the opportunity to bid them come, “follow Me.” Another highlight of the two-week program was an open-air concert in Port Macquarie town centre on the second Sabbath afternoon. for more information on Music Camp or to watch the videos, visit <www.mus.camp>.

— Bernice Pannekoek

Evensong program a success at Lakeside Church

On the Sabbath afternoon of 25 June, an Evensong program was presented at Lakeside Church in Bonnells Bay. The program began with items from the Avondale Brass Band. This was followed by three brackets of songs from the Lakeside Vocal Ensemble, which were interspersed with several individual items. The congregation also had opportunity to participate by joining in the singing of two of the songs.

These programs have proven very popular and again the church was filled with an enthusiastic congregation. Many thanks to Alexis Deves for again organising the program, Brian Kjim and Michelle Villis for their work conducting the ensemble, and also to those who participated. All would have received a rich blessing.

— Pam Hill

OUR CHURCHES

first baptism for Cameron Park fellowship group

Sabbath, 28 May this year was a real high point for the newly-formed Cameron Park fellowship at Lake Macquarie with their first baptism.

Damien foster (pictured left), husband of Jamie-Lee and father of Sahara and Savannah, had been on an exciting spiritual journey with our wonderful Jesus over the past two years, which culminated in his complete acceptance of Jesus by baptism at Caves Beach at 3.00pm on that Sabbath afternoon.

On this special day, there were 120 people present at the Cameron Park Community Centre Main Hall for the baptism service. Many of Damien’s work colleagues from Sanitarium were also present and Dada fialho the Sanitarium Chaplain officiated on the day.

Dada says, “Damien has been working for Sanitarium for four years, and after coming to our weekly worships, one day he came and asked me if I could baptise him! We had Bible studies during breaks at work. Cameron Park fellowship Church Plant has done an amazing job in supporting and encouraging Damien leading to his decision, as well as chaplaincy work done at Sanitarium.”

He adds, “Chaplaincy at Sanitarium has a very important role to play. I see it as a complementary work to the local churches. We can underplay our influence in the lives of our employees, but Damien’s story is here to show us that we can achieve great things when we join together. Sanitarium doesn’t exist for business alone — we can help to baptise people too! And it’s been a great encouragement for other workers here. Around half the people at Damien’s baptism were staff members from Sanitarium. We’re very confident there will be more baptisms in the coming months.”

Damien shared an inspiring and moving personal story of God’s transforming work in his life so far. He shared that, through a combination of highs and lows in his life, God never gave up on him until he met Jesus face-to-face.

Damien shared that it was the birth of his eldest daughter that began his rapid journey to see and to accept God’s grace in his own life.

As part of the challenge given to Damien, Dada asked if Damien would like to give away a special Bible that was presented to him during the morning service. Damien had no hesitation to give this wonderful gift to another young man called Alex Balind, who had just started attending Cameron Park fellowship. Since then, Alex has been attending regularly and is also on his own very exciting spiritual journey of getting to know Jesus.

Two other young people who were present that morning also made the commitment to follow Jesus all the way.

We were all truly blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, working with the folk that were present with us on that special day — especially our own young people.

— Peter Dawes

A big year for baptisms at Wallsend

It was a big year for baptisms at Wallsend Adventist Church in 2015, with most of them coming from the church’s youth membership. In the final quarter of 2015, there were six young people who gave their lives to Jesus. A vibrant Sabbath school program, Pathfinders and Adventurer Clubs, and a discipling youth culture at Wallsend Church are all really making a difference in these young lives. Some chose to be baptised at the church, while others chose an outdoor venue. The young people baptised were:

Tameka Halliday on 31 October, 2015 at Wallsend (pictured on the bottom row of the images below with her family)

Eli Ogle on 7 November, 2015 at Blacksmiths Beach (pictured on the right on the upper row)

Katie Ross on 20 November, 2015 at Wallsend (pictured on the left on the upper row)

Grace Galley on 28 November, 2015 at Wallsend (pictured on the right on the middle row)

Lucy Geelan on 4 December, 2015 at Caves Beach (pictured on the left on the middle row)

Josh Knight on 5 December, 2015 at Wyee Point (pictured above)

— Daniel Ogle

Think-tank reveals great potential for disability conference centre

Now that renovations have been completed at the old RAAf Base hospital at Rathmines, more recently known as the Don Geddes Memorial Nursing Home, the challenge being faced by the management team is to establish close relationships with the various disability service providers within the Hunter region.

An open forum think-tank was convened at the centre, with participants from a cross section of community. Attendees included local MP Greg Piper, representatives from Lake Macquarie Council, church organisations (including Pastor Justin Lawman, who represented the North New South Wales Conference), Catalina Bowling club, Sailability, business chamber members, and personnel from many disability care providers.

The enthusiastic endorsement expressed at the meeting confirmed that the Catalina Conference Centre now further enhances the reputation of Lake Macquarie as a region of excellence for people with disabilities. The spacious facilities, and peaceful surrounds on the lake-front, combine to make this centre a truly unique property. A place where people can meet together, even if only for a few days, and build meaningful relationships by associating together in a relaxed environment.

Local charity Disability Life Enrichment has a declared objective of encouraging group interaction as a pathway to gaining relief from the feeling of helplessness arising from social isolation.

Catalina Conference Centre offers accommodation for groups of up to 50 people, and is equipped with a commercial kitchen and a picturesque lake-front dining room. It features a conference room with seating for 100+ people, and a number of private meeting rooms. Audio-visual and Wi-fi facilities operate throughout the property. The Conference Centre is available to any community group or business, when not booked by the primary beneficiaries within the disability service sector.

The motivation that led to the establishment of this much-needed facility was driven by two factors. Principal of the charity David Hagen explained that he had become acutely aware of the concerns faced by parents of young people with disabilities, and their exasperation, arising from awareness that there was little they could do to relieve their child’s social isolation, especially as they and their children advanced in years.

Opportunities such as the restoration of a historic building, with a view to making a positive impact on the lives of others, do not come very often. So as David simply put it, “The urge to respond to the ‘for Sale by Tender’ sign was just the right challenge needed to keep me off the streets in my retirement years.” David has been joined by Lyle Ball as fellow director and Peter Brown as facility manager.

David and wife Heather, now residing in Queensland, have a deep appreciation of the beauty of the Lake Macquarie region, where he and his mates from school days in the 1950s enjoyed many Christmas holidays. The outbursts of laughter and sounds of people enjoying themselves at this magnificent lake-front venue is evidence that many others are now discovering the happiness that comes from togetherness.

In the words of that great statesman Abraham Lincoln, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” The Catalina Conference Centre certainly provides opportunity for this.

— David Hagen

OUR CHURCHES

Hillview’s family camp celebrates creationist worldview

Driving down the winding, narrow road that zigzags to a riverside camping sanctuary in the Berowra Valley, which is sheltered by forested hills, is a well-known experience to Adventists who have been around Sydney or the Newcastle area.

But what is it that brings Hillview Church members to this spot every year in february in what has become an annual pilgrimage? Well let’s take this year, for instance. There was bushwalking, hill climbing, kayaking, river cruise adventures; spiritually reviving messages; a social night of trivia and family movies — all these and more were part of the of the 2016 Hillview Church family Camp experience at Crosslands Youth Convention Centre from 26 to 28 february. The speakers included Professor John Ashton, a creation scientist; Dr Trevor Hurlow, a GP; Caitlin Kross, Hillview Church’s Youth Pastor; Braden Oliver, the church’s Men’s Ministries leader; and Trevor Oliver, camp coordinator.

They are all members of Hillview Church, and they spoke on a theme that affirmed the Genesis creationist worldview as a basis of belief and as a polemic against the theory of evolution. Many appreciated just how the Bible’s account of beginnings is more scientifically sound than evolution/big bang theories, which many people assume to be true and scientifically sound. A few science students, including Caleb Ranking, who will be doing a PhD in Marine Sciences, appreciated the deep science and faith content in all these presentations. I say the statement “In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth” remains scientifically, philosophically and logically sound!

— Pastor Fred Chileshe

Bank manager gets baptised

His small group advertised it as “Come and see a bank manager getting dunked.”

And on Sabbath, 14 May, Jason Bailey continued his journey with God through baptism. When Jason first arrived at C4, he was sceptical of Christians and questioned the existence of God. It took friendship with real people to convince him otherwise.

Special thanks to Janelle and Peter Gregg for opening their home on the shores of Lake Munmorah. It was a spectacular afternoon, enjoyed by around 50 people, with afternoon tea afterwards.

Many people spoke of their friendship with Jason, and Bev Pengilley told how she and Rod have known him longer than most in his role as manager at the National Australia Bank. She said that he has always been a man of integrity.

Pastor Wayne Krause spoke about the value of baptism and the benefits of being a disciple of Jesus (and afterwards, he too received a dunking!).

— Central Coast Community Church Connections

fEATURES

11 facts about Adventist tithing practice in Australia and New Zealand

Between December 2015 and April 2016, no less than 2257 church members across Australia and New Zealand participated in a Tithing Sentiment Study conducted by McCrindle Research. A central objective of the research was to understand the proportion of Adventists who disengaged from tithing and why, and also to determine methods by which church may encourage greater tithe return.

11 Facts about Tithing Practice in Australia and New Zealand

The survey data highlighted the following 11 key facts about tithing;

1. Almost half the Adventists surveyed are diverting their tithe away from the Seventh-day Adventist Church

47 per cent of respondents indicated that they use tithe to support charities like ADRA, Rotary and ICC, as well as independent ministries or their family networks.

2. Older generations are more likely to tithe than younger generations

Respondents in the 70+ age bracket return on average 11 per cent of their income as tithe, whereas 21-35 year olds return on average 9.2 per cent.

3. Church attendance directly impacts tithing

Those who attend church every week on average tithe 9.8% of their income, compared to 6.1 per cent of those who attend once per month.

4. Those earning a high income tithe less than those earning less than them

Respondents with a gross household annual income of more than $150,000 had an average tithe of 8.9 per cent, whereas those households that earned less than $32,000 tithed 9.7 per cent on average.

5. 5 per cent of respondents indicated that they don’t return tithe

Reasons provided ranged from not having enough money to not trusting the conference with the ethical distribution of funds.

6. Almost half of Adventists tithe into the offering plate at church

As an alternative to the offering plate, 31 per cent of 21-35 year olds use the eGiving website, compared with 20 per cent of 51-69 year olds.

7. 70 per cent of Adventists believe in tithing to either the local church or conference because they believe it is the best vehicle to spread the Gospel

8. Transparency and evidence of impact are key to increasing tithing engagement

48 per cent of respondents said transparency and 46 per cent said giving evidence of the impact of tithe are two actions that could give them confidence in the conference’s use of tithe.

9. Mission improved by use of funds, as well as increase of funds

71 per cent believe that increased tithe will increase the church’s impact on the community.

10. Varying confidence in the conference

55 per cent of respondents said their confidence in their conference was high or very high. People who do not have confidence in their conference gave reasons such as lack of transparency, high administrative costs or the perceived waste of money in certain areas.

11. Respondents rate highly their feelings of belonging and identity as an Adventist

85 per cent said they rate their feeling of belonging and identity as an Adventist as high or very high.

Thank you

A big thank you to all those from North New South Wales Conference who participated in the survey — 28 per cent of the respondents were from our conference, which had the highest participation of any conference, followed by Victoria with 22 per cent.

I prayerfully ask God for a revival of our hearts and minds so that the body of Christ will be obedient to Your Word ,and in your power the Gospel will be proclaimed to all the world in our generation.

— Russell Halliday

What are your plans? Is it time for you to ARISE?

So what are you doing with yourself? I mean, what are you really doing right now and why are you doing it? There is an endless scope of jobs to be done, errands to be run, deadlines to meet, people to please and places to be; but will any of that be important at the end of time?

Because it’s not far away now.

Don’t act like you haven’t noticed. It’s been hard to ignore the news recently. How much of what you are doing right now is paving the way for you, your family and friends to be in heaven? Well, I guess we should be asking ourselves, “What can we do now that can’t be done in heaven?”

At the ARISE 2016 graduation ceremony, Pastor Justin Lawman left the audience with these words: “Go and do something… we only get one crack at it here, and there’s no evangelism in eternity, no soul winning in heaven. That happens now.” My mind automatically adds to that, What we don’t do now, we may eternally regret So what are you doing with your life? Because it may be time to consider doing something a little radical, like laying down your ambitions and joining a discipleship training course for 15 weeks. We just happen to have one in our conference, and applications open in September. for an in-depth understanding of the program, visit <AriseAustralia.org> where you can watch a short video and download the handbook. We would love to see you there and you will be eternally thankful.

— Kyle Morrison (ARISE Administrator)

Richard de Klerk left his job to do Bible work. Jeffrey Rosario left his job to upskill to reach more people. Kyle Morrison finally got a job that helps disciple people!

fEATURES

Review: Grounds for Assurance and Hope

This 338-page anthology is a celebration of Dr Bryan W Ball’s 80th birthday and brings together a substantial selection of his writings. It is a welcome book — Dr Ball is one of Seventh-day Adventism’s thought leaders and scholars. The range of the selection reflects the significant areas of Dr Ball’s work, from the biblical record of Creation to the return of Christ, and much else between.

Dr Ball, a former President of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific and now an Honorary Senior Research fellow at Avondale College of Higher Education, has researched and worked hard to validate the biblical basis of major Adventists beliefs. In pursuing this line of scholarship, he has demonstrated beyond doubt or criticism that Adventism is not a North American sect. Grounds For Assurance and Hope is a testimony to his success.

It is fair to say the primacy of scriptural authority underpins all of Dr Ball’s work. In Scripture, God has made known His will and purpose in creation and redemption. from this source and no other rests the message of salvation.

Grounds For Assurance and Hope is arranged in three sections: Revelation and the Bible; Puritan history and belief; and redemption and eschatology. You find rich gems in each section, not least those dealing with Scripture. In an age of relativism, biblical scholars and Christians will find much here to provoke and encourage faith with solid evidence to confirm it.

Dealing with Puritan history is a strong feature in Dr Ball’s writings. He has made a significant contribution in this area, including Apocalyptic thought, the history in England of Seventh-day Sabbatarianism and also of so-called conditionalism. The development of the latter in the faith of the nonconformists will be a revelation for many readers.

Two essays, in particular, are noteworthy. The first is the mandate of Jesus to the church of its obligation to keep mission foremost on its agenda. The second — the previously unpublished “The Decline of the West: Myth, or Reason for Hope?” — is an ambitious piece of writing that is not without challenges.

Grounds For Assurance and Hope has one outstanding and prominent virtue: it deals with the great issues of the Christian faith. It does this directly, clearly and with readability, a quality you do not always find in scholarly works. By the very nature of the areas it addresses, the book commends itself not only to members and thought leaders of the Adventist Church worldwide, but also to all Christians who seek a solid foundation for their faith. Here the reader will discover again grounds for assurance and hope.

Grounds for Assurance and Hope is available for $29.95 from Adventist Book Centres or the Avondale Online Store, <www.avondale.edu.au/onlinestore>.

— Pastor Patrick Boyle

Pastor Patrick Boyle, now retired in Watford, England, is editor of The Pilgrim, a publication produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Britain for retirees. He is a former senior minister of the Stanborough Park Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Grounds for Assurance and Hope

Dr Bryan Ball

338 pages Signs Publishing Company, 2016